A report to Vancouver City Council today shows a remarkable move to more sustainable transportation in Vancouver, with significant increases in local pedestrian and cycling trips.

The staff report on Active Transportation provides updates on a number of plans being reviewed or implemented to upgrade the scope and safety of Vancouver’s cycling and pedestrian transportation networks.

Here are a few of the highlights from the new data presented on how Vancouver gets around:

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“As the Mayor of Vancouver I remain strongly supportive of Insite and the significant positive impact that it has had both in the lives of its users and for our broader community. With over 1.8 million visits in its ten years of operation, Insite has become an indispensable public health resource for thousands of our region’s most vulnerable residents, and a crucial component of our work to tackle addiction with prevention, treatment, and referrals to additional social and health services.

“Vancouver’s supervised injection site was launched after extensive dialogue in the local area and with thorough city-wide debate, and its programming continues to be shaped with ongoing input from nearby residents, businesses, and service organizations.

“Especially in light of the Supreme Court’s affirmation of the program’s proven ability to prevent overdose deaths and the spread of disease, I am strongly opposed to any legislative or regulatory changes which would impede Insite’s successful operations.”

- Mayor Gregor Robertson

City Council voted today to launch a new civic designation for Vancouver’s largest and best-known annual parades and celebrations, providing substantial new funding support to the Vancouver Pride Parade, Vaisakhi celebrations, and the Chinatown Spring Festival Parade. The new designation establishes clear criteria for City support and involvement in large parades, and seeks to leverage significantly higher economic impact from these world-class annual events.

“Events such as Vancouver Pride, Vaisakhi, and the Chinatown Spring Festival Parade have become internationally celebrated Vancouver staples that contribute immensely to our economy and our City’s vibrant cultural character,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “These events attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world, and the new civic designation for large parades ensures that the City of Vancouver is investing even more strongly in their continued growth and world-class success.”

The new designation also establishes a stronger framework to broadly improve the financial stability of these large parade events, with streamlined and professional event planning, and consistent funding criteria. Criteria for support includes evaluation of the event’s economic impact, its reflection of Vancouver’s diversity, its recent average attendance, and whether or not it is a component of a larger city-wide event or celebration.

Annual funding support will be increased by an estimated 345% for Vancouver Pride, 272% for Vaisakhi celebrations, and 155% for the Chinatown Spring Festival Parade, with Pride funding taking effect in time for this year’s event. Funding for the 2014 Grey Cup Parade will also be grandfathered into the new designation.

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Vancouver City Hall’s strong record on low taxes, debt reduction, and controlled spending undercuts a new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which falsely claims that Vancouver is “headed for financial crisis” in today’s Vancouver Sun.

“Our fiscal record over the past five years is one of the best in Canada, and hysterical claims by the CFIB have no basis in reality,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Just this year alone, the City paid down its debt by $151 million. Our tax increase was just 1.3%, tracking at inflation and among the lowest in the region.”

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City council approved two grants today that will enable key service providers in the Downtown Eastside to expand their operations, providing better support for low-income renters and vulnerable sex trade workers.

A grant of $400,000 to the WISH Drop-In Centre will facilitate an expansion of their space and better accommodate services to vulnerable survival sex workers, while a grant of $8,000 to the Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society (ACCESS) will enable the continued operation of a Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) in the Downtown Eastside.

“Council is strongly committed to protecting vulnerable residents in the Downtown Eastside and supporting low-income renters,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “These two grants reflect the City’s continued resolve to improve safety for women in the Downtown Eastside and help address challenges with affordable rental housing.”

Based at 330 Alexander Street, WISH serves approximately 400 women in the community on an on-going basis through the Drop-in Centre and other associated programming. Many of their clients are homeless or live in unstable housing; are marginalized within the community and often have serious health issues or addictions.

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Today Mayor Gregor Robertson announced a series of next steps for the public to participate in developing the final report of the Engaged City Task Force, as part of a push to strengthen civic engagement and modernize consultation in Vancouver.

The Mayor and the Engaged City Task Force launched a new Online Ideas Forum where Vancouver residents can post ideas, make comments, and answer questions posed by the Task Force, with the input to be incorporated into the final report in July.

Click here to visit the new Online Ideas Forum

The Task Force also launched the new @EngagedCity twitter channel to solicit feedback and tweet ideas for discussion and commentary.

“In a time of fast-moving technological change, it’s important the City’s services and decision-making processes are made to be as open, accessible and engaging as possible,” said the Mayor. “Expanding the City’s engagement online and on social media will be a crucial component of our work to build a stronger and more civic-minded community, and I look forward to building on the input we receive from these important new tools.”

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