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Letter - GVHA is not best proposal

Greater Victoria Harbour Authority’s proposal for the CPR Terminal building is a travesty in the making
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GVHA is not best proposal

Greater Victoria Harbour Authority’s proposal for the CPR Terminal building is a travesty in the making. There is a distinction between tourist services and tourist attractions. Another restaurant and more shops will not bring tourists to this city. Victoria needs a keynote cultural attraction, certainly not two floors of waterfront administrative offices for the GVHA as outlined in their plan.

I doubt the GVHA are capable of doing something imaginative with the CPR building; they spent the better part of 10 years organizing the Ogden Point parking lot to provide cruise ship passengers with safe terminal access.

Other port cities proud of their maritime heritage provide a wonderful opportunity to explore their harbour and history, such as Halifax, San Francisco, Rotterdam, Copenhagen and Oslo. Paris has a fabulous Maritime Museum overlooking the Eiffel tower. The UK has too many to list.

We should celebrate Victoria’s heritage with a Maritime Museum in this beautiful building. GVHA’s Vision, Mandate and Guiding Principles all promote this concept. Their vision statement reads, “We envision a harbour where people live, learn, work, and play; a spectacular gateway into Victoria’s past and into its future.” The Maritime Museum’s proposal clearly embraces this “Vision”.

Ed Lien,Oak Bay