While all newspaper boxes on the City of Victoria streets are illegal under the current bylaw, the boxes are here to stay – at least for now.

A motion put forward by Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe and Mayor Lisa Helps at the beginning of August asked city staff to ask companies to remove newspaper boxes from city property or have the city remove them.

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During Thursday’s (Sept. 4) committee meeting, Thornton-Joe postponed her motion indefinitely in response to a letter from the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA). According to Thornton-Joe, the DVBA has been in discussions with news organizations and developed its own solution to deal with abandoned boxes or those in disrepair.

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Under the city’s current bylaw all paper boxes on city streets are illegal but bylaw services does not enforce it.

Coun. Ben Isitt put forward a motion asking staff to report back on the resources it would take to develop regulations to permit newspaper boxes downtown, favouring not-for-profit publications.

Coun. Geoff Young did not support the motion, saying he didn’t see a need to add “one more demand” on staff to dig into a resolved issue. Helps agreed with Young “wholeheartedly.”

Isitt’s motion was defeated, with opposition from Helps and councillors Young, Thornton-Joe, Sarah Potts and Marianne Alto.

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