An Election Playbook for where I live

CC # 140 - Answers I'd like to hear from the provincial candidates where I live—some might work for where you live!

Playbook definition¹: “A scheme or set of strategies for conducting a political campaign.”

“Tell the candidates what you’d like them to say in straightforward, simple words and phrases—If they agree, they’ll say it—but be positive!” Such was the essential advice we received at a Zoom session about the current BC provincial election.

I have modest knowledge and experience about architecture, planning and urban design, that is, shelter at all scales. So I will focus on those areas while noticing that shelter is one of two basic human needs, along with food, so my ruminations may stray beyond. Although I will focus on the riding I live in, you may find that some of my thoughts work where you live.

To organize these shelter-related thoughts, I will use this hierarchy that works for my blog’s editing capabilities:

ISSUES in bold capital letters;

• Followed by some issue details in bullet point form, with footnotes added where more detail is necessary;

• Pronouncements by politicians in italics, some footnoted; my comments about pronouncements are in regular type;

• Playbook recommendations in bold letters, also bullet point form—these are the “Yes/No” or “Do you agree” or “Please provide details we can understand” questions for candidates. I will offer my answers to these questions—your answers may differ!

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

• This is an issue pretty much worldwide, meaning it’s not been successfully tackled by most countries, let alone provinces. It has the greatest likelihood of fostering conflict between generations and between richer and poorer parts of any province or country. Here in BC:

• Borrow at low interest rates up to 40% of the cost of any of 25,000 homes prequalified by government, if yours is a modest household income. Repay when you sell the home or in 40 years, whichever comes first!² This is an $8 billion promise³ that does not address the high cost of land (called land lift by experts), nor the delay cost and time for approvals (which are usually much less than land lift but nonetheless a factor). No information is currently offered by politicians about whose projects will be prequalified.

• Get up to $3,000 per month as a tax credit against your mortgage or rent⁴. This is an unquantifiable promise so far—no clarity about how long it might apply, although it is promised as available to households earning up to $250,000 per year. This will do nothing to address land lift.

• Playbook: How can we make housing more affordable in BC?

  • My answer #1: Require that half (50%!)⁵ of housing approved through rezoning or Official Community Plan (OCP) prezoning⁶ be true, permanent nonmarket housing, that is, costing less than 30% of a household’s income—in the case of rental and co-operative housing, make that permanent. In the case of strata housing, this might only apply to the initial sale price. The overall effect of these measures will be to reduce housing costs by reducing the value of land, which greatly exceeds the cost of the construction on it. Development will slow until land becomes more affordable.

  • My answer #2: Stop selling publicly owned land for redevelopment, especially parks and school lands, both under threat. Instead, make public lands not needed for community amenities available for land lease arrangement such as co-operative and rental housing.⁷

HOUSING THE “HARD TO HOUSE”

• Another worldwide issue, but acute in BC, together with associated security and safety issues for individuals and businesses.

• House folks with mental health and addiction issues in congregate settings, except for the most severely affected folks, who should be committed for involuntary treatment.⁸ The second, involuntary part is a new position, with few details about costs or resources.

• Convert places where supervised drugs consumption is allowed into places for treatment and rehabilitation.⁹ Also with no details about costs and resources, and with the added observation that places for heretofore supervised drug use may not be the best places for treatment and rehabilitation.

• Playbook: How can we solve the safety, security and human issues around drug use?

  • My answer: Require that 5%¹⁰ of each housing project approved through rezoning or Official Community Plan (OCP) prezoning be true, permanent nonmarket housing for folks needing mental health and addiction support. Support folks in occasional crisis with neighbourhood-based roving teams of trained mental healthcare workers and police¹¹, for worker and resident security. Use involuntary confinement/treatment only for those folks unable to manage in the 5% supportive environment.

  • My observation: The revolving door of our justice system is a federal rather than provincial issue. Hold those feet to the fire when the time comes!

COMMUNITY AMENITIES

• There are no provisions in Vancouver’s Broadway Plan, the Vancouver Plan (our potential future OCP) addressing the need for schools, parks and other community facilities for the thousands of new residents these plans project.

• In fact, there are concerns that initiatives such as the Park Board takeover by Vancouver’s City Council and the Vancouver School Board’s aggressive move to sell off so-called “surplus lands” may result in a massive reduction in a wide variety of public amenities, even in the face of major population increases.

• Silence from the candidates. I may have missed something here, but so far the provincial parties have been mum on these subjects. The NDP has advised that if elected, they will amend Vancouver’s Charter to allow the Park Board to be effectively taken over by City Council.

• Playbook: How will you protect, even expand community amenities such as parks, schools and community centres in the face of an increasing population?

  • My Answer #1: Implement the historic standard for provision of new parks for larger developments such as Jericho and Heather Lands, being 2.75 acres of new developer dinanced, city-owned park for each 1,000 new residents, including community facilities. For smaller developments, extract and use a cash contribution dedicated to the provision of new facilities.

  • Answer #2: Have developers pay for the design and construction of parks and community facilities that will benefit their residents.

  • Answer #3: Forbid the Vancouver School Board from selling or long term leasing any of its lands or facilities until and unless independent studies determine what schools will be required for increasing population over the foreseeable future.

These are the three provincial issues I feel competent to address, based on my education and experience. What other issues are important to you? Why not identify them, identifying what the politicians have or have not said to date. Provide your answers to the politicians vying for office in your community, or ask the questions at all candidates meetings. That’s our playbook. Good luck!

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The post above is 1099 words, about a six minute read, twice as long as what the Vancouver City Council now permits for public presentations at its meetings.

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Brian Palmquist writes on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Musqueam people. He is a Vancouver-based architect, building envelope and building code consultant and LEED Accredited Professional (the first green building system). He is semi-retired, still teaching, writing and consulting a bit, but not beholden to any client or city hall. These conversations mix real discussion with research and observations based on a 50-year career including the planning, design and construction of almost every type and scale of project. He is the author of the Amazon best seller and AIBC Construction Administration course text, “An Architect’s Guide to Construction.” A glutton for punishment, he recently started writing a book about how we can Embrace, Enhance and Evolve the places we love to live.

1. www.vocabulary.com

2. NDP—the 25,000 prequalified has been mentioned by the Premier on various media, as has the “when you sell or in 40 years”.

3. 25,000 homes x average $800,000 = $20 billion market value x 40% = $8 billion.

4. BC Conservatives.

5. This 50% has been successfully mandated in a few American communities. In Vancouver, the percentage floats between 20% and 30% and the resulting rents are all over the map.

6. OCP prezoning is what arises from recent BC government legislation that eliminates public hearings where a proposal is OCP-compliant. In Vancouver, the Vancouver Plan is the OCP in waiting.

7. This was provincial and federal policy until the 1980s.

8. The NDP’s current formula.

9. BC Conservative position.

10. 5% is the percentage identified by SFU Distinguished Professor Dr. Julian Somers and his international research team after 18 years of research. In summary, he noted (I paraphrase): “If 5% of a project has residents with mental health and addiction problems, they become part of the project’s community and support system. More than that and they and their suppliers take over the project.”

11. This roving team approach has been used elsewhere with success. It was a promise from Vancouver’s current Mayor that has not been implemented.