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DND, heritage advocates square off over old house Page A5
VICTORIANEWS VICTORIA Wednesday, September 26, 2012
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Andrew Holenchuk www.AndrewHolenchuk.com www.EsquimaltProperties.com
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No more sitting on information Council moves to ensure timely sharing of consultant reports Roszan Holmen News staff
After getting a nasty surprise through the media last month, city council took swift steps to ensure it learns of city-commissioned reports in a timely way from now on. Recently, a media outlet revealed a $34-million price tag to upgrade 16 municipally owned buildings to current seismic code. Staff obtained the information from a consultant in December 2010. Councillors, however, didn’t learn the numbers until contacted by Focus Magazine, which published its findings in September. “My first response when I realized that we had not got this significant information was to be mad at staff,” said Coun. Lisa Helps. Upon reflection, however, she realized council had never set guidelines for sharing reports with council. “So really, it’s our fault,” she said. Helps and Coun. Marianne Alto reacted to the development by crafting a motion that orders staff to forward all third-party reports to council within 30 days of their receipt. Their initial motion cast too large a net. The city commissions 300 to 400 reports each year, many of which deal with such minutia as plumbing and arborist reports, city manager Gail Stephens told council Thursday. Instead, council voted on a compromise. Council will now receive all third-party reports dealing with city assets with budget implications of at least $1 million within 60 days. Those reports, however, will not be made public until they are brought before a meeting of council, accompanied by a staff report. Coun. Geoff Young expressed discomfort with the idea of being routinely passed information without public disclosure. It “violates the basic principle of open government,” he said. “I don’t like it at all.”
Aiming for a big target Leading Seaman Kent Brown uses a paintball gun to practise his shot for a toonie as CFB Esquimalt starts its annual United Way fundraising campaign last week at Naden. Captain (Navy) Bob Auchterlonie announced the base’s fundraising goal is $700,000 this year.
Mayors renew call for help on policing Policing proposals secondary issue of the day Daniel Palmer News staff
The mayors of Esquimalt and Victoria are tired of paying for the
PLEASE SEE: Policy change, Page A5
Dirty Carpets?
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
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municipal hall on Friday. “We have two municipalities that are paying the cost, and one force delivering the service. This financial model isn’t sustainable for the taxpayers of Victoria or Esquimalt,” he said. PLEASE SEE: Proposals, Page A4
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region’s policing. Mayors Barb Desjardins and Dean Fortin used the release of Esquimalt’s policing proposals to urge surrounding municipalities to share disproportionate policing costs. “We host two-thirds of the population of Greater Victoria on any given day,” Fortin said at a press conference with Desjardins at Esquimalt
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