A Vibrant and Connected City

Supporting Vancouver’s economic and cultural drivers.

Our City, Our Home By the People, for the People A Healthy City A Vibrant and Connected City

When I came to Vancouver in 1989, I could work odd jobs to pay rent and still have time to play in a band. We played shows in venues all over Vancouver –something that helped me save money to pay my way through university.

Today, those same opportunities aren’t available to most people. That needs to change. We need to build a Vancouver that supports arts, culture and small business. It’s not only good for our economy and community, but it helps us craft an identity for our city that’s vibrant and creative.

A big part of this challenge is to build housing that’s affordable for everyone. But we also need to support our arts and culture organizations, especially small- and medium-sized ones. We need a city people can easily travel through on public transit. And we need to support young entrepreneurs who build businesses that create local jobs and make our neighbourhoods worth living in.

I have a plan to bring back our vibrant arts scene and make sure small businesses can thrive. It’s one more way we can build a Vancouver that works for everyone.

Check out some highlights from my plan:

Support for Arts and Culture

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.

Support for Small Business

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.

Support for Transit

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.

Revitalizing Chinatown

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.