Here they are: your new Mayor & City Councillors, in chambers and ready to get to work

• Colleen Hardwick was mute throughout the entirety of the morning of the first Council meeting. In meetings such as this, Councillors most often feel compelled to weigh in on issues that come before Council — but, as we say, Ms. Hardwick remained mute the entire morning;

• When Council broke for lunch, just outside of Council chambers, Colleen (we’ve been friends, so we’re going to refer her by her Christian name) greeted us warmly and in a friendly manner, for the first time in months. We were both bowled over, and grateful. Then Councillor Hardwick proceeded to initiate a scrum with reporters in the third floor foyer, where she blasted her Council mates. More on this in a moment;
• On the second morning, Christine Boyle moved a motion that would ensure that all of Vancouver’s 23 neighbourhoods would be participant in a “building out” of affordable housing. Pete Fry, in support of Ms. Boyle’s motion, suggested an amendment that would include the words spatial justice, a term with which the distaff Councillor was obviously unfamiliar, as she rejected the suggested amendment by her colleague outright;
• Later on that second day, Ms. Boyle suggested a supportive amendment to the wording of a motion placed before Council on 58 West Hastings. Christine Boyle’s suggested amendment was entirely supportive of the intent of Jean Swanson’s motion, but Ms. Swanson swatted away Ms. Boyle’s suggested amendment, as if it was the most irksome thing she’d heard at Council that day, or on any other day of her life;
• Sarah Kirby-Yung, as may well be expected, emerged as the most articulate, well-reasoned Councillor, and contrary to her usual habit of speaking just a tad too quickly, around the Council table she spoke more slowly, injecting both a gravitas and authority that was quite something to witness (may we say, “Good on you, Sarah!” — note should be made that Ms. Kirby-Yung is pretty much the only Councillor that can stand to be around us, although the rest of the Councillors make a game effort to be kind to this old, if voluble, gentleman);
• In the zen sweepstakes, Mayor Kennedy Stewart — who we have to say just knocked our socks off, friendly, reasonable, articulate, bright, and zen to a degree that is took more than a year for Gregor Robertson to develop (which he did, very much to his credit) in the Chair, and around the Council table the next couple of days — would seem to have competition from Rebecca Bligh. Now, as we’ve written previously, we were admiring of Ms. Bligh the first time we met her, as the most authentic and socially skilled person with whom we’d come into contact in years (there is greatness in this woman).

  Now, as anyone who knows us soon realizes, VanRamblings is bereft of even a hint of social skills (alas) — we tend to greatly admire those possessed of skills of which VanRamblings is completely incapable (another example: we will never be as articulate, well-spoken or as superb a writer as Pete Fry — it just is, and we’re grateful that his voice will be heard in Vancouver’s, and British Columbia’s, civic affairs) — the fact that Ms. Bligh also brings a zen approach to matters before Council, as well as a fine intellect, an ability to listen & peer into your soul, and a well-developed social conscience … just colour us mightily impressed!;

• Back to Colleen Hardwick for a moment. VanRamblings officially calls for a truce between Ms. Hardwick and VanRamblings. Here’s what we figure about Colleen Hardwick on Council: Ms. Hardwick does not suffer fools gladly (those not agreeing with her fall into the category of ‘fools’). Ms. Hardwick was elected because she is outspoken — we believe that’s what those who supported her and voted for her expect, that she’ll speak her mind, and although she may be viewed as being impolitic from time to time, clearly Colleen believes there’s work to be done, and has every intention of lighting a fire under Council to get moving on her agenda, for which she expects Council’s co-operation. Council’s unanimous support for her call for development of a City Plan must be seen as a win for Councillor Hardwick — even if her motion calling for the revocation of duplexes as a housing type would seem destined for defeat (the motion was referred to staff — a general sign of death for a motion as originally drafted). Colleen Hardwick will be just fine on Council. As we say: truce;
• For us, the most heartening development on Council is the well-deserved respect that Lisa Dominato is being afforded by her Council mates, something that we thought was unforgivably missing during her brief tenure on School Board. We continue to believe that Ms. Dominato is, and will be seen to be, a powerhouse on Council. We will live to our dying day regretting not endorsing her candidacy for Council — one cannot ask for forgiveness for the unforgivable, though, so we’ll simply be tremendously supportive of Councillor Dominato going forward, in all she does (reserving the right, of course, to be critical — as would be the case with her fellow Councillors — from time to time — but, respectfully);
• We’ve already elucidated how we feel about Councillor Pete Fry — our enthusiasm for the work Pete will take on at Council is boundless, our good will for Councillor Fry unrelenting.

  And, oh yes, Councillor Fry missed a portion of the meeting last week: Pete was off doing work with the Union of B.C. Municipalities, to which body he is Council’s delegate. And, oh yes, part deux, Councillor Bligh missed a bit of Thursday’s Council tête-à-tête, as she was back east as Council’s delegate to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities;

• We have to say, we feel pretty much the same thing about Councillor Michael Wiebe, who each hour and each day moves from strength to strength to strength. Michael’s potential to do good is … limitless;
• Councillor Melissa De Genova — long one of our favourite electeds, for the record — moved the motion to refer Jean Swanson’s 58 West Hastings motion to staff, but while doing so and in her capacity as City Hall Budget Director stated her full and unwavering support for Councillor Swanson’s motion — although Ms. Swanson may not get the 130 units of income assistance level supportive housing she and others have so long fought for, we’re willing to bet that Council will achieve something pretty darn close to that, finally moving on a project that Vision Vancouver had kept in abeyance for seven years;

• Adriane Carr: democrat.
  The voice of the people. Honestly, does anything more have to be said about Vancouver’s favourite City Councillor? Nope. Continue your good work, Councillor Carr.

And, finally, on the other good news front: Councillors Pete Fry and Christine Boyle’s motion to establish a Renter’s Office at City Hall (more on this another time) passed with flying colours, which is to say, unanimously — which is good for all of us, and most particularly, renters.
When most of the rest of the world seems to be falling apart, we here in Vancouver and in British Columbia, seem to be doing just fine — for which the voters and the citizens of our city and of our province, and the members of our new City Council and our new and glorious and humane NDP government, deserve our undying gratitude.
As Mike Howell writes … the next Council meeting, December 4th.

Raymond Tomlin

Raymond Tomlin is a veteran journalist and educator who has written frequently on the political realm — municipal, provincial and federal — as well as on cinema, mainstream popular culture, the arts, and technology.

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