Cambie Report

William Azaroff wins the OneCity mayoral nomination and his first act is a “progressive primary” ultimatum to COPE and the Greens. The Liberals pick up another candidate and nominations for council seats are underway. Lucy Maloney wants councillors to attend in person, the Olympic Village school is further delayed, Langara Gardens is going ahead, and so is a city-owned development on the Main Street McDonalds. The City’s Auditor General has two damning reports. Links Pete Fry announces candidacy for mayor William Azaroff chosen as OneCity Vancouver’s mayoral candidate | CBC News William Azaroff Progressive Primary – OneCity COPE responds The Greens respond Vancouver Liberals add park board commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky to team Run with Vote Vancouver Team For A Livable Vancouver To Run Candidates For Mayor, Council, School And Park Board In This Fall’s Election Mayor Ken Sim Announces Re-Election Bid, Vows to Keep Fighting for Vancouver Former MLA launches Imagine Surrey mayoral run and city councillor slate | Urbanized Former MLA Mike Starchuk enters 2026 mayoral race in Surrey | Vancouver Sun Imagine Surrey Vancouver councillor wants to ‘eliminate double standards’ on remote work at city hall Residents, parents address city hall over proposed Olympic Village school Langara Gardens: 2,600 new homes approved by Vancouver City Council for Cambie Corridor site Approved Science World rental towers could raise $700 million for City of Vancouver | Urbanized Vancouver’s auditor general criticizes city over lack of paper trail for lost developer amenities | CBC News Vancouver missed out on millions as land deals were struck without proper strategy: report Park Board seeking new permanent attraction for Stanley Park Train site | Urbanized Vancouver council approves increase of slots from 600 to 900 at downtown casino Coquitlam Mountie fired over vulgar messages in group chats – CTV News Richard Marpole – Wikipedia This Week in History: 1920 The CPR’s Richard Marpole dies | Vancouver Sun Bill Miner – Wikipedia

OneCity Vancouver is in the midst of their mayoral nomination contest, so we spoke to the two candidates: William Azaroff and Amanda Burrows about why they want to lead the city. Learn more: William Azaroff Amanda Burrows

Did you miss us? We’re back to talk UBCM, the preponderance of parties that will participate in next year’s election, the war of the Langleys and the wizard in the park. Links UBCM convention shows drift from ‘compassion fatigue’ to concern over crime and disorder | CBC News Codes of conduct and transit: UBCM convention sees municipal priorities pitted against provincial power | CBC News Vancouver city councillor kicked out of ruling party announces mayoral bid | CBC News Vancouver mayor’s former chief of staff starts new political party Vancouver Liberals B.C. Conservatives launch new municipal party before 2025 elections | Vancouver Sun Former federal Conservative minister to steer B.C. municipal party – Castanet.net Register of Elector Organizations Former Vancouver mayor launching court challenge of B.C.’s ‘at-large’ electoral system Former Vancouver mayor to challenge B.C.’s voting system in court | CBC News Fix City Hall War of the Langleys: governance tensions between township and city mayors spills into the open | CBC News Langley township mayor sues political rivals over social media accusations | CBC News This B.C. mayor promised to use $55M in real estate for charity. Now he’s ignored an order to open the books Richmond, B.C., Mayor Malcolm Brodie won’t seek re-election after 25 years in the role | CBC News Terrace-born Donny van Dyk is Vancouver’s new city manager Up to 24 months of full pay for Paul Mochrie, Vancouver’s departed city manager: Documents Vancouver mayor and ABC councillors broke code of conduct, city integrity commissioner rules | CBC News Integrity Commissioner Report COVIC-010: Complaint against Mayor Sim and Councillors Sarah Kirby-Yung, Lisa Dominato, Lenny Zh Concerns over secret meetings ‘politicized,’ Vancouver mayor says Proposal to suspend work of Vancouver’s integrity commissioner quietly fizzles out | CBC News Third-party report recommends more independence for Vancouver’s integrity commissioner | CBC News Release of City of Vancouver Code of Conduct By-law No. 12886 Review and Recommendations B.C. says it will strengthen oversight of municipal governments | Vancouver Sun Vancouver park board commissioner under fire for repeated absences: ‘Do you really want this job?’ Why Vancouver’s decision to host a Harry Potter attraction quickly became controversial | CBC News Bright Nights leaves Vancouver for Surrey, as Stanley Park train remains sidelined Vancouveratta: The X-Files, Vancouver, and a Legendary Backlash | MONTECRISTO

An emergency motion for a Lapu Lapu Day tragedy memorial event surprises even Filipino BC. The Kitsilano Coalition is happy to see the city concede on the planned supportive housing project. The Vancouver Renters’ Office also isn’t coming back anytime soon. Metro Vancouver and the Langleys debate governance and policing. But with luck, we’ll see a new worker-owned co-op news outlet in the Tri-Cities, Burnaby, and New West 00:55 Strange Developments: Lapu Lapu Day Tragedy Memorial06:35 Kitsilano Coalition’s Victory Against Supportive Housing09:20 Vancouver Park Board Controversy12:44 Vancouver Renter’s Office Debate15:47 Ken Sim’s Defamation Lawsuit17:24 Granville Street Entertainment District Plan27:43 Langley Policing Dispute32:09 Worker-Owned Co-op News Outlet34:42 Vancouveratta – Invasive Wall Lizards Links Community Update l Tuesday, June 3 — Filipino BC B.C. Filipino community group upset with Vancouver city council’s sudden Lapu Lapu Day memorial event decision Have the Doors Closed on New BC Supportive Housing? | The Tyee Dissolution of Vancouver Park Board on pause: City Motion to bring back Vancouver renter office defeated in tie vote – CTVNews Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim launches defamation lawsuit against former chief of staff and local businessman Car-free revival plan for Granville strip approved by Vancouver City Council | Urbanized Photo ready: City votes to install giant $1M Vancouver sign along waterfront | CBC News Metro Vancouver has 41 directors. After a governance review, will that change? | CBC News Under fire for wasteful spending, Metro Vancouver touts award for ‘excellence in financial reporting’ Former Premier Mike Harcourt calls for big changes at Metro Vancouver Policing ‘divorce’ going ahead between City and Township of Langley – BC | Globalnews.ca Save Our Local News Axed local reporters aim to launch first worker-owned co-op news outlet in Western Canada, covering Tri-Cities, Burnaby, New Westminster Vancouveratta The wall lizard invasion of Vancouver Island – Macleans.ca BC Bob | Oopsies | Instagram

“I’m sorry” – Ken Sim about five times in the last month. Also featuring Annette Reilly of the Vancouver Green’s statement. Links Vancouver byelection: Seven candidates from five parties make their pitch Vancouver sees 2,876 ballots cast on first day of advance voting for byelection Byelection candidates question ABC Vancouver’s debate absence ‘Oops’: Vancouver mayor apologizes for series of recent slip-ups Vancouver municipal council by-election candidate forced to apologize for e-mail outreach to police officers A Police Union Leader’s Controversial Run for Vancouver Council | The Tyee Audio leaked of Vancouver byelection candidate discussing running mate – BC | Globalnews.ca Ken Sim Bitcoin video (Bitcoin) ABC Vancouver’s ‘repudiation of the rule of law’ shows gap in B.C.’s municipal oversight, Ombudsperson says Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim gets booed at Juno Awards | News Candidates for Vancouver Municipal Party Say They Attended Multiple Events with Conspiratorial Far-Right Groups By Accident Policies/platforms ABC Vancouver COPE Vancouver Greens OneCity TEAM Vancouveratta Bure once helped pull off the ultimate Vancouver Canucks April Fools’ prank | Sports

With 38 days until the Vancouver by-elections, we delve into the DUI allegations against Mayor Ken Sim, which were reportedly dismissed by police investigations. We discuss Task Force Barrage, a new initiative targeting organized crime and public safety. As well: Rebecca Bligh and is out of ABC, Adam Palmer is out of the VPD – the latter by choice. ABC announces its byelection candidates. And, Surrey withdraws from the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy, community newspapers close and our Vancouveratta. Links Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, police, cleared of ‘baseless’ DUI allegation – BC | Globalnews.ca OPCC says allegations against Vancouver mayor ‘baseless’ but won’t publish report Vancouver mayor, police to roll out plan to tackle crime, public safety concerns After four decades of policing in Vancouver, Chief Adam Palmer retires ABC Vancouver Introduces By-Election Candidates VDLC Endorses Vancouver City Council Byelection Candidates Vancouver Coun. Rebecca Bligh kicked out of ABC caucus | CBC News Leaked document shows new plan by Vancouver city council to alter the Downtown Eastside – The Globe and Mail Vancouver council gets update on efforts to ‘uplift’ Downtown Eastside – BC | Globalnews.ca ABC Vancouver park board politicians violated policy on open meetings, watchdog finds Integrity Commissioner Report PBIC-003: Complaint against Vancouver Park Board Commissioners Bastyovanszky, Christensen, Haer, H City of Surrey to withdraw from Metro Vancouver’s Regional Growth Strategy Tax dollars subsidized IKEA, The Brick electric vehicles, Metro Vancouver board hears – BC | Globalnews.ca Burnaby Now, New Westminster Record, Tri-City News to close Vancouveratta: The Vancouver Daily World – Wikipedia

Two byelections at the same time folks. With Vancouver’s longest-serving councillor, Adriane Carr, stepping down and Christine Boyle’s election to the BC Legislature, Vancouver needs two new councillors. We look at the race and everything else that’s happened recently. Links Vancouver Coun. Adriane Carr resigns, setting up 2-seat byelection | CBC News Vancouver council confirms details of 2-seat byelection on April 5 | CBC News Team promises 2 candidates Hardwick confirms her interest Vote Socialist takes a pass But Sean Orr seeks COPE nomination Bob Kronbauer: The NPA is gone and nobody gives a crap VANCOUVER POLITICAL PARTIES UNITED IN DEMANDING ELECTIONS BC DISCIPLINE FOR KEN SIM PARTY’S CAMPAIGN FINANCE IRREGULARITIES Opposition parties demand Elections BC complete investigation before Vancouver by-election You may have to pay to spray as Vancouver considering water metering for all homes, buildings Vancouver city council votes to look into residential water metering – BC | Globalnews.ca Vancouver property tax to increase by 3.9% in 2025 Vancouver City Council approves 2025 operating and capital budget with 3.9% property tax increase No, Vancouver is not that unsafe, actually – Ian’s article on crime Burnaby unveils ‘housing library’ for pre-reviewed multiplex home designs Standardized designs arrive to help build more homes faster BC Court of Appeal social housing judgement Eby says there ‘will be affordable social housing’ in Kits neighbourhood, despite pushback – BC | Globalnews.ca Kingsgate Mall: Developer wins multi-million-dollar rent battle with Vancouver School Board – BC | Globalnews.ca BC Supreme Court Beedie vs VSB judgement Palestinian Symbols Banned at Vancouver Public Library Vancouver Public Library staff banned from wearing watermelon pins to show support for Palestine Vancouver mayor defends bitcoin motion, says it’s better than gold | CBC News New West to become first B.C. city restricting the delivery of graphic abortion images ‘There is nothing historic about Peachland,’ argues councillor in debate over welcome signs Hidekazu Tojo – Wikipedia California roll – Wikipedia

Council controversies: Brian Montague’s integrity commissioner review, Vancouver’s rollback on climate action policies, and the city’s purchase of an almost completed market rental building. Delayed suicide prevention barriers on Granville Bridge, TransLink’s funding crisis, and the debate over Vancouver’s view cones. Cities try to meet the deadline to pass multiplex bylaws, except West Vancouver. City council and the park board battle over bike lanes in the West End. And we dig into a heavily redacted FOI on when Ken Sim decided to move to abolish the Park Board. Links 01:57 Integrity Commissioner Review 05:05 Climate Action Report and Natural Gas Debate 09:47 Granville Bridge Suicide Barriers Delayed (see also re debris) Vancouver to get new dedicated bus lanes on these key routes 13:43 TransLink Funding Crisis and Potential Cuts 21:08 View Cones Debate 26:43 City Purchases Market Rental Building 30:36 Ken Sim’s Quick Fix for Kits Pool 33:37 Bike Lane Battle: Park Board vs. Council 36:06 FOI Requests and Park Board Abolishment FOI fight 43:01 Provincial Housing Compliance and West Vancouver’s Defiance 45:55 Surrey’s Push for a City Charter 48:33 NIMBYs Oppose New Fire Station 50:56 Vancouver’s New Sign and Historical Homages 53:45 Farewell to AM 730 Traffic Radio Outro audio credit: TikTok @unCOUVER

We can’t have nice things: We can’t have a spa, we can’t have the polar bears, we can’t have a mural, we can’t have the RCMP in Surrey, we can’t have temporary modular housing and we can’t have water. But we can have a beer at Khatsalano. Links Vancouver mayor shotguns beer at outdoor festival | CBC.ca Councillor doesn’t regret shotgunning drink with Vancouver mayor, does regret it was vodka cream soda | CBC News Decision on Surrey Police Service ensures public safety in Surrey, the province | BC Gov News 5 things to know as B.C. orders Surrey to continue transition to municipal police force Surrey police decision draws mixed reaction | CityNews Vancouver Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke to ‘explore options’ as B.C. shuts down bid to stay with RCMP Missing middle housing motion set for Vancouver city council vote – Real Estate Could the Missing Middle Solve the Housing Crisis? | The Walrus Dan Fumano: Modular housing was meant to be temporary. ABC wants to make sure it stays that way After 15 Years, Little Mountain’s Housing Promise Still Looks Empty | The Tyee Some Vancouver residents unhappy about park board leaving Vancouver ponds dry | CBC News Vancouver hands out more than $71000 in water restriction fines as drought intensifies Relief in the works to help with Stanley Park’s weekend traffic jams | Vancouver Sun Vancouver orders removal of ‘iconic’ rat mural at Commercial Drive brewery – BC | Globalnews.ca Dan Fumano: Politicians ‘must be open to critique’: Vancouver staff respond to council’s effort to stifle criticism Nearly 11000 abusive tweets targeted Vancouver and Surrey election candidates Vancouveratta The Stanley Park Zoo, A Vancouver Institution Until 1996 – Scout Magazine A spa in Stanley Park’s polar bear enclosure? Park board chair would ‘love to see’ idea move forward | CBC News Justin McElroy video on the spa idea We also can’t ever have perfect audio quality – apologies for the bit of echo in here, we reduced as much as we could.

Ken Sim clears Hastings Street and has thoughts on housing. Brenda Locke stands by her interpretation of a meeting. Links Vancouver police, city staff begin removing encampment on East Hastings Street | CBC News City of Vancouver document calls for using police to speed up clearing DTES street camps Back on Vancouver’s Hastings Street with no tent, no mattress and nowhere to go Vancouver readies ‘quick response teams’ in case tents return to East Hastings  Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim brings in outside experts to review city budget City of Vancouver to pre-zone Cambie Corridor properties to speed up 1600 new townhomes Team behind Army & Navy project asks city to approve new development – The Globe and Mail Plan to build single-family home on nine-foot-wide Vancouver lot rejected by city Justin McElroy on Twitter: “Ken Sim floats the idea..” Vancouver to allow drinking in public plazas year-round Statement from the Mayor: Metro Vancouver Mayor’s Committee Unanimously Supports Retaining Surrey RCMP Surrey RCMP comments from mayor misleading: councillors | CityNews Vancouver Surrey mayor stands by statements as rivals accuse her of issuing ‘false press release’ Can You Attend a Vancouver School Board Meeting In Person? | The Tyee Editorial: Bring back my favourite cancelled show Illegally-installed plaques commemorating a Vancouver bus route a mystery, says city

Elections BC has released the financial reports from the 2022 municipal elections and we can see how efficient each party’s spending was. Meanwhile, the staff report from the Climate Emergency Action Plan is pretty bleak and ABC opted to slash the climate justice charter from its further implementation. This prompted a question of whether ABC is predetermining outcomes of council votes (probably), which is better than in New West where they just have too many votes. Back in Vancouver, successful votes mean social housing near the Italian Cultural Centre and the end of the single use cup fee. It also means the end of the Stanley Park bike lane – at least until another round of consultations is completed on installing a permanent lane. Until then, feel free to join Critical Mass once again on the last Friday of every month. The cops and nurses plan turns out to be just cops. Langley SkyTrain is on track. And Surrey homeowners will pay more but not 55% more. And in schools, Vancouver removes a racists’ name, Coquitlam students want pride events and Chilliwack residents want to ban books. In our Vancouveratta, Cultus Lake sure is nice. Links Adding missing middle housing and simplifying regulations in low density neighbourhoods | Shape Your City Vancouver 2022 General Local Elections Disclosure Statements Available ABC Vancouver spent $2M to elect Ken Sim and running mates Local political parties in B.C. nearly double their spending in 2022’s election compared to 2018 | CBC News ‘A positive vibe’: 100 days in, Vancouver’s mayor talks about the goals of SimCity | CBC News Kareem Allam resigns as Mayor’s chief of staff Climate Emergency Action Plan staff presentation Climate equity working group ‘disappointed’ after Vancouver city council rejects climate justice charter | CBC News Fry suggests ABC caucused before meeting In New Westminster, heightened emotions about many more motions Vancouver approves social housing near Italian Cultural Centre Vancouver city council gets rid of single use cup fee Stanley Park temporary bike lane to be removed, debate over permanent lane to continue for another year | CBC News “Mad as hell”: Critical Mass Vancouver returns following Stanley Park bike lane decision Follow @CriticalMassVan Re-funding the police? No plan for Vancouver to hire 100 mental health nurses to pair with cops | CTV News Surrey-Langley SkyTrain line on track to open in late 2028, project director tells Surrey council Surrey tax increase proposed to fund RCMP | CityNews Vancouver Justin McElroy on Twitter: “The Vancouver School Board has unanimously approved changing the name of Lord Roberts Elementary. It follows a multi-year campaign by the parent advisory council, who said the name was inappropriate given Roberts’ use of concentration camps during the Boer War.” / Twitter Coquitlam students make emotional plea for Pride event to show they’re ‘not alone’ New-look Chilliwack school board spars over library books and parental rights Cultus Lake, British Columbia – Wikipedia CULTUS LAKE PARK BOARD CULTUS LAKE PARK BOARD INFORMATION

Ian and Matthew react to the results of the 2022 Vancouver municipal election and check in across the environs. 2022 Election unofficial results – chart view 53 Years Ago, Vancouver’s Very Own Fool Turned This City Upside Down | MONTECRISTO