Municipal roundup

Random observations across Metro Vancouver

• I was reading over the GCAT’s “Vancouver 2020: A Bright Green Future” report for their plan for increasing the amount of trees in the city.  The stated target is to plant 150,000 trees.  The means to get there, however, is much more vague, including “expanding programs for free or subsidized trees, adopt-a-tree programs, tree plant-ing workshops,” etc. through “partnerships with residents, businesses, and organizations.”  Well, I think that this initiative by the City of Coquitlam is brilliant, simply for the fact that it harnesses the power of trees being planted and nurtured by private citizens on private land.  Cheap, easy and with the possibility to get widespread buy-in.

• So far, so good in terms of public support for the Burrard Bridge bike lane trial, as according to the poll, Vancouver residents support continuing the bike lane trial by a two-to-one margin.  So the big plank that the NPA was going to hang its hat on towards recovery has fallen flat, much like everything else associated with the once mighty political institution.  They misjudged this one, and while Anton conveniently missed the vote on the trial, she cannot hide from its popularity any longer.

• This is great work by my friend Rattan.  Dianne Watts is a superstar, but whether it is her conduct, or the conduct of her councillors, there needs to be more respect for her city’s own rules.  Surrey First is virtually untouchable, much like Vision Vancouver,  but these case of hypocrisy do not help with credibility on the topic of local bylaw enforcement.

• I find this position from Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan and his merry band of socialists disgraceful.  Their political disdain for the BC Liberal administration is the main cause behind the hands-off approach to homelessness.  Derek Corrigan is an ideologue that is playing politics as the expense of people, and it shows that pettiness reigns supreme over progress.

• In my rabid reading of pre- and post-analysis of the Montreal election, this comment from one blogger caught my eye – Mayor Gerard Tremblay “is either mired in corruption or disturbingly detached from the major decision-making that goes on in his office.”  I find this particularly interesting when compared to the comments of former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan’s previous Chief of Staff, Daniel Fontaine, on Tremblay (I’ll let readers draw their own conclusions):

“Despite the flaws, Tremblay’s defeat coupled with the pending retirement of Mayor David Miller in Toronto would have been a major setback for the cities agenda in Canada. There are only a handful of mayors in Canada that can get a Prime Minister to return their calls. Tremblay is one of them and I’m glad to see he survived another four years. Now he needs to get to work and help restore the image of a city plagued with corruption and scandals.”