Summer in James Bay

James Bay Neighbourhood Association

An on-going Beacon feature on land use & planning - to alert, inform, and prompt community action - and to celebrate success!                                                                                                

June 8th General Meeting

The June 8th general meeting of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association (JBNA) was cancelled.  Ultimately, there was no contest between the intended Emergency Preparedness agenda, other community events, and the Stanley Cup Canucks game.  The Emergency Preparedness presentation will be rescheduled.

Parks

Fisherman's Wharf Park: 

On May 12, Park planners presented Phase 2 development plans for Fisherman's Wharf Park to City Council's Environment and Infrastructure Standing Committee.  Instead of daylighting the stream, which proved impractical, the park will include a "rain garden" water feature. There will be new pathways, trees and shrubs, a "beach" area for children's play and a lawn for community gatherings.  Much of the park was a marine estuary until the 1950s.  A decorative rock wall marking the former shoreline will reference that history.

Beacon Hill Park: 

Benches at the Cameron Bandshell have been positioned on new concrete bases. In the future, they will be bolted in place. These improvements should solve several long-standing problems. For decades, park workers were forced to lift and move each heavy bench in order to mow the grass.  Even worse, vandals often stacked benches into one dangerous towering heap. Not only were benches damaged, but workers trying to disentangle the pile were injured.

Holland Park

Preparation for the "Playful Public Artwork" installation is underway west of Harrison Yacht Pond.  The concrete foundation will be poured by the end of June and installation of the artwork is scheduled for the end of July. 

St. Lawrence Street

The large construction project to realign St. Lawrence Street began in May. The street and sidewalks will be improved and more greenspace provided. There was not enough space for allotment gardens but edible-nut trees will be planted along the boulevard.

BC Transit

Members of JBNA have met with BC Transit management as they develop plans to service James Bay.  Although BC Transit is committed in the long term to providing the type of service that residents said they wanted in the various meetings and surveys done by BC Transit, there are impediments in the short term. While it is unlikely that a community bus service will be implemented this year, it is expected that the seniors bus service will be implemented.  JBNA members are continuing to work with BC Transit to ensure that the goal of community friendly buses (quiet, non-polluting, comfortable, with the appropriate service level) are deployed in James Bay.  BC Transit management will present plans to James Bay residents in August (JBNA meeting of August 10) and to the BC Transit Board sometime in September.

Air Quality

The BC Ministry of the Environment now posts one hour sulphur dioxide (SO2) readings for James Bay.  The monitoring site is at Daniels Electronics on Erie Street at St Lawrence.

Sulphur dioxide levels are dependent on the number of ships in port, the type of fuel being used, the distance away from Ogden Point, and very importantly, the wind direction and strength. Residents should be aware that the reading may, or may not, be indicative of sulphur dioxide levels near their homes.

From April 16 through June 16, data suggests that at Daniels Electronics, 1-hour SO2 levels were at satisfactory levels for most days.  On 5 individual days, levels were moderate suggesting that there might be a moderate health risk for a small number of people.  On another 3 days, levels were within a couple ppb of this moderate level.  On the highest SO2 day, June 9, the SO2 level was at levels considered "Unhealthy for sensitive groups".

Residents must be cautious.  Levels may be many times higher in some areas, including those closer to Ogden Point. 

In addition to general complaints, specific complaints were received concerning air pollution on May 23 and June 18.  "My wife and I just walked down Oswego ... and it was really bad the whole way - our throats are burning from it, and my wife is coughing".  On May 23 there was a relatively high level at Daniels while there was little SO2 detected at Daniels on June 18.  But, on June 18 the winds were more westerly and it is not surprising that high levels were detected along Oswego but not at Daniels on Erie.

The JBNA Board understands that the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) has not required, and does not intend to require, cruise ships to burn lower sulphur content fuels while berthed on GVHA waterlots.

Current SO2 levels at Daniels on Erie Street are found at

~ - click onto Victoria/Saanich

~ Click onto Victoria/James Bay at bottom of map.  (Note: you may have to 'move' map to find the link)

~ Click onto the Sulphur Dioxide reading.  A graph detailing levels for the previous 24 hours should appear.

Should residents have questions or comments about air quality, please contact the BC Ministry of the Environment, Vancouver Island Health Authority, and/or the Office of the Mayor.  The JBNA would appreciate being copied on any correspondence (jbna@vcn.bc.ca).

July, August, and September JBNA meetings

JBNA general meetings will be held on July 13, August 10, and September 14.  Although all agenda details cannot be confirmed at this time, the JBNA Board intends to invite speakers who are able to make presentations on issues of interest to residents of James Bay.

The Streets of James Bay

Guests scheduled for the July meeting will focus on the streets of James Bay. 

- Dwayne Kalynchuk, City of Victoria Director of Engineering and Public Works, will speak on the classification and use of streets.

- Representatives from City Special Events and Noise ByLaw enforcement will be invited.

- A representative from the recent Tour de Victoria event has also asked to participate to receive resident feedback.

BC Transit will present a James Bay transit plan at the August 10 meeting.

Jordan Fisher of Jordan Fisher & Associates Ltd. will provide an overview of his report  "Renewable Power Generation: Conceptual Plan for Ogden Point, Victoria" at an upcoming meeting (month to be determined). 

It is hoped that an update on SO2 monitoring will be presented at one of the meetings. 

To confirm agenda details, please consult the agenda which will be posted on the JBNA web-site a week before the meeting.

Any James Bay resident may have his/her e-mail address added to the JBNA e-mail distribution list.  To do so, please contact any Board member or send a note to JBNA at jbna@vcn.bc.ca or via mail at JBNA, 234 Menzies St., Victoria V8V 2G7.