麻豆传媒映画

Mayor Kennedy Stewart is pushing four of Canada鈥檚 national party leaders 鈥� Elizabeth May, Jagmeet Singh, Justin Trudeau and Andrew Scheer 鈥� to deliver more on housing, transit and the opioid crisis. Photos Dan Toulgoet and Cole Burston/Canadian Press

The analysis Kennedy Stewart will be able to provide political observers once Canadians choose a new government in Ottawa this month will be unlike that of any 麻豆传媒映画mayor in recent history.

The part of his brain wired from years of study and practice as a political science professor at Simon Fraser University and as a seven-year NDP MP will be charged with political thought once a winner is declared.

His perspective will be unique.

Kind of like a front-row spectator with a player鈥檚 knowledge.

It was Stewart鈥檚 experience as an academic and profile as a pipeline-opposing federal politician that helped earn the union-endorsed independent candidate 49,705 votes to聽聽last October.

But it is not, as Stewart knows, analysis or references to his time in Ottawa that 麻豆传媒映画residents want from him. What they want is action on three files: housing, transit and the opioid crisis.

Stewart鈥檚 mayoral campaign was run largely on his promise to bring more affordable housing to Vancouver, secure funding for a SkyTrain extension from Arbutus to the University of B.C. and reduce the number of people dying from drug overdoses.

Former mayors Sam Sullivan and Gregor Robertson lobbied for federal money during their time in office. Mayor Kennedy Stewart is doing the same in this federal election. Photos by Dan Toulgoet

To achieve those goals, he has made it clear 鈥� like his predecessors Gregor Robertson and Sam Sullivan did 鈥� that the provincial and federal governments have to show 麻豆传媒映画the money.

That鈥檚 why this election is of keen importance to Stewart.

He knows that making an impact on housing, transit and the overdose crisis in the remaining three years of his term depends largely on a solid relationship with the party in power in Ottawa.

Same goes for his relationship with the NDP-led government in Victoria, which Stewart has praised for providing聽聽for temporary modular housing.

He鈥檚 also been publicly appreciative of the 40 per cent funding commitment to the region鈥檚 mayors鈥� 10-year transportation plan and continued investments to combat the opioid crisis.

Much of that happened under the previous Robertson-led administration. Stewart鈥檚 NDP lineage, however, has put him in the room and on the phone with Premier John Horgan and his ministers as he lobbies for more funding on these files.

But it is the federal election that occupies the mayor鈥檚 mind these days, and has for some time, he said in a recent interview from his office at city hall.

鈥淲e had a very deliberate plan going in to this election to meet with party leaders and to tell them during those meetings what our priorities were, and to repeat those priorities in the media and try to punch through at the national level to affect the campaigns,鈥� he said, sitting on a couch in front of a window that offers a partial view of downtown.

In his short time as mayor, Stewart and his staff established strong links with the federal Liberals, although some might argue that relationship was a carry-over from the Robertson administration.

Whatever the reason 鈥� and Stewart鈥檚 seven years on the Hill was surely a factor in getting past the first date stage 鈥� the relationship appeared to be flourishing as the Liberals鈥� term came to a close.

The mayor pointed out he had a 40-minute meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a 麻豆传媒映画hotel within the first month of him being sworn in as mayor.

He met again with Trudeau at city hall in August, and they鈥檝e talked twice on the phone. His staff was and still is on the phone with the prime minister鈥檚 office every week, he said, noting transit, housing and the opioid crisis are topics.

Mayor Kennedy Stewart and PM Justin Trudeau (Photo by Dan Toulgoet)

Stewart also met with Marc Garneau, who was Trudeau鈥檚 transportation minister until Parliament was dissolved for the election, and Francois-Philippe Champagne, who served as minister of infrastructure and communities.

But it is Jean-Yves Duclos, who served as federal housing minister, who has been the most frequent visitor of Trudeau鈥檚 now-dissolved cabinet to Vancouver.

Stewart has had 鈥渦nprecedented access鈥� to Duclos.

He met with him five times, including in August when the minister聽聽towards the construction of 1,100 homes in 麻豆传媒映画aimed at singles and families earning between $30,000 and $80,000 annually.

鈥淚f we hadn鈥檛 have had that housing announcement in August, I would not be very complimentary,鈥� said the mayor, when asked whether the Liberals鈥� values and agenda aligned with his.

鈥淥n the housing, I think the agenda probably aligns. However, we need more. It sounds so trite to say that, but I need more. I would have liked to have a half a billion dollar announcement in August 鈥� $184 million was great, but there鈥檚 huge need here.鈥�

With public opinion polls showing the Liberals with a slight lead over the Conservatives, Stewart might be best to solely focus his next three weeks on enhancing those relationships with the Liberals and ignore the other parties.

But the seasoned politician, who has operated for the most part at city hall as a diplomat with his council of mixed parties and agendas, is careful not to make assumptions or endorsements that could take his agenda sideways.

鈥淭he way I look at it is, you never write anybody off,鈥� he said.

鈥淵ou always try to find places where you can build these partnerships and where you can find common ground. That is not easy because you might disagree on 95 per cent of things, but you鈥檝e got to make the five per cent work.鈥�

Trudeau, Singh at city hall

Aside from Trudeau, Stewart has met with Green Party leader Elizabeth May, whom he knows well; they were arrested together on Burnaby Mountain last year for disrupting construction work at a Trans Mountain facility.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who inherited the mayor鈥檚 Burnaby-South riding after he won a byelection in February, is another colleague and met with Stewart last week at city hall.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh met with Mayor Kennedy Stewart at city hall in September. Photo Dan Toulgoet

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, who was in Metro 麻豆传媒映画last Friday, has yet to make time for Stewart, whom he knows from his Speaker of the House duties in the House of Commons.

The closest the mayor has gotten to Scheer was a handshake and a few words during a Vaisakhi event in April at the Ross Street Temple in south Vancouver.

But Stewart said he has outlined his priorities with Ed Fast, the former Harper-era cabinet minister, who is seeking re-election in Abbotsford and has the ear of Scheer.

So what did they tell him?

More specifically, which leader promised to deliver on his request for more money for housing?

Did any commit to the $4 billion to extend the soon-to-be built Broadway subway from its endpoint at Arbutus to the University of B.C.?

And who is going to allow an exemption under the federal Health Act to enable a widespread clean supply of drugs to be prescribed to chronic users?

The mayor鈥檚 push on that file is based on the fact that 389 people died of a drug overdose in 麻豆传媒映画last year, with the majority linked to fentanyl.

There were 42 deaths in 2010.

Opioid crisis

The drug question is the easiest of the three to answer for the Conservatives, whose unsuccessful court battles in the Harper years to shut down the聽聽on East Hastings are widely known in Vancouver.

Scheer is to the point on his party鈥檚 position, leaving no room for nuance or ambiguity: 鈥渄ecriminalization of drugs is a terrible idea, and one that we will not ever consider going forward.鈥�

That鈥檚 what Scheer told reporters in Montreal last week during a campaign stop when pressed about his approach to drug addiction. He was reminded that peer-reviewed studies show injection sites and other harm reduction measures save lives.

鈥淚鈥檝e also said that it鈥檚 much more beneficial to people who suffer from addictions to have a robust recovery plan, and that the focus of government should be on getting people off of dangerous and harmful narcotics, not maintaining a life of addiction,鈥� he said.

More than 380 people died of a drug overdose last year in Vancouver. Photo Dan Toulgoet

Comments like that are what Stewart called a 鈥渟how-stopper鈥� for him. But the mayor made the point that party leaders and the national media are focused on decriminalization as if it鈥檚 the same thing as a safe supply, which it is not.

For Stewart, the goal is to get an exemption under Canada鈥檚 Health Act to extend what already exists at the Crosstown Clinic on West Hastings, where doctors prescribe and supply聽聽with medical grade heroin and hydromorphone.

It鈥檚 the only clinic in North America that offers this.

As the mayor explained, an exemption would allow a nurse, nurse practitioner or specially trained staff member at a non-profit to prescribe and distribute clean drugs.

鈥淐onservatives wouldn鈥檛 do this, but I think a federal Liberal majority or minority, I think could get it done,鈥� the mayor said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 my feeling. And we need to do it. And, really, what鈥檚 the big deal? You know, like why not try it?鈥�

In his most recent meeting with Trudeau, Stewart said, he showed the prime minister the exact clause in the Health Act that he needs waived to make it happen.

What was Trudeau鈥檚 response?

The mayor cited privacy and wouldn鈥檛 get into detail, but added: 鈥淚 did feel quite buoyed by the whole thing. In fact there was also a push from his side for me to do more, so I thought that鈥檚 good.鈥�

Do more?

鈥淭o push more nationally for these changes.鈥�

But isn鈥檛 he the prime minister?

鈥淚f you鈥檙e leading at any level, if you just go out on your own, it鈥檚 a lot harder,鈥� Stewart said. 鈥淪o if you get support [from other politicians] on pushes for things, it鈥檚 easier for them to move forward with change.鈥�

Trudeau told Global News Sept. 24 in an interview in Richmond that 鈥渨e鈥檙e not looking at full decriminalization at all right now.鈥�

That made headlines.

Buried in the news reports was Trudeau鈥檚 first response on the drug issue: 鈥淲e鈥檙e moving forward on things that actually work 鈥� whether it鈥檚 safe consumption, safe supply, harm reduction.鈥�

The Greens are calling for decriminalization of drugs, and May has promised to declare a public health emergency, if her party forms government.

And Jesse Brown, the party鈥檚 candidate in Vancouver-Centre, told the Courier he supports the mayor鈥檚 push to extend the Crosstown Clinic model across the city.

鈥淓nough is enough, too many people are dying,鈥� said Brown, who is executive director of the 麻豆传媒映画Friends for Life Society.

The Greens also pledge to boost funding to community organizations to test drugs and support drug users, as well as increase supports for people living with mental illness.

Singh told reporters at city hall last week that the NDP will also call a public health emergency 鈥渙n day one鈥� of forming government.

Asked about amending the Health Act to allow for a safe supply of drugs, Singh said he was 鈥渙pen to anything that we can do to save lives鈥� and has 鈥渢he backing of evidence and experts.鈥�

鈥淚f there鈥檚 evidence that supports a policy that saves people鈥檚 lives, we鈥檝e got to be open to that discussion,鈥� he said, standing in the parking lot outside the back doors of city hall.

鈥淚鈥檝e committed to changing our approach, which has been to criminalize addiction. That should not continue and I鈥檝e made that clear commitment that I would not do that.鈥�

Affordable housing

Vancouver鈥檚 rental vacancy rate is less than one per cent. Photo Dan Toulgoet

On housing, the NDP leader is promising a $5-billion investment to build 500,000 homes in Canada over the next 10 years, with half of those homes completed within five years.

A promise the mayor described as 鈥減retty impressive.鈥�

Five billion dollars, though?

鈥淭hat鈥檚 right, and that鈥檚 the kind of investment we need,鈥� Stewart said.

Singh was back in 麻豆传媒映画Sunday, where he campaigned with Don Davies, who has served as the NDP MP for Vancouver-Kingsway since 2008.

Davies has used his re-election bid to criticize the Liberals鈥� record on affordable housing and Trudeau鈥檚 $40-billion, 10-year national housing strategy that was unveiled in 麻豆传媒映画in 2017.

In an email to the Courier, Davies noted the parliamentary budget officer showed the Liberals spending on affordable housing was 鈥�19 per cent lower as a percentage of GDP under the Trudeau Liberals than it was under Stephen Harper.鈥�

鈥淗ousing experts have also confirmed that spending on housing is at an historic low as a share of the federal budget,鈥� Davies said.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e revealed that funding for social housing remains stagnant. And they鈥檝e exposed how the Liberals inflate their numbers by treating existing programs as new ones, counting hypothetical money, and presenting provincial spending as their own.鈥�

The Conservatives rolled out a 鈥渇our-point plan鈥� last week that promises to make home ownership 鈥渕ore affordable.鈥� That plan includes amending the so-called mortgage stress test to ensure first-time buyers can get a mortgage.

Scheer鈥檚 party also promises to increase amortization periods on insured mortgages to 30 years for first-time homebuyers to lower monthly payments.

An inquiry into money laundering in the real estate sector and making surplus federal real estate available for development to increase the supply of housing are other measures.

Wai Young, who is campaigning to get her old seat back in Vancouver-South for the Conservatives, said her party understands the needs of Vancouverites when it comes to housing.

Like Davies, she was critical of the Liberals, accusing Trudeau鈥檚 government of putting 鈥渂arriers鈥� in place that have prevented prospective homebuyers to get into the market, or switch mortgages.

鈥淭heir heavy-handed mortgage stress test, their raising of mortgage insurance premiums, and their punishing new taxes on middle-class Canadians have made it harder to realize the dream of home ownership,鈥� Young said in an email to the Courier.

The Greens鈥� Brown lives in the Vancouver-Centre riding, where he rents a two-bedroom apartment with his partner in Coal Harbour for $1,900 a month.

He moved in 11 years ago and estimates it would cost close to $3,000, if the apartment went on the market today.

Earlier this month, the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association released the 鈥淐anadian Rental Housing Index,鈥� which showed 48 per cent of households in Vancouver-Centre were spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent and utilities.

Another 26 per cent of households were spending more than 50 per cent, making the riding one of the most expensive in the country for a renter.