City platform example from Vancover

“We’ll never get what we need, unless we ask for it.” — Jean Swanson https://www.votecope2018.ca/platform_summary

Tax the Mega Rich to Help the Rest of Us

“Mansion Tax”: add an extra tax on properties worth over $5 million to generate about $1 billion over four years to end homelessness, fund public housing, and start restoring indigenous land
“Big business” tax: lower commercial property tax rates for small and medium business, higher rate for big corporations
Dedicate all new municipal and provincial speculation taxes toward building city-owned non-market housing

Build the Homes We Need

Rapidly build 2,138 modular homes to end homelessness
Protect existing social and cooperative housing, and build 18,000 units to meet current need: priority for singles earning under $50,000/year and families earning under $80,000/year
Replace 3,500 SROs with safe, self-contained, beautiful homes
Strengthen Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency (VAHA) to own all the city’s public housing
Increase Property Endowment Fund land-holdings by leveraging existing assets, use land for City-owned non-market housing

Democracy Now

Ban corporate donations between elections, disclose all party contributions, and limit 3rd party advertising
Implement a “mixed ward system”: some councillors still elected at-large, others elected by neighbourhood wards to ensure local representation
Reinstate door-to-door registration of all voters
Extend voting rights to permanent residents, and lower voting age to 16
Provide free transit on voting days and more voting stations
Empower and fund community organizations, including in historic communities such as Chinatown, Powell Street, and Hogan’s Alley

Harm reduction, not criminalization

End the war on drugs and make clean and safe drugs accessible
Stop criminalizing poverty, transfer cost savings from police to community health and social programs

Inclusive City

Make city services accessible to all regardless of immigration status
Stop all civic institutions, including the VPD, from sharing information on immigration status with Border Services
Apply a gender lens and anti-racism lens to all civic policies

Transit We Need

Work toward universal free transit passes for all
Start with free passes for school children and residents earning under $50,000/year
Advocate for Carbon Tax collected in Metro Vancouver to fund necessary Translink service expansion
Support low-income car and bike shares

Protect the Environment

Stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline in its tracks
Work toward universal transit to reduce carbon emissions
End unnecessary building demolitions
Ensure all office lights are turned off at night
Ban the use of Styrofoam in take-away food outlets and disposable plastic water bottles
Reduce development permit fees for solar panels

Childcare We Need

Make Vancouver a pilot city for universal $10/day child care
Create 7,500 new early child care spaces and 10,000 new after-school care spaces to meet need
Prioritize indigenous-centred child care

Services We Need

Arts & Culture

Rent Freeze