Reflections on Speaking Truth to Power*
City Conversation #86: words of encouragement for those passionate about Vancouver and the need for change
October 7th 2022—I took a break from City Conversation writing & politics to look at art—and found politics!
Quote from Xicanx artist Judith Baca, from “Xicanx Dreamers + Changemakers” at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology
As we close in on the last week of campaigning, I find myself struggling with how best to convey the importance of next weekend’s civic elections. I live in Vancouver. Although I am aware that many of the issues that face Vancouver frame other municipalities as well, my remarks will focus here, my home for the past 47 years.
Recently, I was lucky enough to attend the Xicanx exhibit at the Museum of Anthropology and hear one of the featured artists, Judith Baca, talk in person about the struggles of Xicanx artists, also Xicanx peoples, mainly in the United States. I was struck by the quote under her part of the exhibit and how it relates to so much in today’s Vancouver.
I struggled with how best to tie her quote back to: those too young to be able to afford homes in Vancouver; those much older (like me) who want to welcome new residents without destroying the environment we built that they seek to join; and the homeless and precariously housed, who are perhaps most clearly internal exiles in an apparently prosperous land.
I was unable to integrate Judith’s thinking with these disparate realities until I realized that each of these example constituencies (apologies to the many I have missed) is becoming or has already become internal exiles in their home city. Consider: the continuing destruction of the green canopies and open spaces throughout our city by thoughtless development as much as by the housing emergency; the cruelty of suggesting that a few less unaffordable homes at the base of climate-destroying concrete high-rises will house all locals in need; the refusal to accept that the models for supporting our least fortunate and most preyed upon are abject failures, and the unwillingness to contemplate more humane approaches to their care and rehabilitation, even though they have worked elsewhere, can work here; and the cruelty of lock ‘em up solutions, tempting though they be.
Why is the next election so important, so pivotal? At this late date, two issues dominate:
Housing Affordability & Homelessness
Consider affordability for those aspiring to rent or own. Solutions are basically only two: leave it to trickle down free market dregs in a variety of neighbourhood-destroying ways (ABC, Forward, Progress, OneCity, Greens & NPA), or invest directly in affordable co-op housing (TEAM).
Consider that the challenges of homelessness, a realistic likelihood for some of those who will be evicted for high priced high-rises, have only gotten worse under the current Council. Candidate solutions range from hiring police officers and mental health professionals who do not exist (ABC), to deferring to senior government (Forward, Progress), to doing nothing (OneCity) to unspecified treatment (NPA) to appointing a Commissioner to audit what’s going on and propose integrated solutions (TEAM).
Transportation
Consider that the SkyTrain extension to Arbutus, with its extraordinary expense, requires for all parties but TEAM their approval of the city-destroying density of the Vancouver Plan and the Broadway Plan—the second will replace as much as a quarter of the city’s most affordable remaining rental homes with density whose small rental portions are much smaller homes and much more expensive than what they replace. The SkyTrain decision is an example of what happens when we adopt a whatever, looks cool approach. The SkyTrain decision was made before the current Council’s term of office, but its implications for the city now haunt so many of their decisions, including the 250+ spot rezonings they (except for TEAM) have approved in order to support SkyTrain in spite of even the most expansive long-term population projections for Vancouver showing much lower need than proposed by SkyTrain expansion advocates. As for the ultra expensive extension to UBC (why can’t UBC use some of its large land area to build affordable student residences instead of expensive condos?), which extension is endorsed by most parties, why not the light rail transit (LRT) proposal by TEAM that will build eight times the trackage of SkyTrain, truly linking the entire city rather than the UBC/ Broadway real estate plays?
There are many other areas of policy that citizens need to think about. But if we get these first two wrong, the rest will fail: city infrastructure will deteriorate; crime will proliferate; parks will degrade; community facilities will be stagnant; schools will shrink at a time of population expansion; neighbourhoods will be destroyed, replaced by nameless places with no soul.
We know the few, monied and powerful hands where power is concentrated in this election and who they support. But we also know that the truth is in the hands of each and every elector. Please speak your truth to power on election day. Please vote. The future of each of us and our fair city is ours to select—or lose forever.
The Time for Action is NOW
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver is the only political party pledged to speak truth to power. Vancouver’s civic election is October 15th of this year. Lots more damage will be done to our city unless TEAM elects the next Mayor and a majority (6 of 10) City Councillors—less than 6 and not much will change for the better. A majority TEAM Park Board (4 of 7, although 6 would be better) will ensure our open spaces are integrated with the city rather than ignoring them. And our voice on the School Board will help bring schools into sync with parks, open spaces and neighbourhood development.
To best ensure the election of TEAM candidates, consider voting for them as a slate and for no other candidates—each vote for another party’s candidates, or independents, for Council, Park Board and School Board lessens the possibility of a TEAM-led city renaissance.
If you are concerned that the City Conversations you’ve been reading are examples of what’s wrong with our city and want to bring back Vancouver’s livability, join TEAM and work with us to restore Vancouver as a place we can all afford to call home.
*The phrase “Speaking Truth to Power” is at least 80 years old, ascribed to black Quaker civil rights advocate Bayard Rustin.
Today’s question: Will you vote in the civic election? Why or why not? And for whom?
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Brian Palmquist is a Vancouver-based architect, building envelope and building code consultant and LEED Accredited Professional (the first green building system). He is semi-retired for the moment, still teaching and writing, so not beholden to any client or city hall. These conversations mix real discussion with research and observations based on a 40+ 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 “An Architect’s Guide to Construction.” He is also a member of team for a livable Vancouver, a new political party dedicated to restoring a livable Vancouver starting with the 2022 civic election. City Conversations are generally congruent with TEAM policy, so if you like the ideas that I’m writing about, please consider joining TEAM.
UBC builds a lot of student rentals, in fact they have about 25,000 right now. Mass immigration changes the face of a city such as scenic Vancouver. The problem Vancouver faces is not at all unique. Many cities face it.
No easy solutions.
Vote in conservative politicians that trim that vast gov bureaucracy fat and you’ll get far faster approvals and far lower immigration. BC did the opposite and esp Vancouver. That is the result.