Login / RegisterVancouver park board allows HST petition canvassers in community centres
Organizers of the official petition campaign against the harmonized sales tax say they have collected the amount of signatures they need in every riding across the province.
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That didn’t stop Vision Vancouver and COPE commissioners from voting at the park board meeting last night (June 7) to allow anti-HST campaigners to collect names in community centres.
In the 5-2 vote, park board chair Aaron Jasper and his Vision colleagues Raj Hundal, Sarah Blyth, and Constance Barnes joined COPE’s Loretta Woodcock in voting in favour of the idea.
“This is an issue that affects every British Columbian,” Hundal said, introducing his motion at the end of a meeting that ran four hours at the Strathcona Community Centre.
However, Green commissioner Stuart Mackinnon listed his concerns, primarily that the motion is “risky and is unfair”, as campaigns to recall MLAs over the HST are set to begin in the fall.
“This is into the realm of partisan politics,” Mackinnon said.
Stuart Mackinnon claims his Vision colleagues are involved in "risky" politics.
NPA commissioner Ian Robertson voted no along with Mackinnon, adding that the anti-HST initiative has been successful, negating the need to put time and effort into allowing the canvassers the free rein they are allowed in other municipalities.
“My concern is that, if we open it up to this, there will be other opportunities for other groups very well deserving that would require the use of our community centres for their specific activity,” Robertson said.
Former Vancouver city councillor and park commissioner Mae Brown also showed up to speak against Hundal’s motion.
Ian Robertson explains why he can't support allowing anti-HST petitions in community centres.
Mr. Robertson is in a very poor political decision based on his rationales for voting against the Motion -- as Recall is not a registered action with Elections BC -- it has merely been speculated about ("the threat").
The Motion before the Board was real -- the rationale for voting No was not real - it was based on a potential instrinsic possibility.
Where Mr. Robertson might have had some credibility is in a situation where he was arguing about the partisanship of Recall -- if Recall was what the debate was about. It wasn't.
The Green Party has gone on record as supporting the HST -- Mr. Robertson is a Green party member. It is far far easier to stick the partisanship --- political label on he than on the Vision Vancouver Commissioners.
Other good news is that Washington state will exempt BC residents from paying sales tax on purchases. If a jurisdiction has a tax of less than 3 % they don't charge tax. Since BC will have no PST we qualify for the excemption. Just shos your drivers licence to prove you are from BC...No Tax.
So we can protest with our dollars tax free in Washington state after July 1.
Campbell has created a real monster with his betrayal of BC people and it's circling tighter all the time around his neck.
To a blooger above -- community centres are administered by government and paid for by taxpayers who also fit the entire bill for provincial government which includes those statutes connecting provincial and municipal government.
The only action under BC Elections which has a Green Light and is Official is the current Initiative which the motion considers. Respectfully, how does the motion anticipate the threat -- if it does -- whoever drafted the motion (before Commissioners) likely drafted a lousy motion -- could I see a copy of the Motion please?
Recall is a different process than this Initiative is. This Initative has a proponent -- while opponents had the legislated opportunity to participate.
Recall may be perceived as more political because of the specificity of the objective -- to create a by-election (presuambly to replace the elected official being recalled). (More of a zero sum type aspect of the legislation).
Very clearly, to keep this basic -- the Initiative is a vegetable like a squash - while Recall is a tomato -- how you say it and classify it is different and couldn't possibly be fairly contemplated under any motion dealing with community centres and the Initiative presently lawfully before the people of the province -- including those taxpayers that fund the community centres and the Commissions; salaries.
When and if Recall becomes an issue to deal with -- will take on its own 'look' predicated on the liklihood that only some Vancouver ridings will be targeted for Recall -- these ridings comprising regions within the city of Vancouver proper.