For those who want to stay up to date with what’s happening in the City on COVID-19, please join me Mondays and Fridays on the City of Victoria’s Facebook page at 2:30pm. And please share this link and information with your friends and neighbours. This video is my address from Monday.
For those who have been tuning in since I began live addresses five weeks ago, you’ll know that I’ve opened by thanking different departments in the City for the creative ways they’ve been carrying on with the business of the City in challenging times. We’ve now made it through every department of the City.
So today, I want to say thank you to you, all of our City of Victoria residents. Together we’ve flattened the curve and – according to all signals coming from the provincial government – will soon be able to live a bit more freely and easily, albeit with lots of measures in place to keep us safe. Thanks for physical distancing. For staying at home. For washing your hands! Thanks for supporting our local businesses whether by ordering takeout, buying gift cards at SupportLocalYYJ for shopping online as our local businesses work hard to digitize.
Thanks for helping your neighbours, running errands for those who need that, and for checking in on each other. Thanks for your generous donations to the Rapid Relief Fund and Boxes of Hope too. These are both making big differences in the lives of people who are struggling right now. A heartfelt thank you to all of you, for all that you have done, are doing, and will continue to do as we walk forward together on this unknown journey.
News from the Province
On Friday, the provincial government announced new guidance for cities to hold public hearings electronically. As you may know, local governments are required to hold public hearings for some housing and other building projects so that Council can hear from the public before making a decision.
Many rental and affordable rental buildings are ready – or close to ready for a public hearing – and we are excited to keep things moving. This new order enables local governments to use creative ways to allow people to participate without having to come to City Hall in person. With a rental and affordable housing crisis still on our hands, housing projects are critically important. Building them also keeps people working, putting money in people’s pockets that they can spend to support our small business community. This is a major step forward in keeping our economy moving and looking to recovery.
News from the City
Traffic Changes
City staff are continuing to create physical distancing zones across the City. These zones target pinch-points in sidewalks and provide a safe space for people when they are out getting fresh air or when picking up important items. Starting this week in Hillside-Quadra, the City will be temporarily restricting on-street parking on Fifth Street, between Hillside and Kings next to the Quadra Village Shopping Centre to create more room for pedestrians. Next week, temporary measures will be installed around the Fairfield Shopping Plaza along St. Charles Street.
The two new zones will be defined with bollards, signs and paint markings to make them easy to locate. Staff are delivering letters to all residents and businesses along the affected areas to make them aware of the temporary measures and to thank them for their cooperation. The City is also working with the neighbourhood associations to help notify residents.
Reconciliation Dialogues
The fifth session of our Reconciliation Dialogues series was due to be held tonight. Needless to say, the event has been postponed. We hope we can bring the series back at some point. It’s been very well attended and the sessions we have held have engaged and educated all of us in important ways. The first four dialogues are online here and you can watch them if you missed them, or if you’d like to see them again.
Recovery and Reinvention
We need to find our way forward in a post-COVID world. To get the ball rolling, I’ve asked Council to submit reports for our May 14th Committee of the Whole meeting that propose ideas for recovery. We know the Province has been talking about easing restrictions. We also know that this time has been difficult for many, and we’ve all had to adapt. I’d like Council and staff to think about changes we’ve made and lessons learned from the pandemic and what we need to do going forward to continue high quality of life and well-being for our residents and to ensure that our businesses can re-open successfully.
News from the community
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. We know that at this time with so many people out of work and struggling financially, giving is really difficult. This call to action is coming from the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada. He says any act of generosity counts. Financial donations, acts of kindness, volunteering, posting colourful art and chalk drawings around your neighbourhood. There is no wrong way to give.
So tomorrow, use #givingtuesdaynow and share your acts of generosity to inspire others.