Andrea Reimer At Large

Motion to Council on campaign finance & other reforms

Here's the motion I will be introducing at Council on Tuesday, January 31, 2012. Very pleased to have Mayor Gregor Robertson's strong endorsement for these changes.

If you're interested in speaking to it, you can call the City Clerk at 604.873.7657 or e mail charlene.imai@vancouver.ca

Just as good, or maybe even better, contact your MLA. The Provincial Government controls the municipal elections laws and have failed to make much-needed changes despite a decade of requests from Vancouver councillors. You can look up your MLA's contact info here.

Increasing Fairness and Citizen Involvement in Municipal Elections

Moved by Councillor Andrea Reimer

WHEREAS on March 25, 2010 Council, on the advice of an all-party subcommittee, unanimously passed recommendations to the Local Government Elections Task Force in regards to Campaign Finance Reform and other changes to improve fairness and citizen involvement in Vancouver municipal elections (attached as Appendix A);

WHEREAS the Local Government Elections Task Force failed to accept these recommendations and the City of Vancouver requires approval by the Provincial Government in order to make changes to campaign finance rules or voting procedures;

WHEREAS the Chief Election Officer implemented enhancements, such as increasing advanced voting opportunities, with an aim to increase voter turnout and citizen involvement in the 2011 municipal election, as well as ensure fairness for all candidates;

WHEREAS the Vancouver Charter currently prohibits the release of raw vote data, which is data that is not traceable to individual voters but provides information on the contents of each ballot;

WHEREAS the Chief Election Officer and members of Council have received requests from voting policy analysts to access raw vote data for the purpose of conducting academic research and providing policy recommendations on elections;

WHEREAS the analysis of raw vote data provided in jurisdictions such as New Zealand, Scotland, and Minneapolis has been invaluable in better informing important policy issues related to electoral systems and the relationship between demographics and voter turn out;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED

(a) THAT the City Council write to the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and reiterate the request to have the ability under the Vancouver Charter for Council to make campaign finance rules and consider alternate voting systems, as outlined in Appendix A, and make a new request for the ability to release raw vote data;

(b) THAT City Council requests recommendations from the 2011 Chief Elections Officer for measures to increase voter turnout, citizen involvement and fairness for all candidates in the 2014 civic election.

 

APPENDIX A (from minutes of March 25, 2010 Planning and Environment Committee Meeting http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20100325/documents/penv20100325min.pdf)

1. Set limits on the annual amount of contributions that can be given by an individual to an elector organization, campaign organizer, or an individual seeking elected office.

 

2. Ban union and corporate donations.

 

3. Limit the amount of money that may be spent annually by an elector organization, campaign organizer, or an individual seeking elected office during a general local election campaign.

 

4. These limits on contributions and expenditures would be based upon a per-elector/capita, per-candidate formula (with individual candidate resources allowed to be pooled for use by elector organizations) and would be no higher than provincial and federal spending limits.

 

5. Disallow contributions to an elector organization, campaign organizer, or an individual seeking elected office, from sources outside of Canada.

 

6. Require that all donations and expenses for candidates, elected officials and elector organizations be disclosed on a continuous basis at six month intervals.

 

8. Change the definition of “candidate” to include anyone seeking nomination within an elector organization for candidacy to a local government office.

 

9. Appoint the Provincial Chief Election Officer to oversee municipal elections in BC, and establish penalties and mechanisms for enforcement of offences under the amended local government elections legislation.

 

12. Provide local governments with the authority to use any method of elections they wish to use, and repeal the requirement for Lieutenant Governor in Council approval to adopt such a change.

 

13. Amend the definition of election offenses and related penalties to include individuals acting as an intermediary in third-party campaign contribution schemes

 

 

NOTE: items 7, 10 and 11 were removed as they do not directly relate to increasing municipal authority for campaign or electoral reform and were specific to questions posed by the Local Government Elections Task Force. They are provided below for reference.

 

7. Implement a system of tax credits for municipal donations, similar to those for provincial and federal elections.

10. Extend municipal terms of office to four years.

11. Oppose allowing corporations the right to vote in local elections.

Grandview Woodlands Community Planning Begins

In 2011, City Council took the unprecendented step of asking staff to undertake local area planning in four communities: Grandview Woodlands, West End, Marpole and the Downtown Eastside

All of these areas have a high need to develop modern plans that respond to current challenges with affordable housing, demographic changes and the need to preserve local job generating lands (commercial, retail and industrial).

The information below is from the Grandview Woodlands Area Council (a local, grassroots residents group) and the City of Vancouver and the next important steps for the Grandview Woodlands Community Plan process.

If you live between Clark Drive & Nanaimo, from the water to Grandview Highway, consider getting involved. Community planning works better when the whole community is involved.

First event time:  7pm--9pm Mon 23 January.
First event place:  Learning Resources Centre (under the Library),
Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier Street.

Andrew Pask, lead City planner for the upcoming Grandview-Woodland Community Plan, is providing another meeting to hold discussion and gather some preliminary input on four themes:   (1) issue and asset identification, (2) sub-area geographies, (3) advisory and working group options, and (4) specialized outreach and engagement considerations.

The discussion will make use of questions from page 1 of the "Grandview-Woodland Terms of Reference Workbook" (which is in development), available as a download.   The workbook is based on the Community Plans "General Terms of Reference" document, also available as a download.


Second event time:  4pm--6:30pm Tue 31 January.
Second event place:  Family Activity Room, Britannia Community Centre,
1661 Napier Street.

The City will be hosting an Open House pertaining to the Terms of Reference for the upcoming Grandview-Woodland Community Plan.  The Open House will:

1.  Report out on the material gathered during the preliminary focus groups (including the 9 and 23 January meetings at Britannia Centre);

2.  Show how this material has been integrated into the "Grandview-Woodland Terms of Reference Workbook."

The event is intended to be an informal one.  People are invited to view materials, and review input and material produced to date.  City Staff will be on hand to answer questions.

For further information, please contact Andrew Pask, City of Vancouver, andrew.pask@vancouver.ca; 604-673-8171.

IMPORTANT: Extreme Weather Shelters Open

The following is from Irene Jaakson, who is designated under the Assistance to Shelter Act as the Community Representative for Vancouver.

IF YOU ARE IN A POSITION TO COMMUNICATE THIS INFORMATION TO PEOPLE LIVING ON THE STREETS, OR SLEEPING ON THE STREETS TONIGHT, PLEASE DO SO

-- message follows ---

Pursuant to sec. 2(2)(b) of the Assistance to Shelter Act an Extreme Weather Alert (EWA) is being issued for Vancouver, BC. This EWA activates the authorities in the Assistance to Shelter Act for police to assist persons at risk due to extreme weather conditions and remains in effect until it is cancelled.

This EWA is being issued on January 13 at 11:37 am due to the following weather conditions and forecast: probable snow accumulation

The following shelters will be providing spaces during this EWA:

St. Mark’s Extreme Weather Shelter (1805 Larch St)
This facility can accommodate up to 25 people. Opens at 9:30 pm- Intake closes at 11:00 pm. Hot meal on intake. Carts stored.

Union Gospel Mission (601 East Hastings)
During an extreme weather alert an additional 20 spaces for men will be made available if the regular 72 shelter beds become full. Hours are 9:00 pm until 6 am.

10th Avenue Alliance Church (10th & Ontario)
Can accommodate up to 25 people. Open 10:00 pm to 7:00 am

The Gathering Place (609 Helmken St)
During extreme weather the facility opens between midnight and 7:00 am.  Up to 40 people can be sheltered.

Catholic Charities (828 Cambie St)
Will provide overnight accommodation for up to 20 men.

Back up sites:

The Salvation Army Harbour Light (119 East Cordova St.)
Can accommodate up to 50 people. People receive mats, pillows and blankets. Coffee and a snack are provided in the morning. This shelter will only open if there is sufficient overflow from Harbour Light’s year-round and CWW shelters.

The Salvation Army Belkin House (555 Homer St.)
Can accommodate 13 men and 7 women. Opens after other shelters full after 11:00 pm. Breakfast is served at 7:30 am.

EWA issued by Irene Jaakson, Community Representative for Vancouver, BC

Resolve to be Involved! Is 2012 the year for you to get engaged with City Hall?

You may not spend much time thinking about the City but every day we are thinking about you. Whether it’s big questions like the future of transportation or affordable housing, or smaller but important issues like parking meters or a heritage house on your block, we want to hear from you.

Getting involved doesn’t need to take a lot of time. Like resolving to get more fit, getting into the habit of being engaged can start with a relatively modest amount of time.

One simple way to start is monitoring social media sites and web feeds for the city departments that interest you. You can find a full list of City departments on social media at http://vancouver.ca/socialmedia.htm and web feeds at http://data.vancouver.ca/cityFeeds.htm

On the larger projects and proposals, the city sets up stand-alone web sites where you can learn more, get engaged online or learn about meetings you can attend in person. If you visit http://talkvancouver.com/ you’ll see current consultations on the 2012 operating budget and the 2040 Transportation Plan. Plus by registering with talkvancouver
you’ll be notified of new major policy proposals and consultations.

In addition to looking for feedback on existing proposal, the City is always interested in getting residents together to develop new policy proposals that meet modern community needs and solve problems. There are 23 civic agencies and advisory bodies open to the general public, of which 17 are currently seeking new applicants.

These range from agencies like the Vancouver Public Library which are responsible for running the city’s libraries to advisory committees like the Seniors Advisory Committee that offer policy advice on seniors issues directly to City Council and city staff.

Not sure if an advisory committee is right for you? On January 16 and 19 there will be information sessions at City Hall.

If you are sure, then take the plunge and sign up today! The application is at http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/civicagencies/apply.htm. Note that the deadline for applying for the current vacancies is January 22.

 There are so many more ways to get involved (like coming to Council meetings - check out the agendas online!) but I’m hoping that list gets you started on your resolution to be more engaged with City Hall 2012.

Andrea

PS - A new neighbourhood planning process has started in the Downtown Eastside and others are about to get underway in Marpole, West End and Grandview-Woodlands. Stay turned!