In this edition of Journal, we take a close look at the challenges that mayors face every minute of every day. There is no such thing as a time-out when you are in that job.

It always surprises me when I hear our governments described in this way – most important, the federal level, next the provincial, then the municipal.

When I served in Vancouver’s municipal government, I was often asked, “When are you going to run provincially, or federally?” – as if that must be the goal. It was never my aspiration, even though for other reasons, I did eventually serve provincially.

But municipal governments are closest to the people they serve. They know what the issues are. Constituents can visit you in your office. They can appear in person to state their concerns before council, whether it is about potholes, the symphony, or supportive housing.

And mayors are the pointy end of that stick. In our minds, they are the ones responsible for housing costs, crime in our streets, fentanyl deaths, not enough density, too much density, too few bike lanes, too many bike lanes.

In many ways, a thankless job. But when done well, the good mayors become our voice on the public stage.

Mayor Mike Hurley of Burnaby is certainly in the spotlight these days. Elected in 2018 as an independent, he was re-elected in 2022 by acclamation – a strong vote of confidence.

And, as if being in charge of this bustling, well-run, and growing municipality were not enough, Mayor Hurley has recently taken on the role of Chair of the Metro Vancouver Regional District at a tense time when the overdue and over-budget waste water plant fills the headlines. Brave.

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In this episode of Journal, we take a close look at what is happening to city planning.

When I was in civic politics, things were definitely not perfect, but I would say the governance structures and roles were clearer than today.

For instance, at that time, the federal government did not deal directly with municipalities – they worked through the provincial government. Not today. The Trudeau government has gone straight to certain cities with financial enhancements, even if it’s not a provincial priority. Several premiers are not happy.

On the question of zoning: in the past, that was exclusively a municipal responsibility. Not today. British Columbia’s provincial government has introduced density rules. Some call it a one-size-fits-all policy for cities throughout the province. This initiative overrides any neighbourhood planning done by municipalities. Many mayors are not happy.

Of course, one of the consequences of increased density is the need for infrastructure improvements – water, sewer, and electrical loads all need to be upgraded. As Mayor Mike Hurley of Burnaby has said, we have to handle all those new flushing toilets. These are major costs. Who is going to pay?

And what about transit, the service that ties communities together? We have been told that BC Transit’s business model no longer works and they will be $600 million in the hole by summer – never mind even considering increasing service and buses for all those new residents.

These are all pieces of a puzzle that don’t seem to fit together. Andy Yan is someone who has the responsibility of looking at the city holistically. As the Director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University and a planner himself, he is a respected commentator on what makes cities work and what doesn’t.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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In this edition of Journal, we look at the specific complaints of the President of the United States about Canada’s border security and fentanyl exports.

Here’s a surprising question: is President Trump right on this? Does Canada have a problem with the protection of our border and are we exporters of fentanyl? He has repeatedly said these are genuine concerns, not a negotiating gambit to get a better trade deal. We’ll see.

One thing for sure, President Trump has got the attention of our federal government. All of a sudden, there is money – over a billion dollars – coming into the system for better border protection, helicopters, and manpower. Funny: isn’t it that in previous years when premiers, especially the premier of Quebec, complained about illegal crossings, with not much action?

But this last year, the headlines have changed:

“2 men charged after US prosecutors say BC freight trains used for human smuggling.”

“Terror suspect accused of plotting a mass shooting in New York came to Canada on student visa. “ (He was then arrested trying to cross illegally from Canada to the US.)

So that’s the border issue. But what about the fentanyl concerns?

A recent assessment from Canada’s Criminal Intelligence Service that says Canada should be considered a source country for fentanyl and other drug shipments moving internationally.

And if that wasn’t blunt enough, a Wall Street Journal headline said, “Canada is becoming a fentanyl exporter and target for Trump.”

To help us ascertain the facts, I have asked Calvin Chrustie to join us. Calvin is an international security expert who has spent 25 years with the RCMP and is recognized for his work on transnational crime.

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In this edition of Journal, we take a look at the role the monarchy plays in the lives of British Columbians – bet that hasn’t crossed your mind recently!

King Charles III is represented in Canada by the governor general in Ottawa, and in our province by the lieutenant governor. For the past 7 years, that has been the Honourable Janet Austin.

It’s not uncommon for people to think this role is purely ceremonial. It is not.

This is the highest ranking position in government. The lieutenant governor has the authority to summon, prorogue and dissolve the legislature – and we have seen a few recent examples of this.

In January, prime minister Trudeau sought the permission of governor general Mary Simon to prorogue or interrupt parliament for a period of time. She agreed.

Prime Minister Harper was similarly successful in convincing governor general Michaelle Jean to prorogue parliament.

In a rather tumultuous time in our province, Christy Clark, unable to elect a majority, asked our lieutenant governor (Judith Guichon at the time) to call an election. She basically said no and instead gave John Horgan the opportunity to form a government – and the rest is history.

So influence, for sure.

Of course, there is a ceremonial aspect as well: hosting distinguished guests, honouring award recipients, recognizing the contributions of outstanding British Columbians and, in the name of the King, honouring indigenous traditions and heritage.

Janet Austin has been an exemplary role model as our 30th lieutenant governor. As Her Honour’s term comes to an end, we take a look back.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

ctj027 #lieutenantgovernor #monarchy #royalfamily

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On this episode of Journal, we tell the remarkable story of Marshall Smith, former Chief of Staff to Premier Danielle Smith and the man behind Alberta’s dramatic turnaround in its approach to drug addiction and treatment.

What makes Marshall stand out is that he was once one of those individuals that we saw sleeping on the streets of the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver. As an addict, he had been beaten up, repeatedly, put in jail, and threatened.

What makes his story even more meaningful is that he came from a modest family, worked his way up to a position in the British Columbia government, and even served as part of the successful Olympic committee. He was in a good place.

And then came the Vancouver Sun headline: “BC Political Aid caught in Drug Raid.” That was in 2004 – and that’s when the spiral downward began.

Fortunately, this riches-to-rags story has an enormously happy ending.

After being told that it was treatment or jail by the police, Marshall, with a lot of help, was able to overcome his terrifying addiction.

This lived experience is the reason he is so passionate about making drug recovery the focus of provincial addiction initiatives, rather than solely concentrating on harm reduction.

Of course, as you can imagine, this approach is controversial in those circles promoting safe injection sites, free drug paraphernalia, along with a safe supply of drugs – some even want this so-called “safe” supply to be distributed even without a prescription, taking away a possible point of intervention by a doctor.

So what can we learn from the Alberta model that could be applied in British Columbia?

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In this edition of Journal, we focus on how we can better serve our seniors.

Personally, I feel the longer we can support the decision of older citizens to remain in their own homes, stay in their familiar communities, living as independently as possible, the better.

It’s better for them, better for the community, and better for the government all round, given the cost and shortage of long-term care beds.

It surprised me to learn that 75% of seniors over 85 in British Columbia continue to live independently – that’s really good news. More are living longer and staying healthy. Understandably, they don’t want to be pushed prematurely into long-term care.

So what can we do as a society and as a government to support their choices? Recognizing inaction will cost governments significantly more.

Recent polls, and elections, point to the problems many families are facing with inflation: housing affordability, grocery store bills, transportation costs. These challenges are exacerbated when you are living on a fixed income or pension as so many of our seniors do.

So, increased rent means what? Less money for food? Less money for everything.

According to BC’s Seniors Advocate, “the most precarious group of seniors are the 1 in 5 who rent.” Our provincial government does have a program to aid these individuals, called SAFER, shelter aid for elderly renters. The question is, can these subsidies possibly keep up with today’s costly rental market?

Joining me to discuss some of these challenges and possible solutions is Dan Levitt, BC’s Seniors Advocate.

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Well, 2024 was quite a year. Painful conflicts around the world, natural disasters of various kinds, and here in Canada, an economy that lags in so many ways – growth per capita, productivity, business investment. In today's Journal, we take a look at what has been holding us back.

Chris Gardner is CEO/President of the 4500-member ICBA (Independent Contractors and Business Association) based in British Columbia and is an expert on labour and construction issues affecting our progress. He gets frustrated with some of our public policies that impede the ability to build what our community needs, whether it is affordable housing or the supportive infrastructure that must go along with it.

In fact, the ICBA has brought lawsuits against both the provincial and federal governments, trying to bring attention to policies that they believe have negative consequences for our economy.

I remember last spring when Prime Minister Trudeau, after another round of announcing dozens of housing initiatives, declared that with these initiatives, we hope to build 400,000 homes annually – that’s almost double our current rate of about 250,000 homes.

I thought: What? How? It’s a nice idea but where will we find the labour we need to double our building output? Where will we find the money it takes to build affordable or rental properties that often depend on government support? And how do we improve the zoning and permitting process at the municipal level to make this happen?

Chris Gardner joins me to look at some specific policies that will have to change if BC, and Canada, are going to move forward as an economic and fair country, full of hope for our children and grandchildren.

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On this edition of Journal, we take a different look at the disorder on our streets – and boy, has it been a bad couple of months.

There was the machete killing and hand maiming near the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Then last week, a sucker punch dropped another stranger outside the Hudson’s Bay store, followed by the knife attack on two individuals in a store on Robson Street in the middle of the day.

What is happening that led Vancouver’s Mayor Ken Sim to say, “Vancouverites are sick of this crap”? Unfortunately, there is enough blame to go around for this deterioration in our cities and a lot of finger pointing.

But let’s start with the decriminalization experiment that led to wide open drug use, safe supply drugs being diverted to young kids, a shortage of treatment beds or involuntary care for those who are seriously mentally ill, or the revolving door of catch and release for violent repeat offenders.

Sitting in judgement on all these issues is our court system. Broadly speaking, what is holding up real bail reform? Why are repeat violent offenders so often back out on the street? Is it a lack of facilities or policy direction?

And what about access to justice? We hear far too often about delays resulting in charges being dropped. Not enough judges? Not enough courts? Never mind the prohibitive cost of a lengthy trial.

Today I am joined by the Honourable Robert J. Bauman, former Chief Justice of BC and former Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal in BC. Recently retired, I want to ask him what the courts are doing right but also, where are the weaknesses and what are the solutions?

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