Category Archives: Politics

#BCPoli | #VanPoli | Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP Nomination Battle

#VanPoli Civic Politics, BC Politics, Environment, Politics, Vancouver, , , , , , ,


Andrea Reimer and Christine Boyle. Candidates for the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination.

Three weeks from today, the remaining 300 members of the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP riding association will cast their ballots to choose who they wish to represent them in the upcoming October 19th provincial election.

Background as to membership numbers: when, in late 2022, Anjali Appadurai announced her intention to run for the leadership of the provincial NDP, 200 citizens who lived in the Vancouver-Fairview (now called Vancouver-Little Mountain) NDP riding signed up to support her candidacy — but did not renew their membership this past, or this, year, leaving 300 remaining voting members in the riding to cast a ballot in the current race to determine the provincial Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP candidate. In 2021, Ms. Appadurai had run as the federal NDP candidate in the riding of Vancouver-Granville, which shares borders with Vancouver-Fairview, thus was well-positioned to re-sign members during her provincial leadership bid.


Vancouver-Fairview MLA George Heyman will not seek re-election in the October provincial election.

In the lead-up to former three-term Vancouver City Councillor Andrea Reimer announcing her Vancouver-Little Mountain New Democratic Party nomination bid, Ms. Reimer and her team were able to sign up a handful of NDP members in the riding to support her candidacy for the nomination, following George Heyman’s March 4th announcement that he would not seek a further term in the Legislature.

George Heyman endorsed Andrea Reimer at his retirement announcement.

Much to the surprise of political observers, current two-term OneCity Vancouver Councillor Christine Boyle announced her candidacy for the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination, within an hour of Ms. Reimer’s announcement.

Vancouver-Little Mountain membership was locked in early March, just prior to Andrea Reimer and Christine Boyle announcing their respective nomination bids.

After which, the NDP nomination race in Vancouver-Little Mountain was engaged.

Ms. Reimer’s Twitter announcement was followed by Ms. Boyle’s …

In the 10 days since their respective announcements, both Andrea Reimer and Christine Boyle have been active on the campaign trail …

Christine Boyle also tweeted out her work with volunteers on the campaign trail.

Both Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP candidates for nomination have active websites.


Each day on her website & on social media, Andrea Reimer has announced one or more endorsements.


When it comes to endorsements, nomination candidate Christine Boyle’s website hasn’t been as active.

Click on the Vancouver-Little Mountain Electoral Map [PDF] for finer detail.

So, where are we three weeks out from April 4th’s NDP nomination meeting?

Andrea Reimer has run a 24-hour-a-day, high energy, community-oriented and tightly focused campaign to gain the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination.

Christine Boyle has also been out on the campaign trail, but her commitment to gaining the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination has been hamstrung by her full-time job as OneCity Vancouver’s only member on Vancouver City Council.

Should Andrea Reimer secure the Vancouver-Little Mountain nomination, she is a lock to be appointed as British Columbia’s next Environment Minister this upcoming November, when a newly-elected Premier David Eby announces his new Cabinet. Both are can-do, no nonsense politicos, both are team players, and neither politician suffers fools gladly. David Eby prefers to appoint Cabinet Ministers in whom he sees a bit of himself — and that is certainly the case with Ms. Reimer.

Christine Boyle, should she secure the Vancouver-Little Mountain nomination will not be destined for Cabinet, but will most certainly secure a position as a Parliamentary Secretary. To some extent, Ms. Boyle — an Anjali Appadurai acolyte — while friendly with the Premier must be seen as something of a Trojan horse, who will in all likelihood emerge as a thorn in the side of the Premier, as she speaks out against fracking and the lack of progress on the development of the Little Mountain site between 33rd and 37th avenues along Main Street.

Note. There is much NDP support for the policy positions enunciated by Ms. Boyle.


Christine Boyle holding Vancouver School Board trustee Jennifer Reddy’s child in her arms

Of all the politicians across British Columbia, Christine Boyle has the most winning smile, and for many she is the most authentic political figure in Metro Vancouver.

While we support Andrea Reimer’s candidacy, we believe the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination is Christine Boyle’s to lose.

Not a day goes by when we don’t run across someone, or receive a call from an associate who sets about to extol Ms. Boyle’s many virtues — this recognition coming from persons from across the political spectrum. If you’re an old fogey like many of VanRamblings’ associates, you can’t help but look at Ms. Boyle and think, “If she were my daughter, I would be so proud of her.”

[A photo of Christine Boyle accompanies the word charming in the dictionary]

Clearly, Ms. Boyle has much support among younger, more activist NDP members.

Christine Boyle’s campaign for the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination has been less high profile than that of Andrea Reimer. But does it really matter?

All Christine Boyle needs to do is secure the support of one hundred and fifty-five Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP members to win the nomination.

We imagine that Ms. Boyle has found herself on the doorstep of each riding association member, and been invited inside for a cup of tea, and a warm chat, whereupon Christine Boyle without any effort on her part at all, has charmed the socks off the riding members in whose homes she finds herself, who will invariably be impressed at her deep knowledge of the issues, her presentation of self as an advocate for the change we all want to see, and perhaps the most authentic political figure Vancouver-Little Mountain riding members will have ever encountered.

A winning combination that.


The 2017 by-election expense document published by Vancouver’s City Clerk’s office.

The only potential fly in the ointment of Christine Boyle securing the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination arises as a consequence of the near million dollar expense to the citizens of Vancouver should she secure the nomination, and go on to attempt to win a seat in the government of Premier David Eby.

Vancouver City Councillor Christine Boyle upon securing a second term of office on Saturday, October 15, 2022 to City Hall, committed to representing those who elected her to office for the full four years of the mandate she had been given.

Given the cut and thrust of politics, one is left to wonder — should Christine Boyle secure the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination — how she would fare in the upcoming provincial general election, when confronted by her B.C. United, B.C. Conservative and Green party opponents, who would surely call her out on her failure to complete her elected term of office, and the consequent million dollar by-election expense that would ensue, in service of her ambition they might well say.


Andrea Reimer. Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP candidate? B.C.’s next Environment Minister?

Perhaps Andrea Reimer’s high profile campaign to secure the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination, her many, many endorsements and her active participation in the community — and, let’s face it, her overall competence —  will carry the day, and come the evening of Thursday, April 4th, Andrea Reimer will emerge as the chosen candidate, the Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP candidate who will go on to victory on E-Day, Saturday, October 19th —  where soon after, Andrea Reimer will become British Columbia’s next, much admired Environment Minister.

The Great Replacement Theory: Controversies, Origins, and Implications

Essay, Politics, , , , ,

The Great Replacement Theory, often referred to as the white genocide theory, is a concept of hate and fear that has gained significant traction on the right, most particularly in the philosophies espoused by Canada’s People’s Party’s Maxime Bernier, and in the United States by Republican party candidate for President, Donald Trump, his senior advisor Steve Bannon, and their far-right adherents.

It posits that there is a deliberate effort to replace white populations with non-white immigrants, leading to the erosion of traditional cultures and identities.

The Great Replacement Theory can be traced back to the writings of French author Renaud Camus, who first articulated the concept in his 2011 book Le Grand Remplacement (The Great Replacement).

Camus argued that mass immigration, particularly from Muslim-majority countries, was leading to the demographic decline of white Europeans and the eventual replacement of their culture and civilization.

Camus’ ideas gained traction in far-right and white nationalist circles, spawning a global movement centred on the fear of demographic change.


The Great Replacement is a dangerous conspiracy theory rooted in racism, xenophobia and antisemitism that has motivated deadly attacks on persons of colour, and minority peoples all across the globe

The Great Replacement Theory has been widely criticized by scholars for its lack of empirical evidence and its propagation of xenophobic and racist sentiments.

Critics argue that the theory is based on flawed assumptions and selective interpretation of demographic trends. They point out that immigration is a complex phenomenon driven by economic, political, and social factors, and that it does not necessarily lead to the displacement of native populations.

Moreover, the Great Replacement Theory has been associated with violent acts and hate crimes perpetrated by individuals who subscribe to its ideology.

The 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand, for example, were carried out by a self-professed white supremacist who cited the Great Replacement Theory as a motivation for his actions. Such incidents underscore the dangerous consequences of spreading hateful ideologies based on unfounded fears.

The spread of the Great Replacement Theory has significant implications for social cohesion and political discourse. By framing immigration as a threat to national identity and security, proponents of the theory seek to justify exclusionary policies and discriminatory practices. This can lead to the marginalization and scapegoating of immigrant communities, exacerbating tensions and divisions within society.

Furthermore, the saddening popularity of the Great Replacement Theory reflects broader anxieties about globalization, multiculturalism, and demographic change.

In our interconnected world, where borders are becoming more porous and cultural boundaries more fluid, many of those in search of a simplistic explanation for their angst have come to feel a woeful sense of insecurity and displacement.

The rise of populist movements may be seen as a response to these perceived threats, as people seek to assert their identity and preserve their way of life.

The Great Replacement Theory remains a concept based on hatred of “the other” that, sadly, reflects deep-seated fears about immigration and cultural change.

While Great Replacement Theory may resonate with some segments of society, it is important to critically examine its underlying assumptions and implications.

By promoting understanding and empathy, we can work towards building inclusive and diverse communities that celebrate the richness of human diversity.

#SaveOurParkBoard | APG | Community Demands Park Board Preservation

BC Politics, Park Board, Politics, Vancouver, , , , ,

The Association Presidents Group (APG) representing 17 community centre associations across the City of Vancouver, released a statement yesterday evening strongly urging Premier David Eby to “reconsider his commitment to proceeding with the elimination of the Vancouver Park Board” following his decision this week.

The B.C. NDP government said it was committed to “advancing the dissolution of the Vancouver Park Board” in the next legislative session following the Vancouver Mayor’s plan to remove the Board last December, saying it was inefficient and costly. The plan has also gained the support of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

However, the APG says Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s decision is “undemocratic.”

“We do not believe 8 City Councillors can decide to abolish the Park Board elected by thousands of Vancouver citizens in October 2022,” it said, in the press release, which may be found below.

“We believe the Park Board can only be removed after a civic election in October 2026, and only if Vancouver citizens have made that choice. Neither the City nor the Province have a mandate to remove the Park Board.”

The Association Presidents Group (APG) says ABC Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s motion to eliminate the Vancouver Park Board was announced and passed in a week without any engagement with the APG organization and other key stakeholders.

“There was no transition plan to demonstrate the alleged benefits of such a decision. The reasons announced have been questioned by many stakeholders including dozens of former Park Board Commissioners and Community Centre Associations,” said representatives with the Association Presidents Group.

Vancouver’s independent and elected Board of Parks and Recreation has served Vancouver for over 135 years. Vancouver is the only city in Canada with an elected Park Board and is the only city in North America other than Minneapolis to place its focus on growing a vibrant parks and recreation system as a constituent element to the citizens served by the municipal governments in both cities — up until the untoward December 13, 2023 decision by Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and his super majority team of ABC Vancouver City Councillors.

Preservation of the Vancouver Park Board to Become an Election Issue

Make no mistake, representatives from all across the city and from all 17 of the community centre associations — as well as those persons in our community in support of the 32 past Vancouver Park Board Commissioners who are opposed to the undemocratic elimination of the Vancouver Park Board — will be front and centre at each of the all candidate meetings, in each of the 12 Vancouver electoral districts, in the days and weeks following the dropping of the writ this upcoming mid-September, and the 35 intense days before the October 19th provincial election, to demand the candidates for election on the stage, whatever their political party, commit to the preservation of an independent, elected Vancouver Park Board.

Press Release Issued March 10, 2024 by the Association Presidents Group

The Association Presidents Group (APG), representing 17 Community Centre Associations across the City of Vancouver, is urging Premier David Eby to reconsider his commitment to proceeding with the elimination of the Vancouver Park Board in the next legislative session.

The APG believes Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s attempt to abolish the elected Vancouver Park Board is undemocratic.

We do not believe 8 City Councillors can decide to abolish the Park Board elected by thousands of Vancouver citizens in October 2022. We believe the Park Board can only be removed after a civic election in October 2026, and only if Vancouver citizens have made that choice.

Neither the City nor the Province have a mandate to remove the Park Board.

Mayor Sim’s motion was announced and then passed within one week without any engagement with the Community Centre Associations and other key stakeholders. There was no transition plan to demonstrate the alleged benefits of such a decision. The reasons announced have been questioned by many stakeholders, including dozens of former Park Board Commissioners and Community Centre Associations.

The elected Park Board has served Vancouver well for over 130 years.

Voters created an elected Park Board because they wanted parks and recreation to be a high-profile priority in Vancouver. Commissioners run for office because they are passionate about protecting and expanding our parks and recreation programmes. It is their priority concern and responsibility.

The Mayor’s proposal would have Commissioners replaced by City Councillors who have a multitude of responsibilities resulting in a less responsive and effective working relationship for community stakeholders. City parks and recreation will not be the first priority for City Councillors.

The APG rejects the Mayor’s claim that the Park Board is broken.

We believe it has been critically underfunded by City Council for several decades.

Many of the examples cited by the Mayor for the elimination of the Park Board are in fact already the City of Vancouver’s responsibility. They own and maintain the buildings and infrastructure in the Park Board system.

For example, Park Board frequently recommends renewal and expansion of Community Centres for additional space to accommodate children’s programmes but it is City Councillors who decide on the funding. Parents complain that programme spaces for their children are inadequate. Those concerns should be directed to City Hall.

The APG will continue to urge MLAs to not proceed with the Charter amendments to remove the elected Park Board.

A decision to eliminate the elected Park Board must be determined democratically in the next municipal election if it remains part of the ABC platform. Let the voters of Vancouver make such an important decision.

Sign the APG Petition asking the Premier not to eliminate Park Board.

For more information please contact either of the following APG members:

(copy and paste either or both of the following e-mail addresses into your e-mail programme)

Jerry Fast <jerryfast@shaw.ca>

Kathleen Bigsby <kmbigsby@gmail.com>

#BCPoli | David Eby | Pre-Election | Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

BC Politics, Politics, , , , ,


Selina Robinson announces that she is resigning from the BC NDP caucus to sit as an Independent

Age Old Maxim | A Week is a Lifetime in Politics | The Personal is Political

Yesterday afternoon —  former British Columbia Finance Minister Selina Robinson in the administration of Premier John Horgan, and when removed from that post when the BC NDP caucus unanimously moved to make David Eby the leader of the party and British Columbia’s 37th Premier — resigned from the BC NDP caucus to sit as an Independent, citing anti-semitism within the BC NDP caucus.

From Katie DeRosa’s story in The Vancouver Sun …

Selina Robinson, B.C.’s most prominent Jewish politician, said she’s leaving the B.C. NDP caucus over concerns it hasn’t done enough to fight antisemitism among fellow MLAs.

The bombshell announcement Wednesday comes a month after Robinson was forced to resign from cabinet after public backlash to comments that Israel was founded on a “crappy piece of land with nothing on it.”

Robinson said she talked to the NDP caucus last week and then Premier David Eby today about instituting antisemitic and anti-Islamophobia training for all MLAs and opportunities to create a dialogue between the Jewish community and Palestinian and Arab communities amid the division created by the Israel-Hamas war.

Robinson said she was rebuffed.

“That’s really the work that we should be doing. But right now, government isn’t interested in doing that work.”

That’s what led Robinson to decide she “can’t continue to be the only voice speaking up against antisemitism and hatred.” She will sit as an Independent.

Selina Robinson means to burn some bridges on the way out — as Keith Baldrey pointed out on Global BC’s Newshour at 6 — with the release of a “blistering letter” condemning her colleagues for not doing enough to combat anti-semitism.

Says Baldrey, “(Selina Robinson) calls out and names seven of her fellow NDP MLAs for either anti-semitic actions or controversial comments concerning the Jewish community. These are explosive allegations.”

Selina Robinson ends the letter [pdf] to her now former colleagues, writing …

The nine NDP colleagues Ms. Robinson names, and accuses of anti-semitism, either by commission or omission, or she deems to be otherwise unsupportive …

  • Aman Singh | Parliamentary Secretary for Environment
    MLA for Richmond-Queensborough;
  • Katrina Chen | MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed;
  • Mable Elmore | Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives
    MLA for Vancouver-Kensington;
  • Niki Sharma | Attorney General
    MLA for Vancouver-Hastings;
  • Lisa Beare | Minister of Post-Secondary and Future Skills
    MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows;
  • Jennifer Whiteside | Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
    MLA for New Westminster;
  • Jagrup Brar | Minister of State for Trade
    MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood;
  • Janet Routledge | Parliamentary Secretary for Labour
    MLA for Burnaby North;
  • Ronna-Rae Leonard
    MLA for Courtenay-Comox

Make no mistake — whether Premier David Eby, his Chief of Staff, Matt Smith, or any of the Premier’s senior advisors choose to acknowledge such — less than 8 months out from the October 19th provincial election, the British Columbia New Democratic Party is in crisis, perhaps not so great as to cost them the election (although, it’s still early), but in bad enough shape with Selina Robinson’s announcement, are now set to win far fewer seats than most polls have predicted to date.

We’ll know the fall-out from the current NDP fiasco when new polling is released.


B.C. United party leader, Kevin Falcon, gleeful at the fortuitous turn of events for his party

The beneficiary of Selina Robinson’s announcement? B.C. United leader, Kevin Falcon, who with Ms. Robinson’s announcement on Wednesday effectively doubled the party’s probable seat count come election night.

Voters won’t vote for a divided party, for a party in crisis or disarray, a party focused on internal politics and not the business of the people.

Examples are legion.


Former Social Credit party leader, and Premier of the province of British Columbia, Bill Vander Zalm

After 36 years in power, from 1952 to 1991, with a brief three-year NDP interregnum from 1972 – 1975, British Columbia’s Social Credit party held the reins of power in Victoria. When the party fell into dysfunction, disorder and vicious internal in-fighting, with the forced resignation of then Socred Premier Bill Vander Zalm mid-term, in 1991 the Socreds lost 40 out of 47 seats, the Social Credit party dying soon after, never again to be seen on the B.C. political spectrum.


Sam Sullivan, one-term Non-Partisan Association, Mayor of the City of Vancouver, 2005 – 2008

In Vancouver, prior to the 2002 municipal election, Jennifer Clarke stole the Non-Partisan Association Mayoral nomination away from popular, sitting NPA Mayor Philip Owen. Ms. Clarke lost her bid to become Mayor in a landslide vote for novice COPE Mayoralty candidate Larry Campbell, the NPA losing 7 of their nine seats, all 7 of those seats won by COPE candidates for Council. The same thing happened to the NPA in 2008, when Peter Ladner took the NPA Mayoral nomination away from sitting Mayor Sam Sullivan. The NPA lost five of their 6 seats on Council.

Premier David Eby has to get his government’s house in order if the New Democratic Party plans on holding power post October 19, 2024.

If David Eby thinks his self-serving, off-putting, scurrilous, poorly conceived “Selina made a mistake” note above will go any way to resolving his and his government’s dispute with Selina Robinson, he’s dreaming in washed out shades of grey.

Anything short of an apology to Ms. Robinson, and the province, won’t do.

Note from VanRamblings: “It’s time to be a mensch, Mr. Premier. You like women. You trust women. You’re a good man. For the sake of your government, and in the interest of the people of British Columbia, you will have to get over of your barely concealed animus for Ms. Robinson, and do right be her. Nothing less will do.”

A Litany of Self-Inflicted, Own Goal BC NDP Disasters


Andrea Reimer, Vancouver-Little Mountain NDP nomination candidate & future Environment Minister

The roll-out of the campaign to elect Andrea Reimer — a certain future Minister of the Environment, should the NDP be re-elected in October — was little short of a disaster, with the unexpected entry of a sitting Vancouver City Councillor in the, now, race to secure the nomination in Vancouver-Little Mountain.


Mitzi Dean, one in a long line of failed British Columbia Ministers of Children and Family Development

Former Minister of Children and Family Development Mitzi Dean’s failure to keep an eye on her Ministry, as two Indigenous children in Chilliwack died on her watch.

The ongoing — not slated to end anytime soon — weeks’ long, badly mishandled by the Premier melodrama of former BC NDP Finance Minister Selina Robinson’s — for whom there is no love loss between the two, on either side — unfortunate and regrettable leave-taking from, first, Cabinet where she was Minister Responsible for Post Secondary Education, and now from the party itself … what a godawful, effin mess … that reflects badly on the Premier, his caucus and his government.

VanRamblings will have more to say on the matter, in the days to come.

A final, kind of sad note: yesterday, March 6th was Selina Robinson’s 60th birthday.