The political party that dominated Vancouver politics for a decade is hoping voters feel the current group at city hall lacks a certain, shall we say, vision.
“I think we have a track on this at Vision: working together collaboratively to get things done,” said Lesli Boldt, one of three council candidates for Vision Vancouver this election.
“I know from talking to hundreds of people on the doors that people … want some leadership back at city council, at the school board, at the park board, and that’s what we hope to bring to the table.”
Under former mayor Gregor Robertson, Vision Vancouver had a majority at city hall from 2008 to 2018, with a focus on the environment, a massive expansion of the city’s bike lanes, and a decidedly mixed record on ending street homelessness and expanding affordable housing.
The party won three elections in a row, but was all but eliminated from the political map last election, in part due to anger over a lack of action to stem rising housing prices.
“As you know, these aren’t just local issues, they’re national and international issues. But could we have done more? I think the answer is clearly yes,” Boldt admitted.
“It’s four years later now, and we’re looking at where we are today and where we need to go.”
Alongside Boldt, Vision’s council candidates are Honieh Barzegari and current park board commissioner Stuart Mackinnon. Its school board candidates are incumbent Allan Wong, Steve Cardwell, Aaron Leung, Kera McArthur and Hilary Thomson, and its park board candidates are Carla Frenkel and John Irwin.
Here’s where they think Vancouver needs to go.
Housing, transportation, reconciliation
There hasn’t been a radical change in the values and proposals of Vision Vancouver from when it ran the city.
They’re all issues championed by Kennedy Stewart and, to certain degrees, a majority of current coiuncillors.
But Boldt said Vision would focus on finding ways that council could move faster to meet its objectives.
“There’s a pending project at Broadway and Commercial Drive … deferred until after the election. There’s non-profit housing projects, action on renewing leases for co-ops. These are things that are on the books, they’re plans that can be implemented,” said Boldt.
“They haven’t been because of this slow moving machine that is the City of Vancouver.”
Left to right: Former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson is pictured celebrating his election victories in 2008, 2011 and 2014. (Canadian Press)
Forgive and forget?
On crime and safety issues, Boldt said the focus needed to be on taking “a more strategic approach” to tent encampments, and not criminalizing poverty.
“While public safety is a priority for Vision Vancouver, we also want to make sure that we’re not putting the blame … on the shoulders of folks who are really vulnerable,” she said.
For the school board, Boldt said a proposal around after-school, school-based child care would be released, and Vision has also promised free swimming lessons as part of elementary school for every Vancouver student.
Based on past elections, it’s a platform that could prove popular with voters. But with so many left-of-centre parties running, it remains to be seen if Vision will be able to reconnect with voters who cast ballots for them in 2014 but went in different directions in 2018.
“We offer that leadership, that experience,” said Boldt.
“We’ve heard over and over … that the city is stuck and that we need to get the city back to work. And so that’s what our team is committed to do.”
CBC News will be profiling all 10 political parties in Vancouver ahead of the municipal elections in October.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
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.
