Tag Archives: christine boyle

#VanPoli | Battle Royale | Come One, Come All To the Distaff Fight of the Century

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

The BC NDP being the finely-tuned machine that they are, yesterday morning following the announcement of the decision by British Columbia’s current Environment Minister George Heyman to not seek re-election in the upcoming October 19th provincial election, Mr. Heyman introduced past three-term Vancouver City Councillor Andrea Reimer as his, and the New Democratic Party’s, chosen candidate to run in the newly-created riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain.

This was a textbook roll-out of a campaign for a BC NDP nomination.


Andrea Reimer, NDP candidate for nomination in the newly-created riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain

Given the problems the BC NDP have suffered the past couple of months — Mitzi Dean’s removal as Minister of Children and Family Development due to incompetence, and the resignation / firing of former Finance Minister Selina Robinson, arising from recent intemperate remarks she made respecting the Hamas-Israeli war — the BC NDP were looking for an unimpeded good news announcement to get their re-election campaign underway on an upbeat note.

And all went well … for an hour.


Endorsements, clockwise: former BC NDP Minister, Melanie Mark; noted environmentalist, Tzeporah Berman; community organizer, Tessica Truong; Squamish Nation Chairperson, Khelsilem

Endorsements rolled in, the party had created a first-rate campaign video featuring Joy McPhail, an impressive ‘Andrea Reimer for Vancouver-Little Mountain’ website was up and on the web almost immediately (if faulty for part of the day), the response to Ms. Reimer’s candidacy almost universally supportive, praising, respectful and hopeful.

Here was the BC NDP with a first-rate candidate for office, a pol of the first order, and a much loved community organizer. The BC NDP and almost all of its supporters were over-the-moon. What a great and glorious day to behold!

An aside

Life in politics isn’t easy. As became abundantly clear in the first half of the video interview with Naomi Klein, on the VanRamblings post we put up yesterday, those with opinions, and those in the public eye are often the subject of vicious commentary. The press weighs in, and are often unkind in their commentary, even if not meaning to be such. Then there are ne-er-do-wells like that Raymond Tomlin character and his VanRamblings blog — well, we all know he’s a scandal and rumour-monger, and any commentary he makes is to be derided and studiously avoided.

We will say at this point that VanRamblings is the subject of an injunction which prevents us from writing about Vancouver City Councillor, Christine Boyle. Tossing caution to the wind, and despite the possibility of VanRamblings being thrown into the hoosegow, we will today write about the esteemed Ms. Boyle, despite the dire consequences it may bring to our personal safety, and freedom to move about.


A OneCity Vancouver poster for Christine Boyle’s 2018 candidacy for Vancouver City Council

Upon being elected to Vancouver City Council in 2018, Christine Boyle found herself turning to Andrea Reimer, a successful three-term Vision Vancouver City Councillor, who mentored Ms. Boyle, and over the years became a confidante and something of a mother confessor. Both Ms. Reimer and Ms. Boyle had sat as City Councillors, both are women of some note, both are relatively young yet well-experienced, both share much in common. Ms. Reimer became a sympathetic ear for Ms. Boyle, and a source of valued input and counsel for the novice Councillor.

To say that Ms. Reimer and Ms. Boyle are close would be to understate the matter.

Imagine the surprise, then — to Andrea Reimer, the BC NDP, Premier David Eby and Environment Minister George Heyman, and many others — when within an hour of the announcement of Andrea Reimer’s BC NDP-endorsed candidacy in the riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain, current Vancouver City Councillor Christine Boyle announced her candidacy to seek the Vancouver-Little Mountain BC NDP nomination!

As we wrote to friends yesterday, “There is no honour in politics.” Sadly.

VanRamblings figures that Andrea Reimer — on one of the best days of her life — must feel devastated. We figure, too, that there are those within the BC NDP — particularly those who were involved in the meticulous roll-out of Andrea Reimer’s BC NDP candidacy in the newly-created riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain — who are feeling a degree of disappointment and anger, directed at Christine Boyle.

From Katie DeRosa’s article in The Vancouver Sun, on the nomination battle …

(Andrea) Reimer has been involved with the NDP riding association for Vancouver-Fairview for years and is now on the executive of the Vancouver-Little Mountain riding.

“George asked me to consider taking it on when he stepped down,” said the 52-year-old.

Reimer said she has first-hand experiences with the gaps in the system, as she spent time as a youth living on the streets and has been renovicted from rental homes more than a dozen times. Reimer was adopted at six months old and only discovered her Cree and Métis ancestry in 2015.

“I’ve dedicated my life to closing gaps,” said Reimer, who is now an adjunct professor of practice at UBC’s school of public policy and global affairs.

Reimer said during her time on council she was able to garner support for “world-leading” policies such as renewable energy strategies and pushed for Vancouver to become one of the first local councils to back the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

(Note: We were kidding about the injunction respecting writing about Vancouver City Councillor and BC NDP Vancouver-Little Mountain nominee candidate, Christine Boyle. Although, truth-to-tell, we sometimes wonder, given the vitriol to which we are subject whenever we write about the good Ms. Boyle).

Let us state for the record: Christine Boyle has every right to seek the BC NDP Vancouver-Little Mountain nomination — and, we imagine, feels an obligation to do so, otherwise she would not have put her name forward for nomination.

Councillor Boyle has served her constituents well and with honour in her five years in elected office at Vancouver City Hall. Hers is a voice of compassion and of community, and if we might be so bold as to say so, “fighting for the little guy,” the most recent example? Her (sadly, unsuccessful) work to reinstate the Livable Wage Policy at Vancouver City Hall.

From Katie DeRosa’s article in The Vancouver Sun, on the nomination battle …

(Christine) Boyle, a United Church minister and a social justice advocate who spent years working on the Downtown Eastside, was endorsed by veteran federal NDP MP Libby Davies.

She said it was unusual that Heyman endorsed Reimer but said she doesn’t think that will be a hindrance in the nomination race. Boyle worked on Heyman’s team when he was competing against former Vancouver city councillor Geoff Meggs for the nomination in 2012.

Boyle, who considers Premier David Eby a personal friend, said she has a long history with the riding. She was born and raised in the riding, where her parents still live, and was heavily involved in advocating for those who lost their homes when the Little Mountain social housing complex was demolished.

Boyle, the most left-leaning member of Vancouver council, pushed for Vancouver council to declare a climate emergency and for the city to ramp up its emission reductions efforts. She’s also been a strong proponent for more affordable housing and higher density buildings in residential neighbourhoods.

Boyle said she and Reimer share many of the same values which is why “I do think it’s unfortunate that we’re running against each other.”

“When people look from the outside I think they see conflict,” Reimer said. “But from the inside in politics, nomination (races) between two strong candidates is a sign that your party is very healthy.”

Imagine Ms. Boyle’s desire, if you will, to be a Member of the Legislature within a BC NDP government that sets about —  as has consistently proved to be the case —  to implement Ms. Boyle’s most cherished personal and political goals, to be an unfettered part of change for the better, in a government that means to do well.

For less colourful coverage of the upcoming battle for the British Columbia New Democratic Party nomination in the Vancouver-Little Mountain riding, you’ll want to read Katie DeRosa’s thorough and even-handed coverage in The Vancouver Sun.

As Ms. DeRosa writes, “The nomination vote will take place in April.”

VanRamblings wishes Christine Boyle and Andrea Reimer the best of good fortune in their quest to secure the Vancouver-Little Mountain nomination.

History. Tomorrow on VanRamblings, a related 1979 nomination battle. You’ve got to organize to win.

#SaveOurParkBoard | A Passionate, Reasoned, Well-Attended Town Hall

#VanPoli Civic Politics, BC Politics, Environment, Food & Health, News, Park Board, Politics, , , , , ,

This past Thursday afternoon, Green Party of Vancouver City Councillors Pete Fry and Adriane Carr, and One City Vancouver Councillor Christine Boyle organized a spirited Town Hall — with more than 200 passionate, reasoned citizens in attendance, who oppose the elimination of an independent, elected Park Board — the event taking place in the Joe Wai Room, on the main floor of Vancouver City Hall.


Vancouver City Councillors, l-r:  the Green Party’s Pete Fry and Adriane Carr + OneCity Vancouver’s Christine Boyle

One of the most compelling speakers of the afternoon was Terri Clark, Vancouver Park Board’s Public Affairs Communications Manager from 1973 through 2008.

“In all my years at Park Board, our General Managers worked productively with Vancouver City Managers Fritz Bowers (1977-1990), Ken Dobell (1990-1998) and Judy Rogers (1999-2008). Ours was a relationship of mutual respect and co-operation.

Necessary funds were always provided by the City for the upkeep and maintenance of Vancouver’s parks, pools and community centres, in order to best serve the public interest.

               Photo credit: Elvira Lount
First row, above: l-r, Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby | John Coupar, former Park Board Chair | Tricia Barker, Commissioner, last term | Laura Christensen, current independent Commissioner; Bottom row, l-r. Michael Wiebe, former Commissioner, former City Councillor | Sarah Blyth, former two term Commissioner | Brennan Bastyovanszky, current independent Park Board Chair.

Recent maintenance problems at the Aquatic Centre or Kits Pool would never have been allowed to happen in Mr. Bowers’,  Dobell’s and Judy Rogers time as City Manager at Vancouver City Hall.

In September 2009, before Susan Mundick, Park Board’s General Manager (1998-2009), announced her “retirement“, City Manager Penny Ballem had stripped Ms. Mundick of all her duties, stating she would “help park board choose Ms. Mundick’s replacement”, a selection process City Hall had never previously been involved in.

If our pools and community centres are in disrepair today, as Mayor Sim has pointed out, such a circumstance arises from City Hall’s decision to cut Park Board out of any and all maintenance decisions, ceding those responsibilities to the City, which over the past dozen years has largely ignored the needs of what was once a world class parks and recreation system of which we were proud.”

Several past and current Park Board Commissioners addressed those who had gathered at City Hall last Thursday, including: Michael Wiebe, who spoke about the role of Park Board Commissioners in preserving the natural environment; past Park Board Chair, John Coupar, who addressed the role of Park Board in creating a livable city;  both Sarah Blyth and Tricia Barker reminded those present that “Ken Sim and his ABC Council were not given a mandate to abolish the Vancouver Park Board”; while formerly ABC Vancouver but now independent Park Board Commissioners Brennan Bastyovanszky, Scott Jensen and Laura Christensen committed to continuing their work in the community to preserve the invaluable 135-year legacy of an independent, elected Vancouver Park Board that serves the interests of all British Columbians and “those who visit our beautiful city”.

Several speakers referenced an article in The Vancouver Sun, written by Canadian gardening legend Brian Minter, who writes …

“The Vancouver Park Board maintains 242 parks that comprises 11% cent of Vancouver land. In addition, Park Board maintains 22 kilometres of seawall at Stanley Park, and walkways along False Creek. Park Board’s mandate includes 10 ocean beaches and a freshwater lake beach. Not only are they responsible for the city’s recreation programmes, services and community centres and facilities, park infrastructure comes under their jurisdiction.

In a time of significant climate change with the huge challenges of heat and drought, and the drive to expand green spaces, a high priority must be placed on the viability of parks. The importance of green spaces, the many proven benefits to both our health and wellness are well-documented, as our needs continue to grow.

The Vancouver Park Board is one of our region’s most important public assets and needs dedicated people and citizen engagement to ensure the long-term viability of  B.C.’s, and indeed, Canada’s, most spectacular green spaces, for generations to come.”

And then there’s the disposition of the 242 Vancouver’s parks, one hundred of which do not a have a protected park designation.


Former ABC, now independent PB Commissioners, l-r: Laura Christensen, Brennan Bastyovanszky, Scott Jensen

Perhaps the most articulate and moving participant in Thursday afternoon’s Town Hall was Laura Christensen’s month-old daughter, who cried throughout most of the proceeding, voicing the despair clearly felt by her mother — to whom Mayor Ken Sim had committed his support, when he asked her to run as a Park Board Commissioner on his ABC Vancouver slate — and the despair and frustration of those who had gathered together in common cause to, as one speaker, said “fight ABC’s undemocratic initiative to abolish our cherished, independent Park Board.”

VanElxn2022 | The Latest Behind-the-Scenes Campaign Scumbuggery

#VanElxn 2022, #VanPoli Civic Politics, BC Politics, Politics, Vancouver, Vancouver Votes 2022, , , ,


Edward Charles Kennedy Stewart. Vancouver’s next Mayor. The same Mayor as there always was.

See that photo of the guy above? That’s Kennedy Stewart, feckless Mayor of Vancouver since 2018. Why’s he smiling if he’s so feckless, you ask? Because, dear and constant reader, Kennedy Stewart is about to get re-elected to a second term as Vancouver’s once-and-forever Mayor. “How can that be?” you ask. Read on …

The provincial NDP, despite all, have decided that Kennedy Stewart is their guy.

A week or so ago, a letter went out to constituency associations telling NDP members that it’s Kennedy Stewart, or no one.

“We know that you’re not a big fan of Mayor Kennedy Stewart. We’ve not been, either. But here’s the thing: unless you cast your ballot for Kennedy, we’ll all be looking at a Council where the Mayor will be a right-of-centre, B.C. Liberal supporting opponent to everything the NDP stand for — equity, human rights, building a diverse British Columbia that is dedicated to inclusion, while building a diverse economy dedicated to job growth, and fulfilling our commitment to build 117,000 units of affordable housing.

None of that will come to pass if you elect right-wingers like …

Mark Marissen — His campaign’s senior advisor, that’d be his ex-wife, former B.C. Liberal Premier, Christy Clark. Mark is deep in the pocket of developers, dedicated to his own self-interest, and not yours. Electing Marissen as Vancouver’s next Mayor would be like Christy Clark redux. We don’t want that. You don’t want that;

Ken Sim, who is that much deeper in the pocket of developers than any of the other candidates seeking to become Vancouver’s next Mayor, who’s a front man for Lululemon multi-billionaire Chip Wilson, and some guy named Peter Armstrong, who locked his Rocky Mountaineer workers out for a year. Not only would Ken Sim turn Vancouver into a city for the ultra-rich, in the process, he’d fire union workers while attempting to destroy the union movement;

Fred Harding, who doesn’t even live in Vancouver. He calls China home. He’d be a commuter Mayor from halfway across the globe were he to become Vancouver’s next Mayor. Let’s face it, Harding is just visiting Vancouver during the current Vancouver civic election, stoking fear in the same manner as a PIerre Poilievre or Donald Trump — we think that’s despicable, something you don’t want;

And last, but certainly not least, Colleen Hardwick, who would turn Vancouver back 50 years and seek to create a paradise for the rich, while attempting to build a Vancouver that never was …

All four of these right-wing Vancouver Mayoral aspirants would do their level best to undo all that our government has achieved during the course of these past five years in government. Your only choice for Mayor in 2022: Mayor Kennedy Stewart.”

Other news of note concerning the Mayor’s Forward Together campaign for office. The provincial NDP has put the full weight of the party behind the candidacy of Tesicca Truong who, in the 2020 provincial election, came within a hair’s breadth of defeating B.C. Liberal incumbent, Michael Lee.

The BC New Democratic Party feels that Tesicca Truong represents the future of the BC NDP, and has set about to ensure a win for Ms. Truong — an immigrant, a refugee and a climate change activist — at the polls on Saturday, October 15th.

Of course, in promoting Ms. Truong’s candidacy, along with that of the Mayor, BC NDP stalwarts Alvin Singh and Dulcy Anderson are being left out in the cold.

Politics, as you may have gathered, is a dirty business, where no one really wins.

Soon-to-be defeated in her re-election bid, wrongheaded, unprincipled City Councillor, Christine Boyle.

In the meantime, in-between time, ain’t we got fun!

Not so much for Councillor Christine Boyle, who’s lost the support of the BC NDP.


Atiya Jaffar (left) and Anjali Appadurai. Jaffar volunteered to pay membership fees for prospective BC NDP leadership election voters while on an Instagram live event hosted by NDP leadership candidate Appadurai. The NDP leadership candidate and supporter Jaffar are under internal investigation for alleged vote buying. Ms. Jaffar is also active in the OneCity Vancouver civic party. | Photo: Instagram

Although Ms. Boyle has, for some while, been the fair-haired golden child of incoming B.C. Premier David Eby, seems that the NDP party brass are far from thrilled with OneCity Vancouver Councillor and candidate for re-election Christine Boyle’s association with Atiya Jaffar, the woman behind Premier-aspirant Anjali Appuradai’s campaign to unseat Mr. Eby and lead the BC New Democratic Party to oblivion, this same U.S.-based activist a major fundraiser for The Cult of Christine Boyle … er … we mean, OneCity Vancouver Councillor Christine Boyle.

Neither are British Columbia New Democratic Party brass particularly thrilled that Ms. Boyle has not disavowed her association with “volunteers” on her campaign for re-election, those volunteers allegedly planning a campaign of terror …

“Maybe we give (Rohana Rezel) a taste of his own medicine and openly wonder why he’s associating on Twitter with possible pedophiles?” asks Tim Ell, who’s been door knocking with OneCity’s incumbent Vancouver City Councillor Christine Boyle during the campaign.

In a ThinkPol article published on Tuesday, Mr. Rezel wrote that he had obtained chat logs that show OneCity Vancouver volunteers plotting to destroy their opponents by fabricating damaging rumours — including rumours about pedophilia. Their targets involve affordable housing advocates, academics, journalists, and lawyers. Mr. Rezel writes that, “What they intend to do to us is jaw dropping.”

Yet Christine Boyle refuses to disavow her association with, as VanRamblings reported on September 13th, “volunteers” on her campaign for re-election, rife with alt-right white supremacists with a “history of racism, misogyny and violence.”

Christine Boyle’s new status? Persona non grata with the B.C. New Democrats.

The man you see above is Christopher Richardson, the best man we know.

A former Vancouver School Board Chairperson, Mr. Richardson was seeking re-election to Vancouver’s Board of Education, under the ABC (A Better City?) banner, until he got unceremoniously dumped as a candidate for Vancouver School Board.

The above the line story, as reported in a September 26th CBC story is …

“Late Friday afternoon ABC Vancouver was made aware that a charitable organization that Christopher Richardson was a board member of had its charitable status revoked by the Canada Revenue Agency on Sept. 10,” the statement by Kareen Allam read.

“On Saturday, ABC conducted several queries. At the conclusion, ABC sent an email at 8 p.m. Saturday evening to the chief election officer that ABC’s endorsement of Christopher Richardson be removed, knowing that the deadline to do so may have passed.”

The statement did not reveal the name of the charity or why its status had been revoked. However, on Sunday evening ABC spokesperson Kareen Allam said that Richardson was let go after ABC was contacted by local writer Vivian Krause advising them that a charity Richardson was affiliated with had its charitable status revoked.

A human note should be made at this juncture: Two minutes before Christopher Richardson received the call from ABC Vancouver campaign manager Kareen Allam advising him he was being “let go” from the campaign and his candidacy for School Board revoked, Mr. Richardson had taken a call from the care home where his mother-in-law was resident, advising him that his wife’s mother had passed.

With Ms. Richardson in tears and inconsolable, Mr. Richardson reluctantly took Mr. Allam’s call, which call when it ended was followed by hours of reporters camped outside his door, while he attempted to console his beloved and bereft wife, at the same time somehow finding the strength to participate in a number of incredibly difficult — and dare we say, unfeeling — interviews with the press, where he was put on the defensive, during which interviews he felt doggedly under attack.

The behind-the-scenes story is this: Christopher Richardson, who is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Charitable Gift Planning Consultant & Philanthropy Advisor, has worked since 2005 with Blake Bromley, a Vancouver-based lawyer, considered to be

As you might well expect, Mr. Bromley does not work exclusively with Mr. Richardson. From time to time, Mr. Bromley has taken on work for Joel Solomon, a philanthropist, real estate magnate and founder of Vision Vancouver — the civic party which held power in Vancouver between 2008 and 2018 — and who is also a co-founder of Hollyhock on Cortes Island, about which Shannon Rupp, a reporter for The Georgia Straight, has written …

“I assume this artificial feeling of love and acceptance is what people are paying for, but I have to admit I find these get-togethers oppressive. Perhaps the most annoying aspect of Hollyhock is its culture of conformity – Goddess forbid anyone should question anything. After five days here, I’ve found Hollyhock is really two places: the site itself is delightful, but the half-baked spiritual and psychological concepts it peddles make me uneasy.”

Vivian Krause, conspiracy theorist, given to arch-villain, under-researched, unsupported narratives.

For years, Vivian Krause, a controversial researcher and writer critical of Canada’s environmental charities and, we think it is fair to say, a rabid critic of Joel Solomon, who Ms. Krause has spent a good portion of her life “exposing” as a charlatan, a fraud and a ne’er-do-well, and for whom she has long had a hate on. Anyone even remotely associated with Mr. Solomon is persona non grata in her book, a despicable evil creature deserving of the worst she might visit upon him.

And so she does.

Ms. Krause’s undeserving and unwitting “target” in the 2022 Vancouver civic election: Christopher Richardson, because of his loose affiliation with Joel Solomon, through his work with Vancouver charitable foundations lawyer Blake Bromley. For the past decade and more, Vivian Krause has dragged out every and any untoward, unsupported and unsubstantiated allegation of wrong-doing concerning Mr. Richardson, in some ways making his life on Earth, at times, a living hell.

For weeks in the current election campaign, Ms. Krause has attempted to peddle her scurrilous allegations about Mr. Richardson — who in the cutthroat world of civic politics is a beloved figure — to every campaign in the 2022 election, which entreaties by Ms. Krause by each and every one of the Vancouver civic parties — much to their credit — save one, was rejected. Seems that Ms. Krause has a relationship of longstanding with one of the ABC candidates for election, and it is this candidate who stuck the knife in Mr. Richardson’s School Board candidacy.

Some weeks ago Blake Bromley and Mr. Richardson submitted a renewal of the application for charitable foundation status for one of the foundations Mr. Bromley and Mr. Richardson represent, the every five year re-application in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency guidelines, as required under law. Apparently, the documentation submitted by Mr. Bromley and Mr. Richardson was incomplete — one or more boxes was left unchecked — leading the CRA to reject the application, and revoke the charitable status of the foundation re-applying for certification.

Upon being advised of the revocation, Mr. Bromley immediately launched an appeal, which appeal is under review, the corrected and fully completed application now in the hands of the Canada Revenue Agency. Mr. Richardson advises VanRamblings that he believes the re-application will be successful, after which he has been assured by Mr. Allam, once all outstanding matters have been resolved, he may once again resume his ABC candidacy for Vancouver School Board.

Oh, there’s more, so much more. But not today. We’re already over length.

Chances are that as you are reading this, VanRamblings is attending the much-looked-forward-to announcement of the TEAM for a Livable Vancouver housing policy — finally, with UBC urban geographer, VanRamblings’ most beloved Patrick Condon one of the presenters — where we’ve been assured that our dreams about an affordable housing policy, which we have written about ad nauseum and to distraction during the course of the current civic election campaign — will be realized.

Colour us thrilled and over-the-moon. I believe that there’s a lunch with Mr. Condon & Ms. Hardwick, in the Olympic Village, in each of our respective futures.