It was a busy week for all mayoral candidates, with some appearing at community events such as car-free Main Street, while others just tried to stay out of the headlines.

Kennedy Stewart of Forward Together finally broke his silence over a mysterious list of campaign “Captains” who also happen to be leading developers. Stewart confirmed the list of donors was one of his own, but denied that he had done anything wrong. The listed “Captains” were tasked with raising large sums of money for Stewart’s campaign. Elections BC is investigating the authenticity of the letter and whether Stewart broke any campaign finance regulations.

The ubiquity of money in politics is the subject of a Sept. 20 story by Vancouver Sun columnist Daphne Bramham entitled “Money, politics, and the price of influence in Vancouver.” Political donations, Bramham writes, “are one of democracy’s necessary evils. But what is done in party backrooms to get that money is often at the root of citizens’ cynicism about politicians and democracy itself. That’s especially so when there appears to be a disconnect between what the politicians say and who they lean on for cash.”

And then there are candidates who, according to Vancouver immigration lawyer Veronica Cheng, should not use honorific names from cultures other than their own on the ballot, especially if they are only used at election time. In this story by Charlie Carey of CityNews, NPA candidate Melissa DeGenova and Chen argue over the use of a Chinese name DeGenova says was gifted to her by members of Vancouver’s Chinatown community.

Green Party

Hot off the presses: The Vancouver Green Party has just announced its new housing policy. According to insider sources, the new policy has “completely transformed from the last election that was previously focused on neighbourhoods. Now the Greens support a few building typologies promoted across the city as proposed in the Vancouver Plan.”

Upcoming Mayoral candidate debates 

More candidate debates were announced this week. The first is an all-mayoral event, hosted by Globe and Mail writer Frances Bula, on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Choi Hall, 28 W. Pender St. in Chinatown, from 10-12 pm. Following the meeting TEAM for a Livable Vancouver will present a West End town hall meeting from 1 to 3:30 pm. at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 1130 Jervis Street.

The second debate is being hosted by Business in Vancouver and Vancouver is Awesome on Sept. 26 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Terminal City Club, 837 West Hastings St. According to our sources, the leading mayoral candidates have confirmed they will be taking part, including Fred Harding (NPA), Colleen Hardwick (TEAM for a Livable Vancouver), Kennedy Stewart (Forward Together), Ken Sim (ABC), and Mark Marissen (Progress Together). The meeting is free, and though tickets are already sold out, organizers say there may be some available at the door.

Also on Sept. 26, the Grandview Woodlands Area Council (GWAC) is holding a City Council Candidates Public Forum at 7 pm at Britannia Secondary School. The event will be a cafe-style rotating discussion with:

• Param Niijar and Sean Nardi (TEAM)
• Cinnamon Bhayani and Ken Charko (NPA)
• Ian Cromwell (OneCity)
• Pete Fry and Michael Wiebe (Green Party)
• Jean Swanson and Breen Ouellette (COPE) and
• Lesli Boldt and Stuart Mackinnon (Vision).

The University Women’s Club invites the public to an all-women candidates forum at Hycroft, 1489 McRae Ave., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, from 6:30 to 9 pm. Women from eight political parties will participate. There is no charge for the event.

Don’t miss TEAM for a Livable Vancouver’s next town hall meeting in Fairview on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 pm. Mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick and candidates will speak to members of the community about the Broadway Plan and other neighbourhood topics at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 1440 W. 12^th Avenue. You can RSVP here.

Stewart a no-show at Creekside Mayoral debate

Kennedy Stewart skipped another neighbourhood-hosted debate at Creekside Community Centre this week, cancelling just hours before the debate got underway. The event was put on by the False Creek Neighbourhood Association. To date, Stewart has missed all candidate meetings hosted by neighbourhood associations. Sim is a close second, but he did attend the Creekside event.

Most of the debate was spent on the opioid crisis and safety concerns in the False Creek area. Other topics discussed included derelict boating vessels, worsening water pollution in False Creek, and the loss of green space.

NPA candidate Fred Harding, a former UK police detective, said his party’s main election concern is the growing lack of safety on Vancouver streets, which he blames on a failure of leadership at City Hall. He would rehire 50 retired police officers, hire “new blood,” bring beat cops back to the streets, and arrest those dealing drugs on boats.

TEAM candidate Colleen Hardwick acknowledged that safety has “deteriorated beyond belief in this town,” and promised if elected to bring back the Four Pillars approach brought in by former mayor Philip Owen. The approach is based on four principles: harm reduction, prevention, treatment, and enforcement. She and the other candidates chastised Forward Together’s Kennedy Stewart for attempting to defund the police during his term. Hardwick said if elected, she would appoint a safety commissioner who would be responsible for the Downtown Eastside.

Mark Marissen of Progress Together said he would bring back the Vancouver Agreement — an initiative undertaken jointly by all three levels of government as well as community and business groups to develop and revitalize the Downtown Eastside.

ABC’s Ken Sim promised to bring in 100 police officers and 100 mental health workers to help those suffering from drug and mental health issues and provide 24-hour recovery centres with wrap-around services. Sim criticized Kennedy Stewart’s new plan to bring in a mental health response team of only 25 if elected.

Discussions also included the tearing down of the city’s viaducts and the contentious Broadway Plan. Sim and Marissen support the plan; Fred Harding said it is a “flawed plan,” but that “we can’t go back” and re-do the plan. Only Hardwick said she would rescind it. Calling the Broadway Plan a “cooked up” revenue generator deal, Hardwick said people have been misled and it’s not what’s best for the city.” Sim disagreed, saying that the Broadway Plan would be too costly to change and cannot be repealed. But Hardwick told the audience that the City’s legal department told her it was possible.

Here is an in-depth look at what the Broadway Plan means for our city by Elizabeth Murphy, president of TEAM for a Livable Vancouver.

Rally at Vanier Park

A large group of residents gathered in Vanier Park on Sept. 18th to protest an access road through the park to the Senakw development. Organizers say the Squamish Nation and Vancouver developer Westbank negotiated a deal in secret with the City to pave over a 300-metre gravel path along the inside edge of Vanier Park, beginning at Chestnut St. Kits Point neighbours say they were not consulted about the plan.

TEAM for a Livable Vancouver mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick was the keynote speaker, along with other members of the community including Larry Benge of the West Kitsilano Residents Association. Hardwick, who lives in the area, said  she was there because she believes in public consultation. The speakers described how, according to StatsCan satellite imagery, over the years Vancouver is getting greyer and browner. Benge added that governments are supposed to protect the parks. “Where is the Park Board in all of this?” he asked. Vanier Park is owned by the federal government, who would have the ultimate say on the road.

Photo above: Mark Marissen and Ken Sim listen to questions at the Creekside Community Centre.