Mayor Sullivan Welcomes Purchase of Potential Social Housing Site in Vancouver

Posted inIn the News

Mt. Pleasant acquisition can help achieve Project Civil City objectives

Mayor Sam Sullivan & City Councillors use a custom-built shovel for a groundbreaking for new social housing at 1321 Richards St.

Mayor Sam Sullivan today welcomed a City of Vancouver purchase of land that could result in significant new social housing in Mount Pleasant. This purchase compliments Mayor Sullivan’s participation in a series of important announcements and events today, including:

  • more than $14 million in traffic ticket revenue from the Province of BC to support community police services
  • over $1.1 million for 2010 Legacies Now to develop an accessible tourism strategy in advance of the Olympics
  • groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of Kindred Place — a new 87 unit social housing development on Richards Street

Sprawl is our ‘inconvenient truth’

Posted inIn the News

Increasing densities do not have to compromise livability. Look at Vancouver

The Globe and Mail
Byline: Jack Diamond
The two biggest factors determining our personal greenhouse- gas profiles are where we live, and how we move around. The latest census figures reveal growth in periphery municipalities at three times the rate of central cities. The nature of this development, with its heavy automobile dependence, is changing our global atmosphere.
Ontario’s contribution to this problem is visible in sprawling residential developments at the urban fringe, interspersed by commercial centres surrounded by parking lots, all connected by a vast, congested road network. Road-based transportation is Ontario’s largest, most rapidly growing source of greenhouse gases. Sprawl is driving this growth.

Mayor Sullivan welcomes former BC Attorney General Geoff Plant as Vancouver’s Civil City Commissioner

Mayor Sullivan welcomes former BC Attorney General Geoff Plant as Vancouver’s Civil City Commissioner

Posted inIn the News

Appointment delivers on City Council resolution

Mayor Sam Sullivan today welcomed the appointment of former British Columbia Attorney General Geoff Plant, Q.C. as Vancouver’s Civil City Commissioner. The appointment – confirmed yesterday by Vancouver’s City Manager – delivers on an important City Council decision regarding the implementation of Project Civil City.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to use the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a catalyst to solve the public disorder problems that affect our city,” said Mayor Sullivan. “On behalf of the City of Vancouver, I want to thank Mr. Plant for his commitment to help make the most of that opportunity.”

Mayor Sullivan Marks National Day Against Homophobia

Posted inIn the News

National Day Against Homophobia ProclamationVancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan confirmed the City of Vancouver will formally mark Thursday, May 17, 2007 as a National Day Against Homophobia. Mayor Sullivan made that proclamation in the Vancouver City Council Chamber during Tuesday’s regular Council meeting.
“While we are celebrating success today, we also know there is still more work to do regarding acceptance for lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual people,” said Mayor Sullivan. “There are challenges to making Vancouver a more civil city but I know we can face them together.”

Mayor and Councillors Support Vancouver Transportation & Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Posted inIn the News

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and Councillors today confirmed their support for a variety of local transportation and pedestrian safety measures proposed for City Council. The City of Vancouver will invest more than $3.5 million in various upgrades to traffic signals, bike lanes and pedestrian corridors.

“Being a world leader in environmental practices and sustainable transportation is one of the five goals we have established for Vancouver,” said Mayor Sullivan. “In addition to addressing this important goal, these infrastructure investments will improve road safety and make Vancouver an even more attractive place to work and live.”

Visitors eye Vancouver’s density plan

Posted inIn the News

ATLANTA: Delegation here to learn from city

By Elaine O’Connor
Vancouver Province
Vancouver’s EcoDensity initiative is attracting admirers from abroad — 115 U.S. politicians and planners from Georgia, to be exact.
A delegation from Atlanta is in Vancouver this week to learn how to cope with a boom in their city by following our example.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said she chose to study Vancouver because of the city’s international reputation for city planning.

Mayor Sullivan challenges Anaheim Mayor to friendly wager on Western Conference Semifinal Series

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Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan announced a friendly challenge to Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle as the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Mighty Ducks face off tonight in Game 1 of the of the NHL Western Conference semifinals.

If Vancouver wins the semifinals and advances to the next round, Mayor Pringle has agreed to wear a Canucks hockey jersey at the next televised meeting of Anaheim city council, and to proudly fly the Canuck team flag at Anaheim City Hall. In the unlikely event that Anaheim wins, Mayor Sullivan will do the same with the Anaheim jersey and flag.

Shift in tax burden should be a wakeup call for homeowners

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Source: Vancouver Sun
Section: Editorial Page
Vancouver city council took a tiny step in the right direction last week when it began the long overdue process of rebalancing the tax burden borne by businesses and residents. The shift of roughly $10 million of tax liability from business owners to homeowners means a commercial enterprise will pay at a rate 5.63 times higher than the residential rate, down from 6.15 times higher. There’s a long way to go before Vancouver’s tax rate differential is comparable to the average of 3.9 times higher in other Lower Mainland municipalities, but it still took political courage to do the right thing.