Victoria councillors to decide how much of walkway will bear David Foster’s name
VICTORIA — How far does David Foster’s name go? Victoria councillors will soon meet privately to decide just that.
Coun. Ben Isitt suggested during a committee meeting that it’s time to define just how much of the planned five-kilometre, $27-million walkway between Ogden Point and Rock Bay should bear Foster’s name.
The public portion of the discussion ended quickly when Coun. Geoff Young noted that as the issue involved a living person, deliberations on the matter would be more properly held in camera.
In a later interview, Isitt said that when the decision was made to name the pathway after Foster, how much of the footpath would actually be David Foster Way was never defined.
“To my knowledge, there has been no council direction in terms of what is the David Foster Harbour Pathway, so I think there would be a benefit to everyone to clearly define that.”
Isitt would like to see David Foster Way be defined as the portion of path along the Inner Harbour — from Osewgo and Belleville streets to Ship Point.
He said the city has “some overlapping policy” when it comes to the harbour-front pathway as it is working with the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations to develop what is to be known as the Lekwungen Trail extending along the city’s waterfront from the Oak Bay border to the Upper Harbour.
“So I think there would be a benefit in designating the portion of that trail in the Inner Harbour as the David Foster Harbour Pathway,” Isitt said.
Victoria made its surprise announcement in May 2013 that the city’s harbour front pathway was to named after Foster, who the city has claimed as its own even though the multiple-Grammy-winning musician and producer was raised in Saanich and for years has made his home in California.
At the unveiling of David Foster Way, it was described as the five-kilometre walkway stretching from Ogden Point to Rock Bay.