FOVH UPDATE: September 11, 2023
Investigative Research Reveals Funding and Process Controversies Surrounding Downsized Vic High Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project
Vic High Alumni Association and School District 61 Roles Further Exposed
Dear friends,
We trust you and your family enjoyed your summer and that you stayed safe away from the many dangerous fires. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to all those who were negatively affected.
Last we connected in April; we announced that a petition had been filed with the BC Supreme Court seeking an order to quash the statutory right-of-way (the "SRW") along the western boundary of Vic High. We will have a full update on this in the next couple weeks as much work has been done over the summer and we are in very good shape re, preparing for court. Here is the link in case you missed it.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x5cwa4df2tqtezm/20230412%20SIGNED%20Petition.pdf?dl=0
Today, we are releasing a summary report assembled from more than three years of extensive investigative research by the FOVH using publicly available information and other documents obtained through freedom of information.
In short, this document provides the historical context and timeline of the facts that clearly demonstrate that the Vic High Alumni and SD61 played an active and controversial role in the flawed process which led to the original plans for Memorial Stadium to be quashed and the public at-large to be mis-informed.
The FOVH have been making the case since day one and we are proud that our steadfast efforts have been validated by the public record. We have pasted the document below for your convenience, but you can also access the document using this Dropbox link.
Please have a read, share with others in your network, and let your voices be heard. The FOVH need your help to address the decades of inequity from years of chronic underfunding for Vic High’s youth sports programming, especially the targeting of Vic High lands.
Join us and RALLY/SPEAK UP/STAND UP for current and future Vic High catchment students, email/write or speak to:
BC Premier David Eby, BC Education Minister Rachna Singh, BC Housing Minister, Ravi Khalon
City of Victoria Mayor and Council in particular, the Neighbourhood Liaison members of Vic High Catchment City of Victoria Council Liaisons
Identify yourself as a constituent and/or Vic High catchment family and contact:
MP Laurel Collins MP Laurel Collins Contact info.
MLA Grace Lore MLA Grace Lore Contact Info.
Vic High Principal, Aaron Parker and Admin Vic High Contact info.
Vic High Alumni (Ask the VH board how the money donated funds to the Alumni for the original Memorial Stadium Revitalization went and seek their advocacy to champion for the 8-lane track) Vic High Alumni Contact info.
Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (VCPAC) VCPA Contact Info.
BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils BCCPAC Contact info.
Contact Trustees at SD61 School Board’s office SD61 Contact and Information SD61 Strategic Plans
Use the hashtag #bringbackvichightrack on all social media!
Become a member of Friends of Vic High on Facebook
Donate to our legal fund through GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v4vzd-friends-of-vic-high
Donate. Commit. Support. Join. Share
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
Vic High’s Motto: Vic High Website
“Palma Non Sine Pulvere” - No reward without effort
Lets Do This!
And as noted previously, look for a great update re: BC Supreme Court petition in the weeks ahead.
Thank you.
Stephen Dorsey, Co-Founder
Friends of Vic High (FOVH)
Vic High Class of 84
stephen@stephendorsey.com
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Investigative Research Reveals Funding and Process Controversies Surrounding Downsized Vic High Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project
Vic High Alumni Association and School District 61 Roles Further Exposed
Victoria, Monday, September 11, 2023. As Vic High staff, students and their families begin another school year, there’s no hiding the downsized plans for Vic High’s sports infrastructure. After years of planning and fundraising the eight-lane metric track was not constructed. The original yard track (built in 1951), the first of its kind at a BC high school, has been destroyed and replaced by a two-lane walking path not intended for athletic competition or training.
Even the grandstand (the centrepiece of the original Memorial Stadium that honoured students and staff who made the ultimate sacrifice in WWII) has been whittled down and a fieldhouse is nowhere in sight. Students are left with an artificial turf field and lights, a fraction of the original plans. As for the sand volleyball courts, they were inserted into the plan after the public Amenities Survey. The public was never consulted about these modifications to the original Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project plans.
What happened? For more than three years, the Friends of Vic High have led in seeking and securing the facts – some “eventually” made available via public document release, and others obtained through freedom of information requests.
There are plenty of threads to follow in this story. For Vic High staff and alumni, as well as current and future students, their parents/caregivers, and the public, the active role played by the Vic High Alumni Association in the undisclosed decisions to downsize the Memorial Stadium revitalization is of note.
Although the Alumni Association has a supportive role at Vic High, they do not represent staff, or current and future students and their families, and they are required to be transparent with their membership. Yet, records show that the Alumni Association Board of Directors submitted a letter of support for modifications to the original plans for the Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project without public disclosure or consultation.
The History and Timeline:
In 2012, the Vic High Alumni Association presented plans to the SD61 Board of Education for the revitalization of Vic High’s Memorial Stadium, constructed in 1951 as a memorial to Vic High staff and students who died in WW2. The plans, that included an eight-lane metric track, all-weather turf field and lights, a fieldhouse, and new stadium seating, received unanimous support. In subsequent years, the Alumni Association consulted with the public and made requests for donations to realize the plans, receiving over $150,000 in public donations.
There was a common understanding that stadium upgrades would coincide with Vic High’s seismic upgrade. In 2018, after the Alumni Association reached their $500,000 goal towards a $5M total (which has since climbed to $7M), School District staff said, “School district officials see the stadium project being established in concert with a needed seismic upgrade at Vic High”:
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/first-strides-toward-vic-highs-stadium-reno-4658198
Following widespread public support for the project through donations (as well as financial support from Bays United Football Club and the City of Victoria to reach the $500,000 goal), the expectation was that the project would receive provincial support. One news article stated, “Efforts will soon get underway to secure the much-needed provincial funding for the [Memorial Stadium upgrade] project, which could well tie in with seismic upgrading at Vic High”: https://www.vicnews.com/news/victoria-high-turf-field-track-project-hits-important-funding-milestone-34219
In early August 2020, when the demolition of stadium seating was underway, the Alumni Association continued their appeal for donations towards the original Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project four-phased plan, which was far from fully funded. Although the project had not received full funding, the public believed the original plans were still viable over time as funding became available:
Planned features include an eight-lane track, all-weather field [for multisport use including soccer and rugby], new bleachers and lighting and a new fieldhouse. The project is expected to proceed in four stages, as funding is realized, with the all-weather field going in first for school and Bays United teams, followed by the fieldhouse, the track and bleachers”: https://www.pressreader.com/canada/times-colonist/20200805/281496458626933
However, not long after, the Alumni Association viewed the School District’s modified plans, which excluded the eight-lane metric track and downgraded other features, such as stadium seating. Yet, the Alumni Association chose not to rescind their appeal for donations to the original Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project plans or inform the public about the District’s intent to cancel the eight-lane metric track.
On August 27, 2020, the Alumni Association sent a letter to the School District in support of the modifications: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qs-t-ovyCekxOJba3KoCHECUvC3ECRfv/view?usp=drive_link
The letter notes that the Alumni Association informed donors of “particularly large sums” about modifications, but did not extend this gesture to the general public and Vic High alumni, who had also donated to the project. The School Board kept the letter in camera, out of the public eye for two months.
In support of modifications, the Alumni Association made the following statement in the letter: “[W]e always recognized that the final decisions related to what was needed and how best to design the project rested finally with the school and the school district.” However, this understanding of School Board processes is incorrect.
As a matter of fact, the School Board has a duty to be transparent regarding construction on school land and to consult with citizens living within the boundaries of the Vic High catchment, which includes Vic High’s Family of Schools: “The Greater Victoria School Board recognizes the right of the community, both those with children who attend the school and those without children, to be involved in the process of building and site development” (Policy/Regulation 7122). Be that as it may, the School Board did not engage the public in extensive changes to the redevelopment of the stadium site.
Until late September 2020, the cancellation of the eight-lane metric track remained undisclosed to the public. Only after nine-months of investigative research that included efforts by the Office of Information and Privacy Commissioner did the public gain access to modified plans.
Media coverage followed on October 20, 2020: https://www.vicnews.com/news/vic-high-stadium-plans-drop-promised-8-lane-track-to-barely-wider-than-city-sidewalk-76829
The Friends of Vic High, a group of community advocates and Vic High alumni, facilitated public access to this information. The group is seeking to have the original Vic High Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project plans constructed and delivered as promised.
On October 21, 2020, the Alumni Association posted a media release, suggesting they had viewed the modified plans for the first time during their “October meeting,” not in August, as their August 27 Letter of Support shows: “The recent announced schematic of the proposed field renovation that could include outdoor lights, field, a 2 lane walking track as well as other amenities was well received by the Alumni Association Board of Directors at its October 2020 meeting”: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PYGociaiRAiQPwFQ7UR0eBErHtPCafCt/view?usp=drive_link
On October 22, 2020, in an email exchange with District staff, an Alumni Association representative agreed to make the August 27 2020 Letter of Support for modifications public (email exchange received through FOI): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1reEnOxXhXpyPACFFao5HTdNhNMPIkC9m/view?usp=drive_link
The contents of the Letter of Support verify that the Alumni Association had knowledge of the cancellation of the eight-lane metric track for two months prior to this information becoming public through freedom of information.
On October 29, 2020, in a second media release, the Alumni Association admitted they had viewed the modified plans in August. They offered the following rationale for keeping their letter in camera for two months: “SD61 staff was still working on the overall costing of the project and did not want to assume that Alumni and partners would be supportive before presenting to the SD61 Board”: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iwRxJkzui2sG8AI3CWkUXvco_JvN5uyg/view?usp=drive_link
However, the School Board’s support for the plans prior to public consultation supplanted the public process; the public was never consulted about the exclusion of the eight-lane metric track and other downgrades. The public was also not consulted about plans to construct sand volleyball courts that rely on the exclusion of the eight-lane metric track as well as the removal of the 1951 track for space. See site plans here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UnzntQvUFlqfiYBfA5SIyoeHFmCMahEl/view?usp=drive_link
Moreover, the public has been told that the original plans for the Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project were cancelled due to funding issues. Following the Amenities Survey, the District wrote, “The District is not recommending the track and turf field due to the high cost”:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XicOQEfThU9zIgIQLMlkKAnQe_kDz8TW/view?usp=drive_link
The Alumni Association’s October 21, 2020 media release reveals that their decision to support modifications was influenced not only by their belief that the “final decisions … rested finally with the school and the school district” (see August 27 Letter of Support) but also by a belief that provincial funding had not materialized: “When the announcement for the renovation of Vic High was made in June 2019 it was clear to several alumni present at the announcement that the outside amenities- the track and field revitalization project- would not be covered.”
The facts about funding tell a different story.
On June 27, 2019, former BC Minister of Education Rob Fleming announced Vic High’s seismic upgrade funding. He added that the upgrade would include a renewal of Vic High’s sports infrastructure “[b]ecause once upon a time Vic High was the powerhouse school in sports.” https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/victoria-high-school-gets-771-million-from-province-for-seismic-upgrade-expansion-4673918 Yet, it seemed that funding did not materialize.
Nonetheless, in the funding package, there was an additional $6M in Neighbourhood Learning Centre (NLC) funds. At the time, NLC plans highlighted a daycare with no mention of any other NLC projects.
Following the June 27, 2019, announcement, neither the Ministry nor the District clarified that the daycare would receive only $1.4M, freeing $4.6M for another NLC project. As it happens, sports infrastructure qualifies for NLC funding. Specifically, Vic High’s plans for Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project fall under “Shared use agreement-new facilities”:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gob42OOnY8xAYZ19M9Ny52RMzaFbXnnR/view
However, an FOI document shows that following the Alumni Association’s August 27, 2020 Letter of Support for modified plans, the School District started undisclosed negotiations with an outside agency to use the majority of the $4.6M NLC funding for the agency’s own purpose-built facility on Vic High grounds rather than the original plans for the Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zqn6prRDjgARM-tAHt2A3Q8y2CYqf3zo/view?usp=drive_link
The FOI document shows $700,000 of the $4.6M NLC funding was used for a new turf field at Vic High, confirming the eligibility of sports infrastructure to receive NLC funding. The document also reveals that the District had autonomy over the use of the funding; the email exchange shows that District staff informed Ministry staff of their plans and sought approval.
Unlike the Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project, the project for the outside agency did not undergo any public process, and plans weren’t announced publicly until June 2021 in a Ministry media release:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021EDUC0045-001195
Recently, when asked why the District told the Alumni Association there was no money for the track and field when the District had $4.6 million in NLC funding, a District staff replied, “I do not have an answer to this question.” In other words, the District is unable to explain why in June 2019, the Alumni Association was not informed about the availability of $4.6M in NLC funding.
In 2019, public knowledge of $4.6M NLC funding would have, no doubt, drawn attention to the undisclosed cancellation of the eight-lane metric track since the District would have had to explain why, even with access to a total of $5M, the original four-phased Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project plan could not proceed beyond Phase 1: the installation of the field and lights. Even though in June 2019 funding for the Memorial Stadium Revitalization Project was in question (which would slow the progress of the four-phased plan), the availability of the required land was not questioned. At the time, the public was unaware of the land-use conflict caused by the lease of Vic High land to the Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC).
In other words, public knowledge of the $4.6M NLC funding would have likely exposed the undisclosed land-use conflict during the 2019 public consultation phase of the land disposal.
Finally, the District has claimed that the CRHC lease of Vic High land was required to offset a $2.6M shortfall for Vic High’s seismic upgrade. Since information is still not publicly available to validate this claim, the Friends of Vic High once again call for a public inquiry to get to the bottom of this controversy.
On April 12, 2023, Brit Forsyth, a concerned Victoria High School (Vic High) parent, filed a petition to the BC Supreme Court seeking an order to quash the statutory right-of-way (the "SRW") along the western boundary of Vic High that is alleged to have contributed to the abandonment of the original Memorial Stadium Revitalization plans. Two of Forsyth’s children graduated from Vic High, one is currently attending the school, and another who currently attends Central Middle School will soon attend Vic High. It is estimated that the courts will hear the merits of the petition in the fall of 2023.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x5cwa4df2tqtezm/20230412%20SIGNED%20Petition.pdf?dl=0
Vic High Memorial Stadium Controversy-SD61+VicHigh Alumni Roles: Investigative Research Summary: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kkwutjajfd9g01ehota8z/VicHighAlumni_SD61_MemorialStadiumControversy_Final091123_V5.pdf?rlkey=jmb7gefson97ubego2aw2nong&dl=0
Petition to the Supreme Court of BC: https://www.dropbox.com/home/Brit%20F%20Petition%20to%20Supreme%20Court%20of%20BC%20-%20Public?preview=20230412+SIGNED+Petition.pdf
Facebook:
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