Matt Toner announces bid for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant with jump from NDP to Greens

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      This morning (April 7), Matt Toner announced his second run for a seat in the B.C. legislative assembly. But the tech entrepreneur isn’t wearing the NDP’s colours that he donned for his first foray into politics in 2013. This time, Toner is running with the B.C. Greens.

      In a telephone interview, Toner criticized the NDP as a party stuck in the past.

      “They seem to have a fixation with solving problems of the ‘60s using politicians from the ‘90s,” he told the Straight. “Halfway through the four-year cycle of provincial politics in British Columbia, I didn’t really see the NDP offering the change or ideas or alternatives that the province really needs.”

      Toner is running in a pending by-election for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, a riding held by the NDP’s Jenny Kwan since 1996. Kwan has announced her intention to vacate the seat to make a federal run for the NDP in Vancouver East. The Liberals and NDP have yet to announce candidates.

      Toner presently heads the digital studio Zeros 2 Heroes Media located in Gastown. He also lectures part-time at the Centre for Digital Media and SFU’s school of interactive arts and technology. In the 2013 provincial election, Toner placed second in the riding of Vancouver-False Creek, losing to the Liberals and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan.

      Following the Liberals and Christy Clark’s surprise victory over the NDP and Adrian Dix that year, Toner said he found the party wasn’t receptive to ideas he brought forth.

      “The B.C. Greens, in my discussions with them, they seem to be the most interested in the things I’ve been saying about what the 21st century economy is going to look like,” Toner explained. “The idea of an economy, not just sustainable in an environmental sense, but one that rides upon innovation, technology, and is balanced in terms of income equality.”

      On issues affecting Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, Toner acknowledged significant challenges such as poverty in the Downtown Eastside, gentrification, and “a community that seems stuck”. But he emphasized he sees just as many positive characteristics.

      “I look at the riding through a bit of a different filter,” Toner said. “I see the problems….But I also see how the riding is changing.”

      Toner pointed to the redevelopment of the Woodwards Building in the 100-block of West Hastings as an imperfect example of a step forward for the neighbourhood.

      “There was sort of this moment where suddenly little shops started popping up, tech companies started moving in, Mozilla moved in, other companies moved in,” he recounted.

      Toner said that since then, he has witnessed middle and upper-class businesses work alongside lower-income neighbours in ways that have fostered community.

      “I think that we just need to have more of that kind of dialogue and try to make more opportunities around it,” he added.

      Given the strength with which Kwan and, before her, Mike Harcourt, held Vancouver-Mount Pleasant for more than two decades, Toner conceded it might have been easier for him to win the riding had he stuck with NDP. But he suggested that party’s popularity might not be as solid in Mount Pleasant as it appears.

      “It does have a reputation of being an NDP stronghold, but I think if you look at the demographics there and look at the candidates that have run in the past, I’m not sure the people of this riding have been given a compelling alternative choice,” Toner said. “I think you might be surprised.”

      Once a collection of fringe parties, the Greens have made concrete gains in recent years, and nowhere more so than in B.C.

      At the federal level, party leader Elizabeth May represents the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands as one of two Green members of Parliament. In Victoria, Andrew Weaver, a former member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, was elected with the Greens in 2013 to represent Oak Bay-Gordon Head. And in Vancouver, Adriane Carr represents the Green party on city council (re-elected in 2014 with more votes than any other candidate) while Stuart Mackinnon and Michael Wiebe hold seats on the park board.

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      Comments

      14 Comments

      Kevin Storrie

      Apr 7, 2015 at 12:28pm

      Elizabeth May and the Greens pull off another stunning candidate announcement. The Greens are no longer the outsiders. Under May the party has been pulling support and candidates from all sides of the old political spectrum. This really is in line with how the voters think. Tired of the three old line parties, voters are looking for a results oriented, common sense party where they can place their support. The Greens are offering that in abundance. Times are changing and so are politics. A Green Wave of real democracy is growing daily and may very well wash ashore the province of British Columbia on Oct. 19th. Amazing leader and amazing candidates.

      Split Voters

      Apr 7, 2015 at 12:37pm

      Nice when he ran for the NDP it was OK now it's not, at least his a real Politician (flip flop).

      What most Green or NDP Voters never seem to understand is that...;

      1. A Vote for them is in effect a Vote for the Status Quo = Conservative Majority Rule,

      2. The Westminster System of Government give any party with a +1 Majority Dictatorial Powers

      3. Any minority party in our System is simply a voice in the wilderness that is easily ignored.

      So go ahead Vote Green or NDP Steve loves and counts on that to keep his majority.

      Allen Seager

      Apr 7, 2015 at 1:47pm

      Greens are *so fashionable, but what does Matt Toner know about ecological issues? The West Coast wing of the party increasingly looks like a gathering place for defeated or disgruntled NDP candidates.

      Frank Bucholtz

      Apr 7, 2015 at 1:57pm

      This has the potential to be a defining moment in B.C. politics if Matt Toner can pull off a win in this solid NDP riding. The riding is changing somewhat, as he notes, so it isn't impossible. He was really a misfit as an NDP provincial candidate in 2013, and Sam Sullivan probably did him a favour by winning the seat. The NDP isn't really ready for someone like Toner. The Greens, on the other hand, seem to be very open to ideas from newcomers. The solid records of Green elected politicians at all levels is a strong point in their favour thus far. The Greens are some distance off from forming government in B.C., but they may be official opposition sooner than most people think. Their best bet to grow substantially is in the provincial arena - not federally.

      Dr. BC Politics

      Apr 7, 2015 at 2:05pm

      @Kevin Storrie and Split Voters:

      Uh, you know he's announced himself as a candidate for a provincial by-election right?

      Nonetheless, I look forward to seeing more Greens in Victoria. We need a new way of doing politics--some form of proportional representation and re-valuing the environment as we go further into the twenty-first century.

      And I agree with Matt--not only have the demographics changed in Mount Pleasant but so too have the politics. I'm interested in seeing how the NDP approach the Greens in this by-election.

      In my mind, I think this by-election will be an important one--because this is where the NDP and Greens will have their much-needed showdown.

      A head-to-head battle between the two parties is required as we head towards 2017. As a global society and as a nation-state and as province, we've done little to create a new economy that values the environment and recognizes the need for a grand transition from fossil fuels.

      From where I sit, the NDP is trying to be everything to everybody i.e. industrial development trade unions alongside social justice activists alongside conservationists and deep-green ecologists. For me, as long as the industrial development trade unions continue to call the shots within the NDP, any progress towards an agenda that privileges the environment is impossible within the party. Look at the last election: under pressure from environmentalists, the NDP takes a position on Kinder Morgan. The result? Working people, many of whom are members of industrial trade unions but not necessarily supporters of the NDP--run away from the NDP and vote for the Liberals.

      There can be no coalition of the brown and green in the NDP. It is simply impossible and I believe that the upcoming fall federal election will demonstrate that on Vancouver Island and on the Sunshine Coast. I'm no Green Party hack--just someone who is watching this all unfold along with our environment.

      Finally, I believe Mr. Horgan recognizes there is growing support for the provincial Green Party. If he were honest with himself, he and the industrial trade unions would purge the "greens" out of their caucus and let the voters decide what kind of province they want.

      No party--except the Greens--want to tackle climate change with a real plan-- and foresight. That's why I've shifted my support to the Greens. Time is running out.

      A Concerned Voter

      Apr 7, 2015 at 4:28pm

      This guy is dying to be in politics. He thought the NDP was going to win in the last election so he ran for them. Now because the NDP has that antiquated policy of only replacing women with women he is going to try for the Greens. If not he would be all over John Horgan. This guy has no clue about the issues of that riding. I am sure he has not even walked down Hastings St past Abbott St.
      Sadly however bi-elections usually have very light turn out so don't count this joker out but god help us if he wins because the grandstanding will start.

      Greener Than I Thought I Was

      Apr 7, 2015 at 4:45pm

      The announcement of Matt Toner as a Green candidate in the by election is a welcome development. Being Green is so much more than being concerned for the health of our environment and Matt Toners's reasons for running for office exemplify this. His concern for small business and progressive, environmentally thoughtful development is a breath of fresh air. We need a healthy, sustainable business environment and must allow the next generation of nimble innovators to thrive, while taking care of our communities.

      Matt Toner, Green

      Apr 7, 2015 at 5:38pm

      @A Concerned Voter - really not dying to be in politics. I just feel that if you can help solve a problem, you should try. My critique of the BC NDP, btw, is nothing new - www.tinyurl.com/reinventndp, for example - and I've seen nothing to refute it. As for the riding, I have lived / worked / taught in this neighbourhood for years and not just in the downtown bits. It's actually a more complex place than most think, with a variety of issues. It's a community that I am a part of.

      A Concerned Voter

      Apr 7, 2015 at 6:52pm

      @MattToner - Politics is not the way to solve problems. You know, because you pointed it out in your Tyee piece, that it takes social movements to make changes. Politics is about serving or partnering with these social movements. So if you really want to make changes running is not the best way. To me your statement does not pass the smell test.

      Your critique of the NDP was about their use of tech and not about policy. They failed because they refused to talk about the economy and job creation. All the tech in the world would not have changed that fundamental fact.

      How is it complex because honestly that is such an easy thing to say. What are your thoughts on a national housing strategy? Insite? How about the mini market that has now appeared on Hastings St where the old bottle depot was? How do you think 1M a day is being spent? How do you balance the needs of the tech entrepreneurs, young families, the artists, and the poor? How about the lack of school spaces?

      Do you live in the riding now? If not, just like Jenny, it is so easy to commute in and out of these problems.

      Split Vote

      Apr 7, 2015 at 7:13pm

      Regardless of whether someone runs for the Greens in the Federal or Provincial elections, it simply splits the Vote.

      Currently in Victoria neither the present Government nor the Corporations pay any attention to the Greens because they know under our system majority rules.

      Also it's unlikely that the Greens will come close to forming any Government (unfortunately).

      Just so you know I support the policies and believe passionately that climate change needs to be addressed and serious steps taken to resolve a crisis situation.

      I just don't see how the Green Party is the right vehicle to achieve Citizen and Green first policies when it can never realistically form Government either Federal or Provincial.