This page congratulates the People of Vancouver for reducing the so-called 'Non-Partisan' Association to a bloodied electoral stump in Saturday's municipal elections. Peter Ladner's arrogance has been punished, but by his own admission, he had nothing pressing to do if he had been elected Mayor anyway. With the exception of Suzanne Anton, Sam Sullivan's henchmen have been kicked to the curb and hopefully won't be getting up anytime soon. Already the chatrooms and discussion boards are lighting up as inconsolable right-wingers fling their invective at Union workers (particularly members of the CUPE Vancouver Civic Locals) as the cause of the overwhelming NPA defeat. To these disgusting little animals this page says: Who was it that refused to bargain two years ago after every other Lower Mainland municipality had an agreement with their Civic Locals? Who opened the Orpheum for some high-profile picket line crossing by the Vancouver Symphony? Suck it right-wing bitches, you got what you deserved.
A caveat to the victorious Mayor-Elect Gregor Robertson and the newly elected Vision Councillors: Play nice, and check your egos at the door. The last thing Vancouver needs is another Larry Campbell who thinks he's bigger than the game and starts looking around for another job when things don't go his way. Robertson didn't finish a full terms as Vancouver-Fairview's MLA, and people will be looking for some serious commitment to the new job at 12th and Cambie. I know there's a provincial election in six months, but this page won't look too kindly at any Councillors who bolt up from their seats for the bright lights of Victoria - Tim Stevenson, I'm looking at you.
Our new Mayor is absolutely right in that ending homelessness in the leading city of "The Best Place on Earth" is priority one for the new Council, but this page will take this opportunity to suggest some other priorities that will help make this city actually livable, as opposed to fulfilling the phony rankings of corporate travel magazines:
-No unconditional bailout for the failed Olympic Village project. If Millennium Properties wants to go forward with taxpayers' money, they go forward with all remaining suites in the project, above and beyond those already set aside,to be allocated for affordable housing. Social housing on False Creek was the spoonful of sugar in the Olympic medicine that Jim Green and Larry Campbell shoved down our throats in 2003. Their Vision successors can finally adjust the palpability of that dose five years later.
-Refuse to meet with any so-called 'Business Improvement Associations'. BIA's are little more than a Mafia for absentee landlords and NIMBY capitalists to systematically override the interests of the people who actually live in those communities. Security guards should not be harassing homeless people in Grandview Park on Commercial Drive. Street banners on Davie Street should not have the Pride rainbow airbrushed out. Rent-a-Cops dressed as hotel doormen should not be doing work normally conducted by police officers. Enough is enough - now that Sam Sullivan is safely back in his cage it's time to start again with advocating for a Ward system that allows for real community representation and shuts up self-righteous and self-serving BIAs.
-Mayor Robertson needs to sit down with his re-elected colleagues in Surrey and Burnaby, Diane Watts and Derrick Corrigan, and have a serious talk about Gordon Campbell. B.C.'s major cities need a united front against the systematic stupidity that comes out of Victoria, particularly the string of failed Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) and the Premier's inability to remember that he hasn't been Mayor of Vancouver for well over a decade now. Start talking about taking Vancouver, Surrey, and Burnaby out of Translink. Vancouver needs more buses, Surrey wants a light rail link with the rest of the Fraser Valley, and Kevin Falcon offers up The Gateway Project - what's wrong with this picture?
A couple of other points to wrap up the Civic election - this page was heartened to see a progressive sweep of the Parks Board and School Board. Vancouverites have been saved from animatronic dinosaurs in Stanley Park, and overpriced A-list bistros won't be supplanting beachside snack bars. It's also good to see a school board that's more interested in lobbying Victoria to fund improvements public education rather than lobbying parents for more user fees. As for Ellen Woodsworth and David Cadman, the two Councillors elected from the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE): Don't play too nice. There are still far too many Liberals lurking around Vision, and the closer you guys push the beds together, the more people like me start thinking warmer thoughts about the Work Less Party.
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