Hello Friends,

Ben is attending the May 22nd Reclaim PKOLS event to help strengthen co-operation and understanding between indigenous and non-indigenous communities

I hope you are enjoying the spring weather. With the season comes an exciting line-up of festivals and events in our city. Please check out the CityVibe catalogue for information on musical events, public markets, cultural festivals and other recreational activities around our community. I look forward to seeing you at many of these events!

On the political front, I know that many of you would have preferred a different outcome in last week’s provincial election. My advice is “Don’t mourn, organize.” By working together, we can make progress on social and environmental priorities.

In this spirit, I would like to draw your attention to several initiatives in our community:

Speed reduction initiative

Last month, delegates at the annual convention of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) adopted a resolution from the City of Victoria calling for amendments to the provincial Motor Vehicle Act to make the default speed limit in a municipality 40km/h, rather than the current 50 km/h. The motivation behind the resolution is to save lives by reducing the speed limit on local roads. I reached out to many delegates at this convention, as did Councillors Shellie Gudgeon and Lisa Helps, and following a fullsome debate the motion was approved by 60% of delegates. It now goes to the Union of BC Municipalities in September. In advance of that convention, the City of Victoria is reaching out to municipalities across the province to raise awareness of the benefits of reducing speed on municipal roads.

Reclaim PKOLS — May 22

You may have heard about an initiative led by the WSANEC (Saanich) First Nations to restore the indigenous name PKOLS to Mount Douglas. This Wednesday, May 22nd at 5pm, the WSANEC Nations are inviting people from across Victoria and the Capital Region to come together to reclaim this traditional name, which holds an important place in the history and culture of the WSANEC people. The event begins at the parking lot at the base of the mountain (where Shelbourne meets Cedar Hill Rd) and proceeds with a walk to the summit, where a re-enactment of the signing of the Douglas Treaty will take place, culminating in the installation of a new sign and the serving of food. Everyone is welcome to attend in the spirit of co-operation and reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous people. For more information, watch the Youtube video below, join the event on Facebook, or visit www.PKOLS.org.

People and the Planet Before Profit — May 29

Later this month, I am helping to organize a community forum on the topic “A Province that Puts People and the Planet Before Profit” — exploring ways that citizens and community organizations can work together to advance social and ecological justice, whatever the political party in power. The event is taking place on Wednesday May 29 at 7pm at the Friends Meeting House, 1831 Fern Street (view map). It includes speakers from the Ancient Forest Alliance and SocialCoast.org, as well as a reading by Victoria’s Poet Laureate Janet Rogers and a musical performance by Oliver Swain. For more information, visit www.SocialEnvironmentalAlliance.org or join the event on Facebook.

Federation of Canadian Municipalities

At the end of May, I will be in Vancouver representing Victoria at the annual convention of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. A priority for me at this convention will be to connect with other progressive municipal leaders from across the country to share best practices and discuss opportunities to work together in pursuit of shared goals. I will also be attending forums relating to increasing the involvement of young people and women in politics. Issues relating to environmental regulations, the protection of the coastline, and energy are likely to figure prominently at the convention.

As always, I welcome your feedback and ideas on issues in our city, region and beyond. Feel free to give me a call anytime at 250-882-9302.

All the best,

Ben Isitt,
City Councillor and CRD Director

Watch Youtube video | For more information see www.PKOLS.org

South Island Aggregates Ltd. (SIA) proposes to dump 100,000 tons per year of contaminated soil in the Shawnigan Lake drinking watershed

A battle is underway in the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) over a proposed contaminated soil facility within the Shawnigan Lake drinking watershed. On one side, we see Shawnigan Lake residents united with the CVRD board in requesting that the BC provincial government decline a permit for the toxic soil dump. On the other side, we see a company and sections of the development community lobbying intensely to dispose of construction waste, largely from Greater Victoria, with little consideration of the long-term ecological impacts.

South Island Aggregates Ltd. (SIA) proposes to dispose of 100,000 tons per year of contaminated soil at its quarry on a hillside south of Shawnigan Lake. According to the Shawnigan Residents’ Association “it is unwise and wrong to bring such material into our reservoir’s watershed even if the estimated risk of pollution is very small. The association is of the opinion that there is no such thing as ‘no risk’ with such storage undertakings, and that it would be best to find a site to receive the contaminated waste in a southern Vancouver Island watershed that does not feed water into a community’s reservoir.” Organizations including the Vancouver Island Health Authority and professional engineer Dennis Lowen have raised important questions over the proposal. Questions have also been raised over possible contamination of an aquifer that feeds into the CRD’s own water supply at Sooke Lake.

Last week, Victoria City Council considered a motion that I presented to support the CVRD by requesting that the province decline the permit and ensure that the provincial contaminated sites regulations be amended to account for local government input and land-use regulations. City Councillors tabled the motion for two weeks requesting “more information.” This Wednesday, the Capital Regional District (CRD) Board will consider a similar motion requesting action in support of our neighbours in the Cowichan district.

Your support is needed to convince City Councillors and CRD Directors to take a stance in support of the CVRD and Shawnigan Lake’s drinking water supply, and to apply pressure on BC Minister of Environment Terry Lake against issuing the permit. Public input is being received until Tuesday, April 9th. Together, we can protect drinking water and ecological values — in our backyard and everywhere!

PLEASE TAKE ACTION:

(1) Contact the following elected officials urging that the contaminated waste permit be declined:

• Minister of Environment Terry Lake: env.minister@gov.bc.ca *** DEADLINE OF TUESDAY APRIL 9 ***
• Victoria City Councillors: councillors@victoria.ca
• CRD Directors

(2) Information Picket at the BC Ministry of Environment, Wed. April 10 @ 12 Noon,  2975 Jutland Rd, Victoria

(3) Address the CRD Board and Victoria City Council (register in advance by Monday at 4pm):

• Address the CRD Board on Wednesday, April 10 @ 1:30pm (Speaking to Agenda Item 8)
• Address Victoria City Council on Thursday, April 11 @ 7:30pm

(4) Share this information with your neighbours, family, friends, and co-workers!

Watch Youtube video

Watch CTV Newscast “Protest takes over Shawnigan Lake”

The City of Victoria is proposing that the default speed limit in BC municipalities be reduced to 40 km/h, in order to make public roads safer for everyone.

The City of Victoria is proposing to make our communities safer by reducing the default speed limit in BC municipalities from 50 km/h to 40 km/h. We are urging local governments across Vancouver Island and BC to join with us in lobbying the provincial government to amend the Motor Vehicle Act for a safer speed limit.

Resolution R4 (“Reducing Default Speed Limits for Municipal Roads”) will be debated at the annual meeting of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) in Sooke on Saturday, April 13.

Under this proposal, municipalities could maintain speeds of 50km/h (or higher if they desired) on arterial roads, by installing signs on the relatively few kilometres of local roadways that are arterial in nature. Delivery vehicles, commercial drivers and commuters could continue to travel larger distances at higher speeds.

But the vast majority of local roadways that are residential in nature, and therefore inappropriate for high-speed travel, would see the speed limit reduced to 40 km/h, saving BC municipalities tens of millions of dollars that would otherwise have to be spent on signage to achieve the same public-safety result. Not factored into this equation are the hundreds of millions of dollars spent annually on healthcare, rehabilitation, insurance and lost incomes arising from collisions. In the City of Victoria alone, more than 200 kilometres of local roads are residential, which would require a huge expenditure on signage for every block in the absence of a lower provincially-legislated speed limit.

Read more »

Dear Friends,

As 2012 draws to a close, I want to wish you a healthy, restful and fun holiday season, as we recharge our batteries to pursue personal and collective goals in 2013. It has been a rewarding and interesting year since I assumed my seat as your City Councillor and Regional Director in December 2011. Finding the balance between serving the public and making time for family and professional work can be a challenge. But I am honoured to represent you at City Hall and the CRD Board.

I look forward to a New Year of healthy debate and citizen engagement as we find solutions for the complex issues facing our community. Here are some highlights from my first year as your elected representative:

 
1. Protecting Public Land on Victoria Harbour

Ben introduced amendments to Victoria's new Official Community Plan emphasizing the public realm, rather than development potential, of harbour-front land.

In July, I introduced amendments to the City of Victoria’s new Official Community Plan, emphasizing public realm improvements rather than development potential of public land on Victoria Harbour. Working with fellow councillor Shellie Gudgeon and groups including the James Bay Neighbourhood Association, I organized two successful public forums on issues relating to city-owned land, responding to controversy over the proposed sale of city land at Point Hope and adjacent to the Northern Junk buildings.

Looking ahead to 2013, I am excited to work with citizens, fellow council members and city staff to develop a Land Acquisition and Sale Policy and a positive vision for public land on Victoria Harbour, including a generous public realm, new parks and completion of the Harbour Pathway. Materials from Public Forum | Blog Post | Media Report | Radio Interview

Read more »

City Councillors Shellie Gudgeon and Ben Isitt at the December 2012 forum on VIctoria Harbour and the public realm. Photo by Janine Bandcroft

What is your vision for public land around Victoria Harbour? On December 12, 2012, Ben and fellow city councillor Shellie Gudgeon hosted a public forum with the James Bay Neighbourhood Association entitled “Victoria Harbour: Restoring the Public Realm.”

This forum built on policy in Victoria’s new Official Community Plan, which commits the City to enhance the public realm around the harbour. About 80 people attended the forum, providing valuable feedback on their vision for improvements to Victoria’s natural jewel.

Citizens and City Hall will embark on a wider public discussion in the months ahead on how these lands can be improved to pursue ecological, social and economic goals. Your participation can contribute to a positive, progressive vision and an outcome that will be sustainable and supportable in the long-term.

Here are some resources to help spur the visioning exercise:

Minutes from Public Forum

Presentation on Harbour Land Ownership (Marg Gardiner)

Audio from Public Forum (from Janine Bandcroft)

Audio of Public Forum

CFAX Radio interview

CFAX Radio interview

Ben’s Slideshow

Celebrating the Public Realm in Canada and the World

Please take a few moments to complete this survey, which I am conducting with community members to help inform policy in the City of Victoria and Capital Region:

Complete the survey here

Do you know of exciting child-friendly green spaces that could help enhance Victoria’s downtown? Please share your ideas as Victoria begins to implement the Official Community Plan objective of enhancing the public realm on pubic lands surrounding Victoria Harbour. Send examples from communities across Canada and beyond to Ben@Isitt.ca

IPhone/IPad/Non-Flash Version 

Ben listens to NDP candidate Murray Rankin's vision for Victoria and Canada

Over the weekend, I received a strong message from members of the New Democratic Party in favour of keeping it local. I had been encouraged to seek that party’s nomination to succeed former council member and environmentalist Denise Savoie as Victoria MP. Citizens from across the political spectrum responded to my outspoken and principled work in local government by asking that I run for parliament.

It was a difficult decision to enter the race, given my passion for serving our city and region, as well as family commitments. In hundreds of discussions with party members, and in yesterday’s vote, I heard that my hard work is needed at the City Council and CRD Board tables, to continue the fight for open government, protection of public land around Victoria Harbour, strong public services, and environmental stewardship. In Murray Rankin, the NDP has chosen a strong, progressive candidate with a decisive mandate from the membership and a track record on environmental protection and indigenous rights. Charley Beresford, Elizabeth Cull and their teams contributed to a lively and principled nomination race.

Read more »

Ben is pursuing the NDP nomination for Victoria MP, pledging to work hard to provide Canadians with a better government while remaining true to values of social justice and environmental protection

I have been encouraged to enter the race to succeed Denise Savoie as Victoria’s NDP Member of Parliament. Denise was an outstanding MP, providing principled leadership on behalf of people and the environment. Since she announced her resignation in August, I have heard from citizens from across the political spectrum, who have been impressed by my track record in public office standing up for open government, environmental protection and strong community services.

Victorians have asked me to seek the NDP nomination because they support my vision and my grassroots approach to connecting with people and mobilizing electoral support.

Read more »

As a historian, Ben understands that place-naming has a role to play in building respectful relationships with indigenous people, alongside practical joint action to provide housing, employment, education and health services for everyone

The “twitter-verse” has been alive with speculation over comments relating to place-names and the process of reconciliation with indigenous people.

The debate began when a local reporter suggested on a radio program that I had proposed to change the city’s name in my 2011 municipal platform (which was not true). The debate deteriorated further when a member of the public repeated this inaccuracy on social media, provoking a number of hateful remarks towards indigenous people.

On the initial radio program, I responded truthfully when asked about comments from 2011 expressing my personal view as a historian that the city’s name may be appropriate for a community dialogue at some point in the future, if we are serious about building a new relationship with First Nations.

But I also made it clear that place-names are not a priority for me in this by-election campaign, nor are they primarily a federal issue.

I feel strongly that our community will be best served in the short and longer term by building respectful relationships with indigenous people, beginning with joint action on practical issues to address poverty and provide housing, employment, education and healthcare in urban areas and on reserves. Indigenous rights to land and resources must also be acknowledged.

At some point, this process of reconciliation and relationship-building may examine the harmful legacy of colonization, providing unifying symbols that help us move beyond past wrongs.

But a top priority that First Nations and the entire community can agree on right now is the need to improve social conditions, to steward our natural environment, to build an economy that works for everyone and sustains our communities over the long term. We need to focus our efforts on building substantive equality — of outcomes and opportunities — without being distracted by mud-slinging and mere symbolic acts.

–

After writing this post, I returned to the radio show for the “Great Name Debate.” You can listen here to help inform your own opinion:

Link to CFAX radio debate, October 9, 2012

Download CFAX radio Podcast

I helped “roll out the red carpet” for elected officials at the Union of BC Municipalities convention, urging a boycott of a reception hosted by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, an industry lobby group. In a vote the following day, delegates voted 51% in favour of Resolution A8, calling for the protection of BC’s coast and interior by halting the expansion of oil pipeline and tanker traffic:

Watch Youtube video

Ben is encouraging a community-wide discussion on future improvements to Summit Park and the Smith's Hill Reservoir in the Hillside-Quadra neighbourhood

Many residents have asked me why the Smith’s Hill Reservoir near Summit Park in the Hillside-Quadra neighbourhood is in its current state — with unsightly fencing, minimal public access, low water levels, uneven pathways and a preponderance of invasive plant species.

I recently requested a meeting with the head of the Capital Regional District’s (CRD) Water Department, which owns the reservoir. During this meeting, I learned that the CRD’s only interest in the reservoir is for potential future water supply needs.

The current tank is a relic of the past, built around 1910 and serving the City for only a few years before being superseded by other infrastructure (the Humpback, and later Goldstream and Sooke reservoirs).

However, at some point in the future, subject to population growth and water demand, a new tank may be required on this high-elevation site at Smith’s Hill, an “attenuation tank” to ensure adequate water pressure in the City.

Read more »