A Victoria councillor is calling for a new community-funded model to help restore the city’s long-running hanging flower basket program after council voted last month to cut it in half.
Councillor Gardiner has put forward a proposal for the Thursday, December 11th Committee of the Whole meeting that would let residents, businesses and local organizations help fund Victoria’s hanging flower baskets.
The idea is to create a simple partnership model where people can contribute to the program to keep baskets in areas slated to lose them in 2025 and 2026.
The motion comes after council, during a special meeting on November 7th, voted to reduce the program by 50% and concentrate the remaining baskets in high-tourism areas.
No public consultation was held before that decision, and councillors have since received a wave of feedback from residents opposed to the cuts.
According to Gardiner, one resident’s suggestion to build a sponsorship or contribution program is what sparked the motion.
Destination Greater Victoria has since stepped forward expressing interest in helping maintain the full program boundary, offering both coordination support and a financial contribution.
Other businesses and organizations have also indicated willingness to participate.
Gardiner says the baskets represent more than tourism branding, describing them as part of the city’s identity and a source of pride for residents across neighbourhoods.
The motion frames the contribution model as a way for the community to work together on a shared project.
The motion is also time-sensitive after City staff advised that expanding the program after January would increase costs because plants would need to be purchased rather than grown in municipal greenhouses.
With December 11th marking the final Committee of the Whole meeting of 2025, council would need to approve the initiative this month for a January launch.
If approved, staff would be directed to work with Destination Greater Victoria to create a framework for collecting contributions from residents, businesses and community organizations to support the hanging basket program.
The proposal does not reverse the earlier budget decision but seeks a community-funded path to restoring baskets to the areas now removed from the city’s plan.
