Tag Archives: green party of vancouver

#VanPoli | ABC Vancouver Popularity Plummets, OneCity + Greens Rise

#VanPoli Civic Politics, BC Politics, Park Board, Politics, Vancouver, , , , ,

In the 2022 Vancouver municipal election, the upstart ABC Vancouver civic party — a creation of founder / financier Peter Armstrong — came out of nowhere to secure an overwhelming victory at the polls, securing 34.5% of the vote, with the Greens trailing at 11.24%, and OneCity Vancouver managing 9.79% in voter popularity.

How ABC Vancouver’s fortunes have changed only 15 turbulent months later.


Saturday, October 15, 2022 | ABC Vancouver wins the Mayor’s chair, electing eight City Councillors

Let us count the ways in which ABC Vancouver has lost popularity with the public.

  • ABC Vancouver’s first budget raised property taxes by a whopping, unprecedented 10.7% (triple that for small business), alienating huge portions of the public;
  • ABC Vancouver jettisoned the City’s Livable Wage Programme, which pays the employees of suppliers of goods and services to the city approximately $24-an-hour;
  • ABC Vancouver shuttered the City’s Rental Office, telling the public that the monies it took to run the Rental Office would be transferred to TRAC, the Tenant Resources and Advisory Centre, and would move TRAC into new offices on Howe Street downtown.

    Surprise    , surprise, TRAC has not moved into the new offices that had been promised, which three years on remains under construction, and in addition, has yet to receive one red cent from the City. You gotta love “conservatives”: they lie like we breathe;
  • On December 13, 2023,  Vancouver’s rookie Mayor, Ken Sim, announced that his ABC Vancouver City Council would abolish the cherished 135-year-old Vancouver Park Board,  with an application to the province to change the Vancouver Charter to facilitate an undemocratic, unmandated, appalling change in City governance.

In 2022, a paltry 36.3% of eligible voters turned out at the polls to elect a new Vancouver City Council, School Board and Park Board — which means that the vast majority of Vancouver voters … 63.7% … stayed home, and couldn’t be bothered to, either, inform themselves of the issues in the last Vancouver municipal election, or take an hour or less to attend at their local polling station to cast their ballot.


Global BC newscasters Chris Gailus and Sophie Liu host B.C.’s top-rated suppertime news programme

Numeris (formerly the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement) is Canada’s audience measurement organization, tracks our country’s highly fragmented and increasingly complex media landscape, as it attempts to bring clarity and an understanding of audience behaviours and insights to an evolving cross-media landscape.

According to Numeris, only 18% of British Columbians tune in to watch news programmes on Global BC, CTV Vancouver, CBC Vancouver and CityNews, and their local affiliates’ news programmes. Where, then, do British Columbians get their news, if 82% of B.C. adults don’t get their news from television news programmes?

Newspapers remain a popular deliverer of the news for people age 35 and older.

The findings of a study held in Canada between October 2022 and September 2023 revealed that 32% of Canadians only read print newspapers on a weekly basis, whereas 6% read newspapers via computer only. For those persons between the ages of 35 and 49 across all regions in Canada, only 23.89% of persons in that age bracket read, watch or listen to the news once a week or more.

A growing number of people selectively avoid news stories, such as the war between Israel and Gaza, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the cost-of-living issue.

Thirty-eight per cent of those surveyed actively avoid the news, up from 29% in 2021, according to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Around 36% — particularly those under age 35 — say that the news lowers their mood.

“Large numbers of people see the media as subject to undue political influence, and only a small minority believe most news organizations put what’s best for society ahead of their own commercial interest,” writes Reuters Institute Director Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, in a Reuters report based on an online survey of 93,432 people, conducted in 46 markets across Canada.


Gen Z (1997-2012) and Millennials (1980-1996) acquire news, predominately, from their Tik Tok app

Younger audiences, those under 45, are increasingly accessing the news via platforms such as TikTok, or from their friends, and have a weak connection to online or conventional media. Forty percent of that age group uses TikTok daily, with 15% saying they use it to find, discuss or share news.

What is the context and meaning of the preceding information, and its impact on Vancouver politics, the current fight to preserve Vancouver’s Board of Parks and Recreation, and the re-election chances of ABC Vancouver come 2026?

Where Vision Vancouver’s success in their ten years at the helm of politics in Vancouver was dependent on three groups who consistently turned out in droves to support the party at election time …

  • Unions. Vision Vancouver set the wage scale agenda during their time in power,  not just locally, but in municipalities across British Columbia and beyond, in the public sector where it moved the provincial government off its 1-1-1 agenda, and by extension in the private sector, the union vote in the City of Vancouver, loyal and consistently good for 45,000 votes at the polls in strong support for Vision Vancouver;
  • The active transportation lobby (think: Hub Cycling), who are committed to bike lanes and a healthy, environmentally friendly and livable city, with fit, cycling Millennials turning out in droves to re-elect Vision Vancouver at election time; and …
  • The 2SLGBTQIA community, whose support Vision Vancouver worked tirelessly to gain and maintain, and for whom it could depend on at least 20,000 votes at the polls — as was the case with the bike lobby — in the 2008, 2011 and 2014 civic elections.

ABC Vancouver has no natural constituency in our decidedly progressive, left-of-centre, NDP-voting city on the far shores of western Canada.

The 2022 Vancouver municipal election was a “kick the bums out” election, with dismayed, disgruntled and disquieted Vancouverites sick-and-tired of a lazy, do-nothing, whiny Kennedy Stewart administration, which had non-productive relations provincially with John Horgan’s NDP government, federally with Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party of Canada, and in 2022 with the Vancouver electorate.

As we say, ABC has no natural constituency in the voting Vancouver electorate, their election to civic government in 2022 a blip on the political radar, and consequent from a dissatisfaction among the electorate with the previous administration, a well-run campaign by master electoral tactician and motivator, Kareem Mahmoud Abbas Allam, and bucketfuls of money from Rocky Mountaineer tourism founder Peter Armstrong, and Lululemon lifestyle founding promoter, Chip Wilson.

Well, Mr. Allam is gone now — having pulled away from ABC Vancouver one year ago —  the powers that be at The Vancouver Club and Terminal City out for blood and set to do all in their power to oppose the re-election of Ken Sim and company, not to mention a significant and engaged majority of the 36.3% of Vancouver voters who turned up at the polls in 2022 also out for blood, alienated beyond all measure with the autocratic, anti-democratic administration of Ken Sim and his crew of “we’ll go along to get along, and do whatever” ABC Vancouver lickspittles.

The Sword of Damocles hangs ominously and precariously over the heads of the “certain to be one term” ABC Vancouver administration at Vancouver City Hall, the arbitrary and unilateral move to eliminate Vancouver’s cherished Park Board — which over the past 135 years has given the citizens of our province a world class parks and recreation system — the final straw, as engaged Vancouverites in high dudgeon, certain to work towards not the elimination of the Vancouver Park Board, but the elimination of the “they know the cost of everything, and the value of nothing” ABC Vancouver civic party from the political landscape of our city.

VanElxn2022 | The Green Party of Vancouver | Seek A Renewed Mandate

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

Truth to tell, VanRamblings has some affection for all the folks involved in the Green Party of Vancouver. Deep in our heart we believe that — although we may differ on policy orientation, from time to time — that the Vancouver Greens seeking re-election to Vancouver City Council come the evening of E-Day, Saturday, October 15th — that would be incumbents Pete Fry, Michael Wiebe and Adriane Carr — along with Green Party of Vancouver candidates, Stephanie Smith and Devyani Singh … both of whom we know, like and admire … have the best interests of the citizenry of Vancouver at heart, and as a group are well-meaning and informed folks of conscience who day-in and day-out make decisions — with humility and heart — employing their best judgement on matters placed before them.

On July 9th, at Khatsalano Days in the Kitsilano Vancouver neighbourhood, VanRamblings happened across Vancouver City Councillor Michael Wiebe, who was standing in front of the Green Party of Vancouver booth. Spotting us, smiling that big goofy and welcoming smile of his, he waved us over to speak with him.

Now for a little context: last autumn, VanRamblings wrote that Mr. Wiebe and his Green Party colleague, Pete Fry, constituted two members of the Three Misogynist Musketeers brigade on City Council (Mayor Kennedy Stewart was the third party in the unkind trio), arising from their untoward treatment of their fellow Councillor, Colleen Hardwick, during the course, and outside, of Council meetings.

As well, when respected municipal affairs lawyer Ray Young published a report in September 2020 recommending that Mr. Wiebe resign his seat on Council, arising from a perceived conflict of interest — a report filed at the request of then City Manager, Sadhu Johnston — VanRamblings wrote three withering columns demanding Mr. Wiebe’s immediate resignation of his seat on Council.

With the above in mind, VanRamblings (gingerly) approached Mr. Wiebe. Towering over us (VanRamblings is height-challenged), Mr. Wiebe gave us a fist bump, and told us how glad he was to see us, after which we engaged in — by far — the best, the most expansive, the most detailed, the most informed, and the most humane conversation on Vancouver civic politics we have had with anyone involved in #vanpoli, at any point over the past four years.

Colour us mightily impressed.

Mature of demeanour, Mr. Wiebe — who we’ve known well since his election as a Park Board Commissioner, in 2014 — quietly let us know that these past four years have proved a mighty learning experience for the novice Vancouver City Councillor, which newfound knowledge, over the course of the past 24 months, has translated into a much more settled and thoughtful approach to governance, than previously.

Suffice to say, VanRamblings came away from that day’s discussion with Michael Wiebe with a respect and admiration for him, such that we are giving serious consideration to endorsing his candidacy for re-election to Vancouver City Council.

In June, while attending VanRamblings’ good friend (and long, our blog’s much-beloved webmaster) Mike Klassen’s 60th birthday party (Mike is currently an ABC candidate for Vancouver City Council) at the Polish Hall on Fraser Street, we were surprised to see respected and hard-working Green Party of Vancouver City Councillor Pete Fry in attendance. Seems that Mr. Fry & Mr. Klassen have known one another dating back to their days writing for and working on Reverend Moonbeam’s (Darren Atwater’s) much-beloved Terminal City newspaper.

In the 90s, Pete — on this day, with a smile as big as all outdoors crossing his face, his eyes sparkling like the commencement of new day at sunrise, full of promise and intent for good —  was, he informed us, the Digiboy of fame and (not quite so much) fortune at Terminal City, and Mike Klassen long a much cherished colleague.

As we expected may have proved to be the case with Mr. Wiebe, there was the possibility, and perhaps not so remote a possibility, that upon spotting us in the Polish Hall, the affable and good-natured (not to mention, incredibly bright and principled) Mr. Fry might have wanted to punch our lights out, given the untoward provocations that he, from time to time, felt had been visited upon him by VanRamblings. Well, here we are today, in one piece, with no bloody nose.

Unpretentious, possessed of good humour, welcoming, friendly, gregarious of nature, articulate (no wonder the media in this town love him), humane and humble, possessed of an uncommon equanimity of presentation and spirit, VanRamblings has long liked, respected and admired Pete Fry — and although Mr. Fry is no particular fan of VanRamblings, either the person or the blog — our affection and respect for Pete Fry has not diminished one iota in all the years we’ve known him. VanRamblings liked Pete in the past & like and admire him through until this day.

As such, as with Mr. Wiebe, VanRamblings would consider endorsing Pete Fry’s re-election to Vancouver City Council, as a thoughtful and considerate candidate possessed of much integrity, who means well for the citizens of Vancouver, always.


The 2022 Green Party of Vancouver campaign launch. Candidate speeches begin at 2:45.

Writing the above about Mr. Wiebe and Mr. Fry, we recognize that it is imcumbent on VanRamblings to set about to formally interview the two Green Party City Councillors — as we arranged last evening at the 2022 Green Party of Vancouver campaign launch — in order to give them voice, to provide each candidate for re-election a forum to have recorded why it is these outstanding Vancouver City Councillors feel they are deserving of your vote, and another term on Council (and, let’s face it, each of these fine candidates very much are worthy of your vote), and what it is they would see themselves accomplishing on a second term on Council.