 | Friday, May 28, 2021
Reading this online? Sign up to get this delivered to your inbox every Friday. | | Populist, slow growth candidates had success last election in Metro Vancouver — and could again | | |  | | | He successfully campaigned against rapid transit coming into West Vancouver. Now, he wants to campaign to become the city’s mayor.
“The direction of West Vancouver is going the wrong way,” said Nigel Malkin, who recently put up a website announcing his intention to run for mayor, with the words “Representing the Silent Majority” in large letters near the top of the page.
For those less versed in West Vancouver politics, Malkin originally led a group called Stop The Road Closures, which formed to oppose a North Shore B-Line that was slated to go from the Second Narrows Bridge through to Dundarave.
Instead, it stops just past the West Vancouver border at Park Royal, after a concerted campaign by Malkin’s group convinced a majority of council not to approve the necessary road changes to Marine Drive.The group then morphed into West Vancouver Community Stakeholders, which has since tried to convince council to vote against a wide range of developments, with mixed success.
“We need to have a change in mayor,” said Malkin, who criticized the city’s property tax increases, development proposals and a potential new arts centre in a wide ranging conversation and said he was looking to form a slate with like-minded council candidates.
There’s no love lost between Malkin and Mayor Mary-Ann Booth (who is expected to run again), along with a couple of other councillors who generally vote with her. At its height, the level of vitriolic online allegations towards them was higher than any city hall in the region outside Vancouver, and it could certainly turn people off.
But people who would write Malkin off do so at their peril. It was around this time four years ago that a group formed in White Rock with the same priorities. Today, Democracy Direct White Rock is in control of city hall.
Malkin’s announcement could well be a precursor to other populist, slow growth people running for office in the months ahead. At the same time, loud groups on social media are often certain they truly represent the people, and Malkin’s “silent majority” rhetoric certainly underlies that.
Elections are a clarifying way of determining whether they were right — or just talking in their own bubble. | | |  | | | 1. Port Moody | A month ago, we mentioned Port Moody council’s increasing inability to work together and today we bring an update. Last Tuesday, council was considering a rezoning for a proposed six-storey building on a major arterial road.
With one councillor who often serves as a swing vote absent (and who previously voiced support for the project), council fought for an hour about a series of amendments to the development, which failed on 3-3 tie votes, before the three councillors generally in favour of the proposal and opposed to Mayor Rob Vagramov left the meeting, removing the quorum and the ability to move forward. After some time, the mayor adjourned the meeting, saying “Hopefully, we’ll have a meeting where folks show up for work next time.”
Port Moody!
| | | | |  | | | 2. Vancouver | The biggest council in the region also has plenty of contentious motions, but they generally find a way to vote — even when the vote is a no. Case in point, the possibility of allowing 12 storey buildings in some areas of the city without a public hearing — provided they were designated as social housing developments — failed, with part of the opposition rooted in the city's defition of social housing.
Read more | | | |  | | | 3. Richmond | It’s byelection time in B.C’s fourth largest city! The vote to replace NDP MLA Kelly Greene on council takes place Saturday, and while there are 10 candidates, most support seems to have coalesced around Andy Hobbs (endorsed by Mayor Malcolm Brodie and the more conservative councillors) or Karina Reid (endorsed by the local NDP MLAs and the more populist councillors).
Read more in the Richmond News | | | | | |  | | | 5. Squamish | After many months of debate, Squamish voted 5-2 for new bylaws that put restrictions on sleeping in vans, long a part of the region’s culture. The city says its intent is to target recreational vehicles which spread waste, not people without permanent housing, but you can imagine a lot of people on both sides will be watching the effects this summer.
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