Lisa Helps is looking forward to slipping into the shadows.
The two-term mayor of Victoria, an unapologetic booster for a city she believes has immense potential, and a frequent target of many residents’ frustrations, clearly has her eye fixed on some down time as her term comes to an end.
Right after the Oct. 15 election, the normally accessible mayor started deflecting questions to her successor, longtime councillor Marianne Alto, and became harder to track down.
That was likely just a warm-up for the dyed-in-the-wool introvert, who says she intends to shut down in November to spend time with her family, read and surf before she decides what she wants to do next.
“I’ve got a number of irons in the fire,” Helps said, though she would only hint that her future may include working in a leadership role within a large organization — one that definitely doesn’t involve being the face of said organization.
“The one thing I’m really looking forward to is getting out of the public eye,” she said. “I like quiet time. I like privacy. It’s been a real stretch for the last eight years to be so out there.”
She’s made it clear since before the 2018 election that she would not seek a third term as mayor in 2022, and has never regretted that decision.
“It’s healthy for an organization or a company to have turnover,” she said. “Eight years as mayor is a long time. I think it’s time to get out of the way and let some fresh ideas come to the front.”
Helps made headlines on her first day as mayor in 2014 when she refused to swear allegiance to the Queen, saying the practice was outdated, then again when she deleted her Facebook and Twitter accounts to get away from what she called the toxic echo chamber of social media.
The spotlight dogged her through the disruptions and confusion caused by establishing a network of bike lanes in the city, the controversial removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald statue near city hall and what some have called her council’s singular focus on the homeless.
Helps said while it’s not fair that residents’ anger and frustration be focused on one person, it comes with the territory. “You are the spokesperson for the council. Whether I like it doesn’t really matter. If I get the criticism or the accolades, that is just part of the role,” said Helps.
Those critiques often came with an undercurrent of anger, ugliness and personal dislike, however, leading in part to her decision to get off social media.
“I don’t mind taking heat over policy issues, but I do mind taking heat just because people may or may not like me — that’s the part that has felt a little bit unfair,” she said, adding it can also deter other people from thinking of running for office, particularly women, people of colour and those from marginalized groups.
Bike lanes weren’t the only lightning rod for Helps. The city’s other climate-change initiatives also attracted backlash, like deciding most new construction must be zero carbon producers by 2025, meaning they can’t be heated with fossil fuels, or drafting regulations that could include a 25-cent charge for single-use cups and food containers.
The city also drew criticism for its decision to allow all-day camping in parks during the pandemic — something many homeless people continue to do in places like Stadacona Park. The existing bylaw allows tents in public parks only between 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Helps acknowledged whether it’s homeless camps or the city’s work on climate change, housing or reconciliation, there is always a vocal group against it. “What’s interesting, though, is I often get asked to give talks at a national and global level on the things we are doing in Victoria,” she said.
“So while there’s this small faction of people who’ve attacked me for things that are beyond my control, there’s also a small faction of people across the country and around the world who look at Victoria and see there’s some really interesting things going on there.”
Bruce Williams, chief executive of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, said Helps was often misunderstood by those “who found it convenient to criticize her without full knowledge of the process she was a part of leading.”
“She absorbed criticism for council decisions she may not have supported,” said Williams, adding he’s always been impressed by Helps’s energy, focus and determination. “Government is often criticized for too much talk and not enough action, but Lisa was able to get things done and make some major changes.”
While most people get into politics because they want to improve their communities, the system can be hard on idealists, Williams said. “But I think time will show that Lisa was much more effective and pragmatic than her critics give her credit for.”
Helps said the perception of Victoria in many circles has changed to the point the city is now considered on the leading edge, as a tech hub and entrepreneurial city and for its work on climate and housing innovation.
And she takes pride in the Victoria 3.0 economic action plan that builds on some of those ideals and lays out a 20-year vision for the city. That vision, championed by Helps and driven internally rather than by consultants, includes an arts and innovation district in the north end of downtown, and a marine hub to take advantage of the emerging “blue economy.”
A key part of the document was convening groups of people together to work on new ideas, which Helps said is one of the great privileges of being a mayor — being able to bring people together to tackle things like building the economy or dealing with COVID 19.
John Treleaven, chair of the Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria, said Helps leaves some unfinished business — including strengthening governance in Victoria — though he gave her credit for never shying away from making decisions.
Treleaven said he wants to make sure a consultant’s report that recommended a number of changes for Victoria council, including a code of conduct, doesn’t “sit on a shelf.”
“I don’t know many mayors and councils who leave behind them a well-researched, well-written, thoughtful report on how they did from a governance point of view.”
Treleaven also gives Helps and council credit for presiding over significant changes in the city and a period of incredible growth, even through the difficult period of the pandemic.
For her part, Helps says that growth brings opportunity, noting during her term council adopted the new official community plan that envisioned high-density living and office towers in the downtown.
“I do feel very proud of that work,” she said. “When you send the right kinds of signals, the right kind of development happens.”
The change goes beyond the physical, to what she calls “transformational change” over the last eight years — “whether it’s our climate leadership plan or Zero Waste Victoria, or the bike network, or our housing strategy, all of that work that did not exist at the beginning of 2014.”
“And it’s now not only in existence making meaningful, tangible, visible changes in the city, but it’s embedded into work plans for the future.
“I think we’ve spent the last eight years setting the city up and getting the city ready for the future.”
Kathy Whitcher, executive director of the Urban Development Institute, said they have lost an ally with Helps walking away from politics.
“I really do think that Lisa definitely had her heart and her drive in the right place, even though she’s only one voice on council, she’s only one vote, but I truly believe that she did try to align herself and get other people to join her to bring housing to the city,” she said. “I think she did a very good job.”
Helps’ second term was coloured by the pandemic, but she says it never hijacked council’s agenda.
Despite the serious health emergency and great stress, there were also opportunities, she said, noting the city was able to establish the heart of Government Street as a pedestrian-first zone, after decades of talking about it.
Social distancing also made it easier for downtown retailers to expand to the outdoors, leading to the creation of a patio culture, while the shift online made it easier for people to engage with council without having to be in a council chamber.
“All of those things would’ve taken a long time to do had there been no pandemic,” she said.
Helps is the first to admit many of the problems the city faced before she was mayor, such as homelessness, remain today, but she said steps have been taken to address them.
She said her work with the B.C. Urban Mayors Caucus redefined homelessness as a problem for the entire province, not just the major centres.
“We certainly have a role to play, and I think we’ve seen some very good progress, both in Victoria and provincewide,” she said. But without senior governments making substantial investments in new housing and support and resources for those with complex needs, mental health challenges and substance-use issues, the issue will never be resolved, she maintains.
Helps’s biggest regret may be not adopting the “missing-middle” housing initiative she believes would have complemented the work done on affordable housing and establishing villages in the city. The initiative, to be considered by the next council, would see more townhouses and houseplexes established in traditionally single-family neighbourhoods.
“That one really frustrates me, because some of the opponents of missing-middle housing are the same people who bang their tables and said ‘stay in your lane, just focus on what the city’s supposed to focus on,’ ” she said. “We are supposed to focus on land-use planning, that’s a core city responsibility and missing-middle housing would have set in motion the next five decades of land-use planning to make every neighbourhood a little bit more welcoming for families and working people.”
She remains hopeful the next council will pick up where they left off.
She also hopes that council, which will be very green, given the number of new faces — only Alto returns from the previous council — will be given the space to find its groove.
“It will be really important for the public to let the new council and mayor find their feet, let them put forward some ideas, and just give them the space to do some work without immediately jumping in and saying, ‘that’s a good idea, or that’s a bad idea,’ ” she said.
Alto said the prospect of stepping into Helps’s shoes is somewhat daunting.
“Whatever you think of what Mayor Helps did, no one can fault her for the dedication she put into the job. This is an individual who put everything else aside and was first and foremost committed to the city as the mayor of Victoria — she gave every aspect of her life to the city,” she said.
“Those are big shoes to fill. I hope people will not expect another Mayor Helps.”
