Core Priorities:
My core beliefs have not changed since the campaign began. Listening to local residents these past many months adds a new layer of priorities that I will add here:
Loss of Financial Services
- Seniors in Cook St. Village and James Bay lost access to banking services in the past few years. Many do not use online banking. How can we create 'Villages' without basic services for the more vulnerable members of our communities? Seniors tell me, from both communities, that bussing to downtown or other regions of the city to do their banking is not direct nor is it without safety challenges. This is a big gap in our social structure.
- Members of CUPW, Canadian Union of Postal Employees, have called for postal banking services. Postal banking exists in many countries and there is no reason that it can't work in Canada. I have discussed the banking concerns of our seniors with our local CUPW leadership.
Neighbourhood Associations
- City Council liaisons for Victoria's 12 Neighbourhood Associations do not have a standard method of delivering city council reports. Whether I am elected or not, I will be proposing an overhaul of this system of reporting. A minimal and consistent level of information needs to be available across the city.
- City Council liaison reports should be visible and accessible to all, to both hold our elected officials accountable and allow more coordinated information sharing between neighbourhoods. As witnessed at the North Park Neighbourhood Association All Candidates Night, (September 15) other associations do not fully understand the challenges that some of our neighbourhoods are facing. If we have a more direct means of communication the possibility of pooling our resources may improve the capacity for board members to do more work on the ground.
- Over time, neighbourhoods, (some more than others), have created grassroots education to empower their residents to know more and do more in regards to civic governance. In talking with other Associations I am working on proposing a model that codifies those successful methods to build capacity in neighbourhoods where neighbour-to-neighbour engagement is lower. By tapping into the intelligence that already exists in our communities, relying on our local knowledge keepers, we can collectively build our civic muscle from the ground up.
Safety
Evolution of Block Watch - This is a work in progress as the program is currently suspended, but I propose a shift from a policing model to a more community-based model that allows for a more connected network of shared responsibility. Police currently handle a large call volume for non-emergencies, according to Police Chief Fiona Wilson. Alternative means of non-critical responses do exist in our city, but are not widely known. Neighbourhoods with citizens who have a greater awareness of the unique needs of community members are better able to adapt to changing conditions in a more humane way without the need to call law enforcement and therefore relieve pressure on police services.