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Third candidate enters Esquimalt mayor's race

Scott Attrill, owner of Floyd's Hairstyling for Men, challenges Barb Desjardins and John Ducker
17265vicnewsVN-ATTRILL-Scott
Scott Attrill

A local businessman is joining Barb Desjardins and John Ducker in the race for mayor of Esquimalt.

“I'm going to use my business sense to guide what needs to be fixed in Esquimalt,” said Scott Attrill, owner of Floyd's Hairstyling for Men.

Attrill said one of his main reasons for running is the Admirals Road Corridor project. The project involves reducing the four lanes from Lyall Street to Esquimalt Road, from Esquimalt Road to Colville Road and from Colville Road to Maplebank Road to a two-lane road with bike lanes on both sides.

Attrill believes reducing the number of lanes will worsen traffic.

“That in this area is really dangerous,” he said. “We don't need lane reductions,” he said.

Mayor Barb Desjardins said this plan is meant to increase safety, not worsen it. She said those areas where there are currently two lanes each way are quite narrow.

“The traffic tends to fly along there, so the changes in the road structure will improve the flow of traffic.”.

Desjardins said the wider single lanes will be safer, and the addition of bike lanes could also improve the clogging of traffic, by giving people

the choice to cycle instead of drive.

“It encompasses improving multi-modal ability along that corridor,” she said.

If elected, Attrill said he would cancel the corridor project immediately.

With him as mayor, Attrill said Esquimalt would have more development and more businesses because he plans to make it easier for developers to get building permits.

“Anywhere where there's a roadblock these developers find, I'll be there to take it down,” said Attrill.

He also wants to abolish building height restrictions.

“What I plan to do is sell ocean views and the mountain views by building high density living 25 storeys [high] and get rid of some of the older buildings that have been housing some troubled people for so long,” said Attrill. “It wouldn't bother anybody.”

Attrill said he plans to “fix” Esquimalt in his four years as mayor if elected, because he does not plan to run for reelection. In four years, he will move to Thailand to be with his wife and child who are already there. Currently he is remaining in Esquimalt in order to pay off debts and make money for his family.

“The basic onus on me right now is failure is not an option for my family,” said Attrill.