Firing line Downtown shooting makes for busy start to week Page A3
Knotty By Nature Fibre Arts
NEWS: Former priest found guilty of sex crime /A3 ARTS: Island music award nominees announced /A13 SPORTS: High school hoops champs crowned /A14
VICTORIANEWS VICTORIA Wednesday, February 27, 2013
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Victoria places food trucks idea on back burner Despite the potential to revitalize downtown, initiative to add food vendors well down city priority list Daniel Palmer News staff
Foodies holding out hope for more food trucks in the downtown core will soon have a bad taste in their mouths. Streetside cuisine is decidedly off the agenda at City Hall, as councillors juggle portfolios ranging from the Johnson Street Bridge to naming rights for the Victoria Conference Centre. “It just wasn’t seen as a priority by council,” said Coun. Lisa Helps, who has been advocating for licensed public space food trucks for more than a year. “Food carts can enhance the vibrancy of downtown, and goodness knows Sharon Tiffin/News staff our downtown could Ramesh Espinoza serves up use a dose of vibrancy tacos from his Puerto Vallarta these days.” Amigos food truck, parked on Grab-and-go food private property at the foot of options in VancouYates Street. ver and Calgary have exploded in the past three years, thanks to relaxed municipal licensing inspired by the infamous success of a downtown block of food carts in Portland, Ore. But Victoria is failing to seize the opportunity of an easyto-implement revitalization tool for the downtown core, said Ramesh Espinoza, co-owner of Puerto Vallarta Amigos. PLEASE SEE: Food cart startup tough, Page A8
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Cat fight continues Peninsula Panthers forward Nathan Looysen uses an elbow to keep Victoria defenceman Brandon Workun away from the puck, while Cougars’ goalie Evan Roch watches closely, during Game 3 play in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League south semifinal Sunday at the Archie Browning Sports Centre. The Cougars won 12-2 and host Game 5 in the best-of-seven series tomorrow (Feb. 28) at 7 p.m. See story page A15.
Time to get counting those blooms The 2013 Greater Victoria Flower Count is officially underway, kicked off in style Tuesday with the annual mayor’s flower arranging competition at The Bay Centre. The lighthearted event, organized by the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, dates to the 1970s and grew out of an initiative that saw area tourism promoters deliver daffodils to cities in colder locations.
“The flower count is great. It’s one of the ways we highlight that we don’t shovel snow and everyone else in Canada does,” Chamber CEO Bruce Carter said. Organizers are encouraging residents around the region to count their blossoms and relay the information, which will be put toward the grand total. Victoria won the community chal-
lenge last year, with just over 731 million blooms counted. The overall total was slightly more than two billion, a far cry from the record year of 2010, when 21 billion flowers were tallied. To find out how to count the buds and blossoms or to register your totals, visit flowercount.ca or call 250360-2837. editor@vicnews.com
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