Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will be supporting a council motion increasing fairness and citizen involvement in municipal elections, saying major changes need to be made to improve the democratic process at the local level.

“The current rules are out of date with the types of elections being run in Vancouver and across BC,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “It’s time the Province took major steps to increase the fairness and transparency of local elections.”

A motion from City Councillor Andrea Reimer is coming forward next week, asking for the Provincial Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development to introduce legislation to update the Vancouver Charter. Changes that Councillor Reimer seeks include:

·        Setting limits on annual contribution amounts to individual candidates and elector organizations;
·        Banning union and corporate donations;
·        Annual spending limits by candidates and elector organizations;
·        Continuous disclosure of donations and expenses.

 “I fully support the changes being asked for in Councillor Reimer’s motion and hope that the rest of city council will unanimously support it,” adds the Mayor. “Many of these rules are already in place at the provincial and federal levels, or cities in the United States. It’s time we had them implemented in Vancouver, and I urge the Province to take action to address these longstanding issues.”

A new report coming to the Vancouver Police Board shows significant drops in crime compared to 2010 as well as over a five-year period – a sign that the Vancouver Police Department’s crime strategy is working, says Mayor Gregor Robertson.
The report shows that since 2007, there has been a 29% drop in property crime, a 12% drop in violent crime, and a 52 second drop in response times, among others. There were also year-over-year decreases for property and violent crime between 2010 and 2011 in Vancouver.

“The VPD’s strategic plan is clearly paying off, and we are making significant progress towards achieving the goal of becoming the safest major city in Canada,” says Mayor Robertson. “Our work in reducing street homelessness by 82% has also helped deliver drops in crime, particularly downtown.

“I want to recognize the leadership of Chief Jim Chu and the men and women of the VPD, as well as our community policing centres and all of the volunteers who are making our neighbourhoods safer every day.”

With the goals of decreasing property crime by 20% and violent crime by 10% from 2008-2012, the VPD has already surpassed both of these targets. The report can be viewed here.

A motion to create an online, searchable rental database is coming to council next week, which Mayor Gregor Robertson says is a necessary tool for Vancouver renters.
 
“Over half of our city rents, and getting timely access to information on rental buildings is a useful tool for Vancouver renters,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The City already collects data on the history and safety compliance of buildings, and we want to open it up and make it more accessible.”
 
The motion, introduced by City Councillor Tim Stevenson, directs staff to report back on creating an online, searchable database that would utilize existing, publicly available information collected by the City, such as building owners, as well as any outstanding work orders and property violations.

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Vancouver City Council approved more than $2 million in cultural funding Tuesday that will help the Vancouver East Cultural Centre and Vancouver Maritime Museum upgrade their facilities and provide development support for non-profit cultural organizations.

“The arts community plays an important social and economic role in our city,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Investing in our creative economy not only provides our residents and visitors opportunities to enjoy and participate in cultural activities, but also showcases local talent and generates jobs and revenue for Vancouver.”

The Vancouver East Cultural Centre (the Cultch) received a $1 million grant which will go toward the final phase of its redevelopment which began in 2005. The final phase will replace the Green House, an older building on the site, with a new two-storey building with rehearsal halls and office space.

The Cultch, which is housed on City-owned property, led a $9 million capital campaign that has financed the renovation of the historic theatre and the creation of the new Culture Lab, lobby, and meeting and office spaces. The City previously contributed $1.5 million to provide initial support which the Cultch used to leverage additional funding from the public and private sector.

The Vancouver Maritime Museum (VMM) is the recipient of a $902,000 grant for upgrades to the building that houses the St. Roch vessel. The St. Roch is the premier attraction at the museum which holds the City’s collection of maritime art. The upgrades will address fire safety, mechanical and structural issues to ensure the St. Roch is protected and accessible. The boat was an RCMP vessel that crossed the Northwest Passage in 1940 and is a federally designated national historic site. The VMM operates as an independent non-profit in a City-owned building and will be starting a new strategic planning process for the site.

A development grant of $124,000 was approved for Vantage Point, with the funds being directed at leadership and organizational programs for non-profit cultural organizations. Cultural organizations will have access to Vantage Point’s training courses and labs and benefit from peer learning and networking opportunities. The funding is part of the City’s Arts Partners in Organizational Development program which supports the non-profit cultural sector in development and strategic planning.