Who NOT to vote for in Vancouver’s 2022 election
There are a lot of reasons to vote for individual parties or to support individual policies or candidates. Indeed, there are a lot of very good, dedicated people running, even many whom I disagree with on policy, but instead of suggesting who you should vote for, here’s a list of reasons not to vote for certain parties or candidates based on your views on some key issues. Full disclosure; I have been working with TEAM, but they are included here too.
Who’s not going to vote for Forward Together with Kennedy Stewart?
If you reject the notion that Vancouver is essentially a safe place and there is ‘nothing to see here’ in terms of increased crime and violence. If you feel that calling the police “systematically racist” is not a fair call and does nothing for police moral and if you believe that this is not the time to cut police funding. If you do not subscribe to the theory of MOAR development and lots of it to address our housing crisis. If you don’t buy Stewart’s renter protections one bit, if you think raising taxes 28% in four years is ridiculous, if you do not feel multinational companies like McDonald’s, Starbucks and Timmy’s should be collecting 25¢ cup fees for them to keep, then stay away from Stewart’s party. Forward Together is not for you.
Who’s not going to vote for One City?
Kennedy Stewart and One City are essentially joined at the hip, so see above, but also, if you feel that falsely claiming that 70% market housing is 100% social housing, if you believe that slightly below market rents can fairly be called “affordable”, if you believe in greenwashing and that tiny Vancouver has a major and significant role to play in addressing our global climate crisis, if you support housing and encampments in our parks (yes, official One City policy), if you support bike lanes, but not everywhere, if you are concerned about the number of toxic and abusive people who follow and support this party, then stay away from One City. One City will not make you happy.
Who’s not going to vote for The Vancouver Green Party?
If you naively thought that Greens mean green and are disappointed, if you are concerned about higher taxes and more fees. If you do not want to pay to park on every single residential street, if you do not want road pricing, if you feel that addressing climate change is vital, but that greenwashing is not the way to do it, if you are suspect about the claim that keeping visitors out of Stanley Park because they visit in a car will address our climate crisis, if you feel it’s not the city’s business to be spending $700,000 to sue big oil and that silly cup tax, if you thought that the Greens would support every single rezoning application and are upset that they don’t, do not vote Green. They will disappoint you.
Who’s not going to vote for the NPA?
If you feel that the NPA has lost its way and has been compromised by a questionable board and other internal decisions, if you feel their nomination process was flawed, if you are concerned about a party which generated waves of defections, you might not want to vote NPA.
Who’s not going to vote for ABC?
If the notion of voting for Ken Sim “because who else?” does not sit comfortably, if you are concerned about a candidate who flip flops on big announcements like abolishing the park board, if you wonder why he is the mayoral candidate and not one of the far more qualified ladies running for ABC for council, if it concerns you that he does not know the names of the provincial and federal housing ministers and insists it does not matter, if you are concerned that Sim has not engaged with council at all in the past four years, if you are not happy with a party funded heavily by big developers, then ABC and Ken Sim is not for you. Don’t vote for someone because they just might possibly maybe be okay.
Who’s not going to vote for TEAM?
If you can’t stand another four years of Kennedy Stewart, but have bought into the notion that Ken Sim offers real solutions based on sound, costed policy positions, if you do not agree that managing, rather than promoting development will help address land value inflation, if you feel that more market housing built and marketed overseas will ultimately result in a trickle down to bring affordability, if you think Kennedy Stewart’s renter protections which developers have said are unworkable, will be just fine, if you feel any notion of vacancy controls is a terrible idea, if you think we should be spending $1.5 billion dollars on a climate action plan in a city which emits a fraction of most every major city on earth, if you think the Park Board should first and foremost be about addressing political agendas with a bit of park management thrown in, if you feel that Vancouverites should not have a say in the potential winter Olympic bid, then forget TEAM. You won’t be happy.
Who’s not going to vote for COPE?
If you concerned that the situation in the DTES has got much worse in the last four years but feel that safe supply, alone, is not an adequate answer to the tragedy of addiction and the impact it has on vulnerable people, if you feel that encampments should be policed and addressed, if you feel that a motion to send funds to fight Quebec’s Bill C21 is not city business, if you feel that running parks should not be about political agendas, stay away from COPE.
Who’s not going to vote for Progress Vancouver
If you didn’t vote for YES Vancouver last time and haven’t changed your mind, then don’t vote for YES Vancouver v.2. Mayoral candidate Mark Marissen was the backroom smarts behind YES in 2018 and so this is essentially more of the same. If you are not a fan of the Abundant Housing crowd, then you won’t like Progress Vancouver’s housing policies. Mark Marissen is all about more, more and MOAR. If you don’t, you will not want to be voting for Progress Vancouver.
Who’s not going to vote for Vision Vancouver
If you have had enough of Vision years and seeing anything associated with the brand scares you, if you long ago voted for the juice guy in the hopes of a progressive voice, but were disappointed to see the influence of big developer and Gregor’s lack of interest in anything to do with community input, if you feel that Vision policies on housing made things a lot worse, not better, if you don’t want to risk going back to those days, then forget Vision. It’s not worth the risk.
So there you have it, a list of some of the most obvious reasons to make sure your Sharpie dot does not accidentally fall on parties which do not align with your views on civic issues.