Love transcends
Caring for family with dementia a labour of love Page A3
NEWS: Chamber wooing civic election candidates /A3 ARTS: Songwriter turns hardship to harmony /A14 SPORTS: Mariners baseball trio college-bound /A16
VICTORIANEWS Friday, February 14, 2014
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Prepare for parking shake-up City of Victoria looks at ways to increase revenue, limit the hit to downtown parkers Free parkades after 6 p.m., automatic first-hour free parking and $1 on-street parking between 6 and 9 p.m. are a few changes that could be coming to downtown Victoria. The city plans to vote on changes to parking services in June, as part of a review that began last summer. The analysis was spurred by a decline in city-owned parkade use, a perceived lack of on-street parking availability and Victoria’s general reliance on $15.6 million in parking revenue, among other issues. “We do have five parkades – they’re very convenient – and we want to make it easier for drivers to use it,” Daniel Palmer said Dwayne Kalynchuk, Victoria’s Reporting engineering director. “Use of our offstreet parkades has declined, so we’re trying to improve that infrastructure.” As part of parkade improvements, staff recommend moving monthly users to higher levels to free up more convenient spaces for short-term use. Parkades would also be free after 6 p.m. (currently $2 for evening parking) and downtown on-street parking would rise to $1 hourly between 6 and 9 p.m. to entice drivers into parkades. Free Sunday and holiday parking remains unaffected. Ken Kelly, general manager with the Downtown Business Victoria Association, has advocated for automatic first-hour free parking for years. He said the proposed changes could still use improvement, but the recommendations are a good first step.
PLEASE SEE:
Downtown parking dilemma, Page A11
Don Denton/News staff
Getting ready to ride Mechanic Dylan Cunningham looks over a rear derailleur (gears) on a bicycle brought in for a tune-up at Russ Hays, The Bicycle Shop. With the cold snap over and weather back to our usual mild temperatures, many cyclists are getting their rides tuned up and cleaned in preparation for spring and summer riding.
Family friendly sex ed a hot topic Having that “birds and bees” talk with the kids can be an awkward undertaking for most parents. Thankfully, Island Sexual Health Society is offering a day of educational seminars tailored to families at First Metropolitan United Church. “The idea is basically to create health literacy from a young age so that children understand about their bodies, how to take care of themselves and communicate,” said Jen-
nifer Gibson, co-ordinator of community education services with Island Sexual Health Society. The society offers sex education classes to more than 11,000 people every year, but it’s not often those programs are run out of a church, she said. “You’re just building a conversation for a healthy life, as opposed to this old idea of sitting down to have the talk around puberty. That’s often too late.”
The sessions take place Feb. 27 between 4:30 and 7:15 p.m. Ageappropriate sessions are planned for children ages 3 to 5, ages 6 to 8, ages 9 to 12 and 13 to 16. The cost is $12 per family for as many sessions as required. Register online at firstmetvictoria.com or by calling the church at 250-388-5188. Find more information at island sexualhealth.org. dpalmer@vicnews.com
One glance
all it takes to imagine your stunning wedding in our parks.
Saxe Point Park I Japanese Garden at Esquimalt’s Gorge Park I Buxton Green on the water. Call 250-412-8525 to book your wedding. Photo: Kristopher James Photography