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CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Proposal to suspend work of Vancouver's integrity commissioner quietly fizzles out
Social Sharing A year-long controversy at Vancouver City Hall has ended not with a bang, but with a procedural ruling on a point of order. "This motion would be frivolous, and is out of order," read Mayor Ken Sim at council on Tuesday morning, dismissing an amendment to Vancouver's code of conduct that would have temporarily suspended Integrity Commissioner Lisa Southern's ability to investigate complaints against the mayor and council. "Basically, we can just carry on." The motion was brought forward last July by ABC Vancouver councillors, who argued an external review and temporary suspension of investigations would allow for more clarity around the Office of the Integrity Commissioner. But the debate became paralyzed and acrimonious due to code-of-conduct investigations prompted by accusations from various members of council and park board against each other, and allegations that councillors were trying to silence the body in charge of investigating them. WATCH | Debate over integrity commissioner ends: Vancouver council ends debate over integrity commissioner 10 hours ago Duration 3:01 The debate over Vancouver city hall's independent watchdog has ended, at least for now. Last summer, council proposed suspending the work of its integrity commissioner. But while the matter was finally put to rest, the issue is likely to be brought back up by the province soon. CBC's Justin McElroy reports. Over the last 11 months, the vote for a suspension of investigations was delayed four times. During that time an external investigation into the office — which recommended more independence from council — was launched and concluded. "It has been a lot of wasted resources and time to get to this point," said Coun. Pete Fry. Vancouver's Mayor Office said they considered the matter closed. In a statement, Southern said she looked forward to continuing her work, while noting she has endorsed the city hiring her replacement before her term ends in December. "Throughout the past three and a half years, I have remained committed to carrying out my responsibilities impartially and diligently, and I am proud of the work my office has done in service of council and the public," she wrote. "I look forward to supporting a smooth and professional transition over the coming months." 'It's somewhat toothless' While Vancouver's debate over how to resolve code-of-conduct disputes has subsided, the province is deciding how future investigations into local politicians should be conducted amid frustrations over a number of feuding city councils across the province. Fry said he supported Vancouver continuing to have its own integrity commissioner, but said the province could create mechanisms to protect the office and allow for binding punishments, neither of which exist at the moment. "We need a little bit more enforcement with some of these rulings when it comes to breaches of our oath of office, or code of conduct," he said. "The integrity commissioner doesn't have the ability under the Vancouver Charter to impose any sanctions. So in many respects, it's somewhat toothless." It was a point underlined by Reece Harding, Surrey's first ethics commissioner, who has been hired for code-of-conduct investigations in multiple municipalities. "[In B.C.], there's nothing really that dictates how decision-makers are put in place, clarity around process, clarity around sanctions and remedies," Harding said. "And so it's a bit of a free-for-all out there." What model to take? Each province that has tackled the issue has come up with slightly different solutions. Ontario recently passed legislation that standardizes municipal codes of conduct across the province, and allows for mayors and councillors in serious violation of the code to be removed from office, but only if the province's own integrity commissioner agrees and it gets a unanimous vote from council. Last year, New Brunswick created the Local Governance Commission, which can take complaints if people are not satisfied with internal investigations. It has the power to suspend local politicians or appoint supervisors, which it did two months ago in Strait Shores. Alberta has gone in the opposite direction, eliminating municipal codes of conduct while suggesting a separate ethics commissioner could be appointed. "There will be circumstances where it seems reasonable to me that the province needs to have a bigger stick," Harding said. He added that whatever system is enacted should stop situations where municipalities spend months or years investigating themselves with no resolution. "Clear process, clear remedies and a role for the provincial government where the local jurisdiction has become frozen and can't get themselves out of that frozen ice mask," he said.
Vancouver Sun
22-05-2025
- General
- Vancouver Sun
Vancouver aiming to grow urban forest canopy — but don't expect the promised 100,000 new trees soon
Vancouver is trying to add more trees while simultaneously adding more homes and jobs — a tricky balance in an already dense urban environment with limited space. On Wednesday, council unanimously approved an update to the city's urban forest strategy , which includes a more ambitious target of covering 30 per cent of the city by tree canopy by 2050, up from the previous target of 22 per cent. But the idea of Vancouver adding 100,000 additional trees — a goal included in ABC Vancouver's 2022 election campaign and spelled out in motions approved since then by the ABC-majority council and park board — does not seem likely to happen any time soon. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. That doesn't mean progress is impossible. Council approved an amendment Wednesday directing staff to explore different ways — including a new technology from Europe — to add shade and vegetation in parts of the city with less tree coverage, more concrete, and more heat. Often, in Vancouver as in other cities, it's lower-income neighbourhoods that are tree-deficient. City staff explained to council Wednesday the challenges and opportunities associated with covering the city with more tree canopy, which provides mental and physical health benefits and improves the efficiency and lifespan of urban infrastructure. In recent years, the city has planted an average of 2,000 trees annually, a fraction of the pace that would be needed to add 100,000 more over four years. And that is before even factoring in that in some years, the city removes more than 2,000 trees, including those damaged by storms or drought, or that die of old age. The city tries to plant more trees in a given year than it removes, council heard Wednesday, but it's a challenge in the face of natural attrition. Last month, a memo from city staff to council explained that the target of adding 100,000 additional trees by 2026 would require 'a substantial lift in funding' and represent a 'significant increase to current capacities and annual operational funding needs.' The city was not able to provide an estimate Wednesday as to how much more money is needed. But numbers in the staff memo suggest this kind of change could cost millions per year, if not tens or hundreds of millions. The staff memo says the cost of planting new trees ranges widely depending on site conditions and tree type, from less than $100 a tree to as much as $20,000 a tree. Vancouver's 'greenest' city plan, approved in 2011 by the city's then Vision-Vancouver-majority government, set a target of planting 150,000 trees by 2020. According to a 2020 city presentation , 139,000 trees were planted by that deadline — an average of almost 13,900 a year, far more than the recent pace. Vancouver staff said Wednesday that the city's focus will be not on the number of trees planted, or the number added, but on the percentage of the city's land mass protected by tree canopy. ABC Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung said she understands the shift to focus on canopy percentage over tree numbers. But she asked staff whether the target of 30 per cent could be higher, or it could be achieved sooner than 2050, considering that canopy cover increased from 21 per cent in 2013 to 25 per cent in 2022. Joe McLeod, Vancouver's associate director of urban forestry, responded: 'I think the last five per cent of this goal is going to be a lot harder.' 'The cream has been skimmed off the top, so to speak,' McLeod said. 'During the 'greenest city' decade, from 2010 to 2020, all the easiest, least inexpensive tree-planting spots were capitalized upon. And now we're getting into the harder-to-reach areas. … It's going to be trickier.' Also, the city wants to prioritize adding trees to areas where the need is greatest. During Vancouver's June 2021 heat wave, vulnerable people living in areas with less forest canopy were at higher risk of death from heat-related illness, this week's staff report says. The report includes maps that reveal a stark divide between Vancouver's cooler and leafier — and traditionally more affluent — west side, and the historically lower-income east side, which is hotter and has fewer trees — especially in and around the Downtown Eastside. A similar pattern plays out across the region. A 2021 analysis by Postmedia journalist Nathan Griffiths found that wealthier neighbourhoods were significantly cooler than their lower-income neighbours who were surrounded by more concrete and roads, and fewer trees. It can be more difficult — and expensive — to plant trees in these 'very urbanized environments,' McLeod told council. Removing pavement and excavating to create a new tree pit can cost as much as $20,000, he said. 'It is a costly endeavour, but it improves the public realm and obviously provides great benefits to the community.' He cited the 700-block of East Hastings as an example where the city has recently been able to add several new trees to a tree-deficient area. ABC Coun. Mike Klassen proposed directing staff to explore innovative ways to reduce urban heat islands in neighbourhoods with less tree canopy cover, including areas where it is challenging to grow trees. Klassen's proposal, which council supported, mentioned the example of 'vegetated shade structures.' These are roughly four-metre-long sail-shaped awnings covered in vegetation, which are designed by a Spanish company and have been installed above urban streetscapes in Spain, England and Turkey. Asked whether ABC's 100,000-tree campaign promise was unrealistic, Klassen said: 'I'll never apologize for being ambitious.' 'I think all innovative solutions have to be brought to bear,' he said. 'What's our goal? Our goal is to create cooler conditions in the face of a changing climate, and we're using whatever tools are at our disposal to achieve that.' dfumano@
Global News
20-05-2025
- General
- Global News
Oppenheimer Park residents say new restrictions issued after playground opening cancelled
Residents of Vancouver's Oppenheimer Park say the Park Board has issued a new restriction on the amount of belongings that unhoused people living in the park are allowed to have. They said this comes after an official opening for a new playground in the park was cancelled on Friday and residents believe the new restriction is related to that event. Sarah Kirby-Yung, a Vancouver city councillor with ABC Vancouver, told Global News there has been no change to the park sheltering bylaw, which allows people to shelter in public parks overnight but all tents must be taken down by 7 a.m. the next day. 'There have been no changes to that whatsoever,' she said. 'What was supposed to be a fun, celebratory experience for residents in the Downtown Eastside of a brand new, upgraded playground — which is desperately needed — you have a neighbourhood that is deficient in park space, of amenities, shade and trees and honestly has some of the lowest incomes in the city and that space is desperately needed by communities… to suggest that opening a playground has anything to do with the park sheltering bylaw is completely false.' Story continues below advertisement In a statement to Global News, the Park Board said the playground had already opened to the community earlier this month and the celebration planned for Friday was intended to be a casual gathering to recognize the playground renewal. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Unfortunately, on Friday, we were not ready to hold the event because of a variety of unforeseen circumstances including the poor weather and unavailability of key staff,' the statement said. 'We are currently considering a potential new date for rescheduling the event.' 1:53 Vancouver police and park rangers dismantle Oppenheimer Park tents Area resident Marten Hill said on Monday there were lots of children using the playground over the weekend. 'We are not used to this… it feels like it will be a common thing here, which is good,' he said. In a statement sent out on Friday, homeless activist Ryan Sudds said residents of Oppenheimer Park will be asking Vancouver Park Rangers to cease the escalation and any confiscation of belongings. Story continues below advertisement 'Instead, they will be asking to meet with Amit Gandha, director of the Park Board to discuss a compromise that will allow residents to keep their belongings. They are asking for two weeks for these negotiations to take place.' Sudds said they have not yet heard back from Gandha.
Vancouver Sun
05-05-2025
- Vancouver Sun
Gun-shaped lighters: Councillor seeks ban as they proliferate in Vancouver
Article content If you think selling lighters that closely resemble a real gun is a terrible idea, at least one Vancouver city councillor has your back. Article content Article content ABC Vancouver Coun. Mike Klassen has introduced a motion aiming to ban the sale of gun-shaped lighters in the city. Article content The motion, which goes before council on Wednesday, says the sale of the questionable lighters has 'proliferated in the City of Vancouver over the past year, with an estimated 50-75 stores selling multiple (gun-shaped lighters), particularly in the Downtown Eastside and downtown core.' Article content Article content Because the lighters look so much like real firearms, they have led to 'public distress and a significant increase in 911 emergency calls.' Article content Article content There were 162 police calls about the lighters last year, more than half of which were classified as 'priority weapons calls' — meaning they led to a response involving several officers armed with Tasers, less-lethal beanbag shotguns and Arwen guns. Article content Klassen's motion notes that the presence of the lighters in public spaces 'has resulted in multiple dangerous encounters where police officers have had to draw their firearms, creating a risk of fatal outcomes should a suspect fail to comply or appear to threaten officers or the public.' Article content They've also been documented as being used in violent crimes and leading to charges for robbery, assault and weapons possession. Calls about gun-shaped lighters were predominantly in the city's core, with 46 per cent happening in the Downtown Eastside and 39 per cent in other parts of downtown Vancouver. Article content Article content The drain on police resources is significant, the motion says: 32 of the calls led to 10 or more police units being dispatched and the average time required to resolve each call was two and a half hours. Article content Article content They may be a bad idea, but gun-shaped lighters are not specifically prohibited for possession or sale under the Criminal Code of Canada. They only become illegal when used in the commission of a crime, leaving law enforcement with little recourse. Article content 'A proactive ban on the sale and distribution (of gun-shaped lighters) in the City of Vancouver through a bylaw or bylaw amendment would serve to enhance public safety and reduce the burden on law enforcement while other legislative measures are being explored,' the motion reads.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Gun-shaped lighters: Councillor seeks ban as they proliferate in Vancouver
If you think selling lighters that closely resemble a real gun is a terrible idea, at least one Vancouver city councillor has your back. ABC Vancouver Coun. Mike Klassen has introduced a motion aiming to ban the sale of gun-shaped lighters in the city. The motion, which goes before council on Wednesday, says the sale of the questionable lighters has 'proliferated in the City of Vancouver over the past year, with an estimated 50-75 stores selling multiple (gun-shaped lighters), particularly in the Downtown Eastside and downtown core.' Because the lighters look so much like real firearms, they have led to 'public distress and a significant increase in 911 emergency calls.' There were 162 police calls about the lighters last year, more than half of which were classified as 'priority weapons calls' — meaning they led to a response involving several officers armed with Tasers, less-lethal beanbag shotguns and Arwen guns. Klassen's motion notes that the presence of the lighters in public spaces 'has resulted in multiple dangerous encounters where police officers have had to draw their firearms, creating a risk of fatal outcomes should a suspect fail to comply or appear to threaten officers or the public.' They've also been documented as being used in violent crimes and leading to charges for robbery, assault and weapons possession. Calls about gun-shaped lighters were predominantly in the city's core, with 46 per cent happening in the Downtown Eastside and 39 per cent in other parts of downtown Vancouver. The drain on police resources is significant, the motion says: 32 of the calls led to 10 or more police units being dispatched and the average time required to resolve each call was two and a half hours. They may be a bad idea, but gun-shaped lighters are not specifically prohibited for possession or sale under the Criminal Code of Canada. They only become illegal when used in the commission of a crime, leaving law enforcement with little recourse. 'A proactive ban on the sale and distribution (of gun-shaped lighters) in the City of Vancouver through a bylaw or bylaw amendment would serve to enhance public safety and reduce the burden on law enforcement while other legislative measures are being explored,' the motion reads. It asks city staff to come up with recommendations for bylaw amendments that would ban the lighters and set a range of penalties for selling them. It also urges Mayor Ken Sim to write to the provincial government asking for legislative changes that would prohibit the sale, distribution and possession of gun-shaped lighters in B.C. and make it possible for police to seize them. This isn't the first time city council has cracked down on questionable lighters over safety concerns. A year ago, councillors voted to ban the sale of butane lighters that can be locked to produce a continuous flame. The ban was championed by Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, which said they posed a risk of fire, injury and death due to misuse. Continuous-flame lighters were ordered removed from shelves as of June 2024 and retailers who sell them now face a $1,000 fine. jruttle@ Vancouver council seeks to reinstate school meal programs Despite rebuke of ABC Vancouver, towers to rise higher
