These wo former competitors have since formed a strong working relationship within City Hall, giving Vision peace within the caucus.

The landscape of BC politics right now is like nothing that observers have ever experienced before.  A Premier has just stepped down, and his party is now at the beginning stages of what should be a hotly contested leadership contest.  The stakes of this race are huge, as the winner becomes the new leader of the province, and the one tasked with pulling the BC Liberals out of the toilet.

Far be it for the ridiculous New Democratic Party to take an advantage of such a situation, as they are embroiled in a partial caucus revolt against their own leader.  The dissidents are determined to push the envelope until Carole James walks out the door, which might happen soon with a leadership review likely coming in the new year.

If we turn our attention to the municipal scene in Vancouver, even the NPA continues to struggle with factions within their party, even as they try to rebuild the organization back into a competitive force for next year’s election.  The recent party fundraiser saw Park Board Commissioner Ian Robertson and his silent supporters draw a line in the sand between them and the Sam Sullivan loyalists, while delivering a speech that showed he was most definitely going to take a shot at being the party’s Mayoral candidate.  Meanwhile, Councillor  Suzann Anton continues to cling to the Sullivan faithful for her base of support, making a showdown between the two an inevitability, and rehashing of all the nastiness that ensued between the Peter Ladner and Sullivan forces back in 2008.  This is of course just the latest episode in a party that for many years has cannibalized its own in the name of personal politics of ambition.

Which brings me to Vision Vancouver.  For a party that continues to grow as a coalition of progressive forces, the caucus has been one of the most peaceful that Vancouver’s civic political scene has seen in several terms.

Philip Owen was deposed by one of his own Councillors.  Larry Campbell hated the majority of his caucus and started his own party.  Sam Sullivan was also taken on by one of his Councillors intent on carrying the party’s banner into battle.

Gregor Robertson, however, has presided over a caucus that is not only personally friendly with each other, but extremely loyal, both publicly and privately.

Raymond Louie, Robertson’s main competition in the 2008 Vision Vancouver Mayoral nomination battle, has been relied upon by Robertson and his crew for his experience and know how of how City Hall runs.  The working relationship between the two is solid and without political backbiting.

And while each member of City Council has their own portfolios, the way in which Councillors collaborate together (Jang and Meggs on Olympic Village and Social Housing, Reimer and Louie on the Greenest City Action Team, Chow and Deal on business development and creative capital initiatives) is a model for political peace.

As an example, what happens when one member of the caucus goes public with their budgetary concerns?  Well, it is an exchange that is handled with respect, class and non-aggression:

“Park Board stretched thin

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980)
Penny Daflos
11/26/2010

The Park Board isn’t happy about what it has to do to help balance the budget.

Chair Aaron Jasper says after shedding more than one point six million dollars from their budget in the first round, it’s tough to find another million dollars in savings to help balance the budget, “This is really starting to eat into our core operations. We’re asking Council to reconsider that and that’ll be our job. My job as the Chair of the Park Board and my colleagues as Commissioners, to make the case. I would hope Council is open to that discussion.”

Jasper says some public washrooms may have to close and lawns will go longer between cuttings as a result. He adds that in general, he supports keeping property taxes down, but the Board can’t cut much further.

City budget balanced?
VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980)
Penny Daflos

11/26/2010

A month after City staff whittled down Vancouver’s 2011 operating budget to 21 million dollars, City Council has squeezed it down to zero.

Councillor Raymond Louie says a spending review found 13 million dollars in savings and they’ll only raise property taxes by two percent to raise the rest along with some service increases.

He’s not sympathetic to Park Board complaints they’re not getting enough money to run their services, “It’s sort of like when you’re running household finances and your income isn’t there to match the service needs of your household; you really do need to rationalize and make hard choices on what’s necessary.”

Louie is confident no jobs will be lost since last year’s budget had similar savings and no one was fired as a result.”

In terms of the internal party workings, caucus peace has been one of the strongest features of Robertson’s reign as leader, which when compared to other political entities, is a real accomplishment in a time of political egos and selfish political in-fighting.

With the NPA likely headed for a leadership showdown between Ian Robertson and Suzanne Anton, the old cleavages that destroyed the party 2 years ago are going to come bubbling to the surface once again.

And in a climate where the NPA as an organization has lost its ability to raise money, attract volunteers and entice talent to be a part of their team, this race could be the death knell for the party’s chances in November, 2011.

I have a feeling that party solidarity is going to give Vision Vancouver a decided edge as civic political forces gear up for next year’s campaign.

Bill McCreery sits in the background, looking very unhappy at having to sit and be a greeter at the NPA table. His former party TEAM never made a man of his stature do such things I am sure.

Over the weekend, there was a very telling quote delivered by newly acclaimed NPA City Council candidate Bill McCreery, who is leading the charge for what is “new” within the 73 year old political entity (Bill received his Bachelor of Architecture in 1969 and was a Commissioner on the Vancouver Park Board from 1973-74, and thus has witnessed first-hand the NPA evolve into the young, fresh and dynamic organization it is today).

Mike Howell from the Courier asked McCreery if he was concerned the fact that there was only one race at the nomination meeting this past Saturday.  Here was his response:

““There were other people who were interested [in running] but one year is an awful long time to be campaigning, and I don’t think a lot of people want to be doing that,” said McCreery, who predicted a bigger turnout and competition for NPA seats in the party’s spring 2011 nomination meeting. “As a matter of fact, on Saturday, there was two or three people I hadn’t met before who came up to me and said they were seriously thinking about running in the spring.”

So Bill, who is one of the most active individuals in the party, and who also sat on the board up until the summer, has people he has never met approaching him who are interested in running.

Exciting news I suppose for a party that might have a hard time finding enough people to fill out a full slate of candidates.

But terrible news for a party who desperately needs name recognition amongst its candidates to have any chance at pulling a few across the finish line as newly elected officials.

Let’s look at the election results from 2008 and more specifically the names that didn’t quite make it through for the NPA:

Candidate	Elector Organization	Votes
LOUIE, Raymond P.	VV	66226
DEAL, Heather	VV	63116
CHOW, George	VV	62262
JANG, Kerry	VV	60598
REIMER, Andrea	VV	59148
STEVENSON, Tim	VV	58380
CADMAN, David	CPE	56665
ANTON, Suzanne	NPA	52941
MEGGS, Geoff	VV	49538
WOODSWORTH, Ellen	CPE	45877
DHALIWAL, Kashmir	VV	44854
GELLER, Michael	NPA	44353
CAPRI, Kim	NPA	44270
BALL, Elizabeth	NPA	42727
LEE, David	NPA	42195
WONG, Kanman	NPA	36795
HOUGHTON, Korina	NPA	34588
COPELAND, Leanore	NPA	34566
BICKERTON, Sean	NPA	33510
SIDHU, Daljit S.	NPA	28894

Now, Michael Geller has kept himself immersed on the municipal scene, and his weekly CKNW appearances as well as his occasional slip-ups amidst his commentaries on development and the Olympic Village, make Geller a valuable potential candidate for the party.  I can tell you that he most definitely would get my vote over a Ellen Woodsworth, for example.

The next two – Capri and Ball – were incumbents that were punished for the Sam Sullivan reign of error and both are unlikely to return to run for the moribund incarnation of what their party has become.

David Lee was a man who was apparently recruited to run by the former Mayoral candidate Peter Ladner, but also a candidate who was short on details and definition throughout the campaign.

Kanman Wong was a former Conservative candidate from the riding of Vancouver Kingsway (much like my friend Jesse Johl is right now), who spoke out of both sides of his mouth when he targeted messages to voters of different ethnic backgrounds.  I am sorry to say to Jesse – the City of Vancouver doesn’t seem to like Conservative candidates (current or former) that much.

Korina Houghton was a Park Board Commissioner from 2005-2008, but apparently her previous experience didn’t help her much in terms of name recognition.  She is actually one of the names that I am hearing is planning on making another attempt for City Council.

Leanore Copeland is a fantastic lady and a friend, but who also last I checked spends much of her time these days in London, UK.

Sean Bickerton is an NPA stalwart who has been the lifeblood of the organization for some time now.  He is smart, sharp well informed and very diverse, and also a fellow musician which I always have respect for.  Yet, in spite of all his civic involvement, I feel he still lacks the name recognition that is necessary to get elected.  He is also a name I expect to return as a candidate.

Finally, we have Daljit Sidhu, who is the President of the Punjabi Market Association, faced the same kind of situation I described following the 2008 election that other South Asian candidates faced.  So, it is no surprise that he came in last amongst all of his party’s Council candidates.  I do not expect him to run again.

So if these were the results for candidates – many of which were incumbents – in a time when the party was a lot healthier (membership, financially, politically, etc.), then what will be the fate of candidates that even Bill McCreery has never met or heard of before?

And consider this – if Suzanne Anton does indeed end up running, giving up her spot as a Council candidate, then the NPA could very well have no electeds on City Council by the time the 2011 election is over.

An NPA board member asked me recently “Why do you have to say so many negative things about the NPA – ALL THE TIME?”

Well, the answer to that question is simple.  I don’t need to.  I do so because it is such an easy target, and really now sits as a non-option for voters…which is really quite a shame, since competition brings out the best in government.

And, I will continue to point out the fatal flaws of an organization that in rhetoric considers itself a viable alternative, but in reality, has little to nothing to offer the public.

• A great piece by my friend Ian Davey on the power of change being behind the Rob Ford incoming term.   Here is the key quote of relevance to the Vancouver civic political scene: “Governments change when voters decide they are incompetent and/or untrustworthy. Competence is the standard measure of good government and as such is the primary driver of change. Trust is a less tangible measure and untrustworthiness is principally a by-product of incompetent government.”  This is the storyline that the NPA is going to have try and write about Vision Vancouver, and I have a feeling that not only do they not have the individuals necessary to deliver such a message, but they also don’t have a record that lends itself to supporting such a tale.   To the candidates just nominated over the weekend, good luck…you have a long and difficult road ahead of you.

• Solving homelessness is clearly an issue area in which Mayor Gregor Robertson has predicated his entire Mayoralty on, and clearly something that he is in line for scrutiny over.  And to actually house the homeless population, we have a long way to go before we reach his goal of eliminating street homelessness by 2015.  That being said, on nights like the last few, I have to say that these HEAT shelters plus additional emergency shelter beds, which came about as a result of the City showing leadership and the Provincial government coming to the table with vital funding, have been a Godsend.  With an estimated 500 homeless sleeping on the streets of Vancouver, these 612 beds are a good start to keeping people during extreme temperatures.

• While the Vancouver School Board teeters on the verge of having their powers pulled by the Liberal government at any one time, the Vancouver Park Board and the ongoing legacy being built was on full display on Saturday night at COPE’s “Power of the Park Board” event.  The tradition of the Park Board is to set an independent course separate from City Council, and Saturday’s event, and the series of videos produced by Brent Granby, showed how much strength resides in the institution.  With the City facing $20 million in cuts, it will be interesting to see how the current incarnation of the Park Board fares in comparison to other City departments facing cutbacks.

• Speaking of cutbacks, Stuart MacKinnon’s commentary about this being the least progressive Park Board in history reeks of his typical political grandstanding style.  Is instituting fees for toddlers ideal?  Absolutely not.  But what MacKinnon’s fails to mention is that these kinds of fees are common in many neighbouring municipalities, and that Vancouver’s fee structure is still one of the lowest in the region.  Stuart is able to pontificate from the outside because he never has had to deal with the kinds of realities of budgeting that a government has to encounter.  I am predicting that the rumoured $2 million in cuts will be significantly less in the end.  But regardless, to take a position that there should be no more cuts in spite of other vital services feeling the pinch, MacKinnon clearly shows that he is more comfortable sitting and lobbing criticism in opposition than making the tough decisions necessary when you are elected to lead by the people.  If times are tough, then cuts across the board are realistic and responsible.  How the Vision Vancouver caucus manages and fights to mitigate these cuts, however, is the way in which they should be judged on their performance – NOT by adopting ridiculous and unworkable positions as Stuart seems to suggest.

• Gregor Robertson’s commentary on the Olympic Village being put into receivership demonstrates that the City is now in a position of strength to recover the money lent to the Malek brothers, and at the very minimum break even on this project.  Real estate marketing guru Bob Rennie is preaching an approach of patience, while commentators like Bob Ransford – Peter Ladner’s former campaign manager – has written about how the decisions made by former City Manager Judy Rogers were clearly not in the taxpayers’ interest.  This is far from a perfect situation, but Robertson’s vision to take over the financing of the project has now allowed the City to have the maximum amount of control to now roll out the sales and loan recovery in the most prudent and lucrative way possible.  Here is a nugget from a Jeff Lee article over the weekend that is very telling: ”
  The carrying costs to the city are far less than the amounts the now-ousted owners of the former Olympic athletes’ village had to pay, the city said Thursday. That’s because the bank interest rate the city pays is less than half the rate it was charging Millennium Developments.”  Vancouverites should feel a lot more relieved now that there is a little stability being inserted into the mess created by the NPA.

• Melissa De Genova isn’t the only candidate for the Park Board in next year’s election that emerged over the weekend.  Brent Granby, who is the President of the West End Residents Association, also announced that he too will be running.  One only knows if Loretta Woodcock will run for fourth term for COPE (if I was to guess, I would say that scenario is unlikely), but Granby will be a great candidate for the party should they be left without an incumbent next year.

• Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but is anyone else shocked that being designated a “Cultural Capital” of Canada only carries a federal contribution of $1.75 million?  Regardless, the tours of city institutions that the public doesn’t get to see seems cheap and intriguing, and I am sure that City staff will live up to the legacy they left during the Olympics, which invigourated the civic pride and involvement from residents.  Rest assured, though, that the fun will be had by the City ponying up $7 million to celebrate Vancouver’s 125th birthday, not by the meagre contribution of the federal government.  Sign of  times I guess.

That’s all for now folks.  Enjoy the crisp and frosty air…it is beautiful to breathe in.

The city of glass is still difficult to navigate for many renters who wish to work and live in the city.

“More than half of Vancouver residents rent, but rental only buildings account for just six per cent of stock.”

That is the quote that sticks out from this news item, which while a little late, is a good step forward towards making Vision Vancouver’s promise of using tax incentives to promote the development of new rental units a reality.

Having experiencing first hand what it is like to seek out rental possibilities within the City of Vancouver, I can most definitely say that the stock of adequate and affordable options is limited, to say the least.

The program is bigger than the tunnel-vision interests of any specific neighbourhood, making this policy one that is beneficial to the entire city – which, by the way, encompasses 131,000 households that rent, representing 52 per cent of the total.

Do people remember these kinds of scenes from the middle of the last election campaign? This was of course confirmed just days after the new Mayor and Council were sworn in by a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Rental Market Report for Vancouver , which detailed the region’s vacancy rate dropping from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent, while the cost of an average apartment jumped from $898 to $937.

“I will work with the federal government to reinstate tax laws that encourage the development of affordable, market rental housing.“

“Building Diverse communities
Rental housing enables lower income households to live in the city, providing affordable housing to workers essential to Vancouver’s economy. It also provides housing to people at different stages in their lifecycle (e.g. from young people and students first gaining their independence, to families with young children.) Rental housing provides accommodation for new Canadians and for those who have moved from other parts of Canada.”