Good afternoon everyone and thank you for joining us today

We raise our hands to the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations in whose traditional territories we live and work. 

Hay sxw qa.

I am honoured to be here, with this team of councilors around me

We are a progressive council elected in challenging financial times

I will start by congratulating each person around this table

It is a great privilege our residents have granted us – and I know that we all take this responsibility very seriously

To our three new faces – welcome – your long standing commitment to our community has not gone unnoticed, and now you begin in a new role serving the community you love

New or incumbent - each one of us brings strengths and passion to the table – and I am excited to be working with all of you

We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am confident that, together, we can build on the momentum of the last three years…

and continue to make significant progress on the priorities our community cares about

Housing and affordability

Alternative transportation

Open government

Economic development

A sustainable community – environmentally, socially, and financially

Three years ago I articulated a vision for Victoria.

A vision of a vibrant, safe, and welcoming city – full of opportunities for all ages and all interests

And we worked diligently over the years to realize this vision

We made unprecedented investment in housing, increased the vitality of our downtown, enhanced our parks and public spaces, and built a made-in-Victoria economic development strategy

Today, Victoria is a safer, cleaner, more economically dynamic city as a result of that work

And everyone in this room contributed to that success – either as a member of council, a member of the public service, or a committed member of the community

But the world is not standing still. And neither can we.

As we start this term of office, we must recommit to the challenges and opportunities ahead

We are the most open government that the City of Victoria has ever had – and the test moving forward is for us to remain committed to the principles of openness and accountability

In 2010 we adopted the Civic Engagement Strategy, to put into action the principles and practice of good outreach and meaningful consultation

Building on those principles we will move forward with the Open Data Initiative and strike an implementation group to make it happen. 

And we will scour the community for new ideas for us to consider as this initiative grows and takes root.

We will re-dedicate ourselves to ending street homelessness in Victoria once and for all.

We will continue to work through our partner, the Coalition to End Homelessness, to create housing with supports for those who are most vulnerable;

We will bring our Traveller’s Inn properties fully on line with our partner BC Housing;

And we will, as a City, once more rise to the occasion and continue to invest in affordable housing initiatives and look for new opportunities and ideas that will really make a difference for everyone.

We will recommit ourselves to strengthening our downtown – and our neighbourhood villages – so that every corner of our city is alive and thriving. 

We have laid the groundwork with our new Downtown Plan and the Official Community Plan,

And over the next 3 years, in consultation with the community, we will engage our partners in the provincial government to advance a vision for the legislative and waterfront district,

And look to the development of the Rock Bay District plan, as it holds a strong potential for economic development.

From bridge to boulevards, parks to bike lanes, we have made significant investments in our city’s infrastructure and green space over the last three years.

And I look forward to the construction of a new waterfront park on the west side of the new bridge, finding a new park for Burnside Gorge, and completing Phase 2 of Fisherman’s Wharf Park in James Bay.

But we have very real challenges ahead - and we must put our minds to systematically addressing our aging infrastructure. 

With input from our citizens, we will formally map out a long-term plan to build and maintain the infrastructure that’s so vital to our city’s sustainability.

Finally, we will bring to life our Economic Development Strategy, so we can do all this important work, and keep our taxes affordable.

In our highly competitive global economy that’s the most important thing any city can do.

We’ve got the right formula to attract new investment, new skills, and new ideas.

No one can touch us when it comes to quality of life.

We have world class institutions of higher-learning.

We have a dynamic entrepreneurial business culture.

And we have an international brand...

People from all over Canada and the world want to live here….and everyone wants to retire here

We are already seeing the signs of renewed business confidence in the City of Victoria

In order to breath life into our recently release strategy, the first order of business will be to constitute a community based Cabinet.

Their job is to bring this strategy into every corner of our City

To guide the implementation so that it is working ‘on the ground’

Our work must also focus inside City Hall, where our customer service strategy goes hand in hand with economic development

Because we know that how we do business is as important as the business we do.

We have the opportunity to keeping pushing ahead on these key challenges.

We have the opportunity, starting today, to build on our success and make our city the best place anywhere to live, raise a family, and own a business.

But we can’t forget what we do at our core.

Those things that, when done well, nobody even notices.

Roads, sewers, parks maintenance, garbage or leaf pick-up, street cleaning.

I am enormously proud of the high quality services we deliver.

And I am enormously proud of the many talented and dedicated City of Victoria employees that do this work day in and day out.

I am grateful to Gail Stephens for her commitment to the city – I look forward to working with her and her team for another three years.

One of the first jobs ahead for the new council will be strategic planning.

To move through orientation and into priority setting.

We are a progressive council elected in Challenging financial times - as the decision makers for our community we must be compassionate, prudent and realistic.

And as a new team, over the next few months we will put our minds to setting priorities and building a strategy that is achievable, affordable, and effective.

In every challenge there is an opportunity.

And together as a Council, and with the ongoing and meaningful engagement of our residents, I am confident we will continue to make significant gains that benefit everyone in our community.