Victoria is setting its sights on becoming the most liveable city in Canada.

This is the overarching vision of the city's recently released "corporate strategic plan" for 2004, a document that establishes guidelines for council's decision-making over the next couple of years.

The plan marks a shift in emphasis from a previous one released in 2000, with greater emphasis on the environment, culture and tourism, plus a call for promotion of alternative transportation to reduce the impact of motor vehicles.

The plan, approved by council, even includes a pledge by Mayor Alan Lowe to lobby the federal government for help in securing Light Rail Transit for the region, though this is seen as a long-term rather than short-term goal.

Lowe acknowledged the aims are ambitious and not all of them will be achieved overnight.

"I guess you want to create a vision that raises the bar, definitely," said Lowe. "All corporations (and Lowe says that includes the city) should have a strategic plan so you know in what direction you're going and can plan for that."

Improving liveability means strengthening the vitality of downtown, "enhancing the quality of life for all citizens," promoting a "green, clean, walkable and safe city" and improving the quality of civic services.

The plan establishes a mission for the city to be "exceptional stewards of our cultural and environmental assets and leaders in enhancing the social and economic vitality of our region."

"There's some good stuff in this," said Mike M'Gonigle, who holds the Eco-Research Chair in Environmental Law and Policy at the University of Victoria.

But M'Gonigle said one of the big problems for Victoria is that it can't become the country's most liveable city without help from surrounding municipalities.

"You can't have a liveable city without a liveable region," he said.

There is significant resistance from some of the region's municipalities, he said, to a regional growth strategy that would enable Victoria to meet its goals by concentrating future development in areas well served by transportation.

So Victoria, as part of its plan, should be driving "regional sustainability" and leading the charge for a regional transportation authority, M'Gonigle said.

The region should be actively lobbying now for LRT -- with funding from the federal government available for such initiatives -- rather than pushing it off into the future, he said.

The plan does call for the promotion of "alternate modes of transportation" within the city to improve mobility and "reduce the environmental impacts of motor vehicles."

It also calls for improvements for cyclists, better pedestrian facilities and support for "greenways" that link neighbourhoods with walkways and attractive park-like features.

But M'Gonigle said transportation from and to other municipalities in the capital region needs to be better addressed.

Victoria Coun. Denise Savoie agrees.

At last week's council meeting, Savoie said the city's downtown revitalization hinges on better transit. "Without a strong regional transportation authority, it's just not going to happen," she said.

Lowe said the Victoria Regional Transit Commission, of which he is a member, is having a hard enough time expanding the bus system, never mind planning for LRT.

The provincial government has flatly rejected the commission's request for an increase in the 2.5-cent-a-litre regional gasoline tax and for the creation of a regional transportation authority.

"We continue to lobby," said Lowe, but until that changes the regional transportation authority cannot fly.

The strategic plan was developed by council following workshops with city staff and input from the first Downtown 2020 Conference held in November. The plan's other specific objectives include:

- Pursuing arts, culture and tourism opportunities in the downtown area. The city will promote public art, look at Ship Point as a "potential First Nations cultural area," help develop a new central public library and support public spaces in the harbour.

- Improving downtown safety, security, cleanliness and accessibility. The plan supports the establishment of a downtown Business Improvement Association, which is already under way, plus a new "governance model" for the city-owned Victoria Conference Centre.

- Promoting downtown as a place of learning by working with UVic, Camosun College and other schools to bring more classrooms to the city centre.

- Develop a comprehensive affordable housing strategy, with new funding sources and an expansion of secondary suites.

Questions and comments on the strategic plan can be directed to Mayor Lowe's office at 361-0200. Brochures of the plan are available at city hall while complete details are available on the city's Web site: www.victoria.bc.ca

© Copyright 2004 Times Colonist (Victoria)