Vision Ambition: Robertson sets out plan for a sustainable Vancouver

“We need to bring people together from all cultures, from all walks of life, all perspectives, all neighbourhoods, to get the best ideas Vancouver has to offer and develop a made-in-Vancouver blueprint to show the world what true social and environmental sustainability is,” proclaimed mayor-elect Gregor Robertson, who’ll take office December 8, 2008.

The Vision Vancouver candidate and his party swept the election, taking the mayor’s seat and seven out of 10 seats for city council—a sign that city residents are seeking new answers and fresh ideas in municipal government.

Integral to making Vancouver truly the city of sustainability is the new mayor’s plan for reducing greenhouse gases and fighting climate change in the city of Vancouver. The plan sets out to:

• Strengthen the Sustainability Group at the City of Vancouver by integrating the group with the city’s senior management team;

• Create a $100,000 Green Neighbourhood Grants Fund to support individuals and small groups that start local initiatives—such as community gardens, carpool clubs, etc.—to fight climate change;

• Spark a boom in green retrofits—from condos to commercial buildings—by fast-tracking developments and permit applications that incorporate green technology and retrofits, with the added bonus of creating new local green jobs;

• Promote neighbourhood-based clean energy systems, from local ground source heating and solar hot water installations to neighbourhood-scale and district clean energy systems as part of publicly-owned utilities;

• Accelerate the implementation of the city’s Green Building Strategy, which sets out to achieve carbon neutral new buildings by 2020; and

• Provide a national voice for cities against climate change by advocating that the federal government address greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from motor vehicles, large industry and marine vessels. The city itself will work with the Port of Vancouver to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions created by shipping traffic.

Further, Robertson is committed to making cycling and walking a priority by making it safe, easy and enjoyable to use city streets and sidewalks. This involves creating infrastructure that safely integrates cyclist traffic into the road network; instituting a pilot project that will

Also on the agenda: reducing waste and increasing recycling. To do this, the city will set strong waste diversion targets and work with residents and businesses to reduce packaging waste (including the ever-popular plastic bag). The city will work to divert 70 percent of waste from schools, parks, city departments, community centres and libraries to recycling, and challenge Vancouver’s 50 largest employers to match that ambitious goal. As well, recycling construction and demolition debris will be incentivized for developers.

Under the Robertson plan, a city-wide curbside composting strategy for organic waste would be developed, providing high-quality compost for city green spaces and community gardens. This strategy would complement the former organic farmer's plans to develop and expand urban agriculture, which most experts on sustainable food systems in the Lower Mainland believe to be paramount to the city's future viability. To this end, to improve access to local food, Robertson seeks to allocate space for community gardens in under-used lands and orphaned spaces (which apparently includes City Hall!) and establish long-term licences for new and existing farmers’ market locations.

It’s an ambition agenda that the new mayor and Team Vision have set out, but the goals set forth appear to be in-step with priorities already on the public’s mind. Getting the job done will take more than one term and the commitment of an entire city to accomplish.

Can it get done?

Granville Online invites you to weigh in.

Postings can be made anonymously, which is absolutely a-okay, but if you're interested in becoming a member of the Granville Online community (a very exclusive club comprising anyone who wants to join), we'd love to know your name.

By simply registering here, your membership will be immediate and your name will appear with all your comments.