Mayor Gregor Robertson announces housing affordability task force during inauguration ceremony

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      Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson began his second term today (December 5) with a pledge to strike a task force on housing affordability.

      The announcement was part of Robertson’s inaugural speech during a swearing-in ceremony at the Creekside Community Centre.

      “Today, I can announce I am striking a task force on housing affordability, including advocates, architects, developers, building owners, and financiers,” said Robertson.

      “They’ll identify ways we can increase Vancouver’s supply of affordable homes—both immediately, for the most urgent needs, and for the long term.”

      Robertson told reporters he wants to get to work on setting up the task force “as soon as possible”.

      “I’d like to see some short-term actions recommended in the coming months so that council can take action this year on the issue of affordability,” he said. “We have a huge need, particularly with our younger population having trouble finding housing. We have tools at the city, and we want the best ideas from the community to drive that change.

      “I think the city’s land portfolio is underutilized, and there will be opportunities to leverage that to see more affordable housing created,” he added.

      During his inaugural speech, Robertson also pledged to “recommit to ending street homelessness in the city of Vancouver by 2015” and to focus the “resources and tools of city hall” on council's affordable housing and homelessness plan during the next term.

      “This council may have its political differences, but I trust that we are united in our conviction that in a city this prosperous, nobody should ever be forced to sleep on the streets,” he said.

      The speech included other commitments announced during Vision Vancouver’s election campaign, including improvement of late-night bus and train service.

      The 10 city councillors elected on November 19 looked on as Robertson, dressed in a kilt, delivered the speech. Councillors George Affleck, Elizabeth Ball, Adriane Carr, Heather Deal, Kerry Jang, Raymond Louie, Geoff Meggs, Andrea Reimer, Tim Stevenson, and Tony Tang were officially sworn into office.

      Affleck, a new Non-Partisan Association city councillor, said he’ll be waiting to see who is appointed to the housing affordability task force announced by Robertson.

      “It sounds like a great idea,” he told the Straight. “I certainly will be watching that and looking at the people that are put on it to make sure that it is properly representative of who it needs to be.”

      Carr, who is the first Green party member to be elected to Vancouver city council, said the provincial and federal governments also need to be involved in developing affordable housing solutions.

      “It’s going to take a lot of effort, because solving affordable housing is not just about creating housing, it’s also about getting the right development decision, and making sure that getting more affordable housing in isn’t at the expense of neighbourhood integrity, community plans and the citizens’ wishes,” she told reporters.

      Affleck, who had previously questioned the costs of the swearing-in ceremony, said he was pleased it “wasn’t too extravagant”.

      “I still don’t think we needed to do it here—I think we could have done it at city hall,” he told the Straight.

      Robertson told reporters the event cost about $13,000, which he said was a “fraction” of the cost of ceremonies in previous years. The 2008 inauguration ceremony cost about $84,000.

      “We wanted to have it in a community centre to make sure lots of people could come,” he said.

      Today’s event included a lion dance and speeches from members of the Squamish and Musqueam First Nations. According to the City of Vancouver, the ceremony was attended by more than 350 people. Guests included B.C. NDP leader Adrian Dix and other members of the NDP caucus.

      The ceremony was interrupted on several occasions by a group of Occupy Vancouver protestors, who banged on the windows next to the stage and held up signs.

      The newly sworn-in councillors held a brief meeting at city hall later in the day, where Robertson recommended the re-appointment of Raymond Louie as chair of the standing committee on city finance and services, and Andrea Reimer as chair of the planning, transportation and environment committee.

      Council will hold its first full meeting on December 13.

      Comments

      9 Comments

      People are Sheep

      Dec 5, 2011 at 6:26pm

      So this is yet another year of last minute Speeches and scrambling to temporarily provide shelter for the homeless.

      In the meantime Billions have been spent on Condos, $565 Million on a leaky Tarp Roof, Rebates to Casino Corporations by the Govt., Billions at BC Hydro racked up etc etc.

      Gregor the Great if you want to address the homeless situation buy/build subsidized housing.

      You fucking assholes can buy out the Olympic Village project but not provide PERMANENT Housing for the Homeless?

      SHAME ON YOU.

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      2nd Nation

      Dec 6, 2011 at 6:07am

      Can we please start to spend more money or parks, schools, pedestrian safety, public art, rapid transit, seniors' programs ... ? Basically anything except the endless pit of homeless shelters. Thanks.

      Seriously, how many billions do we need to throw at this bottomless pit? How much is enough? Can anyone give me a $ target? I'm guessing the answer is "no".

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      GOT

      Dec 6, 2011 at 7:45am

      Elsewhere Gregor has mused that finding solutions might take up most of this current term of governance - meaning nothing will be done, but look for an announcement promising to do something, shortly before the next election...I'll save the committee a lot of time: first, do something about foreign speculative purchasing of Vancouver real estate. Don't have the gonads to go there? Might as well shut down your committee right now and not waste our time pretending you care Mr Robertson. As long as developers and marketers can flog Vancouver homes to buyers in China and elsewhere, affordability for Canadians in Vancouver will not happen. Period.

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      RP

      Dec 6, 2011 at 10:57am

      Right on, 2nd Nation - there's just way too much money and energy being thrown into dealing with poverty and homelessness here in Vancouver, as evidenced by the amazing transformation of the downtown core into a bum/binner/drug addict/mental case-free utopian dream. Will our municipal politicians' deep concern, decisive action, and laser-sharp focus ever relent on this issue?

      But wait - did someone say "task force?" Task forces are the solution to everything!

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      GOT

      Dec 6, 2011 at 12:09pm

      the photo of His Worshipfulness in a kilt had me wondering if Gregor had ever considered a Scottish solution, as used by His Lordshipfulness Lord Selkirk back in the early 1800's, to wit: load up the homeless and ship 'em off somewhere they might be able to live more useful lives...Winnipeg was Lord Selkirk's solution, and frankly I think it could be Mayor Robertson's as well. The alternative is that Vancouver eventually becomes a magnet for every homeless person in Canada, if it isn't already. As in the case of foreign speculators, let's make Vancouver just a little less attractive for people who want something for nothing. I can't afford it, and I don't know many people who can - mainly because they're all packing up and leaving to go somewhere more affordable.

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      Welcome to Dream Land

      Dec 7, 2011 at 8:49am

      Imagine handing over control of peace talks to generals and military industries, that is in effect what the Mayor will be doing by asking developers and financiers to sit on this panel. They will undoubtedly dominate it. See who the Mayor appoints as the 'advocate' for affordable housing, probably some wishy-washy NDP hack.

      It's going to be a difficult three years with Robertson and his colleagues uttering soothing platitudes while they hand the keys of the city over to the developers (within bounds of course, Vision is nothing if not strategic). But Vancouverites have got what they wanted. None of the good NPA candidates got in and COPE was shut out. Carr is a member of Vision in all but party name.

      Vancouer's voters live in a dream land caused by an inflated municipal self-image and ridiculously high land values. They sleep sound with visions of their $1 000 000 land values snug in their heads. Still, they need to think they believe in something more elevated than money, and this is where Vision's pale green platitudes come in handy. Wait til interest rates go up significantly, these dreams may become nightmares.

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      GOT

      Dec 7, 2011 at 10:50am

      OK my previous comment was a bit harsh - I'm sure Winnipeg has enough problems without another Lord Selkirk dumping 'settlers' on them. But we do need to come to grips with what we want Vancouver to be in the future. The developing picture (pun acknowledged but not intended) is one of homelessness at one end of the spectrum, million-dollar condos at the other, and strapped-out taxpayers in the middle. The homeless being Canadians, and too many of the condos being in the hands of foreign speculators. Taxpayers like myself will eventually tire of this: paying astronomical mortgages - or rent - for a place to live, funding homeless shelters and programs, and knowing all along that it's a real estate marketer's dream - and frankly homeless people have no place in that dream. But developers do of course, because they negotiate the deals with the city that determine what gets built, or not. Some of the new deals will be negotiated around city-owned land - meaning that huge profits could be made on land owned by taxpayers. So what benefits will there be for taxpayers? Affordability? Social housing for the homeless and the working poor? Or just more condos for foreign speculators and some bs 'amenities', usually meaning a bit of community park in exchange for dozens of extra condos for the developer?
      I'd like to see an ownership study of condominium developments built and marketed in the GVRD during the last ten years: who actually bought them? Who now owns them? What is the owner's real address (not a 'Canadian' address of a property agent). Who lives in them? How many are vacant? How many were flipped within one year? You catch my drift... to what extent are Canadian taxpayers being suckered by the development/marketing professionals - with the help of our elected officials?

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      R U Kiddingme

      Dec 7, 2011 at 4:30pm

      @welcome to dream land

      Perfect metaphor. There would be absolutely no point in having a meaningful peace discussion without including professional warriors, who, by the way, know more about and therefore deplore violence more than you do.

      If you want more housing for the currently unhoused -- who, not coincidentally, have made the curious decision to continue living in the most expensive city in Canada -- then surely one has to bring in the people who are actually going to build it. Because you aren't. You do not have $200 million in construction capital, you do not have any machines, you do not have any lines of credit, you have built nothing. Right? Just a guess.

      Oh, you thought you could just order it off the menu? That it would materialize in a blaze of good intentions? If only, if only.

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      R U Kiddingme

      Dec 7, 2011 at 11:43pm

      Uh, that was a bit harsher than I meant it to sound. I just mean... let's see what happens before judging it a complete disaster.

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