Clover Point just fine the聽way it is
Re: 鈥淐lover Point has no clover and that鈥檚 a problem,鈥� comment, May 20.
There is no problem with Clover Point. I聽have lived within a block of Clover Point for more than 47 years and walk there almost every day.
Because of the construction there are no vehicles right now but even when there were they were not a problem. People can easily walk on the grass all around the point and even when you walk on the roadway cars are travelling very slowly and people are safe.
Those with mobility problems can still enjoy the beautiful view as they sit in their car on the point.
The problem is with the city council that likes to spend taxpayers鈥� money to fix 鈥減roblems鈥� that don鈥檛 exist.
Another example is the sidewalk along the north side of May Street. When the original council put the sidewalk in they ended it where the houses ended. Made sense.
Now this council is spending a fortune to extend the sidewalk to Memorial Crescent. There is a perfectly good sidewalk across the street where the houses are, which is very lightly used.
Why don鈥檛 they use some of this surplus money they seem to have to fix the numerous potholes around town?
David Jack
Victoria
Return Clover Point to聽natural state
I鈥檓 writing to support the recommendation to close Clover Point to vehicle traffic and return the area to its natural state.
While some may worry it would limit access for those with mobility issues, that could be addressed by creating angled parking at the start of the loop, reserved specifically for those with wheelchairs or strollers.
In addition, a wheelchair-friendly path encircling the loop could be established, replacing the car lot atmosphere and continual exhaust from idling vehicles.
For years the loop has been little more than a glorified parking lot, detracting from what could be a pristine point attracting birds and marine life.
Since it鈥檚 been closed to public vehicle traffic during the sewage project, there have been numerous close-up sightings of eagles, herons, otters and other wildlife.
There are already several car-friendly stretches along Victoria鈥檚 seafront. Let鈥檚 take back Clover Point and create a natural legacy for everyone, not just those in vehicles.
Brian Lepine
Victoria
Park access, Clover Point are distractions
Re: 鈥淐lover Point has no clover and that鈥檚 a problem,鈥� May 20; 鈥淧artial car ban at Beacon Hill; restrictions inside park, but more parking,鈥� May 15.
I watch the local news to get updates on the status of our city during the pandemic and uncertain times. I continue to see an out-of-touch city council wasting time on so many sideline issues such as Beacon Hill Park access and now Clover Point.
Our city is a ghost town. The homeless situation has exploded to the point where we are buying hotels to house the homeless.
Businesses are on the verge of bankruptcy, and Coun. Ben Isitt wants to increase green space because it would be a 鈥渘ice鈥� idea? Please, put your efforts into focusing on what you should be doing.
Show some leadership in supporting the majority of residents of Victoria and focus on the important issues.
sa国际传媒 Cade
Victoria
Time to try another聽restaurant
Re: 鈥淟eave table clearing to restaurant staff,鈥� letter, May 19.
I don鈥檛 know where the letter-writer has been eating, and I assume he鈥檚 never worked in a restaurant, but just for the record, we always clear and sanitize our tables so the customer is never responsible for that.
I suggest the letter-writer try another restaurant (maybe Christie鈥檚?). We will show you how it鈥檚 done.
Brock Carbery
Owner/manager
Christie鈥檚 Pub
Wear mask to protect service workers
Re: 鈥淪tores, salons, caf茅s cautiously reopen as restrictions ease,鈥� May 20.
Picking up the newspaper this morning I was confronted with a picture of someone getting a haircut wearing no mask. Every stylist was wearing a mask.
Let鈥檚 try harder to protect our service workers who are giving us back our services. It is not much to ask. Wear those masks in public and help protect each other.
Gail Cresswell
Nanaimo
COVID-19 limits input on聽variance decisions
During the necessary safety precautions required by COVID-19, I believe that municipal councils must make extra effort to accommodate citizen input.
At the Zoom video call meeting of Qualicum Beach council on May 13, the process did not allow public participation.
Documents related to the variance decision objected to by more than 20 citizens were not available to view and required attendance at the town offices and comments on the decision within less that 24 hours, although record of the decisions were not available.
Many objectors are in the vulnerable senior category and these requirements do not allow for fair citizen participation and input.
COVID-19 must not be an opportunity to expedite controversial decisions while public input is limited.
Patricia Byers
Qualicum Beach
Caledonia project not聽affordable enough
Re: 鈥淎ffordable-housing project behind Vic聽High going to public hearing,鈥� May 8.
Recently, city council voted to send the Caledonia project to public hearing on the basis of its provision of affordable housing. Unfortunately, this project is nowhere near affordable enough. Only 18% of the proposed units are truly affordable. The rest will be middle-income suites in five- storey buildings.
This proposal is not supported by Fernwood鈥檚 current neighbourhood plan and the city鈥檚 official community plan. Vic High鈥檚 green space, already less that what is required by the Ministry of Education, will be further reduced.
Other schools in the school district have a great deal more green space proportionately.
Let鈥檚 keep the existing 18 units on the site and approve a smaller project with more low-income suites than the current 154-unit proposal provides.
Then let the Capital Regional Housing Corp. build the middle-class housing that makes up the bulk of the current Caledonia proposal on the extensive lands of these other schools.
Vic High is our inner-city high school. This project is a Trojan horse, touting its 鈥渁ffordability鈥� while ushering in a whack of middle-income housing. We need housing at all levels but it is patently unfair to dump this project on Vic High鈥檚 scant land.
Let鈥檚 go for some equity here.
Dorothy Field
Victoria
Let鈥檚 move sa国际传媒 forward, not go back to normal
Premier John Horgan has put together an advisory group to plan the economic聽recovery from COVID-19.
Good聽for him.
However the group does not include the聽minister for the environment nor any non-governmental environmentalists or anyone dedicated to dealing with the climate crisis.
Horgan has stated that the people want to get back to normal as soon as possible.
If 鈥渘ormal鈥� means life like last fall and before, then they and he want to get back to聽relentlessly rising greenhouse gas emissions and increasing global heating.
This would be a plan to exchange one disaster for another, though the climate disaster is not killing many people yet and seems to be farther off.
You and we all need to demand that Horgan plan a recovery that reduces the聽problem of global heating and helps聽us聽escape this second, and greater, crisis.
This can be done by creating jobs in sustainable industries: manufacturing electric buses to replace the present diesels, creating large scale solar and wind generation projects, and rewriting the building code and enforcing it to make all new buildings independent of fossil fuel heating and parking equipped everywhere with charging for electric vehicles.
These are just three examples of many that advisers and planners with a deep concern about global heating would see were part of his plan.
Let鈥檚 not go back to old 鈥渘ormal.鈥�
Ian Brown
Victoria
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