![\"Victoria](\"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/DSC_0022-e1424121185915.jpg\")
<\/a>It seems a fitting place of introduction, as the choice of venue says a lot about Helps herself. Habit is all about sustainability; the coffee-doctoring station filled with compostable sleeves, organic honey, and reusable cutlery. Tethered to the bicycle rack, adjacent the cafe window, is Helps\u2019 bicycle: a worn commuter, blue paint flaking gently off the frame, sporting hefty saddlebags that carry important council documents.<\/p>\n
It seems Helps has not forgotten her Fernwood roots, where the bicycle is king in matters of transport, and where Helps\u2019 foundation in economic development and operating a community micro-lending organization began.<\/p>\n
Helps did not fall into the position of mayor, however.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest benefit I have in adapting to my role is that I was a city councillor first,\u201d explains Helps, attributing a seamless transition into office to pre-existing relationships with city staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy objective is to bring as much of myself to the job as possible, to not leave those elements of openheartedness and generosity that usually might get checked at the door in a political or bureaucratic context,\u201d she says once we get to her office, gesturing to a wall covered with inspirational sticky notes and small personal effects, such as a My Little Pony doll, which was a gift from a close friend\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n
The settling-in period is often most difficult for new mayors, but Helps seems to be coping well. She feels that her new position has helped her breach the barriers she felt previously contained her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things that frustrated me as a councillor is we had lots of lofty goals. We never said, \u2018This year we\u2019re going to do this, next year we\u2019re going to do this, and next year we\u2019re going to do this,\u2019 and to really measure ourselves,\u201d she says. \u201cRight now we\u2019re in strategic planning, and I really look forward to a concrete plan with concrete goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the effectiveness of this council is yet to be weighed, Helps\u2019 honesty is refreshing. But Victoria City Council Member Jeremy Loveday notes that her approach has caused her some trouble. \u201cMayor Helps has made some bold statements about the completion of the sewage treatment plant and the Johnson Street Bridge. Completing these major projects efficiently and cost effectively while progressing on other issues will be a tough balancing act.\u201d<\/p>\n
Observing Helps during meetings exemplifies her thirst for concreteness: she requests specific details and is willing to fill in the blanks when plans are too vague. This might include producing the contact information of a developer, citing historical examples, or simply giving constructive criticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a quick learner,\u201d she chimes to a client presenting a pitch back at Habit. Her notes, contained in a black Moleskine notebook, follow a complex pattern of diagrams and tightly woven cursive akin to the modest tattoo on her left forearm. Her attentiveness is clear, and she maintains it all the way to City Hall, astride her muddy-rimmed bicycle.<\/p>\n
Passing the open offices of councillors and staff, Helps introduces them individually, explaining what function they have within the City.<\/p>\n
They regard her with equal enthusiasm, referring to her as \u201cMissus Mayor\u201d or, simply, \u201cLisa.\u201d This attitude follows her, whether she is in City Hall or in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is inclusive in the way that she approaches politics and I think she listens with an interest to learn from the public,\u201d says Loveday, who mentions her efforts to include youth in civic affairs. \u201cI think students and young people in general have too often been left out of decision making and direction setting at City Hall. Lisa\u2019s approach is a step in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the bulk of her time is spent in formal council meetings, Helps outlines the importance of connecting past the boardroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have, as often as possible, one-on-one cups of coffee with councillors to check in to see what they need to feel supported,\u201d explains Helps. \u201cWhen we\u2019re together as a council, we\u2019re really focused on driving forward initiatives, making decisions, and not just there to ramble and talk with each other, whereas over a cup of coffee it\u2019s a lot more casual.\u201d<\/p>\n
With small, local coffee shops like Habit composing a extensive network in the downtown core, Helps is utilizing the comforts of her newly adopted city in a way that contributes to these small businesses and strengthens internal relationships.<\/p>\n
These attributes should make Helps intriguing, especially to students; she\u2019s relatable, environmentally conscious, even sporting a little ink. Personality, however, has little weight under the mayoral title without strong policies.<\/p>\n
Affordable housing<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019d like to see in the next four years is to keep funding and supporting housing needs, but also to broaden our lens and broaden our policy toolbox to make sure that regular, working people can afford to live,\u201d says Helps, when asked if she\u2019ll continue her and former mayor Dean Fortin\u2019s focus on affordable housing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city is not a builder, not a developer, but we can certainly be a partner through tax incentives and fast-tracking applications for affordable housing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Unlike Fortin, whose experience as an addictions counsellor pushed him to focus on housing for the homeless and at-risk, Helps\u2019 plans are more broadly focused on providing housing for the next generation through conversion of pre-existing heritage buildings and condos into low-income housing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile shelters are a really important place for us to focus our efforts, we\u2019ve missed a whole larger spectrum of people who simply needed an affordable place to live,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Though most can agree housing has become a near-crisis issue, Helps\u2019 solutions are often where she faces criticism. \u201cIt involves giving property tax exemptions to private land owners for designating some of their units as affordable,\u201d she says. \u201cSome say, \u2018Why would you give private developers money?\u2019 Well, because people need housing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel Reeve, Social Sciences chair at Camosun College, and Rachael Grant, External Executive of the Camosun College Student Society, agree.<\/p>\n
During their work in the classroom and the office, college staff often become acquainted with the hurdles facing students, whether it be exhaustingly long bus commutes from outside the city because they can\u2019t afford to live in town, or negatively impacted productivity due to financial constraints.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelps can continue the work of the previous council and Mayor Fortin to push for more low-income housing. More housing availability means lower rent for students. Rent is typically students\u2019 biggest expense,\u201d says Reeve.<\/p>\n
Grant agrees, content with the goals Helps has set so far.<\/p>\n
\u201cHousing is a huge issue for postsecondary students, and it\u2019s great to see Mayor Helps making quality, affordable housing a priority,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
With Victoria recently being rated the second-least-affordable low-income housing market in Canada in an international study of urban housing markets, students can only hope Victoria sees an improvement in the next four years.<\/p>\n
Transportation<\/b><\/p>\n