Four candidates for Vancouver Mayor will address MVA’s Municipal Election Assembly. From top left, clockwise: Colleen Hardwick, Kareem Allam, Rebecca Bligh, Pete Fry.
Well, Ken Sim won’t be there, but all the other key Vancouver mayoral candidates will be – for the Metro Vancouver Alliance (MVA) Municipal Election Assembly.
Join hundreds of members of faith, labour, community and nonprofit organizations next Wednesday (September 23) at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church.
The confirmed candidates at the non-partisan assembly are:
- Kareem Allam, Vancouver Liberals
- Rebecca Bligh, Vote Vancouver
- Pete Fry, Vancouver Greens
- Colleen Hardwick, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver
The MVA office has received official regrets from Ken Sim’s campaign. Election day is October 17.
The assembly
A September 1 MVA press release states that the candidates will be asked to respond publicly to four proposals on housing affordability and climate action:
The four proposals were developed through months of listening, research and community engagement across MVA’s member organizations and were formally endorsed by members at MVA’s June Delegates’ Assembly.
At the September 23 Assembly, candidates will be asked whether they will support the proposals and work with MVA members to advance them following the municipal election.
The Assembly will focus on four concrete proposals addressing two of the most pressing issues identified by MVA members: housing and climate.
On housing, MVA is calling for the City of Vancouver to pre-zone properties owned by faith, community and nonprofit organizations for nonprofit housing development, helping organizations unlock land for affordable housing.
MVA is also asking the next mayor to work alongside the Alliance to advocate for $2 billion in federal funding to support 4,000 deeply affordable homes for very-low- and low-income households in Vancouver by 2030.
On climate, MVA is proposing a transit-priority pilot on Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside, aimed at improving transit, safety and public space by reducing through-traffic while maintaining local access.
The fourth proposal calls for the creation of Vancouver’s first Youth Climate Corps program, beginning with funding for six young people to receive a living wage while completing climate-related work connected to the city’s urban forest and tree-canopy goals.
Tim Dickau, Director of CityGate Vancouver, and a leader with MVA, links the housing issue to churches and other faith groups:
The MVA campaign aimed at removing the municipal barriers that prohibit faith communities from developing their land for affordable housing is key to unlocking a sizable chunk of land on which to build homes for those that need them most. This is a key campaign for the future liveability of our city.
The MVA has had some ‘wins’ in earlier campaigns:
- In 2016, we won a commitment from the City of Vancouver to be a Living Wage employer. North Vancouver followed suit in March 2021. The minimum wage for all City employees and contractors is now $24.08 compared to the provincial minimum wage of $15.65.
- We successfully advocated for provincial legislation around poverty reduction. In April 2017, John Horgan (leader of the BC NDP and then-Premier) and Andrew Weaver (leader of the BC Green Party) stood before 800 MVA leaders at an Accountability Assembly held at the Italian Cultural Centre in East Vancouver and committed to legislate a poverty reduction strategy. In 2018, the province passed its first poverty reduction plan, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Act.
- In 2016, we won commitments from the North Shore mayors and MLA to address the affordable housing crisis on the North Shore.
- In 2019, we won commitments for improved transit services, such as free transit for kids 12 and under from TransLink/BC Transit and handyDART funding which increased the accessibility of transit by providing door-to-door service for those with greater assistance needs. These changes were implemented in 2021.
- In 2015 we organized with the Hospital Employees Union and local church congregations to successfully pressure the employer at Inglewood Care Home in West Vancouver to bargain an improved contract and job security, increasing the quality of care for residents. In 2017 we won a commitment from the BC NDP to allocate resources for community healthcare centers.
MVA: a unique network
There are many ways to learn about who’s running and what’s at stake in the upcoming elections (in Vancouver and other municipalities around the province). However, the Metro Vancouver Alliance’s Municipal Election Assembly will be of particular interest to members of the local Christian community.
MVA is a unique network – not a Christian organization, but it does involve many Christian groups:
Metro Vancouver Alliance (MVA) is a grassroots coalition of community, faith, labour and nonprofit organizations. MVA develops community leaders and brings organizations together across differences to take collective action on issues affecting their members and communities.
Through listening, research, relationship-building and public action, the Alliance works to achieve practical, systemic change and strengthen the role of organized civil society in public life.
More than one-third of the member organization are denominations, churches or ministries, including CityGate Vancouver, the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster Justice and Peace Unit (the Diocese is a Sponsoring Organization), The Presbytery of Westminster (Presbyterian Church of Canada), Spirit of Life Lutheran Church and St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.
Other members include unions such as BC General Employees’ Union and CUPE Metro Vancouver District Council, along with Jewish, youth, housing, environmental and transit groups.
The assembly will run from 7 – 9 pm at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, which is at the corner of Nelson Street and Burrard Street in downtown Vancouver. Go here for more information and to register.