BCBusiness

OCtObER 2018 BCBusiness 25 bCbusinEss.Ca hat dynamic propelled both the new and old parties to go into overdrive during the summer, in determined eorts to appeal to the public. They held picnics in parks, put on fundraisers in pent- houses, campaigned outside the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, showed up at Greek Day, car-free street festivals and the Point Grey Fiesta, begged for money through mass emails and sent out endless news releases about their activities. The scramble among the largely unknown candidates and new par- ties is the result of a dramatic new reality. Vancouver, along with the region and a few other parts of the province, is in a profound state of crisis. It should be a moment when political superheroes are rushing to save B.C.'s endangered cities, beset as they are by housing-cost insanity that is warping their abil- ity to function, by eruptions of violence in quiet neighbourhoods, by €erce debates over how to move people and vehicles around, by the question of how to respond to cli- mate change. But no one of stature seems to want the job. No charismatic former city plan- ner, like Toronto is getting with Jennifer Keesmaat. No barn-burning champion who already has a following of devotees, like a Rafe Mair or Bill Vander Zalm of yore. "The elites are fractured, and there is no populist alternative," says Greg Lyle, a B.C.- based veteran political analyst and pollster who has been involved in elections (mostly for conservatives and Conservatives) across the country. "That means there's a huge swing vote looking for a home. It's a highly volatile situation. And, generally, things are going against any incumbents." MIXED MESSAGES And so, in many cities throughout the Lower Mainland, where half of the prov- ince's population lives, the how-do-I-€gure- out-who-to-vote-for municipal elections will be even more confusing this year. In Vancouver, there were eight mayoral candidates—two of them independents— more than 40 council candidates and nine political parties €ghting for air as of late August, as municipal revolutionaries on the right and left saw that the big, traditional parties were seriously wounded. Departing Mayor Robertson and his Vision Vancouver, after 10 years in power, are under attack from almost everyone about almost everything: blocked storm drains, bike lanes, tra–c congestion, too much development, not enough aordable housing, the failure to prevent global capi- tal from sweeping over the city—you name it. But the NPA is also seen as part of the status quo system that has led to Vancou- ver's current problems. And both of those former giants, which used to raise millions for election campaigns, are now on a star- vation diet with new rules that prohibit cor- porate or union donations, as well as any personal donations over $1,200. Things aren't better elsewhere in this time of change. In Surrey, the party brought together by Dianne Watts that ruled that municipality unchecked for a decade is hobbled by the same new fundrais- ing reality, and it has fractured. There are at least three serious would-be mayors in the running. In Delta, the City and District of North Vancouver, Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam and more, new seedlings are moving into the clear- cut territory where old-growth mayors have departed. Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan is facing a serious challenger. In Richmond, simmering rage over empty homes and McMansions on farmland is fuelling opposition movements to perpetual Mayor Malcolm Brodie. The question for all of them: How can they sell themselves to a public increasingly anxious about the rising cost of everything, along with the sense that their cities are under threat? And what will be the message that appeals the most when it comes to solving one of the region's most di–cult problems—housing? Will the successful message be "Tax the rich"? Will it be "Ban housing investors, particularly those from oshore"? Will it be "Housing is very complex, and I will look for solutions on multiple fronts"? Will it be "We need to listen to residents more about their ideas and what they're willing to accept"? Will it be "Let's change our tax system to T Political Minefield Whether it's your first time voting in a b.C. municipal election or you've seen this movie before, good luck Civic elections in b.C., especially Vancouver, are always baffling. unlike most of their counterparts in the rest of the country, cities throughout the province elect councillors to represent the whole community rather than a ward. that sometimes results in dozens of candidates fighting it out. a few cities–Vancouver, burnaby, Richmond, surrey–have parties, but their labels don't align with the provincial or federal ones, so voters are left to guess exactly where they stand on the political spectrum. –F.B. yES OR NO? Hector Bremner hopes his new Yes Vancouver party can break ground

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