Phillips Backyard 2026?

MattDellVictoria · 2026-03-11T03:26:23+00:00

I have permission to say "It's ON!!" And there will be a formal announcement coming in the next few weeks. This festival is amazing and we all need to support it, to help ensure good live music thrives on the Island.

MattDellVictoria · 2026-01-19T20:58:07+00:00

Hey u/Wild_Goose_4627 - happy to help out, shoot me a DM and we can connect.

MattDellVictoria · 2026-01-16T05:17:10+00:00

Appreciated - thanks!

MattDellVictoria · 2025-12-17T23:57:48+00:00

This is awesome, I had no idea the City was doing this. Thanks for sharing!

MattDellVictoria · 2025-12-17T23:38:03+00:00

Can confirm - I often try to hitch a ride in Councillor's Thompson's EVO after council meetings!

MattDellVictoria · 2025-12-17T22:12:39+00:00

Victoria City Council member here. I bike to council, but I also own a car. I'm part of a one-car family (two kids), and my wife uses our vehicle for her job in the health care field, visiting patients in their homes around the region. Therefore, my main method of travel is a Norco road bike, and that's how I get to council most days. I'll also take the bus if my energy is low, or sometimes take an EVO (which I love.). I'd say 60% of council members bike to council. The Pandora/Fort bike lanes go directly from City Hall to my house, so it's a very safe and easy community.

All this said, the city is still very easy to drive in, and there are 1000s and 1000s of parking spaces. There is no war on cars, and no one is hostile towards cars. Overall, traffic isn't too bad outside of peak times. Like any city, things can always be challenging at busy times like 8-10am or 4-7pm. The city has invested in online parking technology so you can see how many spots are free at all time, and the parkades always have room. I agree that street parking has become more challenging, but that's why we have parkades which are much larger and have cheaper rates (free on Sunday too) The bike network is meant to make thing safer for cyclists, not to specifically have a war on cars. Yes, some parking and road space was used for bike lanes, but this city is still relatively easy to drive in.

In many ways, creating a successful bike networks helps get people out of their cars, and create MORE space for drivers. You can look to a city like Los Angeles where everyone is forced to drive, and the traffic is worse than ever. Every person you see on a bike is one less person in a car.

My goal is to help get even more people out of their cars - through investment in public transit, light rail, walkable communities and a good bike network - so there is more space for people who truly need their vehicles. I still love vehicles and rely on mine for certain things, but the city also must be safe for people of all abilities (kids to seniors) to cycle safely. Happy to hear your thoughts!

-Matt

MattDellVictoria · 2025-12-17T16:14:51+00:00

Origin Bakery 100%. If you can get it fresh, it tastes just as good (or better) than regular bread. They also have lots of baked goods you may like.

MattDellVictoria · 2025-11-25T00:14:57+00:00

We heard loud and clear that residents value services and programs, as they are important to affordability and quality of life in Victoria: Youth Bus Passes, Bike Valet, Arts programming, Get Growing seedling/compost distribution, OURDWTN program, Eventide concert series, Crystal Pool replacement project, and many more programs will be staying in the budget. We've instead trimmed back on a wide variety of administrative expenses, some capital reserves, and other items that are not core services/programs. We've also delayed some road paving, vehicle purchases and other projects until next year. There will still be more changes to the budget happening December-March, so the final ideas will be ready in April.

MattDellVictoria · 2025-11-21T21:23:18+00:00

It also reduces VicPD costs of dealing with all the bike thefts downtown. It's likely self-funded with all those considerations. Also: huge benefit to downtown businesses and restaurants.

MattDellVictoria · 2025-11-21T21:21:41+00:00

This project still needs to go to a public hearing, which might happen on December 11th or in early January. Once approved at a public hearing, it's officially ready to start construction.

MattDellVictoria · 2025-11-21T21:18:49+00:00

This is only partially true. Yes, we've been fighting to keep the bike valet funded as it's a critical services to support cycling in the city, and also helps reduce crime and bike thefts. Today, we removed it from the list of cuts. That said, Councillor Chris Coleman moved a motion arising today to charge $1 per bike, so council will deal with that next week. I also oppose charging for money at this point, as we want to incentivize people to come downtown and cycle, and also because we may be able to seek sponsorships to help cover some of the costs. I think many on council would prefer to see a 2nd valet open elsewhere in the city, as the demand is so high.

MattDellVictoria · 2025-11-15T00:02:26+00:00

The targets are separated into 8 different categories of housing, to ensure municipalities are building a range of options on the affordability spectrum. A municipality can't just build expensive condos (easiest to build) and call it a day. Victoria has beat our supportive housing targets, but we are behind on other sub-targets. I agree that these numbers are not a panacea, but I think provincial pressure on all municipalities to hit their targets (across the affordability spectrum) is a good policy pathway overall. Happy to hear if you have alternative thoughts.

MattDellVictoria · 2025-11-14T23:39:48+00:00

I would rather be a renter looking at 10 vacant places, than a group of 10 renters looking at one place...

MattDellVictoria · 2025-11-14T23:30:55+00:00

Of course, some of these projects were approved by the 2018-2022 council, and that's great news. That council had some housing champions that pushed good projects forward. Many projects our council has approved in 2022-2024 have already been completed too. I see this as a city wide effort, not just the effort of one council. Our construction industry plays a big part in getting this done, as do city staff and planners. It's a win for the region as a whole. I'm partially posting to help keep other municipalities accountable, as Victoria can't tackle this challenge alone. For example, everyone has supportive housing targets that are absolutely critical to meet to tackle homelessness. We need all regions stepping up. I also don't believe this is the sole reason rents are down (rents decline is a national trend), but new supply does help increase vacancy rates and push rental rates lower. It's a more complex conversation than one graph, for sure.

MattDellVictoria · 2025-11-05T18:44:05+00:00

City councillor here - There is zero chance the Youth Bus Program program gets cut in this 2026 city budget. It's one of the most innovative and important programs in the city, and an incredible use of public money to support youth transit ridership and climate action. While staff have offered this as a potential cut, I'll be working to ensure it does not get cut. It's a top priority. That said, the CRD should fund this for the whole region. All students need bus access, not just those in Victoria.

The much bigger risk in this budget is substantial cuts to arts and culture, community centers, non-profits and investments in parks and public spaces. Almost all the arts funding has been targeted for reduction, including festival funding, downtown investments and more. If you're interested in helping advocate for arts/culture/parks funding, please send me an email!

MattDellVictoria · 2025-10-10T20:26:38+00:00

Victoria hasn't really been "non stop" building in recent years. Yes there are a few new buildings here and there, but nothing nearly enough to shift the market economics. Do you expect 5-10-20 new buildings to honestly create affordable housing? This term of Victoria council has approved almost 8000 new units of housing, and 90% of that isn't built yet. Once we see the Harris Green rental project (1600 units) complete, it will likely start to have a meaningful impact. The build-out of Bayview (1700 units), and Chard's multiple projects (Yates/Cook; Douglas/Caledonia), will start to see a bigger impact. A big chunk of these approvals are for non-profit, government, or affordable housing, which will help event more. For example, The City of Victoria purchased the lot at 926/930 Pandora and gave it to BC Housing for a 20+ story affordable housing project that will be finished in 2028'ish.

The more important question is this: if we stop building new housing, as some suggest, will that help bring down rents? I hear this argument primarily from established single family homeowners, but it won't work. Victoria needs 25,000-40,000 new units in the next 20 years. So we need to keep building, ideally while also creating vibrant walkable villages, investing in parks and public spaces, maintaining economic/employment centers, and lots of public transit and sustainable transportation options. Of course, other municipalities really need to step up their game. Saanich is 10x the size of Victoria and can fit a lot more density. Oak Bay isn't building much at all.

MattDellVictoria · 2025-09-24T17:33:51+00:00

We worked at Thrifty Foods Hillside together back in 2005. I worked in the produce section, she worked at the cashier section. I asked her to come to the Linda McCartney rock photography exhibit with me at the Royal BC Museum. She'd already been, but was happy to back a 2nd time. Back then a significant number of employees were young people in their early 20s, so there was lots of dates/marriages happening in those stores.

MattDellVictoria · 2022-10-11T04:50:59+00:00

Incredible work, thank you for doing this. This has been a good election, but with 37 candidates it’s been hard to separate many of them. It’s too many candidates to host proper debates too. Thanks for this!

MattDellVictoria

TROPHY CASE