A commentary by the mayor of Victoria.
Last Wednesday, Premier John Horgan unveiled B.C.’s Restart Plan. It was welcome news to hear that we’d all be allowed out of our bubbles and back out into the world, slowly, cautiously and carefully.
The province has shown considerable leadership throughout the pandemic. And British Columbians have also stepped up to the challenge. That’s why we’re in the place we’re in now.
And now, it’s time to meet our next challenge together — reopening our economy and inviting people back into our downtown. It’s a different environment than it was when we entered the pandemic six weeks ago.
Our small business sector has been hit very hard; revenues toppled overnight and there were significant staff layoffs. We’ve heard first-hand in the Times Colonist about the struggles of local business owners. And we’ve also heard about their courage and tenacity.
Businesses with already slim margins before the pandemic are in an even more precarious position coming out of it. Our much-loved restaurateurs and retailers need our help.
We’ve stayed in close touch with business owners during the pandemic and have taken seriously their needs and asks of local government. We will be doing everything we can to help small businesses on the path to recovery.
This week, council members will bring forward ideas to jump-start the economy based on what they are hearing on the ground. Council will also consider Victoria 3.0, a revised version of the city’s economic action plan based on input received from business owners before and during the pandemic.
The plan is full of practical, quick actions to help businesses reopen as smoothly as possible, to prepare for a second wave of COVID-19 that might hit in the fall and to make downtown a welcoming and safe place for all.
Victoria 3.0 also positions our city to take full advantage of a quickly changing global economy, including building a more diverse innovation ecosystem and the well-paying jobs that come with that, anchored by a new Innovation District.
We also need to capitalize on all the region’s assets in the ocean and marine space, grow our ocean economy and develop products, services and technologies for a global marketplace. We will do this through the creation of an Ocean Futures Economic Cluster.
But right now, we need to focus on downtown and getting people back to work. Downtown this summer will have far fewer tourists and not a festival in sight. No Victoria Day Parade. No Canada Day. No Pride. No Car Free Day. No Buskers Festival. And the list goes on.
It’s heartbreaking to think about what the city could feel like without a festival every weekend. We’re all going to need to do our part to make Victoria special this summer.
That’s why council is considering making it easier for pubs and restaurants to open in public spaces, including streets and squares.
It’s why we’re looking at amending bylaws to make it possible for retailers to sell their goods and services outside their storefronts.
And that’s why we’ll ask staff to create more space for pedestrians in the downtown and in village centres, among other measures.
Physical distancing will be in place until a vaccine is developed. A key element of our recovery until then — economic, social and health-wise — is to allocate more public spaces for people.
We need to act quickly. City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan put it nicely when she said: “This pandemic has highlighted, among other things, the agility and speed of our public service when they are needed urgently.”
Both the province and the city will need to respond to the recovery with the same flexibility and agility that we showed during the pandemic. The province will need to act quickly with respect to changes for outdoor liquor licensing. The city will need to be nimble, have a can-do attitude and change relevant bylaws immediately.
If we do this right, we will achieve a vision I think we can all get behind: This summer the whole downtown will have the feeling of a vibrant, open-air market, with lots of space for people to wander safely, retailers spilling out in the streets with their goods and services, delicious food served in open-air restaurants, with locals who are so happy to be out and about in their city once again.
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