'No more politics': Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps not seeking re-election next year
After two terms and what will be eight years in office, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps will not be seeking re-election come 2022.
While speaking with CTV News on Tuesday, Helps said that she's proud of the work she's accomplished alongside staff and council, but she's ready to pass on the mantle.
"I've really enjoyed this role for the last – it will be eight years – and being at the council table for 11 years," she said.
"There's still lots of work to do in this next year and I'm going to stay focused on that with my council and staff."
Helps says she'd already made the decision not to run for a third term before the 2018 election.
"Eight years at this pace and velocity is a lot," she said.
Victoria's 52nd mayor was first elected in November 2014, before being re-elected in 2018. Since then, she says she's happy to have watched the city grow and become more diverse.
She adds that she's happy with the work that has been completed on Victoria's new protected bike lanes over the past near-decade.
"I think most people will associate our work over these past eight years with the bike lanes, and certainly that's been a transformational project that people, I think, are starting to see the benefits of now that the network is built out," she said.
"I get so many emails from parents with young kids saying, 'I can't believe how easy it is to take my kids to daycare from Vic West to James Bay without even having to get in a car,'" said Helps. "Those are the types of improvements that are necessary. They're difficult, but they're necessary getting ready for the future."
In the meantime, Helps says recent plans are now in "staff's hands" to see through, such as the city's new climate plan, 'Go Victoria' plan, and newcomer strategy that will be unveiled soon.
Looking forward, she says the new year will be focused on housing, climate change and "creating a city where everyone belongs and is set for the future."
PARTING THOUGHTS
While Helps says she has no interest in pursuing politics in the future, she says that if she were to act as mayor again, she'd re-examine the downtown core and Inner Harbour.
She says she'd like to see Douglas Street be more pedestrian friendly, in the way that Government Street has become a "pedestrian priority" strip, and she'd like to see parking lots around the Inner Harbour turned into something new.
"Ship Point in particular," she said. "I think we can do much better as a city than having parking lots in the Inner Harbour."
Helps says there's plenty of work to complete before her term is done, but added, "no more politics."
"There's a lot of big projects to pull across the finish line before the next election, so I'll focus on that," said Helps.
"This has been a good run. I think we've done some really good work, but I have no political aspirations beyond the 11 years I would have spent working in this building here," she said, pointing towards city hall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.