The BC Election and What It Means for Cities

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In British Columbia, cities are literally constructs of the provincial government, given power through provincial legislation. Cities have limited taxation abilities and they derive the large majority of their revenue from property taxes. And yet they are responsible for an ever-growing array of services and infrastructure as provincial and federal governments continue to download responsibility.

Charley Beresford is executive director of the Columbia Institute and oversees the Centre for Civic Governance, an initiative of the Columbia Institute. The institute works to foster leadership for inclusive and sustainable communities that value social justice, the environment, and the local economy.

On the program, we discuss the importance of progressive provincial policy for cities across British Columbia – and Canada. We’ll be discussing the environment, jobs, and the ‘big download’ facing cities as they deal with aging infrastructure and greater responsibilities.

Please note that this program was produced before the outcome of the May 14th BC Provincial Election.

 

 

[Podcast] Vancouver: The Best Place on Earth? Matt Hern and Charlie Demers in Conversation

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In 2011, Simon Fraser University’s Department of History hosted a lecture series, Think you know Vancouver? Think Again. On January 27th, local authors Matt Hern and Charlie Demers addressed the question of whether Vancouver, as it is often branded, is indeed the best place on earth.

Their humorous discussion provides a critical take on Vancouver, its history (or perceived lack of history), and why we need to think about Vancouver with a bit more honesty.

In a March podcast, we heard from local author and comedian Charlie Demers (Vancouver Special; CBC’s The Debaters). In this podcast, Matt Hern (Common Ground in a Liquid City: Essays in Defense of an Urban Future; Purple Thistle Centre co-director) provides a short commentary on Vancouver and then Charlie Demers joins him in discussion.

Thank you to the SFU History Department for permission to broadcast this content.

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[Podcast] Tearing Down the Viaducts: Green for All or Green for Some?

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Vancouver City Council, under the direction of the ruling Vision Vancouver party, wants to remove two remnants of the never fully realized inner city highway system in the downtown core. But, in the process, two long-standing community gardens are threatened with demolition. In this documentary, Green for All or Green for Some, Peter Driftmier explores the debate around the removal of the viaduct through the twin lenses of gentrification and environmental sustainability.

City staff have yet to come back to council with final recommendations on the removal of the viaducts. In recent months, the Strathcona Residents Association has expressed serious concerns about the possibility of increased traffic volume on Prior Street, and community groups in the Downtown Eastside have also expressed similar concerns regarding increased traffic along Hastings Street. The Vancouver Courier reported in an April 11th article that the staff report on the viaducts future is expected in June 2013.

This documentary was originally produced for Redeye on Vancouver’s Coop Radio 100.5 FM and aired in Fall 2012. Peter Driftmier is a producer with the Redeye Collective, and we are pleased to bring you this documentary. Thank you to Peter Driftmier and Redeye for permission to rebroadcast.

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[Podcast] Divisions and Disparities in Lotus Land: The Social Geography of Income Polarization in Metro Vancouver

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UBC geography professor David Ley and geographer Nicholas Lynch co-authored a recent study, Divisions and Disparities in Lotus Land: Socio-Spatial Income Polarization in Greater Vancouver, 1970-2005. Nicholas Lynch presents the worrisome findings of the study, as we see an increasingly divided Vancouver and a disappearing middle class. He discusses the social geography of polarization across the region, the implications, and possible policy solutions.

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[Podcast] Taking on the Premier: BC NDP’s David Eby on Transportation, Housing, and Provincial-Municipal Relations


David-EbyThe BC NDP’s David Eby is running against BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark in the Vancouver-Point Grey riding on Vancouver’s westside in the upcoming provincial election.

We discuss  regional planning, education, housing, poverty reduction, and the importance of progressive provincial-municipal policies. In the 2011 Vancouver-Point Grey by-election, Eby came within 600 votes of Christy Clark in the seat previously held by former Premier Gordon Campbell.

David Eby is a lawyer and the former executive director of the BC Civil Liberties Association. He has also worked for Pivot Legal Society and is adjunct professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia.

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[Podcast] Getting From Here To There: Transportation Policy & Planning, Metro Vancouver’s Transit Future, and the UBC-Broadway Line


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mattiWhat do you think about the proposed $2.8 billion UBC-Broadway subway line (and the economic case for it)? Will this come at the expense of other regional rapid transit projects? How would it shape the city’s transit accessibility and urban development trajectory? What are the lessons to be learned from the Canada Line experience?

On the podcast, Matti Siemiatycki discusses transportation policy, planning metro Vancouver’s transit future, and the UBC-Broadway line. Matti Siemiatycki is assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Geography and Program in Planning. His research focuses on transportation policy and planning and how large infrastructure projects are financed and delivered. He has authored many articles on these topics and is involved in the Public-Private Partnership Research Project, which graphically shows trends in the delivery of transportation projects through public-private partnerships (P3s).

In honour of International Women’s Day, podcasts featuring women shaping our cities

The City honours International Women’s Day. We strive to address issues of gender inequity in our programming and work towards a gender balance when selecting our guests for the program. Here is a selection of podcasts featuring women authors, scholars, activists, politicians, and advocates working on a variety of issues in our cities.

[Podcast] Special Fundrive Show: Why Independent Radio Needs Your Support

Highlights from the past year of critical urban discussions for CiTR’s Annual Fundrive

We listen back to some of the interviews and discussions from the past year on The City for CiTR’s Annual Fundrive. Please support The City, CiTR Radio, and another year of quality, independent programming. Please donate online. Donations are tax deductible. Thank you for your support.

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95% of some bylaw tickets handed out exclusively in DTES, press conference announced: Pivot and VANDU

We received this press release today. See below.

Press Advisory
March 5, 2013

Vancouver – Pivot Legal Society and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) have recently obtained statistics which reveal that 95% of some bylaw tickets in Vancouver were handed out exclusively in the Downtown Eastside over the last four years. The two organizations will be holding a press conference tomorrow, March 6th, to announce the filing of a complaint against the VPD which alleges discriminatory policing.

The complaint comes in the wake of the final report from the Missing and Murdered Women’s Inquiry which made a recommendation that police forces limit the enforcement of minor offences, which have caused marginalized and vulnerable women to fear going to the police for protection due to outstanding fines and warrants. Pivot and VANDU will be asking the VPD to change their policies on ticketing to incorporate Commissioner Oppal’s recommendation, and will be calling on City Council to stop the discriminatory policing in the neighbourhood.

What: Press Conference on VPD ticketing in the DTES
When: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 10:00 AM
Where: Pivot Legal Society, 121 Heatley Avenue, Vancouver
Who: Douglas King (Pivot Legal Society), Aiyanas Ormond (VANDU), and VANDU members who have received tickets for bylaw offences.

A backgrounder and visuals will also be available.

The End of Immigration? Film Screening and Discussion – March 4th, 6pm

The City is co-hosting a screening and discussion of The End of Immigration? with UBC Cinema Politica. Krystle Alarcon, an independent multimedia journalist, will be reflecting on the film and speaking about the foreign temporary worker program. She is author of a four-part series published at TheTyee.ca examining the foreign temporary worker program and the recorded injustices and abuses associated with the program.

You can find the event details here, as well as the Facebook event page.

SYNOPSIS | Montreal filmmakers look at the regressive immigration policies of the Canadian state and the people most affected. The wind beats against a high telecom tower in Quebec. The camera finds a man on top of the tower, hard hat, safety glasses on. Several hundred feet or perhaps a thousand feet down, one catches a glimpse of forests and rivers snaking away, a small town in a bay in the distance, as when you see them from an aeroplane. Prosperous and orderly. The man is Asian and he has a smile on his face. The sound of subway trains are heard already and we find ourselves in the belly of the earth in Vancouver.