For those of you that attended the public meeting held by johnsonstreetbridge.org last week, this isn't news. For everyone else, let's all thank B Channel for covering this event so throughly. Here's the article by B Channel, and you can go here for videos of the Q&A portion of the event.
All-candidates Meeting Looks at Bridge Debate
Reporting by Lisa Nickol
Video by Andrew Ainsley
Frontpage Photo by Pete Rockwell
Video by Andrew Ainsley
Frontpage Photo by Pete Rockwell
November 3, 2010
All eleven candidates in the City of Victoria by-election attended a public meeting on October 27th to speak about the bridge referendum. In addition to voting for one city councillor on November 20th, eligible voters will be given a referendum ballot that asks the question of borrowing $49.2 million towards the $77 million bridge replacement project.
The referendum was initiated by a public petition campaign and was launched by a non-partisan group of residents. The City of Victoria, has chosen replacement on the advice of private consultants, has launched a tax-payer funded campaign for a “Yes” vote in the referendum.
There has been only one voice of dissent on council. Geoff Young has voted against the City’s direction to replace the bridge with a new one, and has raised questions to the transparency of the process.
The first all candidates meeting, organized by johnsonstreetbridge.org, gave the public had the opportunity to hear each candidate’s position on the referendum and the issue of the bridge, and to ask them questions.
Marianne Alto was the only candidate to state that she would vote in favour of borrowing the 49.2 million. Eight candidates would vote no and shared similar views that not only should the city not borrow the money, but that council should be looking at different ways of dealing with the aging infrastructure without incurring a seismic debt. Two of the candidates did not share which way they are voting, but did raise issues with the process and project.
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