Category: Articles, Letters, and Petitions
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Municipal Elections 2026 – Urban Forest Key Issues
By Squirrel For Mayor 🐿 Download Victoria’s Urban Forest issues (.pdf) Key Issue: URBAN FOREST & ENVIRONMENT Key Messages We need a change in City Council’s approach to the urban forest: From To Trees fitted…
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Urban Forest Myths: Debunking the Debunkers
Summary: This article reviews common claims about urban trees and compares them with current urban forestry research. Topics include replacement planting, mature tree value, biodiversity, and the ecological role of urban forests in climate resilience.…
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903 Admirals Road: Bill 16, Green Infrastructure, and a Potential Shift in Esquimalt Policy
By 🐿 Squirrel for Mayor The proposed development at 903 Admirals Road has become a test case for how municipalities can use new powers under British Columbia’s housing legislation to require stronger environmental performance from development…
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Garry Oak Ecosystem: What the Songhees Nation Is Asking Us to See with the Quadra McKenzie Plan (QMP)
The Quadra McKenzie Plan (QMP) in Saanich is scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. The plan proposes significant growth over the next 20 years, concentrating housing and mixed-use development along the…
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Save Brighton Greenway: A Community Defending Place
Learn more and sign the petition: https://savebrightongreenway.com One of the most encouraging stories unfolding in Greater Victoria is not about a politician, developer, or government program. It is about ordinary residents who decided that the…
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Bill 16: An Untapped Opportunity for Victoria’s Urban Forest
Much of the public discussion about housing legislation has focused on what municipalities can no longer do. Bills 44, 46, and 47 reduced local control over density and removed public hearings for many residential developments.…
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Even Supporters of Housing Reform Are Calling for a Review of Bill 44
By Squirrel For Mayor 🐿 One of the most persistent myths surrounding criticism of Bill 44 is that it comes only from people who oppose new housing. That simply isn’t true. In a June 1,…
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How We Learned to Talk Ourselves Out of Ecology
While having lunch with a longtime friend recently, our conversation turned to housing. He had just finished reading Gregor Craigie’s book and, before long, we were discussing density, zoning, and the future of our cities.…
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BC NIMBY Toolkit (Housing / Development Guidelines) and No Public Hearings
🐿️ Squirrel for Mayor Unearthed documents show the use of the word “NIMBY” in BC government publications. Development Approvals Process Review (DAPR, 2019) Direct quote: “Public hearings can enable NIMBY (an acronym for ‘not in…
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LETTER: Stronger safeguards needed to protect Saanich’s Garry oak ecosystemsPublished 5:30 pm Sunday, March 29, 2026 https://vicnews.com/2026/03/29/letter-stronger-safeguards-needed-to-protect-saanichs-garry-oak-ecosystems/ By Nathalie Chambers On March 16, a majority of Saanich council approved the removal of 28 trees, including…