Mayor on the hot seat in live chat
Robertson answers public’s questions about taxes, mental health, oil spills and cars
It has been a big year for politics in Vancouver, with city councillors passing an array of new — and in some cases controversial — policies.
The city moved to regulate its budding marijuana industry, took a step to fill empty homes, and tried to tackle its affordability crisis, among other things. But political action comes at a price and that was presented to taxpayers in the form of significant tax increases for 2017.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson sat down with Postmedia Thursday for a live, year-end interview on the budget and other hot button issues. Unlike typical interviews, the questions came from readers. Below are a selection of those questions — with authors indicated — and answers from the mayor, all edited for length and clarity.
Leigh Clarke — Why am I paying $800 a month in property taxes? This is insanity. Where do you think the average person gets all this money from? Why is there not more responsible budgeting and spending?
Mayor — We’ve managed spending in my eight years as mayor very carefully. We’ve at the same time prioritized spending this year on housing and have significant dollars going into child care and quality of life issues. I think we do a very responsible job of it. There’s not a lot to cut at city hall unless you want to cut police or fire, front-line workers or libraries. They’re all pretty essential services.
Roxanne Johnson — Why are you only taxing homeowners for the fentanyl crisis? Why aren’t you advocating for funds to be put toward mental health facilities?
Mayor — We absolutely are advocating. We’ve been very clear in calling for more treatment for mental health and severe addictions. We haven’t seen enough investment at a provincial or federal level. The trouble is, we have a lot of resources going into the front lines just to deal with the chaos that’s happening. We have to get to the next step, which is treatment, recovery, and detox on demand.
David van Rooyen — How does Vancouver plan to deal with a crude oil spill on the city’s waterways with the proposed increase in tanker traffic?
Mayor — Vancouver can’t deal with an oil spill. We don’t have the capacity for it and we don’t have the responsibility for it. If it happens, we rely on the federal and provincial government. When we’ve seen small oil spills in the harbour, it’s been a mess. The response has been pathetic. There’s been no capacity to deal with an oil spill here, much less an oil tanker with diluted bitumen.
Andrew Murray — You and JT made up yet? (Presumably in reference to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approval of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline last month.)
Mayor — I haven’t spoken to him since the decision. We’ve had a collegial relationship for years, but he knows I was strongly opposed to it. We’ve got an important relationship there that we’ve got to maintain — that we have to improve. Based on this last decision it’s more challenging, but there are other issues like transit and housing. We’ve got to get things done for the people who live here.
Cassidy Burns — What’s up with your war on the car?
Mayor — I take issue with that. If we were to add another 10, 20, 50,000 cars to the streets of Vancouver, that would be war on cars. Do you want more traffic? Do you want to move slower in your cars? The whole purpose of getting people walking and biking and taking transit is to reduce the amount of cars on the road.