Vancouver Liberals: 400 city workers, no $800m second city hall, one housing office
The Vancouver Liberals say they would hire 400 unionized front-line city workers, cancel what they call an $800 million second city hall, tax yachts over 40 feet, ban foreign travel for councillors and staff, drop the Vancouver Building Code and merge 12 housing approval departments into one.
AFFORDABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Spending, Services and Housing Approvals: what the Kareem's Plan for a Better Vancouver says
The Vancouver Liberals open their issues page with a section on cost and accountability at City Hall. The party says city services are failing, and points to potholes, shorter library hours, missed garbage pickups and dirty streets. Its answer is to hire 400 unionized front-line workers to do that work. To pay for services, the party says it would cancel a planned office building it calls Ken Sim's $800 million second city hall and move the money to things like pools and parks.
The page also proposes a tax on luxury yachts over 40 feet. The party says these boats use city infrastructure without paying their share, and that the money would fund property tax cuts for family doctors, walk-in clinics, food banks and the creative sector. Under the heading on fiscal management, the party says property taxes rose 26% under Mayor Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver, and it would ban foreign travel for councillors and city staff. It also asks for an independent Auditor General investigation into the halted new Art Gallery project, whose costs the party says "spiraled from roughly $150 million to nearly $600 million."
Two items are about how housing gets approved. The party would remove the Vancouver Building Code, the city's own set of construction rules, and use the BC Building Code that the rest of the province follows. It would also merge the twelve city departments that it says approve new housing into one.
Most of these steps sit with City Council, which sets the budget, approves capital projects and controls Vancouver's own building bylaw. The yacht tax is less clear. The Vancouver Charter sets which taxes the city may charge, and only the Province can change it.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
New unionized front-line city workers the party would hire
The party's figureThe party's cost figure for the second city hall it would cancel
The party's figureYacht length above which the party's luxury yacht tax would apply
The party's figureProperty tax increase the party says happened under Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver
The party's figureAmount the party says the city spent on World Cup tickets
The party's figureThe party's figures for the Art Gallery project's cost at the start and before it was halted
The party's figureCity departments the party says approve new housing construction today
The party's figure7 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Hire 400 unionized front-line workers
The Vancouver Liberals say they would hire 400 unionized front-line workers to deliver city services. The party links this to potholes, library hours, garbage pickup and street cleaning.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves the city's operating budget, which pays for city staff.
Cancel the $800 million second city hall
The party would cancel what it calls Ken Sim's $800 million second city hall, which it describes as office space for managers, and put the money into services such as pools and parks.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves the multi-year capital plan that pays for city buildings.
Luxury yacht tax on boats over 40 feet
The party would put a tax on luxury yachts over 40 feet. It says the money would fund property tax cuts for family doctors, walk-in clinics, food banks and Vancouver's creative sector.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The Vancouver Charter, which only the Province can change, sets the taxes the city may charge, and the platform does not say which power the yacht tax would use.
Ban foreign travel for councillors and staff
The party would ban foreign travel for councillors and city staff. It names trips to the Junos and $13 million spent on World Cup tickets as examples of what it wants to stop.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets the spending rules for its own members and approves the budget for city staff.
Auditor General investigation into the Art Gallery project
The party calls for an independent Auditor General investigation into the new Art Gallery project and all related spending. It says costs "spiraled from roughly $150 million to nearly $600 million" before the project was halted.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council can ask for a review of city spending. The platform does not say which auditor would carry it out.
Remove the Vancouver Building Code
The party would remove the Vancouver Building Code and follow the same building rules as the rest of British Columbia. It says Vancouver is the only city in BC with its own code and calls it an extra step for people who want to build housing.
- Who has the power
- City Council Vancouver has its own building bylaw under the Vancouver Charter, so Council can choose to replace it with the provincial code.
Merge twelve housing approval departments into one
The party would consolidate the twelve departments that it says now approve new housing construction into a single department, to make applications and approvals simpler.
- Who has the power
- City Council These departments are part of the city's own staff, so the change sits with the city.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about spending, services and housing approvals
Would the Vancouver Liberals cancel the second city hall?
Yes. The Vancouver Liberals say they would cancel what they call Ken Sim's $800 million second city hall, which they describe as office space for managers. The party says the money would go to services such as pools and parks. The cost figure is the party's own (party issues page).
What would the Vancouver Liberals' 400 new city workers do?
The Vancouver Liberals say they would hire 400 unionized front-line workers to deliver city services. The party links them to fixing potholes, keeping library hours, picking up garbage and cleaning streets. The page does not give a cost (party issues page).
Does the Vancouver Liberal party want a tax on yachts?
Yes. The Vancouver Liberals propose a tax on luxury yachts over 40 feet. The party says the money would pay for property tax cuts for family doctors, walk-in clinics, food banks and the creative sector. The Vancouver Charter sets which taxes the city may charge, and the party does not say which power it would use (party issues page).
What do the Vancouver Liberals want to do about the Vancouver Building Code?
The Vancouver Liberals would remove the Vancouver Building Code and use the BC Building Code instead. The party says having its own code adds a step for people building housing. Council has this power because the Vancouver Charter gives the city its own building bylaw (party issues page).
How would the Vancouver Liberals speed up housing approvals?
The party says twelve city departments now approve new housing, and it would merge them into one. It would also drop the city's own building code and follow the provincial one. Both steps are within the city's control (party issues page).
Would the Vancouver Liberals ban travel for city councillors?
The Vancouver Liberals say they would ban foreign travel for councillors and city staff. The party names trips to the Junos and $13 million spent on World Cup tickets as spending it wants to stop (party issues page).
What do the Vancouver Liberals say about the new Vancouver Art Gallery project?
The Vancouver Liberals call for an independent Auditor General investigation into the Art Gallery project and all spending linked to it. The party says costs "spiraled from roughly $150 million to nearly $600 million" before the project was halted. Those figures are the party's own (party issues page).
ON THE BALLOT
The Vancouver Liberals 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.
- Kareem's Plan for a Better Vancouver (Issues page) SAYS SO ITSELFVancouver Liberals · checked