WITH ONE YEAR TO GO BEFORE THE CIVIC ELECTION, IT’S TIME TO LOOK BACK AT ABC’S RECORD

TEAM FOR A LIVABLE VANCOUVER OFFERS RESIDENTS A CREDIBLE PATH TO REAL, MEANINGFUL CHANGE FOR OUR CITY

VANCOUVER (Oct. 17) – Vancouver voters go to the polls exactly one year from today to choose a mayor, city council, park board and school board. That means people who live, work, own businesses and pay taxes here have to endure another year of ABC incompetence. 

TEAM for a Livable Vancouver thinks now is a good time to spotlight ABC’s dismal record since it won a supermajority on Council in the 2022 civic election – and chart a way forward that will restore power to the people and accountability at City Hall. 

"Ken Sim and the ABC supermajority had the power to effect a turnaround in the City, but they lacked the background, knowledge and experience to do it,” says former TEAM city councillor and mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick. “Three years into their term, they're trying to undo the public relations damage. Now, the election tactics roll out right on cue. Meanwhile, Vancouver residents suffer."

Ken Sim and ABC claimed they had the financial skills to run the city better than previous administrations. Instead, they raised property taxes 22% in the past three years, cynically offering a 0% property tax increase as an election year stunt. In contrast, during the 2022 campaign, TEAM promised to limit tax increases to what is needed to maintain services at levels agreed to with the community.

Sim and ABC pledged to hire 100 more police officers and 100 “mental health” nurses to address the situation on the Downtown Eastside, but the DTES is still in dire shape. In 2022, TEAM campaigned on hiring a full-time DTES commissioner – which the Province has only just belatedly done. 

ABC promised to invest in school facilities and playgrounds, but is instead actively reducing school capacity and delivering school land to developers. TEAM is committed to maintaining city ownership of school buildings and property necessary to provide quality educational facilities for Vancouver’s growing population. 

ABC promised to “improve” the Park Board,  but threw it – and three of the commissioners who campaigned in good faith with ABC – under the bus by demanding that the Province get rid of the democratically elected body. 

TEAM pledges to restore the Park Board’s authority over its operations and facilities by transferring them back to the Board’s jurisdiction from the City’s Real Estate, Environment and Facilities Management department, which has failed miserably, as shown in the Auditor General’s Report. 

ABC’s record features failures of integrity, ABC councillors and commissioners who don’t toe the party line either getting kicked out of or leaving the party, and cutting residents out of decisions that affect them. As a voice for all neighbourhoods, TEAM has a better idea of how Vancouver should be run, and is looking forward to taking back our city next Oct. 17.