Warning Federal Politics!

It's not my usual City material but the Census and changes to the federal seat redistribution could have a serious change to North Van.

In 2004, the last redistribution had BC with 36 seats and the average population was set at 108,548.  The Court has ruled that a riding should not be more or less than that number by 25%.  Needless to say, even with the loss of a northern seat, some have far less than that.  North Van had 120,841 and West Van had 124,572.

In the upcoming redistribution, there will be 42 BC seats with an average of 104,841 and the two North Shore ridings have increased.  Our two ridings are at the high end of the range.

Could we end up with a third riding on the North Shore?  

Last time, the preliminary recommendation wanted a North Van/Burnaby riding like pre-1988 but public outcry and Ted White's forceful intervention stopped that.  Putting a chunk of Svend Robinson's NDP seat with the strong Conservative areas of the east side of the District was and is never going to happen.  This commission could bring that idea back.

It's more likely that the Sea to Sky area of the West Van riding could form its own riding with the addition of other areas and that the West Van riding continue to include more of the North Van area.  Since the Commission usually sticks to municipal boundaries and West Van already borders on parts of MacKay Rd, most of the west part of the District would be transferred to the West Van riding.

BUT no matter how it's sliced up, it will remain solidly Conservative.

Can one person make a difference at City Hall?

Yes, but not always as you want.    The City reduced the level of freedom of information by making their Real Player non-recordable.

I posted a clip of my announcement of this blog during the Public Information Session, http://northvancouncilwatch.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-council-new-blog.html on 12 Dec and of Ron Sostad on 16 Jan http://northvancouncilwatch.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-council-new-blog.html.

Last week, I went to CNV website to record the Harbourside debate and make clips of Councillors statements but the City had blocked it.  Are members of Council afraid of what they say at Council is given more attention?  Important information is buried in the masses of video information that is extremely difficult to find for members of the public.    The City already gives out minutes with video clips of the meeting so the same information can be displayed (http://www.cnv.org//server.aspx?c=1&i=124)  and even transcribed for this blog so there is no reason to this restriction to full and easy to public information.

I had plans to post each phase of the Harbourside process on YouTube but this has now been blocked.  The City portrays themselves as a fully open and accessible government until someone tries to use technology to raise awareness and opposition to the heavy pro-development path favoured by most of the Councillors and watch the heavy hand of secrecy came down fast.

51083

is the City of North Van's 2011 population according to the new BC Stats figures.    So in the next election there will be two more Councillors.

Nope. 

It seems that the official census is under 50,000 even though BC Stats which uses the vehicle and health registrations to give a more accurate number shows over 51,000.  Will the City learn from their mistake and hold a referendum next election or just find themselves over after the next census?

http://www.northshoreoutlook.com/news/138945719.html

The 2010 census shows us as 6.7% increase since the last census of 2006.

Growth Rate in North Van

During last November's election and many other times we've heard the members of Vision North Van (Mayor and Councillors Keating and Buchanan) reassure our residents that the current growth rate is well under 1% per year.   In the Mayor's all candidates' meeting I revealed the actual number from BC Stats of 3.6%, close to the highest in BC.   It was dismissed by saying "that is only an estimate" even through ususally that estimate is lower than stats when they come out.

               2007     2008     2009     2010

City        47,282   47,780   48,944  50,725        3.6%

District  85,974  86,110    86,389  88,370        1.8%

On Wednesday, Stats Canada is issuing the first results of the 2010 Federal Census which will issue the final numbers.  Why is this important?  Well, the Local Govt Act of BC, orders that any municipality that has at least 50,000 residents must have a Council of nine members, an increase of two Councillors.

The only way to keep the Council at its present number is to conduct a referendum to approve it which must be fully ratified more than 6 months prior to the next election.  In the District they had this referendum at the same time they had to hold a byelection to replace Mayor Bell who had been just elected an MP.  But during last fall's election, the Vision North Van was telling the voters that the rate of growth was much lower than it actually was and telling the truth would have destroyed one of their main myths.


It was extremely irresponsible not to hold this referendum last time and the City may have two more Councillors to pay for after the next election because of it.  Maybe that's the plan for Vision North Van to finally take a majority on Council and unleash a level of growth that will make now seem low.