Vancouver’s leading mayoral candidates tackled questions of housing, affordability and what it takes to run a city at a debate on October 17 — the last before the city hits the polls on October 20.
The debate was the third and final instalment in City Votes 2018, a series presented by UBC and CBC that also hosted municipal debates in Kelowna and Surrey earlier this month.
Out of 21 candidates, the debate invited the five frontrunners in Vancouver’s mayoral candidates: independent candidate Kennedy Stewart, Non-Partisan Association’s (NPA) Ken Sim, independent candidate Shauna Sylvester, Hector Bremner of YES! Vancouver and Wai Young of Coalition Vancouver.
The debate was moderated by CBC’s Stephen Quinn, with additional questions from UBC political science professor Gerald Baier and fact-checking by CBC reporter Justin McElroy.
The discussion focused on the issue of housing — the central issue of the election — as more and more Vancouverites and UBC students feel the pressure of the city’s housing market. Candidates fought over issues of affordability, densification and quantifiable targets for housing units.
Sim said the NPA planned to increase the number of basement and secondary suites to meet demand for rental housing from young people, while also benefiting seniors and other longtime homeowners who may be priced out of their homes due to increased taxes.
Bremner, whose housing plan calls for flexible zoning across the city and increased purpose-built rentals, shot back.
“[This is] exploiting future generations,” said Bremner, adding that the NPA’s plan does not give young people a shot at ownership.
Stewart committed to building 85,000 new housing units within 10 years — a strategy criticized by other candidates for being too similar to incumbent municipal party Vision Vancouver’s housing plan.
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Sylvester said her target of a 3 per cent vacancy rate — it is currently 0.9 per cent — and lowering rents to “match 30 per cent of [average] income” would be a better metric to measure progress than number of units built. Sylvester recommended “gentle densification” of the west side to protects tree canopies and neighbourhood character.
While the debate did not contain any UBC-specific questions, the Broadway subway — which UBC is attempting to extend to campus — was one of the biggest points of the night. Baier asked the candidates how the proposed Broadway subway would affect their housing plans.
Young said she would take a “neighbourhood first” approach by consulting with families and businesses in neighbourhoods that could be impacted by the subway.
Sylvester, who along with Bremner committed to pushing for an extension of the subway to UBC, said the expansion of transit presented an opportunity to enable improved rental zoning. It would also facilitate an “innovation center for life sciences and health” in the health precinct between Cambie and Granville.
Sim said the NPA would support a Broadway Subway to Arbutus — but hesitated to commit to an expansion to UBC.
Stewart insisted that such a large infrastructure project needed a “strong voice that knows Ottawa” to bring in federal investment, along with funding from the province and UBC.
Two questions from the audience came from UBC students, both directed at Young.
The first asked what could be done to encourage students to stay in Vancouver after graduation despite the high costs, while the second asked for her thoughts on the housing crisis’ impact on student renters — many of whom live well over an hour of transit from UBC campus.
Young was initially slow to answer. Prompted by the moderator to outline specific strategies, Young repeated her promise to “not sell another inch of city land,” which would eventually be used to “build purpose-built rentals, co-ops, social housing, affordable housing [and] seniors’ housing.”
Young also described her party’s ‘Millennial Plus’ program for young adults, which aims to construct 300-square foot condos — the City of Vancouver classifies them as micro dwelling units — to be sold at a fixed price of $300,000 with a monthly $1,500 mortgage.
While the debate delved into differing numbers and specific targets, most candidates emphasized the importance of people-centred solutions to solve Vancouver’s housing crisis.
“There’s a movement going on across the city,” said Sylvester in closing. “[People] want to engage in the city and come back to the city.
“This matters. Who gets to stay in the city, matters.”
“It’s time for us to select somebody who is really putting people first again, making humans the centre of policy-making ... not buildings. Not politics,” said Bremner.
The full debate is available on CBC Player. Learn more about how to vote here.