As NDP Premier David Eby tightens his grip on municipal housing development, Vancouver City Council passed the controversial Interim Provincial Development Approval Plan (DAP) that, with few exceptions, will strip away the need for public hearings.  

See Report

Rather than oppose the Province’s measures  [Bill 18], Council bowed to the edicts of Victoria. The June 3 meeting and vote passed in record time, with ABC Cllrs. Sarah Kirby-Yung, Lisa Dominato, Brian Montague, and Peter Meiszner voting in favour of the DAP along with Independent Cllr. Rebecca Bligh, and OneCity Cllr. Lucy Maloney. Green Party Cllr. Pete Fry abstained (counted as in favour); the lone no vote came from COPE Cllr. Sean Orr.

Cllr. Orr did not give an explanation for his vote, but Cllr. Fry spoke about his dissatisfaction with the process. “I think, fundamentally, Bill 18, in prohibiting public hearings, does a disservice to what our role as a local government could be or should be,” he said. Fry disagreed with how Bill 18 in effect wipes out the City’s opportunity to consider the opinions of the public. Said Fry: “Bill 18 does not allow us to consider it [the opinions and expertise of the public], but outright prohibits it, I do find that troubling….”

Victoria began to redefine who makes decisions regarding local development when its Housing Supply Act received Royal Assent in Nov 2022. Then came the infamous list of “naughty cities” in June 2023, infrastructure Bills 13, 14, and 15, (that passed last month), and DAP policies of Bill 18 (see report above. )

As Planning expert Erick Villagomez writes in the May 12^th issue of the Vancouver Sun, this change represents a “fundamental reordering of power” between the province and its municipalities. “Framed as tools to accelerate housing and infrastructure, these bills do far more than expedite permits. They hand the province unprecedented authority to override local planning, ignore zoning bylaws, and silence public consultation.”

Speaking at a public hearing has long been a right for Canadians, in accordance with the principles of freedom of expression and the right to participate in democratic processes. But some say that Vancouver cannot afford to slow down housing approvals with lengthy hearings in the midst of a housing crisis. Groups in favour of more housing such as Abundant Housing blame Westside speakers or “NIMBYs,” for dragging out the process for days or even weeks.

Randal Helten, president of CityHallWatch, was waiting on the phone to speak at the June 3 Council meeting, when he was suddenly cut off by Acting Chair Cllr. Rebecca Bligh who mistakenly declared Helten was not on the line. When asked what he thought of Council’s reaction to the Provincial legislation, Helten said the staff report, presentation, and responses to questions lacked critical thought, that resulted in white-washing the impacts of the bylaw.

June 3 was Vancouver Council’s chance to protest the usurpation of its authority. Instead, said Helten, Council rubber-stamped the staff recommendations in just 16 minutes, with no serious discussion. Unlike Vancouver, other Metro Vancouver municipalities have held townhall meetings, municipal staff have conducted detailed analysis, and made the findings available to the public. They have even [gasp] invited the public to speak.

Photo of City Hall at Dusk: David Ferman