Hello and welcome - this is the full text of my stories on instagram because I know some people would rather read the things. As a disclaimer, I have a political science degree but am by no means an expert on the things that I’m breaking down. What I do have is a passion for explaining complicated things in simple ways. Now, more than ever, I think it’s really important. This is not exhaustive but hopefully it gives you some guardrails on how to vote for what you value in this city.

No, I haven’t included everyone but I have included what are considered to be the main parties, and where they’re running mayoral candidates I’ve included that after the party

The Issues

Public safety/crime:

ABC (Sim): has been endorsed by the police union (breaking tradition to do so – typically VPD hasn’t endorsed candidates), hiring 100 new police officers, funding body cams, restart School Liaison Officer program

TEAM (Hartwick): wants to restore the police budget while adding new officers and support services (including community policing initiatives aka Block Watch) 

NPA (Harding): former police officer, the “safety plan” is the largest part of the parties election platform and includes seeking additional federal funding for numerous programs, ramping up/more resources to undercover operations and the organized crime unit, and reinstating the School Liaison Program, among others

Progress (Marissen): platform connects that crime cannot be addressed without socioeconomic support and more mental health services, using community conflict resolution in place of police for all mental health and homeless-adjacent 911 calls, additional funding to women’s shelters and explicit IWG2S+ support

Forward Together (Stewart): creating an advisory committee to eliminate hate and creating an “office for the nighttime economy”, “fully funding” all VPD budget requests

COPE (N/C): Platform is focused on affordability – housing, transit, meal programs, and school funding.

OneCity (N/C): “de-task” the police by reallocating funds towards community organizations and agencies that are better suited, focus on racialized and discriminatory roots of violence (including more oversight into VPD’s diversity training).

Greens (N/C): increase funding to fire rescue as first responders for drug-related issues, restorative justice for repeat offenders, community-led safety (indigenous and peer led)

Housing:

ABC (Sim): speed up permits, use development fees to create rentals, double the co-ops in Vancouver in four years, “density bonuses” for developers

TEAM (Hartwick): building 2,000 affordable co-ops, ending “spot zoning” (repeatedly allowing changes to its own zoning map on a site by site basis 

NPA (Harding): “incentivize” the private sector to build housing, maximum permit wait times, supply targets for housing based on immigration numbers, flat rate in-kind or cash contributions provided by property developers when rezoning (CAC).

Progress (Marissen): 136,000 new market and social-housing units, expanded zoning to allow six-storey rentals and four-storey strata throughout the city, creation of a city-run tent city with supports for homeless people until homes can be built, luxury tax on the top one per cent of properties, city-owned agency to build mixed-income housing

Forward Together (Stewart): 220,000 new homes over the next 10 years, two-thirds rentals and 20 per cent “for the middle class”, keep empty homes tax, vacancy controls for new rental units, “speed up” approval on large developments

COPE (N/C): The backbone of COPE’s platform, housing policy includes rent control, DTES housing solutions (short medium and long term), social housing support, a “mansion tax”, as well as an entire renters platform

OneCity (N/C): higher density side street buildings, social housing built at a faster rate than market housing, land value tax

Greens (N/C): tie affordability to renter income (rather than market rates), more non-market and co-op housing, changing zoning around schools to create walkable & accessible neighbourhoods

Drug Crisis:

ABC (Sim): peer-assisted care teams (funded by province & feds), hiring 100 new police officers to work with 100 psychiatric nurses on mental-health calls, does not endorse safe supply

TEAM (Hartwick): quote: “Vancouver provides too much for homeless people, which attracts them to the city”, an “audit” of the support orgs in the Downtown Eastside, moving away from harm reduction towards prevention, no safe supply

NPA (Harding): vague calls for “long term care” for addiction, moving away from harm reduction towards prevention, no safe supply

Progress (Marissen): trauma-informed approach, faster turnaround times for mental health crisis, continued harm reduction along with safe supply

Forward Together (Stewart): Health and Addictions Response Team when calling 311 for addiction safety issues, supporting “compassion clubs”, continuing to expand safe supply

COPE (N/C): expanding access to safe supply & compassion clubs (using a charter challenge to push federal approval)

OneCity (N/C): people who use drugs on city advisory committees, more overdose response teams, harm reduction & expanded safe supply

Greens (N/C): recovery-based treatment on demand, more mental health support for first responders, harm reduction, safe supply

School Board:

ABC (Sim): reinstating school liaison officer program, funding programs in financial literacy, coding, sustainability, and fine arts, seismic & accessibility upgrades

 TEAM (Hartwick): not selling any school properties owned by the city, better coordination between city and school board for long planning and funding, keeping more school taxes in Vancouver and not sending to province, using school fields for parks programming

 NPA (Harding): restoring police liaison officers, honours program & fine arts funding, new schools & sports facilities

 Progress (Marissen): Not running any school board candidates, generating more childcare spaces

 Forward Together (Stewart): Not running any school board candidates, generating more childcare spaces including within new multi-family buildings

 COPE (N/C): expansion of before and after school care, year over year funding of programs (from provincial government), universal meal program for all students

 OneCity (N/C): expanded access to childcare including before and after school care, more accessible outdoor learning spaces, more funding for libraries and counselors, expanded indigenous language programming

 Greens (N/C): increased before and after school care, expanding outdoor learning spaces, increased food cultivation in schools

Park Board:

ABC (Sim): alcohol in all parks, audit of park board, freeze on all Park Board fee increases

TEAM (Hartwick): work to ratio of 1.1 ha of parks per 1000 people, off-leash dog parks in all neighborhoods, enforcing bylaws, increase number of lifeguards and park rangers

NPA (Harding): more outdoor pools, protect seawall from climate change, fastrack special event applications, convert underused schools into community centers

Progress (Marissen): no park board candidates, one year free at all city parks, recreation, and community centers, two new community centers including a massive “family fun centre”, more public events and festivals

Forward Together (Stewart): no park board candidates, five new or upgraded community centers, new art gallery

COPE (N/C): focus on encampments within parks without ejection by force, creating green spaces through a decolonized lens, build a healing centre at crab park, more fruit-bearing trees in Vancouver Parks

OneCity (N/C): center Indigenous leadership including indigenous-led or co-governance of parks, better accessibility, more shade & sport programs

Greens (N/C): alcohol in all parks, implementing the Sports Fields Strategy, rebuild Jericho Pier into modern waterfront hub, electric trolly loop service within Stanley Park, new outdoor swimming pool