VICTORIANEWS VICTORIA COMMUNITY
SPORTS
Trick of the eye
Lift-off to London
Camosun technology students use old bike parts to create holographic-like images. Page A3
Victoria celebrates its athletes training for the fast-approaching Summer Olympic Games. Page A23
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Joe Schlichter
Proudly serving Esquimalt & Victoria
Public’s final chance to voice concerns about document
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Food vendors watching closely News staff
For now, “Pepperman” is little more than a moniker Kelly Powers uses for his email address. But one day soon, he hopes to become The Pepperman: owner of a food cart dubbed Pepperman’s Grill. Through social media, the Winnipeg man recently caught wind of Coun. Lisa Helps’ push to loosen regulations around mobile food vendors in Victoria – a city with a longer outdoor business season than his locale. It
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Official Community Plan hearing tonight
Sam Stallard, 3, left, appears to be crowding Steven Croy, 4, into the cone during a tricycle race on Belleville Street. The action was part of the Family Bike Festival, which wound up the Victoria International Cycling Festival on Sunday. Another photo from the day’s activities appears on Page A24.
Roszan Holmen
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prompted him to action. Last week he and his wife, Theresa, flew here to scope out the scene and network with local food producers. “All the veggies, all the fruits … chicken, free range – I want to go as local as possible,” Powers explained to Helps at a coffee shop meeting last Wednesday morning. He’s already got his menu meticulously planned. But a few factors stand in his way, such as the practicalities of relocating and more importantly, a city rule that stipulates portable food carts must be located on private property. “If you’re allowed to park in more spaces, then you can be mobile,” Theresa said. Helps hopes to change the bylaws to create more space for such entrepreneurial upstarts.
Following the lead of Vancouver, which opened the door to food carts on public property in June 2010, Helps advocates a summertime pilot project, whereby the city designates a type of outdoor food court on municipal property. Her vision is to place it on the waterfront parking lot below Wharf Street near Bastion Square. “It would be a really great space,” Helps said. “It doesn’t mean getting rid of all the parking spots, because people will freak out about that, but allocating 10 (parking) spots.” The pilot would accomplish two things, she said. PLEASE SEE: Positive, negative aspects, Page A6
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Residents of Victoria get one last opportunity tonight (June 27) to give input into the city’s draft Official Community Plan. The city is hosting a public hearing where people can offer city councillors their thoughts about the 262page document. The Official Community Plan guides land-use decisions and other city priorities. Once passed, it will replace the city’s previous OCP, put in place in 1995. Among the priorities in the draft plan is growing neighbourhood villages into more complete, walkable commercial centres. It also includes concepts such as climate change and food systems, which were not on the mainstream radar 17 years ago. The city launched the OCP project in January 2010, with a goal to adopt the new plan in one year. Since then, the deadline for adoption has been pushed back several times, in part due to a huge amount of feedback from residents. Between April and June 2011, city staff gathered feedback from more than 6,000 people at 57 events. The public hearing gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1 Centennial Sq. For more information, go to shape yourfuturevictoria.ca. rholmen@vicnews.com
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