Students weigh in on plans for city’s future

Affordability, climate change, diversity and representation are some of the pressing issues raised by Vancouver high school students during a discussion with a city councillor during the City of Vancouver’s kickoff of its ambitious citywide planning process.

On Thursday, Mayor Kennedy Stewart and 10 councillors fanned out across the city to talk to community groups, including seniors, high school students, businesses in Mount Pleasant, families in the River District, artists in Yaletown, and organizations like the Carnegie Community Centre in the Downtown Eastside and the Immigrant Services Society.

Coun. Rebecca Bligh met with eight Grade 11 and 12 students at Vancouver Technical Secondary to get their views to help formulate the Vancouver Plan, which chief planner Gil Kelley described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for the city to articulate a strategy about the kind of city expected in 2050 and beyond.

“It’s the city you will all live in,” Bligh told the students in her introduction to the planning process.

In a wide-ranging discussion, the students talked about their connections to the city and community. One student said she valued access to nature while living in a bustling city, while another praised the vibrancy provided by mom-and-pop stores along Commercial Drive.

When asked about what they envision for their future, many cited financial stability as their top concern.

Grade 12 student Gabriela Dodge, who wants to be a doctor or psychotherapist, said she would like to stay in Vancouver but may be unable to because of how expensive it is, a sentiment that triggered nods around the table.

Heulwen Hainsworth, a Grade 11 student, said she is aware there are trade-offs between “how to live sustainability” and affordability or “being able to actually live,” but said the climate crisis remains a crucial issue. “It affects every single person regardless of circumstance,” she said.

In an interview, Bligh said she found the students’ feedback “deeply inspiring.”

The issues the youths had spoken about — equity, representation, climate change, affordability — will likely persist as they get older, she said.

“Our opportunity is to look and see how this citywide plan can help solve those concerns these 16- and 17-year-olds have right now.”

NICK PROCAYLO Rebecca Bligh talks to students at Vancouver Technical Secondary on Friday. Bligh was one of 10 councillors, plus Mayor Kennedy Stewart, who travelled across the city on Friday to talk to citizens about the city’s planning process. Bligh says the students’ feedback was “deeply inspiring.”