NPA AND VISION VANCOUVER CAN’T BE COMPLACENT >>>
2Never before have Vancouver’s
old-line civic parties been beset by so many serious challengers in a mayoral race. The NPA, which was founded in 1937, has elected 11 mayors, but its current standard-bearer, businessman Ken Sim, has never been elected to any public office. He has told party members that he wants to run the city like it’s a business.
On the right and centre-right, Sim will face former Conservative MP Wai Young and NPA councillor Hector Bremner. Young’s group is called Coalition Vancouver and her campaign revolves around how much money is being wasted by city hall on a variety of initiatives—but, most specifically, on bike lanes. Bremner’s primary focus is on increasing the housing supply.
Neither of them is fazed by the number of candidates running for mayor.
Vision Vancouver has held the mayor’s chair since 2008, when Gregor Robertson won his first civic election. But the party’s council candidate came fifth in a by-election
rich must love the poor, and vice versa.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Bremner acknowledged. “And it takes us a mocharismatic, which could make him a ment to say ‘I’ve got to park my pride; potent mayoral candidate. I’ve got to park my position on this
Where they differ is in Bremner’s issue and I’ve got to rise above and ease in talking about himself and remember that we are in this together.’ his spiritual values. He said that a There is no you and me. It’s just us. Catholic priest in East Vancouver, And that’s what Yes is.”
Father Martin Lotho, taught him He added that it’s easy to say “no” an important lesson: that passion is and often much harder to say “yes”. something directed inward, whereas But according to him, “yes” can yield compassion evokes the same kind of enormous rewards, whether you’re energy directed outward. agreeing to marry, choosing a career,
“I gave a speech not long ago where or doing voluntary activities.
I said we don’t talk about love in pol“We need to say ‘yes’ to the good itics,” Bremner said. “We need to truly ideas,” he stated. “We can argue love our city. Not just say ‘I love Vanabout the how, but when we start with couver.’ No. Demonstrate that you love ‘no’ and then argue about getting to the city. Put your needs second.” ‘maybe’, that’s a negative thing. That’s
To him, this entails thinking where we’ve been. about how neighbourhoods are “What we need to do is really lean changing and having “love for those into one another, really show some that are going to come after you, and love for our city and really say ‘yes’ to what you are leaving for them”. one another—and have compassion.”
“It’s a total perspective change for It’s not a conventional campaign, us, even for me, and I work very hard and Bremner is not a conventional at it every day,” he said. “At our [Yes politician. In his view, the city is Vancouver] meetings, 70 percent of “broken” and there’s no longer a sense what we talk about is character and that things are getting better in Vanwhy we’re doing what we’re doing. couver. And Yes Vancouver has a We work very hard on each other to marketing message that it’s going to remember that we have to have com“fix” problems around housing, transpassion for our city, love for our city.” portation, and other issues.
He stated that homeowners need to “We’re not doing this just to win,” he love tenants, and vice versa, and the said. “There is a mission.”