DNV council unanimous in support of OCP

I sat in on last Monday's regular council meeting to hear what DNV council had to say about item 8.2 OCP Bylaw 7900, 2011 - Consideration of third reading.

It came as little surprise that council was unanimous on approving the OCP except for some slight considerations. They all praised the efforts of staff, OCP round table members, and the public for their participation in the process of the last two years.

Counc Doug MacKay-Dunn singled himself out somewhat by calling for a "blue-ribbon committee" on the 'A word' ( Amalgamation) and I sensed other council members sat uneasily through that part of his speech. Do I also sense a MacKay-Dunn November election platform?

Counc. Nixon called for a committee to monitor the goals of the OCP.

Most councillors touched on the 5000 members of the the public who attended the OCP process and concurred on this figure save for a lack of young families involved even though some speakers at the public hearing the previous week expressed concern it was really more like 1500-2000 public participants.

I felt better about agenda item 3.2 Day of the Honey Bee - May 29th, 2011

Council could adopt the OCP document as soon as June 27th with Metro Vancouver Approval.

Senate Reform Bad for BC Bad for North Vancouver

Reformers held that the regions needed more say and an "equal" “effective” and “elected” senate was the best way of achieving a balance between population centers in Eastern Canada and the rest of us. However, such a conception, and for that matter an "effective" version of the current senate, does not stand up to scrutiny. The problem is fivefold.

First such an argument rests on a false contrast; seats in the House of Commons are supposed to be assigned on basis of population, but that is not the case. Consider the 905. There are currently 4 plus million living in the 905 and there are currently 32 seats for an average of just over 127,000 people per riding. There are 6 ridings with over a 140,000 people in the 905, Bramalea - Gore - Malton (152,698) Brampton West (170,422) Halton (151,943), Mississauga - Erindale (143,361) Oak Ridges - Markham (169,642) and Vaughan (154,206). By contrast there are 4.5 million people in Sask, Man, NWT, Nuv, Yuk, PEI, NS, NFLD, and NB and there are 62 seats for an average of 72,000 people per riding. Moreover, there is but one riding in the 9, Selkirk Interlake (90,807), with over 90,000 people.

Second, the people living in Canada’s less populated provinces have a mechanism to assure that regional concerns are addressed; it is called provincial jurisdiction and provincial representation. By the very nature of living in a province with a small population, the 135,851 people in PEI have plenty of ways of addressing regional concerns that are not available to, for example, the 136 470 people living in Mississauga - Brampton South.

The third reason is a province is no more or less than the people that make up that province. Giving the 135,851 in PEI the power to determine everything under provincial jurisdiction, provincial representation and 4 MPs well all the while giving the 170, 422 residents of Brampton West one MP is bad enough as it is. Having one "effective" Senator for every 72,997 New Brunswick residents (10 senators in total) versus one Senator for every 685, 581 BC residents (6 senators in total) is just piling on.

Four, as Benjamin Franklin put it, having two equally matched houses makes as much sense as tying two equally matched horses to either end of a buggy and having them both pull. Having two houses is a recipe for political gridlock and pork barrel politics.

Five, leaving aside the fact that no province has a second chamber, most having abolished them long ago, and that there are numerous examples of unicameral nation states (e.g., New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, South Korea and Portugal), we already have a de facto unicameral state as it is -- just ask the supporters of a Triple E senate. After all, one can not argue on the one hand that the current senate is undemocratic and so contributes to the "democratic deficit" and on the other hand argue that the senate is “ineffective”. A body that adds nothing to the genuinely "effective" process can not take away anything either.

North Vancouver MLA defends HST cut

The following is a portion of a North Shore News article by Tessa Holloway, May 26, 2011. For full article please use the link provided.

...'The changes are a last-ditch effort to sway public opinion ahead of the HST referendum, and, according to North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite, also an acknowledgement the tax added “unforeseen extra costs” for families by shifting the tax burden from business to consumers.

“That’s why it was a rebalancing of the priorities,” she said when asked about the tax shift back to business. “With the premier coming in and wanting to make sure everything we do benefits families . . . obviously she wanted to intervene and fix it.”...

Read more: http://www.nsnews.com/news/North+Vancouver+defends/4845404/story.html#ixzz1NZNaIst6

Historic DNV OCP Vote Monday, May 16th 5 PM

As you may or may not be aware, on May 16th it is planned that Council will vote to close further debate on replacing the OCP. When this vote happens, it will be an historic one for all residents in the DNV. Council's stated intent is to replace an outdated OCP (and notably its troublesome "low density" and "low growth" undertakings as embedded in our Local Area Plans). In their view, Council and DNV staff would replace our existing OCP with one that is "more flexible" and which provides "guidelines" rather than actually controls DNV development.

Specifically, on the planned May 16th vote,
"Recommendation: THAT the May 16, 2011 Public Hearing be Closed ... " see http://www.dnv.org/upload/documents/Council_PH/110516PHAGN.htm

... and for the May 16th "Meeting Agenda and Reports" ... see http://www.dnv.org/upload/documents/Council_PH/110516PH.pdf

One of the new OCP's " ... stated intents is to identify 10,000 new housing units, equalling an additional 20,000 residents ... The plan lists Lynn Valley (2500 new units), Lower Lynn (3000 new units), Capilano/Marine (2000 new units) and Maplewood (1500 new units) as the primary growth areas ..." see: http://www.nsnews.com/business/District+North+Vancouver+seeks+input/4409561/story.html#ixzz1LtwCgoP7 (North Shore News, March 9, 2011 ... and "DNV Identity 2030" document for "new unit counts"). Interestingly, the DNV website lists our total population as 82,562 people, so the plan is for a 25% increase. Is such an increase truly what DNV residents and voters want? What they deserve? Is this a realistic plan?


Apparently, the new OCP's "new unit" counts are in addition to developments that have already been approved, and will happen regardless of future single- and multi-family development on the Tsleil-Waututh Nation lands (the present large and growing Ravenwoods Development) and Squamish Nation lands (new development).

It is my view that the 'new' OCP ignores the "new" infrastructure needed to support the planned density increases, much of which will very significantly affect the already over-taxed northern-end of the 2nd Narrows Bridge, which is controlled by the BC Highways Department and not the DNV. (i.e. most of the OCP's 20,000 new residents, plus another 1400 for the already-approved Fern Street development, plus whatever additional residents are added at the Tsleil-Waututh Nation's Ravenwoods development) And what about increased public transit, which is controlled by Metro Transit? And added hospital beds, which are controlled by the Health Authority? And what about added Community Centres, which finally is something we (DNV) pay for directly? If the DNV hasn't planned properly for the added infrastructure required, how can any added density be claimed to be "sustainable growth"? Who pays, well-planned or not? ... you and I do in our taxes - provincial and municipal - and with a diminshed quality of life. I also believe that adding density to accommodate 20,000added residents will do nothing to make housing more affordable on the North Shore. Housing prices are regional, and nothing that is presently being done anywhere in the Lower Mainland can turn the tide of ever-higher real estate prices against the 50,000 to 60,000 new residents every year who are calling Metro Vancouver home.

Regardless of your opinion on whether this Council should change our OCP as they plan, BRING A FRIEND AND ATTEND THE MEETING. This apparently will be the last chance for our voices to be heard in the OCP debate.

Please, plan on attending the Council meeting 5:00 pm May 16th at Council offices, 355 West Queens Road.

Written by Anonymous

Saxton takes close to half of North Vancouver vote

By Jeremy Shepherd, North Shore News May 3, 2011

Saxton won the riding with 28,998 votes, taking almost 49 per cent of the total.
Saxton defeated Liberal challenger Taleeb Noormohamed, who finished with 17,665 votes. NDP candidate Michael Charrois finished in third place with 9,618 votes.
All numbers are unofficial until certified by Elections Canada. Asked what Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s first majority government will mean for him, Saxton replied: “It means that maybe I’ll start looking for an apartment in Ottawa.”
Saxton attributed the Conservative victory to Harper’s leadership during what Saxton called, “The great recession.” Saxton thanked the three levels of government in North Vancouver for working together through different political affiliations to support infrastructure in the riding. Shaking hands under a black and blue sky, Saxton said he looked forward to working with the new official Opposition led by NDP leader Jack Layton. “I work out with him in the same gym in Ottawa and I can tell you he’s a feisty guy, and he’ll keep us on our toes.” Asked if he slept the night before the election, Saxton said: “I did sleep last night, but I may not sleep tonight,” before offering to buy a drink for all his supporters and campaign workers.

Taleeb Noormohamed, holding court in a noticeably more sombre campaign office just up the street, attributed his loss to the division among moderates and left-wing voters. “If progressive-minded folks had rallied together, we would’ve taken this riding by a large number,” he said. Asked about the future of Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, Noormohamed said the party needs to go in another direction. “It comes down to connecting with Canadians,” he said. “It’s pretty clear the party needs to revitalize itself.” Noormohamed, who had just congratulated Saxton on winning after a “clean campaign,” said Saxton’s first priority should be freeing the North Vancouver man who’s been in a jail in Mexico without trial for three years. “I think job 1 is to get Pavel Kulisek home,” he said.

NDP candidate Michael Charrois had a one-word summation of his party’s performance in becoming the official Opposition: “Wow.” “We’ve increased 100 per cent,” he said.
Asked about the drop in support for the Liberal party, Charrois said Ignatieff was unable to rise above the image Conservatives painted of the party leader. “Harper framed Ignatieff, and he couldn’t get out of the frame,” he said. Asked about acrimony on the campaign trail, Charrois said he’s learned to take things in stride. “Take a breath, it’s not personal.” Despite the loss, Charrois said his campaign isn’t over. “It’s not over till we clean up. Just like camping, leave no trace,” he said, referring to campaign signs and posters.

Despite finishing with just five per cent of the riding’s votes, Green Party candidate Greg Dowman was jubilant following the election. “We made it,” he said, discussing Green Party leader Elizabeth May’s victory in the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding. “It was the dedication of Elizabeth and her crew, and they just pounded it,” he said. Dowman attributed May’s victory to an increasing number of voters looking for leadership on environmental issues like climate change. Dowman said he hoped for a greater sense of accountability in government and greater decorum in Parliament, which he said had been characterized by “childish” behaviour. “These guys are throwing mud pies at each other,” he said.Dowman said he was optimistic for his chances in the next election. “Given an improvement in the machinery, we can do even better next time.”


jshepherd@nsnews.com

© Copyright (c) North Shore News