Victoria seniors call for unused school field to be turned into elder-friendly park
Dozens of seniors rallied on the corner of Blanshard Street and Hillside Avenue in Victoria on Tuesday calling for the field of S.J. Willis School to be turned into an elder-friendly park.
The seniors hope to make their plea an issue in the upcoming municipal election. They say thousands of seniors live in the Quadra Village neighbourhood, which is surrounded by busy roads, and that they have nowhere to enjoy the outdoors.
Dozens of seniors rallied at the field advocating for it to be turned into a park. (CTV News)
The group said Tuesday it targeted the school field as an ideal location as it has sat vacant for more than a decade and is in close proximity to several senior living facilities.
Calling on the Greater Victoria School District to work with the City of Victoria, the seniors group would like to see wide paved pathways for walkers and wheelchairs, shaded and covered seating areas for gathering, and exercise equipment set up at the field.
"Something for people to do when they can get out of their care homes and residences," said Anne Duggan, one of the organizers, as passing cars honked in support of the call for a park.
"[Not] just a play area for us, but also for the whole community of all ages," she said.
Dozens of seniors rallied at the field advocating for it to be turned into a park. (CTV News)
Although Topaz Park is nearby, the organizers said the incline of the hill it sits atop of creates a barrier for many seniors to manage, especially those in wheelchairs and those relying on walkers.
S.J. Willis School is currently being used by staff and students from Victoria High School while it undergoes a massive renovation to house more students and to be seismically upgraded.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.