Canadian politics thread

[Great68]

Originally Posted by whitev70r

Not quite understanding of this guy in Nanaimo ... is it a case of this? Trying awe and shock approach ...

That guy is in Ontario, not Nanaimo

[whitev70r]

^ No, the guy in Nanaimo that Manic! was alluding to ... anti sogi guy with child porn pics on his phone ... wondering if that guy in Nanaimo is using this same strategy.

[supafamous]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

The people who care enough to vote are, for the most part, homeowners who don't really want to see a ton of change.

I don't know that this is actually true - it seems like something repeated so often that we just assume it's true.

https://researchco.ca/2022/08/12/met...lb8NVBNoOR9SsI

Almost two-in-five likely voters in Metro Vancouver (38%) say housing is the most important issue facing their municipality, followed by property taxes (11%), crime (9%), climate change (also 9%) and COVID-19 (8%).

Housing is a particularly serious concern for likely voters in Burnaby, Richmond and New Westminster (55%), while concerns over crime are more prevalent in Surrey (18%) and Delta, White Rock, the City of Langley and the Township of Langley (13%) .

It's not a big sample size (800) and it's done online but it's consistent with other reporting I've seen that housing is the top concern for voters.

And when we do see NIMBYs bubble up they mostly have slowed things down rather than stopped things (they do still stop things sometimes) because they simply don't have enough support to stop things (see Broadway plan or Commercial-Safeway). Colleen Hardwick's TEAM party is the NIMBY home base and they got killed in the election - she finished a distant 3rd, less than 1/5th of Sim's vote count while every council candidate finished below the top 20.

The votes for ABC seem centred around two things - they were more organised and had the money to rally support and they got the votes that were an expression of anger about the dysfunctional nature of council. Voters voted out the dysfunction but they didn't actually vote for any new policies - this is a status quo council. This doesn't seem like a vote against more density, instead voters chose anger over their stated priorities.

[GS8]

I'm not in Vancouver but I only wanted Ken to win for the obvious reason as illustrated above ^^

I'm pretty shallow though.

[danned]

ken is playing sim city right now

[whitev70r]

Well, his slogan is, A Better City

[T4RAWR]

Originally Posted by Manic!

They have hired people but they are not active. They are not doing patrols or making any arrests.

I've seen them on the road and arresting people.

[bcedhk]

Ken seems like the guy that wants to move up the political ladder (Municipal to Federal), so he might actually try harder than Stewart to enact changes to City Hall to make a good impression.

[Manic!]

Talk is Ken Sims was funded by Chip Wilson and that Chip Wilson also funded Aaron Gunns Vancouver is dying video.

[supafamous]

Originally Posted by bcedhk

Ken seems like the guy that wants to move up the political ladder (Municipal to Federal), so he might actually try harder than Stewart to enact changes to City Hall to make a good impression.

I haven't followed Ken a lot as I largely didn't take him seriously all this time but what I have heard/read makes him come across as a guy who thinks that because he was successful in business that he knows how gov't should work and can fix that. He seems to be the classic Conservative who believes that gov't should be run like a business or the college football coach who gets hired by a NFL team only to find out that he's totally outmatched.

I've never gotten the sense from Ken that he's in this due to a desire to perform public service - he's barely knows his policies and barely knows how bylaws and processes work (his 3x3x3 plan for permits is laughable).

I hope I'm wrong and/or that his councillors (many of whom have experience and some of whom have good ideas) are strong enough that they do the heavy lifting as I fear we get a George W. Bush type of mayor.

[whitev70r]

While it is true that Sim doesn't have municipal government experience, there will be a steep learning curve ahead. It goes both ways, sometimes it's good to have an outsider who hasn't been molded by the institution and ask, 'Why can't we do it this way?'. On the other hand, the checks and balances of a municipal government are there for a reason and he'll learn ... eventually ...that it isn't easy as snapping your fingers to fix things.

However, one thing going for him is that he does have a majority slate in councillors ... which is akin to a majority in Provincial or Federal government which should make things pass easier.

[supafamous]

While we're talking local elections can we take about how bad pay is for local politicians?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...2021-1.6518877



These folks don't get a pension either. Why would any professional choose to run for office with the shit pay ($55k for a New West councillor!), no pensions, and people giving you shit all the time? And if you lose you don't get a severance package, you're just kicked to the curb (except for Vancouver). No wonder so many of the candidates suck. Even the pay for Mayor's isn't so hot in some cases - Vancouver's annual budget is around $2.4B and the Mayor is basically the CEO of this "company" and he/she (can we have a female mayor please?) makes about $180k.

[The Producer]

can't move up the political ladder without putting in some muni ground work.

i always get a kick out of the school trustee nominations. the north van guy this year was asked do you have kids? no, he replied, but he's the proud father of a labrador retriever.

people playing the long politics game

[Hondaracer]

Once you’re mayor I’m sure the sweet private sector job you get afterwards makes up for any salary lost while in office

[supafamous]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

Once you’re mayor I’m sure the sweet private sector job you get afterwards makes up for any salary lost while in office

Doug McCallum will look great in a prison jumper.

[bcedhk]

Originally Posted by supafamous

While we're talking local elections can we take about how bad pay is for local politicians?

These folks don't get a pension either. Why would any professional choose to run for office with the shit pay ($55k for a New West councillor!), no pensions, and people giving you shit all the time? And if you lose you don't get a severance package, you're just kicked to the curb (except for Vancouver). No wonder so many of the candidates suck. Even the pay for Mayor's isn't so hot in some cases - Vancouver's annual budget is around $2.4B and the Mayor is basically the CEO of this "company" and he/she (can we have a female mayor please?) makes about $180k.

Most councillors have a full-time job besides being a councillor. That's why from time to time they have to recuse themselves at council meetings over potential conflict of interest from their business or partnerships.

And it's a 'public service' after all... You are kind of excepted to go into this role for the purpose of doing good for the community and not be affected based on the salary it is providing.

[bcedhk]

Originally Posted by supafamous

I haven't followed Ken a lot as I largely didn't take him seriously all this time but what I have heard/read makes him come across as a guy who thinks that because he was successful in business that he knows how gov't should work and can fix that. He seems to be the classic Conservative who believes that gov't should be run like a business or the college football coach who gets hired by a NFL team only to find out that he's totally outmatched.

I've never gotten the sense from Ken that he's in this due to a desire to perform public service - he's barely knows his policies and barely knows how bylaws and processes work (his 3x3x3 plan for permits is laughable).

I hope I'm wrong and/or that his councillors (many of whom have experience and some of whom have good ideas) are strong enough that they do the heavy lifting as I fear we get a George W. Bush type of mayor.

I predict this council will expect a lot from city staff (e.g. briefing notes, action plan, meetings) which may lead to a mass exodus of city management and cause even more delays in the approving developments.

[supafamous]

Originally Posted by bcedhk

Most councillors have a full-time job besides being a councillor. That's why from time to time they have to recuse themselves at council meetings over potential conflict of interest from their business or partnerships.

And it's a 'public service' after all... You are kind of excepted to go into this role for the purpose of doing good for the community and not be affected based on the salary it is providing.

I don't think that's necessarily true - the councillors who have their own businesses can have another full time job but I went through all the financial disclosures of the incumbents in Burnaby and none of them had other full time jobs as a source of income. A few of them had part time jobs like serving on the Metro Van water board or there's one who was the former front man for the punk band DOA who gets royalties but no one had another full time job.

Folks like Ken Sim or Colleen Hardwick may have other jobs but most councillors either have to take a leave from their current job or have one that's flexible enough for them to be in council chambers for consecutive long days (see Broadway Plan hearings) that require significant prep work (for the good councillors like Christine Boyle).

As for public service, yes, doing public service is a noble pursuit but it should still provide some reasonable compensation and $80k for a F/T job is not enough. In my line of work that's less than the starting salary of the most junior member of my team (uni degree, maybe 2 years work experience). I personally wouldn't take a 6 figure pay cut just to pursue this line of work.

[whitev70r]

All this talk on the radio about Surrey now trying to revert back while so much work has been done and groundwork laid for changeover to a Surrey Police Department. Not sure if new mayor will be able to undo it. I heard that there is a clause where hired staff will get 18 month severance if terminated ... 18 friggin months!! What the hell kind of arrangement is that ?!!

[hud 91gt]

I know people who left solid managerial positions with city’s to get that Surrey thing going. Would be really shitty to be out of a job if it’s squashed. 18 months doesn’t cut it in my eye when your talking higher end positions.

[Tapioca]

Quite frankly, I'm surprised to see people here throwing shade at a "business-like" approach to running government. 10 years ago, people here hated Gregor Robertson and thought that his progressive policies, like bike lanes, were destroying the old Vancouver.

I personally think we should pay our politicians more. Municipal politics is a full time job and we need smart and thoughtful people to leave their 6-figure jobs and serve.

[whitev70r]

Yah, kinda surprised at how low the mayor salaries are ... and why is Vancouver #4?

[T4RAWR]

Originally Posted by whitev70r

All this talk on the radio about Surrey now trying to revert back while so much work has been done and groundwork laid for changeover to a Surrey Police Department. Not sure if new mayor will be able to undo it. I heard that there is a clause where hired staff will get 18 month severance if terminated ... 18 friggin months!! What the hell kind of arrangement is that ?!!

I think the province has the final say as to whether or not they will roll back. I agree it seems like a waste given all that's been invested so far.

[Hondaracer]

Also the RCMP is such a bloated, corrupt, organization I don’t see the reasoning behind peoples want to keep it. I think as much as you can distance yourself from federal oversight the better.

It’s also pretty clear that it hasn’t been very effective in reducing crime rates etc.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

Quite frankly, I'm surprised to see people here throwing shade at a "business-like" approach to running government.

Wasn't that supposed to be the reason so many voted for Trump the first time around?