March 9, 2010 - 9:06 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
COPE and Vision Vancouver sang and danced together in 2008, but will their tryst continue in the 2011 electoral campaign?
The recent utterings of hypocrisy by Councillor Ellen Woodsworth and Councillor David Cadman have got me thinking about the electoral cooperation that COPE and Vision Vancouver successfully exercised in the 2008 civic election.
(On a side note, I will be very interested to see how many events Councillor Woodsworth actually attended during the Olympics, as the rumour is that she was frantically asking for tickets to any event she could possibly insert herself into – regardless of comments by her colleague Councillor Cadman about said tickets being “a perk of position.”)
The deal between COPE and Vision currently remains in limbo, as both sides seem to be content to let things be ironed out at the last minute, as was the case in 2008.
Here are the strategic considerations for both sides to consider in a conversation that would be wise to have sooner rather than later.
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March 9, 2010 - 3:47 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
CivicScene's makes a return to the Vancouver Sun this morning.
CivicScene is back with the first oped in a new series beginning in today’s Vancouver Sun.
Critics of the current administration at City Hall tend to frame their grievances on the accusation that the civil service has been politicized. In fact, when I spoke to lone NPA City Councillor Suzanne Anton over the Olympic Games and asked what her biggest objection to Vision Vancouver was, this was her first response.
But let’s for a moment consider the alternative.
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March 5, 2010 - 2:48 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Barnes has emerged nicely from her personal issues.
Park Board Commissioner Constance Barnes has had a rough ride – literally and figuratively – with her personal problems that unfortunately crossed into her life as an elected official
It is already a harrowing experience to admit that you have a problem with addiction and seek help for your problem, never mind having to do it in such a public fashion.
And, of course, Constance’s detractors went into full attack mode, writing her off as someone who wouldn’t be able to make any kind of significant contribution to the Park Board.
But it is amazing what a little common sense can do to prove critics wrong.
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March 4, 2010 - 2:56 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
A fantastic success during the Games, but is it worth the cost after?
Yes, the ridership far exceeded expectations during the Olympic Games (as did most modes of transit within the City of Vancouver).
Yes, the dream of expasnion is intriguing in terms of the connections it could make from different transit nodes.
But with the province completely in the hole, Translink unable to see past its current fiscal year towards the inevitable reorganization that is coming, and the federal government done with kicking in additional cash for any of Metro Vancouver’s transit needs, the City of Vancouver is on its own if it wants to continue this service.
With a rumoured $90 million continuation commitment being thrown around by the City of Vancouver’s engineering department, that is completely insane to even consider.
Here is hoping that Vancouver City Council either gets a private operator to solely kick in that cash, or instead widely publicizes this proposed price tag and then kills the idea.
I loved the streetcar too, and would also love to see it expanded across the city.
But at $90 million, I can certainly do without it.
