Monday Letters: Public art needs better approach; bad-mannered cyclists and more

Public art needs a better approach

Whatever happened to the aesthetic sophistication and adventurous intellect of “Canada’s Smartest City?” The state of public art in Victoria, in many instances, has shorted the generosity and noble intentions of donors, cast the city as parochial and masked the forward-thinking spirit I know exists here.

Tupper’s examples of the saccharine “Homecoming” sculpture at Ship’s Point and the underwhelming Terry Fox memorial at Mile Zero are only a couple of works on a long list that includes, amongst others, the amateurish wooden “Welcome to Victoria” sign, the Michael Williams statue in front of Market Square and the now seemingly semi-permanent cavalcade of fiberglass whales, eagles and who knows what next that clutter our public spaces for years at a time.

All of this work suffers, to one degree or another, from poor use of materials, questionable aesthetics and a lack of consideration for cultural and site context. Again, the issue is one of execution, not the commendable and worthy causes behind the work.

Why is this happening and what can we do about it?

1) Reinstate some form of the city’s arts advisory committee as a forum to bring varied but informed views together

2) Encourage potential public art donors and competitions to seek broader perspectives on their projects

3) Learn from other jurisdictions.

4) Create a mechanism to manage public work that is placed on federal and provincial properties.

5) Review public art inventory from time to time and provide the ability to remove work from public spaces, if necessary

The design of our public spaces and the public sculpture that enlivens them are a critical part of our civic fabric. They tell a story about how we think as a community. We wouldn’t have to feel that we were being subject to the tastes of the traditionalist or the radical or to the self-promotion of donors if we had a framework and a process for decision-making that was inclusive and set as its goal the desire to express the creativity, willingness to be challenged and progressive thinking of our city.

In the public art realm, we’ve got a lot more potential than what is currently being expressed.

George Allen

Victoria

Homecoming too evocative to be ‘art’

Unfortunately I missed Jon Tupper’s evaluation of The Homecoming sculpture and must pick up the thread from your letters.

I would join in his opinion if it means to state that the piece is not art. If the pile of scrap metal adorning our sports plaza is art then I certainly thank Tupper for excluding our sculpture from such company. One of your readers, found the scrap pile to be “evocative of pain and destruction,” and here I would also agree. It certainly pains me.

The Homecoming too is evocative and also sentimental to the extent that it represents the sentiments of a great number of Canadians and their loved ones.

Patrick MacKinnon

Victoria

A young critic at the arena

A while ago, while passing by the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre with two of my very young grandchildren with me, I commented on the piece of artwork and attempted to explain its meaning.

When I’d finished, my eight-year-old grandson asked, “What happened to it?”

Out of the mouths of babes!

Barb Waldner

Victoria

No, his laptop does not need first class

I was one of the people that had to commute on a regular basis from Victoria to Ottawa during the 1990s at the height of the “Reeeee-form!” party. They were regulars joining the rest of us, (the unwashed), in Calgary, riding in the back of the plane on our journey at 8:30 a.m. bound for Ottawa every Monday and returning on Friday.

They all sat with us, the unwashed, in the back of the plane, at random seats. From time to time I would sit besides the likes of Preston himself, and interesting discussion entailed on that short trip.

After a period of time, we the unwashed came to know our “Reeeee-form” passenger and to appreciate their personal integrity regardless of political stripe.

At the time, I changed my vote to Keith Martin.

Keith was a “Reeeee-formmmer!” at that time with an interesting characteristic.

Keith had the “lowest expenses” of all our MPs in Ottawa.

Wow! That was quite something to think about when it is “taxpayer’s or constituent’s” money that is being spent on travel.

I still vote for Keith today, primarily for that reason.

James Lunney’s excuse of needing to fly his laptop first class? Now that is funny.

John Constable

Sooke

Honesty matters in public debates

On the radio, I heard our premier admonish the anti-HST campaigners for their lack of honesty.

Honesty! Wow, what a concept!

Mike Harrison

Victoria

Late-night ferry might make money

B.C. Ferries lack of a late-night ferry is a missed opportunity.

How many Victorians have found themselves paying $100 or more on a hotel room and having to burn a vacation day at work to attend a concert or a sporting event in Vancouver in the past year? How may of those same Victorians would have been willing to pay a surcharge of 30 per cent over the regular ferry fare to catch a 12:30 AM ferry from Tswassen to Swartz Bay so they could have slept in their own beds and gone to work the next day? What about all of the potential ferry customers who decided not to go to that concert or sporting event in Vancouver because they couldn’t get the day off of work or afford the hotel room?

Trevor Amon

Victoria

HST misinformation claim not credible

Premier Gordon Campbell is spending a great deal of time addressing the HST issue, his main theme being there is a “lot of misinformation” about the HST out there. With a multimillion-dollar Public Affairs Bureau at his bidding, this is indeed a curious and puzzling defence. Could it be he has been in office so long that he simply takes the public for granted?

Dickson Melville

Victoria

Langford showing the way on sustainability

Portland is a blue-collar city with many activities and many amenities. However, what makes it noteworthy is that it consistently tops several “Most Sustainable City” lists and leads the charge among U.S. cities in urban rebirth.

Consider the Pearl District in Portland, a brick warehouse zone recently reborn as an example of work-life (residential-commercial) development with the ability to build upon new transit infrastructure. Does this sound similar to Goldstream Avenue and the new transit facilities in the vicinity that one would hope will be incorporated into a regional rapid transit system?

Unfortunately, these similarities towards sustainability are limited by the short-sightedness of other municipalities outside Langford with an anti-urban density mentality.

Consider the mediocre acceptance of the City of Victoria’s vision of increased density over the next 30 years along the Douglas Street and Blanshard Street corridors. Comments such as “ugly condo towers” and “living like sardines” and so on are more prominent than “urban density is more sustainable than urban sprawl.”

Congratulations to the City of Langford and its residents for embracing sustainable development by balancing the development of single-family dwellings with medium and high density housing, for balancing tourist destination facilities with residential-commercial infrastructure, which optimizes scarce land resources.

Langford’s vision of compact communities where people can walk to conduct many of their daily activities are a reality whereas Victoria’s vision, although admirable, will only be argued upon for the next 30 years.

 

Avi Ickovich

Langford

University debt buries graduating students

Advanced Education Minister Heather Stilwell thinks B.C. universities might be some of the most accessible and “affordable” in the country.

More than a few university graduates don’t think their education was affordable, looking back years after graduation. It is unrealistic to think you can work and put yourself through university or even college. Student debt is unavoidable.

Heaven forbid if you don’t have your future mapped out by the time you graduate and haven’t landed that mythical high-paying job that a university education “entitles” you to.

As a graduate of the University of Victoria in 2002, the cost of my education runs me about $500 a month a minimum payment on my student loans. I enjoyed university, but there is no way I will ever own my own home in Victoria, at least not until I’m 50 and my debt is finally paid off.

It’s ridiculous to train young people and then send them out in the workforce with the weight of this debt.

And if you can’t pay? What if your university degree earns you $20,000. a year or less? That’s a whole other story.

The system is broken. The sad part is, I know I’m just one of a vast majority who are struggling with the reality of that question— was it worth the cost?  

Susan Holm

Victoria

G8, G20 security costs ridiculous

Does Stephen Harper really believe that $930 million is an acceptable cost for security measures for the G8 and G20 summits this June? With the global economy on the brink of complete collapse how can we allow this? The original estimate for these security costs was a mere $179 million only a few months ago.

Its time all Canadians took to the streets demanding the resignation of the entire government if they think we will accept this. We need a legal investigation.

The world leaders can stay the hell at home if this is the true cost of hosting such a ridiculous affair!

Jeff Leggat

Maple Bay

Errant cyclists in majority

Since retiring here from Regina in January, I’ve enjoyed reading the column Behind the Wheel, but I take issue with May 21 assertion that “these poor, offensive riders (cyclists) are the minority.”

From our experience, on a daily basis probably eight out of 10 cyclists commit serious road infractions. Most show no understanding of the rules of the road — blowing stop signs, no yielding at corners, no hand signals, blowing red lights and on and on. Often the cyclists are well-dressed and in their 30s and 40s — people who should know better.

Most don’t have a bell or horn or a rear-view mirror or night light. If a car driver were as reckless the police would charge them and take him off the road.

The only way to deal with cyclists is through mandatory education and licensing and significant fees to help moderate the cost of enforcement and dealing with the broken bodies.

Stan Bartlett

Victoria

Losing employees to pay for the Games

Another sad day for British Columbians as the Liberal government lays off more workers, I suspect, to pay off the huge bill for Owe-lympics.

Now that the party is over and all of the developers, corporations and Liberal cronies are walking away with their pockets stuffed, ordinary British Columbians pick up the tab. Now we pay with harmonized sales tax, with cuts to health, education, forestry, government services, senior services and cuts in a slew of what once were essential services.

Now layoffs are “our workforce adjustments process to meet our three-year budget adjustment target.” Sounds like nothing but goals set and met.

But to the individuals affected these are hard times, indeed. I say no HST. I say recall these scoundrels so B.C. is, once again, a province for everyone and not just the rich, big business, and the well-connected Liberals.

Barry Ewacha

Shawnigan Lake

McTavish detours a transit expense

Re: “Tough choices a transit reality,” May 26.

The thoughtful editorial on transit’s tough choices failed to mention another interesting figure.

B.C. Transit is being forced to provide an additional 6,700 hours of service for detours around the McTavish interchange. This is in excess of the amount needed to continue the late night bus service.

Not only was the McTavish interchange a very poor expenditure of taxpayer funds in the context of other regional transportation priorities, but now it would seem to be further undermining B.C. Transit’s efforts to provide a sustainable level of service.

Judy Gaylord

Victoria

Mine not worth risk in Clayoquot

There is currently a controversy about mining in the area of Clayoquot Sound, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Environmentalists fear that should mining go ahead, it would result in generations of pollution from acid tailings.

In the wake of the environmental disaster going on in the Gulf of Mexico, Randy Hawes, B.C. minister of state for mining, is pulling out the old chestnuts like “We are competing with other jurisdictions all over the world … Opening a new mine usually means an investment of more that $1 billion, so it would be counterproductive to make the exploration phase more difficult. Exploration means jobs and local expenditure.”

With caution to the wind, this approach must ring alarm bells to those concerned about the BP oil rig that blew up and the resulting tragedy.

Robert Winkenhower

Victoria

Push harder to find civic success

This idea that we all should just sit back and allow evolution to lead the charge for amalgamation is just not practical.

Who exactly is leading that ship? The established political representation designed to keep itself in place? And why is it that when it comes to change people would rather focus entirely on examples that were not deemed (by some) to be successful?

This issue reminds me of the pedestrianization of Government Street. Local naysayers love to use Granville Street in Vancouver as the black hole of the world’s pedestrian malls while many easterners will take to you about the decades long success of Ottawa’s Sparks Street mall.

Sometimes have to patiently push a little harder in these parts to get change to occur.

John Vickers

Victoria

Testing for hydro meter problems

Re: “A real mystery about hydro usage,” April 30

The writer says he has a two-year old house. So we assume the electric meter was new also. He should unplug everything in the house and check the meter — watch the horizontal plate with the black dot on it that turns in the center of the meter. If it continues to go around (it might take 10 minutes or more) he should contact B.C. Hydro and tell them his meter is creeping. A replacement shouldn’t cost him anything.

Florence Wilson,

Victoria