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Fortin says ‘not this time’ to MP race But Victoria councillor Marianne Alto is considering her options Daniel Palmer
Victoria Coun. Lisa Helps fans out a wad of Monopoly money during a budget workshop with Fairfield residents at the Garry Oak Room last week. Helps wants citizen input into how city hall can shave $6 million off its current expenses for the upcoming three-year budget.
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Daniel Palmer/News staff
Real value in resident input Coun. Lisa Helps spearheading grassroots budget workshops around city Daniel Palmer News staff
As the City of Victoria looks to trim $6 million from its budget over the next three years, one councillor is looking to residents for innovative solutions. Budget workshops are being held across the city by Coun. Lisa Helps. Participants are split into groups to brainstorm possible ways of generating savings, using board game money to divvy up expenses. “What I’m looking for right now are ideas to feed into the process early, to ensure
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that citizen voices are there at the outset,” she said. In April, council passed a motion to restrict annual property tax increases to 3.25 per cent until 2015, but it faces difficult decisions on what services need to be scaled back to achieve that. A formal public consultation on the budget will take place before council this fall, but the workshops offer a hands-on approach to allocating municipal dollars. Fairfield resident Ken Rouche attended the first workshop in July and organized a similar exercise last Wednesday that
attracted about 30 people at the Garry Oak Room. “I think this is trailblazing in terms of what Lisa is doing,” Rouche said. “This is the first time I’ve known a councillor to bring these issues to the community.” Rouche has grown frustrated with the lack of housing affordability in Victoria for young families, a challenge made more difficult by property tax hikes in recent years. PLEASE SEE: Use citizens, Page A6
Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin confirmed he will not seek the NDP nomination for the upcoming Victoria federal byelection, made vacant with Denise Savoie’s recent resignation for health reasons. “I’m looking forward to seeing who is putting the nomination up with great interest,” Fortin said, stating he would not be seeking the “demanding job.” He didn’t rule out the possibility of running for a higher office in the future. But Coun. Marianne Alto, who, like Fortin, ran previously for council for the NDPaffiliated Victoria Civic Electors, called the byelection an “unexpected opportunity. She acknowledged many people have encouraged her to pursue the NDP nomination. “I certainly am considering it, but I’ve made no decisions,” Alto said. “There’s still much to consider.” The federal government has 180 days to call a byelection when a seat becomes vacant. Waiting until the February deadline would place the Victoria byelection right in the middle of the 2013 provincial election campaign, an undesirable scenario for both levels of government. Savoie was in her third term as Victoria MP. She was first elected in 2006 and won 50 per cent of the vote in the 2011 election. Her challengers at that time were Conservative Patrick Hunt, Jared Giesbrecht for the Greens and Christopher Causton, Liberal candidate and former Oak Bay mayor. All three parties will go through a candidate nomination process in the coming months. dpalmer@vicnews.com
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