The civic left in Vancouver is getting comfy.
The November municipal elections are months away, but the jockeying has already begun. An upstart political party fresh on the scene wants to mend Vancouver’s growing inequality, joining Vancouver’s traditional progressive voice in attacking City Hall where the mayor appears weakest: his policy.
Despite enjoying an ironclad grip on City Hall, the governing party Vision Vancouver and its mayor Gregor Robertson have seen their support crumble on both sides of the political spectrum. Their right flank is upset at what they say is a lack of community consultation in local area development plans, while the left are upset at the way pro-Vision developers are radically transforming the city. Even Robertson admitted recently that he may have moved “too fast” when they tried to rush through massive density increases in the bohemian Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhood. Vision’s flagship promise in 2008’s election — to end homelessness by 2015 — lies in the gutter as street homelessness tripled over the last year. Rents are skyrocketing and Vancouver’s left have had to make do with what amounts to lifestyle politics: bike lanes, microlofts and better localvore restaurants.
Meanwhile, Vancouver’s second-oldest political party and the unhappy estranged parent of Vision, the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), has been trying to shore up its position as YVR’s traditional progressive voice. They experienced some internal strife last year when their only sitting politician, School Board Trustee Allan Wong, crossed the floor to Vision in December. Since then, they held their policy convention where an array of policies were passed, including rent controls that bypass impotent provincial governing bodies, turning Vancouver into a Sanctuary City and instituting a food forest in municipal park land.
“No party is putting forward bold ideas and hasn’t for ten years,” COPE Executive Director Sean Antrim told me over the phone. In 2002, Larry Campbell’s COPE slate campaigned on the “Four Pillars Drug Strategy” — harm reduction, prevention, policing and treatment — in response to Vancouver’s drug problem and the HIV/AIDS epidemic facing low-income neighbourhoods. “Vision has taken the four pillars and made one pillar and a toothpick,” Antrim quipped. “We have lots of policing but only a little bit of harm reduction.”
COPE has also released a thoroughly researched proposal paper on housing, calling for, among other things, a Municipal Housing Board that will create a landlord registry, build 1000 units of affordable housing a year, and protect tenants from renovictions. “A housing authority is long overdue,” Antrim said. “People need homes and the only way they’re going to get them is if the municipal government builds them.”
“COPE is only party on scene with no backrooms. That means we have to make policy in a big open room with lots of people, but that gives us a huge advantage. We listened to as many people as we possibly could and the policy represents the needs of those groups. COPE is open and democratic about policy. Membership makes those decisions, not backrooms.”
New party OneCity takes “positive” approach
But other prominent political figures on Vancouver’s left want to take their own shot at Vision and the increasing gap between haves and have-nots. On Monday, former COPE city council candidate R.J. Aquino, backed by prominent Vancouver progressives like former NDP MLA David Chudnovsky and endorsed by sitting MLA and former BCCLA Chief Executive David Eby, announced the formation of a new progressive municipal party from the steps of City Hall. Aquino’s party OneCity takes aim at the rising inequality in Vancouver.
“Those of us that formed OneCity have been in talks for over a year now,” Aquino told me over email. “We’ve talked about how we’re looking for a political home where we can do politics in a positive, respectful and inclusive way. We recognize and highlight the growing inequality in this city alongside the opportunities we have to strengthen the city through equity, affordability and diversity.”
Of course, there are a number of political parties in Vancouver that could claim to want the same things — even Vision. With as many as eight municipal organizations, most of which espouse some degree of progressive politics, laying claim to votes within Metro Vancouver — including COPE, the Greens (the only non-Vision party at City Hall after Adriane Carr was elected in 2011), Cedar, and Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver (NSV, considering entering into an alliance with COPE) — splintering of the leftist vote is starting to look inevitable.
“The left always needs to stick together,” Antrim said of COPE’s new political rival. “COPE is a consensus-building, democratic organization. We’re going to run a mayoral candidate and majority slates in council, schools and parks because that’s what our membership wants.”
It’s difficult to ignore the ties Aquino and Chudnovsky have with the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) and Vision Vancouver. Both left COPE last year shortly after the party membership voted to cancel their electoral alliance with Vision. While internal party politics and personal conflicts appear to have played a part in their departure, the question hangs over the newly formed party — particularly now that Vision has announced it will not run a full slate of candidates for council, park board and school board. Aquino and his supporters have said unequivocally however that there are no plans for an alliance with Vision.
People vote based on their values, Aquino says, and encourages them to do so. “There will be those that will vote for COPE and vote for OneCity, those who vote for Vision and vote for OneCity.” Rather than focus on alliances, Aquino plans to focus on the 65 per cent of Vancouverites who didn’t vote last election. “We’re receptive to having an open dialogue with anyone who wishes to talk to us but we’re not seeking to make any electoral agreements.”
Voter turnout is indeed a massive problem in Vancouver — as CBC On the Coast host Stephen Quinn tweeted this week, the city’s contest to elect Vancouver’s most popular bird received almost four times as many votes as the 2011 civic election. Even though the only declared candidate for OneCity is Aquino — the party is concentrating on city council and hopes to announce more candidates soon — mobilizing those disenchanted by the current municipal political scene is his party’s chief goal.
“Yes, we’re participating in the election this November but our goal is more than just politics, we’re looking to build a movement,” says Aquino. “We all feel strongly about creating a positive, lasting change with the goal of a more just, fair and equal city.”
The 2014 Vancouver civic election is scheduled to take place on November 15.
Michael Stewart is the Blogs Coordinator at rabble.ca. He attended the COPE Policy Conference and is a COPE member in good standing.
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