James Bay Manifest Destiny

By Redner Jones

James Bay has a Manifest Destiny suggested by its most fortunate location in Victoria and by the amenities and improvements we could hope for by, say, Year 2050.

For this to happen, certain bold concepts might be considered. These are:

1. James Bay Neighbourhood Association's official logo--a "heritage house"--really doesn't make the cut. We need one of a grander scale than that. A new image entirely.

2. Our community lacks a proper "heart". By transmogrifying Five Corners into a landscaped, pedestrian plaza, we could create this focus. All but emergency traffic could be redirected with minor inconvenience. Commercial deliveries by hand cart could be made from trucks parked close by. Regular, angled parking could be on Michigan Street. For the future population, there could be parking under such a plaza. Peace, quiet and safety for people, forever.

3. Toronto Street, from the plaza to Government Street, could be landscaped to calm traffic, becoming a magnificent connection to Government Street and Beacon Hill Park.

4. Irving Park, with a water feature, dedicated to sculpturists and picnickers.

5. Ogden Point breakwater made safe with guardrails, benches and lighting.

6. Teaming with electric rail organizations promoting a streetcar system extending from the Johnson Street Bridge, by way of Fairfield, to an Ogden Point terminus.

7. There, industrial, electric plugs-ins could make it possible for cruise ships to shut off their engines. This would put a stop to noise and smoke pollution that now plague the area.

All that is needed is imagination and the will to go after the government grants while changes still can be made at Five Corners, before wood is replaced by steel and concrete.