Terahertz

It’s the thought that counts

While I’m not generally an NPA-supporter, I support good ideas regardless of where they originate.

And Jason Lamarche, an NPA candidate for Vancouver City Council, has a good idea. The only problem is that his proposal addresses an issue that doesn’t actually exist in the city.

A dog-loving West End renter and first-time city-council candidate still believes his call for a city bylaw forbidding Vancouver pet stores to sell dogs is a good move even though the Georgia Straight could not find a single one that still does.

Pet stores that sell dogs typically acquire the animals through inhumane puppy mills and mass breeders. Richmond and Toronto have both recently approved bylaws banning the sale of dogs in pet stores, referring people instead to adopt unwanted pets from rescue and humane societies.

Despite Richmond City Council’s best intentions, their ban simply forced pet stores to move to nearby municipalities, including Burnaby and Surrey.

This is why Lamarche’s proposal is important. Even though the problem doesn’t currently exist in this city, by passing this bylaw we set further precedents for our neighbouring communities, and we can put pressure through the GVRD council to end the sale of puppies across the Lower Mainland.

So good work Lamarche, I only hope that Vancouver’s hyper-partisan atmosphere doesn’t kill this idea before it takes off.

A Streetcar Named Anton

Streetcars are just cool to me.

I love the idea of an integrated, community-based, electric-powered public transportation system. It just pushes us toward sustainability and makes us actually appreciate the neighbourhood we live in.

It doesn’t cut a city in half like a highway or SkyTrain and its more environmentally friendly and typically a little faster than buses.

It even adds that bit of pizazz that makes a city unique.

So when NPA mayoral candidate Suzanne Anton says she wants to make the False Creek streetcar (Olympic demo pictured) a reality, it makes me perk up.

The proposed line somewhat matches suggestions from Translink plans for the Broadway corridor (a couple of the suggestions utilize streetcars), with routes running from Granville Island, through Olympic Village, to Science World. It then proceeds to Gastown and into downtown. Their map shows extensions into Yaletown and to Stanley Park.

And this all sounds fantastic to me. The potential extensions provide extra lines through downtown, and I could foresee the Arbutus track that runs only a couple blocks from my condo being converted to a streetcar line with little difficulty.

Then comes reality:

According to the NPA, the network would be funded through a public-private partnership, with costs estimated at about $81 million for the track, and another $21 million for the purchase of six streetcars.

Public-private partnerships (P3s) make me take a huge pause.

Their track record (get it?) is spotty at best. Designed to save costs and time, they are trumpeted by right-wing parties as the best way to do infrastructure projects. Some projects, like the Canada Line, were resounding success on this front, while others, like the Olympic Village, failed on nearly every front.

But even despite the successful construction of the Canada Line, the P3 model excluded local consultation, and the ensuing construction along Cambie Street greatly angered local businesses. Similar concerns are very pertinent for a streetcar line through downtown, which would interrupt the day-to-day life of everyone along the route.

The consultation is just the thing though. Anton’s plan, while promising, suggests ramming through a streetcar line with no due process – similar to how she criticized construction of the Hornby bike lane. This is why Vision councillor Geoff Meggs brings us the soggy rag of reality.

Vision Vancouver councillor Geoff Meggs called Anton’s plan to fast-track a streetcar network “a really costly pipe dream”.

Meggs argued the region’s priority should be moving forward with a transit strategy for the Broadway corridor. One option that has been proposed by TransLink, he noted, would incorporate streetcar service from VCC Clark, past Olympic Village to Arbutus and Broadway.

“We have an opportunity to deliver some relief as early as next year to people who are jammed on buses and SkyTrain by pushing through the moving forward supplement that TransLink has proposed,” Meggs told the Straight by phone.

“That’s a much cheaper and more practical alternative for our riders who are underserved on Broadway in a terrible way. We have more ridership on buses right now in the Broadway corridor than the millennium line carries on SkyTrain.”

…

Meggs panned the P3 proposal, arguing that the private sector “doesn’t give money to government”.

“There’s no free ride here, there’s no free lunch,” he said. “We would pay for the line with fare box revenues and that kind of thing.”

“I think it’s the wrong priority at the wrong time, and the streetcar option that we should pursue is the one that’s available if we’re able to move through the current funding discussion and get to the Broadway corridor,” he added.

I almost reluctantly have to agree with Meggs. As much as I really want a streetcar, we need to do things rationally and involve the community in the discussions.

My only qualifier is that at some point I think we do need some vision and leadership. Obviously, it needs to be balanced with some democratic input, but without that ambition to actually get it done, we’ll be stuck in endless debates. Robertson had this when he got the Burrard Bridge bike lane moving forward, and I hope Vision/COPE candidates will not waste the opportunity to move forward on transit in Vancouver.

The NPA on accountability

Suzanne Anton has released some of her Non-Partisan Association ideas for how to bring an “accountability accord” to Vancouver’s city hall.

Accountability’s a good thing, right? So there’s little to disagree with here:

• Support for a (provincially-funded) municipal auditor
• Freezing the mayor’s office budget for three years
• Cutting the budget for councillors attending international meetings and national conventions
• Increasing the availability of internal city documents
• More detailed expense accounts. She specifically cites “finding out who the mayor had dinner with in New York.”
• Lifting a “gag order” on city staff speaking to media
• Enshrining a ban on soliciting and accepting foreign donations into the Vancouver Charter
• Increasing debate time for councillors at city hall
• Making annual budget documents more comprehensive

Well, okay, maybe I don’t disagree as much, but I am scratching my head a bit.

First, what does accountability have to do with the mayor’s office budget? The budget could be gigantic, but accounted for. I can understand what she’s going after, but it’s not accountability.

Second, I’m really not clear on the weird fascination with the dinner date knowledge. I guess it’s an illustration of the level of detail she’d expect, but hopefully there’s a line. Otherwise city hall will become even more wasteful with managers chasing down TPS reports. There’s something to be said for efficiency, especially when you’re also planning to cut budgets.

Next, saying you’ll lift the “gag order” is all well and good, but is she going to make anything more accessible? The BC government’s new DataBC project is a great way to present information in a readily consumable manner. Does Anton commit to continuing to expand the Vancouver Open Data Catalogue and encouraging app makers to use the data?

Next, the ban on foreign donations is nice, but doesn’t go nearly far enough. Why are we still allowing corporate and union donations at the municipal level? Why does Vancouver have among the weakest campaign finance restrictions around? Even uber-NPA friendly CityCaucus supports finance reforms.

Increased debate time and comprehensive budgets are good ideas. Improving the design and readability of the budgets for the general public would be a praiseworthy suggestion.

Overall, a very lacklustre set of promises from Anton.