A total of 36 candidates registered to participate, and on the day of the event 30 were present at UBC Robson Square Theatre.

The event unfolded over six elimination-style rounds. Candidate names were randomly drawn in groups of between two to five candidates (depending on the round), and spoke in the order that their name was drawn. Each set of candidates responded to one question posed by our Last Candidate Panel of Inquisition, comprised of Dan Fumano (Vancouver Sun), Penny Daflos (CTV) and Jen St. Denis (The Tyee).

The best answers from each set earned a pass to the subsequent round. Answers in Rounds 1 through 3 were ranked by the Panel. Rounds four through six were decided by audience response – with audience evaluation measured through the use of a noise meter.

After two-plus hours of fierce competition between participants, the field was narrowed to two final candidates, Michael Wiebe and 2018 winner Christine Boyle. The two duked it out in one final round… with Wiebe emerging victorious as the 2022 Last Candidate.

Last Candidate was designed by the VPSN, and co-presented with the support of the SFU City Program and UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. The event was enabled through the exceptional work of a 10-person volunteer team.

VIDEO

Last Candidate Live Stream Recording

RECAP OF ROUNDS & SETS

Round 1

The first Round featured a total of 30 candidates, appearing on stage in 10 sets of three candidates. Two passes were awarded for the best answers in each set.

Set 1.1: Christine Boyle, David Chin, Francoise Raunet.

• Boyle and Raunet earn passes to Round 2

Set 1.2: Eric Redmond, Amie Peacock, Morgane Oger

• Redmond and Oger earn passes to Round 2

Set 1.3: Morning Lee, Arezo Zarrabian, Marlo Franson

• Zarrabian and Franson earn passes to Round 2

Set 1.4: Kyra Philbert, Michael Wiebe, Dominic Denofrio

• Philbert and Wiebe earn passes to Round 2

Set 1.5: Ian Cromwell, Leona Brown, Sean Orr

• Cromwell and Brown earn passes to Round 2

Set 1.6: Ryan Charmley, Mark Marissen*, Imtiaz Popat
* Marissen left the debate prior to being called to stage

• Charmley and Popat earn passes to Round 2

Set 1.7: Pete Fry, Stephanie Smith, Devyani Singh

• Smith and Singh earn passes to Round 2

Set 1.8: Marie Noelle Rosa, Mauro Francis, Nancy Trigueros

• Rosa and Trigueros earn passes to Round 2

Set 1.9: Amy Fox, Golok Z. Buday, Alvin Singh

• Fox and Singh earn passes to Round 2

Set 1.10: Iona Bonamis, Honieh Barzegari, Tessica Truong

• Bonamis and Barzegari earn passes to Round

Round Two

Round Two featured 20 candidates, drawn to the stage in four sets of five. Three passes were awarded for the best answers in each set.

Set 2.1: Christine Boyle, Devyani Singh, Francoise Raunet, Marie Noelle Rosa, Arezo Zarrabian

• Boyle, Singh, and Raunet earn passes to Round 3

Set 2.2: Iona Bonamis, Kyra Philbert, Morgane Oger, Nancy Trigueros, Alvin Singh

• Bonamis, Oger, and Singh earn passes to Round 3

Set 2.3: Marlo Franson,* Imtiaz Popat, Honieh Barzegari, Ian Cromwell, Stephanie Smith
* Franson departed before being called to stage

• Barzegari, Cromwell, and Smith earn passes to Round 3

Set 2.4: Leona Brown, Eric Redmond, Ryan Charmley, Amy Fox, Michael Wiebe

• Brown, Fox and Wiebe earn passes to Round 3

Round Three

Round Three featured 12 candidates, on stage in three sets of four candidates. Two passes were awarded for the best answers in each set.

Set 3.1: Leona Brown, Ian Cromwell, Morgane Oger, Francoise Raunet

• Oger and Raunet earn passes to Round 4

Set 3.2: Christine Boyle, Alvin Singh, Honieh Barzegari, Michael Wiebe

• Boyle and Wiebe earn passes to Round 4

Set 3.3: Iona Bonamis, Devyani Singh, Amy Fox, Stephanie Smith

• Singh and Smith earn passes to Round 4

Round Four

Round Four featured 6 candidates, on stage in two sets of three candidates. Two passes were awarded for the best answers in each set.

Set 4.1: Francoise Raunet, Devyani Singh, Michael Wiebe

• Singh and Wiebe earn passes to Round 5

Set 4.2: Morgane Oger, Christine Boyle, Stephanie Smith

• Boyle and Smith earn passes to Round 5

Round Five – Semi Final Round

Round Five featured four candidates, on stage in two sets of two candidates. One pass were awarded for the best answers in each set.

Set 5.1: Christine Boyle, Stephanie Smith

• Boyle earns a pass to Round 6

Set 5.2: Devyani Singh, Michael Wiebe

• Wiebe earns a pass to Round 6

Round Six – Final Round

Round Six featured the final two candidates.

Set 6.1: Christine Boyle, Michael Wiebe

• Michael Wiebe wins Last Candidate 2022
• Christine Boyle runner up

Candidates had their names drawn randomly. Each set of candidates was given one question by our Panel of Inquisition (consisting of the CBC’s Justin McElroy, Discourse Media’s Francesca Fionda, and CTV’s Jon Woodward). The best answers in each set earned a pass to the next round.

MC Vanessa Richards kept the evening moving along, and an on-stage team, including time-keepers, score-keepers, our own “city clerk,” and the Mistress of the Gong, ensured that event proceeded without incident. Additional support was provided by a team of on-the-ground volunteers, while event sponsorship came via the Imperial Theatre, MRG Group, and Faculty Brewing.

Video of the event was graciously provided by Rick Etkin Productions – Rick Etkin and Gary Jones.

The following gives an overview of the different rounds and sets.

Round 1 – 11 sets of four candidates, three passes awarded per set

Set 1.1 – Maynard Aubichon (Independent), Jason LaMarche (Independent), Satie Shotta (Independent), Elizabeth Taylor (Vancouver First)

LaMarche, Shotta and Taylor advance to Round 2

Set 1.2 – Glen Chernen (Coalition Vancouver), Raza Mirza (Pro Vancouver), Shauna Sylvester (Independent), and Graham Cook (Independent)

Mirza, Sylvester, and Cook advance to Round 2

Set 1.3 – Tanya Paz (Vision Vancouver), Brandon Yan (OneCity), Pete Fry (Green Party), and Connie Fogal (IDEA)

Paz, Yan, and Fry advance to Round 2

Set 1.4 – Rohana Rezel (Pro Vancouver), Diego Cardona (Vision Vancouver), Katy Le Rougetel (Independent), Marlo Franson (Independent)

Rezel, Cardona, and Franson advance to Round 2

Set 1.5 – Penny Noble (Independent), Gölök Buday (Independent), Larry Falls (Independent), and Adrian Crook (Independent)

Noble, Falls, and Crook advance to Round 2

Set 1.6 – Abubakar Khan (Independent), Nycki Basra (Vancouver First), Rob McDowell (Independent), and John Yano (Independent)

Khan, Basra, and McDowell advance to Round 2

Set 1.7 – William John Spark (Independent), Justin Caudwell (Independent), Ping Chan (Independent), and Jean Swanson (COPE)

Caudwell, Chan, and Swanson advance to Round 2

Set 1.8 – David Chen (Pro Vancouver), Ken Low (Vancouver First), Françoise Raunet (Independent), and Gerald “Spike” Peachy (Independent)

Chen, Low, and Raunet advance to Round 2

Set 1.9 – Derrick O’Keefe (COPE), Anastasia Koutalianos (Independent), Christine Boyle (OneCity), and Elke Porter (Independent)

O’Keefe, Boyle, and Porter advance to Round 2

Set 1.10 – Ashley Hughes (Independent), Tim Ly (Independent), Franco Peta (Coalition Vancouver), and Catherine Evans (Vision)

Hughes, Peta, and Evans advance to Round 2

Set 1.11 – Katherine Ramdeen (Independent), Elishia Perosa (Independent), Melissa DeGenova (NPA), and Michael Wiebe (Green Party)

Perosa, DeGenova, and Wiebe advance to Round 2

Set 1.8 – Gerald “Spike” Peachy, Françoise Raunet, Ken Low, and David Chen (Photo: Rob Nordrum)

Round 2 – 11 sets of three candidates, two passes awarded per set

Set 2.1 – Françoise Raunet (Independent), Penny Noble (Independent), and Catherine Evans (Vision Vancouver)

Raunet and Evans advance to Round 3

Set 2.2 – Jean Swanson (COPE), Franco Peta (Coalition Vancouver), and David Chen (Pro Vancouver)

Swanson and Peta advance to Round 3

Set 2.3 – Tanya Paz (Vision Vancouver), Adrian Crook (Independent), and Shauna Sylvester (Independent)

Paz and Sylvester advance to Round 3

Set 2.4 – Melissa DeGenova (NPA), Marlo Franson (Independent), and Derrick O’Keefe (COPE)

DeGenova and O’Keefe advance to Round 3

Set 2.5 – Larry Falls (Independent), Raza Mirza (Pro Vancouver), and Elizabeth Taylor (Vancouver First)

Mirza and Taylor advance to Round 3

Set 2.6 – Brandon Yan (OneCity), Abubakar Khan (Independent), and Ken Low (Vancouver First)

Yan and Khan advance to Round 3

Set 2.7 – Pete Fry (Green Party), Justin Caudwell (Independent), and Ping Chan (Independent)

Fry and Caudwell advance to Round 3

Set 2.8 – Nycki Basra (Vancouver First), Ashley Hughes (Independent), and Graham Cook (Independent)

Hughes and Cook advance to Round 3

Set 2.9 – Rohana Rezel (Pro Vancouver), Rob McDowell (Independent), and Elishia Perosa (Independent)

Rezel and Perosa advance to Round 3

Set 2.10 – Michael Wiebe (Green Party), Christine Boyle (OneCity), and Elke Porter (Independent)

Wiebe and Boyle advance to Round 3

Set 2.11 – Diego Cardona (Vision Vancouver), Satie Shottha (Independent), and Jason LaMarche (Independent)

Shottha absent for Round; Cardona and LaMarche advance to Round 3

Round 3 – 7 sets (six sets of three candidates with two passes awarded per set; one set with four candidates, three passes awarded)

Set 3.1 – Abubakar Khan (Independent), Jason La Marche (Independent), and Michael Wiebe (Green Party)

Khan and Wiebe advance to Round 4

Set 3.2 – Brandon Yan (OneCity), Raza Mirza (Pro Vancouver), and Ashley Hughes (Independent)

Yan and Mirza advance to Round 4

Set 3.3 – Rohana Rezel (Pro Vancouver), Graham Cook (Independent), and Franco Peta (Coalition Vancouver)

Cook and Peta advance to Round 4

Set 3.4 – Justin Caudwell (Independent), Melissa DeGenova, and Shauna Sylvester (Independent)

DeGenova and Sylvester advance to Round 4

Set 3.5 – Pete Fry (Green Party), Jean Swanson (COPE) and Elishia Perosa (Independent)

Fry and Swanson advance to Round 4

Set 3.6 – Tanya Paz (Vision Vancouver), Elizabeth Taylor (Vancouver First), and Catherine Evans

Paz and Evans advance to Round 4

Set 3.7 – Derrick O’Keefe (COPE), Christine Boyle (OneCity), Françoise Raunet (Independent), and Diego Cardona (Vision Vancouver)

Boyle, Raunet and Cardona advance to Round 4

Round 4 (three sets of five participants; two passes awarded per set)

Set 4.1 – Françoise Raunet (Independent), Catherine Evans (Vision Vancouver), Jean Swanson (COPE), Pete Fry (Green Party), Christine Boyle (OneCity)

Fry and Boyle advance to Round 5

Set 4.2 – Aubakar Khan (Independent), Tanya Paz (Vision Vancouver), Shauna Sylvester (Independent), Melissa DeGenova (NPA), and Brandon Yan (OneCity)

Sylvester and Yan advance to Round 5

Set 4.3 – Michael Wiebe (Green Party), Graham Cook (Independent), Raza Mirza (Pro Vancouver), Diego Cardona (Vision Vancouver), and Franco Peta (Coalition Vancouver)

Wiebe and Cook advance to Round 5

Set 5.1 – Michael Wiebe, Christine Boyle, and Pete Fry (Photo: Andrew Pask)

Round 5 (Semi-Final Round) (two sets of three participants; one pass awarded per set)

Set 5.1 – Pete Fry (Green Party), Christine Boyle (OneCity), and Michael Wiebe (Green Party)

Boyle advances to Round 6

Set 5.2 – Brandon Yan (OneCity), Graham Cook (Independent), and Shauna Sylvester (Independent)

Sylvester advances to Round 6

Round 6 (Final Round) (one set of two participants)

Set 6.1 – Christine Boyle (OneCity) and Shauna Sylvester (Independent)

Christine Boyle is the Last Candidate Standing

We reached out to each of the 33 contestants for office on Thursday, September 27, and asked them to weigh in on the questions below. We’re publishing their answers – sorted by question and by candidate – as we receive them.

Whose responded? As of Wednesday, October 10 @ 3:45pm, we’ve heard from 17 candidates: Cliff Relph (Independent), Gwen Giesbrecht (COPE), Rick Hurlbut (Pro Vancouver), Dave Demers (Green Party), Stuart Mackinnon (Green Party), Mathew Kagis (Work Less Party), John Coupar (NPA), Ann-Marie Copping (NPA), Casey Crawford (NPA), Leo Heba (YES Vancouver), Chris Fuoco (Vancouver First), Tricia Barker (NPA), Gregory Edgelow (Pro Vancouver), Pall Beelsa (NPA), Camil Dumont (Green Party), Ray En-Jui Chang (Coalition Vancouver), and Winnie Siu (Coalition Vancouver).

The questions were as follows:

1. What is your favourite park or park board facility in Vancouver, and why? (LINK)
2. We’ll be sharing the top three priorities that you provided the City of Vancouver, but we want to know: which one of your three priorities are you most passionate about, and why? (LINK)
3. Vancouver is a growing city! What are your ideas for ensuring that the city’s parks and recreation facilities can respond to the needs of an increasing and diversifying population? (LINK)
4. Given the high cost of land in the city, what suggestions do you have for how the Park Board should approach the creation of new park spaces? (LINK)
5. What, if any, role do you see the Park Board playing in responding to critical social issues such as homelessness, the opioid epidemic, and social isolation? (LINK)
6. In the past few years, the Park Board has taken steps to acknowledge First Nations cultures and the impacts of colonization on local Indigenous communities. Would you continue this work? If yes, how? (LINK)
7. How can Vancouver’s parks and recreation facilities best respond to the challenges posed by climate change? (LINK)
8. What, if any, role do you think privately owned companies should play in the management, operation, or naming/branding of Park board facilities? (LINK)
9. What, if any, role do you feel that neighbourhoods or community groups should play in the stewardship of park spaces and facilities? (LINK)
10. Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your platform? (LINK)

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Imperial Theatre

319 Main Street

6:00pm-10:00pm*

You can see the text of each motion below. If you want to provide comment on one or both motion, you can do so by providing feedback on this webpage. Be sure to mention which motion(s) you are writing about when you provide your comments.

Motion: Taking the ABCD Bias Off the Ballot

WHEREAS 

1. The strength of a democracy is judged on a number of factors but none more so than real or perceived bias and barriers in the electoral system;
2. The current ballot for City Council is ordered alphabetically by last name;
3. Currently 60% City Councillors have last names that start with A, B, C, or D, even though only 33% of the Council candidates who ran in the last election and by-election had last names starting with A, B, C or D;
4. An alphabetical bias in the ballot would have a particularly negative impact on people who have last names that are Chinese, South Asian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese or Latino – among others – as people from these cultures are much less likely to have last names that start with A, B, C, or D;
5. The original writers of the Vancouver Charter contemplated alphabetical bias being a problem and provided for a ballot order alternative in Section 79 of the Vancouver Charter which enables the ballot for Council candidates to be ordered by random draw.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council direct staff to draft a by-law for Council consideration that would allow for the Council candidates in the 2018 general election to be listed on the ballot in random order per the provisions of Section 79 of the Vancouver Charter.
Motion: Permanent Resident Voting

WHEREAS 

1. A “Permanent Resident” is someone who has been given permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada as a skilled worker, refugee, caregiver, sponsored family member, but is not a Canadian citizen;
2. Permanent residency is a first step to Canadian citizenship. Allowing Permanent Residents to vote in municipal elections is important for the confidence and trust in our democracy;
3. Because citizenship is not solely defined by an oath or a test but through a daily practice and many Permanent Residents are active members of Vancouver’s communities: contributing to the financial viability of the city as property taxpayers, have children who attend schools, and are contributors to municipal programs and services with user fees and have the same responsibilities as citizens but not the same opportunity to affect decisions directly at a municipal level;
4. In 2011 there were 60,000 permanent residents living in Vancouver equivalent to 33% of voters that voted in the 2014 municipal election;
5. City Council endorsed the 2014 Engaged City Task Force recommendations to seek Permanent Resident voting rights in municipal elections as a powerful way of creating an inclusive, equitable, and caring community in Vancouver;
6. A 2017 motion from City Council asking city staff to investigate this matter determined that the Provincial government is the appropriate authority to undertake this work;
7. The Province of British Columbia has the governing authority to implement electoral legislative changes including allowing for permanent residents to vote in municipal elections;
8. More than 45 countries have granted Permanent Residents some form of voting rights — including seven jurisdictions in the U.S. and 25 European Union countries. In Canada, 11 municipalities are working toward extending local election voting rights to Permanent Residents.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Vancouver advocate to the Province of British Columbia to make the necessary changes to allow Permanent Residents to vote in municipal elections in Vancouver.

(A very BIG thank you to the film crew at SFU Woodwards, and the SFU Vancity Office of Community Engagement for the quick turn-around on this.)

Enjoy!

Last Candidate Standing – Part 1

Last Candidate Standing – Part 2

September is upon us, and that means a new round of exciting late-summer and fall public space activities. We’ll be reporting out on many of these in our next full-length Public Space Newsletter; however we wanted to let you know about a few upcoming events – including Park(ing) Day and the inaugural Vancouver Design Week  and Doors Open Vancouver.

More specifically: we’re looking for help with each of these, so if you have some extra times and are looking to lend a hand with one or more cool projects – please get in touch!

 – The VPSN team

Friday, September 19 – Park(ing) Day 2014 
Park(ing) Day is an annual celebration that takes place around the globe. It invites participants to creatively re-imagine metered parking spaces as… parks, mini gathering places, theatres, dance floors, landscape installations, art stations, you name it! It’s a challenge that’s been producing some excellent results since it was first started (in good ‘ol San Fran) back in 2005.

2014 will mark the 7th year that the VPSN has held a Park(ing) Day event in Vancouver, and this year, as always, we’re looking for volunteer assistance to make it a success.

We’ll be holding our next planning meeting tonight (Thursday), at Bean Around the World, Cambie and Hastings at 6pm. If you’re free later on, stop by and join in the discussion. There’s lots to be done.

For more information contact Aateka Shashank at aateka [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca.

September 15 through 28 – Vancouver Design Week
Vancouver Design Week is a city-wide festival to celebrate established and emergent design talent; to spotlight broad spectrum design innovation; to cross-pollenate and empower designers and design-thinkers across disciplines, and ultimately to leverage the potential of design for transformative agency in Vancouver (and beyond).

For fourteen days in 2014, Vancouver Design Week and partners will host workshops, idea jams, exhibitions, open building tours and open studios. Special events and parties include the inaugural City of Vancouer Urban Design Awards. Vancouver Design Week has multiple ways to get involved: host a tour, submit an event, become a supporting partner, make a donation or volunteer as a #VDW2014 Ambassador before/during the event.

Get involved:
Follow @vandesignwk on twitter and instagram
Interested volunteers please contact info@vancouverdesignwk.com

Saturday, October 4 – Doors Open Vancouver
Doors Open Vancouver is a one-day, free, behind-the-scenes look at some of Vancouver’s most intriguing buildings. Over 20 buildings will be participating in the inaugural Doors Open Vancouver event that will take place on Saturday, October 4 from 10 am – 5 pm.

Doors Open Vancouver is brought to you by the City of Vancouver and Urbanarium, in association with Vancouver Heritage Foundation, the Vancouver Public Space Network and Cascadia Green Building Council.

We are looking to recruit three types of volunteers: General Volunteers, Team Leaders and Volunteer Support. There are various shifts and specific jobs associated with each of these categories. A few general requirements: volunteers need to enjoy working with the public, be 19 years of age or older, and be able to attend one of the volunteer orientation sessions that is being organized.

Our partners have come up with some sweet incentives as well. Volunteers will receive an official Doors Open Vancouver 2014 t-shirt, a “bypass the line” wristband to use when you’re not doing your volunteer work, and an invitation to the volunteer wrap party.

To sign-up, please register online.

… And looking ahead to late October and early November: help needed for the Halloween SkyTrain Party and VPSN municipal election events

If transit parties or local politics (or both) tickle your fancy, we’ll be discussing two more events at the next VPSN volunteer orientation, taking place on Monday, September 15.

If you’d like more details, please zip us a note at volunteer [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca.

By Brent Toderian and Jillian Glover

With cities seeking to involve diverse voices in city-making to get beyond “the usual suspects,” Vancouver urbanists Brent Toderian and Jillian Glover examine how cities in their region are finding new ways to increase civic participation.

Originally published on The Planetizen and republished from This City Life with permission from the author.

As more people choose to live in cities, local governments find themselves facing increasingly complex issues in city-making. Demands for affordable housing and public transit, tensions around gentrification and density, even connecting the dots between city planning and climate change, are just some of the more high-profile critical conversations our cities need. Solutions can come from many places, but smart cities realize that engaging the broad public in the city-making process leads to better answers and a deeper public ownership of our future.

Faced with this knowledge, cities are struggling to develop new and innovative community engagement methods, including those that embrace new technologies, social media, and collaborative design methods, to better bring the public into conversations on the future of city life. Let’s face it—not all of our engagement in recent decades has been very engaging!

This article’s authors have looked across Metro Vancouver (a region known internationally for its public consultation) for recent best practices and lessons in better community engagement. While some new methods are bringing key services online, others are as simple as changing the location of council meetings or getting people walking and talking in their neighbourhoods. All of these lessons involve moving beyond traditional consultation practices that cities have relied on for decades.

Although lessons can come in many forms, and these don’t necessarily represent the “best,” here are ten lessons from Metro Vancouver that we found particularly worth sharing.

1. Bring City Hall to the Community – When City Hall is difficult to access due to location and service hours, citizen engagement declines. As a result, some Metro Vancouver municipalities are having staff and services set up shop outside of City Hall. Pitt Meadows, for example, has been scheduling City Council meetings at seniors centres and high schools, while Vancouver has proposed a pilot program for a mobile kiosk, or ‘mini-City Hall,’ to make key city services (such as paying a parking ticket or registering to vote) available at select times to neighbourhoods, particularly those with limited transit access. Other cities are simply looking at when they schedule public hearings relative to when their citizens are working – a simple but important element of better access.

Vancouver City Hall / Credit: VPSN

2. When Hosting an Event, Think Beyond the Open House – Cities are making their public engagement events less stuffy and more fun to encourage attendance, especially by families. These events often gather knowledge and perspectives while also presenting enjoyable activities such as entertainment (music, movies, etc.), food, and public speakers. For example, in undertaking a consultation process while developing a sustainability strategy, the city of Burnaby organized an “Environment Festival.” The festival included a farmers market, BBQ, live music, face painting, a bike tour, Kids Zone activities, a guided nature walk, prizes, and more.

3. Bring the Town Hall Online – A online town hall is an event where cities engage citizens via social media outlets such as Twitter or Facebook for a scheduled time period. Users can ask questions, usually to a mayor, and get instant feedback regarding important issues. Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robertson for example, hosts Twitter town halls on topics such as citizen engagement, homelessness, and housing affordability. The first such Twitter town hall took place days before the Vancouver civic elections, when Mayor Robertson—using the hashtag #askgregor—hosted a high profile virtual town hall meeting at the offices of Hootsuite, a Vancouver-based social media company.

4. Allow Access to City Services via Smart Phones – In the age of mobile devices with apps for everything from grocery shopping to vacation planning, cities are picking up on the trend to make city services available online via mobile phones. When the City of Surrey reviewed its website data in 2012, it found that 30 percent of all visits came from a mobile device. As a result, Surrey developed a mobile-friendly website in addition to several apps that provide information and convenient access to city services such as waste collection schedules, recreation services and locations, and building inspections.

5.Tell Stories – Storytelling can be effective in bringing together a diverse group of people to share experiences in how to improve community. Storytelling can be used to peak citizen interest in an issue and access local wisdom that other methods struggle to access. Storytelling can involve many different kinds of communication—for example, the City of Vancouver partnered with a highly popular monthly “Pecha Kucha” event to launch the Greenest City 2020 Conversation and the TalkGreentoUs.Ca website. The Pecha Kucha event brought together 13 local change-makers to speak on the subject of Vancouver’s effort to become the Greenest City in the World by 2020. It not only had the largest attendance of any city engagement event in Vancouver’s history, but it also particularly brought new people and demographics into the conversation.

6. Map Your Assets – Community Asset Mapping involves informing policies and activities through the creation of a ‘map’ of the community’s resources. The process is intended to mobilize a community to focus on what matters most by identifying and using its assets.The City of Vancouver hosted a cultural asset mapping session as part of a plan to develop a long-term vision and plan for a downtown neighbourhood called the West End. Participants were asked to map and explain the significance of cultural assets. The results from the session helped identify key cultural assets in the neighbourhood as well as ideas and opportunities to improve them.

7. Walk the Talk – The “walkshop” is more than just a neighbourhood tour—it’s a moving conversation, educated and stimulated by looking around. Typically on foot or bike, walkshops allow community members and planners to better understand their neighbourhood together; to document community assets; and to showcase and discuss new and ongoing initiatives. For example, North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto recently organized a bike tour to help citizens discover the city’s new bikeways, highlight cycling improvements, and future initiatives. The City of Vancouver also used walkshops frequently and successfully in the creation of the award-winning Cambie Corridor Plan.

Credit / VPSN

8. Open the Doors to City Hall – ‘Doors Open’ is a successful concept used in cities around the world, and has been growing in popularity in Canada. In each ‘Doors Open’ event, cities provide a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the most popular and well-known venues operate, giving people the chance to look and experience new levels of civic engagement. The City of Surrey recently held its second annual Surrey Doors Open, inviting the public to explore local attractions, venues, facilities, historic landmarks, and parks with self-guided tours and free admission. Activities included an Art Walk, fire truck tours, a Ukrainian lunch, a nature scavenger hunt, the chance to observe a Sikh wedding, and more.

9. Expand Online Consultation – Often, when city governments are consulting on a major issue, interactions are limited to a select group of vocal, often opposed citizens. In an effort to get broader involvement, Metro Vancouver cities like Vancouver, Richmond, and Surrey have launched online consultation platforms that allow citizens to sign up once, provide a bit of background about themselves, and receive regular invitations to provide opinions—online or in person—on important civic issues as they arise. In Surrey,City Speaksis an online consultation forum where community members can participate in surveys, discussions, forums, and quick polls on various topics. Surrey’s goal is to reach 5,000 members by 2014.

10. Let Citizens Get Creative (i.e., Community Art Projects, Photo Contests, Design Competitions) – With photo contests, idea or design competitions and community art projects, cities encourage citizens to get creative when it comes to identifying and addressing local issues. Vancouver has held such competitions to solicit ideas for small scale projects, such as new storm-sewer manhole covers, to broader scale projects, such as alternative uses for the city’s only freeway-like viaducts. In the realm of community art projects, Burnaby invited those who attended its annual Homeless Connect event, which connects people living in extreme poverty and homelessness with essential services. Homeless Connect worked with local quilters to craft a quilt that would “showcase the diversity and need of people living in extreme poverty in Burnaby.” Once completed, the quilt was showcased to the public at the city’s library.

These 10 lessons are just the tip of the iceberg in our survey of new and evolving engagement practices in Metro Vancouver. Not every experiment in better engagement is going to be successful, but it’s important to have an open mind for new tools and more fun! Being creative, interesting, and credible, while also good at listening, are the keys to getting everyone more excited about, and involved in, their city’s future.

Brent Toderian is an international consultant on advanced urbanism with TODERIAN UrbanWORKS, Vancouver’s former Director of City Planning, and the President of the Council for Canadian Urbanism. Follow him on Twitter @BrentToderian

Jillian Glover is a communications advisor who specializes in urban issues and transportation. She is a former Vancouver City Planning Commissioner, holds a Master of Urban Studies degree and writes about urban issues at her blog, This City Life. Follow her @thiscitylifeyvr.

2011 has seen the role of public space in cities thrust into the headlines – both in Vancouver and around the globe. The VPSN team have taken time over the last few days to discuss some of the key events of the past 12 months … and in the spirit of reflection we’ve put together a short list noting five of the year’s public space highlights. Like all lists of this sort, there are missing pieces – so feel free to post your thoughts on what you think are the public space high notes of the year.

Tahir Square – by Jonathan Rashad

The Arab Spring

2011 started (and ends) on a revolutionary note … with a series of popular protests in the Middle East. Democratic uprisings that had started in Tunisia in late 2010 continued into January, triggering calls for revolution in Algeria, Yemen, Jordan, Libya and, more recently, Syria. Without a doubt the most visible, potent and positive manifestation of the call for regime change came in the occupation of Tahir Square in downtown Cairo– which captivated the world in the early part of the year.

The Egyptian Revolution, as this aspect of the Arab Spring was subsequently called, saw crowds of up to 200,000 gather to protest against President Hosni Mubarak (who subsequently left office in mid-February). Images of the growing crowds were beamed around the world on a nightly basis and served to highlight the place of public gathering places in the political functioning of cities. The role of public squares was nicely summarized by the Globe and Mail’s John Allemang who noted that

“The city square is the original social medium, the place where power is openly asserted and contested…[B]y being vast and visible…these meeting places can make democracy’s aspirations more real.” 

 April 6 Vancouver 125 Light Show – by Matt Schroeter

Vancouver 125

The City ofVancouver– that is, the incorporated municipality – turned 125 years old on April 6. The event was marked by two major civic events: a live performance in Jack Poole Plaza and a larger Summer Live festival in mid-July. Both were free, fun and family friendly events that, while not overly birthday-ish, did a great job of adding to the city’s roster of outdoor events. We heard more than a few folks remark that they wish that these events would be held on an annual basis.

But the live performances were only part of the celebrations. The most notable aspects of the birthday, in our humble opinion, came in the smaller projects that helped to mark the anniversary: the 2011 PuSh festival ran a series of powerful theatre pieces linked to the city’s history; the City, CBC and Provincial Archives collaborated on a series of short-film retrospectives; the WE Vancouver event at the Vancouver Art Gallery that featured a series of manifestos for the city; and 10 of the significant pieces of writing associated with Vancouver’s literary history were republished.

The Vancouver Riots… 

What served as a noble run at the Stanley Cup turned sour in the waning minutes of the Canucks Game 7 series against the Boston Bruins. The mid-June night – warm, rain-free and filled with hope – saw thousands of hockey fans gather along Georgia Street to watch the games on giant TV screens. But after a few hours, with the team losing badly, the atmosphere had changed. When the final whistle blew, a small group of disgruntled fans, attended by a large retinue of spectators, set about lighting fires, smashing windows and looting downtown stores. The riot lasted into the wee hours of the morning.

The post-game events were fueled by the potent mix of booze, testosterone and frustration that had been swirling with considerable abandon since mid-day… but they were also nudged along by something far more potent and ominous, and something that received too scant coverage in the three official investigations that were undertaken in the wake of the event: simply put, many of the participants were having fun. In fact, the people our crew saw while moving through the downtown core were laughing, posing for pictures and congratulating one-another. It was a profound and frightening example of the prevailing norms of the city being subverted, of ‘ownership’ of the streets being wrested by a demographic (mostly young males) that are often portrayed as being apathetic and dis-invested, and of a perverse form of self-destructive behaviour being enacted as a form of finger-raising autonomy. In the process the Greater Good took a beating, as did innumerable store-fronts and the city’s better reputation. It was a reminder of how quick civility can disintegrate.

And yet, even before it was over, the events of the riot served to catalyse two interesting side-effects. First, even as the riot itself was unfolding various online initiatives were being activated. Some helped to mobilize the clean-up of the city, while others were focused on locate perpetrators by asking people to post images of rioters. The latter highlighted the significant role of social media and crowd-sourced surveillance in urban environments.

The second side-effect was literal. In the days following the riot, hundreds of people wrote messages on the plywood covers that had been erected to repair smashed windows. Chalk writing decorated sidewalks, police cars were decorated with notes, and windows were embellished with apologies and proclamations that Vancouver was better than all that. As part of working through challenging public events people need the chance to express themselves in a public fashion. In the case of the riots one very negative form of claiming space was literally over-written by another more positive one.

(Another good example of this sort of ‘public processing’? The chalk paint memorial to Jack Layton that filled Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square following the passing of NDP leader Jack Layton in late summer).

October 15 “Occupy” Rally – by Neal Lantela

Occupy Vancouver… and elsewhere

The bright-coloured tents, tarps and signs that filled Centennial Plaza at the north end of the Art Gallery provoked a vigorous debate about a whole range of issues – from increasing economic inequities (the enriching of the 1%) to the nature of democratic engagement.

Part of a global phenomenon known simply as the “Occupy Movement,” protesters carried with them a range of issues and demands. From this, the long-term impact of the movement (still on-going, though currently without the legal ability to set up an encampment) has yet to be ascertained, but the immediate effects were notable. After the October 15 rally that saw the first tents set up, local media slathered themselves in a frenzy of pro and con pieces, political parties jostled for position and everyday Vancouverites – many of whom were more ambivalent than might be expected – sat back and watched.

From a public space perspective, the movement served to spark a debate about the role of public space. The sterile confines of Centennial Square– half covered in bark mulch and the site of an ugly fountain, previously bereft of much regular activity, came to be described by opponents as a “much loved public space.” Opponents decried the occupation of the plaza, while proponents declared that it was more of a public space than ever before. If ever there was an example of “contested space” in 2011, this was it.

Elections, elections, elections…

It was quite a year for ballot-casting. First up was a federal election in early May, followed by a Provincial by-election later the same month. The former contest brought us a Conservative majority and a new Official Opposition – but was particularly notable because of the absence of any mention of an urban agenda on the part of the three leading parties. The latter saw the elected leader of the BC Liberals, Christy Clark, squeak out a victory over NDP challenger David Eby. It was a close race whose twists and turns will foreshadow the upcoming 2013 provincial election.

But the big public space noise came in the November 15 civic election. With literally dozens of candidates vying for role of Mayor, Council, Park Board and School Board, there were lots of debates to be had. Featuring prominently in the platforms of frontrunners and newly elected were public space issues such as the viaducts, bike lanes, neighbourhood well-being, public transit and urban agriculture.

Civic participation in the local contest was up a few points this time ‘round, though that seems like small consolation given that just over one in every three eligible voters cast a ballot. The real story concerns the shifting fortunes of Vancouver’s political parties: the near complete elimination of COPE, the continued marginalization of the NPA, and the introduction of the Green Party to Council chambers… all against the backdrop of a sweep by Vision Vancouver. The next three years will be interesting ones!

Finally, a personal note:

This year marked the 5^th year of the VPSN… and we had the pleasure of celebrating our birthday in May 2011 surrounded by a whole lot of our good friends. We’ve had a lot of fun doing the work that we do… and we’re looking forward to the next five years and beyond. Over the next 12 months we plan to advance our work on an expanded Robson Square, a Downtown Public Realm Plan, and a range of other issues. In fact, we’ll be publishing a route-map of our key issues and projects very shortly.

In the interim, we thought we’d conclude with a few resolutions for the new year. (Another incomplete list, but you have to start somewhere). Here’s three of the many things that we’ll be working on over the next few months.

1. New website launch.

You may have seen our new logo and newsletter roll-out this year. As part of the VPSN Communications work, we’ve also been busy developing a new website. This will launch sometime in spring of 2012.

2. Better reporting on public space issues.

We do our best to keep on top of the urban issues that shape Vancouver… but we know we can do better. Our pledge for 2012? More and better non-partisan reporting on the issues affecting the city’s streets, parks, plazas and other public spaces.

3. More public space events.

The VPSN got its start hosting public meetings, workshops and walking tours on public space issues… and we’d like to amp this part of our work up in the new year. Look for more guest speakers, more presentations and more debates. Got an idea for a topic? Send it our way!

Bursts of light eminate from the trees on Beach Avenue.

Month 12 of 12 has arrived, December is here! The days are shorter, but the streets are beginning to feel a bit brighter. The lights adorning the trees at Beach and Bidwell have been switched on, and there is less Movember and more anticipatory liveliness on people’s faces.

This year has been a big one for public space issues in Vancouver and around the world. Between now and the end of the month, we’ll be rolling out a series of posts and articles that review the happenings of 2011 and look ahead to 2012 and beyond.

In the meantime here’s a snap-shot of some current items and editorial stuff that we hope will be of interest….

• VPSN Winter Gathering – Saturday, December 10 @ 8pm
• Advancing the public space agenda at City Hall. The next three years.
• Ask Gregor – Spacing Magazine
• Urban Screens and CityBuilding- A public talk with Mirjam Struppek – December 2, 7pm at SFU Surrey. 
  Winter Wander: theVanierPark cultural hub – Saturday December 3
• Lessons in Urban Wayfinding – Thursday December 15, 2011
• GenWhy. Worklife. Help needed.
• Vancouver’s polar bears, Fraser salmon feature in new public art
• Funding – City of Surrey– small grant program

VPSN Winter Gathering – Saturday, December 10 @ 8pm

Bon fete! Join us for some end-of-year fun in the upstairs lounge of the W2 café (inside the Woodward’s atrium). There will be a jolly assembly of all the things you love most in life: food, drink, music, dancing, games, friends, quirky urbanists… and perhaps even a public space intervention or two, if the weather permits.

Details on the event can be found on Facebook and our blog. Colleagues, loved ones and neighbours welcome. The event is free, but for the sake of party planning please RSVP so we can get a sense of numbers. Looking forward to seeing you there!

:: Tell us you wouldn’t miss it for the world – events [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca
:: Facebook Event Page
:: VPSN Blog Winter Party Blog Post (additional details, etc.)

Advancing the public space agenda at City Hall. The next three years. 

As many of you know, the VPSN was paying close attention to the recent municipal election. In addition to maintaining our popular vancouvervotes.ca election blog, we also staged the second edition of Last Candidate Standing, our election debate mixer. This year’s event saw 30 mayoral and council candidates face-off in a rollicking, high-stakes event.

We wanted to say a BIG public thank you to ALL the candidates who ran. Regardless of one’s political orientation, signing up to put your name on the ballot takes a lot of guts and a lot of commitment. We’re grateful that there so many people (61 in for Mayor and Council alone) who were willing to consider representing Vancouverites at City Hall.

Now that the new Council, Park and School Board are being formed, we wanted to make an affirmation of our own. The VPSN will continue to work hard in advocating on behalf of a wide range of public space issues with all elected officials. We are, and always have been, non-partisan… and we use our position to champion the tenets of good urbanism with all parties and all politicians.

The next three years promise to be interesting ones for people interested in the city’s public realm. The Vision Vancouver platform gives a sense of the direction to come. In addition to the majority-elect’s commitment to improved and expanded pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, enriched greenspace, an expansion of street food, and more, we note one promissory item that will be of interest to many of you:

Create a new public square downtown. Building on the lessons of the 2010 Olympic Games, and the City’s ongoing consultations on the City’s Transportation 2040 plan, we will work to create a new public square in the downtown.

:: Read the Vision Vancouver platform (pdf)

Ask Gregor – Spacing Magazine

Our friends at Spacing Vancouver will be holding an in-depth Q & A session with Mayor Gregor Robertson that will be published in the magazine’s second National Edition.

They’re looking to make the process an inclusive one and are giving readers the opportunity to add to the list of questions and issues that they’ll be raising with the Mayor. Here’s your chance to pose a query via the Spacing team. Bike lanes? Laneway housing? Public realm? Future visions for the city? Send’em their way. (A disclaimer though: they won’t be able to ask every question directly and plan on teasing out common themes wherever possible). 

:: Submit your question by Monday, December 5 – Erick [at] spacing.ca.

Urban Screens and City Building – A public talk with Mirjam Struppek – December 2, 7pm at SFU Surrey.

With any luck the Province of BC will send representatives to this event. Their recent foray into video screens –four of them ring the newly reopened stadium – could use a serious re-think.

Screen installations, public projections, interactive facades and shop windows or networked communication-sculptures have emerged as a recent art form in the urban public space. They are a venue for creating new visual experiences and engaging cultures, as much as they might further the agendas of consumer culture.

But how do urban screens positively engage audiences and contribute to the experience of a civil society? What do they actually contribute to the character of their urban surroundings, and what is their potential for interaction and creating personal or shared experiences? This presentation will look at crucial issues such as rethinking content, ownership, infrastructure and the careful integration in the urban environment.

Note: This talk will be is preceded by the opening reception for Electric Speed (www.electricspeed.ca), a new work for the Surrey Urban Screen, taking place at the Churck Bailey Recreation Centre at 13458 – 107 A Avenue, (next to the Gateway Skytrain).

Winter Wander: the Vanier Park cultural hub – Saturday December 3

Vanier Park is a cultural hub that manyVancouver residents know little about, and on Saturday, December 3 the six cultural institutions that call Kitsilano’s biggest park home will be celebrating this hidden treasure with a significantly reduced rate for visitors.

Vanier Park is home to the Maritime Museum, the Museum of Vancouver, the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, Bard on the Beach, Vancouver Academy of Music, and the City of Vancouver Archives– offering visitors a fascinating range of cultural experiences within easy walking distance of each other.

The Winter Wander in Vanier Park is a one day event in which Vancouverites and their families can enjoy a taste of what all Vanier Park’s cultural institutions have to offer for one rate that includes all venues (Note Bard on the Beach will be located at the MOV, as the tents are currently down). Adult admission will be just $5 to visit all locations, and children 16 and under will visit for free. Venues open at 10am and close at 5pm.

:: More info – Museum ofVancouver website

Lessons in Urban Wayfinding – Thursday December 15, 2011

As cities become denser and more complex, there is a growing need for cities to be livable, accessible, efficient and optimized to reduce carbon. Benchmark projects like “Legible London” have demonstrated how wayfinding design can effectively contribute to these goals through multidisciplinary collaboration and innovative partnerships.

Learn how a holistic approach to identity, brand and wayfinding can contribute to a cities’ competitive edge. Project innovations will include dynamic technologies, landscape, gateways, public art and placemaking. The lecture will also include how interior designers, architects, landscape architects, and exhibition designers can also engage in the urban realm.

11:30am to 2:00pm (Lunch is included). The Ironworks Studios,235 Alexander Street,Vancouver. SEGD Members: $20, SEGD Non-Members: $25, Students: $10.

:: More Information – http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1814682765

GenWhy. Worklife. Help needed.

Our friends at GenWhy Media are always coming up with cool projects. They say their focus is on youth engagement, but frankly their work does a great job of engaging just about everyone who sees it. Nice work for this local crew! 

Anyway, the GenWhy team is currently looking for a few volunteers to help develop a participatory public art project that will re-imagine the relationship between work and life. It’ll be part of the upcoming XYBOOM conference on youth unemployment. Riffing off of the work of artist/urban planner Candy Chang, the idea is to crowd-source aspirations on work/life balance through a free-standing text-based scupture that spell the phase “worklife”. That’s where you come in. 

:: To lend a hand – info [at] genwhymediaproject.com

Vancouver’s polar bears, Fraser salmon feature in new public art

Closer to home, two new public art installations are rolling out at various locations throughout the city. 

Polar Bear: Native to Vancouver by Tony Pantages launches December 5 on Canada Line video screens

Polar Bear: Native toVancouverby Tony Pantages launches December 5 and runs to December 18 on the Canada Line video screens. The piece is a tribute to the annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim inVancouver. Started by Peter Pantages in 1920 with ten members, this is the oldest and largest Polar Bear Swim and is the genesis of the worldwide Polar Bear Swim movement. Tony Pantages, a third-generation Vancouverite and a filmmaker, attaches a personal history to this public tradition. For half a century his grandfather, Peter, took his daily dip in English Bay 365 days a year through sun, rain, snow, sleet and hail. Polar Bear: Native toVancouverpays homage to his grandfather Peter, father Tony Sr., and uncle Basil, who all appear in this 10-second film.

Polar Bear: Native toVancouverlaunches December 5 on the Canada Line subway video screens and on www.youtube.com/offonmain & www.facebook.com/pages/On-Main/2007124999695. 

New public artwork animates Knight Street corridor. (Community launch, December 3 @ 10:00am)

A 43-metre-long steel sculpture has joinedVancouver’s streetscape atKnight Streetand33rd Avenueas the newest addition to the City’s public art collection.

Abundance Fenced by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas features a playful adaptation of contemporary Haida design and runs along the top of a concrete retaining wall besideKensingtonPark, serving as a decorative railing beside the pedestrian path. The piece was inspired by the plentiful 2010FraserRiversalmon run and Yahgulanaas sees the artwork as a tribute to the exceptional return and celebration of the resilience of the species. Yahgulanaas created the work in the Haida Manga style he developed which is a fusion of Northwest Coast First Nations design elements and Japanese graphic animation.

A community celebration of the work will be held on Saturday, December 3 at 10 a.m. in the Kensington Community Centre, Seniors’ Lounge,5175 Dumfries Street.

:: More info – Chisaki Muraki-Valdovinos, City of Vancouver- chisaki.muraki-valdovinos [at] vancouver.ca

Funding – City of Surrey – small grant program

Back to Surreyagain. The City has developed a small grant program which offers up to $3,000 to support planning, organizing and implementing projects that physically improve the appearance and engage residents with public spaces. Cool stuff – and not dissimilar to the City of Vancouver’s Neighbourhood Matching Fund Program, applicants match volunteer time (to implement the project) with city grant money. The money is then used to cover the hard costs associated with the project (supplies, materials, even food etc.). 

 :: More info – Patrick Klassen, Parks Planning, Research & Design, pklassen [at] surrey.ca