Community Gardens: The Movement is Growing

Last Updated (Friday, 03 July 2009 04:41) Written by Community Greens Wednesday, 01 July 2009 14:33

Across Victoria a new movement is taking root.

In boulevards and parks across the city people are tearing up the sod to grow vegetable gardens in their place. And why not? Producing food locally dramatically reduces the carbon imprint of the groceries we consume, and in a city with such low urban density as Victoria we certainly could be making better use of our lawns and roadside green-spaces than growing grass. There is a misconception that public spaces cannot actually be used by the public, but that perception is changing. Starting in 2008, a couple of gardening enthusiasts in the Fernwood area set a precedent that has now inspired others to turn over the turf where they live. The Haultain Common is a community garden located on the boulevard between the sidewalk and road where vegetables are grown for the neighborhood on a volunteer basis. This pioneer project demonstrated by taking direct action that while (currently) unorthodox, there is nothing that the city can legally do to prevent people from growing food instead of lawns. As it stands, the care taking responsibility for boulevards is either that of the parks and recreation department or the property owners & this is decided on a block by block basis. If the onus falls on the property owner, then, instead of being charged $2.50 per year per m2rd by the city, one can choose to maintain that piece of land in any way one sees fit. So long as there are no unreasonable risks to the sidewalk strolling public, it is perfectly acceptable to grow food in the public boulevards of the 'Garden City'. To find out weather or not your street is maintained by the city you can contact the Parks and Rec Dep at: (250) 361-0361

Happy planting. 

New Monster Development Lurches Forward

Last Updated (Saturday, 27 June 2009 04:24) Written by VIC FAN Saturday, 27 June 2009 02:54

On Monday, June 15, Langford City Council  gave it's final approval to South Skirt Mountain, a new monster condo development adjacent to Bear Mountain Resort, Goldstream Provincial Park, Florence Lake and the TransCanada Highway. Four developers plan to build 2800 condos along the new Bear Mountain Parkway above the half-built Spencer Interchange. A local environmental group, Vancouver Island Community Forest Action Network (VIC FAN), is preparing to file a petition in BC Supreme Court to overturn the development bylaw.

Skirt (or Spaet) is the same mountain that was half-demolished by Bear Mountain Resort during the building boom, the same mountain with the

rare cave (now destroyed) and the still-undisturbed native grave sites, and the same mayor and council abusing the public process to benefit private developers, again.

Spaet Mountain is considered shared territory between several First Nations, although only two have given "permission" for destruction of indigenous grave sites.

The initial outcry  earlier this year over wrecking the Garry Oak bluffs, arbutus groves, native sites, and waterways has been joined by new charges that accuse Langford City Council of bias and withholding public documents about the development. Local residents are calling out the mayor and council for acting in bad faith and violating provincial statutes.

The February 23 public hearing on the South Skirt Mountain project was a fiasco, with Mayor  Stew Young "bullying, berating and browbeating"

citizens who spoke against the development. A repeat public hearing was more restrained, but speakers were heckled and requests for public documents were refused by deputy mayor Denise Blackwell.

In their haste to approve this development, VIC FAN submits that Langford's mayor and council have ignored due process and disrespected procedural fairness.

More info, news archive, analysis, videos and photos at www.forestaction.ca.

City of Victoria bylaw would put lives of marginalized people at risk

Last Updated (Saturday, 27 June 2009 04:31) Written by TASC Saturday, 27 June 2009 02:53

Victoria, Coast Salish Territories, June 10, 2009 - The City of Victoria has continued it's attempts to thwart a Supreme Court decision that reaffirms the rights of homeless to erect overnight shelters. The decision in question is that of Judge Ross, which specified that the Victoria bylaws that prevent people who are forced to sleep outside from erecting their own shelters constitutes a deprivation of the rights to life, liberty and security protected under section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Right and Freedoms. Today in court the lawyer for the city argued "there are no constitutional rights for the homeless to erect tents inside city parks". Tomorrow the court will here from the lawyers representing the rights of the homless.

Olympic Police Harassing Activists: Joint Intelligence Group visit 14

Last Updated (Saturday, 27 June 2009 04:21) Written by ORN Tuesday, 09 June 2009 00:00

More than a dozen anti-Olympic activists and critics were contacted by intelligence officers from the Vancouver Integrated Security Unit (VISU) for the 2010 Olympic Games, from June 3 – 5, 2009.  The Olympic Resistance Network and other groups are again asking VISU to stop harassing individual members and are preparing a legal letter to VISU to cease such intimidating visitations.

Read more: Olympic Police Harassing Activists: Joint Intelligence Group visit 14