Mayor's office engages in more bait-and-switch media relations

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      Last week, the Vancouver mayor's office pulled a fast one on the media by favouring the Globe and Mail and Vancouver Sun with early notification of a major news story.

      In a move reminiscent of Tammany Hall, Gregor's goons, led by chief of staff Mike Magee, decided to bestow the information in a city staff report to journalists at the corporate broadsheets ahead of everyone else. It concerned a proposed new location for the Vancouver Art Gallery.

      The rest of the electronic and print media were given crumbs about a homelessness study, which didn't include up-to-date information about all those homeless people stuck in shelters.

      Whoopie!

      You gotta love "public servants" in the mayor's office who provide this type of access to reporters at a newspaper owned by Canada's richest man ahead of the staff who work at City Hall.

      While the rest of us chumps were waiting for the report to be posted on the city website, those wizards at the Vancouver Sun and Globe had already written their stories, complete with quotes from hizzoner himself. Hurray for Gregor! Good thing that there aren't any rules around full and continuous disclosure in any of the ethics policies at Vancouver City Hall.

      Now those masters of media relations are at it again.

      A news release has gone out today trumpeting that our wonderful city council plans the largest increase in child-care funding in the city's history: $5 million.

      Meanwhile, the same geniuses in charge of the public purse are laying a foundation for giving away a parcel of land worth more than $200 million to the Vancouver Art Gallery for a "nominal fee". In layman's terms, that means "zilch".

      But there's no news release announcing that the public is welcome to show up in the council chamber today to offer their views on this decision.

      After all, $200 million is only about a fifth of the annual operating budget for the City of Vancouver.

      It's the old bait-and-switch technique. Get the clowns in the media to write about child-care and hold the vote on the art gallery until after the newspapers like the Georgia Straight have gone to the printer. Here's the mindset: always assume the media are stupid—and 95 percent of the time, you'll probably be rewarded.

      When the Vision dons approve of the staff recommendation after dinner, the public will only remember how much those councillors love kids.

      To disrupt the party in the mayor's office, I thought I would give all of you people who aren't at City Hall this afternoon a chance to have your say. Just respond to the poll below.

      Comments

      7 Comments

      DMan

      Apr 24, 2013 at 12:48pm

      Better idea, let's let Cactus Club, Earls, Joey's, or some other chain open up shop on it. Think of all the exciting retail branding possibilities!

      Or maybe a shrine to Rennie? I suspect he's provided more than enough stipends to political parties in this town to warrant said shrine.

      Gun shy!

      Apr 24, 2013 at 5:22pm

      Thank you Charlie for your hitting the facts on the head reporting! You sure have this stuff right. Did you know the Mayor was out announcing the Art Gallery before the staff report had gone to Council?

      Last time I checked we lived in a democracy and process and doing the right thing actually counted for something....but guess not with the current VV goons at City Hall

      Roy Arden

      Apr 24, 2013 at 9:04pm

      This is a day of historic importance. It's great to see the city investing in culture for culture's sake and for the economic good
      sense of it. Look at the city report for the staggering returns this investment will bring to the local economy.

      With regard to your "choices", three of the choices are satisfied by the city's decision. Art galleries are really an educational and community resource so it is the same as spending on libraries at least. Also, the city still owns the land, one day the gallery could move and the city could sell the then more valuable land. So, it is the same as keeping the asset and letting it grow in value.

      I don't know enough about it to comment on the City's media handling.

      Page Turner

      Apr 25, 2013 at 5:52am

      Roy!You were just informed enough about the City's media handling in THIS article. The info CAN be verified. That's how you get to know enough about something if you care to.

      Save Vancouver

      Apr 25, 2013 at 6:45am

      Payback's a bitch eh, Georgia Staright. All those years trashing the NPA and praising the oh-so-green Vision Vancouver, only to find they really don't care about you.

      Vision is just a tool of develoeprs, far worse than the NPA ever was.

      Roy Arden

      Apr 25, 2013 at 7:52am

      re:Page Turner

      This isn't a news story, it's a commentary and an attack. I'm all for transparency at City Hall, but the Straight is an actor in this conflict -- not an observer, and we don't have a response from City Hall to Smith's charges.

      fraser stuart

      Apr 27, 2013 at 7:53pm

      6.2 mil for housing, so sorry we're broke, 200 mil to house art, here you go do you need anything else?