Pete Fry

For Vancouver

Tag: Archive

  • Penalties for Illegal Ridesharing Operations should be Steeper

    Penalties for Illegal Ridesharing Operations should be Steeper

    While MLAs continue to debate how to regulate ride shares in Vancouver and across BC — here in the Lower Mainland, growth in illegal rideshares has been absolutely explosive!

    Yesterday on CKNW I followed up with Lynda Steel on a conversation we had back in July. Then, the illegal unregulated rideshare GoKabu was boasting 150,000 rides since they began operations in June 2016. Today that total is 1,000,000. One million unregulated, unlicensed, uninsured and untaxed rides — and that’s just one company!

    GoKabu are but one of at least seven illegal and unregulated rideshares operating in the Greater Vancouver area. They significantly undercut the taxi industry drivers who are paying insurance and taxes, and following requirements for licensing and permits (at significant cost).

    Regardless of your opinion on pros or cons of rideshare: both Uber and Lyft are at least respecting our legal process, and lobbying government to change the laws and introduce a new regulatory framework. Taxi drivers are similarly lobbying to even the playing field. These unregulated operators prefer to ignore the law,and game the system.

    So far fines that have been levied against ridesharing scofflaws have been shrugged off as “the cost of doing business”. Yesterday both BC Green leader Andrew Weaver and I suggested the same thing: if fines aren’t working, up the ante and impound the vehicle.

    Under Section 104.1 of the Motor Vehicle Act, a peace officer can impound the vehicle of an uninsured driver (any vehicle carrying commercial passengers must have a Class 4). Similar statues exist under the MVA for uninsured drivers (ICBC don’t cover commercial passengers under personal insurance policies).

    hear full interview: https://omny.fm/shows/steele-drex/penalties-for-illegal-ridesharing-oper…

  • Green politico Pete Fry sounds alarm about loophole in campaign-finance law

    Green politico Pete Fry sounds alarm about loophole in campaign-finance law

    Big money may continue to influence local elections in B.C., says a former city-council candidate. Pete Fry of the Green Party of Vancouver claims that this is due to a loophole in legislation that was passed by the province last month regarding campaign financing.

    “That opens the opportunity for kind of an end run around getting a lot of that big money out,” Fry told the Straight in a phone interview.

    He explained that although the new law banned corporate and union donations and imposed limits on individual contributions, people with deep pockets may still sway electoral outcomes.

    According to Fry, the wealthy can affect the polls either by acting as or acting through third-party-advertising sponsors. These are individuals or groups that conduct election advertising independent of elector organizations and individuals.

    “A developer group could register as a third-party election sponsor and deliver messaging,” he cited by way of an example.

    The two-time council candidate noted that there is neither a limit on how many contributions can be made to these third-party advertisers nor a cap on how much they can spend in the election period, which begins in the calendar year in which an election is held.

    “I can see that being a real opportunity to reinsert big money into the political process despite this legislation,” Fry said.

    He pointed out that the only time the law imposes an expense limit on third-party-advertising sponsors is during the campaign period, which is the 28 days preceding the vote.

    Residents of B.C. who are either Canadian citizens or permanent residents can contribute to these advertising sponsors. They can give as much as they want, which is not the case when they are making a donation to elector organizations and candidates.

    Under Bill 15—or the Local Elections Campaign Financing Amendment Act, 2017—which passed on November 23 this year, individuals may contribute only up to $1,200 to an elector organization and candidates in a campaign.

    Follow Carlito Pablo on Twitter at @carlitopablo.
    https://www.straight.com/news/1009891/green-politico-pete-fry-sounds-ala…

  • Know Your Rights: Tenant Relocation and Protection policy

    Know Your Rights: Tenant Relocation and Protection policy

    Know your rights.

    Under the City’s Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy, formally evicting long term tenants for “minor repairs” necessitates at a minimum 4 months free rent and moving expenses (in the case of a 10year tenant). It seems in the case of these apartments at Pender and Woodland the new owner “Dino” is hoping to scare pressure tenants into leaving without their due payout (no permits have been issued).

    More info: TENANT RELOCATION AND PROTECTION GUIDELINES
    http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/tenant-relocation-and-protection-guideline…

    Also worth noting, that VISION Vancouver’s recent Grandview Woodland Community Plan has significantly up-zoned this particular part of town. From 12-15 storeys on Hastings, to 10 stories across the street, this older 4 story apartments are sitting on lots that will now accommodate up to 6 storeys.

    Postscript: 

    Published in response to “Tenants of Vancouver apartment buildings join forces in opposing evictions”
    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/tenants-of-vancouv…

  • On Zoning.

    On Zoning.

    During this recent by-election, I really focused on what the city can actually do — within their mandated and legal role.

    Zoning and land-use decisions are the big tools at the city’s disposal. The outrageous land valuation increase detailed in this article is a direct result of the city’s changes to permissible building height and scale — and it’s what is driving a rush on speculation as well as replacement and displacement of actually affordable housing in the West End.

    Until we’ve forced a conversation with the province about reforming BC Assessment, land value tax reform, and new ideas like progressive property taxation and split assessments: considerate and nuanced zoning is the ONLY real tool the city has at its disposal, so we need to do it right.

    In the specific case of the First Baptist: public service and charitable work notwithstanding, they had been operating a commercial parking lot under a residential classification up until now. In fairness, for them to qualify for assessment averaging they should also pay retroactive commercial taxes on their for-pay parking lot. The other option available to them should be some form of tax deferral, that can be paid by the significant revenues expected for Ian Gillespie’s Westbank luxury condo tower approved for that site.

    Hard to guess why previous cases were voted against without seeing records — but the property tax assessment structure is pretty wonky, so until the various deficiencies are addressed at a provincial (read Vancouver Charter) level, the “law is the law”.. there’s a good explanatory graphic attached here (from the mentioned report). I would suggest the obvious route of appeal here should actually be with BC Assessment and the sudden change in tax class.

    Though in this particular case if they have been getting a tax holiday with taxes applied on a residential class on what should have been a commercial classed operation, so unless First Baptist were willing to pay back all the taxes they had dodged on their commercial parking lot I would agree hands are tied as far as tax redress.

    Postscript: 

    Commenting on Original Article
    http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/fumano-churchs-3100-per-cent-tax-hike-highlights-absurdity-of-vancouver-system-expert-says

  • Voting Vision is more of the same and voting NPA could block key budget votes

    Voting Vision is more of the same and voting NPA could block key budget votes

    The best part of political campaigns is meeting people and reconnecting with our city’s neighbourhoods.

    But it’s bittersweet.

    I grew up here, I love Vancouver. But I feel sad and ashamed at what our city is becoming. Too many folk are being pushed out. People are living on the street. Increasingly our city is becoming more about speculative investment and less about people who live and work here.

    This Saturday’s by-election gives Vancouver voters the choice between several different candidates, but it’s also setting the stage for the coming general election in 2018 to elect a whole new mayor and council. Electing me as a second Green councillor means we can broaden the conversation at Vancouver City Hall, introduce motions, and force public debate in this crucial run up to the 2018 election.

    Greens are the only elected party that don’t take donations from the developer industry. Where the primary function of city council is to determine land use, we consider it unethical to take financial contributions from the very people who benefit the most from those decisions. The decisions we make about land use and their bearing on affordability are too important to allow the market to direct. Transparency, good governance, and public interest must be at the forefront of the response to our housing crisis.

    I’ll fight for our city, using the tools available to our city council. I’ve made it a priority in this election to focus on actions our city council—not senior government—can take to more aggressively address housing affordability in our city. We’ve had 10 years of promises that always seem to rely on senior levels of government. We need to focus on what city council can achieve, while also advocating for the policies our city needs to see from senior government to solve our housing crisis.

    I’ve mapped out five quick-starts our city council can take right away to address our city’s housing crisis: fixing the definition of “affordable housing” to local incomes; a moratorium on demolition of purpose built rentals; easing the red tape on legalizing and protecting affordable secondary suites; a dedicated renter’s office and strengthening of the tenant relocation and protection bylaw; and kick-starting a co-creative city plan to determine how and where we can add affordable density for the people who live and work here.

    In 2014, as a community advocate and organizer, I ran for city council because I was frustrated by Vancouver’s top-down approach to city building that disempowered the people who live and work here. I was frustrated by issues around homelessness and housing affordability, good governance and transparency, and the struggles of our small business and arts communities. Although I came close but didn’t get elected to council—I’ve kept at it, working on those same issues with my community and neighbours in the East End and citywide.

    Today in 2017, those same issues I championed in 2014 are even more crucial. Additionally, Adriane Carr has put the call out to have me join her on city council, because increasingly, as the lone Green and non-developer-backed city councillor, she faces challenges in having many of her motions seconded. A number of her motions, on matters like tying the definition of affordability to actual local incomes rather than the market, are watered down, changed, or ultimately scuttled by other parties before they can even see the light of day.

    Electing me to join her as a second Green means I can second her motions and she can second mine. This way we can bring important policy ideas out into the open and move council to address the challenges we face in a way that puts public interest, not private interests, first.

    Electing Vision is more of the same. Electing the NPA risks having them block key budget votes and increasingly polarize council in advance of our upcoming general civic election next year. Other candidates, while well-intentioned, may be getting lots of attention but are promising policies that under our legal jurisdiction can only be delivered by senior governments.

    The most strategic choice and most effective vote in this by-election to to elect me to join Adriane Carr to bring real transparency and accountability to city hall. This is the best move for our city both in the immediate term and in preparation for the general civic election in October 2018.

    This Saturday, please vote for me to join Green Councillor Adriane Carr for a real alternative at Vancouver City Hall.

    Pete Fry is the Green candidate in the Vancouver council by-election on Saturday (October 14).

    https://www.straight.com/news/980971/pete-fry-voting-vision-more-same-an…