Which Parks Board candidate will you choose?

COPE?  Vision Vancouver?  Green Party?  NPA?  Independent?
How about one of each, then your next favorite!

Stuart Mackinnon, Green Party candidate and paddler on the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, answers a question about accessibility to parks, and speaks to the audience.  – photo Todd Wong

The candidates for Vancouver Parks Board have been making the rounds visiting Community Centres, and other all-candidates debates.  On Monday night, they were at Killarney Community Centre.  On Tuesday night, they were at Kerrisdale Community Centre.

Christopher Richardson (NPA) listens to Loretta Woodcock (COPE) address an issue. – photo Todd Wong

The evening opened with each candidate having a few short minutes to introduce themselves.  Aaron Jasper and Raj Hundal represented the Vision Vancouver Party.  Incumbent Loretta Woodcock and former parks commissioner Anita Romaniuk represented COPE.  NPA were represented by Laura McDiarmid, Marty Zlotnik, Sharon Urton, Christopher Richardson, Ian Robertson, Melissa De Genova. 

NPA has the oldest and youngest candidates for Parks with incumbent Marty Zlotnik, and first time candidate Melissa De Genova – photo Todd Wong

Stuart Mackinnon is the only Green Party candidate in the 2008 Vancouver civic election.  Ivan Doumenc of the Work Less Party, as well as independents Jamie Lee Hamilton, Thomas Lockhart and Richard Mayencourt.

I've known Thomas Lockhart for a few years, since I first met him at a Kilts Night event. – photo Todd Wong

It was a busy night, I arrived just before 8pm, on a night when many people were more interested in the U.S. Presidential election results. 

There were about 50 to 60 people attending, and I could count 6 active dragon boaters in the room + 3 of the candidates that I had tried to recruit for our team.

With 15 candidates attending, the moderator did a good job of spreading out the answers from the candidates as she tried ensure that that everybody got a chance to address the issues.

If you wanted to ask a question, you had to write it down and hand it to a handler – where it was inspected for suitability.

My question was:

It was the most popular question of the evening for the candidates as many of them wanted to answer it.  Raj Hundal gave an example of how the Roundhouse had recently celebrated the Diwali Festival, and how important it is for ethnic communities to become involved with the community centres.

Aaron Jasper answers a question while Raj Hundal looks on.

Two of the more emotional highlights of the evening were 1) a question about the Hollow Tree, and 2) a question about limiting transportation use in Stanley Park.

Stuart Mackinnon gave a very good example of how many factors all play roles in transportation issues.  He cited that one of the tour operators has given tours to the special needs teens that he teaches at Killarney Secondary School, as a way to “give back to the community.”  There are many factors, and Mackinnon emphasized that stake holders must be included in the process.

My question that did not get asked was deemed “beyond jurisdiction” and a “labour issue.”  I had wanted to ask that “given the long civic strike last year, how would each of the candidates and their party work to avoid or address the loss of important services such as community centres, pools, ice rinks and libraries to our citizens.

It's unfortunate that the question could not be asked, because it was terribly painful to see our parks grow steadily neglected and the trees dry out because of the protracted civic strikes caused by the inability of the GVRD labour relations bureau to negotiate fairly and reasonably, as they consistently walked away from talks with each of the three civic unions.  It was a shame that only a few weeks after schools let out for summer that the swimming pools were closed, and that all the summer community programs were closed, leaving children and their parents to find alternatives if possible. 

I had followed the library strike carefully, since I was a Vancouver library employee forced onto the picket line, because the GVRD labour relations bureau wasn't going to deal with our small CUPE 391 local, until it had completed its priority with the two larger CUPE 15 and CUPE 1004 (city inside and outside workers) first.

The protracted civic strike was a lose-lose-lose scenario. The citizens lost.  The workers lost, and the NPA dominated city council and mayor looked like bullies.  All the municipalities surrounding Vancouver were able to settle with their workers leaving Vancouver the only city forced into an unnecessary strike.  For this coming election, it will be important to elect progressive parks board commissioners and city councilors who will look for solutions instead of confrontation. 

Two weeks into the strike last year, it was Vision councilor Raymond Louie who called for mediation – which was rejected by NPA councilors.  Three months later, the strikes are solved by mediation – almost 90 days later.  For these reasons, I am supporting the COPE / Vision / Green candidates for the Vancouver civic election + the fact that I think they are accomplished individuals, and wonderful people.

Vancouver Parks Board candidate Stuart Mackinnon blends multiculturalism with Green Party environmental issues.

Stuart Mackinnon is active.  He speaks out on issues. He attends Parks board meetings. He has been a thorn in the NPA side, to make sure they follow proper democratic process.

The first time I met Stuart, it was through his blog Better Parks. 
He was writing about naming the proposed “Selkirk Park” at 72nd St. 
Whether it became Obasan Park or David Suzuki Park, Stuart wanted and
helped to make it more of a democratic process.  Stuart has fought against the privatizing of parks, such as against the imposition of high priced restaurants at Kitsilano Beach and English Bay.

Stuart is a teacher at Killarney Secondary School.  He teaches special needs.  He
was vice-president of his Vancouver Teachers Federation Local 392.1, of the BCTF.  Stuart is
amazing.  Last year he took a group of teachers to China, where he delivered a key note talk about Norman Bethune as an organizer for the “Follow Dr. Norman Bethune to China Committee.”

Stuart Mackinnon with COPE school board candidate Bill Bargeman.  Stuart was vice-president with Bill's presidency for Vancouver Teachers' Federation local 39.2 BCTF – photo Todd Wong

Stuart
is passionate about what he believes in.  He joined our dragon boat
team last year, loved the intercultural process and the fitness
opportunities it presented – then almost immediately asked how to
create a junior dragon boat team for Killarney high school students,
then guided them to a silver medal in their first year of competition. 
That's Stuart – a man of action, while thinking how to be a team
builder, and ensure that every person is included and feels empowered. 

And along the way, he realized more the importance of Vancouver's False
Creek's waterways and parks as important to our recreational
activities.  And he saw first hand the pollution that threatened this
important recreational jewel, when unacceptable “accidents dumped raw
sewage into False Creek”.  Stuart Mackinnon thinks big picture.  Stuart
Mackinnon thinks long range.  Stuart Mackinnon thinks community and
environment first.

Stuart
is Scottish – of Scottish descent.  I am of Chinese descent.   
Vancouver has a large Chinese population.  Vancouver has a large
multicultural population.  He participates actively on our Gung Haggis
Fat Choy dragon boat team.  He understands multiculturalism. This is
what we need for our city and for our community centres.  Stuart is president of the Canada China Education Association

Stuart Mackinnon with Charlie Wu of the Taiwanese Cultural Festival (Stuart LOVES the Taiwanese dragon boats), and City Councilor Raymond Louie and son – photo Todd Wong

It's
important to have a Green candidate on the slate.  It's important to
have a diversity of ideas – and especially to represent our
environment.  Our environment isn't just about trees and grass, it is
also about our culture and our history.  I believe that Stuart
Mackinnon will be honorable in supporting these values.  Stuart genuinely cares about our environment and is a past president of  SPEC (the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation) and past chair for Vancouver Green Party.

During the Vancouve civic strike,
Stuart supported CUPE 15, 1004 and 391 and our issues.  He knows the
importance that hard working and loyal city workers can make.  He knows
that we put our hearts and souls into the pride of our jobs.  Stuart
Mackinnon will listen.  He will be inclusive,  He will be supportive of
city workers, but more important, he will be empowering.  I believe in Stuart.  He will be honourable.

Stuart with Constance Barnes (Vision Parks board candidate) and Andrea Reimer (Vision city council candidate) sitting: Julie, Marion and Todd Wong from the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team – photo T.Wong 

Check out Stuart Mackinnon's website: www.betterparks.ca

Vision Vancouver shows off it's connections with Vancouver's cultural diversity: Sikh, Taiwanese, First Nations, Chinese pioneers, and even Scottish!

CUPE 391 Vancouver Library Workers attended the Vision Vancouver Floata Dinner on Thursday evening.  (standing)  Paul Faoro CUPE 15 President, Todd Wong CUPE 391, Kashmir Dhaliwal Vision Council candidate, Aaron Jasper Vision Parks Board candidate, Mark Whittam CUPE 391, (sitting) Alex Youngberg CUPE 391 President, and Inder Pannu CUPE 391 Vice-President – photo Todd Wong

As a Vancouver city library worker, I see so much of Vancouver's multicultural population.  We have books in many different languages, and many patrons who borrow books in Chinese, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Spanish and Russian.  We have many different ethnicities in our work force.  It is important for Vancouver's City Council, Parks Board and School Board to reflect and understand the cultural and ethnic diversity that it represents.

It was an incredibly diverse display of Vancouver's cultural diversity attending Vision Vancouver's fundraising dinner at Floata Restaurant on Oct 23, Thursday.  There were new immigrants.  There were multi-generational Vancouverities.  There were First Nations, Sikh, Taiwanese, and Chinese community tables.  There were even COPE and Greens all attending.  It was a wonderfully inclusive example of community.

For the first time, Vancouver may have a First Nations representative on School Board, and an Afro-Canadian on Parks Board – if Ken Clements and Constance Barnes are elected.  City council could have three Chinese-Canadians and a Sikh-Canadian all at the same time, along with the requiste Scottish-Canadian – if Raymond Louie, George Chow, Kerry Jang, Kashmir Dhaliwal, Heather Deal and Gregor Robertson are elected.  Oh – you didn't know that Deal and Robertson were Scottish? They both wore their family tartans to the 2008 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner this year.  Did you know that the first mayor of Vancouver, Malcolm Alexander Maclean was Scottish? Maclean was born in Tyree, Argyllshire
on Scotland’s west coast. Deal was born England and raised in Michigan, while Robertson was born in Vancouver.

Add to the mix Alvin Singh and Allan Wong for School Board, and Raj Hundal for Parks Board, and the Vision / COPE / Green slate has 8 members of visible minority ethnicity. 

Okay, we can say that “race” shouldn't matter.  But it does matter in many different ways.  We are who we are because of our personal experiences.  If we have experienced racism, or ethnic diversity – it can enhance our outlook in life.  But we can't all be the same, or have the same experiences – this is why for any working group, it is important to have a range of skills, talents, and viewpoints.  Ethnic or cultural experience can be one of these factors.  And for a multi-cultural city like Vancouver which has multi-generations of intercultural activitiy, cultural diversity can be a very important factor.

Pat Kelly, Constance Barnes, Miles Richardson and Todd Wong – photo T.Wong

It was a great honour to meet Miles Richardson – former President of the Haida Nation who received the Order of Canada earlier this year.  Pat Kelly was sitting with him, and I introduced my friend Constance Barnes to them. Constance's father is for BC MLA Emery Barnes, another one of BC's great figures as both politician and BC Lions football player.

Alex Youngberg stands between Vancouver city councilors David Cadman and George Chow – photo Todd Wong

Green Party Parks Board candidate Stuart Mackinnon greets the COPE table with Councilor candidate Ellen Woodsworth, School Board candidates Allan Wong and Al Blakely and guest – photo Todd Wong

Inder Pannu and Todd Wong with Kashmir Dhaliwal and leaders of the Sikh community.- photo T.Wong

Vancouver & District Labour Council endorses progressive candidates for Nov 15 civic elections in Vancouver, Richmond and North Vancouver.

Vancouver community leaders: Todd Wong (CUPE 391), Bill Saunders (VDLC president), George Chow (Vancouver City Councilor and Ben West (Green Party Chair) – photo Todd Wong

It was my first meeting as a delegate for CUPE 391, Vancouver Library Workers, who recently joined the Vancouver & District Labour Council.  The meetings are held at the Vancouver Maritime Labour Centre, which I first visited as a guest speaker for a human rights themed meeting for the VDLC a few years ago, while I was active on the Save Kogawa House campaign.  This time, I was sworn in as a delegate along with fellow CUPE 391 library worker Lily Gee.  I am on the CUPE 391 executive as a member at large.

I checked in with V&DLC president Bill Saunders, whom I first met when he was an organizer of the “Anniversaries of Change” program which recognized the 1907 Chinatown Riot by Anti-Asian labourers.  Bill was a big supporter of the CUPE 391 Vancouver Library Workers strike action, and when he visited our picket line at the Word on the Street Festival, he sang along to “O Solo Mio” as I played my accordion.

North Vancouver contingent: Craig Keating (North Vancouver City councilor), Cheryl Leia (NVC councilor candidate), Darrell Mussatto (NVC Mayor), Sam Schechter (NVC councilor). – photo Todd Wong

Soon many of the Vancouver candidates for council, parks board and school board arrived.  I have gotten to know many of them over the past years through my community work for Joy Kogawa House, Asian Canadian Writers's Workshop and Chinese Head Tax campaign.  As well, many of them like to attend my Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner event.  It is always good to see Ellen Woodsworth, Heather Deal, Raymond Louie and David Cadman who gave great assistance and support for the Save Kogawa House campaign.  Andrea Reimer, Kerry Jang and Aaron Jasper are also wonderful people that I really enjoyed getting to know, and was pleased to give them endorsements for the nomination candidacy for the Vision Vancouver nomination elections.

Stuart Mackinnon, Parks Board candidate for the Green Party was unable to attend, and had asked me to represent him as we are friends.  I spoke about Stuart's activism in attending Parks Board meetings and his citizen involvement in parks issues such as the democratic naming of future parks and his criticism of park privatization such as the concession stands and Watermark Restaurant.  I shared that Stuart was a union brother, as a school teacher at Killarney Secondary School, and as a former vice-president of CUPE 392 of the BC Teachers Federation.  Afterwards, I was complimented on giving Stuart such as strong introduction and endorsement.

Vancouver candidates: Kerry Jang (city council candidate), Ellen Woodsworth (city council candidate), Anita Romaniuk (Parks Board candidate) – photo Todd Wong

The Vision / COPE / Green Vancouver city council slate has an amazing amount of cultural diversity.  George Chow, Kerry Jang and Raymond Louie have Chinese ancestry and Kashmir Dhaliwal is South Asian. Tim Stevenson is gay, Ellen Woodsworth is lesbian and Raymond Louie's wife has Scottish ancestry… as does Heather Deal.  I have also managed to get kilts on Deal, Louie, and Stevenson, but only tartan sashes so far on George Chow and Ellen Woodsworth.  David Cadman has been involved nationally and internationlly with the United Nations Association.  All the councilor candidates including Geoff Meggs and Andrea Reimer attended the 2008 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner with the exception of Kashmir Dhaliwal.

The Vancouver School Board slate includes Ken Clement – of Ktunaxa First Nations, Alvin Singh – South Asian ancestry, and Allan Wong – Chinese ancestry.  I first met Al Blakey, Jane Bouey and Allan Wong when I did a Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society presentation for the Vancouver School Board back in 2002.  I have also since met Sharon Gregson, Alvin Singh and Bill Bargeman.

The Vancouver Parks Board slate is very ethnic-culture cool!  Constance Barnes is Afro-Canadian, the daughter of Emery Barnes – former speaker of the BC Legislature, and she is operations manager for the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens.  Raj Hundal is Sikh, and last night explained to me some of the traditions that I didn't know. Aaron Jasper's wife is South Asian, and they both were volunteers at the 2008 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner.  Stuart Mackinnon has spent more time in China than I have, but he didn't own a kilt until after he joined the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  I've also met Loretta Woodcock and Anita Romaniuk over the years.  Sarah Blyth tracked me down for our introductions at this year's Taiwanese Cultural Festival and I hope to get this skateboarder onto a dragon boat sometime soon.

Here is the list of endorsed candidates by the Vancouver & District Labour Council for Vancouver, Richmond and North Vancouver:

Vancouver City Mayor             
Gregor Robertson                       Vision

Richmond City School Board   
Rod Belleza  (RITE)

I won't be voting for Harper's Conservatives today.

There is an “Anybody But Conservative” mood in BC this week.  The Tyee has published it's story: Tyee's Strategic Voters' Guide: A riding-by-riding look at pros and cons of voting 'anyone but Harper' in BC, and the Georgia Straight has printed The Straight slate to stop Stephen Harper.

First of all, I hate negative campaign advertising.  All I have been getting from Conservative ads are why the other guys are not vote worthy, without the Conservatives saying why they are vote worthy.

Last time around, I was much more involved in the federal election because I was part of the Chinese Head Tax redress campaign. 

In January 2006, Chinese Canadian organizations were urging the members to vote for Stephen Harper's Conservative government, so he could follow through on a pledge to address Chinese Head Tax Redress.   Harper saw Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin stumble on a botched Chinese Head Tax non-apology redress.  He followed the NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Green Party in acknowledging the importance of redress for the Chinese Head Tax redress. N See my January 2006 article:
Will Harper keep his pledge for Head Tax Redress? Chinese Canadian groups are asking him!

Harper came through with his parliamentary apology on June 22 2008, and gave a redress ex-gratia payment to surviving head tax payers and their spouses, but ignored 99% of remaining head tax certificates for deceased head tax payers.  Too bad for my grand-father and great-grandfather who would have to be alive at 140 years of age, if they wanted to see a re-payment of the ultra racist head tax money.  Too bad for the families who also suffered through poverty trying to work off the incurred debt that cost as much as a house – when no other ethnic group was subjected to a head tax for entry to Canada.

So there it is… I am not supporting Harper and the Conservatives.