Counting down the days to the October 15 civic election, we bring you a roundup of this week’s news stories, reflections on candidate debates, plus reminders of important ones to come.

The week began with the Sept. 26 debate among the top mayoral hopefuls at the Terminal City Club (hosted by Glacier Media publications Business in Vancouver and Vancouver is Awesome). The meeting was sweet and sour, with candidates asked to say what they like about each other — à la Hilary vs. Donald — in-between the usual digs and stabs.

The highlight, or low moment, depending on your viewpoint, involved a heated match between ABC’s Ken Sim and Kennedy Stewart of Forward Together, with accusations of lying, deceiving the public, and fearmongering. Sim accused Stewart of working to bring back the controversial road tax, which Vancouver residents reacted strongly against and failed to gain Council’s support last year. Said Stewart: “Ken, as usual, is just making stuff up,” adding that he does not support a road tax. The debate quickly devolved into a fight to be heard, with Kennedy blocking Sim’s comments by talking over him loudly in the background.

A panel of reporters asked each candidate why they want to become the next mayor of Vancouver.

NPA’s Fred Harding said Vancouver has “slipped into a situation that’s probably unprecedented,” due to the rise in homeless and crime, and blamed it on a failure of leadership at City Hall. “It’s the reason we’re in the situation,” Harding said. “Crime is everywhere, it’s not just in the Downtown Eastside. Everyone knows it. We all see the crime. You can’t unsee [it].”

TEAM leader Colleen Hardwick said that rising taxes and rents are forcing Vancouverites to leave the city at an increasing rate, and she doesn’t want to be the last generation [of her family] to live in Vancouver. The city is facing serious and complex problems, said Hardwick, which can only be solved by someone with the background knowledge and experience at the helm. “With all due respect,” she said to her opponents, “rookies that have never been on Council aren’t going to do it. Then turning to Stewart: “The mayor has proven after the last four years that he’s not going to do it either.”

Stewart, who heads a new party called Forward Together, began with a reflection on a previous mayoral debate in Chinatown, where he heard an outrageous proposal that Vancouver’s homeless population should be relocated to the PNE. Said Stewart: “I can’t tell you how disturbed I was hearing that. We’re never going to arrest our way out of this. Being homeless is not a crime.” Stewart then turned his conversation to the local First Nations, showing his support for the Indigenous-led bid for the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and priding himself for working closely with the Nations. “It’s all about what the Nations want,” he said, adding that he consults regularly with the three chiefs (of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations) on land development and transportation issues, such as the locations for the Broadway Extension to UBC subway stations.

Mark Marissen of Progress Together said Vancouverites have to choose what kind of city we want to be. “We’re either going to be a thriving city…or we’re going to be unwelcoming.” Marissen said that young people, “the heart and blood of our city,” are leaving by the thousands, and warned that if we don’t bring housing prices down Vancouver will become a “city for the very rich and the very poor.”

ABC’s Ken Sim said he is running on the same platform he did in 2018, which focused on housing affordability, livability, and safety. He blasted Stewart’s leadership on Council, saying that all three issues have worsened over the past four years, including anti-Asian hate crimes, which are now up by 500 per cent. (In Vancouver, police said anti-Asian hate crimes increased 717 per cent during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. See story here.) Sim said people of all ages have told him they no longer see a future in Vancouver. “I’m not a career politician…I’m a concerned citizen who truly believes that we can create a better future for our city, for our families, children and grandchildren.”

Watch the entire meeting in this video provided by Business in Vancouver.

In the News:

In a Sept. 27 news story that aired on CTV News Vancouver, parties OneCity, Forward Together, and ABC share their platforms on mental health.

OneCity (Christine Boyle’s party) was in hot water this week when a volunteer named “Tim” wrote a damning message on a chat log suggesting ways to discredit one of the party’s political rivals.

As part of its housing platform, Colleen Hardwick and TEAM for a Livable Vancouver have just proposed the City make a $500 million investment in affordable co-operative living in Vancouver. If elected, Hardwick will ask Vancouver residents to approve her proposal in a referendum within 18 months of taking office. The funds, she said, will be used to build 2,000 new units for more than 4,000 people of all income . Read TEAM’s announcement here.

Hardwick said she will put the UBC subway extension to UBC on hold. In this Sept. 27 story posted on the Daily Hive, Hardwick explains that she would like to see more distributed transit in Vancouver, and is considering holding a city-wide public consultation on the subway extension. She and TEAM will compare it with other alternative options, including “a detailed public presentation and discussion of environmental assessments, as well as the costs and benefits of each option.” The other top mayoral runners all support the UBC extension.

The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods (CVN) has thrown its support behind TEAM for a Livable Vancouver. A Sept. 28 CVN press release states that:

“Only TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, with Colleen Hardwick for mayor, have policies to withdraw both the Broadway Plan and Vancouver Plan, to reconsider these plans under a new neighbourhood-based process with meaningful involvement of local residents and businesses, resulting in plans with a high level of their support.

The Last Candidate Standing is a round-robin where mayoral and other civic candidates can share ideas on election and other municipal issues. The event, which includes theatre and music, is organized by Vancouver Public Space Network, and runs from 2 to 5 pm this Saturday, Oct. 1, at Robson Square. Reserve your seat here.

Kerrisdale Community Centre opens its doors to an all-candidates meeting for Park Board on Monday, Oct. 3 from 7 to 9 pm. Participants will be asked their opinion on the role of the community centre in Vancouver, and how they would strengthen centres’ roles, if elected.

If you missed the council candidates debates, the West End Community Centre hosts a “speed dating”-style debate on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 860 Denman, beginning at 6 pm. This format is not your average election forum! Here are the details.

A reminder that the Oct. 4^th TEAM for a Livable Vancouver Fairview Town Hall meeting takes place on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, beginning at 6:30 pm. Holy Trinity is located at 1440 W. 12^th Ave, Vancouver.

Book your tickets for the UBC Sauder School mayoral debate on housing and real estate coming up on Thursday, Oct. 6 from 5 to 7:45 pm. The top five candidates — Kennedy Stewart, Colleen Hardwick, Mark Marissen, Ken Sim and Fred Harding — will be in attendance. Fee is $30, $15 for full-time students. Deadline to book is Oct 5. Where: Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Saturna Room Discovery Floor.

After the UBC debate, the same pack of mayoral candidates have been invited to debate at St. Philip’s Anglican Church at 3737 West 27^th. Ave. The event is hosted by the Dunbar Residents Association. Spokesperson Carol Volkhart said it is cutting it close timewise, but that candidates should have enough time to get to their event, held from 7:30 pm to 9 pm. (Candidates will likely arrive closer to 8 pm, said Volkhart). There is no charge for the event and the public is welcome. Takes place in the church gym, 3737 West 27th Ave. 

Also on Oct. 6^th, at 6 pm, the Grandview-Woodland Area Council (GWAC) hosts a School and Park Board candidates forum at Britannia Secondary School, 1001 Cotton Drive. The community is invited to take part in the conversation. Meet in the school cafeteria.

The Park Board candidates forum scheduled for Oct. 12 at Van Dusen Gardens is now full.

For information on past election events, visit our website.

This Saturday, Oct 1, is the first day of in person advance voting. See here for all the details.

Next advance voting days: Oct 5, 8 11, 13.

In other important news:David Eby, the front-runner for the NDP leadership, today announced wide-ranging changes to BC’s housing policy. Eby’s proposal involves overriding all local municipalities’ housing planning responsibilities, effectively allowing larger buildings in residential areas throughout the whole Province. He also promises to bring in a “flipping tax “on houses that are bought and resold within two years.