Promises, promises — main parties ramp up their campaigns
In a slow start, Vision and the NPA square off over free swimming lessons, free parking
The freebies that get promised with every civic election arrived in earnest Wednesday with the two main Vancouver parties promising taxpayer- funded goodies if they are elected.
In promises that appear themed around what they see as their respective constituencies, Vision Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson stood in an east side park to offer free swimming lessons for kids, and Non- Partisan Association mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe went to tony Kerrisdale to offer free Sunday parking outside the downtown core.
The promises come as the two parties begin to ramp up what has been an otherwise lacklustre election season. Neither party has issued a full campaign platform, unlike the other two challengers, the Coalition of Progressive Electors and the Green party of Vancouver.
But on Wednesday Vancouverites began to see a little more clearly what Vision and the NPA consider are important planks in their respective platforms.
Robertson’s offer of free beginner swimming lessons for children under 14 was the new part of an otherwise previously announced promise to improve affordable housing and community amenities for low and middle- income residents. It didn’t include plans for any new swimming pools — and the NPA was quick to point out Vision hasn’t opened any in its six years in power.
The NPA’s free parking plan, which includes moving back paid meter evening hours throughout the city to 8 p. m. from 10 p. m., came as LaPointe used words like “roll back” and “gouge” to describe what he said was Vision’s constant attack on motorists. As he spoke, he was drowned out by a parade of City of Vancouver dump trucks noisily rolling by.
The NPA suggests the city can afford to scale back parking regulations and pay for it out of enforcement staff savings and a $ 3 million surplus the city already gets from parking. Vision suggests the hit could be as much as $ 7.6 million, but didn’t factor in the savings from fewer enforcement staff.
Vision says its free swimming lesson programs will cost city taxpayers about $ 120,000 a year. The NPA points out the Vancouver school board already underwrites free lessons for Grade 4 students.
And on it goes. As the civic election begins to gain traction with voters, some of them began planting lawn signs this week. But the real meat of the campaign isn’t expected to sizzle until the last three weeks before the Nov. 15 vote, as strategists for all sides gear up for when voters begin to pay attention.
Robertson told reporters the free lessons plan is just one measure designed to make communities more affordable for families. He also reaffirmed many elements of an affordable housing strategy recently passed by his city council, including plans to build 4,000 new rental housing units and 1,000 new child care spaces over the next four years.
Robertson highlighted the disparity between the two parties, noting the NPA are still silent on their own housing policies.
“Again, it is just punctuating the difference between Vision and the NPA. We’re taking about this, the key issues in the city, and we are hearing nothing but dead air space on the NPA’s side.”
LaPointe is expected to announce the NPA’s housing platform next week but noted that if the mayor had attended an Urban Development Institute breakfast debate Tuesday with other mayoral contenders, he might have heard some of the NPA’s general plans. Robertson refused to attend the UDI event because of a disagreement with the non- profit organization.
The mayor said his party, if reelected, also will demand large- scale developers commit 35 per cent of their units to family housing. The city already insists on 25 per cent.
“With large developments, there is a significant negotiation around the benefits to the city and if we are going to approve projects for rezoning, they need to include a higher percentage of family housing going forward,” he said.
“There is a number of benefits that come to the city side, whether it is development cost charges, CACs. The mix of family units is another component of that. We want to make sure that more family housing is part of that.”
His NPA opponent sarcastically dismissed the promise. “He’s done well in meeting his targets on almost everything. Let’s get another four years of meeting the targets again,” LaPointe said.