Link to letter on the Times Colonist website
Density intensification carries problems
Victoria is one of Canada’s smallest capital cities by land area, measuring only 19.47 square kilometres and is ranked in 66th place among cities across Canada.
Conversely, based on 2021 census data, Victoria has a population of 91,867 and is recognized as a dense urban centre and ranked seventh in Canada for population density. This statistic may not include illegal rentals and the unhoused.
Land size does not change but population density has increased and will further increase based on this and previous council approvals. It will be interesting to compare the 2026 Census to be conducted in May 2026 by Statistics Canada
Needed to support continued intensification is a comprehensive plan to address both the physical and social infrastructure.
There is a correlation between density population and the societal challenges, such as the “real” cost of housing, rent control, available health care, homelessness and the spin-off problems, as well as traffic congestion and public safety in a declining downtown commercial/business core.
Our roads used to be efficient, but we have witnessed the actions of this council severely impacting the carrying capacity of the “road network” to a point where safety, air quality at street level, and business viability are compromised during peak hours, having no regards to valuable information from the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
The residents and businesses of Victoria have met the challenge in providing housing intensification without the need for members of this council to grant variances greater than its own Official Community Plan and bylaws and further undermining the public safety of its constituents.
—Colin Couper, Victoria