Carlito Pablo, who has been doing a great job covering Vancouver’s Rental 100 program and its shortfalls for a while, recently reported in the Georgia Straight that city manager Sadhu Johnstone is concerned that Vancouver city councillors are “causing a lot of problems” by pushing for more affordability in the program. But the problems are…
Category: Green Party
March 15 student strikes for climate action — join the rally as an ally!
I am very inspired by Greta Thunberg. She’s the 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist who sat, alone, on the cobblestones of the Swedish parliament one Friday last August, demanding action on climate change. She’s sat there almost every Friday since — in rain, sun, ice and snow — inspiring a worldwide movement of student action. Last…
Good news for Vancouver renters
There’s been a lot in the news lately about issues that impact renters, and I’m happy to say most of it is good news. First up is the announcement of a new resource at city hall — the creation of a Renters Office. This office, with its newly dedicated staff person and phone line, will…
UBC SkyTrain will haunt us for generations to come
I am so disappointed that Vancouver city council voted by a margin of 9 to 2 to approve the SkyTrain extension from Arbutus all the way to UBC. Even the three Green councillors all voted in favour of this very un-environmental proposal! As I pointed out in my recent blog on this topic, UBC professor…
Here’s to a progressive and ferocious 2019!
Happy New Year, everyone! May your New Year’s resolutions be successful. In keeping with the season, here are a few of my wishes for 2019. Progress on the basic income front Last summer, the provincial government appointed a three-person panel of experts to look at the viability of guaranteed basic income in BC. CBC Radio…
Unanimous vote on Vancouver tenants’ rights is a game changer
On Tuesday, December 4, COPE Councillor Jean Swanson tenants’ protection motion finally came before city council for a vote. In the week leading up to the vote, more than 300 tenants spoke eloquently to council about the need for protection when landlords decide to renovict them. See my last blog (Secure tenants make for a…
Secure renters make for a better Vancouver
COPE Councillor Jean Swanson’s motion [PDF] to give tenants protection from landlords during renovations was referred to committee at city hall November 27 so that members of the public would have an opportunity to speak to it. The motion proposes immediate changes to the city’s Relocation and Protection Policy. There are a number of changes,…