Quiz candidates on companion animals
Adding to the 10 questions to ask real candidates, as instructed recently by Jack Knox , consider two more for those whose voices aren’t making the headlines:
1. Would you advocate to allow seniors to be with their companion animals during home care visits (see Island Health guidelines)?
2. Would you support housing services for homeless people to accommodate their companion animals?
Answers to these, although not phrased with Jack’s ironic flair, will reveal what really “makes a candidate tick.”
Maidie Hilmo
Saanich
Focus on local issues, be informed when we vote
Next Saturday we have the chance to influence our future. Such an opportunity doesn’t come very often.
Whether you live in Victoria, Saanich, or any other municipality on Vancouver Island, you will have a say on the future of your municipality by voting in elections.
I have a small request. Let us stop reading any international, U.S. and even Canadian news for a week. Let us spend one or two hours every day for the next several days reading candidates’ ideas, proposals and agendas.
Let us read, then think, and then make our votes count in this election! Let us stop worrying about big world far away which we cannot change and focus on the municipality where we live.
And then hopefully on Oct. 16 you will wake up in the municipality that has a better government. Probably, your new mayor and council will be less divisive, more responsible, more focused on their municipality.
Probably you new mayor won’t push his or her political and other beliefs everywhere. Instead, he or she will focus on realistic housing crisis solutions, making your municipality parks and playgrounds more accessible for as many people as possible, making your government responsible to you.
So, please, focus on the future of our beautiful island. We all have one week to get to know our candidates! Let us enjoy this opportunity to change our future and vote on Oct. 15.
Victor Golubkov
Victoria
Many seniors are suffering, and they need government help
I have been interviewed by the Office of the Seniors Advocate and have brought to her attention the hardships most of us face.
The fear of ending up homeless and struggling for basics is a constant.
My pension is around $1,700 a month, my rent utilities for small one-bedroom $900, plus cable. phone, internet another $300.
I have two small dogs and also am severely disabled.
I have serious life-threatening medical issues and require a special diet.
Try to imagine paying for everything on the marginal amount we live on.
The cost of food and medical items and transportation.
I am 72, yet my age group were left out of the increase. Discrimination.
I lived on tea and rice for months but have type 2 diabetes and my sugar levels were off.
Being forced to live a life of quiet desperation is not what we deserve.
Diane Dillon
Port McNeill
Politicians play politics, but we still need doctors
It is lamentable that the provincial Liberals are attacking the NDP for failing to ensure a family physician for everyone in British Columbia.
It seems the Liberals’ memories are short. In 2010, as the governing party, they promised to match every sa国际传媒 residents with a family physician. They launched “A GP for Me” initiative with the Doctors of sa国际传媒 as one of their election promises.
A press release from February 2013 explains the initiative would “ensure all sa国际传媒 citizens who want a family doctor are able to access one by 2015.”
Well, Liberals, how did that work out for you? Cindy E. Harnett’s article in the sa国际传媒 on April 24, 2016 titled “sa国际传媒 gives up on family doctor for everyone” explained that the Liberals had formally abandoned their election promise.
But the Health Ministry would not say it had “abandoned” the “A GP for Me” initiative but rather had “broadened” its view of what primary care access looks like. Doublespeak but still no success.
Fast forward to 2022. For provincial Liberals to now blame the doctor crisis on the NDP when they failed miserably to resolve the problem themselves nearly a decade ago is disingenuous at best.
It is obviously a difficult and complex problem. Political sniping and finger pointing is not going to fix it. While far too many residents continue to suffer from lack of a family physician, it is little wonder people are disgusted by self-serving politics.
Joyce Josephson
Victoria
Taking away one of our democratic rights
David Eby has announced that when he becomes premier, he intends to enact legislation to override municipalities’ power to approve, or not, building permits and housing proposals, leaving the provincial government with the final word.
This plan would be the beginning of a slippery slope. People should always have the right to elect mayors and councils with the power to keep or change the nuances of their neighborhood.
The so-called “housing crisis” is a questionable term, the question being, do we really want to jam more people into our established municipalities, and why?
The more we build, the more people will come and along with them, more of the problems we face now, like failing health care, crime, and social disparity, and that is the crisis.
Some parts of sa国际传媒 have plenty of room for development, but cramming more people into well-established neighbourhoods is not the best answer.
The marketplace has always found its level, and that includes where and how people want to live.
Government should not dictate, but lead by establishing incentives for municipalities to build a balance of housing for all levels of income earners, including the less fortunate.
Provide incentives like tax breaks for higher densities in locations throughout sa国际传媒, where new industries can develop and more housing is welcomed, but please leave our democratic right to elect and choose what happens in our local municipalities alone.
Shan O’Hara
Langford
Easy to replace buildings, harder to replace large trees
I felt sick strolling past a block of new development on Kings at Quadra, which apparently requires the entire row of big old shade trees lining the street to be removed.
On a property as large as that one, there is no good reason why those trees which are only two feet from the sidewalk, could not have been saved, and the development set back several feet.
Developers and construction industry are not impoverished – but our city will be, if we let greed lead the way.
If the city is planting any really large trees, we will not begin to see the fruits of that for 75 to 100 years.
Friends in construction tell us that nothing is now being built to last longer than 50 years. If trees are torn off a property every time it is redeveloped, that means subsequent generations will never live with trees older than 50 years. Old trees are harder to replace than new buildings.
Large trees are our main climate change defense, removing dust and pollutants, giving oxygen and cooling the surrounds. Every time we lose one brings a bit more desert to the heart of Victoria, decreasing the air quality and increasing the heat of the town centre.
I don’t see anyone enjoying a stroll along the glaring, gritty cement wind-tunnels between high-rise buildings downtown. I’m not sure what is meant by walk-ability – but I follow the paths of large trees and boulevards, which are rapidly vanishing.
Diane Lade
Fernwood
Ward system would help in resolving local issues
As a conscientious elector, I have spent hours on the 37 candidates seeking election to Victoria council. I have read their election statements, perused their websites, trying to parse their statements and read between the lines to decide which eight candidates are most in line with what I think Victoria needs.
Does everyone do this? Or do they vote for familiar names or whoever has put up the most signs? This is not the way to run a true democracy.
If the city were divided into eight wards and require all candidates to live in (or have their business in) the ward that they want to represent, then there would be much fewer candidates to decide upon and more likely that one would have some knowledge of them; as a result, voters would be more likely to make an informed choice.
A ward system would also be more efficient in resolving local issues. At present, if one has problems with sidewalks, roads or unsavoury characters in a neighbourhood, one has to send the complaint to the mayor and whole council, rather than just the one councillor. If he/she were not effective at resolving problems in their ward, they would not be re-elected.
Kenneth Mintz
Victoria
Consider past record when casting ballots
I hope people think about what elected officials have done and not done in the past few years when they go to vote.
I am not voting for six per cent tax increases, trees being cut down, roads in terrible condition, more bike lanes, free electric bikes, and all the other free things and mega projects that should have had money put aside for long ago.
Seniors make up 22 per cent of the population. How many are able to ride a bike, or want to, and can afford tax increases on a fixed pension?
We need a big change in what is happening. Wake up, voters.
Manage our money well and don’t waste it, then you can hold the line on spending.
A.H. Berry
Victoria
Established doctors need incentives, too
The provincial government’s new incentives for doctors have probably given hope to those of us who do not have a family doctor.
My wife and I are fortunate enough to have a wonderful caring family practioner.
A small but important part of the incentive deal not mentioned is that these brand new doctors will be making around $100,000 more than the established (in place) MDs, which is a slap in the face to these professionals who (stayed the course) during the past two years.
I would not be surprised to see more doctors chuck in the towel. I sincerely believe our present doctors should receive a substantial pay raise.
Premier John Horgan is hopefully filling his promises and to keep family practitioners a sign of good will and respect for those who are in place a large cash incentive is required.
James M. Scott
Victoria
Government gas tax hurting all drivers
Why do both governments hide their heads in the sand when it comes taxing gasoline? Stop taxing the tax we pay for every litre.
The government’s are making millions of dollars every time the price goes up. How about capping the the tax at $2 a litre and give everyone in sa国际传媒 a break?
We all know the price is going up again after the announcement from OPEC that they are cutting back production by two million barrels a day.
Steve Harvey
Saanich
Beacon Hill Park was hardly a healthy refuge
The Gonzales Neighbourhood Association’s survey for civic election candidates included this question: “Would you open up Beacon Hill Park to vehicular traffic again?”
Ben Isitt answered no, saying that he supports enhancing the park “as an ecologically healthy refuge from traffic, noise and pollution.”
That answer is so contrary to his actions. He was one of the driving forces to allow 24/7 camping in the park. During that time the park was far from being safe, with thefts, assaults, drugs and vandalism on a daily basis.
Paul Baldwin
Victoria
Place of residence is not a problem
Several readers have sent letters to the sa国际传媒 with objections to Marianne Alto as mayor for Victoria because she lives in Saanich, not Victoria. I have news for them.
Saanich is not in Hawaii. It is a municipality right next to Victoria. Given that it is always smart to know what your neighbours are doing, it seems to me that Alto’s residency in Saanich is an asset for a mayor of Victoria.
In fact, Victoria and Saanich have been known to collaborate on many issues. Such shared interests and knowledge will be to Alto’s advantage and a benefit to both municipalities.
Lynne Phillips
Victoria
Don’t forget the slate elected in Victoria
Is the memory of the Together Victoria slate not resonating loudly at this time? It should.
Over the past four years, this group of councillors have shown through their actions to be a very left-wing group of activists, who forgot at times if they were municipal, provincial or federal politicians.
The legacy of their candidates has shown to be quite blatantly anti-police, flouting COVID rules and travelling while lying to constituents about their whereabouts, jumping ship after only a few months on council to pursue federal politics at local taxpayers’ expense, resigning from Capital Regional District committees for insulting Indigenous bands, lack of public consultation — the list just goes on.
So before we get into all the mudslinging, remember, we have had issues with slates before, this is not a new thing.
David Findlay
Chemainus
Regional approach needed to improve housing
Many candidates for Victoria council are campaigning on solving the housing shortage and affordability. This seems a positive ambition, but is short on reality, if not a fool’s errand.
Population density of Victoria city is by far the highest in the Capital Regional District, and trying to solve the housing problem on its own by such initiatives as “missing middle” will only diminish the quality of life while having zero effect on affordability.
Is the problem of housing supply impossible to solve? No, but requires other municipalities’ co-operation to provide increased housing for the workers, etc., needed in Greater Victoria.
Current municipal densities:
• Victoria 48 residents/hectare
• Saanich 12
• Esquimalt 25
• Oak Bay 17
• View Royal 7.25
• Colwood 10
• Langford 14
• Metchosin 0.7
• Central Saanich 4
• North Saanich 3
• Sidney 24
• Highlands 0.6
• CRD overall 9.3 residents/hectare
By comparison, Vancouver’s density is 60 residents per hectare.
Only Esquimalt and Sidney have a population density even half of Victoria’s, and only Langford is trying to help resolve the housing shortage in the capital area.
While I sympathize with the wishes of the people of other municipalities to preserve their own neighbourhoods as they are, they all can help with housing for the young workers we need without much impact on their own lifestyle, by designating specific locations for high density rental and condo construction.
Meanwhile, to the Victoria council candidates: Get real.
John Hutchinson
Victoria
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