sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

Banning open-net fish farms wrong call

The federal government has deemed that open net fish farms will be banned by 2029. Certain environmentalist and Indigenous groups have advocated for this ban on the basis that the farms spread lice and disease to migrating wild stocks.

Yet the farms in the Broughton Archipelago migration choke point have already been closed. This decision was apparently made despite the scientific advice from the fisheries department that the farms caused minimal harm to the wild salmon stocks.

The fish farms are a viable source of protein, and provide economic benefits to the provincial economy. Many Indigenous communities depend on the farms for their economic livelihood.

To attribute the long-term decline in wild salmon stocks to the fish farms is overly simplistic. Overfishing, pollution, climate change and habitat degradation have been cited as having a far greater impact on the decline of the wild salmon stocks.

The decision to close the open net farms is misguided. The muted response of the provincial government to this major economic loss is also of serious concern.

We must demand that such important decisions be based on sound economic studies rather than attempting to placate certain well-connected pressure groups.

Richard McCandless

Brentwood Bay

Putting our problems in a residential area

I am writing to express my concern and opposition to Victoria council’s decision to open an access hub for homelessness and addiction at 2155 Dowler Place, a decision that was made without any consultation or planning with the community that lives in that neighbourhood.

I do not feel that an access hub for 200 to 300 people experiencing acute addiction and mental health issues is appropriate in a residential neighbourhood. These services do not belong in an area where young families with children, pensioners, and vulnerable seniors live.

Despite the challenges of living close to the downtown core, the residents of this neighbourhood have created a safe welcoming community where homes are cared for, children play on the sidewalk and older people go for their daily walks.

Within the surrounding blocks of the proposed site there are several churches, a mosque, a school (within 200 metres), and Crystal Pool which offers playgrounds, basketball courts and many children’s summer day camps.

Families walking to hockey games at the arena or people using Dowler Place as a safe, walkable route into town will also be adversely affected.

One only has to look at the situation on Pandora Avenue to imagine the same drug and crime crisis being shifted to Dowler Place.

Creating meaningful changes in the lives of those living in despair on our downtown streets requires open, honest discussions and full consultation with all community stakeholders. Council’s unilateral decision to relocate these complex problems into a residential neighbourhood sets an alarming precedent.

Kay Marshall

Victoria

Think about water before community plan

The water-supply failure in Calgary is a wakeup call to us here in Victoria. We’re fooling ourselves if we think it can’t happen here.

The City of Victoria’s current Official Community Plan notes that Victoria’s underground water and sewer infrastructure is amongst the oldest in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, with large portions built before 1919.

Because of this, the current OCP focuses development where the underground infrastructure will support it.

Yet the city’s current OCP process, now on a fast-track to completion, is deafeningly silent on how our underground infrastructure will be able to support six-storey buildings in all residential neighbourhoods and taller buildings near “villages and town centres.”

The bill for the replacement of the Crystal Pool is astronomical, but what is the bill for upgrading our underground infrastructure so that we don’t have to face what is happening in Calgary?

This question needs to be answered before the new OCP is finalized.

Deborah Hull

Victoria

Spend all that money, get a sonic headache

I went with three family members to see Booker T and the Stax review at the Royal Theatre last week.

The opening act, Blue Moon Marquee were astounding. Honestly, I’d travel to see them again.

The headline act was so blisteringly loud that our entire group had their hands over their ears on the first song. We noticed that ushers were handing out earplugs as fast as they could source them.

According to my questionably accurate sound level app, the audio levels were topping 98 db – meaning permanent hearing loss would occur at one hours exposure. Is this really necessary? Several hundred dollars spent to come away with a sonic headache and ringing ears is not reasonable.

Colin Newell

Victoria

Municipal fiefdoms are costing us money

Reading that taxpayers of sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ will be paying at least part of the cost for some municipal fiefdoms to speed the permit process for housing, I point to Colwood and Langford, which sped up years ago.

Langford slashed time from months and weeks or longer, to weeks and days, depending on the nature of the permit. Five years later Colwood woke up and figured out how to do it themselves. They had to invest a bit in better computer equipment.

Yet Saanich whines that it needs more money to speed permitting — never mind its staff bloat. I see “silo” behaviour in Saanich, and staff time being spent on things like regurgitating the Environmental Development Permit tyranny — which was incompetently written, incompetently administered, then deviously “reviewed.”

Oak Bay of course is rabidly against building housing, burping up shallow NIMBY and heritage arguments that have been soundly rebutted.

Now the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ government is spending on some kind of centralized permitting notion, instead of slashing the power of municipalities to interfere with people building and earning.

Municipal fiefdoms in the Victoria area are evading their responsibility to protect against criminals who impair earning ability by assaulting and stealing transportation devices.

Plus the federal government is shovelling money out for what is a municipal responsibility.

Elections are coming.

Keith Sketchley

Saanich

Panama Flats focus suggested in 2014

As one of the authors of the 2014 Panama Flats Concept Plan I couldn’t be more delighted to hear the focus will switch from agriculture to recreation and wildlife.

During research for the 2014 plan our team suggested that was the way to go, specifically, the environmental and wildlife focus, with recreation fitting around that priority and creating spaces for people to connect to nature in a meaningful way.

However, we were advised that approach was not supported by the mayor of the time and we were not to pursue it.

The amount of land to be set aside for agriculture was dictated by Saanich staff, presumably on the direction of the mayor.

Despite many requests, we were not given the opportunity to speak directly to the mayor or any councillors about our findings (such as rare plants, rare ecosystem, established bird sanctuary).

It was an election year, what else can I say?

Bev Windjack

Founding Principal

LADR Landscape Architects

Victoria

sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ is green, we should have water cremation

Re: “Inventors of water cremation machine say sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ laws could push them out,” June 23.

The environmental problems, the coming shortages of cremation facilities and the costs of the latter process all call for such options for choice at death.

That aquamation is available in so many provinces and territories in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ but not here in “green sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½” is very objectionable. And the government has no right to deny me the choice of treatment at death when no one else is affected negatively and the environment benefits.

I hope to see more articles like this so that people become aware of this option and can also support related local businesses and providers who have alternatives to the present polluting methods the government approves.

Anne Spencer

Victoria

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