Nov 16 - Victoria Police budget gets first council read

Good morning !

Middle Beach—or ?A:?b?e:?s (Aah-bee-ay-s), in the Ditidaht dialect—has officially been returned to the Pacheedaht Nation after a deal was signed with Parks Canada this week.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

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NEWS

Victoria and Esquimalt councils review 2024 police budget

The preliminary Victoria Police Department (VicPD) budget for 2024 was released last week, followed by a joint Victoria-Esquimalt council meeting to review proposed spending for next year.

The police board is requesting at least $72.1 million for next year’s budget—an almost 7% increase of $4.1M from 2023’s budget—though it could increase to $74.1M if the province overturns some of councils’ rejected 2023 items. This would push the increase to nearly 10%, putting Victoria and Esquimalt, who share the cost of VicPD, on the hook for these rejected items. 

With the province’s appeal approval, proposed spending for 2024 would be a total increase of $9.7M, or a 15% increase, compared with the spending used in 2022.

In its meeting with the police board, both councils dug into the reasoning behind the requested budget items, a document that the board’s finance chair Elizabeth Cull called a “unique and sometimes very challenging document.”

Read more from Robyn Bell on what VicPD is requesting for next year’s budget.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Road closure on Store Street, from Chatham to Johnson, for sewer maintenance today and tomorrow. 

Free downtown parking courtesy of the DVBA, Bay Centre, and Robbins Parking, at nine parkades. This Sat. and next Sat.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Christ Church Cathedral offers up a housing Hail Mary

At the risk of being criticized for putting profits before prophets, Victoria’s Christ Church Cathedral is proposing a new 500-unit housing development that could see as many as eight buildings sharing its downtown plot of land bordered by Burdett, Rockland, Quadra, and Vancouver.

With attendance in decline across the country, many churches are turning to real estate to make up for lost revenues, although the diocese says its goal is to do its part in the housing crisis, and this development could house 1,500 people.

“As you know, these are challenging financial times for the cathedral,” Rev. Canon Jeannine B. Friesen wrote in a Nov. 12 letter to her parishioners.

“This is a reality that has been unfolding for many years.”

Under the proposal, the cathedral and neighbouring school would remain, as would most of the green space. But fewer parishioners, mean fewer cars, so the buildings—from six to 18 storeys—would be built on the parking lots.

The Christ Church Cathedral Master Plan says revenue from such a development would offset the $50M estimated cost for seismic and heritage restoration work the cathedral requires.

Public hearings are slated to begin at the end of the month.

Read Sidney Coles’ full story here.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

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🗞️ In Other News

Books, doors close on View Royal Reading Centre
After 80 years, too. The Island Highway library got $30K in town funding, but it wasn’t enough, as this final chapter seems to have been written long ago, the book hub manager says. [CHEK]

Parks Canada signs agreement to return land to Island First Nation
Decades after Middle Beach was absorbed into Pacific Rim National Park without approval from the Pacheedaht Nation, Parks Canada will return 2.6-ha of beach and forest. [CTV]

Still time to take the BC Ferries affordability, efficiency survey
It also asks about sustainability, safety, integrated transportation, reliability, accessibility, comfort, and convenience as the ferry corp. plots its future. The survey runs until Nov. 28. [Times Colonist]

Good Housekeeping says we have a good city
A month after getting the nod from luxury magazine Condé Nast Traveler, which crowned our town the best small city in the world, Victoria has now taken some accolades in Good Housekeeping’s 2024 Family Travel Awards. [Scroll down to Must-See Cities]

UBC report suggests courts too eager to dismantle tent cities
“Rush to Judgement” found 80% of the time in Victoria, the court granted government interlocutory injunctions to break up camps, even though those injunctions are only supposed to be granted under extraordinary circumstances. [Victoria News]

🤝 Now Hiring

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• Sales Development Representative at Waterworth

• Early Childhood Educator (ECE) or Assistant (ECEA) at Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group

• Out of School Care Team Lead at Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group

• Tenant Legal Advocate (Nanaimo) at Together Against Poverty Society

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🗓️ Things to do

Elise LeBlanc: Get two-steppin’ at this night of western swing at Hermann’s upstairs, tonight 7pm. [Info]

Dance Victoria presents the world-class Gibney Company in a virtuosic mixed repertoire evening on November 17 and 18 at the Royal Theatre. Tickets here.*

Matthew Presidente & Kele Fleming: Catch the artists perform their show at Friends of Dorothy’s as part of their In My Dreams tour tonight at 8pm—and read Capital Daily’s profile on Fleming. [Info]

Tonight! Celebrate local jazz with Hermann’s Jazz Club Keepin’ It Live! Enjoy a special 4-course meal and enjoy music from over a dozen local performers. Limited tickets still remain.*

*Sponsored Listing

👀 In Case You Missed It

Photo: See a black bear fishing in Campbell River.

Missing man found: The 67-year-old reported missing on Nov. 11 has been found.

Parksville wolf-dog now dubbed WD-40: That’s because he keeps giving authorities the slip when they try to catch it. [CP/Vancouver Sun]

Greg Martel update: Former employee and secret tapes shed new light on the accused Victoria fraudster. [Capital Daily]

That’s it!

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