Why is there a disconnect from municipal politics?

Warning: If you are someone that does not exercise your right to vote, you will not only not enjoy this post, you will be insulted.

As the Burnaby Municipal Election campaigns near their end, media outlets have been pointing out the fact that very few people are aware of issues that affect their city and that even fewer actually make the effort to vote for a body of government that has a direct impact on their everyday lives with the decisions it makes.

The last Burnaby Municipal Election saw a voter participation rate of 25 percent out of all eligible voters.  Essentially, only 1 out of every 4 eligible voters cast a ballot in 2008.  Does this mean that out of every 4 people, 3 people have no problem allowing 1 person to have a say in local government?  In a world where conspiracy theories abound about the world's power structure being controlled by corrupt elites, I find it difficult to understand how a person living in this country, in this part of Canada, in a city as diverse as Burnaby does not feel that it is important enough to vote for their local government.  

Burnaby City Council is often making decisions on our behalf that affect us, the residents of Burnaby.  One example I can point to that is relevant to this blog is the issue of density.  Earlier this year, the City of Burnaby held a public hearing, after providing notice in the local newspapers, on its intention to amend rezoning bylaws to allow greater heights and greater density in Burnaby's town centres.  I attended the public hearing at which nobody came to speak on the issue.  Having no opposition to the proposed amendment, the Council moved to approve the amendment.

Recently on September 20th, at a public hearing regarding the Solo District development at Willingdon and Lougheed, a resident that had moved into a newly built nearby tower 3 years ago was surprised and dismayed by the future loss of her view that would occur with the newly approved heights of the high-rise towers slated to go in.  It appeared that this opponent of the proposed tower heights was scrambling to voice her opposition to a project that will not be in violation of any bylaws and therefore cannot be prevented.  This example highlights the problem of complacency that has developed in our society.  The person opposed to such height allowances had not even been aware of the fact that high-rise towers had already been planned for the area prior to her purchasing her high-rise condo,  let alone having been concerned enough to be aware of the decisions made on her behalf by city council regarding increased density.  This is one of the many examples of disinterest in issues that directly affect Burnaby's citizens who will not cast a ballot on November 19th.

I am certain that more people in Burnaby (which included me) had enough time to watch multiple Canucks games during their recent run to the Stanley Cup Final than will vote in the election on November 19th.  Those that had time to watch most (if not all) Canucks games this past spring but do not have the time to spend a few moments to learn about local issues and go to a polling station conveniently located near their home to take a few minutes to cast a vote, have no excuse other than that they are spoiled, ignorant, lazy or all of the above.  If anyone takes exception to my condescending view of non-voters, please share your reasons for not caring enough to inform yourself in this age of the internet to exercise a right that people in other parts of the world are willing to stand in extreme conditions all day long, risk injury, torture, and/or death to exercise their right to vote.  In this country, there is no reasonable excuse for voter apathy.

There are 3 weekdays left before the election this Saturday.  It will not only be interesting to see who gets elected, but also how few people will be electing Burnaby City Council and School Board.  If you are angry, get out and vote.  If you are happy, get out and vote.  You have no excuse to not vote.

Second thought needed on celebration squares?

Two days ago, a great season came to a sad conclusion for Canucks fans like me.  The worst part wasn't the fact that the Canucks lost game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final for the 3rd time in it's history.  The day after game 7, now that the season is over, the silver lining for the Canucks is that they have as good a chance as any team to win the Cup in 2012 as all teams are at point zero again.

The saddest thing for me was the destruction caused by so-called Canucks fans that began destroying the city that hosted their hockey parties throughout the playoffs.  The madness that transpired after the Canucks' loss has to be on the minds of city planners that have touted the building of public squares in town centres around Burnaby to celebrate special events.   Perhaps the scale of the gatherings need to be reduced to allow for better crowd control as one possible solution.

Whatever the solution, we can expect much debate and discussion over the building of the future celebration square at Brentwood Station.

Another day to gather and celebrate on the street

The crowds began to gather at Hamilton and Georgia from late morning as people began to stake out their spots to watch game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. By 3pm, the place quickly started to fill up and the excitement grew.

I snapped the following shots of the crowd outside CBC studios before heading home to watch the game:

       

Back at Brentwood Station, I saw a lineup for tickets forming as large numbers of fans prepared to head downtown to join the celebration.  It's the first time I've seen people having to line up for tickets at this station.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you see it) we have to wait until game 7 on Wednesday to see if the Canucks can win the Stanley Cup for the first time ever.  The anxiety continues...

Future celebration square perfect spot to watch Canucks playoff runs?

On the potential eve of the first ever Vancouver Canucks Stanley Cup Championship, I have been imagining what the future celebration square that will one day sit next to Brentwood Station on the northeast corner of Willingdon Ave and Lougheed Hwy will look like.  The community value of public gathering places has skyrocketed along with Canucks fever this spring as the Canucks have battled their way to the Finals and into the hearts of many people who normally are not aware of the Canucks.

The currently vacant lot situated west of the station will one day be developed into a celebration square with shops and cafes along with a bus loop that will be better integrated with the station.

The scenes of crowds gathered at Hamilton and Georgia Streets outside the CBC broadcast centre have been nothing less than spectacular.  The spontaneous, joyful interaction with complete strangers during the playoffs has been very enjoyable during my commute on the Expo and Millennium Lines back to Burnaby.  As the area around Brentwood Station develops into a town centre, I hope it develops in a way that will attract large crowds for events during important days of the year such as Remembrance Day, international sporting events, Canucks playoff runs or even local entertainment productions that will attract outdoor crowds.

Until it happens, I can continue to dream.