School Board Race

Finally a little bit of action on the School board side of the elections. There is a group called the Victoria Public Education Coalition that is running a slate of three candidate for the Greater Victoria School Board.

I do know one of the people running for VPEC, Catherine Alpha. I have known Catherine through being a member of the same faith group. Over the years I have been impressed by her energy and dedication to any issue she takes on. I will be voting for Catherine in the election.

Joseph Boutilier's Campaign Update

jerry's update re: joseph boutilier's $0 donation campaign for victoria city council

"Stay tuned for change. The future is now."

Dear friend, ally & associate,

It's my pleasure to write you a very, very special update. Thanks also for your time. Victoria's Civil Election is on November 15.

I would like to tell you about my friend Joseph Boutilier's (www.futureisnow.ca) campaign for City Council as the youngest candidate (18).

Joseph Boutilier works hard. Here, may I request from you some non-monetary support and guidance for the publicity of his campaign:

Joseph Boutilier decided for a $0 donation campaign (any assistance but monetary). He is a long-time community activist and volunteer who has worked with City Hall and community groups (bio & platform on his website). Due to age and all that which typically comes with it, the election is not a level playground for him, despite any highlights in experience, qualifications and energy. But it would be a shame, if Joseph does not get the due support and advice in the publicity of his campaign - to have his voice reach different corners of the community with less money and more sincerity.

I can count on his democratic citizenship and intellect. But I am not requesting you to necessarily agree with my opinion.

But I request a little assistance from you, to my friend Joseph Boutilier. Essentially, informational and networking assistance, not necessarily for Joseph's candidacy, but only for the *publicity of his campaign*.

Here are some ways I would like you to assist Joseph in his promotion. If you do not yet know Joseph, feel free to start the correspondence through me.

• *You're the BlackPress Journalist/ Radio Host/ Grassroots Publisher* - Please contact Joseph directly (or through me; if that's what you feel comfortable with) regarding the possibility of a coverage: **a radio interview, a newspaper story, etc.** Joseph has already been featured along with others; so an exclusive coverage sounds great.
• *You're the Activist/ educationist/ strategist* - Please pass on to Joseph (or thru me) your **insights, experiences and strategies** re: networking (past documents/ training resources would be fine). They will be much valued and appreciated. Also, let us explore: **possibilities for him to visit your organization, or further networking**.
• *You're a respected leader of your geographical/ ethnic/ etc. community* - We'd like to explore possibilities to do a letter from Joseph/ little notice in your community's newsletter/ related publications (i.e., Chinatown Newsletter, etc.) I'd love to follow up with a few of you.
• *You have friends/ you have ideas/ you have experience* - Joseph would appreciate it if you would be able to provide some *informational assistance, or referrals* to those who might be able to do so. If this is not possible, please forward the email to your friends and networks. Some of them might be able to provide Joseph with some assistance/ mentorship / referrals.
• You go to work - Please find the attached mini-flyer; feel free to post it outside your office, in a hey-check-out-this-interesting-young-man manner.

Again, thank you for your precious time. On behalf of my busy friend, Joseph Boutilier, I appreciate in advance your non-monetary assistance, advice and guidance.

Cheers,

jerry

"Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

FYI: Additional Info. below...

He has already been featured - along with other candidates - on some local outlets.

The Tyee: http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Municipal-Politics/2008/09/16/VicCandidates/

Colliers International: http://www.colliersmn.com/PROD/cclod.nsf/City/874BD532F014D85F8525738D00648815

Times Colonist: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/capital_van_isl/story.html?id=d65f4cc2-8744-4c43-a14f-553074b1c979

"He is only 18, but looks like he is a very interesting candidate for council. I suspect is better prepared to be on the council than most of the new people running. I need to track him down and talk with him, I might come out in support of him." Victoria Vision

Mick Hicks for the CRD

I had to go out to Sooke yesterday to pick my son up at Camp Barnard. On the way out I saw that Mike Hicks is clearly campaigning hard to get elected to the CRD. I saw a number of his signs up on people's properties. Decent big signs, big enough that you notice them over the noise of the federal election.

Esquimalt Juan de Fuca election prediction, again

When one looks at the CTV/Globe 45 battleground ridings, there are some clear trends one can see.

First of all, the Liberals and NDP are strongly down in these ridings in BC. Secondly the Greens and Conservatives are up by an almost equal amount. One of the ten ridings in BC is West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country. I am assuming that the Liberal vote is down a long way here and the Green vote is up a lot. This calculation mutes the Liberal fall elsewhere.

In ridings that the Liberals hold, the Liberals are down the same amount they are in BC but the NDP is holding their ground. The Conservatives and Greens are up in these ridings.

The factors I am applying to Esquimalt Juan de Fuca are:

• Conservatives up 6 percentage points
• Liberals down 5 percentage points
• NDP down 4 percentage points
• Greens up 3 percentage points

Doing this gives us roughly the following result:

• Conservative 33.5%
• Liberal 30%
• NDP 27%
• Green 9%

I can hear you say that Keith Martin has a strong personal popularity. That is factored in. It is the reason he survived in 2004 and 2006. He had two very narrow wins. There is no formula I can factor in that sees his voting going up when the polling indicates otherwise for Liberal fortunes in BC. One Ekos poll of BC looked at Vancouver versus the rest of BC – the numbers were bad for the Liberals.

If Keith Martin were not the Liberal candidate in the riding, I would predict the following result:

• Conservatives - 39%
• NDP - 27%
• Liberals - 20%
• Greens - 13%

Coffee with Alison Gaul

Alison is running for Esquimalt Council. I met with her this afternoon for a coffee at the Spiral Cafe in Vic West. I am impressed with her.

Her decision to run for council is not one she suddenly thought up, but part of a long process within which she understood that if she wanted to take the next step in her involvement in Esquimalt she needed to run for council. She made the decision early and she is running a serious campaign.

One of my criteria of deciding if someone is a serious candidate for local government is if they are spending at least as much time on campaigning as they will have to as a councilor. Ali is showing she is doing this.

She clearly is willing learn what she needs to know and is not dogmatic. It was the demise of Archie Browning Arena that spurred her deeper into local politics and she worked hard on the issue. She is one of the people in this region we can thank for keeping the arena in place.

She has a genuine love for the community and shows a high degree of dedication to Esquimalt.

We talked about some of the more difficult issues - transit and policing. She is open minded and realistic and did not have pat answers.

She also let me know that we should see some more names coming out of the woodwork for the Esquimalt election in the next week of which at least one is a serious contender for mayor.

If I lived in Esquimalt I would be voting for Ali. For those of you interested in helping her, she has a fundraiser coming up:

Event Info

Host:	Alison Gaul for Esquimalt Council 2008
Type:	Causes - Fundraiser
Network:	Global

Time and Place

Date:	Saturday, October 4, 2008
Time:	8:00pm - 11:55pm
Location:	Archie Browning Sports Centre
Street:	1151 Esquimalt Rd
City/Town:	Esquimalt, BC

Contact Info

Phone:	2503865471
Email:	lorie.hall@shaw.ca

Description

We're hosting a shorty bonspiel and pub night to raise funds for the campaign to elect Alison Gaul to Esquimalt Council.

Costs are low to encourage more people to try out this great sport! All beginners (and experienced curlers with a sense of humour and adventure) are welcome!

The cost is only $30 per person or $100 per team of 4.

Your fee pays for a free curling lesson and two end games. We will also be serving some snacks upstairs in the lounge between games and the (cash) bar will be open until midnight. There will also be fantastic door prizes!

Anyone who wishes to watch curling and join us in the lounge is also welcome.

Curling from 8-10pm. Cash bar open until midnight.

Please contact Lorie Hall for more info or for registration.

Hope to see you at the rink!

Some more new candidates

In the City of Victoria we have Tim Van Alstine. Tim has served on many city committees over the years and has been chair of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association. He certainly has the experience to know what council is about.

The other two I heard about at the Jaclk Layton rally in Saanich yesterday. One was a guy running for View Royal council and second was a woman running for school board. I am trying to find out who they were. If you know, please let me know.

Yes, I went to a Jack Layton Rally

Yesterday I took my 11 year old son to a Jack Layton rally at George Pearkes Arena. I am not about to come out and support the NDP in this election. I went because I wanted to show Ben what a political rally is like and to show him that someone running for Prime Minister is someone you can see in person.

I explained to him the theatrics that is politics, the playing to the camera, th earchestrating of the event. Ben made a very observate comment, he said it felt like being an extra in a film.

The concept was that this was a townhall meeting, but in reality it was an NDP rally. I doubt there were more than a few of us there that were not going to be voting for the NDP. Still, it is nice to know that in Canada you still get close to the leaders of the country, that it is possible to interact with them and speak with them.

Since I have been telling Ben about elections he had wanted to know why youth are not allowed to vote. Yesterday he had his chance to ask Jack Layton if the NDP would let kids vote. He said the NDP would lower the age to 16 but maybe theuy would have to consider something lower.

Ben has now had a chance to see how a major national politician answers his question. He has also seen that in a democracy one of the best ways to make your issue matter is to let the leaders know what you think. My goal out of this whole exercise was for Ben to understand more about civic engagement and democracy and to inspire him to become active.

In elections we have the leaders of all the parties come to town, parents should take their kids to see them and meet them. These are the people they see on TV all the time, but they are also real regular Canadians. Ben knows how I plan to vote, but I am helping him understand what all the parties are saying and how the leaders say it. I dissected with him the answer he got from Jack Layton and explained that politicians are between a rock and hard place. They do not want to say no to anyone, but know they can not say yes to most things. Ben could understand why Jack Layton slightly dodged giving him a straight answer. He also noticed that to other questions he simply shifted topics to avoid having to say something the person did not want to hear.

What: A VREB sponsored breakfast with four (4) federal candidates for election to answer questions on housing and development October 1st.....
Panel members
NDP - Denise Savoie (Victoria candidate)
Liberal - Briony Penn (Saanich candidate)
Green - Andrew Lewis (Saanich candidate)
Conservative - Jack McClintock (Victoria candidate)

Everyone invited: Cost $20
Where: Ambrosia Centre 638 Fisgard Street
Time: 7:30am - 9:00am
Buffet breakfast with eggs and sausage

PLEASE HELP SELL THIS EVENT OUT!!!!!!

RSVP to Jim Bennett at VREB 250-412-0338 by this Friday if possible...people can pay at door..... jbennett@vreb.org
Just leave voice mail that you (and whoever) are coming and your office affiliation....

Jim Bennett

Government Relations Coordinator

Victoria Real Estate Board

..and

Real Estate Association

3035 Nanaimo Street

Victoria, B.C. V8T 4W2

Ph. (250) 412-0338

Municipal All Candidates Meetings

The City of Victoria has produced a list of all candidates meeting for the local elections. I will post a side bar with all candidates meetings that are coming up, though not all of them at once.

If you know of anymore for the local elections of the federal election, please let me know.

Bernard

Slowly but surely Oak Bay is getting a competitive race.

Another Oak Bay resident leaps into political fray

Published: September 24, 2008 2:00 PM
Updated: September 24, 2008 2:45 PM

News staff

Restorative justice advocate Tara Ney will run for a seat on Oak Bay municipal council this fall. A resident of Oak Bay for the past 20 years, Ney is a psychologist and health care consultant who also teaches at the University of Victoria.

Her interest in environmental and child care issues prompted her to enter the race, Ney said.

"We are strongly positioned to go beyond status quo obligations and be a leader and model to other communities who want to contribute to protecting the environment and create sustainable, healthy living for all of its citizens," she said.

Noting that Oak Bay is at the forefront with approving electric cars within the municipality, Ney said council needs to take the lead in other areas and "support our families to properly care for our children." The former vice-chair of Restorative Justice Oak Bay has been employed in post-conflict work in Kosovo, Serbia and Croatia.

Ney is the second newcomer to declare her candidacy for the fall election. Oak Bay resident Michelle Kirby recently stepped up to the table. Coun. Frank Carson announced on Sept. 17 that he will not be seeking re-election. Inbumbent candidates running again are Alan Cassidy, John Herbert, Nils Jensen, and Hazel Braitwaite. Coun. Pam Copley is the only councillor yet to confirm whether she will run again. So far, Mayor Christopher Causton remains unchallenged.

vmoreau@saanichnews.com

Saanich Municipal Election All But Over

I went visit a friend at the Cancer Clinic today and ran into former Saanich councilor Nicola Wade. Niki told me Jackie Ngai is not running for re-election.

This means that the six incumbents and two most serious candidates should have little or no difficulty in getting elected. It really is too late for someone new to come into the race and have any hope unless they are already well known to people.

It also means that turnout will be low in Saanich.

A strong race for mayor would have boosted voter turn-out, but I have not seen Harald Wolf actively campaigning for mayor. If he was serious about winning I would have expected to see more signs from him out there than the federal candidates. I would have expected to see ads in the Saanich News, Burmashaves on the major roads, him on the radio etc.... But there is no visible evidence of a campaign from him so I expect we are going to see a defacto acclamation of Frank Leonard

Julian West and Standard for Candidates

For those of you that do not know, I have known Julian West, the now former NDP candidate in Saanich - Gulf Islands, since about 1996. I have worked on electoral reform with Julian for many years and known him socially as well.

Julian is smart, genius smart. He also rubs huge numbers of people the wrong way because he comes across as arrogant and uncaring. I know he is like this, I take it with a grain of salt. Julian also has very high expectations of what people should accomplish and pushes people to try for more than they can - sometimes he gets people to do more than they knew they could but often he will piss them off.

I have known about the incident from 1996 more or less the whole time I have known Julian. I was not there and I have only heard second and third hand what happened. The source I relied on the most was the investigation by Steve Kisby at the time. Julian has also told me what happened. I can not judge and decide what is the truth because I was not there, but based on what has been in the media lately, Julian's actions did hurt or harm in some way some of the young women there at the time.

Not to brush this under the table, but how does everyone that was involved get beyond what happened? Or does this incident mean that Julian West can never be a public figure again? Is the rest of life condemned by this?

I am a Quaker and one aspect of being a Quaker is seeking that of God within everyone, not to never condemn anyone as being incapable of something good, of having a positive light within. In the world of politics the partisan people on all sides, and the media, seek out to condemn people as no good. I can not work that way.

In the process of trying to find out about the people running for the local elections, I can not bring myself to write the negative aspects of the people and always seek someone way to find the aspects that are worth celebrating about people. Yes, I can fail at this but I strive to find that of God within them.

Julian should have known this would be an issue in his campaign, I know I have asked him about it and he seemed to think he had it handled. But now hearing that the young women involved are coming forward says to me he did not do what was needed.

I hope Julian meets with the women that were there 12 years ago and honestly sits down with and tries to understand why they are upset. I suspect that there is a closure they need and an understanding he needs to gain and acknowledge to them before this issue ends for Julian.

We as a society seem not to be willing to forgive past errors. Would any party be willing to run a candidate that had done serious time? If our criminal justice system is about rehabilitation the parties should be ok with ex-cons running, but the reality is that our society will not allow people to ever be fully equal citizens once they are released.

I grew up in a very white upper middle class neighbourhood and was sheltered from having any interaction with people that had been through the criminal justice system. When I was 30 I went to work for a First Nation in the interior and became good friends with guys that had done hard time as youths. They had done some pretty nasty stuff. The men I knew were no longer the ones that did those crimes. They had changed, their lives were turned around and they were contributing more to the betterment of society than the vast majority of people.

People make mistakes and people learn from them. I have yet to meet a single person in my life that at their core was not a loving person that wanted a better world. I even try to see the good in racists and anti-semites, but boy does this take a super human strength on my part.

Julian has contributed a lot to BC and Canada but has only made national headlines for one incident 12 years ago. He needs to start the journey to allow there to be a peace about what happened.

The Facebook Race

I know this is at best a more version of the old BC tradition of the hamburger race, but it is one of the few things out there I can actually measure in the local elections.

As of abotu 60 seconds ago the number of members of each facebook ground was:

• Rob Reid - 136 Members
• Dean Fortin - 117 Members
• Simon Nattrass - 112 Members

Rob is still in that early phase Facebook groups have when lots of people join. He quickly has passed the other two, though his lead is not that strong.

The only other mayor candidate out there with a Facebook group is Sean McNulty in Central Saanich. He remains at 279 members.

The hamburger poll existed in BC for many years because polling was not allowed during elections. To get publicity and give the media some idea of public support, a restaurant in Vancouver sold hamburgers by the name of the politicians or parties.

2 More Candidates

I found their names in the Times Colonist today, both are on the Westshore.

The first one is Shaun Wysiecki running for Colwood council. I know very little about him other than he looks to be on the young side. He seems to be at UVic at the moment - I take that from the fact that he is listed as the contact for the Young Liberals of Canada on campus. He is also the VP of Operations for the Young Liberals of Canada - BC.

Over in Sooke we have 34 year old Maja Tait running for council for the first time. She is a downtown commerical property manager and looks to be a serious community volunteer type - she is involved with the local Lioness group. Very few younger people are chosing to give of themselves and get involved with service groups like Lions, Kiwanis and the like. It is good to see that she is. She interests me and I would love to have a coffee with her.

New Rec Passes Cross Borders

I like this idea, it makes so much sense. I have resisted buying a pass because I like to use facilities in several municipalities.

People may not be willing to go to full amalgamation, but steps like this make so much sense for what is really one city with bantustan local governments. South Africa used the bantustans to stop easy movement of people in their country. Local governments make life harder for businesses and residents by refusing to make our city have consistency across the region. Common sense says there should be only one recreation and parks department, there should be a single place to get all your permits and that their is consistent policing in the region.

The new rec passes are a smart idea and I hope go beyond the pilot project.

_______________________________________
Published: September 19, 2008 2:00 PM
Updated: September 19, 2008 2:51 PM

Greater Victoria residents will be able to visit any local recreation centre using a single card beginning Jan. 1.

A regional annual pass is being introduced as part of a pilot project, says Agnes Szilos, of Recreation Oak Bay.

As a result of government departments constantly asking recreation centers for bulk group discounts, five of eight recreational centres in Greater Victoria got together to issue an annual pass.

“We didn’t really think it was fair for one organization to receive a break so this is an enlargement of that,” Szilos said.

The pass will cost $420.10. The amount is a play on the year 2010, the year that Vancouver and Whistler will host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Sooke is the only recreation centre so far to turn thumbs down to the shared pass.

The pass allows purchasers unlimited access to all the local recreation centers, including pools, fitness centres and weight rooms.

Passes in the pilot project will be sold until the end of 2009 and passes will be honoured for a full year from date of purchase.

The regional pass ties in with the province’s Active communities mandate introduced last year that challenges B.C. residents to be 20 per cent more active by 2010.

vmoreau@saanichnews.com

The City of Victoria is offering an informational session for those considering running for Mayor or City Council in the upcoming 2008 Civic Election on Monday September 29.

Outgoing Councillors Helen Hughes and Bea Holland will host the session and will touch on issues of interest for a potential candidate, including:

• Balancing the rewards and demands of public service
• Council meeting policies and legislative process
• Time commitments of public office
• Questions or concerns for first time candidates
• Question and answer period

What: “So You Want to Run for Council?” An information session for potential mayoral and council candidates

Where: Victoria City Hall, Antechamber, 1 Centennial Square

When: Monday, September 29, 7:30 p.m.

Registration is not necessary. This session is open to the public but is geared specifically for those considering running for public office.

Individuals running for Mayor or City Council are required to file nomination papers at City Hall between September 30 and October 10, 2008. The 2008 Civic Election will be held on Saturday November 15.

For more information on the upcoming Civic Election and how to file for candidacy visit www.victoria.ca.

Sooke and JdF Electoral Area to vote on Museum Funding

There will be a referendum as part of the November election in Sooke and the JdF to provide the Sooke Museum with $75 000 in funding. Only a few dollars per household. We shall see if it passes.

Voter's Association Gains Momentum

Another voters group has been formed, this time in North Saanich. I am trying to find out more about the North Saanich Voters Association. They seem to be a group countering the NIMBYism that has been running rampant in North Saanich.

The one that comes to mind is the waterslide at Panorama Rec Centre. The issue stuns me - people actually spent money on lawyers because the height of the tower may have been marginally too tall, the sort of mindset it would take to do that is one I can not even fathom. Do they really have nothing better to do with their lives? They must have more money than they need, would have been nice to see it given to a good cause, but I digress.

I can not tell from their materials what they are planning on doing in the municipal elections, I assume they will come out to endorse a slate of candidates. They may also be a platform for a defacto local municipal party, they formed just in time to be able to get their name onto the ballot for candidates they are backing. I will pay attention to what they are doing.

At this point they look to be more active than the Saanich Civic League which launched over three months ago with a big meeting and media coverage.

I will say I have not heard about who is running in North Saanich, not even a decent rumour. If you know anything, please let me know.

The next meeting they are holding is Tuesday Sept 23rd at the Mary Windspear centre at 7:15 pm

_______________________________________
By Cat George - Peninsula News Review

Published: September 18, 2008 1:00 PM
Updated: September 18, 2008 4:40 PM

New group focussed on municipal accountability

With the municipal election coming up, a group of North Saanich residents has come together to create a new group intended to represent the interests of the municipality’s voters. But the North Saanich Association of Voters isn’t intending to just throw their weight behind a group of candidates and then disappear from the political landscape.

“This isn’t for the short term,” said Ellen Wells, one of a small group that has stepped forward to guide the association into existence. In fact, while the association intends to host an all-candidates’ meeting, their main work will come after the election, as they seek to bring accountability, transparency, and good governance to the municipality.

The association began on August 7, when a group of residents met and expressed their desire to see changes in the way that things were done in North Saanich.

“The issue really started with the process of the [Panorama Recreation Centre] waterslide and the [Supreme Court] lawsuit,” said John Wells, the acting chair of NSAV. “It was a pivotal event; there was a tremendous amount of dissatisfaction with the way things had gone.” Out of that discussion came the idea to form a group to represent what John calls “the average, normal voter” in North Saanich. John volunteered to chair to begin; he thinks he has something of an advantage because while he and Ellen own property in North Saanich, they’re not currently residents. “It gives me a unique perspective; I have no history or issues with particular personalities.”

The 50 people at that first meeting wanted to establish what the NSAV would do, and how it would do it. They didn’t want it to become simply a “bitch session,” as John described it; it was there that they decided the focus would be on accountability and good governance. The focus was not, John emphasized, on battling or attacking any other North Saanich groups.

“A lot of people [in North Saanich] want to get into a fight,” he said. “It’s like there are two gangs, grey-haired gangs, that fight with words and opinions instead of sticks and stones. Our purpose is not to build a bigger gang; it’s to ask questions, and address a lack of accountability.”

By the second meeting in August, NSAV had 115 people, and had found that most had come out because of two hot-button issues: the waterslide and the housing strategy. According to John, the major issue around the waterslide was the decision by council to refuse the originally-requested variance, and the costs that accrued for taxpayers because of that. “Four councillors went against staff and the overwhelming majority of North Saanich voters,” he said. “Somebody has to say, you voted against it, you’re responsible.”

Michael Shoemaker, another member of NSAV, said he feels that the waterslide, and the contentious meeting that led to the variance being refused, has raised awareness of political issues in many residents who previously were not involved. “The waterslide crystallized previous concerns,” he said. “A group appeared for the first time, and to their amazement, the matter had been pre-judged, and they were completely ignored. That group married up with people who were more [politically] experienced.” He said that those experienced with North Saanich politics had seen the same pattern that applied to the waterslide, with delays, indecision, and lack of representation of what they say is the majority opinion, in other issues: the OCP, the housing strategy, Sandown, the sewers, Kelset school.

“If you read the [minutes] of the council meetings, you see they delay and send things back and forth. There’s example after example, where they could have made a decision.”

“A delay is as good as a denial,” said Peter Kerr, another member. “It’s a ploy, rather than a decision. People want to move forward, not to rehash and disinter old bones; to restore positivity to North Saanich, and end the climate of negativity.”

As to housing, the group said they support a range of housing options for families and seniors. “I don’t want to be here at 95 and working at the Mac store,” said Ellen. “We need to make a continuous population that can be keeping North Saanich alive.”

John agreed that he didn’t condone the idea that people should have to move away to downsize. “We’re not bad people if we want selected higher density.”

With the election looming, the group said they do not currently have any champions on council and will be deciding at their next meeting how they want to approach the election — whether by supporting a slate or individual candidates. “We’ll hold an all-candidates meeting and the candidates will come and be tested against our principles,” said Shoemaker.

“Too many times, people make a statement, and when they vote, it goes the other way,” said John. “We want to make sure they’re accountable for what they say.”

The next meeting of the North Saanich Association of Voters will be held on Tuesday, September 23, in the Bodine Family Hall at the Mary Winspear Centre, from 7:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.; all are welcome. For more information about the group or to join the mailing list, contact northsaanichassocofvoters@gmail.com or visit their website at www.northsaanichav.org.

news@peninsulanewsreview.com

Weekend in the Interior

I was up in Salmon Arm again this weekend. We needed to get my father-in-law's home ready for selling. He has been living with us for the last six months as he was getting chemotherapy and things have not worked out well. He will be living in our house to the end and will not be moving home.

I will resume posting about the local elections and other Greater Victoria issues is a day or two.

Remember, Wednesday night be at Spectrum School for the workshop/forum on rapid transit. I will be trying to make it, but Wednesday's is Scout night and I am a leader at 3rd Douglas so I will not be able to get there till late or not at all.

Quick aside, if you know of any youth aged 5 to 17, get them to check out Scouting as a program. They youth learn about the outdoors, the environment, citizenship and leadership. No other program helps youth build the skills to be well rounded adults as Scouting does.

In 2007/08 the 3rd Douglas Sea Scouts went on 8 camps, one of them a week long canoeing trip. The Scout level program is for youth in grades 6 - 8. The Cub program at 3rd Douglas this year are going to have bicycles as their ongoing theme for the year. The Cub program is fro youth in grades 3 - 5.

Scouting is open to boys and girls.

Paul Gerrard has his website up

You can find Paul Gerrard's website here.

Paul is a hardworking and strongly community minded. He devotes more of his our to this neigbourhood than one person should.

He is always thinking ahead of how new ideas might help and is very open to considering other people's ideas. He is the sort of person that bring people together and the group is much more than the sum of the individuals.

The two words that describe him best are passion and energy.

Facebook Race for Mayor

I know this is rather meaningless in the over all picture, but since the three most serious candidates all have facebook groups, I thought I would track them on and pass on where they are at

Friday Sept 19
Dean Fortin - 111 members
Simon Nattrass - 102 members
Rob Reid - 78 members

Dean has had his group the longest and it has been stagnant at the 110 range for a while.

Simon created his group some time back but it remained very small until recently. In the last couple of weeks he has come on strong.

Rob's group started on Tuesday and is still in the first flush of people joining.

I would find it significant for the election if one of the candidates could break 500 members on their facebook group before Oct 14th. Sean McNulty running for mayor in Central Saanich has 279 members and has had that many for some time.

While I was on facebook, I found a facebook group called Draft Zeb King to Run for Central Saanich Mayor

How You can Help Me

There are more and more of you out there reading this blog on a regular basis - 300 to 400 per day now. In my task to find all the candidates running for office in November I could use your help.

1) If you know of someone running for office and I do not know about them, please let me know.

2) I am looking for the websites, but they are not always easy to find - same goes for facebook groups. Please let me know.

3) If you have information to share about candidates and are willing to put your name to it, please send it to me and I will post it if it is not petty, mean, illegal or vindictive.

4) I am interested in taking some of this live - I am wondering who out there would be willing to help host a meet the candidates social evening? A time and place is stated and any or all candidates can come and anyone in the public can come and talk to them in person. Just a thought I am having for someone to make the election more personal.

5) I am looking for suggestions on how to improve the look an function of the blog - good ideas and solutions welcome, just keep in mind I am not spending money on this.

You can email me at bernard@shama.ca

Race Heating up in Esquimalt

Bruce McIldoon is making a come back - he only lost by 25 votes last time.

Barb Desjardins, who is running for Mayor, is taking out ads in the Victoria News already.

What have at the moment is:

Chris Clement and Barb Desjardins for mayor is a very serious all out race

Returning councilors are Don Linge and Lynda Hundleby. We know that councillors Jane Sterk, Barb Desjardins and Hy Freedman are not running again. Basil Boulton unfortunately died - thanks to Ali Gaul for pointing my error on this earlier today.

We have former councilor Bruce McIldoon coming back. We also have Meagan Brame, Alison Gaul and Lori King for Council. All of them serious candidate running serious campaigns. I am especially impressed at how hard Ali Gaul is campaigning. Her energy in the campaign indicates to me she will work hard on council.

If no one else comes out of the woodwork the election is easy for them, but I expect to see some more names for the ballot soon. But will it be anyone well enough known to make a difference?

MEET CANDIDATE JACK MCCLINTOCK

at the official opening of the
VICTORIA CAMPAIGN OFFICE
Saturday, September 20
10:00 am to Noon

Unit C, 3055 - Scott Street
Victoria, BC

Join us for refreshments and cake beginning at 10:00 am.
A news conference will convene at 11:00 am.

Subject : Safe Street
Introduction by Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca Conservative Candidate Troy DeSouza
Statement by Victoria Candidate Jack McClintock
Questions

Directions: Turn on Scott Street, across from Hillside Shopping Centre one block from Shelbourne.

Carson won't run again for council

By Vivian Moreau - Oak Bay News

Published: September 17, 2008 2:00 PM
Updated: September 17, 2008 4:38 PM

Veteran Oak Bay councillor Frank Carson is hanging up his political hat.

"It's just appropriate for me, at this point, to stand aside," Carson said. "It demands a lot of energy and effort and, I think, it's just the correct thing to do."

The four-term councillor served a total of 12 years, from 1993-1999, and 2002 through to 2008.

A Victoria lawyer, Carson said he got into council to work on Henderson Park improvements and expansion at Monterey Centre. He was also drawn to the job to help make improvements to Oak Bay and Estevan villages, as well as helping to establish a tree protection bylaw.

"But perhaps my crowning achievement - and by that I mean myself and council and committe - was the Windsor Park pavilion. That was a lot of fun."

Carson has no intention of running for mayor.

"Chris (Mayor Christopher Causton) is doing a very good job and there is no need to upset the apple cart," he said.

A father of two grown children, Carson said his interest will also shift now to focus on a family orchard in the Okanagan. Carson's father, Frank Carson Sr., also a veteran local politician, died earlier this year.

Oak Bay's mayor said he will miss Carson on council.

"He has deep, deep roots in this community and understands it well. He makes what I call good community-based decisions. He's one of those people that if you need a solution he can think that way, can be creative."

Carson will continue to be involved in the community, perhaps sitting on the parks and recreation commission or police board as seats become available.

Who's in the race

Although Oak Bay municipal staff say no candidates have yet filled out nomination forms that are due by Sept. 20, here's a who's who of whom has told Oak Bay News they will be running for Oak Bay council:

Christopher Causton: mayor

John Herbert: councillor

Hazel Braithwaite: councillor

Allan Cassidy: councillor

Nils Jensen: councillor

Still to announce whether she will run again is Councillor Pam Copley.

The only newcomer is Oak Bay resident Michelle Kirby (see Sept. 5 edition of Oak Bay News to read the profile on Kirby.)

vmoreau@saanichnews.com

Dave Bennett - Sooke Council

From the TC

In Sooke, the founding principal of L'Ecole Poirier is running for a council seat.

Dave Bennett said in a news release he believes Sooke needs to manage its growth appropriately and ensure the council reflects the values of the community's values.

The retired educator and wife Vicki have lived in Sooke for 15 years.

Conservation Voters Endore Penn in Saanich - Islands

I find the Conservation Voters of BC an odd group in how they go about endorsing. They state the candidates have to be pro-environment but also must have a chance to win. They often also endorse candidates that are clearly going to win and then claim to have made a difference in the election.

In this federal election they have made an "interesting" choice in the riding of Saanich - Gulf Islands, they endorsed the Liberal candidate Briony Penn. What makes this choice interesting is that it does not meet their criteria.

Briony Penn is no greener than NDP candidate Julian West or Green Andrew Lewis. They are effectively saying she is greener than the others which I can not believe.

Briony Penn also has a lower chance of success than the NDP and Greens in this election. Saanich - Gulf Islands. The riding has either been won by the right or by the NDP in the past. The Liberals have never been a serious threat to win this riding in the past.

Add on top of this that the Liberal party vote in BC is down by 30% to 40% and the decision looks even odder. Based on the electoral math and assuming Briony Penn is able to do much better than a typical candidate for a party, she will be hard pressed to get more than 20% of the vote in the riding.

As much as I hate it, about 2/3s of the people in Canada vote based on party first. A very strong candidate can make a positive impact on the election, but much less so than the party overall. Based on the 2006 election and the current support levels for the Liberals in BC, the Liberals are headed for fourth place in Saanich - Gulf Islands.

What the Conservation Voters have done is lessen strategic voting in Saanich - Gulf Islands and reduce the chances that Julian West of Andrew Lewis could win. Given that I personally like Gary Lunn, I am not going to complain that they made his re-election even more secure. But on the other hand I think they have done a great disservice to Julian West, the candidate most likely to defeat Gary, by supporting someone else.

Coffee with Dean Murdock Who is Running for Saanich Council

I went and had a coffee with Dean Murdock this morning. He is running for a seat on Saanich council and I think his odds are looking good.

He has a campaign together, he is meeting people and going door to door, he is taking this seriously and trying hard to get elected. I like to see this in people running for office, I do not like to see people just putting their name on the ballot and hoping for the best or not bothering to try.

I have no doubt that Dean will be a hard working councilor. He would also add some much needed youth to the Saanich council. He will be well known across the region and make his issues important issues for everyone in the region.

Dean is also the sort of younger guy that I see in the Liberals, NDP or Conservatives. He wants to be a politician and loves the game of politics. Politics in Canada suffers from the fact that almost all the younger people involved with political parties are people that want to elected some day or want to be political insiders. This does not mean there is anything wrong with Dean as these sort of people are normally the hardest working people in politics. The only danger comes when their ambition is more important than their community.

Asked him about ambition, if this was the first rung on a ladder to be an MLA or something in the future. He said it is not, that his community is what matters most but at the same time who knows what the future might bring. I believe that at this time he values community over ambition but he is young and could be seduced by the Dark Side.....

He has done a reasonable job of articulating where he comes from, though I would love to see a better broken out set of specifics on his website and not have to scroll through his blog entries.

As most of you know, I am not a supporter of the NDP and tend to view New Democrat approach to economic issues as outdated for our society. I do love their passion, even when I am called a facist for supporting Conservatives. Dean is clearly NDP to me and that means I am hesitant to say I would vote for him in Saanich, I am not sure yet.

One issue that we talked a lot about was transportation, specifically rail transit in this region. Dean seems to be in favour and believes that the it is afforbable on a capital end and on the operating end. As most of you know, I love rail but I am skeptical of it for this region. As I told him, there are numerous questions I need to have answered. I also pointed that I live in the city of Victoria and that an LRT would be of very limited benefit to people living in the city but at the same time I suspect we would be expected to pay more taxes to build and operate it.

He, and Saanich South MLA David Cubberly, are organizing an event to talk about transit:

Ready for Rapid Transit?

Public Transit Forum

Event Info

Host:	Dean Murdock and David Cubberley
Type:	Education - Workshop
Network:	Global

Time and Place

Date:	Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Time:	7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location:	Spectrum School
Street:	957 Burnside Road West
City/Town:	Saanich, BC
	View Map Google MapQuest Microsoft Yahoo

Contact Info

Phone:	2506584160
Email:	dean.murdock@telus.net

More on John Luton

This comes from Andrew MacLeod of the Tyee. I like his emphasis on cycling. I worry about his opposition to P3s because it makes little or no sense to me. P3s are simply one more tool for government to reduce cost and risks for the public, sometimes they make sense, sometimes they do not. He talks about a 'they' in the context of sewage if there is a P3, I am not sure how he comes to that thinking but it sounds like the sort of fear mongering the Council of Canadians have been spreading. I also have to wonder about why such a strong NDP emphasis comes up in the article?

Bike advocate says he can 'get things done' on Victoria council

By Andrew MacLeod September 16, 2008 02:30 pm

Victoria city council candidate John Luton said his experience advocating for better cycling and walking infrastructure can be used to work on many of the issues that face city hall.

“I think I can apply the experience working with local governments, developers and all sorts of other players,” he said. “My one issue is I get things done.”

Luton is the executive director of the Capital Bike and Walk Society and has been deeply involved in many projects that have added trails, bicycle lanes, better bike parking and signage throughout the region.

“The one I'm most proud of isn't built yet, and that's the E&N Rail Trail,” he said. It was a “tough slog” getting the funding committed, he said. Some members of the Capital Regional District Board wanted to put the money into transit instead. “I really thought it was touch and go at the CRD board whether that $11 million was going to be invested in the trail.”

Luton said other key issues for the city include housing and homelessness and the need for affordable homes close to where people work. He also supports building a sewage treatment system and keeping it public, he said, even though the province is pushing a public-private partnership, or P3, for the estimated $1.2 billion project.

“First they'll take your sewage, then they'll come back for your water,” he said. “I'm a skeptic on P3s, that it's doing anything for us.”

Luton said he is supporting Dean Fortin for mayor. “I'm comfortable seeing him head the charge, moving the ball forward, in the crisis of homelessness and social decay.” He also said he'd like to see incumbents Pamela Madoff and Sonya Chandler re-elected. “Folks who are interested in a sustainable city deserve everyone's consideration.”

During the federal election, Luton said, he'll be helping on Victoria NDP MP Denise Savoie's re-election campaign.

The Stan Sipos Platform

He got as far as getting his website ready for the campaign. I am not sure how long this will be up, so I will post the text of the platform of Stand With Stan.
_____________________________________________

Thank you for visiting my website.

I am running for Mayor because I love Victoria and am concerned about the direction our beautiful city is going. My goal is to make Victoria the best city in the world to live, work and raise a family. My vision is a Victoria where citizens feel safe in their homes, parks and streets.

As the father of two wonderful children, I want to ensure that they, and all children, can walk the streets free of fear. I want the same for our seniors and families. I want to put sustainability at the forefront of city policy and make Victoria known as a green capital. I want our city to capitalize on the coming green technology and business boom and build on our vibrant technology sector.

In short, I want Victoria to be what we all know it can. I can’t do this alone. I am building a coalition of concerned citizens from all political backgrounds who share my vision and values. We must avoid old style partisan politics and backroom bickering. I have never been a member of any political party and my first loyalty is, and always will be to the citizens of Victoria.

If you can spend a few hours over the next four months to lend my campaign a hand click here. If you are interested in participating in a volunteer workshop, please click here. If you have ideas on making Victoria all that we know it can be please drop me a note.

I look forward to listening to your views in the weeks and months ahead. Thank you again for visiting my web site and please visit often as we will be updating it on a regular basis.

Sincerely,

Stan

Victoria is a wonderful city surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty and unparalleled human spirit and talent. Throughout our history, Victoria has attracted visitors from around the world seeking to experience all our city has to offer. It has been among the best cities in the world to raise a family and build a life.

Victoria is now experiencing many of the challenges faced by other larger cities. Increased homelessness and crime, drug addiction and lack of housing. Our young people are finding it increasingly difficult to afford the rising cost of living. And our local economy, while stronger than many, is competing for increasingly scarce tourist dollars in an increasingly competitive market.

Dealing with these issues will require bold and focused action. We cannot afford to ignore these problems and hope that things get better. The next three years will be critical for our city. Without bold action, Victoria will fall further behind in dealing with our shared challenges. The time for action is now. Together, we can build the Victoria of the future. A city that we can all be proud of once again.

AFFORDABILITY

Affordability is another critical concern. We want our children to be able to grow and raise their families in Victoria. We want our police, firefighters and city workers to be able to live in the city that they work. Other cities have taken innovative approached to increasing affordability by leveraging the opportunities that come from vibrant growth.

Whistler has set up a housing corporation and built a model where a certain percentage of every development is committed to affordable units that are placed within the housing pool. Langford has created a system of putting ten per cent of every development into a land bank that is then distributed to qualified citizens through a lottery system. Even the high end Coal Harbour development in Vancouver has a significant affordable housing component. Whatever model Victoria adopts, it is time that the city uses the tools at it’s disposal (i.e. density bonusing) in a consistent and focused manner.

As Mayor, I will:

• Make affordable housing a key component of new developments,
• Develop a clear process so that developers understand expectations but are also rewarded with a more streamlined and transparent process,
• End the “one off” nature of City Council’s interaction with new projects,
• Set a clear and coherent set of priorities for the city as it relates to affordability.

ARTS AND CULTURE

Victoria has a vibrant arts community that must be nurtured and supported. We have waited far too long for a new art gallery and I will make it a priority to ensure that ground is broken on a new art gallery in the first two years of my term. Art is much more than just formal galleries. It is also important to harness Victoria’s creative talent at the community level and provide our young people opportunities to become engaged.

As Mayor, I will:

• Break ground on a new art gallery within the first two years of my mandate,
• Seek opportunities to support community level art,
• Investigate the opportunity for special zoning to provide work space for local artists,
• Seek out opportunities for youth participation in the arts including a graffiti wall where local youth can compete and create.

GREENING VICTORIA

Sewage treatment has been a flashpoint for our neighbours for far too long. While citizens and science are divided over the merits and costs of action on sewage treatment, two things are clear – the issue is not going away and the costs will only go up. We need to send a clear message to senior levels of government that Victoria is going to be at the table as a fully engaged and committed partner and willing to explore partnership opportunities with the private sector.

Victorians have a strong green ethic. We need to ensure that this ethic is respected and that Victoria takes a leadership role in the emerging green economy. We need to explore innovative ideas such as special green technology zones where environmentally innovative business has a place to grow.

As well, we need to make sure that composting, recycling and community gardens are accessible to all citizens.

As Mayor, I would:

• Send a clear message to partners that Victoria is ready to participate in finding a solution for sewage treatment,
• Develop special zoning and zones for green business development,
• Commit to best practices on composting, re-cycling and community gardens.

GOVERNANCE

As the provincial capital, Victoria must set the standard for transparent, competent and ethical government. As the closest level of government to the citizens, we must consult and listen to citizens before acting.

City Council should seek to work cooperatively and set old style partisan politics aside. When dealing with senior levels of government, we should seek to speak with a single, consistent voice to maximize our impact.

With a fresh approach and solid provincial-federal relations we can accomplish a great deal for our gateway and develop an appropriate long-term transportation plan.
Vancouver Island Railway and the Belleville Terminal are examples of projects which have been hanging out there with no decision for far too long.

MAKING OUR STREETS AND NEIGHBOURHOODS SAFE

Citizens deserve to feel safe where they live, work and play. This is a basic right and one that must be urgently addressed. According to the latest StatsCan study, Victoria has the second highest crime rate in British Columbia. As well, our police officers are concerned by the growth in gang activity and organized crime. Parents share stories of rampant and open drug use in our parks and on our streets and we have all stepped over syringes on our streets. It is time to get serious about public safety.

As Mayor, I would develop a plan of action which will include:

• A Blue Ribbon Panel of prominant citizens with a mandate to assist City Government in lobbying senior levels of government to get the addiction services Victoria needs.
• An immediate initiative to restore morale in our police force including the proclamation of Police Day to honour our men and women working in law enforcement.
• An increased focus on community policing and officers on foot (Beat Cops) to increase the public visibility of law enforcement.
• A zero tolerance policy for public drug and alcohol use.
• Reaching out to local youth friendly celebrities (athletes, musicians etc…) to develop a youth action team to deliver positive messages to school age youth.
• Increased support for community based youth programs to provide positive alternatives for our young people.
• Ensuring that policing across the region is focused on gang violence and working with our provincial partners to gain the necessary funding to take on organized crime.

ENDING HOMELESSNESS

Victoria, like most major cities, is dealing with challenges of increasing homelessness and affordability. There is both a moral and business case for a focus on homelessness.

The business case is straight forward - provincial studies have shown that it is a cheaper to build a permanent housing unit than it is to pay the social, health care and law enforcement costs of a homeless person. As well, the presence of a growing and visible homeless population takes away from the perception of our city as a destination. Morally, I believe that we should be judged on how we treat the most vulnerable members of society.

While some cities have seen homelessness worsen, other cities have made spectacular progress.

Cities like Calgary, Portland, Oregon and London, England have risen to the challenge and made real progress on ending homelessness. Their approaches have been similar – each city has set clear targets, involved the entire community in addressing the challenge and retained a laser focus on making homelessness a priority. They also have shared another common characteristic. In every city where homelessness has declined, they have had the benefit of leadership that has brought political will to the table. Political will and leadership are critical ingredients in making real progress and I intend to learn from these success stories.

As Mayor, I would:

• Set clear benchmarks on homelessness that will be evaluated by an independent body on a yearly basis,
• Make the business case to senior levels of government about the need to urgently fund homelessness,
• Make public lands available for joint venture opportunities to build housing,
• Work with the business and non profit communities on innovative projects to build housing,
• Make tenant responsibility a key value and expectation,
• Create a citizens group on mental health with a mandate to look at creative ways to deliver mental health services.
• Ensure that skills and workplace training opportunities are maximized.

THE SIPOS CHALLENGE

Citizens should expect real action from their elected officials. For far too long, electoral politics has been based on “who I know” and “who knows me” instead of “what have I accomplished”. I have never been a member of a political party. My only concern is making a difference for the city that we all love.

If elected, I have three clear goals that I am willing to be judged on. I pledge to make Victoria:

A safer city
A greener city
A more prosperous city

I am not interested in running again if I do not make significant progress on these issues. During the campaign, I will be signing a pledge to work flat out on accomplishing these goals.

If you agree with me, I ask you to join my campaign for change in Victoria by pledging your support (link) or volunteering (link)

2 More candidates for Victoria City Council

Poverty activist Rose Henry is back for another try at council and so is cyclist John Luton. This courtesy of the Tyee. It is nice to be behind the professionals, the whole reason I started focusing on the local elections is because the professional media were not really doing much about it.

When I get time, I will post more about both of them, but I am tired and I have much family life around me that needs dealing with.

I am supporting Rob Reid for Mayor

I like Rob, I think he is a great guy and seems to only be positive. I like his platform for the city - it is a vision of making this a better city, of improving on what we have.

He has the sort of name recognition in this city that means he can win the race. Stan Sipos suffered from simply being not well known enough.

Should Rob win, he is going to have a steep learning curve as mayor, but with his positive attitude and the endless energy he seems to have I assume he will be able to do take on the job an do it well.

I would write more, but I am not feeling well at the moment.

Rob Reid running for Mayor of Victoria

At 2pm today Rob Reid of Frontrunners announced in Beacon Hill that he is running for mayor of Victoria. There were about 70 people on hand - not bad for short notice. Many people wearing t-shirts with the slogan Run with Rob on them.

I suspect that he is the first candidate for mayor that had a gold and silver medalist there for him - Simon Whitfield.

The Race in View Royal

I have not heard a single thing about anyone wanting to run in View Royal. In 2005 the council was elected by acclamation and this could be the case again.

View Royal is a local government without a place - there is no community that is View Royal and finding someone that identifies as being from View Royal is rare. Why would anyone run for office or vote if you do not have a sense of community?

This municipality serves no one's needs and should be broken up and added to Esquimalt, Colwood and Saanich. This would benefit everyone in the region and really improve the situation for the people living in that random set of boundaries that is View Royal.

The Race in Saanich

We have a race in Saanich, but is still pretty light.

For mayor Frank Leonard is being challenged for the first time since 1999. Harald Wolf is the challenger, but I do not believe his left/green campaign has the resources to make a significant impression. At this point I expect a dramatic win by Frank.

At this point I know of ten candidates for eight council positions.

Incumbents running again:

• Susan Brice
• Judy Brownoff
• Vic Derman
• Wayne Hunter
• Vicki Sanders
• Leif Wergeland

I expect all of them to get re-elected. I have not heard if Jackie Ngai is running or not.

New candidates unning with the best chance of getting elected:

• Paul Gerrard
• Dean Murdoch

I expect both of them to get elected unless Jackie Ngai is running. It is too late for someone else unknown to enter the race and pull ahead of these two. Only a well known regional name could have an impact, say Russ Courtnall as an example.

Candidates I do not believe will be a factor:

• Deborah Dickson
• Patrick Chenier

I expect more people to come out of the woodwork, but realistically it is too late to enter the campaign now unless you have a very high name recognition.

The lack of much of a race in Saanich will further depress voter turn out. The federal election is sucking up a crucial month for any non-incumbents to campaign.

The Saanich Civic League had their big kick off in June, but three months later they seemed to have fizzled to nothing. I see them having no impact on the local election.

Stan Sipos is out, Rob Reid is Annoucing Something

Stan Sipos told the world yesterday that he is not going to run for Mayor after all. I think he should consider running for council and getting an idea what it is all about.

Meanwhile, today at 2pm Rob Reid will be making an announcement in the flagpole in Beacon Hill park. I will go down and check it out and see what he has to say. The story going around is that he is going to announce he is running for mayor.

Pieta VanDyke

This is from Pieta VanDyke, who is running for Victoria City Council


_______________________________________________

I'm running for Victoria City Council www.pietavandyke.com

I am an experienced candidate who knows how City Hall works and is in touch with local issues.

Before I ran for Council in 1987, the city was facing a serious development challenge in the form of the (then) Eaton Centre. Prior to the election I had worked with a coalition of citizens – the Save Our City Coalition – that was concerned about a multitude of issues ranging form the loss of heritage buildings, blank streetscapes, and negative economic impact on nearby businesses. We worked effectively as a non-partisan group and were successful in pressuring the City to require a number of modifications to the proposal. Heritage shop fronts were retained, shops faced the street, and the economic impact has been positive.

I was successful in that election and was privileged to work with an effective council that left any political affiliation at the door and worked for the betterment of all citizens. During that term we opened the Victoria Conference Centre and developed plans for hosting the Commonwealth Games. In my portfolio – Parks and Recreation – we transferred responsibility of Thetis Park to the CRD, naturalized the meadows in Beacon Hill Park, started planning for the Fairfield New Horizons Centre, and established the Vic West skate park.

I have served on the city’s Advisory Planning Commission prior to 1987 and again from 2004-07. During the latter period I represented the APC on the Steering Committee for developing the new Downtown Plan.

My community involvement has been extensive, starting with a stint on Victoria Labour Council and organizing hearings for the Peoples’ Food Commission. As a Board member and Chairperson for the James Bay Community Project I helped to save the organization in 1984 when the province abolished its enabling legislation, and again in 2002 when serous funding cuts resulted in a crisis of confidence in the community. I am pleased that the Project is now financially stable and continues to provide needed services for seniors, families and youth.
My desire to run for Council was piqued by my frustration as an Advisory Planning Commission member when I saw Council neglecting to take seriously the recommendations of staff and its advisory committee on matters such as density bonusing. Downtown and neighbourhood developments have been approved with little or no consideration for established land use or planning principles. There seems to be no vision for our built environment.

While Council has done a commendable job with the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness and Mental Health, it has dropped the ball on maintaining its existing stock of rental housing. An anti-demolition by-law was referred to staff and left to linger for close to a year. Rental apartments are being converted to strata units at a rapid pace. The city’s Affordable Housing Fund sits virtually unused. There are no policies or procedures for accessing the money, which could be used for upgrading and retention of rental housing. We also need to address the barriers that developers have identified that are driving up the cost of construction in the city.

The social and economic impact of homelessness and drug addiction is of crisis proportions. The Coalition to End Homelessness will go some way to alleviating these problems, but the city is hampered by a limited social mandate and no budget for this purpose. We need to continue to push the province to amalgamate police forces, establish a Community Court and provided needed drug rehabilitation, housing, and welfare reform.

I pledge to retain parkland. While it would be great to have the art gallery and children’s museum downtown, we should not have to sacrifice parkland and greens pace. All appropriate sites should be considered.

We need an integrated transit system that includes highway development, light rail (to the western communities and over the Malahat), busways and bike paths.

We need to continue funding recreation programs for seniors and youth as well as for young families and we need to retain access currently available for low income residents.

Victoria is a great tourist destination, but Victoria needs to take responsibility for the impact of increased traffic by providing sufficient, accessible coach parking and mitigating the impact of traffic and pollution, esp. related to cruise ships.

Victoria is a very special place that people around the world come to visit. Lets ensure that it retains its charm and character and is a safe affordable place for those who live and do business here.

More information – www.pietavandyke.com

__________________
Pieta VanDyke
Secretary, James Bay Neighbourhood Association
Candidate, Victoria City Co

uncil

Saanich and Sidewalks

My neighbourhood made the Saanich News. One of my biggest complaints about Saanich is the lack of sidewalks. I know that there are those people out there, runners mostly, that do not want to see sidewalks everywhere, but I think we need to see a lot more in the residential neighbourhoods of Saanich if there is to be a transition to a walking culture.

__________________________________________________________

Saanich council hopeful campaigns on improving pedestrian environment

By Roszan Holmen - Saanich News

Published: September 10, 2008 12:00 PM
Updated: September 12, 2008 11:53 PM

It's hard for Delores Thompson to leave her house on her own these days.

Legally blind, Thompson almost never ventures to Fairway Market without her group-home caretaker anymore.

"I used to go every day to get out and get fresh air," she said.

The lack of sidewalks in her Tillicum neighbourhood present real challenges. She's rolled her ankles on the uneven pavement that crumbles into the ditch.

Adding to her challenges, Saanich replaced a four-way stop with a traffic circle up the street. While pedestrians still have the right of way, it's hard to know where and when to cross.

"I have my cane out," explains Thompson. "They probably acknowledge it but they don't stop."

Missing sidewalks are a real problem for the blind, confirms Phil Crowson, counsellor with the CNIB low-vision services in Victoria.

"It's really awkward because of the uneven ground," he said, adding sidewalks can help prevent a mobility cane user from veering into the ditch or street.

Dean Murdock, who's running for Saanich council, said sidewalks, crosswalks and other pedestrian infrastructure needs to be a bigger priority.

"If you don't provide proper pedestrian walking environments, it means that, if you don't drive, you don't get out of your house. I think that's a big disservice for people who are aging in the community."

As part of his pre-election door-knocking campaign, Murdock said he's talked to almost 600 residents from all over the municipality.

Pedestrian safety is a major concern for about 75 per cent, he said.

Murdock calls Saanich's goal of building at least one kilometre of sidewalk per year "grossly inadequate."

"In a community as large as Saanich, one kilometre a year is next to nothing."

Crowson, however, is more forgiving.

"We all understand that there's always budgetary concerns," he said, adding Saanich has been very supportive by installing audible signals at crosswalks.

"I'm always reluctant to say this, but, if you choose to live in an area where your services are probably limited, that's your choice," he said.

"It would be nice if they could budget to be able to get sidewalks, but you also need to be able to go back and look at the practical side of it."

rholmen@saanichnews.com

By the numbers

In recent years, the municipality of Saanich has beat its minimum sidewalk-construction targets many times over.

Between 2005 and 2007, an average of 4.2 km of sidewalk were built annually, including concrete and asphalt sidewalks and paved trails.

Of these, developers have built approximately one third, as outlined in the conditions of their development permits.

Between 2005-2007, Saanich taxpayers contributed approximately $980,000 each year to sidewalks and trails.

Susan Woods for Victoria Council

I will be sitting down with Susan over coffee sometime early next week and find out more about her.

The one thing I can pass along at the moment is that she is not the Susan Woods who lives in the Songhees and is trying to get the floatplanes out of the habour.

Simon Nattrass

A few weeks back I was wondering about Simon's campaign. I managed to hit his website on a weekend when it was down so I wondered if he was really in the race.

Simon has let me know over the weekend that is very serious about running for mayor and is very much in the race.

I believe he has a daunting task and does not really understand what it will take to make a serious run for the Mayor's seat on council. He has to reach over 60 000 potential voters in 60 days, half of which is during a federal election.

Strongest Campaign Teams For the Federal Election

In this region we have 12 serious candidates running for office, we know that 9 of them are going to lose. What I thought might be interesting would be for a quick assessment of how strong their campaigns are, not how well they are doing in the election or their chances of winning.

I am looking at how much:
media the candidates are getting
they are being talked about by people
signs are out there
their people are campaigning out on the streets

1. Troy Desouza - Conservative - Esquimalt Juan de Fuca
2. Jack McClintock - Conservative - Victoria
3. Briony Penn - Liberal - Saanich Gulf Islands
4. Gary Lunn - Conservative - Saanich Gulf Islands
5. Jennifer Burgis - NDP - Esquimalt Juan de Fuca
6. Andrew Lewis - Green - Saanich Gulf Islands
7. Denise Savoie - NDP - Victoria
8. Keith Martin - Liberal - Esquimalt Juan de Fuca
9. Julian West - NDP - Saanich Gulf Islands
10. Adam Saab - Green - Victoria
11. Anne Park Shannon - Liberal - Victoria
    
12. Brian Gordon - Green - Esquimalt Juan de Fuca

These are my impressions of the campaigns after one week. I will post my impressions of the campaigns next Monday. Some of the campaigns may pick up speed in the next week because they simply were not ready for an election.

Rumours out there that Stan Sipos is Out

You go away for a weekend and things change.

There are rumours around town that Stan Sipos is not going to run for mayor. I expect we will hear something about this one way or another within the next day or two.

If not mayor, maybe council?

If he is not running, the default anti-Dean Fortin Candidate becomes Simon Nattrass.

Federal All Candidates Meeting on TV

Candidates meet in TV forum

Published: September 13, 2008 10:00 AM

Greater Victoria's federal election candidates will meet in a series of forums airing on A British Columbia's 'A Morning' TV program.

Hosted by the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and moderated by A News anchor Hudson Mack, the discussions will focus on economic issues facing the Capital Region.

The first forum, Oct. 1, will feature candidates for the Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca riding. Saanich-Gulf Islands candidates will gather the following morning and the series finishes with Victoria riding candidates on Oct. 3. All three forums will be broadcast live, starting at 8 a.m. on channel 12.

Businesses can send questions for the candidates through the chamber of Commerce, at srenault@gvcc.org.

Stan Sipos Campaign to be Up and Running This Week

I hear there should be a campaign kick off event for Stan at his office at 957 Fort Street tomorrow. We should be seeing a good web presence and we should be hearing ads, soon.

I have no idea how the fed election will impact his campaign. He will have an even steeper climb because of it. Stan only has two months for people to get to know him, if one month of that is during the federal election, he has a problem.

Ryan Hinton running for Langford Council

I got this sent to me today. I will see if I can meet him when I am out on the Westshore.

Bernard

_____________________________________________

Ryan Hinton for Langford Council

I am running for Langford Council because I want to help build Langford into a strong family community.

More attention needs to be given to the neighbourhoods of Langford. I am amazed that many of the main roads used by pedestrians do not have paved sidewalks or adequate street lighting. There are streets in Langford, used everyday by children to walk to school, that have no sidewalks. Therefore, I want to provide more infrastructures to individual neighbourhoods, thus making a safer and stronger community. There also needs to be expanded community services for children, youth, and seniors.

I want to see more targeted development in Langford because Langford and Greater Victoria would be better served if office buildings were erected in the Westshore, instead of more box stores and condominiums. Many people live in the Westshore, but work in other areas of Greater Victoria. It would be great if more people could live and work in the Westshore.

I believe the primary goal of an elected official is to obtain and maintain public trust, which I will achieve by balancing development and environmental issues, being accountable and fiscally responsible, and engaging in meaningful public consultation.

As a candidate and if a councilor, I encourage everyone to bring forward the issues that are important, provide suggestions, and critique my decisions. Please email your issues, suggestions, critiques, and questions to ryan_hinton@shaw.ca

Here is some background about me. I am 33 years old. I have lived in Langford for 4 years and in Greater Victoria for over 25 years. I have been happily married to my amazing wife Yasmeen for 5 years, and we have a wonderful 16 month old son. I recently graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Geography and Political Science. I work as a policy and research analyst for the BC Provincial Government.

On November 15, please vote Ryan Hinton for Langford Council.

New Candidate for Esquimalt

I found about a new person running for Esquimalt Council, Lori King.

I do not know much about her, but when I do I will let you know about her. She did run in 2005 and polled 1120 votes. She came 8th out of 11 running and was about 350 votes out of getting elected.

A Muncipal Candidate Doing Some Feal Fundrasing

Shorty Bonspiel and Pub Night

Saturday Oct 4th

8-10pm on the ice, (cash) bar open until midnight

Please join us for an evening of curling and fun on Saturday Oct 4th at Esquimalt's Archie Browning Sports Centre. Curling is from 8pm-10pm and the(cash)bar will be open until midnight. This is a fundraiser for the campaign to elect Alison Gaul to Esquimalt Council.

This shorty is designed for beginners but all curlers are welcome! The focus is on having fun and promoting this great sport! People who don't want to curl are welcome to watch from the lounge. Tickets are only $30 per person or $100 for a team of four.

Your ticket buys:

a free curling lesson

two end games of curling

snacks

fantastic door prizes

For more info contact Lorie Hall at lorie.hall@shaw.ca or 250.386.5471

Alison Gaul for Esquimalt Council
Nov 15th, 2008
www.alisongaul.ca
www.alisongaul.blogspot.com

Jack McClintock makes the Globe and Mail BC Section

Tom Hawthorne did a piece on Victoria Conservative candidate Jack McClintock yesterday in the BC section of the Globe and Mail

Tremblay tries again for Metchosin seat

By Charla Huber - Goldstream News Gazette

Published: September 09, 2008 1:00 PM
Updated: September 09, 2008 2:41 PM

Metchosin resident Larry Tremblay will be adding his name to the Nov. 15 municipal election’s ballot.

In the 2005 election, Tremblay was just shy of gaining a seat at the council table.

“I was fifth out of 13 candidates,” said Tremblay, who was president of the Metchosin Residents’ Association for three years. He stepped down from the MRA after announcing his candidacy for Metchosin.

For the past six years Tremblay has been attending council meetings.

“The first thing I want to see done is the official community plan,” Tremblay said. “It is something that needs to be upgraded every five years.”

If elected Tremblay said he will support secondary suites and detached suites, but not both types on one property.

“It is an affordable way to accommodate families, elderly parents and younger people in Metchosin,” Tremblay said. “Everybody needs a home to live.”

Tremblay is not a supporter of the boundary restructure between the District and East Sooke. He feels joining the two communities would not benefit Metchosin residents.

One issue he feels strongly about is mending relationships between the District and the other communities in the West Shore. “The big thing is to get all of the municipalities working together more,” Tremblay said.

Tremblay has lived on the West Shore for 30 years and owned property in Metchosin for 20 years.

“I like the country atmosphere and space,” Tremblay said.

The volunteerism attitude found in Metchosin is one thing Tremblay admires about his community.

“There are hundreds of volunteers here and that is what makes (Metchosin) function,” Tremblay said.

news@goldstreamgazette.com

First School Board Candidate

Green Phil Spidle is making a second run for the Greater Victoria School Board.

Esquimalt Juan de Fuca election prediction

CTV and the Globe are doing daily polling in 45 battleground ridings in Canada, 10 of them are in BC and one of them is Esquimalt Juan de Fuca. The first three days have shown some very consistent numbers for the parties in BC. Using these numbers and applying them to Esquimalt Juan de Fuca, here is how the result would look:

• Conservative Troy Desouza - 19500 - 32.5%
  
• NDP Jennifer Burgis - 17000 - 28.3%
  
• Liberal Keith Martin - 14500 - 24.2%
  
• Green Brian Gordon - 7500 - 12.5%
  

Over three days they have surveyed about 1350 people in BC, of which 135 should have been in Esquimalt Juan de Fuca. The numbers are looking consistent and solid and so can be applied with some confidence to one riding.

At the moment things look very bad for the Liberals in BC in general and in Esquimalt Juan de Fuca in specific. In this riding things are shifting back to a traditional BC race of right versus left.

In my estimation, of the four major parties, the one with the lowest chance of winning is the Liberals with Keith Martin. He has coasted on his personal popularity and squeaked back into office the last two times with only around 35% of the vote. His campaign is much less in evidence and I wonder about how much money he has and how many volunteers. The polls show he is declining and I give him less than 5% chance of winning because his party is in decline and becoming desperate - the stink of desperation drives people away.

Troy is going to hate for saying this, the election is now his to lose. His competition is with the NDP to get soft Liberal voters ASAP. If he squeezes, he can push his totals over 20 000 votes. I estimate that he has a 55% chance of winning.

Jennifer Burgis has a chance to win, but only if she goes after Keith Martin supporters with a vengance. She needs to be campaigning door to door and in the streets 24/7. Jennifer needs to make people understand that it a race between her and Troy and the Keith Martin is a nice guy that is no longer an factor in the election. I give here a 35% chance of winning.

The Greens should be able to pick up a lot of votes in this riding, the electoral math is very good for them here. A strong four way race could mean someone winning with less than 30% of the vote - this places it within the realm of a Green being elected. The Greens also need races where the incumbent MP looks unlikely to win. This riding is their second best chance of a win in BC in 2008. 5% chance for Brian Gordon becoming the MP - much better odds anyone would have given Keith Martin in 1993 when he beat Dave Barrett.