Jeremy Caradonna
@jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
1K followers 340 following 1.8K posts
Victoria City Councillor and CRD Director in Victoria, B.C. PhD in History. Loves gardening, cello, beekeeping, democracy, climate action, cycling, and family. Views my own.
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jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
I’m thrilled that Victoria’s new Official Community Plan has passed! It:

✅ Increases housing choice and makes it easier to build affordable housing

✅ Adds green space / parks to every neighbourhood

✅ Targets 40% urban forest canopy coverage

✅ Adds strong tenant protections

✅ Plans for lightrail
The best city on earth
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
It wouldn’t be an alternate plan, but their council *could* backtrack on certain aspects of the proposed budget. Very common for budgets to come down to the wire in March.
Reposted by Jeremy Caradonna
jmcelroy.bsky.social
I know local politics is endlessly procedural, and both politicians and media have an incentive to make things exciting.

But council didn't vote to freeze property taxes today, and nothing is "locked in."

The actual budget will likely be voted in 3-6 months.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
It just created debts that we’re still paying off. It might look good as a headline, but it’s not fiscally prudent in the medium term, even setting aside the impacts on service delivery.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
I love your commitments to the facts and understanding of process.

For context, the City of Victoria froze taxes in 2021 due to the pandemic. It was a disaster that ended up costing the city $20m. Interest & inflation costs don’t just magically disappear.

It’s poor governance and hollow populism.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
One would have to demonstrate first that it is a burden. Presumably the Province retains most of the interest, and it’s a relatively automated system, so it could be a net gain for them. I’m
not sure. All I know is that we’re made whole by the Province at the LG level.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
I feel very bad for Kamloops. They have a good council and it’s a great town. But the shenanigans have harmed their reputation.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
Currently, the interest on deferrals is 3.45% for all homeowners over 55. There’s other categories of deferral that charge 5.45% (e.g. single parents).

Either way, local govts are made whole by the $ from the Province.

But charging higher interest for high-value properties would easily solve it.
Reposted by Jeremy Caradonna
b1kes.bsky.social
Imagine almost killing someone because of your own negligence and then harassing them for it.
robsonfletcher.com
Police in Airdrie, Alberta (just north of Calgary) say this driver hit a 17-year-old girl in a marked crosswalk, got out of the vehicle, and appeared to get upset at the teenager before driving away.

They released this video and are now trying to identify the driver.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
Thanks for your message. I don’t typically interact with anonymous accounts.

You’re welcome to review the engagement materials for the OCP, which includes information on consultations with tenants.
Reposted by Jeremy Caradonna
timfordwrites.bsky.social
I couldn't resist poking my head in on my lunch break to see how packed in the Bike Valet was today. Over 200 bikes, scooters, cargo bikes and other devices. If this were car parking it would require a surface lot the size of the Royal Athletic Park lot.

#yyj
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
I’m going to Kaga Onsen cluster in March.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
City staff made this helpful chart to show the differences between the City's old Tenant Assistance Policy and the new Tenant Protection Bylaw.

In short, the Bylaw is *much* more effective, materially significant, and widely applied than the now-defunct policy.
Chart summarizing what changed from the now-defunct Tenant Assistance Policy and the new Tenant Protection Bylaw.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
What I see, from Canada, is a numbness to it all. Americans have lost the ability to give a shit, to feel outraged, to organize, to fight for democracy.

There is an air of inevitability to the decline and fall of US semi-democracy.

Real concern would manifest in widespread strikes & disobedience.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
The Americans who say “this isn’t who we are” haven’t been paying attention, or are blinded by propaganda.

From genocide of FNs to 300 years of chattel slavery; from KKK to Jim Crow; from Vietnam to Project Condor; from pollution rates to McCarthyism.

The moments of non-fascism have been rare.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
I’ve said it for a long time now — Trump isn’t really the problem. Authoritarian, criminal charlatans exist in every country, scheming to take power.

The problem is the American electorate that unleashed this madness on itself. TWICE.

The fear, hatred, and vindictiveness runs deep in US history.
andrewjweinstein.com
It really is staggering to see so many people willing to abandon our 249 year experiment in democracy for an increasingly unstable criminally convicted reality show charlatan.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
Not exactly, but the new zoning regs don’t specify max number of homes. One can build whatever it is that works within the regs, including FSR, setbacks, min lot sizes.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
Concern is all they can muster.
Reposted by Jeremy Caradonna
tryangregory.bsky.social
Again, why are there no general strikes in the USA as their democracy is being dismantled in real time?
Reposted by Jeremy Caradonna
ronfilipkowski.bsky.social
He’s foaming at the mouth to go full Gestapo.
Reposted by Jeremy Caradonna
strandjunker.com
“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”

Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
Minimum lot width / street frontage needs to be 15m. Max FSR of 1.6. Off the top of my head, setbacks are about 4m front, 1.5m side, 8m rear.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
What do you dislike about 15 minute cities? The idea is to be able to get a person to where they need to go within 15 minutes.
jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social
I’m thrilled that Victoria’s new Official Community Plan has passed! It:

✅ Increases housing choice and makes it easier to build affordable housing

✅ Adds green space / parks to every neighbourhood

✅ Targets 40% urban forest canopy coverage

✅ Adds strong tenant protections

✅ Plans for lightrail
The best city on earth
Reposted by Jeremy Caradonna
zacdevries.bsky.social
When a single car crash can gridlock Greater Victoria, it shows the fragility of autocentricity.

Walkable neighborhoods, safe cycling routes, and rapid & reliable transit aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re resilience. They give people options, cut congestion, and keep the city moving!