By Daniel Palmer, Victoria News, June 4, 2013

Ben considers Victoria's designation as the fourth "most boring city" in Canada as a challenge to do better and increase vibrancy and culture downtown.

The City of Victoria garners plenty of international accolades for its famous hanging flower baskets, most romantic Canadian destination and as a playground for outdoor enthusiasts.

But the latest honour bestowed upon B.C.’s capital likely won’t be shouted from the rooftops by Tourism Victoria.

Last week, organizers of the inaugural Boring Awards quietly removed Abbotsford from its list of top five most boring Canadian cities and replaced it with the sleepy City of Gardens.

The tongue-in-cheek awards were announced in Toronto May 23 as part of a promotion for the independent film, Boredom.

“There’s a certain angst about being young in Victoria. It’s very similar to Ottawa ­– you have this spectacular location, unbelievable wealth and resources, yet the city can be a bit dull,” said organizer and Boredom director Albert Nerenburg.

Abbotsford was initially named the fourth most boring city behind Ottawa, Laval and Lethbridge, but protests from Abbotsford officials convinced Nerenburg and his colleagues to change their minds.

Nerenberg cited the fact that in 2009, Abbotsford was named Canada’s per capita murder capital, but has since lowered the murder rate to nearly zero.

“That’s an almost 1,000 per cent decrease. That’s not boring,” he said.

Coun. Ben Isitt, who served as acting mayor while Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin was out of town last week, said the city should accept the award as a challenge to create more vibrancy and culture in the downtown core.

“The fact is, when you talk to a lot of young people, they’ll tell you Victoria isn’t the most exciting place. We’ve seen a loss of a number of live music venues in the last decade or so, and culturally, we cling to this outdated view we’re little England, when really we’re a dynamic and multicultural city where I think environmental and social values shape people’s identities a lot more than supposed Britishness,” he said.

Isitt highlighted the energy seen at places like Ship Point during live concerts, and said the location would be perfect for a food truck pilot program. The recently unveiled Harbour Pathway will also help inject some vibrancy into Victoria once completed, Isitt said.

“There are things happening, but this a challenge to do even better,” he said.

The Boring Awards also poked fun at Canadian people and events.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was named Most Boring Canadian of the Year while Toronto Mayor Rob Ford edged out the Ikea Monkey and was named Least Boring Canadian of the Year.

Ben and fellow city councillor Shellie Gudgeon have proposed pilot projects for reduced motor-vehicle speeds in James Bay and Victoria West, in order to increase safety for pedestrians and other road users.

By Bill Cleverley, Victoria Times Colonist, May 24, 2013

Victoria might test drive lower speed limits in some neighbourhoods.

The city has been pushing to have the province reduce the default residential speed limit to 40 kilometres an hour from 50 km/h. Now, the city’s community development committee wants city staff to report back on options surrounding testing the lower speed limit in a neighbourhood such as James Bay.

Committee member Coun. Ben Isitt hopes council will support having staff investigate a pilot project, possibly in the James Bay or Vic West.

“I think if we can save one life [it’s worth it]. We spend $200 million a year, so to allocate $50,000 per neighbourhood that could even save one life — that would be a reasonable expense,” Isitt said.

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By Bill Cleverley, Victoria Times Colonist, May 24, 2013

Victoria should reconsider where it banks if it pursues a policy of sustainable purchasing, say some city councillors.

“If we’re going to procure locally, let’s procure our financial services locally as well,” Coun. Lisa Helps said during a recent council debate.

The city currently banks with the Royal Bank of Canada, which was selected though a competitive process in 2011. No submissions were received from credit unions, said Katie Josephson, city spokeswoman. The city’s fees for banking are less than $3,000 a month, she said.

Helps said Victoria is falling behind jurisdictions such as Vancouver and the University of British Columbia on sustainable purchasing — described by Roy Brooke, the city’s director of sustainability, as a well-established field that considers best value and total costs, evaluating products based on price, life cycle, quality and sustainability.

Coun. Ben Isitt agreed with Helps, saying a city “based on strong local and regional enterprise” is much stronger than a city based on chain stores, trans-nationals and “McJobs.”

“Where the city chooses to put its capital is an important issue,” he said. “And I think investing that capital in local or at least regional entities has very positive social and economic impacts.”

Read more »

By Bill Cleverley, Victoria Times Colonist, May 21, 2013

Ben supports examining locations in the City of Victoria where private businesses encroach on public land, with a view toward ending the practice or charging a fee for use where appropriate.

Victoria businesses who use city property as their own private parking lots might have to start paying for the privilege.

At Mayor Dean Fortin’s suggestion, Victoria councillors have asked staff for a report on what resources would be need to undertake a review of city-owned land or rights-of-way that are being used by businesses for parking and storage.

“My intention is not to remove the commercial use of the space. This is an opportunity for revenue generation,” Fortin said.

Fortin cited examples in the 700 block of Pembroke Street and 2100 block of Beta Street.

“It’s my suggestion that the city review properties in this situation and look to either lease the property or convert to short-term or long-term public parking,” Fortin said in a report to city council.

Director of legislative services Rob Woodland said there could be several instances where city property is being used by commercial enterprises.

“It is not an isolated occurrence,” Woodland said.

“We have an old city and a new city laid over top of an old roadway and rights-of-way system. And there are many, many occasions where this will present as an opportunity to the city, but will also create community issues because of the historical use patterns.”

Coun. Shellie Gudgeon voted against the move, calling it “policy by convenience.”

While generally supportive of the idea, Gudgeon said she has tried to help a downtown business owner who was told by city staff that the commercial use of city-owned property for parking would have to stop.

Gudgeon said she spent months on the file, following what she believed to be the proper process and even took the issue to the city manager.

The business owner then spoke to the mayor — and now, suddenly, there’s a policy review, she said.

“This subverts the whole process. It’s really deeply concerning to me that so much time was expended on this discussion — working with transportation staff and the director of engineering. It took a lot of effort. … What a waste of time.”

Coun. Ben Isitt said that while he understands Gudgeon’s frustration, it might be a case of “better late than never.” He said Gudgeon could take solace that “maybe an item that didn’t have a lot of uptake six months ago is now gaining traction.”

Isitt said he could support a limited review of areas that have become de facto private parking spaces on city-owned land. However, he doesn’t want to see a drive to lease out public space for parking.

“So [the review should be limited to] essentially things that anybody driving by would think is private parking,” Isitt said.

Coun. Marianne Alto said it would make sense for the review to be included as part of the broader parking reassessment now underway.

By Bill Cleverley, Victoria Times Colonist, May 20, 2013

Ben expressed concern over increases in user fees for Crystal Pool and other City of Victoria recreational facilties, suggesting fee increases disproportionately impact low-income people who use these facilities.

A two per cent hike in Victoria recreation fees has been approved by Victoria city councillors.

The increase will apply to all Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre and Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre drop-in fees, passes and punch cards, swimming-lane rental and all other fees, including those for rental of festival equipment, sports fields, Royal Athletic Park and filming.

There will be no increase in the cost of the annual Crystal Pool gold pass or on the pool’s daily locker fees.

City staff said recreation fees were dropped seven per cent when the HST was dropped on April 1, so the net result translates to a five per cent drop in rates from last year.

Coun. Ben Isitt spoke against the increases, saying that public recreation facilities are disproportionately used by lower-income residents.

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Listen to this CFAX Radio interview from May 9, 2013, where I discuss a proposed ban on smoking in parks and other open spaces in the Capital Region:

Link to CFAX Radio interview, May 9, 2013

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By Bill Cleverley, Victoria Times Colonist, May 9, 2013

Ben proposed amendments to the CRD's Clean Air Bylaw to increase protection for the public against second-hand smoke in playgrounds and sports fields, “without unreasonably interfering with the liberty of individual smokers to kill themselves” in more remote areas, such as this beach at Port Renfrew

A proposal that would have made Greater Victoria parks, playgrounds, public squares and beaches no-smoking areas was defeated Wednesday by Capital Regional District directors 12 to 11.

Several CRD directors worried the ban was too wide-ranging and would be impossible to enforce, especially in remote areas.

Juan de Fuca director Mike Hicks painted a picture of campers near Port Renfrew sitting around a campfire on the beach, Lucky beer and cigarette in hand.

“There’s more harm coming from the bonfire than there is from the cigarette and it won’t be enforced. There’s no health risk more than the fires,” Hicks said.

There were laughs around the board table when Hicks noted his sprawling district is where many people choose to go to get away from all the regulation in Greater Victoria.

Vancouver Island Health Authority staff would have enforced the proposed bylaw, mainly in response to complaints.

Metchosin Mayor John Ranns expressed concern about confrontations or people not going to parks because of the ban, which had the potential to make the park experience “much nastier.”

“If you can’t enforce it, if you don’t intend to enforce it, you shouldn’t be doing it.”

Victoria Coun. Ben Isitt tried but failed to get enough support for a bylaw change that would have banned smoking in public squares, playgrounds and sports fields but allowed municipalities to choose non-smoking beaches or beach areas.

Isitt said the change would mean the region could designate heavily used beaches such as Thetis Lake as non-smoking “without unreasonably interfering with the liberty of individual smokers to kill themselves” on more remote beaches.

Read more »

By Simon Nattrass, Monday Magazine, May 2, 2013

A cartoon proclaiming the benefits of One Big Union, c. 1900

On May 4, 1886, an unidentified protestor threw a stick of dynamite into a crowd of police. Officers were attempting to disperse labourers who had gathered at Haymarket Square in Chicago to fight for the eight-hour work day. Months later, four radicals – a fifth having already committed suicide in his cell – were hanged in relation to the event, sparking hundreds of demonstrations and provoking international outrage within the labour movement. In 1889, May 1st was declared International Worker’s Day, commemorating the Haymarket Affair.

In 1971, 35,000 activists celebrated the occasion with three days of actions in Washington, DC. After an impromptu music festival, protestors spread out across the city in an attempt to block government workers from reaching the White House, ultimately resulting in one of the largest mass arrests in labour history.

Never shying away from a good conflict, B.C. and our very own City of Gardens have their own place in the ongoing history of class struggle. “This community has been shaped by a tension between working people and employers,” says historian and Victoria Councillor Ben Isitt. Beginning with tensions between workers and the Hudson’s Bay Company, Isitt says The Capital finds its roots amongst both labourers and bosses.

“The relations within B.C.’s coal mining companies were notorious, and some of the deadliest coal mines were on Vancouver Island.” It is these relations, says Isitt, which were a financial boon to Victoria’s founding fathers.

Politician and mining baron Robert Dunsmuir – whose family home became the tourist attraction Craigdarroch Castle – built his fortune on the backs of hundreds of workers whose lives were lost in the family’s mines. “The politics of the coal economy contributed to a really radical political community in BC and to militant industrial unions, and we can see some of that legacy today,” says Isitt.

Workers in Victoria and elsewhere in B.C. continue to practice solidarity, organizing sympathy strikes despite a province-wide ban on the tactic since the ’60s. Today, May 1st, local activists and union organizers will march from Our Place to Centennial Square to commemorate International Worker’s Day. This march serves the same purpose as the thousands before it – to draw our attention from those starving at the bottom of the social ladder to those growing fat at the top. M

By Bill Cleverley, Victoria Times Colonist, April 24, 2013

Ben is serving on the City of Victoria's new Cycling Task Force, which will engage the public on ways to improve facilities for cycling in the city, with a view toward increased ride share, better health outcomes and reduced carbon emissions among other benefits.

A cycling task force has been established by Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin.

The task force’s goals are to engage the public on the city’s Bicycle Master Plan and to create a comprehensive plan that takes into account pedestrian and greenway needs, Fortin said.

“Our current cycling plan is out of date and needs to be rejuvenated,” the mayor said.

“We also realize that … times have changed. Victoria has changed and people have changed. We’re looking for an opportunity to really reflect the huge current interest around cycling. It’s where we want to go as a city.”

The task force will be made up of Fortin along with councillors Marianne Alto and Ben Isitt.

A Capital Regional District Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan last year estimated upgrades to cycling infrastructure throughout Greater Victoria could cost as much as $220 million.

The region currently has cycling rates of nine per cent in high density areas and about 3.2 per cent overall. However, those numbers could go up to 15 per cent regionwide and 25 per cent in areas of high density if infrastructure improvements are made, the master plan said.

Read more »

By Bill Cleverley, Victoria Times Colonist, April 18, 2013

Victoria should consider implementing a whistleblower policy as a guard against misconduct, KPMG Enterprise says in its annual audit of the city’s 2012 financial statements.

“Without such policies, employees of the city may not report areas of concern and misconduct, risks and fraud that otherwise would have been reported may go undetected,” the report said.

KPMG also noted the city filled a risk management position during the year, while an internal audit position was left vacant.

“Given the size and complexity of the city there are areas where fraud may occur and go undetected without proper controls in place. The internal audit function works towards continuous improvements of controls and helps to limit the risk of fraudulent activity,” the report said.

“The city should investigate opportunities to add internal audit capability using existing staff or contractors, or jointly conducting such work with other [regional] municipalities.”

Council asked staff to report back on KPMG’s recommendations.

Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin said he believes there are enough policies in place to protect both employees and the city’s interests.

Fortin said he expects staff to bring forward a recommendation about a whistleblower policy.

“It’s something, I think, that has been recommended year after year … and we investigated it,” he said.

“We have good policies that allow for those sorts of concerns, in regards to having independent officers [such as the city manager and solicitor] that report directly to council.”

[Update: Mayor Dean Fortin said whistleblower legislation will be brought forward in May for city council's consideration]

Wael (Bill) Fanous was hired in February 2010 as the city’s first director of internal audit and risk management. Fanous resigned in December 2011 to take a job in Alberta. His position was not filled.

Coun. Ben Isitt said councillors were not consulted on leaving the position dark and it should be restored.

“I think it’s prudent fiscal management to have an internal risk management function that’s at arm’s length from both political and senior management influence,” Isitt said.

Read more »

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By Judith Lavoie, Victoria Times Colonist, April 11, 2013

Ben worked with the Cowichan Valley Regional District board and residents of Shawnigan and Greater Victoria to convince the Capital Regional District to oppose a proposed toxic soil dump in the Shawnigan Lake watershed

On Wednesday, directors endorsed a motion by Victoria Coun. Ben Isitt to support the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s request that the province deny South Island Aggregates a waste discharge permit in light of inadequate public consultation and conflicting hydrological and technical opinions.

The resolution also called on the province to amend contaminated site regulations and the permitting process to allow for “thorough and appropriate” consideration of local government input and land-use regulations.

Only Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen voted against the motion, saying the 24-member board was being asked to take a public-interest advocacy position — something that is outside the CRD’s jurisdiction.

The Environment Ministry has issued a draft permit for South Island Aggregates’ application to use its quarry at 460 Stebbings Rd. in Shawnigan Lake as a dumping ground for 100,000 tonnes of contaminated soil a year — much of it from the Greater Victoria area — for the next 50 years.

The public comment period ended this week, and Environment Minister Terry Lake has said the decision on whether to issue a permit will be made by a ministry regional director, based on the technical judgment of staff.

Shawnigan residents, who fear their water source could be contaminated, demonstrated outside the Environment Ministry’s Jutland Road offices before Wednesday’s CRD meeting.

Demonstrators chanted “Hey, hey Terry Lake, keep your hands off our lake,” and “We are not Victoria’s toilet,” as they marched in front of the offices.

“It’s important for them to realize we are not going away,” said Bruce Fraser, Shawnigan’s CVRD representative. “We’re trying to recruit the assistance of people worried about the Victoria watershed.”

Isitt said regions should be dealing with their own contaminated waste.

“We have to insist that the development industry here in Victoria takes full responsibility for disposing of [contaminated] waste in the most environmentally sensitive way,” he said.

The City of Victoria is putting contaminated soil from the Johnson Street Bridge project in a berm, Isitt said.

“There may be additional costs, but that’s the most responsible way to proceed. That soil should be processed here.”

Read more »

By Peter Rusland, Cowichan News Leader, April 11, 2013

Final word on the draft permit for a controversial soil treatment dump in Shawnigan Lake — and the 300 official submissions it sparked — rests with a provincial bureaucrat.

It appears authority rests with Ministry of Environment official Hubert Bunce, not environment minister Terry Lake.

“The Environmental Management Act, which governs decisions made by statutory decision makers, does not require the minister to sign off, and the minister does not have the ability to overturn a decision made on sound technical merits,” MOE staff told the News Leader Pictorial in an email.

About 300 comments from Cowichanians about the South Island Aggregates proposal to dump tonnes of contaminated soil into a Stebbings Road treatment quarry were received by Wednesday’s deadline and are being sifted by provincial staff in the ministry’s Nanaimo office.

The Ministry of Environment received submissions from the local government, First Nations, health officials and community about SIA’s proposed plan, widely opposed by south-end folks.

A number include specific technical information needing careful consideration against the conditions in the draft permit, staff said.

“There are three possible outcomes based on their review: the statutory decision maker may choose to issue the permit as is; issue a permit with further modifications or additional conditions; or deny the (SIA) permit application.

“It’s too early to estimate how long it will take to make a decision — the submissions include a great deal of detail, and staff will take whatever time is necessary to fully consider the community’s input.”

Once a formal permit is issued to SIA, there is an option for appealing to the Environmental Appeal Board.

Further, any legal action against ministry staff — including union and non-union employees — is respectively covered by collective agreements, and the Financial Administration Act, staff says.

Meanwhile, Wednesday also saw the Capital Regional District back demands by Cowichan’s regional brass for Victoria to deny SIA’s permit.

The CRD passed Victoria city Councillor Ben Isitt’s motion demanding the ministry bury SIA’s soil-dumping permit.

That motion — twinning an earlier motion by the Cowichan Valley Regional District — now heads to the province, along with a request that contaminated-site regulations be amended to include additional input from local governments.

That’s something Cowichan leaders have long demanded after dirty soil was allowed to be imported, under a provincial permit, to a treatment site near the Koksilah River.

CRD staff are also probing potential impacts on Victoria region’s water supply at Sooke Lake, if SIA’s permit is approved.

According to Isitt, hydrogeological evidence seems to indicate pollutants in Shawnigan’s watershed could reach the capital’s water source.

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