Downtown is in serious decline and has been or over a decade. Will the fast downtown to downtown foot ferry and the conference center arrest that decline? I hope so! However the decline did not come out of the blue. There are reasons.

I suggest, therefore, ponder the following before building expectations, before expending resources:-

1). North Nanaimo development sprawl is the major cause of downtown's decline.

Solution: declare a moratorium on further development North of Townsite. Particularly revoke the permit awarded Country club to proceed with its C$18m expansion.

Attract an additional 8,000+/- residents into the downtown crescent by:

2). Potential residential streets surrounding the downtown shopping precinct are unattractive to residential development.

Solution: re-instate DCC's. DCC's, pay for street improvements, mini-parks and planting, enhance the value of completed developments and developers know this. Indeed DCC's have been waived for some five years and still no development!

3). Far too much hope is place in attracting tourists. Hundreds of thousands of dollars is expended to attract that illusive entity, "Thu tourist". Tourism forms 4.5% of the PDP. Is that worth the effort to say nothing of the delusions fostered? Of course we must welcome tourists but not at such expense. Much of the promotional literature is very expensive mendacious baloney and visitors know this.

Solution: divert tourist promotion resources to locals. Downtown Nanaimo can become a diversified cultural attraction provided it has amenities for local residents and interest to attract visitors from North Nanaimo.

4). Safety is a problem of the mind. I have lived and shopped downtown for four years. My boat is moored in the boat basin. At no time have I ever been, or felt, threatened.

Solution: read Jane Jacob's "Death and Life of Great American Cities." Jacob's describes how a busy, well frequented street can police itself.

There is in place a plan for downtown calling for three hi-rise zones. With my experience I find this incredibly naive. Hi-rises may be fine for Vancouver. They have no place, for many reasons, in Nanaimo. This plan should be revoked replaced by a sensible description of a step-by-step on-going realistic process that responds to the state of the downtown as it evolves.

5). The greatest impediment to a strong downtown core is a mayor, council and bloated administration beholden to interests still in the Pleistocene.

6). The last election, for what it is worth!

Solution: Wee-e-e-ll, you guessed it!