I was at the Meeting and Officially Joined Vision Vancouver.

Vision Vancouver is far more open than The Non-Partisan Association which has lost it's "Vision" to run the City. NPA is far to right for my liking and that Vision Vancouver is the only party that can do things for the best interest's of the City.

Some thoughts from last night....

- 200-300 is pretty damn good for a meeting whose focus was governance structure and the night of a Canucks game.

- Melissa De Genova had great knee socks

- an agm where the media was invited? exec candidates posted on the website? wrapped up in 2 hours? what is this, some sort of democratic civic party? in Vancouver?

2 years and change until the olympic mayor battle....

again - can't say enough about those knee socks. quality.

Vision Vancouver is just the NDP in drag - a bunch of wet noodles. At least COPE was an independant left wing party. What you get with vision is a sell-out one term mayor, yesterday's NDP hasbeens or tomorrow's NDP wannabees!

NPA is little better, with a bunch of Liberal/Conservative political hacks, who are not good enough to run provincially, highlighted by a mayor who likes to show the Olympic flag and not much more!

Like......when is the next civic election?

Is Vision Vancouver still promoting the traditional anti-freeway approach of civic parties both left and right in Vancouver, and now Burnaby as well (to a degree at least)? If so, they are going to be making it very awkward for members of the building trades and of industrial unions generally to take this group seriously. Instead, they will come across as a Yuppie party solely concerned with white and pink collar issues.

Is this the kind of campaigner Vision is going to have? The most improtant thing to one is to admire some woman's knee socks?

If that's true, then COPE will be back running Vancouver again.

I hear COPE has lost some more members to Vision since COPE's AGM earlier this year, where a slate controlled by Tim Louis and his partner Penny Parry decisively beat a slate that wanted to take a more conciliatory approach toward Vision. (I heard the word "stacked" being used to describe how the Louis slate won the day.)

The main point of contention at Vision's meeting last night had to do with the membership provision. Someone proposed an amendment that members could not be a member of another civic party "running candidates against Vision," but the amendment was soundly defeated after a few people spoke for it and a few spoke against. That was probably the best choice. The amendment was a nice sentiment, but the wording was ambiguous enough that it would likely lead to disputes.

As for what the new slate will be like:

Councillor George Chow defended the successful Vision proposal last April to hire more cops than the NPA had originally budgeted for, by praising the VPD as a "progressive" police force. Reaching out to that "progressive" top cop Jamie Graham as a 2008 mayoral candidate, maybe?

Tim Stevenson spoke out forcefully against bottled water -- truly a pressing local issue. Perhaps he briefly thought he was still in COPE.

And Larry Campbell made the case for Vision by noting that "We don’t mention left or right. We just mention being progressive, and moving forward." Great -- it’s the freaking Green Party!

Is Vision Vancouver still promoting the traditional anti-freeway approach of civic parties both left and right in Vancouver, and now Burnaby as well (to a degree at least)? If so, they are going to be making it very awkward for members of the building trades and of industrial unions generally to take this group seriously.

Budd I think the members of the building trades
and industrial unions as individuals are smart enough to make decisions on their own.

The days of the union bosses telling the members how to vote is - thankfully - over.

Union members are smarter than to think the union shop steward knows everything about anything.

"Instead, they will come across as a Yuppie party solely concerned with white and pink collar issues."

A bit discriminatory there, don't you think?

What the heck would be "pink colllar" issues,
since pink collars can be found in the office and also on the construction site.

As for COPE, they are still very left wing, and Tim Louis is as about as 1970's left wing as one can get (well except for the legendary Harry Rankin).

As for Stevenson's bottled water issue goes, he's got something there. Why pay equivalent to $10.00 to $20.00 a gallon for bottled water when you can get it free, right out of the tap?

Good afternoon, obscurantist - Yossarian - undrwatrmoonlyt, etc., etc. I am curious about your apparently in-person coverage of the VV meeting since I thought you lived in Victoria.

Good day Erik - Kim - Patrick, etc. (I suppose I have less excuse than you do for using pseudonyms). Well, Sean lives in Victoria (or thereabouts), and he seems to have fairly good intelligence about the meeting, lowball estimates of attendance aside.

Yes, there was much talk of stopping the evil Gateway Project. It was pretty much all that was discussed. That, and the naming of a new Vancouver street after Walter Hardwick.

"Yes, there was much talk of stopping the evil Gateway Project"

Good luck with the writing on the napkins of the War Plan on that one.

The majority of Lower Mainlanders are for it, it's only Derek Corrigan who crabs about everything he doesn't like and the xenophobic Vancouver COPE councillors that are opposed.

But what's new with them?

COPE = Committee Opposed to Practically Everything.

Vision Vancouver doesn't have wide peripheral vision or they are seeing things with undiagnosed cataracts.

NPA= Numbed Political Action.

"it's only Derek Corrigan who crabs about everything he doesn't like and the xenophobic Vancouver COPE councillors that are opposed."

Well, to be strictly accurate, the opposition is broader than that.

But I was kidding -- I didn't hear anything about Gateway at the meeting. Er, I mean, my source didn't. Damn, gotta get my story straight!

If the NPA were paying attention...this is yet another wake up call. Vision ran a great AGM and with the likes of Meggs and Moore, et al, they will begin to have the upper hand. Who would you rather have as a political communications guru: Geoff Meggs or Allen Langdon. Let's just say the choice is clear.

So Peter Ker is gone from the NPA? Same difference as when he was there. Nothing, not even a little smoke, forget even a spark of anything else. Thanks for the major announcement Petey. I'm sure CBC, CTV, CNN and FOX will just leap at an interview.

Makes sense that Greg Wilson would go to his natural political home. He'll do well there, so long as he has nothing to do with providing any upper level strategy. Aces on tactical advice, though.

Al DeGenova could NOT have been there last night as there was a Parks Board meeting, but would have been there to join the rest of his brood. Good for Al, and better for the NPA. Now he can be someone else's problem.

Net loss to the NPA: two Divas and a cookie counter gone. Net gain to Vision: Meggs and crew in the driver's seat, with a massive momentum shift to them unless someone doesn't manage to stop certain (not so) professional surrounding influences from continuing to slip sleeping pills in Mayor Reagan's juice.

So, the problems for the NPA remain the same...who's gonna nudge Sam with a sharp enough elbow? Does he care or even get it?

Regardless of how much money the NPA has in it's bank account or what happens at the dinner tomorrow night. Vision now has a stronger Board with the prospect of better candidates. Larry Beasley for Mayor? Peter Ladner wouldn't stand a chance.

Someone over at the NPA braintrust should call Christy Clark and tell her they're sorry.

We all are.

And if Vision wins in 2008, we'll be even more so.

"Well, to be strictly accurate, the opposition is broader than that.

But I was kidding -- I didn't hear anything about Gateway at the meeting."

Posted by obscurantist on October 17, 2006

Well Yossarian, I guess that's good news of a sort, that the meeting wasn't devoted to singing the old hymns and practicing the old time religion. You're right that the opposition to Gateway is more than just COPE. As I said, it includes Vancouver civic politicians both right and left, and now the Burnaby left as well (at least, up to a point, though some of what Burnaby says is really just a negotiating posture).

Charlie Smith has the Georgia Straight on the job as well because he cannot stand unionized building trades which he associates with Glen Clark. The Straight is running such an all out campaign against Port Mann and Highway 1 that gets kind of funny at times. They must be getting nervous about the real estate bubble!

"... Larry Beasley for Mayor? Peter Ladner wouldn't stand a chance."

PUH-leeeeze tell me this is a joke, or next thing you know, it'll be Gordon Price for Minister of Highways.

I find it nice that you have time to respond here on Public Eye Ts-kiss-my-A$$ it must be difficult to find the time between meals and reading your secretary’s drafts of your bogus columns …I understand you attacking Allan and Melissa De Genova, Greg Wilson and even Sam Sullivan because you feel somewhat intimidated by them, but to pick on an innocent supporter such as Peter Kerr…SHAME ON YOU. Peter Kerr has something you don’t have Alex, integrity… In my opinion you owe him an apology…at least he goes out to meetings and voices his opinion. He does not hide behind a computer eating a cheeseburger.

We all know that you would have been at the Vision meeting if you could have been. After bashing Sam, your popularity in the NPA has dropped and you are not the superstar you once thought you were. Soon Colin won’t even have your back anymore. You know that Vision doesn’t want you Alex, and unless you can find more than 5 people in this city who aren’t family members to support you and form a political party for you to “lead”, your political career will dwindle faster than that of pitt bull Jennifer Clarke’s when she stole the nomination from Phillip Owen and left the NPA in ruins. Next time perhaps you could think before you speak. I do, and I am NOT LIKE YOU….

No Your Buddliness, my fine feathered doubting Thomas, it's true, Mr. Beasley's protestations notwithstanding, he is touted as the Mayoral candidate for the Visonless cabal. His closerthanthis friendship with Bob Rennie, is part of it, but Beasley dropped the gauntlet at the Mayor's feet on the national and local news on his way out when asked what he thought his successor's greatest challenge would be, "Oh I think it's clear that (Vancouver's new planner) will have challenges implementing any of the Mayor's density plans without hurting the environment". Eco-density hadn't even been rolled out yet. A bomblette on his way out to be sure, and no one in the local media covered it. Not one.

I guess they all missed it. Sure.

"His closerthanthis friendship with Bob Rennie, is part of it, but Beasley dropped the gauntlet at the Mayor's feet on the national and local news on his way out when asked what he thought his successor's greatest challenge would be, "Oh I think it's clear that (Vancouver's new planner) will have challenges implementing any of the Mayor's density plans without hurting the environment". Eco-density hadn't even been rolled out yet. A bomblette on his way out to be sure, and no one in the local media covered it. Not one."

Posted by A. G. Tsakumis on October 17, 2006

You know Tsakumis, I have often wondered why someone like yourself who is said to be a close confidante of Mayor Sullivan puts so much effort into indiscretely spilling all kinds of beans on this (and other?) political chat boards. It's your business I suppose, but it is a bit unusual. From your latest postings I gather the explanation is really quite simple, mainly that you and Mayor Sullivan are no longer together,... would that be right?

However, that's not really my point this morning. I want to thank you for spelling out the close association between Larry Beasley and the developer community, and for bringing to public view an actual quotation in which Beasley has explicitly rejected higher densities, and in particular one in which he cleverly places density into a position of rhetorical conflict with environmental values. If indeed Beasley said this it would be a classic piece of propaganda from the school of urban politics that Gordon Price calls "Vancouverism".

Twenty years ago I was told by an analyst who had worked for housing authorities and municipal agencies for decades that just after the Second War the city planners said that the entire City of Vancouver, east and west sides, north of 16th Avenue should be zoned for apartments to accommodate the post-war population boom that everyone knew was coming. The planners were told by the politicians of the day to shutup or find another job.

Today's Vancouver politicians who want to restrict supply through backward zoning so as to produce the highest possible prices for residential real estate don't have to tell the planners to shutup, because the planners are playing the same game and giving it all a nice, professional gloss. Why, they even have quasi-university chairs issuing supportive noises! Such is the irresistible allure of the untaxed capital gain in one's principal residence!

This gamesmanship over zoning and house prices is, of course, closely linked to that other cornerstone of Vancouverism, violent opposition to freeways and highways of all kinds, which in turn is closely coupled to the intransigent insistence that any rail transit systems be restricted to low-speed, light rail models where the majority of passengers are forced to stand. The reason is that if travel to the suburbs were fast and comfortable the present centrally peaked pyramid of prices might be compromised, ... why there might be effective competition in the real estate market! And that could lead, eventually, to lower land prices and more real economic growth, more actual investment in real physical capital, more job creation, and {Gasp!} higher wage levels. But it would also mean lower asset prices in the property market, and those holding those assets are going to do whatever it takes politically to avoid such an eventuality.

Thanks Tsakumis for your help in clarifying these issues. Hopefully the true believers out there, such as obscurantist – Yossarian will learn something. Unfortunately, my instincts tell me that Abe Lincoln had it technically right, but practically wrong, … you can fool some people all of the time, and if it’s a big enough percentage, you can keep really bad public policy in force for a very, very long time.

Tsakumis, why are you picking on Peter Ker? Wouldn't someone of your obvious genious and political smarts want to pick on someone else?

What's next? Are you going to call out Corky from Life Goes On?

I think it is really awful that the above comments made by 'not a fat slob' were allowed posted. I thought this blog was about fair comment. In that comment there was nothing there but bile for someone who is actually a very good writer that many people like myself enjoy. I don't know Tsakumis well, but he is a driven character and his actual weight is not as significant as that of his persona. I thought his columns were great. His column in the Sun on Sam Sullivan was not bashing either. If this person above could read they would find a very balanced piece of writing that accurately told the story of Sullivan as mayor thus far. Some of us are disappointed Sean. Is your blog returning to the past?

FYI there are two Peter Kers "involved" locally, and that seems to have caused a bit of confusion.

Alex says:

"Someone over at the NPA braintrust should call Christy Clark and tell her they're sorry.

We all are.

And if Vision wins in 2008, we'll be even more so."

Why doesn't Vision recruit Christy? Didn't the federal Liberals recruit Larry to the Senate?

Christy never really was a right-winger anyway.

"Why doesn't Vision recruit Christy? Didn't the federal Liberals recruit Larry to the Senate?

Christy never really was a right-winger anyway."

Well while we're at it, why doesn't Vision recruit Patrick Maliha? Or Get Mr. Peanut to come out of retirement and run again. Or fly down to Gans Oklahoma and convince Bryant 'Big Country' Reeves to stop drinking t-bone steak smoothies and run for Vision.

Why doesn't Vision recruit Christy Clark? Hmmmm....I wonder.

Exactly, Vancouver Kid.

More to the point, if Sam cannot or will not fix his ongoing problems, then the NPA 2008 Mayoral nomination is Christy Clark's to lose. Gone will be the issues about being a carpetbagger or parachute candidate, etc.

Suzanne Anton needs another term at least before being ready, Kim Capri too (if she hasn't already bolted with Al diVisionova) and Peter Ladner, who would otherwise be a shoo-in will do something to assail his own candidacy, you can almost bet the house on it.

She and Carole Taylor are the only ones who can beat anyone in their path. A Clark candidacy would also neutralize Larry. A Taylor candidacy would make everyone else irrelevant.

Setting aside the reliability of your "insider info," Budd, you do have a point. When it comes to densification, Vancouver has been decidedly schizoid. Downtown, Fairview, the Broadway corridor -- great; almost everywhere else -- not so great. You could call it the portrait of Dorian Green. Or a "sustainable" Potemkin village.

It's not hard to understand why civic leaders might back away from taking the best long-term approach, and might take steps to rationalize their inaction. You don't need to imagine a big plot to preserve real-estate values; the politicians are just afraid (perhaps rightfully so) of losing their jobs if they do anything too bold -- a familiar phenomenon.

It seems like the closest someone's come to doing anything is Sullivan with his Ecodensity proposal. Meaningless window-dressing, maybe -- we'll see how serious he is about it. I wouldn't place much faith in a mayor Beasley to advance such a policy, and Beasley seems to be one of Sullivan's idols.

By the way, council really is naming a Vancouver street after Walter Hardwick. And Terry Glavin now has a regular column in the Tyee in addition to his one in the Straight. Now THAT really gets my goat. Dunno how you feel about it.