January 22, 2010 - 11:41 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Some former NPA affiliated staffers are running extremely low in the memory department.
So, a Freedom of Information request filed by City Caucus’ Daniel Fontaine has discovered that the Property Endowment Fund (PEF) board did not meet during the calendar year of 2009.
Without the time nor the inclination to find out the frequency of meetings in previous council years, however, the magic of the Internet has turned up some interesting facts about the reign over the PEF by former NPA Mayors/mayoral candidates.
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December 22, 2009 - 10:53 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
This is the kind of public reaction that Vision Vancouver critics would have you believe the party is facing after the just-completed budget process. Nothing could be further from the truth, however.
What do you get with:
Well, you get the budget that the City of Vancouver just completed. And, all in all, you get a pretty reasonable process that took the needs of the collective into consideration above the loud voices of the minority.
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November 16, 2009 - 11:06 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Civic affairs were front and centre in an interesting and engaging forum hosted this past Saturday.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into the “Year In Review” forum hosted by previous NPA candidate Michael Geller, largely because I suspected an overwhelmingly NPA supportive crowd would be the only ones to show up.
And, for the most part, I was correct – former and current NPA board members, elected officials and supporters roamed the room, with few Vision or COPE supporters in tow. In fact, one of those former NPA elected officials tried to tell me that the morning remained civil and well-behaved because “the right-of-centre” had been behind the organizing, suggesting that had the “left” been at the helm, chaos and hostility would have ruled the day.
This is exactly the type of comment that I have come to expect from your typical NPA, Quadra-type of supporter. When confronted with the question, I told the individual that having grown up in Marpole/Kerrisdale, I knew first hand that civility was by no means exclusive to her end of the political spectrum.
That bit of nonsense aside, I found the morning to be a fantastic endeavour that could prove to be a model for civic engagement for all parties – assuming, of course, that the pool of interest is widened with future sessions.
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November 13, 2009 - 10:54 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
I have had some recent conversations with both NPA party members and members of Sam Sullivan’s previous administration, and without a doubt, the Olympic Village tends to be one of the preeminent sore points for those struggling with the current political landscape.
The reaction of most NPA/Sam Sullivan acolytes when discussing the Olympic Village.
This is for a number of reasons – the fact that revelations released by the leak of Peter Ladner’s in-camera document detailing a $100 million loan to Millennium sunk the NPA in the final weeks of the campaign, the fact that former City Manager Judy Rogers’ head rolled due in part to the way the project was managed, the fact that it is Vision Vancouver that has pulled things from the fire to launch what is sure to be a jewel for the city for decades to come – you take your pick.
I have seen the anger, the bitterness and the venom that emanates from these individuals when the Olympic Village is brought up – and I have now learned my lesson to avoid the topic altogether.
That being said, the inability to accept reality continues from some in that crew. Take for example lone NPA Councillor Suzanne Anton, who has penned an oped for the Vancouver Province today that unsurprisingly glosses over the key details that caused Mayor Gregor Robertson to refer to the Olympic Village as a “train wreck” when he inherited the project last December.
Let’s break down Anton’s piece and her version of events.
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