Food Street pilot project

I would instruct the City’s Planning Department to initiate a consultation process with members of the community and report back to Council options for the creation a year-round, large scale farmers market and a permanent “food street” in historic Chinatown.

UNESCO World Heritage Status

As Mayor, I would work to accelerate the work currently underway between the city, the provincial government, and the federal government to see Chinatown designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Support a Chinese History Museum

I would work with provincial, federal and private sector partners to develop a Chinese history museum to showcase the unique role those of Chinese descent have played in Vancouver and Canada’s history.

Expanding Vancouver’s bus network

I would work to expand Vancouver’s bus network with additional neighbourhood busses and more night service and investigate ways to reduce fees for seniors, people living with disabilities and those with low incomes. This includes supporting the All on Board campaign to make all transit free to children and youth.

Support SkyTrain along Broadway to UBC

We need to invest in our transit infrastucture, but we need partners to make this happen. I would work hard to secure federal, provincial, and UBC funding to extend SkyTrain along the Broadway corridor to the university.

Transportation round-table

We need to work together to reduce congestion. I would convene a transportation roundtable including taxi companies, cruise ship operators, the Port of Vancouver, Tourism Vancouver and other stakeholders to develop an action plan to keep people and goods moving.

Mayor’s small-business review

As Mayor I would review all city policies that impact small business, including taxation and permitting to help support and grow our neighbourhood-based economy.

New affordable neighbourhood commercial spaces

I would expand small-scale neighbourhood retail opportunities like corner stores, small cafes and laneway-based businesses to make neighbourhoods more vibrant, walkable, and complete.

Laneway retail spaces would also be live/work, and protected from the volatility of triple-net leases and property tax costs giving new entrepreneurs an affordable and low-risk way to start their first business.

A new affordable start-up hub

To help support Vancouver’s rapidly growing tech-sector, I would create an affordable start-up hub, purpose built for new tech start-ups.

Removing barriers and reducing costs helps new ideas flourish in an industry that creates the jobs of the future.

100,000 ft² of affordable studio space for creators

I will build 100,000 ft² of affordable studio space over the next decade by integrating arts spaces into more public buildings and affordable housing developments and creating new purpose-built spaces.

Expand arts grants

Small- and medium-scale community-based arts groups need more funding and better access to grants. I would expand the funding for these organizations and change the granting process to include individuals and groups of artists, and informal collectives.

Extend the agreement between the City and the VAG

I support a new home for the Vancouver Art Gallery, one that is internationally renowned and helps connect our vibrant local arts community with the global arts community. Extending the memorandum of understanding with the VAG will help give the board and its private-sector partners more time to deliver their vision.

Culture hubs and exhibition space

Building on the success of the Arts Factory and Sun Wah Centre, I will identify spaces suitable for live/work/exhibition space to allow more artists the freedom to create and showcase their work.

Expand library services

Our public library system is an example of how important high-quality public services are for our city. I would increase library opening times and expand community branch services to help make our library system accessible to more people.

Alcohol on beaches pilot project

The responsible consumption of alcohol in public places like beaches and parks happens every day in Vancouver. People should be allowed to consume small amounts of alcohol in designated public spaces responsibly as long as basic rules are followed and public safety is maintained.

Reduce policing costs for community events

I will review the way the VPD charges for event security and help reduce costs for community events like Italian Days, Car Free Days, and the Davie Street Party.

Stopping fentanyl deaths

Recommend quick-start actions the city, province and federal government can immediately take to stop fentanyl deaths resulting from the poisoned drug supply, as well as follow-up medium and long-term actions to provide the broadest possible support for the community.

All policy options will be open for consideration, including initiating a safe and accessible supply of drugs for those at high risk in the current illegal and dangerous market, expanding safe consumption sites, and new fentanyl alert testing facilities.

A new Vancouver Agreement

Work with council to negotiate a new Vancouver Agreement with the provincial and federal governments. It will build on the previous Vancouver Agreement which expired in 2010 to foster greater cooperation between all three levels of government and more efficient implementation of an overall strategy to promote and support sustainable economic, social, and community development in the DTES.

Support front-line workers

Develop Initiatives to provide support for all front-line workers, including training for front line workers, expanded mental health supports and more peer-to-peer training and services.

Substance substitution

Identify new substance substitution programs and delivery methods to help move people away from drug use and towards better health.

Better treatment

Establishing more accessible and low threshold addiction treatment and support new substance substitution programs and delivery methods that will help move people away from drug use and towards recovery.

Respect community knowledge

Recognize and reinforce the value and knowledge of local residents, front-line peer-to-workers, and health experts as well as the specific needs of Indigenous Peoples, women, and the intersectionality of DTES community members.

Tough new conflict of interest rules

I’ll bring in tough new rules requiring elected officials to proactively disclose assets and prohibit them from working outside City Hall, if these activities are likely to conflict with their public duties. I’ll also prohibit elected officials and key staff members from accepting government contracts or lobbying for 12 months after leaving their positions.

Lobbying registry

I’ll require all lobbyists to declare details of their activities in an online registry, make this information available for the public to view free of charge and levy fines for non-compliance.

Make every vote count

This election will be the last Vancouver civic election where we elect our local representatives using the out-dated at-large voting system. If city residents vote in the November provincial referendum to change to a proportional representation system, then future local elections will be conducted using Pro Rep. If Pro Rep is rejected in the fall referendum, then future local elections will be conducted using neighbourhood constituencies, similar to those used at the federal and provincial level.

A new Mayor’s Petition

Vancouver residents want more ways to help shape the future of our city between elections. That’s why I’ll bring in a resident petition, similar to the online petition system I founded in the Parliament of Canada. Under Vancouver’s new petition tool, residents will write petitions that other residents can sign online and/or in-person.

Depending on the total number of petition signatures gathered, the petitioner will either receive a direct response from the mayor’s office, or be invited to take part in a special petition hearing chaired by the mayor.

A more inclusive city

We cannot reach our full potential as a city when certain segments of our population are marginalized and not fully included in our democracy and economy.

That’s why I will fully fund and implement the City of Vancouver’s women’s equity strategy and use an intersectional lens to make the city better for women, Indigenous people, the LGBTQ2s+ community, visible minorities, cultural communities, people living with disabilities, and other equity-seeking groups.

End big money influence on elections

I will ask the provincial government to require all elected officials and civic political parties be subject to the existing provincial regulations governing campaign finance between elections, including annual disclosure of donations.

I will also ask the provincial government to require all local election candidates and local third-party advertisers to provide regular disclosures of donations between January 1 and election day during an election year.

Build 25,000 new purpose-built rental apartments and laneway homes over the next decade

As mayor, I’ll work with for-profit builders to build more market rentals.

New Renters Advocate Office

To make sure renters are treated fairly and stop renovictions, this independent office would provide a one-stop shop for renters who need help. It would provide free information, advocacy, and legal assistance to renters during tenancy disputes and reinforce the city’s renoviction policy.

Fast-track purpose-built rentals

The city would increase resources to expedite purpose built rental developments through a new Purpose-built Rental Housing Office to provide a single point of contact and increased certainty for purpose-built rental developers.

Better enforce existing right of first refusal and relocation policies

I would task the new Renters Advocate Office to make sure our existing policies designed to protect rental housing stock and renters rights are strongly enforced and to recommend any additional measure to further protect affordable rental housing stock.

Expropriate troubled Single Room Occupancy buildings

The city, in partnership with senior governments and not-for-profit housing providers will replace all privately owned SROs with self-contained social housing and use its ability to expropriate ownership of those SROs that are being negligently managed and operated.

Rental zoning

I’ll immediately begin to use new rental zoning powers to build secure rental housing developments and renovations.

Better targets and better data

I will issue a new report within the first year outlining how to make life more affordable for renters, including reviewing current policies and examining new measures such as freezing rents and adjusting rules governing short term rentals.

Triple the empty homes tax

Homes need to be used for housing people, not sitting empty as speculative investments.

Protect between one-third and one-half of all new homes from foreign speculation

Uncontrolled foreign capital investment has driven up housing prices in cities all around the world. I’ll make sure we’re building homes for local people and families, not foreign investors.

Bring in tough new conflict of interest rules and a lobbyist registry

More transparency at city hall means more public trust in our decision making and preventing companies from influencing our housing policies. I will extend federal and provincial laws to the municipal level in Vancouver.

Build 25,000 new non-profit affordable rental homes over the next ten years

I’ll focus on building affordable rental homes for those making $80,000 a year or less, more non-market and supportive housing for our most vulnerable citizens, and targeted housing solutions for Indigenous Peoples, cultural communities, seniors, and people living with disabilities.

Speed up the permitting process by increasing staff and reducing red tape

As mayor, I will reduce unnecessary delays and confusion in the permitting process by adding more clerical staff and reorganizing city departments to untangle conflicting requirements – with special emphasis on reducing wait times for small- and medium-sized developers and homeowners.

Protect our 6,000 cooperative housing units by renewing city-held leases

I’ll give certainty to existing co-operative housing associations and build new co-op homes.

Providing homeowners more opportunities to develop their own properties

I’ll expand opportunities for more ground-oriented housing in our least dense neighbourhoods, including expediting the construction of triplexes and fourplexes on standard lots and removing barrier to converting large homes into multi-family residences.

Build 35,000 new condominiums, coach houses, and townhouses over the next decade

I’ll provide more affordable opportunities for first-time homebuyers and those looking to downsize in Vancouver.

Get Ottawa and Victoria back into housing permanently

I will use seven years of experience as a Member of Parliament to work with senior levels of government to create long-term housing funding and bring back tax rules to encourage the construction of rental buildings.

Allow duplexes across the city

Building more duplexes brings more affordable options for first-time homebuyers while retaining the character of our single-family neighbourhoods.

Revise Community Amenity Contributions

I’ll streamline and clarify the CAC process to deliver hard assets like affordable homes, childcare centres and affordable spaces for small business, non-profits, and the creative sector.

Better targets, better data

I’ve already helped deliver better housing data through my work in Ottawa as an MP but understand this needs to be more accessible to the public. I’ll bring in a real time, online dashboard to track key affordability metrics to ensure we stay on the right track.