The Olympic Flame is coming to town on Wednesday

The Olympic Flame is coming to town on Wednesday.

There are two options here, one, where are you going to stand to see the Flame and two, which routes are you going to drive to avoid the Flame.

This is the link to The Olympic Torch Relay Interactive Map to see exactly where to go to support North Vancouverites.

A Referendum on the HST. Is It Possible?

The big news today is that Bill Vanderzalm's group has won approval by Elections BC to mount a campaign to hold a referendum on the Harmonized Sales Tax.

I'm not sure how I wound up on the same side of the fence as Willy Woodenshoes, but politics does indeed make strange bedfellows.

Regardless of whether or not you support the HST, doesn't it seem too appealing to add your name to the petitions to endorse and encourage what is likely the single most democratic action to happen in BC in a long time?

I think it's pretty amazing that a group of people could actually force the government to ask permission on such a vital decision, especially since no whisper of it was made until it was a fait accompli.

NorthVancouverPolitics.com: Site Changes Coming in February

We have been mulling it over and looking at various options, and the plan is to update our little blog this month. For most, it will be adjusting to the graphic changes that will make the site look profoundly different that will take some getting used to, while for others it will be how posts and comments are handled that will take a week or two to get familiar with.

All in all, the hope is to update NorthVancouverPolitics.com with new tools that make the posting/commenting experience better, and with any luck, more relevant!

So, as we move into the Olympics, and if we can ignore our day jobs for a day or two, expect to see a new look and feel launched over the next several weeks.

In the meantime, if you have any suggestions we will see what we can do to incorporate them into the new site.

A reminder that February 18th is the 5th anniversary of NorthVancouverPolitics.com and yes, despite the Olympics, we will be scheduling another party to celebrate this local community discussion forum. Details coming soon!

City in line for 3.9% tax increase?

After some procedural wrangling in Council on Monday night, City residents seem to be currently in line for a 3.9% tax increase. The Finance Committee on January 18th voted to request staff develop options for 2%, 2.5%, and 3.0% increases, but when that resolution came back to Council on January 25th it was defeated:

The vote upon the recommendations was taken separately, as follows:

PURSUANT to the report of the Director of Finance, dated January 13, 2010, entitled “2010 Draft Operating Budget”:

THAT Council supports the budget reductions endorsed by the City’s Directors’ Team that are listed in the January 13, 2010 report.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

THAT staff be requested to bring back options for 2%, 2.5% and 3% tax increase rates with impacts to the organization for each.
DEFEATED

THAT there be no parking meters.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(full minutes are here).

Since there is no full Finance Committee meeting -- i.e. one that can pass binding resolutions -- until March 22nd, the 3.9% increase seems at this point to be a fait accomplit. That is, unless Council decides to address the matter again in an upcoming meeting.

Cheeri-O-lympics?

Downtown Vancouver is being shut down one street at a time, the Lower Mainland is awash in green and teale O-advertising, it still refuses to snow at Cypress, and the VANOC/Translink team has pulled every single newspaper box from the Seabus terminals.

Then again the new Seabus is great - although wouldn't it make sense to just build three while they're at it?

While all of the media is in an O-frenzy next month I fear that our elected officials will being doing more than slacking off and enjoying VANOC drinks and finger foods while watching luge and speed skating.

I'm betting on some pretty momentous announcements of the Bad News variety, dropped during the games in the hopes that they'll be more or less lost of all of the O-madness.

And of course I just can't wait til the month after the Games, when the VISA bill shows up in Victoria.

Lack of Accuracy of Posting

I have recently been quoted under "Blue" on this little blog. I did not write this and it has been attributed to me.

I could easily delete this comment, however I won't.

I suppose that there are people out there who are afraid of me, somehow, and I think that as a player in North Vancouver Politics, they basically have shot themselves in the foot.

I am alive and well. I am sure that Barry Forward can prove that I did not comment here.

The entire responsibility and respectability of the blog is on tap.

Police Brutality

So, another case of police brutality has reared its ugly head. These incidents will keep occurring until there is a civilian board to investigate impartially.

Why was Mr. Wu beaten? Was it because he didn't open the door at the command of police at 2 A.M? This does not make sense because anyone could identify themselves as police and demand the door be opened. They should have proven their identity by showing their badges and picture ID.

It seems that police have left conversation out of their MOs. They use force and ask questions later. This is disgraceful.

My late husband was a registered psychologist. He said that many police officers have a "bullying" ideation. That's why they go into the business.

Perhaps we need to have more shrinks address these people before these people kill more innocent Canadian citizens.

Is North Vancouver Competitive?

I was reading Seth Godin's blog this morning on the subject of competition. Seth's a pretty smart guy and I like his ideas on marketing. In running through a number of examples of competition he offered:

There are twenty towns you can choose for your family's new home. One invests in its schools, has a focus on inquiry, AP courses and community, while the others are muddling through, arguing about their future. Which one commands a higher premium for its houses?

That got me thinking about what the North Shore does offer that makes it competitive with say Surrey or Coquitlam, much less Vancouver proper. If "affordable" housing isn't a priority, then what do we offer that allows us to have higher housing prices than those other towns?

A better quality of housing stock? Amenities that are lacking in other cities? Lots of well paying jobs?

I like the mountains and the abundant dog parks, but are those enough for North Vancouver to establish a "brand" that will be desired?

For that matter, what does West Vancouver offer that sets it apart from North Vancouver?