A lot can be accomplished in two weeks – but apparently not in Langford.
After a fortnight of "remediation work" on the boulevard between the 400 and 500 blocks of Goldstream Avenue, folks have been left playing a difficult game of spot the difference.
"The remediation work will include removal of any garbage or other waste, cutting of overgrown vegetation and general clean up of the area," said a city spokesperson June 24, a week before work was due to begin.
But a visit to the site Tuesday (July 15) found nothing much has changed.
Overgrown vegetation dominates the area, scattered litter is still visible among the brush, and a carpet of brown pine needles and cones covering the boulevard remains untouched.
However, one notable difference is the absence of recreational vehicles and trailers – a once familiar sight parked along the side of the road since the start of the COVID pandemic.
To facilitate the cleanup, the city had prohibited parking on the boulevard from June 30 to July 14.
They also announced that following the work, new parking restrictions will be implemented, no longer allowing recreational vehicles to park in the area.
It was a move that forced a community of people living in their RVs on Goldstream Avenue to find a new place to park up and call home.
With little evidence of a cleanup, some have questioned if remediation was ever the goal for the city.
"It's proof the city just wanted to kick homeless people out of Langford instead of doing something to help," said Glenn Edgeworth, who had been living in his trailer on Goldstream Avenue for over a year.
The City of Langford was approached for comment July 15. The next day, work took place to install a number of ‘no RV parking’ signs.
“It was just to ship RVers to other municipalities,” adds Edgeworth.
The use of the boulevard as a parking spot for RVs and trailers has been an ongoing bone of contention for some neighbouring residents.
Prior to remediation works taking place, the city said while sympathetic to the "incredibly difficult circumstances" faced by Langford's RV community, they are responding to an increasing number of complaints regarding deteriorating conditions along parts of Goldstream Avenue.
While it is unknown where the majority of Langford's RV community moved on to, for Edgeworth the story had a happy ending.
A stranger moved by his story offered him a place to stay on their remote Greater Victoria property, with access to water and electricity – for free.
