Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Cheeky campaign says downtown Victoria parking not that bad; Moose Jaw gets chomped

In a bid to drive more people into the downtown core and spur would-be shoppers and restaurant goers, the Downtown Victoria Business Association has taken a swipe at both Moose Jaw and Vancouver.

In a bid to drive more people into the downtown core and spur would-be shoppers and restaurant goers, the Downtown Victoria Business Association has taken a swipe at both Moose Jaw and Vancouver.

The two cities are taking a shot in the chops from the DVBA’s new tongue-in-cheek Park Here campaign that’s been designed to convince Victorians that parking in the downtown core isn’t all that bad.

“Chill, we could be in Moose Jaw” and “Parking in Vancouver can be twice as much” are two of the four slogans being used in the campaign that started making the rounds in newspaper ads Tuesday. The messages are also being passed around via social media.

The other slogans in the campaign, which cost less than $10,000, are: “Hey, parking in downtown is not that bad” and “Folks, how bad can parking in paradise be?”

“They are four quick little stingers, light, fanciful and a little cheeky,” said DVBA general manager Ken Kelly. “We’re fortunate to live in Victoria and that’s what we are trying to get across — let’s get real, the parking we have downtown is as spectacular as the downtown itself.”

Included in the campaign are 20,000 parking maps, signage on downtown parking kiosks and a web page (downtownvictoria.ca/park) that includes a parking lot map detailing the lots in the core area, how many stalls they have and the cost.

There is also a trivia contest run through the DVBA Facebook page with 30 daily prizes of full-day parking passes.

“A culture has developed of people tuning out and turning off downtown because of parking, but in reality we could go toe-to-toe with most centres of our size,” said Kelly, noting there are 1,000 on-street spaces and more than 5,000 spaces in total.

“This is just trying to change the conversation and point out life ain’t bad and that includes our parking downtown.”

Darlene Holstein, a Saskatchewan native, likes the campaign despite the shot at Moose Jaw.

The general manager of the Bay Centre and president of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce said the parking issue is one of perception not reality.

“Ask anyone why they don’t shop downtown and typically they say parking, but I think that’s a convenient excuse,” she said. “There’s a place for everyone to park. Where we may have a disconnect is sometimes you can’t park directly in front of the merchant you want to visit.

“But we are a big small-city. If you go to downtown Vancouver, will you park and walk a few blocks? You better believe it, [but] here there is that small-town expectation.”

Holstein also liked the map of parking options for customers, but she did warn the DVBA: “You guys are probably going to hear from Moose Jaw.”

aduffy@timescolonist.com