Highlights of the One City Platform
Source: http://www.onecityvancouver.ca
Neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods have lost trust in City Hall. People are frustrated. Thoughtful and engaged citizens take part in consultations and public hearings in good faith only to find that decisions are predetermined. Relentless condo development erodes the affordability, character, and cultural landscapes of our diverse neighbourhoods. But City Hall is not listening. We need City Hall to respect the local knowledge and concerns of residents and neighbourhoods.
Housing
Affordable housing must not exceed 30% of household income. Middle- and low-income households, especially families, still struggle to find decent affordable housing.
We must prioritize developments where public benefit and use are more important than developers’ profits. Strategically using and strengthening development and land-use tools will help us protect and develop affordable rental housing. Innovative approaches of affordable housing development must be used.
A vibrant and inclusive city requires affordable housing for middle- and low-income residents. OneCity is committed to working across neighbourhoods and communities to develop solutions to the affordable housing crisis.
The OneCity team and its City Council candidate, RJ Aquino, are calling for a 20 Over 5 Housing policy to combat the out-of-control costs of living, working and raising a family in Vancouver. Aquino and OneCity say that 20 per cent of the living spaces in all new developments over five units, right across the city, must be be reserved for low- and middle-income people.
The OneCity team and City Council candidate RJ Aquino say we need to curb rampant speculation in Vancouver with a Flipping Levy. OneCity’s proposed Flipping Levy will be 50 per cent of speculative profit in year one; 35 per cent in years two and three; and 20 per cent in years four and five.
The City needs to actively enforce the Building Maintenance and Safety Bylaw to protect renters from poorly maintained buildings, especially single room occupancy hotels (SROs) that are being neglected despite past commitments and promises.
We need to strengthen the Single Room Accommodations bylaw to stop developers who are converting existing single-room accommodations into condos, sitting on empty dwellings, or worse, demolishing them and shipping the waste to landfills.
Child care
Child care costs are among the highest in Canada, forcing families out of the city. Public school enrolments decline as families are driven to the suburbs, fuelling unnecessary and unsustainable suburban growth. Vancouver’s neighbourhoods are vibrant because of families and children. It is time to make the $10/Day Child Care Plan a reality in Vancouver.
Economy
Development policies are eroding affordable retail spaces and skyrocketing rents are threatening local businesses as well as the artistic and cultural sectors.
It is time to collaborate with labour unions, local organizations, businesses, and working people to develop innovative economic development strategies to support the local economy, strengthen our neighbourhoods, and create living wage jobs.