NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
Ten ways to make our city better
We adore Vancouver. But for many of us, living here has become a daily battle. With affordability levels reaching unconscionable levels, we’re left wondering whether the city wants us here at all. Vancouver residents deserve better than the status quo politics at city hall.
With several candidates vying for one council seat during October’s byelection, it became clear how much Vision Vancouver’s misguided policies have angered various constituencies. As members of the political party OneCity Vancouver, we believe 2018 presents an opportunity for progressive civic politics to triumph at city hall.
So we’ve made 10 New Year’s resolutions, highlighting the causes we’ll be fighting for:
1.
We elect a truly progressive Vancouver mayor and council
While Vision has brought forth a housing “reset” strategy, what we desperately need is a reset at city hall. Between Gregor Robertson’s defeat as chair of the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation and Vision’s council candidate placing fifth in the byelection, Vision’s vulnerabilities are clear. Progressives in Vancouver should cooperate, electing a mayor and council whose dreams for the city include nothing short of housing for all.
2.
The city and province work together to enact taxes for real estate speculators and the wealthiest landowners The province will unveil details of a speculation tax
soon — will it be adequate? We’ll continue to advocate for an ambitious tax on the wealthiest property owners, with revenue going directly to building social, supportive, and affordable housing.
3.
When it comes to social and affordable housing, no neighbourhood — no matter how rich — is off-limits
In vast swaths of the city, bylaws privilege single detached homes, prohibiting purpose-built rentals. Zoning laws should be transformed to ensure affordable, social, and cooperative housing is built in every neighbourhood — including the wealthiest.
New neighbours will revitalize these communities.
4.
Temporary modular homes are built not only in Marpole, but across the city
We need to follow the lead of Marpole’s youth, who elevated the modular-housing debate in their community to one of unconditional compassion and justice. Community perspectives that opposed the project based on harmful misconceptions about the poor and people who use drugs were overwhelmed by these students’ brave voices.
5. The school board returns to advocating for kids
and families, while providing steady leadership
With 2017 bringing a new provincial government and school board, we hope this means significant improvements for teachers and students.
OneCity will introduce a motion at school board advocating for an end to public funding for elite private schools. We’d love for this to be the year when tens of millions of dollars earmarked for private schools are returned to their rightful purpose: building inclusive, diverse public education.
6. Kinder Morgan’s pipeline is stopped
The Canadian government must listen to the demands of Indigenous communities, Lower Mainland residents, and supporters of climate justice and reconciliation, and stop the twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline. Our City already officially recognizes that it’s built on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. For reconciliation, we need to go beyond symbolic gestures, reinforcing our words with solidarity and action.
7. The 2018 civic election isn’t funded by developers
While we doubt this will be the year — since the Non-Partisan Association and Vision will likely benefit from reserves of developer donations — there’s hope. With the arrival of electoral reform, we look forward to a future where developers no longer determine the direction at city hall.
8. The resilient Chinatown community is protected
The activists who voiced opposition to Beedie Living ’s condo plans for 105 Keefer Street endlessly inspire us. They argued that the developer’s applications were not respectful of the cultural, historical, and class realities of the community — and won. Social housing should be the priority for new buildings in Chinatown.
9. New policies defend renters’ rights
While the B.C. government closed two loopholes that favoured landlords, much more can be done, including policies that discourage “renovictions” by giving tenants the right of first refusal at the same or similar rents they were paying pre-renovation. The province needs to take action to tie rents to units and not tenancies.
10.
We take an evidencebased approach to the drug crisis
The City of Vancouver should effectively decriminalize all drugs and advocate for legalization by the federal government. We must jettison the legal and ideological foundations of the reprehensible “War on Drugs,” and apply public health solutions to save lives. A city designed only for the rich is a city that has lost its soul. In 2018, we can remake the political landscape at city hall. Let this be the year we insist on better politics, and the year we elect representatives that reflect our most urgent and long-term dreams: We are here to stay, and we are not going anywhere. Carrie Bercic is a OneCity Vancouver school trustee. Alison Atkinson and Cara Ng are founding members of OneCity Vancouver.
With affordability levels reaching unconscionable levels, we’re left wondering whether the City wants us here at all.