Latest News | Victoria

Candidate Nomination Period Opens Today for Victoria By-Election Saturday, December 12 | October 27 2020
The nomination period for prospective candidates in Victoria’s 2020 By-Election opened today at 9 a.m. and will close at 4 p.m. on Friday, November 6, 2020. Voters in Victoria will vote to elect one Councillor on General Voting Day, Saturday, December 12. Prospective candidates can obtain a Candidate Nomination Form by contacting the Legislative Services Office at Victoria City Hall at 250.361.0571 or at elections@victoria.ca. Due to COVID-19, City Hall offices remain closed to the public. Completed Nomination Forms can be filed during the nomination period by making an in-person appointment with Legislative Services. Forms can also be filed by email. Only eligible candidates who have filed their papers by the close of nomination will be included on the ballot.   A by-election by voting will be declared no later than Monday, November 16, 2020 at 4 p.m. A Candidate Profile Guide will be available on the City’s website by November 17. Originally scheduled for April 4, Victoria’s by-election was cancelled on March 18 by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to protect residents from COVID-19. On July 29, the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing released guidelines to help local governments plan how to safely hold by-elections that were deferred due to the pandemic. Learn more.
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Have Your Say Improving Life for Victoria Newcomers | October 20 2020
Democracy wins when Victoria residents are invited to cast their vote on which community projects should receive funding in this year’s City of Victoria Participatory Budgeting Initiative. The focus for 2020 is on projects that improve the lives of newcomers in Victoria. Twenty-six shortlisted projects are vying for up to $50,000 in funding. Now it is the community’s turn to weigh in. “The Participatory Budgeting process is an exciting opportunity for Victorians to lift up their own community, particularly with the number of projects we have received from newcomers themselves,” said Robin McGeough, a member of the community-led Steering Committee and a Youth Settlement Worker at the Inter-Cultural Association. “From organizations to citizen-led projects, the projects up for voting offer an exciting spectrum of ways we can empower newcomers in our city.” The projects cover a wide range of topics – from improving newcomer food security through cooking and gardening, lowering barriers to access health and wellbeing programs, highlighting newcomer storytelling through the arts, to entrepreneurship and financial literacy training for newcomer business owners and much more. To vote and view all 26 projects go to engage.victoria.ca and cast your ballot before November 6. “Participatory Budgeting is one of my favourite projects at the City because it is resident led,” said Mayor Lisa Helps. “My thanks to the volunteer Steering Committee for giving of their time and to the community for bringing forward so many great projects. And I encourage everyone to vote and be a part of supporting our vibrant newcomer community.” Participatory Budgeting is an innovative, democratic process that gives the entire community the opportunity to participate and decide how to invest a portion of the City budget. The City’s citizen-led volunteer Participatory Budget Steering Committee is being coordinated this year by the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria.  The winning projects will be announced in November. To learn more about the City of Victoria’s Participatory Budgeting process and cast your vote, please visit engage.victoria.ca. If you have a barrier to voting, please contact the Engagement department at 250.361.0210 for assistance.
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What's Up At Council on Thursday, October 22? | October 19 2020
What's Up At Council? is our bi-weekly video series that gives you a glance at what's coming up for discussion and decision making at City Council.  Hosted by Mayor Lisa Helps, this week's video is available below and on the City of Victoria's social media channels.  Watch What’s Up At Council on Thursday, October 22, 2020? and view this week's Council Meeting Agenda. Council Meetings – How to Participate Throughout the global pandemic, City Council has been meeting regularly. Although you can't attend in person due to COVID-19, there are many ways to participate.  What City Council meetings are where final decisions are made that will most impact you. Mayor and Council convene twice a month to make decisions about bylaws and development permits, City business such as programs and services, and our Strategic Plan initiatives. When Victoria City Council meetings normally occur on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. Agendas are posted the Friday before by 3 p.m. How to Watch a Council Meeting You can watch the live webcast from the comfort of your home. Council webcasts are archived online so you can view at your convenience. View the 2020 Council Meeting Schedule. How to Participate in a Virtual Public Hearing Public hearings are held at Council meetings to provide Victoria citizens an opportunity to share their views on how land in their community is proposed to be used. During the pandemic, you can indicate your support or opposition to a Virtual Public Hearing item by submitting written comments or a pre-recorded video in advance, or by pre-registering to call-in. Learn more on how to participate in a Virtual Public Hearing. How to Request to Address Council on a Topic You can also address Council on a topic other than a public hearing by filling out the Request to Address Council Form. City staff will follow up with you on how to participate via conference call.  What Was Decided? Council Highlights provide a snapshot of the progress made on City programs, initiatives and on Council decision-making. Sign up to receive our Council Highlights by emailing engage@victoria.ca. Who Voted for What? You can see and track Council voting records at the click of a mouse with the Council Meeting Dashboard. Introduced last year, the dashboard makes it easy to see how members of Council voted on a particular motion and gives you more tools to access and analyze information about decisions that impact you. The dashboard has been updated to the start of Council’s four-year term in November 2018.  
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Candidate Nomination Forms Available Starting October 13 | October 10 2020
In December, voters in Victoria’s municipal by-election will elect one Councillor. General Voting Day is Saturday, December 12, 2020. Starting Tuesday, October 13, Candidate Nomination Forms will be available by contacting the Legislative Office at Victoria City Hall at 250.361.0571 or at elections@victoria.ca. Due to COVID-19, City Hall offices remain closed to the public.  The City of Victoria will be accepting Candidate Nomination Forms from 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 until 4 p.m. on Friday, November 6, 2020. Learn more.
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Get Ready to ShakeOut on Thursday, October 15 at 10:15am! | October 08 2020
Get Ready to ShakeOut, Victoria! On Thursday, October 15 at 10:15 a.m., people across the province will Drop, Cover, and Hold On! for two minutes in the Great British Columbia ShakeOut (ShakeOutBC) province-wide earthquake drill. The City of Victoria encourages Victoria households, schools, businesses, organizations and media to sign up online to participate at: ShakeOutBC.ca. Victoria has a one-in-three probability of a damaging earthquake in the next 50 years – and we need to be prepared. Drop, Cover, and Hold On! is the best thing you can do to reduce injury and death during an earthquake. The drill is an opportunity to practise how to protect yourself during an earthquake and to increase awareness on the need to know your risks, make a plan, get your kit together, and get connected. Drop, Cover, and Hold On! means: DROP to the floor (before the earthquake drops you), Take COVER under a desk or sturdy piece of furniture and protect your head and torso, and HOLD ON to the piece of furniture until the shaking stops (once the shaking stops count out loud to 60 before you get up to allow things to settle) Use this time to find safe spaces where you live, work, and play and practice what to do when an earthquake occurs. This is also a great reminder to talk to your family and neighbours about your emergency plan and check for expired items in your emergency kit. Learn more. 
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