VOTE – general election Oct 24th 2020

Canada has three levels of Government:

• 1.MUNICIPAL – Vancouver City
• 2.PROVINCIAL – British Columbia
• 3.FEDERAL – Canada

Saturday October 24th 2020 there will be a general election in British Columbia to elect the Provincial Government. You have the right to vote if you are a Canadian citizen who has been in BC for the last 6 months and is at least 18 years old. (permanent residents cannot vote).

Elections BC is a good source of information on how to join the register of electors, where to go to vote, how to vote by mail, voting safely during COVID, and more.

PLEASE NOTE: Gordon House will not be used as a polling station this year due to current public health measures. Check you polling card for your polling station!

The Guide to the Elections Act is a good resource for questions on voting in BC this pandemic.

The Provincial Government are responsible for the following areas:

Candidates Vancouver-West End:

• GREEN PARTY: James Marshall BLOG POST Q&A
• NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Spencer Chandra Herbert BLOG POST Q&A
• LIBERAL PARTY: Jon Ellacott BLOG POST Q&A
• LIBERTARIAN PARTY: Kim McCann BLOG POST Q&A

At the beginning of October 2020 we asked West Enders to participate in a survey to ascertain what issues are most important to the community at this time. We used these survey responses to create questions for the candidates. Links to their answers are above.

These were the findings of the survey:

Housing & Homelessness

88% of survey respondents are worried about housing with 44% placing it as their number one concern. Many stated that access to affordable housing was out of reach for those with lower paid jobs and asked for “housing co-ops accessible to any range of salaries” and mentioned fears of “rent increases” and “chronic lack of housing”. 64% of survey respondents expressed concerns around a visible increase of homelessness in the West End and a need for supports.

COVID Response

64% of survey respondents are worried about the impacts of this pandemic, with 25% of respondents placing COVID-19 as their number one concern, mentioning “people not taking it seriously enough” the rise in “anti-mask conspiracy” and the fears of “COVID in the schools”.

Environmental Sustainability

Many respondents mentioned concerns on climate change such as “will my community be in a good place to help each other through its impacts”. Respondents asked to use “Indigenous ways of thinking to lead society” and called for “strong regulations to curb the effects of climate change and stand up for Indigenous rights”.

Healthcare

Respondents expressed a strong interest in in increased healthcare supports for our community as we face this pandemic. This included free mental health services “if you’re not well you can’t handle any of the other issues” and supports such as a “safe drug supply” for those using illicit substances which come with a high risk of overdose.

Feeling Safe

One common thread throughout the survey responses was uncertainty about the future and wanting to feel safe. On top of the issues mentioned above, respondents fears ranged from “hate groups marching through the West End” and “racism & intolerance” to uneasiness about “local crimes and vandalism”. Respondents also noted the high cost of living in the neighbourhood and worries about maintaining their jobs and affording food & childcare.