Vision Vancouver double-crosses supporters of wards
Vancouver could have a ward or a mixed electoral system as soon as tomorrow—that is, if Mayor Gregor Robertson and his council-dominating Vision Vancouver caucus want to change the voting system, according to Kennedy Stewart, an associate professor in SFU’s graduate public-policy program.
Stewart explained that a referendum isn’t actually required, as council’s authority to make the shift is clearly provided under the Vancouver Charter. Section 138(2) of the charter reads: “The Council may, by by-law, provide that all or some of the Councillors be elected on a neighbourhood constituency basis.”
While campaigning for mayor, Robertson promised to bring forward a referendum question in the 2011 election on whether to change in the voting system. During a mayoral debate in October 2008, Robertson stated that while he used to favour a ward system, his preference had since shifted to a mixed ward and at-large system.
So why hasn’t Vision moved quickly to change the city’s at-large system, which sees all elected officials chosen in a citywide vote and which many believe discriminates against ethnic-minority candidates and underrepresents several neighbourhoods?
“This is so common with politicians,” Stewart told the Georgia Straight. “They’re seeking to change the system when they’re not in power, and as soon as they come to office they decide that everything is fine. It’s extremely disappointing.”
A referendum on wards isn’t coming in the next civic election, according to Vision councillor Kerry Jang. Nor is the Vision-dominated council prepared to implement on its own a neighbourhood-constituency-based system, added Jang, who cochaired the defeated “Yes for Wards” campaign in a 2004 referendum.
“As we learned from the wards campaign, people have to be wanting that electoral change,” Jang told the Straight. “Certainly, what I’m picking up right now is it’s just not hot on people’s agenda—the general public, that is. Back in ’04, there was a groundswell of support. We’re not seeing that right now. And quite frankly, if we were to put it on again and fail, that ends that campaign for a good 20 years.”
Jang said the Vision caucus’s priority in electoral reform is to come up with a “comprehensive package” that covers issues like campaign finance and disclosure rules.
He added that Vision is looking forward to seeing the recommendations to be put forward next year by a provincial commission announced in early October by the provincial government. This body will review how municipal elections are conducted.
Jang’s comments about Vision’s intentions regarding wards came as a shock to Stewart. “You promise one thing during an election campaign, and then you change your mind after you’re elected,” he said. “That can only be seen as a flip-flop.”
As far as community activist and former Vision board member Am Johal is concerned, the idea of a pure ward system is a “dead issue”. He proposes a mixed system consisting of 10 wards (each represented by a councillor), four council seats chosen through an at-large vote, and a mayor.
“Attempts to bring in the ward system have failed in the past,” Johal told the Straight.
Johal wants to see this issue brought to a referendum in 2011, but with the way Vision has waffled on electoral reforms, he may be in for a big disappointment.
Comments
4 Comments
RodSmelser
Oct 29, 2009 at 11:40am
Every municipality in B.C. with a population over 100,000 should be required to have a ward system by provincial legislation. Municipalities with less than 100,000, but more than 50,000 should be required to put the matter to a referendum every ten years or so.
In no way should this be a purely local decision. Municipalities are ultimately the responsibility of the province and provincial standards should be legislated.
Rod Smelser
Wayne Smith
Oct 29, 2009 at 12:24pm
Wards will not solve the problem of inaccurate representation. Vancouver needs a fair, proportional voting system like the Single Transferable Vote.
monty
Oct 31, 2009 at 3:55am
I attended a Budget Planning meeting led by Councillor Louie whose blatant attempts to limit free speech and avoid the public sharing of ideas was shot down by this groups of thinking citizens at the Senior's Community centre in Kerridale on Thrusday. Aasked about a pay incese of 4.8 per cent I asked what proportionwent for unions and what for bureaucrats. Hd could not answer the question. He was asked about the latest costs for the Olymplics and dillied and dalied so I gave him a copy
Millenium info about the cost overruns unactipated which is latestest Google info that local paper haves ignored,. Suggeted regional policiing for and as a way to geneate money.Or using Ontario Hydros very
successful program for paying for subsidized social housing Was going to sugget ParK s .board Abandon it Costly RV prorposal for the Beaches during the Olympics on the beaches. A rape ocurred the recently.. no time during the Olimpics as their confused security plans,contniue, ad nauseum, will there be enouth cops ready to reach out to the Yacht Club, Who will check the IDs of these folks when they arrive givenyare so many fakes one aroung. Vision Vancouver kas drank the Kool Aid on this project. It they Believe what Campbell says, the I have a 5 million acre lot with oil reserves to last fprever, with a creative new way to get it down our sensitive coast in Sarah;s fishing fleet.. You
councillors are too naive for words.
VISION VANCOUVER IS TOO CAUGH UP IN BLATENT ATTEMPS AT
to manuiipatule the public with limisted publicexchange of ideas Some marketeers have sold hit naive lot a bunch o f nonsense.
monty
Antony Hodgson
Nov 8, 2009 at 10:40pm
Fair Voting BC believes that Kerry Jang simply has to look to the results of the 2009 provincial electoral reform referendum for evidence that people want electoral change - four of Vancouver's ridings voted in favour of BC-STV by 60% or more: Kingsway (60%), Quilchena (63%), Fraserview (64%) and Langara (65%), and a clear majority of Vancouver voters were in favour overall (53%).
If Am Johal is right that pure wards is a dead issue (and there are problems with wards, to be sure, but also many supporters of the system, so I wouldn't count it down yet), then surely the most appropriate thing to do is to develop and discuss other alternatives.
We already have Mayor Robertson on record as favouring a mixed ward/at-large system and promising a public review process leading to a referendum, and Vision as a whole is on record acknowledging the serious problems our current voting system causes, so we call on Vision to honour their campaign promise to conduct this public review process and put the resulting recommendations to referendum so that Vancouver voters can finally have a system free of the widely acknowledged problems our current one exhibits: a tendency to create sweeps of council, an imbalance of representation of neighbourhoods (particularly the eastside/westside divide) and under-representation of key ethnocultural groups.
If you would like to show city council how many Vancouverites support electoral reform now, please attend the upcoming Think Democracy Forum which we are co-sponsoring with Think City, the SFU Public Policy Program and the West End Residents' Association on Dec 4th. We invite all council members and the mayor to come and see for themselves what the public thinks about the need for reform (see http://thinkcity.ca for details and to register - the event is free, but seating is limited).
Antony Hodgson
President, Fair Voting BC
Supporting fair. effective, accountable government