Vancouver Civic Election 2022

[Migrant_Coconut]

Remind me, when do the new and re-elected candidates take office (honest question)? Campaigning is one thing - actual governance is another.

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Final poll before the election:

Stewart 33%
Sim 33%
Hardwick 16%
Marissen 8%
Harding 8%

Vancouver, BC [October 14, 2022] – The outcome of the mayoral election in Vancouver is uncertain, with the two main contenders tied and about one-in-seven likely voters still undecided about who they will support tomorrow, a new Research Co. poll has found.

The online survey of a representative sample of likely voters in Vancouver finds both incumbent Kennedy Stewart of Forward Together and challenger Ken Sim of A Better City (ABC) garnering the support of 33% of decided voters. The numbers represent a two-point drop for Stewart and a three-point gain for Sim since a Research Co. survey conducted in early September.

Colleen Hardwick of TEAM for a Livable Vancouver remains in third place with 16% (-1), followed by Mark Marissen of Progress Vancouver with 8% (-5) and Fred Harding of the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) also with 8% (+4). Two per cent of decided voters say they will cast a ballot for one of the other ten mayoral candidates...

https://researchco.ca/2022/10/14/final-vancouver-2022/

Crazy how far polls were off...

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Being granted a historic super-majority by the electorate on every single vote, Sim's takeaway from this election needs to be that Vancouverites have both been appalled and adamantly against all policy enacted by Stewart and the Clown Council. Drawing this conclusion could have been hard if the victory would have come by a small margin, but it was a complete and total absolving of the previous Mayor, Council, School Trust and Park Board and their legacy.

For this reason, there should be no respect for previously made decisions (mistakes), and Sim should work actively to undo as much as possible of previous Council's legacy. There is nothing but ruins left, so bulldoze those ruins and build everything anew.

Sim should also acknowledge that with this vote of confidence, he has Vancouverite's full support to do whatever needs to be done and if he fails to act, it will be all on him and ABC in few months' time. I hope there will be no resting on their laurels and consideration for "what Twitter thinks", as activist and special interest opinions don't matter a squat. I was really happy to hear him distance himself from the Twitter echo chamber group think in his victory speech.

I have absolutely no idea if he and ABC will be end up being successful, but at least they have been given all the tools and they just need to be brave enough to do what is right by the law-abiding tax-paying residents, ignoring any nonsense and social media outcry.

He should stick to his platform only, any of the far right — you want he won't do.

[Jimbo604]

Nov 7, 2022 5:00 PM Inaugural Council
Nov 15, 2022 9:30 AM Council

COV Council Mtgs

Agendas not out yet, not sure if they do anything at Nov 7th meeting other than inauguration but at any rate change is coming within a small number of weeks.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Okay, do they really need three weeks to settle in?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Being granted a historic super-majority by the electorate on every single vote, Sim's takeaway from this election needs to be that Vancouverites have both been appalled and adamantly against all policy enacted by Stewart and the Clown Council. Drawing this conclusion could have been hard if the victory would have come by a small margin, but it was a complete and total absolving of the previous Mayor, Council, School Trust and Park Board and their legacy.

For this reason, there should be no respect for previously made decisions (mistakes), and Sim should work actively to undo as much as possible of previous Council's legacy. There is nothing but ruins left, so bulldoze those ruins and build everything anew.

Perhaps you haven't actually read the ABC platform? They explicitly state they intend to continue to implement some of the policies adopted by the last Council, particularly those relevant to most of this site, like the Vancouver Plan and the Broadway Plan, as well as supporting increased density along the Hastings Corridor.

A majority of the new Council were members of the previous Council. There are only four new members, and the mayor.

Meanwhile in Burnaby it looks like the Burnaby Citizens Association had an even bigger sweep than ABC in Vancouver - control of Council (with Alison Gu easily getting the most votes) and the entire School Board. It looks like they're going to try to build a lot more city-owned social housing, more purpose-built rental units, more childcare, and more bike routes. They're planning lots of EV facilities and greening the City fleet - (just as ABC are proposing in Vancouver). "We will work with host Nations to incorporate hən̓q̓əmin̓əm and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh languages into naming spaces and places in Burnaby to reflect the original stewards of these lands, language and culture." Their platform reads like the policies of the Vancouver progressive parties.

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

He should stick to his platform only, any of the far right — you want he won't do.

He left the NPA because it went too far to the right, won a huge majority as a centrist and the actual right wing garnered virtually no support. Seems to me that, politically, abandoning the platform for far right — would be a terrible move. Not to mention that the council would abandon him in a shift to the far right just as they did with the NPA. My guess, a functional and centrist municipal government detached from ideological loons.

[Migrant_Coconut]

^ Let's hope so.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

So you are going to try and tell us that protecting Gastown heritage has anything to do with development in the rest of the city.

Yes. Not sure why anyone would assume a preservationist wouldn't be a preservationist. I could be proven wrong, but I wouldn't bet against someone's history.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Architype

I mean, do we actually want the entire city to look like the downtown peninsula?

No, we don't. But a lot of the city could afford to look like Lasalle in Montreal with 2 or 3 story multiunit dwellings everywhere. That would do a lot to address Vancouver's housing shortage.

Originally Posted by whatnext

Not a stretch at all. Eby, Heymann et al came out strongly and publicly for Stewart. Talk about poisoning the well for relations with ABC.

Considering Stewart was an NDP MP perhaps ABC can understand why a politician of the same stripes with a progressive platform was supported by Eby. I certainly hope ABC won't be childish and will cooperate with the other levels of government.

Originally Posted by Klazu

Sim's takeaway from this election needs to be that Vancouverites have both been appalled and adamantly against all policy enacted by Stewart and the Clown Council.

Are there any specific policies on your mind?

[GenWhy?]

If the Province steps up things will get better. If they don't step up and this recession everyone talks about happens... the folks at City Hall will be blamed again.

Not sure about the "whole catch and release" thing tho if anyone will see results in 2-3 years.

I anticipate last council voting the roughly same as this one just quicker and more decisive (minus the odd cup tax). The real changes are on Park Board.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Yes. Not sure why anyone would assume a preservationist wouldn't be a preservationist. I could be proven wrong, but I wouldn't bet against someone's history.

But it's the one area in the city where almost no one would support development. You are implying way too much into something that means nothing.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

But it's the one area in the city where almost no one would support development. You are implying way too much into something that means nothing.

It doesn't mean anything. Gastown developments have been allowed recently; the Committee comment on the appropriateness of the design, and sometimes suggest changes. The newly developed office recently occupied by Microsoft saw some design development that added an extra floor - originally the idea was for taller floor-to-ceiling heights behind one of the heritage facades that would have seen floors not lining up with windows. I have no idea what voting record Ken Sim had, but I wouldn't read anything into it for planning policy across the City. The ABC platform reiterates support for the Vancouver Plan and the Broadway Plan, much faster permit times (which implies far shorter consultation times, if any), and easier permits for laneway housing, for example.

[djh]

Can somebosy ELI5 here - genuine question, since I've been seeing this "fact" popping up on various social media.

Why are people suggesting that Ken Sim is a puppet of the CPC? What are the alleged links? What has he said or done that make these people suggest this to be the case?

All I know about the guy is that he founded (at least) 2 well-known Vancouver businesses (Rosemary's Rocksalt bagels, and ?Nannys's On Call?), so I would assume he is a relatively competent business-forward operator. So what is the basis of this opinion of him?

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Considering Stewart was an NDP MP perhaps ABC can understand why a politician of the same stripes with a progressive platform was supported by Eby. I certainly hope ABC won't be childish and will cooperate with the other levels of government.

As the "junior partner", Vancouver is likely to take anything offered by the Province. They've got a mandate to ask for some things too.

The NDP can see exactly what the rest of us saw in terms of what people in Vancouver want. Eby has a good chance to listen here and make a few promises as the new premiere.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by djh

Can somebosy ELI5 here - genuine question, since I've been seeing this "fact" popping up on various social media.

Why are people suggesting that Ken Sim is a puppet of the CPC? What are the alleged links? What has he said or done that make these people suggest this to be the case?

All I know about the guy is that he founded (at least) 2 well-known Vancouver businesses (Rosemary's Rocksalt bagels, and ?Nannys's On Call?), so I would assume he is a relatively competent business-forward operator. So what is the basis of this opinion of him?

Do you mean the CCP as in the Chinese Communist Party?

They suggest this because they are racist. The End.

[seamusmcduff]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Being granted a historic super-majority by the electorate on every single vote, Sim's takeaway from this election needs to be that Vancouverites have both been appalled and adamantly against all policy enacted by Stewart and the Clown Council. Drawing this conclusion could have been hard if the victory would have come by a small margin, but it was a complete and total absolving of the previous Mayor, Council, School Trust and Park Board and their legacy.

For this reason, there should be no respect for previously made decisions (mistakes), and Sim should work actively to undo as much as possible of previous Council's legacy. There is nothing but ruins left, so bulldoze those ruins and build everything anew.

Sim should also acknowledge that with this vote of confidence, he has Vancouverite's full support to do whatever needs to be done and if he fails to act, it will be all on him and ABC in few months' time. I hope there will be no resting on their laurels and consideration for "what Twitter thinks", as activist and special interest opinions don't matter a squat. I was really happy to hear him distance himself from the Twitter echo chamber group think in his victory speech.

I have absolutely no idea if he and ABC will be end up being successful, but at least they have been given all the tools and they just need to be brave enough to do what is right by the law-abiding tax-paying residents, ignoring any nonsense and social media outcry.

So damn dramatic lol. You make it sound like Stewart was running Vancouver like some sort of social justice dictator, and Sim will be a beacon of hope against the "woke tyranny of Twitter" or something

What ruins? The reality is for better or for worse, Stewart really wasn't able to do much outside of the Vancouver plan and Broadway Plan, so I'm not sure were this narrative of crazed social justice warrior comes from. Maybe because he recognized that harsher policing won't fix the issues in the DTES , seeing as that would only be addressing the symptom rather than the causes?

Regardless, I don't know what burning down you think Sim will be doing. From what we've seen, he'll be a fairly status quo mayor. On housing, he won't rock the boat, especially on the West side, and the City will continue to struggle to meet the housing needs of the City without sweeping policy changes. When it comes to crime, I'm not sure how hiring 100 police officers will fix anything when more police doesn't address why people are committing crime in the first place. We need proactive solutions, not reactive, and addressing affordability and housing will do more to address crime than police ever will. The more desperate people there are, the more people are likely to commit desperate acts. In any case, we already have trouble staffing our police force, so not sure where he will find 100 police. Not to mention how he as a mayor plans to find and hire nurses, which are even harder to come by, and aren't even within his jurisdiction.

[WarrenC12]

Lots of chat about "100 more cops!!1!1" when in reality he wants to expand the existing Car 87 program.

Maybe they'll hit 100 new teams, maybe they won't, but it's certainly an underfunded program that works well, and deserves to be expanded if we're serious about dealing with some of the people in the DTES who have significant mental problems, and can't be safely dealt with by the healthcare system alone.

[Jimbo604]

Well if we are patient for an hour or two Ken Sim will tell us actually what he & ABC plan to do instead of us arguing about the hypothetical.

globalnews: Vancouver’s mayor-elect Ken Sim set to provide update on transition and policies

"Vancouver’s mayor-elect Ken Sim is expected to provide an update Monday morning on the mayoral transition and the plans for the incoming administration."

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Do you mean the CCP as in the Chinese Communist Party?

They suggest this because they are racist. The End.

If the questions are really being asked of Ken Sim, it could be by pissed off NPA supporters. Their mayoral candidate attracted some genuine questions about CCP affiliation. If you give any credibility to Bob Mackin's twitter feed, "Fred Harding's celebrity wife Zhang Mi was diagnosed with Oropharyngeal cancer in 2019. Her Weibo account shows she was back performing last summer and released a cover of “The Communist Party, My Dear Mother" to celebrate the CCP centennial."