Blog

Today, December 3rd marks the International Day of Disabled Persons (first declared by the United Nations in 1992). On that note – it seems appropriate to talk about disabilities and accessibility in B.C. It’s impossible to talk about accessibility barriers in this province without first talking about disability rates. There are two different qualifications: Persons With Disability (PWD) and Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers to employment (PPMB). PWD is a semi-permanent designation, and a single PWD can receive up to $906.42/month. A single PPMB can receive a maximum of $657.92 and must reapply every two years. There are potential additional supplements available for nutritional, diet, transportation, and crisis needs at the Ministry’s discretion. Both benefits are inclusive of a maximum shelter expenditure of $375/month. Read More

What might the Trans Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement mean here in the City of Vancouver? — with the notion of foreign investment already a hot-button issue in Vancouver real estate and unaffordability; what might the TPP and its extrajudicial Investor State Dispute Settlement process mean for local land use? What about the TransMountain pipeline and our aspiration to be the Greenest City. How about buy local programs? There is much we don’t know yet about the 6,000 page trade agreement released just three weeks ago — but already US cities like San Francisco, Seattle and New York have voiced their opposition to the deal. Should Vancouver follow their lead?

[Today at Vancouver City Council, I spoke in support of Green councillor Adriane Carr’s motion “Opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement”. With unanimous cross-partisan support, the motion was referred to staff for study with instructions to report back before the item is ratified by the House of Commons. The following is a transcript of my presentation to council and staff]

I’m here to speak in support of the motion to oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement.

My opposition to the TPP is not a blanket condemnation of the idea of trade agreements in general, and I recognize that the facilitation of trans Pacific trade through Port Metro Vancouver is significant economic engine for our City and region.

Further I want to acknowledge that the TPP may yield some larger benefits to environmental concerns if it leads to greenhouse gas and atmospheric pollution reductions particularly in developing nations like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

HOWEVER

I think there is much that we don’t know about the TPP, a global plan with potential significant local impact, impacts that may work against our own interests here in the City of Vancouver. Read More

John Colebourn, The Province:

Longtime social activist and Strathcona resident Pete Fry is officially running for the Green Party in the upcoming provincial byelection in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.

Premier Christy Clark has until early January to call the byelection, necessitated by the resignation of longtime NDP MLA Jenny Kwan.

Kwan ran successfully for the NDP in the recent federal election in Vancouver East, a riding held by the NDP’s Libby Davies since 1997.

Read More

“We haven’t had an MLA since July, and that’s certainly one of the things that’s resonating with people on the doorstep,” Fry told the Straight in a recent phone interview.

Last August, Gail Yvonne Sparrow ruminated about taking another stab at Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.

In 2001, the former Musqueam Nation chief ran for the B.C. Liberals in this provincial constituency, and delivered a decent challenge to Jenny Kwan of the B.C. NDP.

Kwan stepped down as MLA on July 8 this year so she could run for the federal NDP in Vancouver East in the October 19 election, which she won.

So back in August, Sparrow told the Straight by phone that she’s thinking of representing the B.C. Liberal party again: “I did come in close, and I know I could do a good job.”

This month, she was asked about her plans, and it turns out that she’s going to take a pass.

According to Sparrow, she gave it a thought and decided it’s not a good proposition to take on the NDP stronghold.

“It’s going to take a miracle to win it,” Sparrow told the Straightin a new phone interview.

B.C. Liberal Premier Christy Clark has until January 2016 to call a by-election in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.

In April this year, provincial Greens nominated Pete Fry as their candidate in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant. About three months later, B.C. New Democrats picked Melanie Mark.

“We haven’t had an MLA since July, and that’s certainly one of the things that’s resonating with people on the doorstep,” Fry told the Straight in a recent phone interview.

Fry hasn’t heard about who the B.C. Liberals will run.

Meantime, the long-time Mount Pleasant resident continues to reach out to voters. Fry said: “I’ve been speaking to a lot of people and getting a lot of support, Read More

What is community engagement? Let’s start with what it is not. It’s not random selections of citizens taking direction from the top; it’s not sticky notes and roundtables to record and ignore. Community engagement is an opportunity to involve citizens meaningfully in the decisions that affect their lives.

See more at:
http://www.straight.com/news/761236/pete-fry-better-city-together

Read More

The provincial government recently announced $35 million in funding — for what are termed as routine capital grant upgrades: things like window and boiler upgrades, roof replacement and energy efficiencies.

Vancouverites, were of course disappointed that of the 109 projects, not one was in our local school district.

What piqued my interest though, is that of the relatively modest wishlist submitted as part of the VSB’s Routine Capital Plan Submission — most of the requests are for my local elementary school, Lord Strathcona.

Read More

Rent control is another obvious solution, but in a free enterprise housing market—where renovictions are a thing, and the provincial Residential Tenancy Act is in desperate need of overhaul—there is potential for pushback from industry. Arguably rent control could be seen as a disincentive for new rental builds, although cities like New York have managed to make renter protection a condition of rezonings.

But there is a tool that hasn’t been subject to much discussion in our province, one that might bring some relief to beleaguered British Columbians: a renter’s tax credit.

Read More

Vancouver City Council approved an amended staff report to remove the viaducts in principal, with the inclusion of a serious commitment to immediate downgrading of Prior Street and a new east-west arterial, as well as meaningfully honouring of Hogan’s Alley and the black community displaced from there. — Still there is more work to be done, in particular regarding development and affordable housing, delivery of Creekside Park and the management of traffic in NE False Creek.

Earlier, I wrote the following op-ed:

Read More

The idea of an octogenarian rattling around an underutilized, empty-bedroomed $3 million Dunbar bungalow while young families are forced out of the city makes for a convenient if not somewhat mean spirited scapegoat — but let’s take another look

Read More

Like many Vancouverites, I owe a sincere debt of gratitude to VCC.

I wrote my first lines of HTML code in a VCC classroom, allowing me to upgrade from print-focused graphics to remain successfully self-employed and engaged in newly emerging world of web design. During my lean years, the meat and baked goods shops at the downtown campus—serving deep discounted butchery and bakery student works—kept me well fed when I couldn’t afford much else. My wife successfully transitioned into a productive career thanks to the affordable and specialized skills upgrading she received at VCC almost twenty years ago.

Read More

This morning, as predicted, the Bank of Canada cut our interest rate by .05 per cent. Ostensibly, the move is to head off a recession — spurred mostly by slumping oil markets that have dampened Alberta’s economic outlook — lower interest rates mean Canadians will spend more.

Lower interest rates also mean cheaper mortgage rates, which in turn will push up housing prices, particularly as investors look for safe places to park their money, like Vancouver.

Read More

Firstly, it never should have happened — an absolute abdication of leadership—doomed to failure from the start. We elect leaders to make the tough decisions, not pass the buck; and that is precisely what Christy Clark’s government did by putting our transit infrastructure investments to plebiscite. 

Read More