PROJECT UPDATE
July 8th, 2025
At the June 23rd Council meeting, Council amended staff recommendations to guide the ongoing street light project in Massey Victory Heights. Key decisions include:
- Heritage Assessment and Community Consultation
Community Services staff will conduct research and community consultations to complete a Heritage Assessment of the existing street light standards in Massey Victory Heights. The findings will be shared with Council and the community. - Project Progress with Preservation in Mind
Engineering Services will continue Phases 1 and 2 of the project while coordinating with the Heritage Assessment and preserve existing light poles where possible.
Project Status and Next Steps:
- Preparation and planning with the contractor continue, but no poles will be removed or ground disturbed until the Heritage Assessment is complete, expected by late summer or early fall.
- The arborist report recommends relocating some trench lines to avoid damaging critical tree root zones; design consultants are evaluating the best approach, including alternative trenching methods where necessary.
- The Heritage Department is collaborating with external experts on the heritage report.
- The City’s project website has been updated with an FAQ section, a GIS map
Preservation Challenges:
Due to the age and condition of wiring and bases, preserving some light standards will be difficult. The project team is exploring preservation options where feasible.
BACKGROUND
The City has identified that the lighting infrastructures in the Massey Victory Heights area is aging and near the end of its life span. It is working fine for now, but it’s only matter of time before it fails, and it is becoming difficult to maintain. The reason we would like to replace the entire system is that the lighting was installed decades ago, at a time when the City didn’t have the electrical code requirements it has today. The wires were directly buried, making them fragile and prone to damage. Also, there is a risk of electrocution from live electricity.
There are two main reasons for the replacement. First, because the wires are directly buried, it is extremely difficult for our Electrical Operations crew to locate the source of any outage in the area. They have to guess and dig between poles to find the issue. Second, since the City has established the updated lighting standard, we are no longer storing low post top-style poles, bases, and fixtures. With our current budget, it would be challenging to provide the different styles for the different area of the City. The disadvantage of using the low-post style, compared to the new davit style, is that more materials would be required. More poles, bases, and fixtures would be needed to maintain the same lighting levels as the davit style poles, which are taller, and use warm-colored LED. The davit style is more cost- and energy-efficient in the long run.
FAQ
Existing Pole Location & Zone Map
INTERACTIVE MAP
* Due to differences in the coordinate systems between the City’s design and Google Maps, the trench line location shown on this map may not be 100% accurate. The City does not intend to trench or replace the entire sidewalks in the area. It is most likely that the trench line will be located behind the sidewalk.
CONTACT
For more information, please contact the project manager, Yongwon Song, at 604-527-4592 or .