Thx RAMP. you guys rock

The Vision Vancouver politicians and COV bureaucrats are arrogance and dismissive to views which don't serve their developer friendly agenda. This is clear in the Downtown Eastside. They take the photo ops and vote pander but leave the hard work undone.

Today's Vision Vancouver flavour is mental health. The hard work needed is more safe, sane and affordable housing. So now we have mental health task force even though we know at the root is more social and supportive housing within a treatment plan for the mentally ill and addicted.

All flash, all style, little substance except developer money creating a so-called world class city. A city where most residents are considered servants for the rich and privileged global and local elite.

Hard to believe so many Vancouver residents drank and still drinking the Vision Vancouver kool aid!

@Sid Tan,

In your first paragraph you complain about Vision's 'developer friendly agenda'. Then in your second you cite the need for more affordable housing. You can't have it both ways. I'm not a fan of everything that Vision has done, but we do need more affordable housing in this city and the only way that will happen is by increasing density and simply building more housing.

@Article,

I'm concerned that if we start to give more of a voice to neighbourhood / community groups that nothing will be accomplished. The NIBMYs are out in full force lately for every single change that the city has tried to make. It is important to listen to people's concerns, especially the people that live in affected areas, but if we start giving them too much of a say then all progress will stop. This is why we elect a central governing body, to oversee decisions that go beyond the immediate local area. Vancouver is not perfect and change needs to happen, even if it not am improvement for every single person.

@Graham,

Your rebutal to Sid Tan is a specious argument. Being developer friendly has nothing to do with affordable housing - as we've seen with Vision's STIR project and Little Mountain.

What we see with Vision's upzoning to allow more tower development is that it actually does very little to address the need for affordable housing, indeed it seems to be doing the very opposite.

For example, even Woodwards with its affordable housing onsite contributed to so much land lift, that any net gains in low income housing were lost as the real estate values and speculation increased in the surrounding area.

We know that towers are attractive to investors and developers - but are they the panacea for affordable housing? Why isn't Vision pushing ideas like mid rise wood construction - which is far greener, less expensive to build and doesn't contribute to land-lift.

THAT is the framework for why Vision might be considered "developer-friendy"

If you think density is better for affordability you have had too much of the kool aid. Not with the way our real estate market works.

@Sid Tan "A city where most residents are considered servants for the rich and privileged global and local elite." Wow. Issues.

@Wankoover - There is no panacea for affordable housing. Increasing density is going to be as close as you are going to get in the long term and on a sustainable basis. The land itself may be more valuable, but the amount of land associated with each unit will be less. Net, the price of the end units will fall. At the end of the day, however, people will need to realize that social/subsidized housing on False Creek will never fly with those people who are footing the bill and living in places not nearly as phat.

Concerned citizens of Vancouver neighbourhoods should take heed that one of the key drivers for the Vancouver parks Board's current attempt to bulldoze a Paved Bike Path through Hadden and Kitsilano Beach Park green space is the Vancouver “BikeShare” scheme.

Indeed, analysis indicates that at least to 57 parks and public spaces will be directly affected in business, residential, parks and public areas. Residents throughout the system will be waking up to big surprises when Bixi dumps there stations in their neighbourhoods and parks (school, daycare, community centre, playingfield, plaza) spaces. Yet there has been absolutely no public discussion of these issues thus far generally or specifically.

“BikeShare” scheme operations – such as 18-hour a day bike and helmet balancing activities - will also have multiple effects on the safe movement of drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and more so during rush hours.

Be prepared in your neighbourhood, we can expect more moves to pave and commercialize parks and public spaces, natural foreshores and so forth... Visit http://williamgibbens.ca for the scoop on all this and other aspects including a taste of the insider deals, disasters, money and machinations at play.

@Arthur Vandelay

another specious argument (why to Vision supporters tend to view things as only black or white?) increasing density has nothing to do with towers or being 'developer friendly' - in fact, I suspect a less 'developer-friendly' government might be closer to a panacea for affordable housing because they aren't protecting developer profits.

Agree on the Olympic Village as far as luxury condo buyers might want to live phat away from the plebians - but the CofV NEVER should have bankrolled the Village in the first place.. the market could very well have built its own Village on False Creek without our help, we could have used that infrastructure money to build housing elsewhere and more appropriate to amateur athletes and left a far more appropriate legacy of affordable housing..

I applaud this group but unfortunately the only way to take this city back from the developers is to remove Vision from power (while preventing the NPA from taking their place). As one poster noted, many still drink the Vision Kool-Aid, but people are quickly realising that Vision is simply a development greenwashing machine for an overseas investor funded development profit machine.

After almost two terms of Vision government housing is more expensive than ever. Relationships in the city are absolutely poisonous after years of Vision's divisive behaviour. In forcing through their agenda Vision have deliberately pitted home owners against renters, the East Side against the West side, motorists against cyclists, gays against straights, rich against poor.

At this stage there is only one solution, a political one. Only Vancouver voters can deliver it. Here's hoping they do, or we'll be watching condo towers go up in Stanley Park (and you think I'm joking).

"Applied democracy" seems be what you're all looking for! If The Voters control city hall, problem solved. Here's how it works, check it out!
Independent candidate @ mike4mayor2014.ca “Applied Democracy” is the very same system large corporations operate under. Shareholders want to know their money and investment's are safe. A billion dollar corporation like Vancouver, provides mandatory quarterly reports and AGMs to enforce accountability and transparency! A facilitator of “Applied Democracy” swears an oath to The Voters. Making The Voters the mayor's 'councillors' through plebiscites on all extra spending. The elected councillors will become 'Ombudspersons' for the Citizens interests and concerns. As city facilitator, my mandate will be The Voters/Taxpayers best interests. Facilitating “Applied Democracy” in Vancouver will offer the best return for your $tax dollars$! Fiscal prudence is the order of the day. No more out of control spending on travels, galas and visions of entitlement. As mayor, I won't travel outside the Greater Vancouver area. Attending meetings by CCTV conferencing! Implementing city hall, parks and transit “budget freezes” to start the accountability and transparency process. Voters will receive a 'one voting share' certificate in the incorporation of Vancouver! I encourage all to vote for change and become part of The New Vancouver! Your Children depend on it. Implementing 21st Century solutions to colonial dysfunctions! Making Vancouver the Worlds Safest City!
It's much better than what others have proposed!
Mike Hansen