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Stephanie Smith

Climate Change

Active Transportation

Green's promises

Re-purpose 11% or more of neighbourhood streets for active transportation, amenities, and community use/benefits.
Improve, connect and complete Vancouver’s safe cycling networks & greenways.

Greens at City Council, Park Board, and School Board will work together to complete a safe, green active transportation network in Vancouver that connects safe cycling routes to schools, community centres, parks, transit, and employment areas.

Expand bike share program to all areas of the city, starting with frequent transit corridors.
Reduce the city’s default speed limit to 30 km/hour, (excluding arterials and thoroughfares)

to better facilitate active transportation on shared multimodal routes and facilitate a friendlier, safer public realm. Transition on all residential streets and select commercial high streets (especially those with expanded patios) to pedestrian first.

Electric Bikes & Scooters

Green's promise

Expand bike share programs to all areas of the city, starting with frequent transit corridors.

Energy-Efficient Buildings & Retrofits

Green's promises

Move from “solar-ready” to “solar-required” in the City’s Building Code, where sunlight permits.
Create safe havens in every neighbourhood for people to retreat to during extreme weather

 by retrofitting key public buildings with climate-smart heating and cooling systems (e.g., Seniors’ Centers, Family Places, Neighbourhood Houses).Include educational displays of how much energy is produced, GHGs reduced, and money saved on energy bills.

Ramp up retrofits of all city-owned buildings to reduce emissions and save public money spent on energy.
Expand green roof options in the building code for single family and duplex-zoned areas

to absorb and reduce stormwater runoff and keep buildings cooler in the summers and warmer in winters.

Create easier, faster permitting processes for building retrofits that reduce GHGs,

 especially to net zero, including for removing gas heating and appliances and provide modified requirements for older character buildings.

Pursue funding sources to help support energy retrofits of private buildings - such as Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing
Prohibit gas hookups in all new buildings including for cooking and fireplaces, not just for heating and hot water.
Make retrofitting easier for building owners by collaborating with the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Center

to create resources such as how-to guides, comprehensive lists of grant and funding options, recognized/certified practitioners and trades companies.

Easier, faster permitting for new net-Zero Emissions Buildings.

Green Space

Green's promises

Pursue an equitable distribution of parks and recreation sites across the city.
Enhance access to all parks and recreation centres for visitors with diverse mobility needs, to support equal opportunity and access for all
INCREASE TREE CANOPY CITY-WIDE : to a minimum of 30% tree cover in every neighbourhood, as called for by the Parks Board,

Greens believe in the 3-30-300 rule for a healthier, greener city: every resident should be able to see a minimum of 3 trees from every home, enjoy 30 percent tree canopy cover in every neighbourhood and be within 300 metres of the nearest public park or green space. 30% is a minimum - we'll aim to match Metro Vancouver’s goal of 40% city-wide tree cover with tree species that excel at sequestering GHGs and can cope with changing climate.

Ensure development is contributing funds for new public parks and green spaces and pursue matching funding from senior governments.
Strategically design parks for greater green space connectivity,

 to support an increase in biodiversity and create a connected network for everyday users.

Reallocate a minimum of 11 percent of neighbourhood streets from car to community use

and encourage residents to engage in the next phase of the Vancouver Plan, to have a say in how and where we can create more green spaces and mini-parks that support biodiversity, access to nature, and ecosystem restoration.

Plant smarter for climate change.

Invest in rewilding and native plantings, enhance storm sewer infrastructure with blue-green networks and bioswales, and consider drought and storm resistant plantings.

Expand city support for the Green Streets, Green Blocks, and neighbourhood green grants programs, that connect people with the environment.

Parking

Green's promises

Create a 5 minute city:

Where public amenities like daycares, schools, accessible public washrooms, parks and community centres, as well as locally owned shops, services, and daily needs are all within a five minute walk or roll of home or work.

Improve electric vehicle charging infrastructure

by ensuring charging stations are available at every City-owned public-use building, every destination park and all shopping districts.

Parking adds significantly to building costs and unaffordability of housing, Greens will remove parking minimums and add parking maximums.

Urban Heat

Green's promises

INCREASE TREE CANOPY CITY-WIDE : to a minimum of 30% tree cover in every neighbourhood, as called for by the Parks Board,

Greens believe in the 3-30-300 rule for a healthier, greener city: every resident should be able to see a minimum of 3 trees from every home, enjoy 30 percent tree canopy cover in every neighbourhood and be within 300 metres of the nearest public park or green space. 30% is a minimum - we'll aim to match Metro Vancouver’s goal of 40% city-wide tree cover with tree species that excel at sequestering GHGs and can cope with changing climate.

Create safe havens in every neighbourhood for people to retreat to during extreme weather

 by retrofitting key public buildings with climate-smart heating and cooling systems (e.g., Seniors’ Centers, Family Places, Neighbourhood Houses).Include educational displays of how much energy is produced, GHGs reduced, and money saved on energy bills.

Zoning

Green's promises

Get more from the market. Increase inclusionary zoning to deliver city-owned affordable housing

as a greater proportion of built units and on more types and scales of housing, either on-site or cash in-lieu.

Zoning policies must accelerate development of affordable housing and community amenities.
Increase affordable, non-market housing zoning.

Expand pre-zoning for non-profit-owned, supportive, and co-op housing. Use rental-only zoning powers to increase the supply of affordable and market rental housing, and dampen speculation.

Diversify housing options. Zone for a wider variety of housing types in all neighbourhoods

including mid-rise apartments and missing middle typologies like rowhomes, townhomes, and infill.

Housing & Homelessness

Affordability

Green's promises

Increase availability of rentals.

Vancouver’s current vacancy rate is less than 1%. We will establish a target vacancy rate of 3% and prioritize purpose-built rental incentives and approvals to achieve it.

Set targets for non-market housing relative to need.

 Prioritize city-owned and city-built housing, co-ops, co-housing, supportive housing, non-profit-owned affordable rental, and affordable home ownership.

Increase affordable, co-op and non-market zoning.

Expand pre-zoning for non-profit-owned, supportive, and co-op housing.

Tie affordability to renter income, not market rents. Greens will define ‘affordable rent’ as 30% of median renter household income.
Get more from the market: Increase inclusionary zoning

to deliver city-owned affordable housing as a greater proportion of built units and on more types and scales of housing, either on-site or cash in-lieu.

Building Maintenance & Occupant Health

Green's promise

Ensure tenant safety. Strengthen and more vigorously enforce the Standards of Maintenance Bylaw

so that buildings do not dangerously deteriorate, and the lives and safety of tenants are protected and prioritized.

Co-Op Housing

Green's promises

Maximize the use of city lands.

Use city lands to partner with senior governments, non-profits, and community land trusts to build non-profit, supportive, and co-op housing to meet our affordable housing targets.

Immediately resolve co-op lease uncertainty.

 Resolve outstanding renewal of land leases for housing co-ops on city-owned lands, quickly and fairly.

Increase affordable, co-op and non-market zoning.

Expand pre-zoning for non-profit-owned, supportive, and co-op housing.

Housing Accessibility

Green's promises

. Target housing near public amenities including specific targets for Indigenous, accessible, family-sized, and senior housing.
Meet diverse household requirements

Indigenous-Led Housing

Green's promises

Green Councillors look forward to receiving and supporting the proposal for the MST’s Jericho Lands.
Greens will work collaboratively to supply city services to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation’s Sen̓áḵw development on their reserve lands
Green Councillors fully supported and were inspired by the MST-led Heather lands rezoning.

Property Taxes

Green's promises

Zero-based budgeting requiring every City department to justify each line-item in their budget in terms of delivering on City priorities.
Making negotiations with developers for Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) more transparent to the public

including elements of developers’ Pro Formas, so people can be assured that the public receives a fair share of the developer’s profits (that result from city upzoning) to pay for amenities like affordable housing, libraries, childcare facilities, parks, arts and culture, and recreation centres.

Support the independence, integrity and funding of the new Auditor General Office.

Vancouver’s Auditor General Office will deliver on their first performance and financial audit later this year. Greens will support this work, and seek best value and efficiency for Vancouver tax payers.

Public Housing

Green's promises

Ramp up the City’s development of City-owned housing.

Leverage funds from senior government and partner with non-profit agencies to accelerate City-funded, City-built housing on City-owned land. Prioritize affordable rentals and housing co-ops and focus on low-cost, zero-carbon, high-quality modular or prefab wood-frame construction.

Acquire more land for housing using right-of-first-refusal.

Purchase more properties to add to the Vancouver Affordable Housing Endowment Fund. Pursue with the province a right-of-first-refusal tool where the City has the first option to buy select lands under the same terms and conditions as an existing third-party offer.

Build housing into City-owned buildings.

Co-locate affordable housing in new public buildings including libraries, fire halls and community facilities, but excluding park lands.

Maximize the use of city lands.

Use city lands to partner with senior governments, non-profits, and community land trusts to build non-profit, supportive, and co-op housing to meet our affordable housing targets.

Rent

Green's promises

Tie affordability to renter income, not market rents. Greens will define ‘affordable rent’ as 30% of median renter household income.
Crack down on renovictions.

Support and expand the role of the Renter Office to cross-reference building and development permits to monitor and intervene on renovictions and other gaps in the province’s Residential Tenancy Act.

Close empty-homes tax and short-term rental loopholes.

Review and refine City policies like the Empty Homes Tax and Short-Term Rental bylaws to require clear data reporting. Remove Empty Homes Tax loopholes that allow landlords to avoid the tax by retaining one tenant in a cleared-out building.

Protect affordability. Stabilize rents by limiting rent increases for units, not just tenants.
Protect tenants in residential hotels.

Work with the provincial government to expedite the replacement of Single Room Accommodations (typically older residential hotels) while preventing the displacement of current SRA tenants by up-market conversions.

Ensure tenant safety.

Strengthen and more vigorously enforce the Standards of Maintenance Bylaw so that buildings do not dangerously deteriorate, and the lives and safety of tenants are protected and prioritized.

Rental Stock

Green's promises

Increase availability of rentals and establish a target vacancy rate of 3%.

 Vancouver’s current vacancy rate is less than 1%. We will establish a target vacancy rate of 3% and prioritize purpose-built rental incentives and approvals to achieve it.

Ramp up the City’s development of City-owned housing.

Leverage funds from senior government and partner with non-profit agencies to accelerate City-funded, City-built housing on City-owned land. Prioritize affordable rentals and housing co-ops and focus on low-cost, zero-carbon, high-quality modular or prefab wood-frame construction.

Implement a simple menu of repeatable building forms, from tiny homes to multifamily buildings.

 to fast-track permits, reduce costs and building times.

Increase affordable, non-market housing zoning. Use rental-only zoning powers

 to increase the supply of affordable and market rental housing, and dampen speculation.

Maximize the use of city lands.

Use city lands to partner with senior governments, non-profits, and community land trusts to build non-profit, supportive, and co-op housing to meet our affordable housing targets.

SROs

Green's promises

Ensure tenant safety. Strengthen and more vigorously enforce the Standards of Maintenance Bylaw

so that buildings do not dangerously deteriorate, and the lives and safety of tenants are protected and prioritized.

Fast-track rapid shelter solutions like tiny home communities on empty lots to provide transitional housing with health supports

for people living in tents or unsafe SROs and shelters. This type of intervention has proven successful and is demonstrably safer than living in shelters, SROs, or tents and can provide a successful pathway to permanent and supportive housing. Inexpensive, quick-assembly, comfortable and locking units can be scaled to meet needs as an emergency response.

Protect tenants in residential hotels.

Work with the provincial government to expedite the replacement of Single Room Accommodations (typically older residential hotels) while preventing the displacement of current SRA tenants by up-market conversions.

Zoning

Green's promises

Get more from the market. Increase inclusionary zoning to deliver city-owned affordable housing

as a greater proportion of built units and on more types and scales of housing, either on-site or cash in-lieu.

Zoning policies must accelerate development of affordable housing and community amenities.
Increase affordable, non-market housing zoning.

Expand pre-zoning for non-profit-owned, supportive, and co-op housing. Use rental-only zoning powers to increase the supply of affordable and market rental housing, and dampen speculation.

Diversify housing options. Zone for a wider variety of housing types in all neighbourhoods

including mid-rise apartments and missing middle typologies like rowhomes, townhomes, and infill.

Public Spaces & Services

Green Space

Green's promises

Pursue an equitable distribution of parks and recreation sites across the city.
Enhance access to all parks and recreation centres for visitors with diverse mobility needs, to support equal opportunity and access for all
INCREASE TREE CANOPY CITY-WIDE : to a minimum of 30% tree cover in every neighbourhood, as called for by the Parks Board,

Greens believe in the 3-30-300 rule for a healthier, greener city: every resident should be able to see a minimum of 3 trees from every home, enjoy 30 percent tree canopy cover in every neighbourhood and be within 300 metres of the nearest public park or green space. 30% is a minimum - we'll aim to match Metro Vancouver’s goal of 40% city-wide tree cover with tree species that excel at sequestering GHGs and can cope with changing climate.

Ensure development is contributing funds for new public parks and green spaces and pursue matching funding from senior governments.
Strategically design parks for greater green space connectivity,

 to support an increase in biodiversity and create a connected network for everyday users.

Reallocate a minimum of 11 percent of neighbourhood streets from car to community use

and encourage residents to engage in the next phase of the Vancouver Plan, to have a say in how and where we can create more green spaces and mini-parks that support biodiversity, access to nature, and ecosystem restoration.

Plant smarter for climate change.

Invest in rewilding and native plantings, enhance storm sewer infrastructure with blue-green networks and bioswales, and consider drought and storm resistant plantings.

Expand city support for the Green Streets, Green Blocks, and neighbourhood green grants programs, that connect people with the environment.

Zoning

Green's promises

Get more from the market. Increase inclusionary zoning to deliver city-owned affordable housing

as a greater proportion of built units and on more types and scales of housing, either on-site or cash in-lieu.

Zoning policies must accelerate development of affordable housing and community amenities.
Increase affordable, non-market housing zoning.

Expand pre-zoning for non-profit-owned, supportive, and co-op housing. Use rental-only zoning powers to increase the supply of affordable and market rental housing, and dampen speculation.

Diversify housing options. Zone for a wider variety of housing types in all neighbourhoods

including mid-rise apartments and missing middle typologies like rowhomes, townhomes, and infill.

Reconciliation & Indigenous Nations

Indigenous-Led Housing

Green's promises

Green Councillors look forward to receiving and supporting the proposal for the MST’s Jericho Lands.
Greens will work collaboratively to supply city services to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation’s Sen̓áḵw development on their reserve lands
Green Councillors fully supported and were inspired by the MST-led Heather lands rezoning.

Transit & Getting Around

Active Transportation

Green's promises

Re-purpose 11% or more of neighbourhood streets for active transportation, amenities, and community use/benefits.
Improve, connect and complete Vancouver’s safe cycling networks & greenways.

Greens at City Council, Park Board, and School Board will work together to complete a safe, green active transportation network in Vancouver that connects safe cycling routes to schools, community centres, parks, transit, and employment areas.

Expand bike share program to all areas of the city, starting with frequent transit corridors.
Reduce the city’s default speed limit to 30 km/hour, (excluding arterials and thoroughfares)

to better facilitate active transportation on shared multimodal routes and facilitate a friendlier, safer public realm. Transition on all residential streets and select commercial high streets (especially those with expanded patios) to pedestrian first.

Electric Bikes & Scooters

Green's promise

Expand bike share programs to all areas of the city, starting with frequent transit corridors.

Parking

Green's promises

Create a 5 minute city:

Where public amenities like daycares, schools, accessible public washrooms, parks and community centres, as well as locally owned shops, services, and daily needs are all within a five minute walk or roll of home or work.

Improve electric vehicle charging infrastructure

by ensuring charging stations are available at every City-owned public-use building, every destination park and all shopping districts.

Parking adds significantly to building costs and unaffordability of housing, Greens will remove parking minimums and add parking maximums.


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Biography

submitted by the candidate or their team
I'm a labour and social justice activist living in a Downtown Eastside housing co-operative. I've worked in community service since the 1990s, as a legal advocate and union activist, where I've advised and represented thousands of tenants, social benefits recipients, and workers.

Working alongside people in this way you start to identify systemic issues, and want to work on systemic change. I’ve worked with provincial and city staff, grassroots political groups, my labour council, the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, done public legal education work, trained other legal advocates - anything I can do to try to change the conditions that are causing so many people in Vancouver to live without a sense of security.

Reason for running

submitted by the candidate or their team
I want a city where every Vancouverite has a future. On Council I will work hard to create better renter protections, champion truly affordable housing, support the city’s arts and culture workers, and build the security people need to live and thrive in their communities.

Housing affordability and tenants’ rights are largely a mirage in this brutally speculative real estate city. So many of the problems that we face result from a rapidly widening income and wealth inequality gap and profound social and economic insecurity. Wages aren't keeping up with the cost of living, and many tenants are one renoviction, demoviction or layoff away from being forced out of the city forever. Average renter households - where the 2016 census median income was $50,250 a year — are largely ignored by policymakers and funders. Many of the people who live in those households are workers who make the city work, and they deserve to be included in our vision of what this city can be.

If you are a tenant in Vancouver, I want to protect your rental housing by stopping evictions for profit, with rent stabilization, right of first refusal at the same rent when landlords want to renovict, rate of change rules that direct development away from existing affordable rentals, and using rental-only zoning to zone for real affordability. Right now, we could build the entire city out with what Vancouver defines as social housing, and get zero units that are affordable to the average renter household. That must change. And I'm committed to housing adequacy - a standard used by the United Nations - so that Vancouver ensures that housing is big enough for you and your family, has access to amenities like schools and parks and public services. We’re in an affordability crisis, but city-building that doesn’t meet its residents’ needs is not the route forward.


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