Correspondence from R. Glenn and A. Hanes re: OCP and Rezoning Application - 2401 Burnside Road West
Extensive thread of community emails coordinating opposition and reporting on previous Committee of the Whole results regarding the handyDART proposal.
On May 15, 2018, at 8:27 AM, Rob Glenn wrote:
Dear Mayor, Council, and Mrs Bolster
It confuses me that BC Transit is still afforded the courtesy to present a petition to council!?! Have we, as a community, said LOUD and CLEAR that this proposal is not wanted or fitting for View Royal?!? The amount of different issues arising from this proposal are astronomical. The residence, the anglers, the LRT advocates, and the people with common sense have all spoken to say that it is not a good fit for the area. The money spent on the recreation space, and now the province pushing the rehab centre on us, and you want to keep considering the BC Handy Dart facility as a possibility?!?! https://www.cheknews.ca/province-funding-addictions-treatment-centre-viewroyal-450316/
At what point does BC Transit get the hint!!! When do they get the idea to look elsewhere, at what point does the council voted by the people listen to the people, and tell BC Transit to look elsewhere and stop pushing this on View Royal?!?!
The Community Plan was voted on and passed, and therefore established by the residence of View Royal, and I implore the Mayor and the Council to not change the agreed upon Community Plan to allow any sort of industrial zoning in this area or any other part of View Royal. BC transit can move Handy Dart to the Douglas street facility or move to the Langford location.
The residence that you represent have spoken as seen in the emails below. The proposal for this facility is ridiculous and does not fit the community we are trying to build and preserve in View Royal!!!
Sincerely Robert Glenn 1958 Chalmers Court
Begin forwarded message:
From: Angela Hanes Date: May 14, 2018 4:34:43 PM To: Angela Hanes Subject: **BC Transit presenting to Council a GO**Tues May 15th 7PM**
Hello Fabulous View Royalties,
It's a go for tomorrow night's council meeting. There is a hearing (seems like it should be short) then they will proceed to BC Transit and Mr Monsours presentations. Please, please, please attend if you can. Like last time, it makes all the difference. Once we get an idea on what tack they are taking, we can plan the next step. That being said, continuing to email questions and concerns is ideal.
New items.
Bruce from Esq Anglers pointed me in this direction https://www.crd.bc.ca/education/our-environment/watersheds/featured-watersheds/craigflower-creek
Scroll down to plans and reports for the Craigfower Creeks Assessment and Management Plan. Admittedly, I do need to scour these documents more but hear are a few items to digest;
From the Management Plan Attached - Pg 59 - 2B.1 - The View Royal OCP (1990) designates lands on Seymour Hill and along Craigtflower Creek where it forms the Saanich-View Royal border as environmental protection areas because of their steep slopes.
Attached - Pg 60 - 2C.3 Prohibit Building on Flood Plains - View Royal - OCP map (1992) designates most creek side lands as "parks and open space". An exception is the Marler subdivision where houses were built on the floodplain prior to town incorporation. -not sure where this stands now, would be a good question for staff.
**Note the proposed site is in the floodplain on the map???...
For me the participation and commitment of the town in both of these forums speaks volumes and even considering an industrial application on this site, hypocritical.
Another new tidbit I learned from Bruce was the topography of the lands in question was by design when the highway was built. The form and function was to filter highway debris and fluids long with metering the water accessing the creek. Flooding of the creek reeks a ton of havoc on the lifecycles of the fish/smolts thus will compromise future returns.
I'll be going to "Protecting our Marine Environment" hosted by Randal Garrison MP @ Prospect Lake Community Hall tonight at 7pm. I want to shake his hand and pick his brain. Feel free to swing by! I'll be the one hoarding Mr Garrison's time.
It is vital that Council and Transit continues to see the whites of our eyes. It shows that we aren't going anywhere, that we have high expectations and hold council responsible for making sound decisions.
Thank you for your time and attention. Be well all! Angela
Begin forwarded message:
From: Angela Hanes Date: May 11, 2018 7:03:09 PM To: Angela Hanes Subject: **All Hands On Deck**
Hello vibrant community members!
Alas, we can’t rest. Today Tyson Loreth from BC Transit submitted an application to speak (15 min maximum) during petition and delegation portion of Tuesday nights council meeting. Anyone applying is to submit their presentation along with the attached application however he states they are working on it.
I will contact the town first thing Monday morning to see if Transit will be heard. Considering they aren’t following the rules, this might get bumped. If it is a go I will be emailing you all immediately.
The council meeting is at the hall on Tuesday May 15th after the public hearing which starts at 7PM. When I call on Monday I’ll get a better idea if this hearing is predicted to be heady or not.
It is of the utmost importance that we continue to be present and show council and BC Transit the whites of our eyes. That we aren’t going away and ultimately with more time, are given an opportunity to get more organized, rally more folks and cement our arguments. Very curious as to what they are wanting to present.
Lastly, I planned my work for last week and this upcoming one over a month ago. You guessed it, I’m doing workshops for my clients all day Tuesday and Wednesday. This is KILLING me! Not to be able to meet all of you fine folks and say my piece to council and BC Transit directly.
Ok, now lastly! Once we get through this one, perhaps it would be a good idea for us all to connect in person. Quality Foods has free boardroom space upstairs. Over the weekend I’ll see what is available in the near future. As a community, we have a collective wealth of knowledge, sometimes it is more easily shared in a chat rather than an email. Also, I find this to be very therapeutic. If email is the preferred comfort zone, that works too!
I am so humbled by all of the communications I’ve received. The obvious commitment to our View Royal culture, environment and community members. Proud is the only word that comes to mind but know it is far more reaching than that.
Be well all and stay tuned, Angela
One Last Item: BC Transit responded to Dick Faulks’ letter to the editor. I find it pretty lame but you be the judge. Now is the time to write to the Gazette and TC and tell the story if you are inclined. A~
Begin forwarded message:
On May 10, 2018, at 6:54 PM, Angela Hanes wrote:
Hello again all and thanks again for participating!
Tyson from BC Transit contacted me today offering to do a walkabout on the proposed site. I staved off my response until tomorrow as in the spirit of transparency, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t putting words in anyones mouth.
What I want to say is;
"To be clear, whatever mitigation measures BC transit is exploring and/or are intending to include in an amended proposal, the community I am connected to will remain opposed to it. “
If this is something you do not agree with, please email me and I will change my response. Note, your email addresses will not be included in my exchange with Tyson.
I will also state that if/when there are other efforts to lessen the impact on the community, I will certainly be willing to tour the site with BC Transit folks and anyone else would be welcome.
Thoughts? Be well View Royalties! Angela
Angela Hanes Group Benefits Advisor Suite 101, 11950 – 80th Avenue Delta, BC, V4C 1Y2
Begin forwarded message:
From: Candy Little Date: May 08, 2018 11:24:53 PM To: 'Angela Hanes','pauline park' ,'Dick Faulks' 'Sid Tobias' 'Jocelyn Joy' 'Doug & Lindsay Critchley' 'Barb/John Munton' 'Al Wills' 'Barry & Suzana Kalyn' 'Brett Becky Poulin' 'Karen Duch' 'Mark & Sandra Hoole' 'Mike & Tammy Brissette' 'Roman & Rennie Yue' 'Tim & Celcilia Walzak' 'ELIZABETH ROBERTS' 'Miranda Benn' ,'Doug Copleston' 'George & Susan White','Ken Monica Chew' 'Bill Emile','georgina vander steeg' 'Neil Chizeck' ,'wojiaolifu wojiaolifu' 'Arnold van Klaveren' 'June Haynes' 'Bev Screen' 'Bob' , 'Elaine Rigby' 'Lee McGuire' 'Rob Glenn' ,'Andre/Bev Laporte' ,'Riel Aldred' 'DEBRA LASER' 'Sharon Beach' 'Darin Thompson' 'Sharon Ali' 'monique roos'
Subject: What Transpired at VR Committee of the Whole Meeting tonight (Re HandyDART Proposal)
First I would like to congratulate everyone who showed up tonight. We filled the room to capacity and still many of us had to stand out in the hall!! You represented our community so well and demonstrated to Council just how ready we are to fight this proposal tooth and nail. I’m so proud of you all!!
Bruce from the Esquimalt Anglers Association was the first to speak and he hit on some very critical issues about how BC Transit’s proposal and report lacks details concerning Craigflower Creek, such as:
- Very vague about how they would ensure Craigflower Creek would be protected;
- Nothing was mentioned about how they would mitigate the impact of light pollution in relation to the creek; and
- the current wetland surrounding the creek was referred to as “a ditch” in the report. There’s a big difference between a watershed and a ditch!
Al from the Bowman’s (Archery) Association also spoke. He talked about how much time, effort and money ($70,000+!!) has gone into building their archery site and currently enjoy a membership of (I think?) 120 people. He said this site is the best he’s ever experienced (btw, Al was a coach for the 1984 Olympics in L.A. He knows what he’s talking about!). Al ended by saying he hoped they were still there this time next year.
Dick Faulks also made a great speech about how this green space should remain as is and even offered a clever suggestion of keeping the current depot were it sits on Vanalman and add a sub-depot in a more Langford or Colwood – both locations can accommodate industrial operations.
Several folks from the community got up and spoke to Council. Every issues was raised, including traffic impacts, pedestrian pathways and trails, noise pollution, light pollution, the smell of diesel, hours of operation, and just the sheer magnitude of this proposal and this seriously impacts the community and the fish and wildlife who live in this green space.
It was a long evening but well worth the wait when our agenda item finally came up. I was absolutely blown away by the end of it (especially by what John Rogers had to say). Here are a few details of Council’s reaction after Jeff Chow presented his report:
Aaron Weisgerber: “due to the potential impact on the creek, noise levels, diesel engines in a residential area, I can’t support this proposal going forward”
John Rogers: “I’m amazed by the show of people and all the comments tonight! Suddenly we were swamped with emails. We received 21 emails today alone! We built this community and this has really hit home to me. I see their point about the traffic issues. I agree with my colleague (Weisgerber) and can’t support this proposal. I think BC Transit has a huge challenge ahead of them regarding potential harm to Craigflower Creek.”
Mayor Screech: “Maybe we should send this issue to the Citizen Advisory Committee for comment.” (not much uptake for this suggestion by the rest of council)
Damian Kowalewich: “I’ve done a lot of research, weighing out the pro’s and con’s of this proposal. I’ve talked to residents and in my opinion the con’s handily outweigh the pro’s; particularly the impact to the creek, traffic, noise, light, air pollution. Therefore, I am against this proposal.”
Unfortunately, Ron Matson wasn’t present so I don’t know what his thoughts are on this but he will be seeing all those emails as well as the minutes from tonight’s meeting. In other words, he will also get the message that we are serious about fighting this proposal and hopefully he will empathize just as his colleagues have.
While we can revel in tonight’s small victory, we still can’t rest. We should prepare for a fight ahead as BC Transit (Provincial Government) has already invested in this proposal and I’m sure they will push View Royal to put it through.
Suggestions for Next Steps:
- Working with Angela Hanes, we will continue to keep an eye on Council Meeting Agendas and advise you when this proposal is back on agenda. We need as many people as possible to show up at these meetings, showing View Royal AND BC Transit we are not going anywhere.
- **Very Important** You need to ask View Royal to notify you when the Public Hearing is planned so you can attend. And if you are comfortable, be prepared to speak about your concerns at this meeting.
- If you haven’t written letters to View Royal, please do. They can be submitted to info@viewroyal.ca (include your address)
- The ex-mayor of Victoria, Alan Lowe, was in attendance tonight (on another issue). He told me we should plan to attend a BC Transit Commission Meeting and express our opposition – just as we did tonight. (I’m happy to look into how we do this).
- If you want to get more hands on in our fight or if you have ideas, suggestions, or other points of contact that may be helpful....PLEASE DO!! This is totally a team effort.
In closing, I would like to give a HUG SHOUT OUT to Angela Hanes, who is the true leader in this and would have been there tonight if she didn’t have out-of-town work commitments. I congratulate her on her tireless campaign on getting the word out to the community. She has met with stakeholders, gathered critical facts, created and printed flyers and canvassed almost every square inch of this community to get the word out. Well Ange, it paid off in spades. WELL DONE GIRL!! Thank you for everything you’ve done and (I’m sure) for what you will continue to do in fighting this insane proposal. We’re so lucky to have you!
Well, I can lay my head on my pillow tonight knowing that hard word does pay off and that together we really can make a difference!! Pats on the back for all of you.
Cheers to you all, Candy Little
From: Angela Hanes Sent: May 8, 2018 4:44 PM To: pauline park; Dick Faulks; Sid Tobias; Jocelyn Joy; Doug & Lindsay Critchley; Barb/John Munton; Al Wills; Ray/Candy Little; Barry & Suzana Kalyn; Brett Becky Poulin; Glenn & Gail Ormiston; Karen Duch; Mark & Sandra Hoole; Mike & Tammy Brissette; Roman & Rennie Yue; Tim & Celcilia Walzak; ELIZABETH ROBERTS; Miranda Benn; Doug Copleston; George & Susan White; Ken Monica Chew; Bill Emile; georgina vander steeg; Neil Chizeck; wojiaolifu wojiaolifu; Arnold van Klaveren; June Haynes; Bev Screen; Bob; Elaine Rigby; Lee McGuire; Rob Glenn; Andre/Bev Laporte; Riel Aldred; DEBRA LASER; Sharon Beach; Darin Thompson; Sharon Ali Subject: Article in the Gazette
Dick Faulks, a long time community volunteer and staunch rail advocate wrote this piece. https://www.goldstreamgazette.com/opinion/letter-serious-concern-about-the-capital-regions-transportation/
Good luck to all tonight and thank you for participating. Note, if at anytime you no longer want to be in the loop, please just let me know.
Below is what I submitted;
Hello,
This email is in regards to the proposal from BC Transit for 2401 Burnside Rd W. I am firmly against this proposal. Placing an industrial facility hosting 90-115 buses along with 112 employees in the midst of a residential area right beside a salmon bearing creek is one of the more ridiculous proposals I’ve heard of late.
Given the time, attention and funds the town has contributed to addressing the negative effects of rolling stock to our shorelines and creeks, I am surprised this proposal has moved this far along. Where is the spirit that was present when installing the corridor along island highway and the catchment at the bottom of Camden. That is the spirit of View Royal and what I stand for. From what I’ve learned over this past weekend, many more residents stand for this as well.
Esquimalt Anglers and a few local neighbours have been stewards of Craigflower Creek for over 60 years. It only takes a coolant leak from an employees car or a crack in a tote of engine oil to annihilate this precious ecosystem. As an angler, we my not be able to fish salmon in our local zone this year due to the lack of food for resident orca’s. This is DFO mandated. Our creeks feed our oceans, and in turn our oceans provide the vast majority of the air we breathe and sustenance. If we don’t take action and actively educate and protect, our children and others we love have a very dismal future.
The only responsible choice is to keep the zoning as is, Park. As for the Community Facility, it is one already. Victoria Bowmen have proven to be responsible stewards of this land with their 120 members and have invested over $50,000 in surveying and mitigation of any negative effects on the creek.
Please show us, the community, responsible leadership and say no to BC Transit.
Angela Hanes 1969 Ridgeview Rise
On May 09, 2018, at 12:01 PM, Elena Bolster EBolster@viewroyal.ca wrote:
Dear Mr. Glenn:
Thank you for your email dated May 7, 2018 regarding the Official Community Plan application and Rezoning application for 2401 Burnside Road West.
Your correspondence was received by the Committee of the Whole at their meeting held May 8, 2018 and a motion was passed to receive your email for information.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact this office.
Sincerely,
Elena Bolster Deputy Corporate Officer 45 View Royal Ave l Victoria, BC V9B 1A6 Ph. 250-479-6800 l Fx. 250-727-9551 www.viewroyal.ca
Begin forwarded message:
From: Info Address info@viewroyal.ca Date: May 07, 2018 12:01:28 PM To: 'Rob Glenn' Subject: RE: BC Transit Handy Dart proposed facility
Good morning Mr. Glenn,
Thank you for contacting the Town of View Royal. Your email has been received and included on the Committee of the Whole meeting agenda for May 8.
Town of View Royal 45 View Royal Avenue | Victoria, BC V9B 1A6 p: 250-479-6800 | f: 250-727-9551 | info@viewroyal.ca
viewroyal.ca | facebook.com/townofviewroyal | twitter.com/townofviewroyal
From: Rob Glenn Sent: May-07-18 11:18 AM To: Info Address info@viewroyal.ca Subject: BC Transit Handy Dart proposed facility
Morning Mayor / permit-zoning staff
My name is Rob Glenn of 1958 Chalmers Court. I was presented a flyer in my door ref the subject project proposal, and wondering who thought placing a industrial type facility in a residential setting is a good idea? Someone in your office has permitted condos and town homes to be built right up to the elementary school, and now someone in the GOOD IDEAS CLUB wants to remove a recreational archery facility and green space for a bus facility!?!?
Hello!!! Any consideration given to the resident's well being, or is this purely a money grab for tax dollars from BC Transit? What about excess traffic due to bus traffic, noise, diesel pollution and emissions affecting health and breathing air quality? Someone there needs to have an environmental assessment done and put a stop to industrializing View Royal.
Is this type of activity not better suited for an industrial area like Old Island Highway or Keating Cross Roads area, why are we even considering such an invasive proposal for View Royal?!?
Traffic lights were one thing, but 90 to 150 community handy dart buses are something totally different and not suited for this area nor for View Royal
Robert Glenn
Angela Hanes Group Benefits Advisor Suite 101, 11950 – 80th Avenue Delta, BC, V4C 1Y2