That Edmonton pool is getting more costly
A recent letter comparing costs of the under-construction Edmonton Rec Complex (including an indoor cycling track) with the proposed Victoria Pool Complex made an error claiming the Edmonton project was on time and on budget. The current estimate for Edmonton’s project is $199 million.
Initially, the Edmonton project was estimated to cost $112 million and was included in the city’s 2015-2018 budget. However, the City of Edmonton staff, in a council meeting in 2020, indicated the estimated cost had risen to $158 million. From 2020 to 2024, the estimated cost for the under-construction Edmonton complex has increased a further $41 million.
One has to wonder what the actual cost of the project will be when all the bills are paid out.
Victoria’s pool complex proposal will have to pass a referendum and those who are eligible to vote in Victoria must obtain information that is factual and transparent.
Voters have to determine whether the community at large and in the future will receive the benefits and value of the proposed project.
Phil Le Good
Cobble Hill
Shame all around after the postal strike
Shame on Canada Post for not negotiating with a purpose to get a fair and equitable agreement quickly.
Shame on CUPW for the same reason and for a strike that did nothing except harm charities, businesses and 91原创s.
Shame on the federal government for allowing this almost essential service to be disrupted for as long as it did.
A pox on all your houses.
Alan Hoey
Oak Bay
Back the government, protect your salary
Once again, the B.C. NDP are smiling again as the B.C. Greens are going to back the NDP to keep the government from being defeated, which would trigger another provincial election.
The two Green MLAs, Rob Botterell and Jeremy Valeriote, are not qualified to be sitting as MLAs.
Why? They are only taking the side of the NDP to avoid another provincial election and protect their MLA salary of $119,000 per year.
Both of them might be afraid that if another election were held, the two of them might not re-win their seats.
It is a sad state of affairs. Wake up and smell the coffee, Green voters. The joke is on you, not on Botterell or Valeriote.
Joe Sawchuk
Duncan
Those big deficits? Blame the NDP
Why have people not learned about NDP governments? Every provincial NDP government put their provinces in debt.
Rachel Notley’s NDP drove massive debt in Alberta. Manitoba under the NDP has a $1.3-billion deficit.
And now the B.C. NDP have created a $9.5-billion deficit.
And the Liberal/NDP federal parties have given Canada an unreal $62-billion deficit.
People wake up, or the generations will be paying off these debts forever.
Ken McKay
Saanich
Kids, be careful with Christmas displays
Every year, I decorate my house with a huge Christmas display. It has been a hobby for more than 30 years. I like to spruce up the neighbourhood and to see the smiles on people’s faces and the excitement the kids have when they come over to see it.
I’ll probably do this until I can’t go up a ladder anymore.
I would like to send a reminder to the people who bring their families to view my display.
Unfortunately, I have seen some visitors allowing their children to grab and pull at lights and walk around my display handling, touching and tugging at everything, even when it is raining out. And also without saying anything to them.
Please, please, teach your children to view and do not touch, even thought it looks tempting, and I understand that.
There are dozens of electrical cords, plugs and lights running through my display. Remember, live electricity runs through all of this and many times the wires are wet. Spotlights can be hot.
The last thing I want to see is a young child, or anyone, getting a serious shock. Fortunately, it is nice to get the appreciation for all the hard work and time involved in doing this.
Please come and enjoy my display. All I ask is be careful, be safe and watch your kids.
And have a Merry Christmas.
Ed Bailey
Saanich
Canada is broken, and it needs to be fixed
If you were to survey any born-and-raised 91原创 citizen about our lack of border security, relaxed immigration and refugee system, they would tell you there needs to be a change.
Vehicles stolen and shipped overseas. Illegal drugs pouring in. People crossing unprotected borders.
Yet a single American says to tighten up, and here we go, billions of dollars invested.
This country has been going downhill for years. Health care is collapsing. The balance between the house-rich and rent-poor is expanding.
The seniors are being ignored when it comes to cost of living increases. Grocery stores are allowed to gouge the consumers.
We have a government that does not see or listen to the common 91原创s. Bow before Trump, Mr. Trudeau. Turn around and fix our broken country.
Proud to be a 91原创? Not anymore.
Neely Gelinas
Saanich
Ontario premier can stand up to Trump
Thank goodness for Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Donald Trump is a bully and the only way to deal with a bully is to fight back.
Ontario is a major supplier of an immense amount of resources into the United States.
Ford has a lot of leverage. If Trump insists on imposing tariffs on Canada, the supply chain into the U.S. could be deeply affected.
I still believe that this whole trade war conversation will fizzle out before inauguration day. It just doesn’t make any sense.
It would hurt both Canada and America.
Paul Arnold
Saanich
Give alternatives to the pool decision
Langford council wrestled with a decision on the purchase of an excellent pool and fitness building, including the adjacent parking lot. The entire funding required is $35 million.
In February, the citizens of Victoria will be asked to decide on the preferred location (on land they already own) for a new recreational facility. Further, they will be asked if they agree to borrowing north of $168 million to pay for this facility.
No one need contest the importance of amenities that enable a healthy community. But every citizen in Victoria should be both astonished and insulted by being presented with a price tag on this edifice that will be pushing one-quarter of a billion dollars when completed.
Add to that an anticipated six-year time line for construction, and the entire enterprise beggars belief.
If council and staff are blind to the folly of the design of this initiative, they should at least have enough respect for the common sense of their fellow citizens to provide them with reasonable alternatives.
Peter Fibiger
Langford
Find better ways to increase revenue
It’s refreshing to see Victoria’s mayor and council taking action to instruct staff to explore ways of trimming the budget and keeping property tax increases in check.
This is long overdue. Property owners, whether residential, commercial, or industrial, simply cannot bear tax hikes year after year that outpace inflation. What’s even more concerning is the risk of taxes surpassing the three per cent rent increase cap for residential tenancies in 2025.
To add insult to injury, introducing higher fees (such as sewer and stormwater charges) in place of property tax increases is both unfair and misleading.
It’s time for mayor and council, along with staff, to think beyond the usual budget cuts. They must seek not only cost savings but also innovative ways to boost the city’s revenue without relying on property taxes.
The challenge is clear: what creative revenue streams can we tap into? Ideas like corporate naming rights for buildings and parks, advertising at playgrounds and sports fields, or even a $10 disembarkation fee for the nearly one million cruise ship passengers who visit Victoria each year — this could generate up to $9.5 million annually, potentially earmarked for police and bylaw enforcement.
The possibilities are endless, yet staff and council seem to be overlooking many of them. For instance, why aren’t we leveraging our world-renowned location to attract more events and the movie industry, without offering tax breaks in exchange?
Rather than allowing these industries to reap the benefits of working in Victoria, why aren’t they contributing a percentage of their earnings to help sustain our city’s infrastructure?
It’s time to think bigger. Victoria deserves leadership that sees beyond the status quo and taps into new, creative sources of revenue that reflect our city’s unique position as one of the most desirable places on the planet.
Richard C. Meagher
Victoria
We keep inviting more people to come
Greater Victoria does not have a housing shortage. We have a shortage of affordable housing. We don’t need more condos and townhouses.
As long as we keep building new condos and townhouses, we are inviting those from away to move here. We need to look after those who are already here and provide affordable housing for those living in substandard or no housing situations.
Elizabeth Johnson
Saanich
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