TEAM on City Hall: wards, a lobbyist registry and documents a month early
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver says it would bring back community-based planning, elect councillors by ward, publish Council materials at least one month before debate, limit closed meetings, and create a registry of lobbyists. It would also open City advisory committees to people picked at random.
NEIGHBOURHOODS AND CITY HALL
Community Representation: what the Our Positions says
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver puts neighbourhood input first in its list of ten positions. On its Community Representation pages the party says City Hall has stopped listening to residents, and that rules added since the pandemic made this worse. Its answer is to make participatory, community-based planning the base for every future decision, with residents and local businesses shaping change in their own area.
Several promises deal with how open City Hall is. TEAM would publish all material for a Council discussion, including staff letters, financial papers and Freedom of Information requests, at least one month ahead, and tell residents when it is posted. It would review the rules for in camera meetings, which are meetings held in private, so they happen only when truly needed, and open general staff briefings to the public. A registry would list paid lobbyists who try to influence Council. Resident groups would not have to register.
Other items change who takes part. Feedback would come from verified Vancouver residents, owners, renters and business owners. Advisory committees for renters and homeowners would be filled at random from pools of volunteers. TEAM would also create public registers showing what developers paid toward each neighbourhood through two city charges: Community Amenity Contributions, which are money or facilities a developer gives when land is rezoned, and Development Cost Levies, which are fees on new building that pay for city services.
The largest change is a ward system, where each councillor is elected by one part of the city. Council can pass a by-law to do this under the Vancouver Charter, but the provincial cabinet must approve that by-law before it can take effect. Most of the other items are within Council's own control.
11 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Reinstate participatory community-based planning
TEAM would reinstate participatory community-based planning as the base for Vancouver's future as what it calls a livable, affordable, inclusive, socially just, prosperous and environmentally sustainable city of neighbourhoods. Its summary page says this would give residents real input on changes to their neighbourhoods.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council directs how city planning and consultation are done.
Give verified residents, business owners and property owners a say
The party would make City operations, policy, planning and public engagement transparent, impartial and consultative, and make sure verified Vancouver residents (owners and renters), business owners and property owners have a say, along with other verified stakeholders where appropriate.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets the rules for how the city runs its own public engagement.
Integrated stakeholder meetings with priority for local people
TEAM would hold integrated stakeholder meetings open to verified Vancouver residents, business owners and property owners, giving priority to the local residents and business owners most affected by the outcome.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council decides how city staff consult the public.
A system of neighbourhood-based organizations
The party would support a system of City-supported neighbourhood-based organizations to carry out local planning, build community, and give residents and businesses a way to deal with the City.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council can fund and recognize neighbourhood groups through its own budget and policies.
Public registers of developer contributions
TEAM would create Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) and Development Cost Levy (DCL) registers so people can see whether new developments have brought a financial benefit to their neighbourhood. CACs are money or facilities a developer gives the city when land is rezoned, and DCLs are fees on new building that pay for city services.
- Who has the power
- City Council The city collects these charges, so Council can decide to publish where the money goes.
Advisory committees chosen at random
The party would set up diverse, inclusive City advisory committees for both renters and homeowners, and fill them by random selection from pools of volunteers so they reflect Vancouver's range of views.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council creates its own advisory committees and sets how members are chosen.
Publish all meeting materials one month ahead
TEAM would publish all materials related to public proceedings, including staff correspondence, staff briefings to Council, financial documents and Freedom of Information requests, at least one month before Council discusses them, and notify residents, businesses and local groups so they have time to study them and respond.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets its own meeting procedures and decides when city documents are released.
Limit closed-door meetings and open staff briefings
The party would review the policies and practices on in camera meetings, which are meetings held in private, and recommend how to limit them to cases where they are truly essential. It would make general staff briefings of Council open to the public. The summary page describes this as reducing the number of closed door meetings.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council decides when it meets in private, within the limits set by section 165.2 of the Vancouver Charter.
Review the Code of Conduct for Council and staff
TEAM would review the Code of Conduct policies for Council and staff so they hold people accountable to the public without becoming an unreasonable barrier to councillors who want to communicate with the public.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council adopts and changes its own Code of Conduct.
Lobbyist registry
The party would create a registry of lobbyists and professional advocates who work for special interests, organizations and businesses, in line with federal and provincial practice, so the public knows who is paying to influence Council. Resident groups would be excluded.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council can set up a registry for people who lobby the city.
Elect councillors by ward
TEAM would make Council directly accountable to neighbourhood constituents by adopting a ward system, in which each councillor represents one area of the city.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Under section 138 of the Vancouver Charter, Council can pass a by-law to elect some or all councillors by neighbourhood, and the provincial cabinet must approve it before it is adopted.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about community representation
Does TEAM for a Livable Vancouver want a ward system?
Yes. TEAM for a Livable Vancouver says it would adopt a ward system so each councillor is directly accountable to one neighbourhood. Under the Vancouver Charter, Council can pass a by-law for this, but the provincial cabinet must approve it first (TEAM Community Representation page).
What would TEAM do to make Vancouver City Hall more open?
TEAM says it would publish all material for Council discussions, including staff letters, financial documents and Freedom of Information requests, at least one month ahead. It would review closed meetings so they happen only when truly needed and open general staff briefings to the public (TEAM Community Representation page).
Would TEAM create a lobbyist registry in Vancouver?
Yes. TEAM for a Livable Vancouver says it would create a registry of lobbyists and professional advocates working for special interests, organizations and businesses, in line with federal and provincial practice. Resident groups would be excluded (TEAM Community Representation page).
Who would TEAM let take part in Vancouver city consultations?
TEAM says verified Vancouver residents, both owners and renters, business owners and property owners should have a say, with priority for the local people most affected by a decision. Other verified stakeholders would be included where appropriate (TEAM Community Representation page).
What are TEAM's CAC and DCL registers?
TEAM would publish registers of Community Amenity Contributions, which are money or facilities developers give the city when land is rezoned, and Development Cost Levies, which are fees on new building. The party says this would show whether new developments brought a financial benefit to each neighbourhood (TEAM Community Representation page).
How would TEAM choose members of Vancouver advisory committees?
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver says it would create advisory committees for both renters and homeowners and fill them by random selection from pools of volunteers, so the committees reflect the city's range of views (TEAM Community Representation page).
Can a TEAM council make these City Hall changes on its own?
Most of them, yes. Council controls its meeting rules, advisory committees, document releases and consultation. The ward system is the exception: under the Vancouver Charter, the provincial cabinet must approve the by-law before it takes effect (TEAM Community Representation page).
ON THE BALLOT
The TEAM for a Livable Vancouver candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- TEAM community representation, learn more SAYS SO ITSELFTEAM for a Livable Vancouver · checked
- Vancouver Charter: section 138 (councillors elected by neighbourhood), section 165.2 (closed Council meetings) and section 573 (appeals to the Board of Variance) Province of British Columbia (BC Laws) · checked