British Columbia

Toronto alderman, trustee
to address COPE conference

By BRUCE YORKE

Jack Layton, dynamic NDP alderman
and leader of the reform members of
Toronto city council, and his partner Olivia
Chow, outstanding Toronto school board
representative, will be featured speakers at
next week’s innovative dialogue about Van-
couver’s future — the Community Direc-
tions Conference.

The conference, facilitated by the Com-
mittee of Progressive Electors, will be held
May 25-26 at the Holiday Inn, 711 West
Broadway, and is open to all citizens.

Since 1982 Layton has represented’ the
key downtown Ward 6 in Canada’s biggest
metropolis and his activities have on many

occasions found sympathetic responses
across the country.

Toronto has already experienced the
massive problems that go with the develop-
ers’ drive for maximum profit at the expense
of the environment and the life styles of its
citizens.

In particular, the housing crisis there is
similar to Vancouver's, only larger in scope.

However, the reform forces are strong in
Toronto, and on some occasions are able to
command a majority, despite a mayor
whose policies are a carbon copy of Van-
couver’s ‘developer’ mayor.

In Toronto, as result of the pressure from
citizens, many progressive civic initiatives

‘Image politics’ shown
in gov't housing lobby

By FRED WILSON

Vancouver Mayor Gordon Campbell’s
housing delegation to Ottawa last week was
a theatrical farce, but it provided a case
lesson in the hypocrisy of image politics.

The mayor took two aldermen and six
others representing tenants, co-op groups,
developers and the labour movement on a
24-hour delegation to Ottawa for a 90-
minute, media-staged meeting with federal
Housing Minister Allan Redway.

Campbell called the group a “Vancouver
housing alliance” and he used every media
opportunity to stress that the purpose of the
delegation was to show that “Vancouver is
united” in its demand for a greater federal
role in solving the housing crisis. The
unspoken message from the mayor, how-
ever, is that there is a lot of talk, but no
political action from Vancouver city council
to press its case. ;

The short meeting with the ministers
produced, as expected, no commitments for
any increased federal funding for housing in
Vancouver. Campbell played almost ‘no
role himself and allowed the housing group
activists to place the case for Vancouver’s
needs. However when the ministers informed
the group that he was sympathetic but
without either money or cabinet clout, the
mayor, as leader of the delegation, still had
almost nothing to say, to.the ministers or
the media. :

Later, after the delegation had returned
to Vancouver, Campbell stayed on for a
so-called “big city mayors” meeting where
Redway made his one announcement —
that the federal government will finance a
housing conference in Vancouver next
November, which is also the month in
which the Vancouver civic election takes
place.

Two members of the delegation —
Committee of Progressive Electors alder-
man Libby Davies and Tenants Rights
spokesperson John Shayler — struggled
with the decision to participate in the effort,
knowing in advance that it would be an
expensive and largely ineffectual exercise,
intended to associate Campbell with the
city’s growing movement demanding action
on the housing issue. But after consultations
in the community, both agreed to go to
ensure that their issues were placed accu-
rately, and to provide a reliable report on
the meeting with the ministers.

This week Davies and Shayler confirmed
those fears. “We were props for a public
relations event,” said Davies. “We came
away with nothing, except answers that the
mayor knew in advance.” Shayler called the
delegation, “a long, expensive trip to find
out what we already knéw.”

2 ¢ Pacific Tribune, May 21, 1990

The Vancouver delegation ended up
being manipulated by Campbell and by the
federal government who gave them a lesson
in the “junior minister” political game. Jun-
ior ministers like Redway have the role of
meeting with concerned groups to give the
impression that the government is listening,
although they have almost no role in setting
government priorities.

While most politicians normally stress
their importance, “Redway certainly gave
us the impression that he is a junior minis-
ter,’ notes Shayler. Ths minister was
reduced in the end to urging the delegation
to “lobby cabinet ministers”, and to look
for other sources of funding for affordable
housing.

Even if the minister had authority or
political will to respond, the nature of the
meeting itself guaranteed no results, Shayler
added. The meeting opened with Campbell
introducing each of the delegation members
who then each spoke ona separate aspect of
the housing crisis. Shayler stressed the scope
of the housing crisis, while Davies pressed
the need for special social housing alloca-

tions for megaprojects like the Pacific Place _

and Coal Harbour developments.

Alice Sundberg of the Co-op Housing
Alliance argued that the co-ops can provide
affordable housing efficiently. Vancouver
Labour Council president Doug Evans
used his time to promote the controversial
VLC development company established by
Campbell last year with the support of some
union pension plans. After eight speakers,
Redway had time for a very general
response.

“If we were serious we would have met
with the Finance and Priorities Committee
of cabinet,” Davies says in retrospect, “Or
we could have met with the Vancouver
MPs, particularly the government mem-
bers,” Davies notes that after the delegation
left, Campbell met privately with Finance
Minister Michael Wilson.

Campbell’s. “housing alliance” can be
expected to bea recurring political theme in
the city this election year. The delegation no
doubt scored some points for the mayor
who has appeared beleaguered on the hous-
ing issue, but he will now find that every
strategy has its down side.

By confirming that there will be no fed-
eral action to provide affordable housing,
Campbell has volleyed the ball back into his
own court. Shayler and the housing coali-
tion are ready to press their own points.
“No one is surprised to have the Tory’s
policy confirmed. There is no money there
for us. But it is all the more reason for the
city to act to protect its existing stock, and
on this score the mayor has failed.”

have been initiated, dealing with multicultu-
ral issues, transportatian, social planning
and the environment.

Layton has been in the forefront of these
initiatives and has built a powerful network
of contact with a diverse range of commun-
ity groups.

He has focused his energies on the hous-
ing crisis, daycare, welfare services, cycling
and rapid transit. As chairperson of the
board of health, he has been a leader in the
fight against AIDS and the curtailing of
smoking.

Jack is also a leader in civic peace activi-
ties in Toronto and has played a prominent
role in the renewal of Toronto’s sister city
relations with Volgagrad (Stalingrad).

In 1986 Layton addressed Vancouver's
Centennial Peace Festival. He and Van-
couver Ald. Libby Davies are the key coun-
cillors working to establish a Canada-wide
organization of Nuclear Weapons Free
Municipalities.

Olivia Chow has engaged in most of the
same activities but from a school board
perspective.

Olivia knows the make-up of Vancouv-
er’s multi-cultural neighbourhoods (20 per
cent of Vancouver population), particularly
those of the Chinese, and she will be able to
address their concerns.

It’s not often that Vancouver residents
think of Toronto asa place from which they
can learn. But in this case Vancouverites
will experience an especially stimulating
contribution. I urge all citizens concerned

2

JACK LAYTON, OLIVIA CHOW ...
bringing experiences on environment,
urban democracy.

about the future of Vancouver, to partici-
pate in the Community Directions Confer-
ence.

Bruce Yorke is a former Vancouver alder-
man and an organizer of the Community
Directions Conference.

If you are a person or group who is concerned about
what is happening in your neighbourhood;
If you are a person or group who feels City Government
is no longer concerned about your priorities;
Then here's a conference you can't afford to miss.

COPE INVITES YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN:

Lommunity
Directions —

A THOUGHTFUL DIALOGUE ABOUT OUR FUTURE
FRIDAY May 25, 7-10PmM _
_ SATURDAY May 26, 9am-5PmM
MAIN BALLROOM, HOLIDAY INN, .
711 West BROADWAY

Keynote speaker: Toronto Councillor Jack Layton :
Topic: "A New City Vision’ for the go's”

REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION: COPE 879-1447
#206-33 E. 8TH AvE., VANCOUVER, VST 1R5