Neighbourhood improvements!

Nowadays I write so much about downtown drama and noble causes that some wonder how I would handle more mundane issues pertaining to municipal governance. Fair point. That being said, I too live in this city, and just like the rest of you I would like to fix certain glaring issues with our neighbourhoods.

The Chevron gas station

Let’s start with James Bay. I regularly walk over there from downtown to buy groceries at Thrifty Foods, and naturally I walk by the talk of the town: the whenever Chevron gas station.

This property has been in development for a very long time, and neglected to the point that nature is reclaiming it. And then let’s be frank: nobody likes rusty fences.

So what can we do about it? Allow me to quote relevant clauses from the Property Maintenance Bylaw:

Refuse, unsightly property prohibited
4 (1) A person must not do any of the following activities:
(c) allow real property, of which that person is the owner or occupier, to
become or remain unsightly;

Weeds prohibited
5 The owner or occupier of real property must not allow to be present on that property weeds or other growths that
(a) because of their condition, are likely to spread or become a nuisance to other real property in the vicinity; or
(b) are so unkempt as to be unsightly to nearby residents

The bylaw provides enforcement mechanisms as well:

Offences and penalties
9 (1) A person who contravenes a provision of this Bylaw is guilty of an offence and is subject to the following enforcement provisions:
(a) to the penalties imposed by the Offence Act;
(b) the issuing and enforcement of a ticket under the Ticket Bylaw.
(2) Each day that a contravention of a provision of this Bylaw occurs or continues shall constitute a separate offence.

And what does the Offence Act say about that?

General penalty

4  Unless otherwise specifically provided in an enactment, a person who is convicted of an offence is liable to a fine of not more than $2 000 or to imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or to both.

So basically, the municipality could fine the property owner two thousand dollars a day ad infinitum to compel compliance. And while this may be negligible for a corporation like Chevron which earns billions in profit every quarter, at least it may grab its attention, and have the company finally decide whether to develop the property or sell it.

Honestly, I wish for the latter. This city doesn’t need yet another gas station, especially one owned by an American corporation with a horrible environmental and human rights record and being a longtime boycott target. Maybe the property remains closed because the project isn’t economically viable after all, especially nowadays under Canadian boycott of American products over tariffs. How about letting a more socially responsible business take over instead?

Jaggy sidewalks

I go just about everywhere in town on foot, so I’ve got a few things to say about our notoriously jaggy sidewalks, which used to be the object of the yearly “Janky June” contest. One of these is on the segment at Vancouver Street and Pemberton Street, which is rather narrow, with sign posts that make it impractical for wheelchairs.

Even worse is Green Street just a few steps away. For starters, calling it a street is generous; it’s a stretch of road turned into a residential parking lot. Then its sidewalk is obstructed by street poles so large that pedestrians have to walk a slalom around them.

But my personal worst in town is the Bay Street corridor between Quadra Street and Wark Street. If nothing else, it is the only notable segment of road in town without sidewalks on both sides. It is also too narrow to comfortably allow four lanes, and even forces cyclists to use full lanes, otherwise they would ride too close to street signs and pedestrians on the already narrow sidewalk, whose surface by the way is among the craggiest in town.

You know what? That portion of the road ought to be made one way and narrowed down to two car lanes, which would allow a bike lane and a comfortable sidewalk with room to spare. Reducing car traffic in the area would also make the notoriously perilous Bay and Quadra intersection safer.

Firefighter parking space?

Recently the municipal council has come under criticism for replacing a portion of the parking stalls on the Johnson Street parkade rooftop with greenery. The issue is that the space was reserved for firefighters, who would be most inconvenienced since they are first responders. We don’t want them to be late for work, do we?

Actually, I’m thinking about killing two birds with one stone by eyeing the vacant property at the corner of Quadra Street and Johnson Street. Indeed, the fenced, craggy area full of weeds that’s just wasting space in the downtown core. It used to be occupied by the Mings restaurant (it was a nice place to eat Chinese food by the way! I miss it!) but it’s been demolished in 2020. And while I’d personally prefer a Chinese restaurant, the needs of the community come first.

Granted, it’s not the ideal space for a parking lot, but that’s nothing an excavator cannot fix. Besides, it’s hardly the ideal location for any purpose, which must be why the property doesn’t sell despite its high valuation. I smell a potential bargain here, and if the owner cannot be persuaded, the Community Charter allows the municipality to invoke the Expropriation Act. Then firefighters would have a parking lot just one block away from headquarters instead of three.

—OR—

Let’s think outside the box here. Instead of converting parking stalls to greenery and vacant land to parking space, how about converting the vacant land to greenery? Let’s have another community garden downtown instead.

Take your pick! Although mine would be to get the Chinese restaurant back…