Category Archives: Vancouver

Vancouver Votes 2018 | TeamJean’s Winning Team | Jean Swanson

June 11, 2018BC Politics, Politics, Vancouver, Vancouver Votes 2018Raymond Tomlin

Jean Swanson launches her 2018 campaign for Vancouver City Council, on June 9th

Perhaps the most heartening development in Vancouver civic politics over the course of the past year is the emergence of veteran community activist Jean Swanson as a viable — and necessary — candidate for civic office.
Surrounded and supported by a team of sophisticated community activists, who have come to identify themselves as TeamJean, in last autumn’s Vancouver civic by-election #TeamJean activists catapulted Jean Swanson to a rousing and hopeful second-place finish in the October 19th Vancouver City Council by-election to fill a seat left vacant by Vision Vancouver City Councillor Geoff Meggs, who had resigned his position on Council to take on the job of Chief of Staff to, then, newly-elected NDP Premier John Horgan.

Jean Swanson at a rally in 2012 speaking out on behalf of residents of the Downtown Eastside Jean Swanson at a rally in 2012 speaking out on behalf of resident of the DTES

Most people’s first impression of Jean Swanson relates to how much she doesn’t sound like a radicalized and vitriolic rabble-rouser, her manner of speech and presentation quiet, respectful, self-deprecating, warm and engaging. As our region’s leading anti-poverty activist, Jean Swanson has spent a lifetime sparring with property developers, SRO-managers and politicians — more often that not emerging victorious in her struggle to ensure our region’s most vulnerable citizens are cared for, their interests championed, and the quality of their homes and their lives improved.

Jean Swanson, the must-elect for Vancouver City Council in 2018. Vote Jean Swanson!

Little wonder, then, that Jean Swanson was invested into the Order of Canada last year by then Govenor General David Johnston during a ceremony that was held in Ottawa this past Friday, August 25th, 2017.

“It’s a little higher echelon than I’m used to hanging out with, that’s for sure,” Swanson said, adding she was pleased to sit beside the “amazing” Tanya Tagaq, a fellow Order of Canada inductee and award-winning Inuk throat singer from Nunavut, during the ceremony. Swanson said she “helped get me through the whole thing.”

On Saturday afternoon, June 9th, in a raucous, fun yet serious-minded and wildly successful bit of political theatre — of which we see far too little in our town — Jean Swanson launched her absolutely necessary for the people of Vancouver 2018 bid for a seat on Vancouver City Council come the evening of Saturday, October 20th.
On Sunday, Jean Swanson’s candidacy for City Council was acclaimed at a Coalition of Progressive Electors Nomination meeting. Ms. Swanson will be running alongside her able COPE Council candidates, community activist and writer, Derrick O’Keefe and former COPE City Councillor, Anne Roberts.

Jean Swanson launches her bid for City Council, offering tax therapy for the wealthy

In the days and weeks and months to come, VanRamblings will provide intensive coverage of Jean Swanson’s run for Vancouver City Council, about whose candidacy we feel as strongly about as we do that of OneCity Vancouver’s Christine Boyle — about whom we have written in the past numerous times, as will be the case with Jean Swanson going forward, Jean Swanson, Christine Boyle and Anne Roberts constituting the ‘holy trinity’ of people-oriented progressive politics in Vancouver, absolutely necessary candidates for Vancouver City Council in 2018, and absolutely necessary members of Vancouver City Council, 2018-2022, creating the city we need.

A few photos taken at the TeamJean campaign launch
Photos provided by the kind folks affiliated with the Jean Swanson campaign

Photo credit: Duncan Martin. TeamJean 2018. For the Jean Swanson campaign.

The following photos taken by Sid Chow Tan.

Vancouver Votes 2018 | Child Poverty, Wont and Need

June 10, 2018BC Politics, Politics, Vancouver, Vancouver Votes 2018Raymond Tomlin

For VanRamblings the core election issue in Vancouver’s upcoming civic election, as it is across our province, our nation Canada, and the developed & developing world is simple to identify: child poverty, wont and need.
All of the other issues of importance that we as voters will see addressed over the course of the next five months, the issues that we care about that will serve to determine how we cast our ballot at the polls, stem from the core family issue of child poverty: the construction of affordable housing, inclusion, and social and economic justice for all of our fellow citizens.
Not to mention, the promotion of active transportation through the construction of more bike lanes and inviting pedestrian walkways, the renewal of our access to all community centre system and the proper, well-funded husbandry of our parks system across the city — because, just in case you didn’t know, parks are the backyards for tens of thousands of our fellow citizens in our little paradise by the sea, and more importantly, for the children living in condominiums, apartments or townhouses, or who live in the more economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods across our city and who call Vancouver home — as well as for human-scale development over development geared to please offshore buyers, who see our city as a commodity market, and not our most cherished and beloved home.
Compassion vs selfishness and greed. Children who go hungry, and who live in sub-standard housing vs the provision of a childhood for our most vulnerable citizens, and governance that works to eliminate wont and need while seeking to provide access to and equality of opportunity for all the children who live in our city, in every one of our 23 neighbourhoods.
Pretty simple calculus, huh?
Think with your heart as well as your mind, look to the future, ensure the protection of our environment and the livability of our city for all — and come Saturday, October 20th you’ll know which candidates to vote for.

Arts Friday (well, sort of) | Radio Ratings | Whither Thou Goest

June 8, 2018A & E, Pop Culture, Radio, Vancouver, VanRamblingsRaymond Tomlin

One in six people are listening to CBC Radio One in Vancouver at any given time

As I have written previously, in 1957 I received a transistor radio on August 11th, the date of my 7th birthday, which gift not only engendered a love for radio, but changed my life in significant ways.
By the time the mid-1960s rolled around, I had been hired as a rock ‘n roll deejay at the pop radio station of the day, CFUN 141, where I worked the occasional on-air shift, and read the news as directed by the news director, the late Jim Neilsen — who would go on to become British Columbia’s first environment minister, in the Socred government of Bill Bennett — as well as producing the Sunday evening foreground programming.
In 1966, a young upstart pop radio station sprung up in Vancouver — that had adopted a ‘hot clock’ format created by programme director Bill Drake for the lowest-rated radio station in the Los Angeles market, KHJ. Within three months of adopting what was called the ‘Drake format’ — which was also often referred to as Boss Radio — KHJ shot from last place to first in a Los Angeles radio market with over 70 radio stations.
Drake exported his Boss Radio format to hundreds of radio stations across North America, including 730 CKLG Vancouver. Within six months of adopting the BOSS radio Drake format, 730 CKLG shot from last place to second place in the Vancouver market, just behind powerhouse CKNW 98.
Within a year, CFUN was no more, converting to CKVN, the Voice of News.

A 1968 CKLG aircheck of J.B. Shayne, and various Boss radio station jingles. Hint: you’re gonna want to listen to the KRLA jingle (it’s the last one), which I acquired in 1972 from KRLA afternoon announcer, the legendary Shadoe Stevens. The jingle was played at the beginning of each announcer’s show, every three hours, from 6 a.m. til midnight.

All the jocks at CFUN left for CKLG, and LG-FM, including me: Terry David Mulligan, Don Richards, Daryl B., Fred Latremouille, and John Tanner, just to name a few. J.B. Shayne was already employed at the station, as he’d been hired in 1965 to do overnight on Lions Gate radio, playing classical music — which was, as you might imagine, a joy for the inimitable Mr. Shayne (not!). After adopting the Boss Radio format, Shayne remained at the station, continuing on overnights, becoming a Vancouver radio legend.

Courtesy of Ricardo Zborovszky. What has always impressed me about Top 30 music charts from the 1960s is the diversity of the music that was being played on radio, everything from Motown to pop, middle-of-the-road music for parents from Englebert Humperdinck, to trippy local psychedelia from The Collectors and their 1968 hit Lydia Purple to blues rock from the Rolling Stones & Americana folk from Simon & Garfunkel

In time to come, in VanRamblings Stories of a Life feature, I’ll write about my days in radio, including the very public broadcast throughout the entire Kootenay region of the loss of my virginity, a fond memory even to this day.

Believe it or not, there are actually people who listen to radio in this day and age of iPhones and iPods, loaded with 128GB of your favourite music downloaded onto your smartphone device with thousands of songs available at the call of Siri or Google Assistant, bluetooth, and streaming music services like Spotify, Apple Music and SiriuxXM — and, heck, it’s not all old fogeys like the publisher of this blog, either, who listen to radio.

Host Stephen Quinn dominates the radio market mornings Monday to Friday in Vancouver, on CBC Radio One’s The Early Edition, having taken over from longtime host Rick Cluff, when after some 20+ years, Mr. Cluff retired to his West Vancouver home during the holiday season that ended 2017, as it did Mr. Cluff’s 40+ year celebrated history in public radio.
If you want to know what’s going on in our city, our region and the province of British Columbia, you tune into Quinn’s The Early Edition, over the lunch hour on BC Today with Michelle Eliot, or Gloria Mackarenko’s re-invented On The Coast afternoon show — any and all issues of interest and concern are addressed on these three locally-produced broadcasts, featuring interviews with the broadest range of political figures, commentators, academics, and activists in our region and our province.
Little wonder that CBC Radio One dominates Vancouver’s radio market.
Although, CKNW comes in second in the Vancouver radio market in this last ratings “book,” the audience for that station is mainly 55+, hardly the demographic the advertisers want to reach, or so we keep being told.
QM/FM, although it’s ratings dropped a bit from the last time ratings were calculated, Vancouver’s oldest and most reliable music station continues to dominate the traditional radio market, as has been the case for more than 30 years, with its playlist of soft rock and classic radio favourites, with the occasional middle-of-the road contemporary song thrown into the mix.
Otherwise, Virgin Radio, Z95.3 and and KiSS Radio continue to compete for the ears of young listeners, a job they’re mostly successful at achieving.

Courtesy of Broadcast Dialogue magazine, David Bray, June 7th 2018
Vancouver: CBC Radio One continues its dominance of the Vancouver radio market, grabbing the #1 spot for A12+ with a 15.3% share of hours tuned (down from 15.7%). Taking the top spot for F25-54, QM-FM, posting a 16.5% share (down from 19.6% last book). FOX grabs the lead for M25-54 listeners, delivering a 13.8% share (up from 11.4%). The FOX is out in front for M18-34 with a 22.0% share of hours tuned (up from 15.8%). Women 18-34, QM-FM dominates, taking top spot with a 16.8 % share.

Even given its low ratings, TSN 1040 dominates the radio market, men aged 25 – 44, and 45 – 64, so for advertisers who want to reach that target market, TSN 1040 is the station that they’ll turn to more often than not.
Well, that’s it for this sort of Arts Friday VanRamblings post. Feels good to take a bit of break from the ever-so-satisfying maelstrom of local politics.

Vancouver Votes 2018 | Celebration for a City of Reconciliation

June 7, 2018BC Politics, Politics, Vancouver, Vancouver Votes 2018Raymond Tomlin

Some days you arise from your slumber, and from the time you open your eyes, you know it’s going to be a great day. Today is one such day.
At a regularly scheduled Vancouver City Council Finance & Services Committee meeting yesterday afternoon, our City Councillors voted unanimously in favour of a motion brought forward by veteran, and soon to retire, Vision Vancouver City Councillor Tim Stevenson, that would prohibit businesses from operating within the City of Vancouver that would seek to provide services or counseling intended to change a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.
In unanimously passing the motion at the Council table and in Council chambers, our elected Vancouver city councillors’ decision to ban conversion therapy makes our city the first city in the country to do so.

Conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness & suicide

An essay published by the Human Rights Campaign says this about conversion therapy …

So-called “conversion therapy,” sometimes known as “reparative therapy,” is a range of dangerous and discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Such practices have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades, but due to continuing discrimination and societal bias against LGBTQ people, some practitioners continue to conduct conversion therapy. Minors are especially vulnerable, and conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.

Peter Gajdics, the driving force behind the banning of conversion therapy, and himself a survivor, said he’s proud to see the city take this stance, nearly crying when he saw all Councillors voting in favour of the motion.

“I feel victorious. I actually didn’t think it was going to happen; I kept thinking something was going to get in the way,” Gajdics said. “This is huge for Vancouver to take this position,” as he went on to say that he wasn’t expecting such a move, “I was overwhelmed and thrilled that they changed it from minors to adults. I had wanted it to be adults cause I was an adult when it happened to me,” he said, his voice quivering. “I think they will not only have set a precedent, they will really draw the attention of jurisdictions for this reason.”

The bylaw was initially written to protect minors from conversion therapy, but a last-minute amendment by Vancouver Non-Partisan Association Councillor George Affleck made it apply to people of all ages.

NPA City Councillor George Affleck serves notice to conversion therapy businesses

Again, note should be made that it was Vancouver Non-Partisan Association Councillor George Affleck who sought to amend Councillor Stevenson’s initial motion that would apply to minors only, to extend to all persons.
Note should also be made that NPA City Councillors Melissa De Genova, Elizabeth Ball and Hector Bremner all voted to support both Councillor Affleck’s amendment, and Councillor Stevenson’s initial motion to ban conversion therapy. Much is made of how “right wing” are the NPA City Councillors, and of how they mean ill for our city. Yesterday’s unanimous approval of the banning of conversion therapy businesses within the City of Vancouver gives the lie to the notion that our elected NPA Councillors are not social justice warriors. Make no mistake, they are — along with their Green Party and Vision Vancouver colleagues on Vancouver City Council.

Vancouver A, B, C Elections To Be a Thing of the Past
On voting day, you arrive at the polling station, register and sign in, and are then given a ballot, the names of the candidates for City Council listed alphabetically by surname. Easy peasy nice and easy. Not in 2018, though, when you arrive at the advance polls, or go about casting your ballot on E-Day, Saturday, October 20th. And a good thing it is, too.
In Vancouver, voters tend to take a look at the ballot, and vote a, b, c.
During last autumn’s Vancouver School Board by-election, the top vote-getters: Joy Alexander, Fraser Ballantyne, Carrie Bercic, Ken Clement, Lisa Dominato — do you notice a pattern there? I recall my friend Michael Klassen — now a very fine civic affairs columnist with the Vancouver Courier, and the go-to Global TV guy for all things civic affairs — grousing to me on election night 2005, “Raymond (ed. note, I like being called Raymond, cuz that’s my name — being called ‘Ray’, not so much), look at the results tonight: Suzanne Anton, Elizabeth Ball, David Cadman, Kim Capri, George Chow, Heather Deal,” after which I believe I heard him collapse. Michael had campaign-managed Valerie Jenkinson’s bid for a seat on City Council — he thought she was just great, bright, socially aware, knew tonnes about municipal governance and all the issues that she would face as an elected civic official, dedicated, hard working, and one of the most accomplished people he’d ever met. But her last name started with the letter “J”, and her ascension to Vancouver City Council was not to be.
Alas.
So, Michael (he calls himself Mike now, but I like to call him Michael) oughta be thrilled with the ground-breaking decision taken by Vancouver City Council yesterday to adopt a randomized ballot, about which Michael’s fellow Vancouver Courier journalist, Naoibh O’Connor writes, “The City of Vancouver will switch from an alphabetical to a randomized name order on the ballot for the 2018 civic election.”

Council: motion on randomized ballots goes to a vote. Councillors Ball, Carr and De Genova opposed but the motion passes. Municipal election ballot for Mayor, Council and Park Board will be randomized. Over to you @VSB39

— Andrea Reimer (@andreareimer) June 6, 2018

Of course, not all Vancouver City Councillors were on board for the motion to adopt a randomized ballot, the initiative passing seven to four. Strange thing that those opposed were: Elizabeth Ball, Adriane Carr and Melissa De Genova. Imagine. I wonder why? Couldn’t have anything to do with the fact their surnames represent b, c & d on the ballot. Could it? Nah, perish the thought. You can read Naoibh O’Connor’s Vancouver Courier column to read what the three dissenting Councillors have to say on the matter, and the wrong-headedness involving the adoption of a randomized ballot.
Meanwhile, responding to retiring City Councillor Andrea Reimer’s good-natured poke, the Vancouver School Board elected officials are indeed taking a look at — or “mulling”, as Vancouver Courier reporter John Kurucz wrote in a column yesterday — adopting a randomized ballot, although as Mr. Kurucz notes in his story, “Seven of the nine board trustees have last names that start within the first seven letters of the alphabet. Only Green Party trustee Judy Zaichkowsky and Vision’s Allan Wong fall outside of the first third of the alphabet.”

Joy Alexander has no problem with a move to randomization, Janet Fraser hasn’t made her mind up yet, and Judy Zaichkowsky thinks the change would be “chaotic.”

At the VSB, you can already tell who’ll like the idea of a randomized ballot: OneCity Vancouver’s Carrie Bercic (not least because it’ll help give her OneCity colleague Jennifer Reddy — who’ll run alongside Ms. Bercic — a better shot at gaining a seat on Vancouver’s Board of Education, both of which 2018 civic election candidates will be joined by Erica Jaaf on seeking a seat on the 2018 – 2022 Vancouver School Board — casting a ballot for these three accomplished women of principle, an absolute necessity for all those going to the polls), Ms. Bercic’s Vision Vancouver colleagues Joy Alexander (who will not seek another term on School Board — recovering one’s sanity after the past four years of B.C. Liberal provincial government shenanigans is sort of important, don’t you think?), colleague and progressive Ken Clement, and the incredibly wonderful veteran School Board trustee, the one, the only — I wouldn’t have made it through my cancer battle without him, he was so incredibly good to me — Allan Wong.
Except for Vancouver School Board Green Party of Vancouver trustee Dr. Judy Zaichowski (who also won’t be running again) — who is, unsurprisingly, opposed — we have no idea how the others will vote on the issue. Over to you Lisa Dominato, Fraser Ballantyne & Estrellita Gonzalez.

Municipalities across British Columbia and in other parts of Canada — including Calgary, Winnipeg, White Rock, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Langley Township — long ago adopted a randomized ballot, with little fuss or muss, or distress to voters. No doubt, there’ll be some confusion at the polls this autumn — as such, Council assigned an additional $235,000 to the office of the Election Returning Officer at City Hall to inform and help citizens adjust to the newly-adopted randomized election ballot.

Yesterday afternoon, Vancouver Non-Partisan Association City Councillor George Affleck, TeamJean 2018 community activist and Coalition of Progressive Electors Board of Directors member, Tristan Markle, eastside community activist, Jak King and your favourite VanRamblings blogger, among other participants, found ourselves involved in a lively, respectful and good-natured cross-partisan Twitter dialogue, a portion of which is available here, a response to yesterday’s VanRamblings column on the VDLC negotiated progressive “coalition” electoral settlement. Worth a gander, if you’re interested in how politics is done in this town.