Any progress on public safety?
If you live in downtown Victoria and are frequently awakened in the middle of the night, you quickly learn to distinguish different emergency vehicles. Fire trucks belt out a cascading…
Cart before the horse
Council talking to taxpayers after the fact First there’s a cart. City council in Victoria is meeting April 18 (today) with plans for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd readings of…
Victoria council failed to consult public
“I think this process has gone on long enough,” Victoria Coun. Jeremy Caradonna said at the city’s committee of the whole meeting on March 14. It’s not surprising that Victoria…
Comparable councillor jobs part-time in BC
Province about to reduce their role, time commitment Why on earth do city councillors think they need to work full-time and get a 25 percent wage increase? To look at…
Taxpayers ambushed by huge pay hike
The letter of the law was followed, but not the spirit of the law. Taxpayers are asking whether it’s good governance for city council in Victoria to all of a…
Regional policing costs almost $800 M
Why doesn’t the city bill the CRD for policing? A fractured policing model costing $800 million annually continues to make law enforcement in the capital region more expensive and less…
April Fools’ Day comes early for taxpayers
Council has given itself a 25 percent raise and city taxpayers can’t help but think it’s an early April Fools’ Day joke. Let’s get this straight for the record. Council…
The ‘Survival Guide to Local Government’ quiz
Just moved to Greater Victoria? Just saw your latest tax bill and are gobsmacked? Just coming out of hiding after suffering an existential crisis because of the pandemic and climate…
Time for a property tax tea party
We would never encourage taxpayers to toss bales of tea into the Victoria harbour at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15. But the way things are going, there’s at least…