In 2018, a record number of new mayors were elected across British Columbia, many of them promising big changes in their communities. In 2019, many of them tried to implement their promises, with mixed success.
So what will 2020 hold?
There’s no crystal ball for predicting how politics will play out across 162 different municipalities — but here are some big stories likely to come up over the next 12 months.
Mayoral opposition in Vancouver and Surrey
Opposition has begun to grow against the agendas of Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, with divisive budgets passed by both earlier this month.
In Surrey, the opposition is somewhat splintered, with three independent councillors and one from a different political party voting against McCallum. And in Vancouver, while most councillors support the mayor on some policy issues, the largest opposition group (the NPA) is wracked by a dispute between the board of directors and elected officials.
Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, left, and Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, right, have made it a priority early in their terms to work together. (Justin McElroy/CBC)
Policing in Surrey
Speaking of Surrey, arguably the most substantive policy switch by any B.C. local government in 2019 was the city’s move toward an independent police force. The province tentatively approved Surrey’s plans to do away with the RCMP, but created a joint task force to oversee the timeline and details.
It’s unclear if the task force — chaired by former attorney general Wally Oppal — will approve a full switch and if it will meet McCallum’s start goal of April 2021.
SkyTrain to UBC
In Vancouver, the big mayoral promise — an extension of the Millennium Line from its planned terminus at Arbutus Street all the way to UBC — remains more muddled.
Vancouver’s council and the TransLink Mayors’ Council approved the project, but it will require more than a billion dollars in federal funding.
Stewart said in an October interview that the city needs a commitment from the federal and provincial governments to make sure the line runs to UBC.
The proposed connection to UBC would include four new SkyTrain stations. (City of Vancouver)
Massey Tunnel and North Shore fixed links
Other proposed transportation projects will also be in the headlines in 2020, though the municipalities involved might have less of a say in how they turn out.
The province has promised next year will finally see a business case delivered for a new tunnel that would replace the aging Massey crossing between Richmond and Delta, while a provincially-funded study into options for a new link between the North Shore and Vancouver will also be completed.
Official Community Plan consultations
Next year, Vancouver fully embarks on city-wide plan consultations, while Port Moody, White Rock and the District of North Vancouver are scheduled to consider changes to their Official Community Plans (OCP).
In those smaller communities, mayors were elected on a promise of slowing down growth, and new OCPs will allow opportunities to put new regulations on the height or form of new buildings in town centres.
Budgets under control?
In both Vancouver and Metro Vancouver, budgets for 2020 were passed with significantly higher property tax increases than usual — seven per cent in Vancouver, and six per cent in Metro Vancouver.
In both jurisdictions, elected officials have asked staff to provide more consultation for the 2021 budget, in hopes it might be easier to identify possible savings.
Developer donations
While the provincial government banned corporations from donating in local elections, the people who run companies are still allowed to donate to whomever they choose.
That’s caused controversy in many municipalities, as company owners and managers gave money to mayoral and council candidates across the region — often in jurisdictions where they were planning new projects.
A number of actions are underway that could change how the rules are interpreted in the future, from municipalities considering new rules around transparency, lobbying the provincial government for further changes, or lawsuits by concerned citizens.
‘Compassion fatigue’
Several mid-sized municipalities passed new bylaws in 2019 cracking down on panhandling activity, and mayors in other communities warned that growing homeless populations, mixed with modular housing projects created by the provincial government, were spurring a backlash.
“We need help in the worst way, and the meantime, the reservoir of public sympathy is fast evaporating because of the level of crime related to addiction,” Nanaimo Mayor and former NDP MLA Leonard Krog said in September to the government.
While B.C.’s local elections aren’t for another three years, there is a byelection in Victoria that will be watched closely.
Laurel Collins resigned from council after being elected with the NDP in October’s federal election, and a number of candidates are expected to run to replace her. With Victoria city council often in the news — and occasionally raising the ire of the province — the expected March byelection will provide an interesting glimpse into the minds of voters in B.C.’s capital city.
North Van Pigeons
And finally, a quickly escalating drama over the ban on owning pigeons in the District of North Vancouver will likely resolve itself next year.
After CBC News revealed that the only person affected by the pigeon ban lived beside a councillor who explicitly asked for the ban and in the past said it affected her property’s value, the district launched an internal investigation and both North Vancouver and the councillor in question were taken to court.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
