Blog
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HEAT DOME ANNIVERSARY – CALL FOR LETTER SIGNING by June 23rd, 2025
CALL FOR LETTER SIGNING FROM: David Quigq (Sierra Club). Dr. Melissa Lem and I will be doing a press conference/media interviews on Tuesday June 24th at 11am in front of Eby’s office in Kits. That’s the morning we’ll submit the letter with signatories to the province. Please share this letter widely to organizations and individuals… Read more
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A Rally to Save the Centennial Sequoia. June 12th at 12 noon (lunchtime rally) at Centennial Square, City of Victoria Municipal Hall
The inaugural event attended by Squirrel for Mayor was at “A Rally to Save the Centennial Sequoia,” planned by “Friends of Centennial Square,” a group of residents from the City of Victoria. The rally was aimed at protesting the City Council’s decision to remove a mature sequoia tree to facilitate a redesign of the square. Over time, the Sequoia… Read more
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A Freedom of Information response revealed that City of Victoria staff stated in February 2024 that none of the trees in Centennial Square met the criteria for removal.
Originally posted at CRD WATCH A Freedom of Information response revealed that City of Victoria staff stated in February 2024 that none of the trees in Centennial Square met the criteria for removal.The document provides compelling evidence that counters later claims by City of Victoria councillors that the trees are unsafe. The document also underscores… Read more
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Climate funding Victoria’s Centennial Square and the Sequoia tree.
At the January 23rd Council of the Whole Meeting, Councillor Matt Dell shared his experiences of tree removal and replacement regarding the need to advance a city, thus emphasizing the need for context in urban planning. “I grew up in a farming family in the South Okanagan, where trees are cut down and replanted every… Read more
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Historical Maps
The urban area of the City of Victoria is the Garry oak ecosystem (GOE)–– a fact often left out of discussions on the urban forest. The Garry oak ecosystem, or Kwetlal food system in the ləkwW əŋən language, has been shaped by Indigenous agroecological management for thousands of years and emerged after the glacial retreat around 10,000… Read more
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Council Member Motion – Urban Forest Canopy
Council Member MotionFor the Committee of the Whole Meeting of April 3rd, 2025 COTW Video segment:https://pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=f613a2e9-ce96-43b6-aca8-b281afcdaf54&Agenda=Merged&lang=English&Item=23&Tab=attachments Motion (.pdf)https://pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=101687 BACKGROUND: A significant value for Victorians is nature, our climate, our hills, our natural green areas, and our urban forest. Section 4, Blue Green Networks of the 2025 DRAFT OCP, includes a brief description of the City’s… Read more
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City of Victoria’s 2019-2023 LiDAR vegetation change detection analysis
City of Victoria Tree Canopy Using LiDAR data to Measure the City’s Tree Canopy. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology uses laser pulses to create detailed 3D models of the environment. The City of Victoria’s Urban Forest Canopy Analysis from 2019 to 2023 was posted on Wednesday, April 02, 2025. Individual data points create point… Read more
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Presentation to Council- Urban Forest and Natural Assets, City of Victoria
Presentation: Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 6:30 P.M. Council Chambers E. Request to Address Council E.7 Urban Forest and Natural Assets (LiDAR) update for Draft OCP “Victoria 2050” Video Link: https://pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=22a0de46-6b14-4887-83fe-114fa79ced8d&Agenda=Merged&lang=English&Item=29&Tab=attachments Documents: The City of Victoria has collected urban tree canopy data over multiple years by to perform ongoing measurements of its urban forest canopy. The City has outsourced urban tree canopy monitoring… Read more
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VCAN Community Mapping Project
A conversation about the distribution of biodiversity within and between the City of Victoria’s neighbourhoods. To complement the City’s excellent inventory of all trees on public land, the Victoria Community Association Network (VCAN) has involved each neighbourhood in an inventory of Garry oaks and other elements of biodiversity on private property. Each neighbourhood developed their… Read more
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Calls for saving the Sequoia Mount as the City of Victoria Council faces increasing public scrutiny over a lack of transparency and signs of potential significant inconsistencies on the matter.
Originally posted at CRD WATCH https://crdwatch.ca/2025/02/09/calls-for-saving-the-sequoia-mount-as-the-city-of-victoria-council-receives-growing-public-scrutiny-over-a-lack-of-transparency-and-among-indications-of-what-may-be-gross-inconsistencies-on-the/ By Mary Fowles and Jennifer ButtonFeb 9, 2025 In July 2024 Victoria City Council approved (6 to 3) (1) a design (2) for Centennial Square which included the destruction of the square’s Sequoia tree. Following the decision, several citizens wrote to the Mayor and Council to express their concerns.… Read more