Author: Jo Swann

November 2022 Civic Affairs Report

By Elizabeth Gautschi, Civic Affairs Convenor

Civic Elections in Metro Vancouver on October 15 – The results are in!

Voting for change seemed to bring about the downfall of many incumbent mayors. Thirty-seven mayors across BC lost their bids for re-election. But voter turnout continued to be low. On average across BC there was only a 33% voter turnout.

In Vancouver only 35% of eligible voters cast a ballot.

However, for those who did vote, the two main issues seemed to be housing availability and affordability as well as safety on the street. Other key issues in many Metro Vancouver municipalities were homelessness, mental health issues, drug overdose and crime. In Surrey there was also controversy over policing and the change from the RCMP to a city police force. Ten municipalities in Metro Vancouver have new mayors.

Vancouver – Ken Sim defeated incumbent Mayor Kennedy Stewart. Sim had 85,732 votes, well ahead of Stewart’s 49,593. Sim’s top priorities are to immediately requisition the hiring of 100 more police officers and 100 mental health nurses to improve public safety. He also wants to speed up permitting processes at city hall. However, there will not be much change in the direction of many projects approved by the previous mayor and council which included the Broadway plan, the citywide Vancouver plan and proposed SkyTrain extension to UBC, all of which were supported by three incumbent ABC candidates and by Sim in public statements. It is the first time a single Vancouver party (ABC) won a majority on council, school board and park board since Vision Vancouver did so in 2011. (Source: The Vancouver Sun)

In the other 20 Metro Vancouver communities, the results are:

Village of Anmore – Mayor John McEwen was re-elected

Village of Belcarra – Mayor Jamie Ross was re-elected

Bowen Island – Andrew Leonard is the new mayor

Burnaby – Mayor Mike Hurley was acclaimed as there were no contenders

Coquitlam – Mayor Richard Stewart was re-elected

Delta – Mayor George Harvie was re-elected

Langley (City) – Nathan Pachal defeated incumbent Val van den Broek

Langley (Township) – Eric Woodward is the new mayor

Lions Bay – Ken Berry defeated incumbent Ron McLaughlin by 18 votes

North Vancouver City – Linda Buchanan was re-elected

District of North Vancouver – incumbent Mike Little was narrowly re-elected

New Westminster– Patrick Johnstone is the new mayor

Maple Ridge – Dan Ruimy defeated incumbent Mike Morden

Pitt Meadows – Nicole MacDonald is the new mayor by acclamation

Port Coquitlam – Brad West is mayor again by acclamation

Port Moody – Meghan Lahti was elected as mayor; the current mayor did not seek re-election

Richmond – Incumbent Malcolm Brodie won a historic seventh term in office as the mayor

Surrey – Brenda Locke defeated incumbent Doug McCallum

West Vancouver – Mark Sager defeated incumbent Mary-Ann Booth

White Rock – Former councillor Megan Knight defeated incumbent Darryl Walker

Whatever changes take place in each of the communities in the next four years, all of the elected bodies will have to work together on big issues affecting Metro Vancouver and BC as a whole, whether that’s transit, housing affordability or the impacts of climate change.

What happened in your municipality on voting day?

Were you satisfied with the results?

Will the elected candidates fulfill their campaign promises?

What will you be watching for over the next four years?

How can we get more people out to vote?

 

November 2022 Seniors Report

By Donna Webb, Seniors Convenor

BC Seniors News

Report Release – BC Seniors: Falling Further Behind

In September, the Seniors Advocate released OSA’s latest report “BC Seniors: Falling Further Behind” on the income and affordability challenges of BC seniors. The report highlights the impact of rising costs on seniors who depend on government pensions and ranks BC as the lowest in its financial support for seniors compared to other provinces and territories.

Seniors Advocate Statement on the International Day of Older Persons 2022

October 1 was the International Day of Older Persons 2022 and it was an excellent opportunity to recognize the valuable contributions seniors make every day in communities throughout BC.

Meeting of the OSA Council of Advisors

The OSA Council of Advisors (COA) came together in-person last month for the first time in nearly three years. The Minister of Health and Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care joined to honour outgoing COA members Bill Routley, Diane Jeffries and Margaret Monro.

Seniors Advocate at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Convention

The Seniors Advocate hosted a workshop and panel discussion on the role of local government in supporting seniors at the 2022 UBCM Convention. The panel discussed innovative projects that exemplify ways that municipalities can leverage provincial investments for the benefit of seniors. She also held meetings with a number of municipal stakeholders on issues related to seniors.

Long-Term Care Volunteer Surveyors Share Their Experiences

Dedicated volunteers from diverse backgrounds are joining the survey team to listen to the experiences of older adults living in long-term care and learn about their quality of life. Some volunteer surveyors are fluent in other languages and invite residents to participate in the survey in their preferred language.

For more information, visit the Seniors Advocate web site at www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca.