Fernwood resident Paul Phillips died peacefully in his home on May 18, 2012 — a community builder and troublemaker to the end. Here is a biography of Paul that I wrote for the Fernwood News in 2006.

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FERNWOOD, BC — The corner of Balmoral and Camosun may resemble a disaster zone some days, but the owner of the 1890 yellow character home that rises out of the rubble has earned his place in Fernwood history.

“I’m always astonished by the gentleness and the niceness of the people here,” says Paul Phillips, age 73, whose recollections are coloured by his sharp Welsh tongue. “The spirit of this place—through all the mess-ups, all the interference from outside sources—they’ll all fall by the wayside and sooner or later this place will demonstrate its spirit.”

He should know. Thirty years ago, Phillips was a key player in Fernwood’s Neighbourhood Improvement Program (NIP), leveraging a million dollars in federal money that spawned both the FCA and FCC buildings, and ‘pocket park’ street closures on Queens, Chambers, Grant, Pembroke and Gladstone.

As a co-op organizer, Phillips helped build the first curb-side recycling box, forerunner to today’s Blue Box program. He prevented the demolition of heritage buildings and helped form the Spring Ridge Housing Co-op. Later, Phillips ran the Fernwood Solar Farm, which survives today as the Compost Education Centre. The owner of three Fernwood properties, Phillips provides housing for over a dozen low-income people. The process may be messy, but the results are widely felt.

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Paul Gwyn Phillips was born in Gloucestershire in 1933 and raised in Builth, Wales (pronounced Bilth). The son of market gardeners who later operated a small hotel, he was raised Baptist but migrated toward an anarchist philosophy.

“The status quo didn’t quite do it for me,” Phillips says. “It was more than obvious that your accent defined who you were.”

He left England for Toronto in 1958 and worked at odd jobs, including a stint at Weston’s Bakery that fueled his later involvement in the food co-op movement. He moved west to Vancouver, returned to England for a while, then settled into the folk music scene in the United States.

Phillips was exposed to folk music as a young man in London in the 1950s, stumbling across a performance of the protest song ‘The Banks Are Made of Marble.’ He acquired a five-string banjo and was hooked. He played at the Seattle World Fair in 1961, and toured the folk circuit, performing with Pete Seager and Phil Ochs.

At Joliet, Illinois in 1967, Phillips was invited to address a protest rally against the Vietnam War. Motioning toward the rail tracks leading out of the town’s arsenal, he told the crowd, “If you want to stop it, you’ve got to put yourself on the lines.”

Two months later, at his home in the countryside south of Los Angeles, Phillips was arrested by two FBI agents and charged with sedition. Due to a technicality and considerable luck, Phillips was kicked out of the country and returned to Vancouver.

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Phillips flirted with the Kitsilano scene, then came to Victoria where he helped found the Amor de Cosmos Food Co-operative in 1970. The St. John Divine Church served as the distribution centre, with six zone houses spread throughout the city. Flower power flourished at the time, and Phillips lived in co-op houses in Fairfield, Vic West and James Bay, before he and three friends purchased a home on Mason Street, in Fernwood, for $16,000.

Phillips applied for, and received, a federal grant to expand food co-ops, and worked in Vancouver for the Fed-Up Food Co-op, which developed a food distribution network extending up to the Queen Charlotte Islands, with weekly trade exceeding $80,000. At its height, the co-op ran a bakery, newspaper, honey-making plant, three retail stores, and a cannery. By 1975, however, years of activity were taking their toll.

“I’m a small-time guy, really,” Phillips says.

He returned to Victoria to focus on community work in Fernwood. Controversy was brewing over land development. The area bounded by Pembroke, Gladstone, Fernwood Road and Stevenson Park was slated for a major federal housing project, which later became Blanshard Courts.

“These were the days when houses were getting smashed down all over the place,” Phillips recalls.

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Meanwhile, at Fort and Foul Bay, 17 houses were slated for demolition to make way for seniors’ housing. BC’s deputy minister of housing, George Chatterton, challenged Phillips to find a better solution for the 17 houses. He did.

In an elaborate plan supported by the NDP government of the day, facilitated by the National Housing Act (1973), Phillips helped form the Spring Ridge Housing Co-op Association. The province purchased land on Pembroke Street, and four of the condemned houses were relocated, raised, and converted to duplex suites. The remaining houses were recycled for building material. Over time, other buildings were added. Today, 36 people are housed at the Spring Ridge Co-op.

But the Spring Ridge Housing Co-op was just the beginning. In the mid-1970s, federal and provincial politics created a climate ripe for innovative social policies.

“You could pick up the world and run with it,” Phillips recalls fondly. Fernwood residents mobilized behind the federal Neighbourhood Improvement Program (NIP), and in a few short years transformed the physical and cultural environment of Fernwood.

The NIP legacy began with the closure of Queens and Chambers Streets behind George Jay Elementary, and the construction of an adventure playground. Other street closures followed at Grant, Pembroke, and, finally,Gladstone, today’s Fernwood Square, where a gazebo was built by marginalized youth that still stands today.

When the NIP era finally ended, the Bakery building at Fernwood Road had been acquired by the City for $89,000 (25% paid by the city, with the remainder covered by provincial and NIP grants). Pressure from Phillips, the FCA (formed in 1972) and the NIP committee also secured funds for a community centre in Stevenson Park, despite a confidential memo from the City manager stating “we should…do our best to divert the residents from the idea of a community centre.” The FCA was prevented from running the facility, however, because civic leaders feared the group was too “radical.”

Phillips later served as a director of both the FCA and FCC. “I think it’s tragic,” Phillips says of tension between the two groups. “You have people with good ideas and they just don’t have the will to really behave decently. They see each other in adversarial positions.” He remains optimistic, however, believing things “will always get better… I’ve got that much faith in people’s abilities.”

In the 1980s, Phillips headed the Fernwood Solar Farm at Chambers and North Park, securing school-district land and employing young offenders sentenced to community service. He worked on the side as a landscape gardener, but in 1988 suffered a severe head injury while at work. Since then, he has focused on converting his properties for affordable housing, and restoring Fernwood House at the top Rudlin Street.

Phillips was married briefly in the 1960s, and has a daughter from that marriage, Olwen, who lives inLos Angeles. He considers his family to include close friends and their children, including a second daughter Sylvia.

*                                  *                                  *

Whoopies, Red Tide, Amor de Cosmos Food Co-op, Fed-Up, Co-op Resource Society, Tunnel Canary, LEAP, Spring Ridge Housing Co-op, Neighbour-Aiders, Bench-Bunch, NIP, the Fernwood Solar Farm.

All these projects benefited from the unorthodox energy of Paul Phillips, and changed Fernwood for the better. When asked about the unkempt state of his Camosun Street property, Phillips refuses to mince words.

“Maybe it could be done faster, and maybe I’m not as efficient as I should be. But it’s just like an ancient dig. You’ve got to go at it with a paintbrush,” he says, citing the discovery of intricate original woodwork on the exterior of 116-year-old building, and the installation of new electrical, plumbing, heating and fire-safety systems in the 6000-sq.-foot house. “If you could do it better, dynamite! Get over here!”

Remember this unique slice of history the next time you pass the chaotic corner of Balmoral and Camosun. More important, take action in Fernwood to build on Paul Phillips’ impressive legacy.

Published in Fernwood News, February 2006. By Ben Isitt
RIP, my friend.

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DOWNLOAD

This biography of Paul (in PDF)
 
 
 
 
AUDIO INTERVIEW

With Paul in his Fernwood home, April 13, 2006
 
Paul’s role in an anti-war protest at Joliet, Illinois and deportation from the United States

Link to Paul’s interview on the Joliet anti-war protest and his arrest and deportation from the United States

Download the Podcast

 
Full interview (2 hours, 36 minutes)

Link to Paul’s full interview, April 13, 2006 (2 hours, 36 minutes)

Download the Podcast

Thanks to members of our community who attended the May 9th public forum on “Selling City-Owned Land.” Your views and commitment to the City can help shape a stronger Land Policy to guide current and future decisions by City Council.

As several speakers suggested, strengthening City of Victoria policy and procedures can provide an example of “best practices” to inform the actions of other public authorities with respect to their sizeable land holdings in the City and region — including the Capital Regional District, neighbouring municipalities, and the provincial and federal governments.

Here are some resources to contribute to the public discussion on a City Land Policy:

Map of City-Owned Land (PDF file)

Inventory of City-Owned Land (MS Excel file)

“Policy for Surplus Highways” (adopted in May 2006)

 

“Best Practices from Other Jurisdictions” (Presentation by James Bay resident Irwin Henderson)

Audio recording of the May 9th Public Forum (courtesy of Janine Bandcroft):

Link to Audio from May 9th Public Forum on Selling City-Owned Land, May 9, 2012

Download a Podcast of the public forum

 

Share your views with City Council — from basic principles to specific details to include in a City Land Policy:

Email Councillors@Victoria.ca or Address a Council Meeting

Should the City of Victoria sell four parcels of City-owned land on the western side of Victoria Harbour to the Ralmax group of companies? While I support our working harbour and family-supporting jobs provided at the Point Hope Shipyard, I think the question of land ownership needs to be given serious consideration.

The site, on which the Songhees Indian Reservation once stood, has been home to ship-building for the past century. Now, a majority on City Council have voted in favour of a motion to consider an offer from the Ralmax group of companies to purchase the lands. City staff are currently negotiating the terms of sale with Ralmax.

I believe City Council has inadequate information to pursue this land sale. The decision to consider an offer from Ralmax was made at 11:30PM on the night of Thursday, April 12, in the absence of any written report from staff on the benefits and rationale for selling the land at Point Hope. I moved a motion to postpone consideration to allow more time for discussion, but this motion was narrowly defeated on a 5-4 vote. The main motion to consider the offer from Ralmax carried 7-2, with only Councillor Shellie Gudgeon and I opposed.

I voted against the motion because I believe it is improper to move so quickly when so many questions remain unanswered:

 

Are the four parcels of land on Harbour Road surplus to the City’s current and future needs?

Many public entities hold strategic waterfront land to address social, environmental and economic goals that are not addressed by the private market. These include providing public access, stewarding environmental resources, pursuing industrial and economic strategies, and retaining land for future City infrastructure (as is the case for lands now required for the Johnson Street Bridge project).

Has the City undertaken a sufficient review of its land requirements, as well as the particular requirements for the westerly shore of Victoria Harbour, to conclude that these lands are surplus and appropriate for sale? Based on the absence of any written staff report supporting this proposed land sale, I believe that such a review has not been undertaken.

 

Will the City realize the greatest economic benefit by selling, rather than leasing, these lands?

According to a 1993 report commissioned by the City on its land holdings: “industrial sites should be offered for long term lease rather than for outright purchase. In that way the City of Victoria can generate a reasonable rate of return from these sites while maintaining control over their use and realize the anticipated appreciation in value for these sites.”

Does this rationale still apply? If not, what economic circumstances have changed to make sale rather than lease more economically beneficial to the City? Earlier this year, the City renewed leases on the property, for which Ralmax pays $250,000 per year, scheduled to increase to a market-based rent of $750,000 in 2016. This is a sizeable, regular annual revenue source that the City would forego by selling the lands, not to mention the long-term appreciation in land values.

 

Is the City in a stronger position as owner (rather than regulator) of the lands when it comes to sustaining a working harbour and ensuring a manufacturing base for the City and its people?

What if the private purchaser of these lands goes bankrupt? Or decides to move into the condo business? We have seen how difficult it has been to hold the private purchaser of former City lands at Dockside Green to its affordable housing commitments. While conversion of Point Hope from industrial to residential use would require rezoning and environmental remediation of these contaminated lands, I believe the owner (whether the City or a private party) is in the best position to shape future use on the land and realize any corresponding “lift” in property value.

If Point Hope is surplus to the City’s current and future needs, will this model of sale (negotiation with a single buyer) produce the greatest return for the City?

 

Would the City realize more revenue from this lucrative water-front property on the open market (rather than by accepting an offer from a single entity)?

Would Ralmax make a higher offer if the ordinary rules of competition governed this proposed land sale — installing a “For Sale” (literally and figuratively) to indicate the City’s expectation of receiving the highest value for the land?

 

If the City intends to sell Point Hope, should the public be consulted at the outset of the process, rather than at the very end?

By defeating the motion to postpone consideration, and by approving the main motion, a majority of City Councillors authorized staff to begin negotiations on the land sale without consulting the public. The process currently being pursued would see the terms of sale negotiated behind closed doors between City staff and the Ralmax group, with the final proposal to divest the lands publicly posted in a newspaper advertisement before approval in a public City Council vote.

 

In my view, much more rigorous and meaningful forms of public consultation are required, to help address all these unanswered questions, and to ensure that City Council arrives at the best decision, a decision that is in tune with the views and aspirations of the community.

To this end, a grassroots initiative in underway to consult the public on the question of Selling City-Owned Land — to develop a policy that can inform the current debate over Point Hope, while ensuring best practices are followed for any future decisions with respect to City lands.

You can share your views with City Council (councillors@victoria.ca), address a Council Meeting, and attend the following event (and spread the word to your contacts by sharing this info).

 

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Selling City-Owned Land
A Public Forum

 

Hosted by Councillors Shellie Gudgeon & Ben Isitt

Where: Garry Oak Room, Fairfield Community Centre (1335 Thurlow Road, off Moss)

When: Wednesday, May 9th, 7:00PM
 

• Should public land ever be sold?
• Should public land sales always be secret?
• How do we determine whether land is surplus to current or future needs?
• Should Victoria have a policy and procedure for public land sales?

 

Learn what your fellow-citizens think about these questions. State your views.

All welcome.

 
For further information, email sgudgeon@victoria.ca or bisitt@victoria.ca. Join the event on Facebook

Here is the text of the speech I gave at Victoria’s Day of Mourning ceremony for workers killed or injured on the job, held on April 28, 2012 and organized by the Victoria Labour Council and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 50:

DAY OF MOURNING SPEECH
VICTORIA, BC
April 28, 2012

As an elected official, let me start by thanking CUPE Local 50 and the Victoria Labour Council for organizing today’s event.

They have reminded us that the health, safety and wellbeing of workers must remain a central concern and responsibility of the labour movement itself.

*   *   *

Over time, we have seen employer and government initiatives to replace the self-activity of workers with cumbersome bureaucratic procedures.

Too often, these new procedures are designed to serve the interests of employers, rather than workers.

For example, Workers’ Compensation emerged a hundred years ago to limit the legal liability of employers.

Workers and their families lost the right to sue employers for damages, for death or injury arising from negligence.

More than 400 coal miners had been killed on Vancouver Island in the decades leading up to this legislation, as employers such as Robert Dunsmuir cut safety procedures to boost production and maximize profits.

*   *   *

Today, in the drive for cost-cutting, “restraint” and “austerity,” we see the same basic problem – employers who are quick to ignore safety warnings, saving costs while threatening the life and wellbeing of workers who make their profits.

The investigation of the Prince George explosion is ongoing, but I believe we may find that this was a preventable tragedy – that warnings relating to sawdust were ignored by the employer.

It is often more convenient and profitable to cling to a “business as usual” approach.

But workers and their families can be devastated as a result.

The Prince George incident suggests we need much stronger enforcement of workplace safety, and potentially stiffer penalties – both criminal and financial – against employers whose actions or negligence contribute to the death or injury of workers.

*   *   *

At the same time we fight to strengthen laws, we need to remain vigilant in defending the principle of the right to refuse unsafe work – whether or not this principle is sanctioned or not in provincial statute or in the language of collective agreements.

There was an era of “labour before the law,” when all actions by unions to advance the interests of workers were deemed criminal and punished with fines, injunctions and jail terms.

Sometimes, basic humanitarian values – most notably respect for human life – run up against laws enacted in employer-friendly legislatures.

Such moments underscore the need for working-class self-activity to uphold community values.

*   *   *

IN CONCLUSION, thanks again to CUPE Local 50 and the Victoria Labour Council for reminding us that workers cannot always look to government or employers to help them.

In this era of “austerity,” the need for working-class self-activity and solidarity to improve conditions of life and work will become increasingly clear and increasingly essential.

Spring time is here. I hope you are taking time to enjoy the warmer, drier weather and explore the natural areas and cultural activities in our city and region.

We are emerging from a busy time at Victoria City Hall and the CRD, marked by annual budgeting and cyclical priority setting. While working to contain the tax burden on residents, I have taken steps to protect and improve our highly valued, quality public services.

Here is a summary of some recent initiatives:

City:

• Successfully advocated to protect funding for Greenways in the 2012 budget, while initiating a motion to extend Council’s budget deliberations, which made further tax savings possible;
• Voted against a $16-million increase in the Johnson Street Bridge project, while proposing a design change to contain costs and accommodate cycling/walking amenities and commuter rail;
• Initiated a discussion between citizens and City staff to improve safety of pedestrian crosswalks;
• Spearheaded a unanimous motion in favour of a harm reduction approach to drug use;
• Facilitated the communication of the City’s new Official Community Plan to neighbhourhood associations.
• Met with Oaklands residents and City and CRD housing staff to explore options for community uses of the St. Alban’s Church property.

CRD:

• Initiated the discussion of a Regional Housing Levy at the CRD Board table;
• Worked with Regional Parks staff to improve safety at Elk Lake, facilitating the installation of safety signage for swimmers as a result of a citizen’s suggestion;
• Proposed tax savings of $40,000 by recommending that the Board take decision-making responsibility with respect to Deer Management;
• Began discussions at the Greater Victoria Water Commission and CRD Parks Committee on recreational opportunities in the Leech River watershed, lands owned by the CRD that will not be required for drinking water for 30-70 years.

Inter-Governmental:

• Participated in the annual conference of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC), speaking to motions relating to tanker traffic in coastal waters, harm reduction and participatory budgeting. Forged valuable connections with elected officials from small and large communities, rural areas, and the Island Corridor Foundation, discussing opportunities for inter-city and commuter rail to Downtown Victoria;
• Attended the opening of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in Victoria, meeting with Justice Murray Sinclair.
• Finally, I have attended a number of local cultural events, including the launch of the Victoria Jazz Festival, the M Awards, volunteer appreciation week at Our Place, and the annual Earth Walk.

I welcome your feedback on these and other issues. My weekly Open Office Hours take place on Thursdays from 5-6pm at the Solstice Cafe, 529 Pandora. You can contact Victoria City Council at councillors@victoria.ca and request to address City Council and the CRD Board.

Feel free to contact me any time with your questions or ideas.

All the best,

Watch Youtube video

This 8mm film footage shows Vancouver Island’s Esquimalt & Nanaimo railroad in the 1950s, shortly after the introduction of diesel. As we consider the future of rail on the island in the 21st century, I urge my fellow Victoria City Councillors to exercise foresight and plan for the future — by ensuring that the new Johnson Street Bridge is strong enough to accommodate rail.

While this would entail a modest increase in design and material costs today, it would remove the need to build a second bridge (for $35-million) to accommodate rail at some point in the future. Moreover, building a rail-capable bridge today will maintain continuity of this vital, historic link on Vancouver Island.

Guided by the hopeful principle, “If we build it, they will come,” Victoria can join with the Island Corridor Foundation and citizens and public-office holders from across the Capital Region and communities up-island to build a strong, sustainable alternative for inter-city and commuter transport.

Here, you can listen to my interview on CBC Radio’s On the Island with Gregor Craigie, where I discuss the benefits of a rail-capable Johnson Street Bridge as well as potential cost savings from a simpler, more functional design:

Link to CBC Radio interview, February 9, 2012

Download CBC radio Podcast

Freight Train – Joan Baez

Download Joan Baez’s “Freight Train” Podcast

It has been one hundred days since I took my oath of office and assumed my seat at Victoria City Council and the Capital Regional District Board.

Here are some issues I have been working on since my last update:

• Successfully convinced City Council to retain backyard collection of solid waste, while moving toward a kitchen scraps program and exploring options to collect blue-box recycling as part of a unified (and low-carbon) waste collection system. The new system will cost $181/year per household rather than the current rate of $202/year; Media report | Radio interview

• Advocated against cuts to greenways, bicycle lanes and bus shelters in the 2012 Budget, while taking aim at contracting out of road work, parking services and arbourist services with a view to capping tax increases at no more than 3.5%. Looking toward the 2013 budget, I will be proposing a review of all contracted services to ensure the City is spending finite tax dollars effectively; Media report

• Facilitated a meeting between residents of the Gonzales neighbourhood and the City workers’ CUPE Local 50 to discuss opportunities for a volunteer work party to reduce costs associated with reopening the Chandler-Gonzales Pathway; Media report

• Defended the essential role of community centres and seniors centres in the City’s grants program, which collectively receive a subsidy equal to 1/50th of the budget allocated to the Victoria Police Department;

• Moved an amendment to the Police Budget to reduce the $2-million annual overtime expenditure (a proposal that a majority of councillors chose not to support); Media report

• Worked with council colleagues and members of the street community to introduce motions for the repeal or amendment of discriminatory City bylaws against people who are homeless and a discussion for a temporary regulated tenting area to replace the current ad-hoc form of camping that takes place in many City parks;

• Proposed procedural improvements that have now resulted in greater disclosure on Council agendas of subject matter considered during closed-door in-camera meetings, while advocating for further limitations and transparency in how these proceedings are conducted; Blog post | Radio interview

• Worked with colleagues in Saanich to propose a Midtown Master Plan for the area between downtown Victoria and “Uptown,” a 1.8-square-kilometre tract of strip malls and parking lots that has the potential to provide thousands of affordable homes and jobs, as well as greenway and transit connections, while keeping high-density development out of established neighbourhoods and the region’s farmlands and forests; Blog post | Radio interview

• Proposed the formation an Ombuds Committee of council on a trial basis in 2012, to determine the viability of creating an independent office of the Ombudsperson to help resolve complaints from residents and businesses while improving operations at City Hall; Media report | Radio interview

• Introduced a motion to change the design and process for the new Johnson Street Bridge, to safeguard the interests and borrowing power of taxpayers on the city’s largest infrastructure project while providing future opportunities for commuter rail to downtown; Media report | Radio interview

 

UPDATE: THE JOHNSON STREET BRIDGE

The proposed design change for the new Johnson Street Bridge was originally supported by only two other councillors, newcomers Shellie Gudgeon and Lisa Helps. However, in light of major projected cost overruns that have come to light this week ― from $77-million to $93-million ― Council will be considering a proposal very similar to the one that I introduced last month when our Governance & Priorities Committee meets this Thursday, March 15th, at 1:30PM, in City Council Chambers. You can read more about the financial picture and options in this staff report to Council.

It is my hope that Council agrees to proceed with a design-build contract for a lower-cost, simpler and more functional design, and that this design modification includes a specification for a bridge that is strong enough to survive a major earthquake and to accommodate commuter rail in the future. To share your views with Council and the Mayor on this important issue and others, email: councillors@victoria.ca.

Yours in solidarity,

 

 

Listen to this CFAX 1070 AM interview with Al Ferraby from March 14, 2012, where I discuss cost overruns on the Johnson Street Bridge project and the need for Council to consider a simpler, more functional design:

Link to CFAX 1070 radio interview, March 14, 2012

Download CFAX radio Podcast

Watch Youtube video

 

 

Mass Rally at the Legislature to Support BC’s Teachers

 

Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Time: 11:00 am gather at Centennial Square, Victoria BC

12:00 pm Rally at the BC Legislature

More info

Victoria, BC – City councillor and CRD director Ben Isitt is challenging Victoria and Saanich councillors, residents, and the region’s construction community to “think big and dream big” in developing a Master Plan for the area of under-utilized land straddling the two municipalities, which he describes as “Midtown.” Isitt will urge joint action on a Midtown Master Plan at a joint meeting of Victoria and Saanich councils taking place at Saanich Municipal Hall on Wednesday, February 29 at 4PM.

Isitt defines “Midtown” as the 1.8-square kilometre area of car lots, strip malls and single-storey buildings bounded by Blanshard to the east, Caledonia/Chatham to the south, Government/Gorge/Whittier to the west, and Boleskine/Saanich to the north. He suggests there is value in moving beyond the term “Douglas Street Corridor,” which he describes as “too narrow geographically” and “hindered by unrealized proposals from the past.”

“Midtown offers the promise of thousands – possibly tens of thousands – of affordable homes for working people and those needing supports,” Isitt says. “It offers the promise of years of family-supporting jobs for builders in the various trades. It offers the promise of clear expectations and a fair return on the investment for builders and land owners. To residents, developers and decision-makers, Midtown offers the promise of preventing acrimonious land-use battles by locating higher density outside of our older neighbourhoods and the region’s farms and forest lands.”

“To the public, Midtown offers the promise of new greenspaces and parks, and mass transit, pedestrian and cycling greenways between established neighbourhoods and the commercial centres of Victoria and Saanich,” Isitt says. “It offers the promise of an enlarged tax base for the two municipalities. Finally, Midtown offers the promise of transforming this currently unattractive urban wasteland of parking lots and single-story buildings into an innovative, sustainable 21st-century community with vibrant street-level life that can provide an example to cities elsewhere in Canada and beyond.”

Isitt challenges his council colleagues in Victoria and Saanich to “think big and dream big,” proposing a working group of planners, builders, architects, social-service providers, residents and land owners to begin developing a Midtown Master Plan. He points to the role of master planning in shaping development in Vancouver’s False Creek and Yaletown, which, though not perfect, provide examples of how cities can spearhead the transformation of underutilized urban land into vibrant communities.

Isitt will elaborate his vision for Midtown at the joint meeting of Victoria and Saanich councils at Saanich Municipal Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 4PM.

* * *

“A Midtown Master Plan” Discussion Paper (0.2MB PDF)
Submitted to Victoria and Saanich councils on Feb 29, 2012

 
 

Listen to an interview on CFAX 1070 radio with Murray Langdon, where I discuss the benefits of a Midtown Master Plan:

Link to CFAX interview, February 28, 2012

Download CFAX interview Podcast

 

Saanich News article

Victoria Times Colonist article

I want to share my views on a delicate subject: secrecy at City Hall and the need for much greater community consultation and openness. While my views may ruffle some feathers, I think we need to begin a serious discussion on how the city operates. After sitting at the council table for six weeks, I strongly believe that greater openness and early, meaningful community consultation will result in better, more cost-effective decision-making.

A number of important issues have crossed my desk since I took the oath of office, including spirited debates over the sale of city land to Vancouver-based developer Reliance Properties for development adjacent to the historic Northern Junk buildings. Council’s current discretion is shaped by an in-camera January 2010 decision, in which the previous council agreed to sell the land to the developer. This decision was made in the absence of community consultation. Much of the controversy we see today could have been avoided by talking to the community at the outset.

Read more »

Since assuming my seat as City Councillor and Regional Director last month, I have taken a number of steps to familiarize myself with the operations of the City and CRD, while beginning to move forward on my platform. It has been a sharp learning curve!

Highlights include:

• Meeting with Gonzales residents and city workers to discuss options for reopening the Gonzales-Chandler Pathway - a 180-metre-long city-owned corridor near Margaret Jenkins School, which has great potential to connect the neighbourhood and contribute to Victoria’s broader greenways strategy. On December 15, I successfully moved a motion to begin consultation with adjacent neighbours and neighbourhood proponents with a view toward re-opening the path in 2012. This month, I am meeting with proponents and the city workers union, CUPE Local 50, to discuss opportunities for a volunteer work party to clear the path.

• Calling for a more holistic approach to the Northern Junk land-use proposal, which would involve the sale of city land to Vancouver-based Reliance Properties as part of a strategy of restoring two harbour-front heritage buildings. Following a protracted two-hour debate, Council agreed to hold off on further consideration of this proposal pending more information on how it fits into the design for the new Johnson Street Bridge.

• Advocating restraint in the Police Budget at a joint meeting of the Police Board and Victoria and Esquimalt Councils. Prior to the meeting, I acquired detailed financial data from the VicPD comptroller and in the meeting suggested that the Force pursue further savings in the $2-million annual overtime budget (which accounts for nearly 5% of total funds requested for 2012). On the night of Saturday-Sunday January 7-8, I completed a “ride-along” with VicPD, observing policing from the perspective of officers on patrol on the overnight weekend shift. I observed the range of emergency calls, responding to a domestic assault, a robbery, and an out-of-control house party involving underage youth (several of whom were detained in police cells). This ride-along demonstrated to me the degree of integration both within VicPD as well as with neighbouring municipalities.

Read more »

Greenway Photo Album – IPhone/IPad/Non-Flash Version
After making careful and detailed inquiries regarding the proposed Gonzales-Chandler pathway, I support the city moving forward with residents to reopen this city-owned corridor in 2012. There are many examples of successful pathways, both in Victoria as well as in adjacent municipalities.

Council agreed to re-open the path in a 2009 resolution, deferring the question of timing and financing to a later date. The discussion at the council table and among city staff has moved beyond “if” the path should open to determine “how” the path should open, consistent with the direction set by the previous council in 2009. Consultation with adjacent neighbours and other residents is the essential first step in re-opening the path.

At our last governance and priorities meeting, I moved a motion (which was approved unanimously by my council colleagues), directing Parks staff to proceed with consultation with adjacent neighbours and proponents of the path, within the context of 2012 budgeting discussions.

Consultation will hopefully bring the sides closer together, determining a design that addresses safety concerns while allowing for public access. I am confident that when we look back on this issue in a few years time, re-opening the path will be seen as a very positive step for the neighbourhood and city.

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On December 21, 2011, I helped commemorate a forgotten mutiny of French-Canadian soldiers that occurred 93 years ago at the corner of Fort and Quadra streets in downtown Victoria, as the 259th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (Siberia) embarked for the port of Vladivostok and service in the Russian Civil War.

I first discovered the story of the Victoria mutiny while researching my book From Victoria to Vladivostok: Canada’s Siberian Expedition, 1917-19.

Casting a critical eye on the government of the day’s reading of the Military Service Act, and the use of conscription for a theatre of war a world away from the Western Front, I joined other citizens in calling for the soldiers’ pardon and for an apology for their families.

Here I discuss the mutiny on CBC radio’s On The Island program, recorded at Fort and Quadra with host Gregor Craigie:

Link to CBC Radio interview, December 21, 2011

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Here is my position with regards to the Northern Junk proposal for city lands and private lands at the foot of Johnson Street:

• The previous council erred in providing the opportunity to a single developer to envision possibilities for this prime downtown real estate;
• In light of the Johnson Street Bridge project, the first step should be for council and staff to determine the final design for the easterly (downtown side) bridgehead;
• Council should then inventory city land in the vicinity of the bridgehead (including the proposed land adjacent to Northern Junk) to determine whether any of this land is surplus (exploring all options, including greenspace and future uses such as a railway station);
• If land is determined to be surplus, consider whether such land can meet the city’s social priorities (vis a vis affordable housing), through discussions with BC Housing, VIHA and not-for-profit providers;
• If a stand-alone publicly financed housing initiative is deemed impractical, the City should consider issuing a Request for Proposals to the private sector, with priority given to applications that (1) partner with social housing providers; (2) provide public access to the harbour front; and (3) enhance the heritage character of Old Town;
• Throughout the foregoing process, the City should work with the owner of the Northern Junk properties to affirm the city’s ongoing interest in the restoration of these heritage buildings and the expansion of public access to Victoria’s harbour front.

For more info, read this media report.

Please share you views on this important issue, below and/or by email to councillors@victoria.ca and mayor@victoria.ca.

Listen to this CFAX 1070 interview from December 12th, 2011, where I discuss public office, regional services and the oath to the Queen:

Link to CFAX 1070 Interview, December 12, 2011

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