Rockland Neighbourhood Association:
Councillor Chris Coleman's Reports
e Councillor’s Neighborhood Report:
March 1st, 2012 - Volume #37
Councillor Chris Coleman, Council Liaison to James Bay
(but, by request, also distributing to the folks in
all other neighborhoods in the City of Victoria…
……..and beyond!)
Items include:
· Victoria
Firefighter Wins 11th Annual Stair Climb for Clean Air
· Be A Tourist In
Your Own Hometown (Thursday, March 1 to Sunday, March 4)
· New Decorative
Lighting at Stone Bridge in Beacon Hill Park
· OPEN HOUSE - Part
II: Help Us Improve Cook Street Playground
· City of Victoria
Special Projects Grants – Call for Proposals
· Water Main
Flushing in Victoria
· “Tap by Tap”
Energy & Water Savings Program Turned on in Victoria
· New Garbage &
Kitchen Scraps Collection Option Chosen
· Are You on
Facebook
· New Website
Launched!
· Recent Activity
at Your Victoria Conference Centre
Victoria Firefighter Wins 11th Annual Stair Climb for Clean Air
Congratulations to Victoria firefighter Mike Beckner for winning the
11th Annual Stair Climb for Clean Air race in the firefighter
division on Sunday. Held at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre
Hotel, firefighters raced up 48 floors in full firefighter gear
including boots, pants, a lined coat, helmet and gloves. A
self-contained breathing apparatus was worn and used throughout the
entire climb.
Mike Beckner set a new record at the event with a time of 6:33. His
closest competitors came in at 7:09 and 7:16. To view the
competition results, visit:
www.bc.lung.ca/campaigns_and_events/stairclimb_for_cleanair.html
The annual event is also open to the public. Sponsored by the
International Association of Fire Fighters, the competition raises
funds for the British Columbia Lung Association.
Be A Tourist In Your Own Hometown (Thurs, Mar 1 to Sun, Mar 4)
Tickets are now available for this year's Be A Tourist In Your Own
Hometown event which begins Thursday. Celebrating 40 years, Be A
Tourist has special offers and free admissions to over 20 local
attractions, including Butchart Gardens. Other free offers include
city tours, harbour tours, and free admission to the Maritime Museum
of BC, Victoria Butterfly Gardens, and Fort Rodd Hill.
Tickets are $10 each, or buy four and get one free. Tickets can be
purchased at Tourism Victoria's Information Centre, Thrifty Foods
(Victoria and Mill Bay stores), Shoppers Drug Mart (downtown), and
participating BC Lottery outlets, or by calling 250.953.2033. For
more information and to purchase tickets online, visit:
www.attractionsvictoria.com
New Decorative Lighting at Stone Bridge in Beacon Hill Park
The rustic, medieval stone bridge in Beacon Hill Park now has new
decorative lighting to highlight this historic pathway. The new
lights reflect beautifully on Good Acre Lake at dusk and during the
evening hours. Staff chose to light the west side of the bridge so
that Beacon Hill Park would continue to be the backdrop for photos
and viewing. The stone bridge was constructed in 1889.
OPEN HOUSE - Part II: Help Us Improve Cook Street Playground
Input from local children and the community has informed the
development of a draft concept for improving the Cook Street
Playground in Beacon Hill Park. New equipment such as a zip line,
climbing feature, and interactive sand area could make Cook Street
Playground their new home this year.
The community is invited to learn more and provide feedback at an
open house on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the
Victoria Lawn Bowling Club (located off Nursery Road in Beacon Hill
Park). Take the opportunity to participate in “Part II” of the
planning process and view displays, meet Parks planners, ask
questions, and complete a short survey. Registration is not
required. Refreshments will be served.
Close to one hectare in size, the playground is located between Cook
Street and Nursery Road, across from the Victoria Lawn Bowling Club
in Beacon Hill Park. This year, the City of Victoria will upgrade
the aging playground equipment to meet national safety standards and
to better meet the needs of the community.
The playground improvements are expected to be underway this fall
and will help celebrate Victoria's 150th anniversary.
For more information, visit: www.victoria.ca
City of Victoria Special Project Grants – Call for Proposals
The City of Victoria is now accepting applications for the 2012
Special Projects Grant Program.
Each year, the City of Victoria offers special project grants to
assist community organizations with new initiatives or events that
benefit the Victoria community. The maximum grant amount is $10,000.
The online application form and eligibility criteria are available
at www.victoria.ca by clicking on What’s New. The deadline for
submission is March 31, 2012.
Special project grants are a catalyst for great things to happen in
the community. Some examples of projects funded in recent years
include Lifecycles Urban Agriculture program, the Sierra Club’s
Sustainable High Schools youth leadership program, and the Burnside
Gorge Anti Graffiti campaign.
For more information about the program, including steps in the
application process, please visit www.victoria.ca and click on
What’s New.
Water Main Flushing in Victoria
Victoria’s water mains are “flushed” annually to remove sediment and
deliver high quality drinking water. Weather-permitting, the
City of Victoria will begin water main flushing on Monday, March 5
in various areas around Victoria, including Burnside/Gorge,
Hillside/Quadra north, Oaklands, and Richmond/Fort.
During this two month program, some water discolouration can be
expected and short periods of low water pressure may be
experienced. To prevent any staining from discoloured water,
run cold water tap until clear. Commercial establishments such
as laundromats, beauty salons, and hotels and restaurants are
invited to contact Public Works at 250.361.0400 for further details
and advance warning of flushing dates in their specific location.
“Tap By Tap” Energy and Water Savings Program Turned On in Victoria
This spring owners of multi-unit residential buildings in Victoria
can take advantage of the ‘Tap By Tap’ program that offers free
energy and water saving kits, which translate into resource savings,
lower water and energy costs and a reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions that cause climate change.
The City of Victoria is partnering with City Green Solutions and the
CRD Climate Action Service to provide these kits that include low
flow shower heads, kitchen and bathroom faucet aerators, thread seal
tape and operating instructions.
“This program will help upgrade buildings, such as rental
properties, that often aren’t as frequently renovated and may not
qualify for other incentives,” said Roy Brooke, Director of
Sustainability at the City of Victoria. “Working to improve
efficiencies within our rental market is important for Victoria, as
is partnering with innovative not-for-profits that are already doing
great work to make our homes and offices more sustainable.”
City Green, a non-profit organization specializing in innovative
building energy efficiency solutions delivers the new fixtures,
picks up old fixtures, and gathers program information to measure
results. Building managers install the new fixtures throughout
their buildings and collect old fixtures for recycling.
Each individual housing unit in a multi-unit residential building
can save up to 50,000 litres of water each year and reduce annual
water heating bills by up to $100. The program has funding to
provide up to 1000 kits which would result in total annual savings
of 50,000,000 litres of water and a greenhouse gas reduction of 388
tonnes within our community.
To qualify for the free kits owners or managers of multi-unit
residential buildings that are currently using older fixtures and
that are located within the City of Victoria can contact Kobi
Thomson at City Green at 250.381.9995 local 117 or
kobi.thomson@citygreen.ca. Participants must be registered no
later than Friday, March 23. Quantities are limited so
early registration is recommended.
This project was undertaken with the financial support of the
Government of Canada through the Department of the Environment. The
City of Victoria has committed up to $12,000 towards this program
for the installation of as many as 1000 kits. The City of
Victoria will contribute $12 towards each kit, with approximately
$16 per kit coming from the Government of Canada. The Capital
Regional District is also providing in-kind support.
The City owned Queens Manor, a 36 unit supportive housing complex
that is currently undergoing renovations, will also benefit from the
Tap By Tap program. A similar Tap by Tap program is also now
available in Esquimalt. For more information about this
program please visit www.victoria.ca/climateaction.
New Garbage and Kitchen Scraps Collection Option Chosen
The City of Victoria will start collecting separated kitchen scraps
in addition to household garbage from homes beginning in January
2013. City Council selected Option B, bi-weekly collection of
garbage and kitchen scraps, with backyard pick-up and curbside
return.
The annual cost of Option B is estimated to be $183 per household, a
$19 reduction from the current garbage-only collection
program. There will be a high reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions with this collection option because organic kitchen scraps
will be diverted from the landfill and fuel use by trucks will be
reduced by up to 50%.
In December, Victoria residents were surveyed on three collection
options and asked which one they preferred. 4,316 residents returned
the collections option survey, representing 38% of the 11,488
surveys that were distributed. 3% of respondents did not
support any of the options.
Option A – Alternating weekly pick-up (garbage one week and kitchen
scraps the next), with backyard pick-up and bins left at the curb;
estimated to cost $229 a year per household, with a moderate
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions but no fuel reduction. 13% of
respondents supported Option A.
Option B - Collection every two weeks of garbage and kitchen scraps,
with backyard pick-up and bins left at the curb for return;
estimated to cost $183 a year per household, with a high reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions and up to 50% in fuel reduction. 35% of
respondents supported Option B.
Option C – Collection every two weeks of garbage and kitchen scraps,
with curbside pick-up and return; estimated to cost $161 a year per
household, with a high reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and up
to 50% in fuel reduction. 48% of respondents supported Option
C.
Although Option C was the most preferred choice, many residents also
indicated a desire to maintain backyard pick-up. Option B was
selected as the option that best met the key principles highlighted
by survey responses including cost savings, reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions, and meeting the needs of seniors and people with
mobility challenges.
This fall, all households currently receiving garbage service will
be able to choose the size of their new wheeled “grey bin” for
garbage. Those with less waste can pick a smaller grey bin and
be charged less on their utility bill. Households will also
receive a new standardized wheeled “green bin” for kitchen scraps
and a small "kitchen catcher" will be provided to help transfer
kitchen scraps to the “green bin.” There will be no additional costs
for these bins.
The Garbage and Kitchen Scraps program will reduce the amount of
material going to the landfill by 30%.
Kitchen scraps include:
· Food leftovers
and scraps including plate scrapings, fruit and vegetables,
eggshells, meat, fish and poultry, bones, dairy products, bread,
cereals, pasta, pizza, tea bags, coffee grinds and filters, nuts and
shells, solidified fats and grease and houseplants.
· Soiled paper
products including paper towels and tissues, soiled paper food
packaging, and used paper cups and plates.
The City of Victoria will be ordering new trucks this spring to
accommodate the new bins, and the change in service will occur in
January 2013. More information about the new service will be
available later this year.
To view answers to frequently asked questions from the surveys,
visit: www.victoria.ca/greenbin
Residents can also email greenbin@victoria.ca or call 250.361.0448.
Are You on Facebook?
Are you on Facebook? Are you friends with the City of Victoria? We
have one of the most active Facebook pages among Canadian
municipalities. Join the more than 6,000 friends on the City’s
Facebook page and see whether you have City information that might
be useful to share on Facebook. Visit:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/CityofVictoriaPage
New Website Launched!
We are pleased to announce that the new City website has
launched! Barring any technical difficulties, this "soft
launch" provides a few days to work out any unexpected
glitches. The new website keeps the existing address
www.victoria.ca but it is a vastly different, and improved, site.
Some of the new and enhanced features include the new design,
improved navigation, organization and search functionality, calendar
of events, mobile optimization, RSS feeds and an “I want to”
section.” City staff now have the ability to update the site
themselves via designated web editors. For more information, visit:
http://www.victoria.ca/EN/meta/news/news-archives/2012-archive/new-website.html
Thank you to our Web Redevelopment Committee and web editors for all
their hard work over the last several months getting us to this
point, and for reviewing the site for errors and corrections in the
"beta testing" stage. Every effort was made to accommodate requests
for content changes prior to the launch - however, with a limited
timeframe, some non-essential updates will need to be completed once
we have access to the site. We appreciate your patience during the
first few weeks as we continue to work out any bugs.
Recent Activity at Your Victoria Conference Centre
Government Communications and Public Engagement - Budget Lock Up
2012 – 500 delegates
Canadian Wind Energy Association
Meeting
– 25 delegates
Association of BC Forest Professionals Expo For
2012
– 350 delegates
CUPE BC Division Board
Meeting
– 50 delegates
Department of Fisheries and Oceans Staff
Meeting
– 20 delegates
Vision 2000 Travel Group, VersaCold
Meeting
– 90 delegates
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Meeting
– 55 delegates
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Meeting
– 70 delegates
BC Public Service Agency
Meeting
– 52 delegates
Nova Clinical Service Inc., Internal Medicine
Update
– 250 delegates