TEAM candidates position themselves as a voice of opposition to ABC majority

Good morning, 

Nate with you today. This week has been our yearly reminder of how powerfully snow can reshape the city landscape. A day of fresh snow brings with it a muted whimsy where everyone is compelled to slow down and embrace (or battle) the elements. 

Vancouver ranks at the bottom of the list of major Canadian cities when it comes to their spending on snow readiness and removal (snow is a novelty here, after all). So while main roads are cleared quite quickly, side roads aren’t, meaning cars cede a bit of their dominance on most city streets and walking becomes a more consistent means of transportation. 

Parks and fields that were sloppy with mud become a playground of snow forts and creature creations, and hills are dotted with sled runs and ski jumps as the conditions bring out a youthful enthusiasm.

It’s also a time when people open up and come together, helping extricate a stuck car, clearing each other’s sidewalks, and checking in with friends, family, and neighbours – especially people who face mobility challenges. 

So, if you can, consider taking a morning or an afternoon off and go frolic in the snow. You deserve it ❄️

With that, let’s slide into today’s newsletter!

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

WEATHER

Wednesday: 1 🌡️ -5 | 🌤️

Thursday:  2 🌡️ -5 | 🌤️

Friday: 2 🌡️ -2 | 🌤️

NUMBERS OF THE DAY

📈 3.1 million: The estimated population of Metro Vancouver, which has increased sharply since 2021. Surrey and the Township of Langley are leading the way with a 17% rate of growth between 2021 and 2024, while Vancouver sits around 8.5%. [CBC]

😓 2,253: The number of people who died from toxic drugs, primarily fentanyl, in B.C. in 2024. Vancouver Centre North, the health area covering Northern False Creek, the Downtown Eastside, Gastown, Strathcona, and Grandview-Woodland, had by far the highest rate of death due to toxic drugs in the province. [BC Gov]

💰 $20 billion: The amount the federal government loaned to the newly-expanded and operational Trans Mountain pipeline – which terminates near Burnaby Mountain and ships oil and gas through the Burrard Inlet – in order to pay down third-party debt. Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland authorized the loan just before her surprise resignation in December. In 2022, Freeland promised the government-owned project would receive no more public funding. [CNO]

🚙 $109: The fine for driving without adequately clearing snow from your vehicle. Police across the region were pulling over snow-covered cars earlier this week. [CTV]

BY-ELECTION

TEAM candidates position themselves as a voice of opposition to ABC majority

What happened: Colleen Hardwick and Theodore Abbott have been named as the candidates for TEAM for a Livable Vancouver in this spring’s municipal by-election. 

• Abbott describes TEAM as a “big tent” party capable of forming a broad coalition, with supporters from the right and left of the political spectrum. 

Runs in the family: Hardwick, a councillor from 2018-2022 and a 2022 mayoral candidate, has a long-standing familial history in Vancouver politics. Colleen’s father Walter Hardwick served on city council from 1969 to 1974, working to establish the mixed-income community of False Creek South. Colleen’s grandmother, Iris, was the city’s first female park board commissioner, serving from 1956-1960. 

• Dive deeper: The TEAM party of today calls back to The Electors’ Action Movement party – co-founded by Walter – which enjoyed municipal political success in the 1970s after organizing around opposition to a proposed freeway through Strathcona and Chinatown.  

“My background, knowledge, and experience when it comes to the city is pretty deep and long-standing. I can hit the ground running as soon as I walk in the door,” if elected, Hardwick told Vancity Lookout. 

A new voice: Abbott graduated from Capilano University in 2024 with a Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, focusing on urban geography and urban studies. Abbott is also the host of the On Site Report podcast, which explores aspects of city planning in Vancouver since the 1970s. 

Growing up on Commercial Drive, Abbott, 27, jokes that he got his first degree hanging out in cafes with the neighbourhood’s activists and thinkers. He described how the major changes he saw in his neighbourhood, and the city at large, impacted him in the early 2000s. 

• “The city was rapidly becoming this globalized metropolis, this city that was less and less kind to average Vancouver residents. This was something that I found pretty disgruntling and quite troubling, especially the gentrification that I saw in East Van,” Abbott told Vancity Lookout. 

Abbott said he’s always been involved in community organizing and activism, working with environmental movements in the 2010s, with Cap. U.’s student union, and for TEAM.  

The intricacies of housing: Hardwick and Abbott are squarely focused on housing policy. They want to slow the rate of development, rezonings, and land-use changes in the city, with a specific focus on halting, or at least pausing, the Broadway Plan. 

The area plan, amended this past December, calls for 41,500 new homes in a 500-block area that contains 25% of the city’s rental stock, much of which are older apartment buildings with low- to middle-income residents, according to Storeys. 

• “We're living in a time when our policies are all driven by developer interests,” Abbott alleged, pointing to the affordable rental stock within the Broadway Plan area that’s at risk of being demolished and redeveloped.  

“The displacement that we're seeing right now in Vancouver, and that we've been seeing for the last decade, is pretty egregious,” Abbott said, adding that TEAM recognizes Vancouver needs more housing, and would advocate for the development of more co-op and senior housing. 

Hardwick pointed to False Creek South and Champlain Heights as models of municipal, provincial and federal governments working together in the 1970s and 80s to fund mixed-income communities with access to nature and green space, and a range of housing types including social, co-op, and market housing. 

“Areas of the city like the Arbutus Walk, False Creek South, or even Champlain Heights, exemplify a form of urban planning that is much more in line with the human scale and livability,” Abbott echoed.  

• Neither Hardwick or Abbott would commit to advocating with the province to institute rent controls on units, rather than on tenancies. Known as vacancy control, this is one tool that’s been proposed by advocates to address the lack of housing affordability for B.C. renters. 

A party in opposition: TEAM for a Livable Vancouver was started by Colleen Hardwick in 2021, in advance of the 2022 municipal elections. “I knew I could not operate as a solo act,” Hardwick said. 

• After not getting any candidates elected in 2022, TEAM is back in this by-election with the explicit goal of opposing Mayor Ken Sim and the ABC majority. 

Asked if there’s any room for collaboration with ABC councillors or Green Coun. Pete Fry, Hardwick said she sees her role as councillor, if elected, as oppositional. 

Both Hardwick and Abbott said they don’t see Coun. Pete Fry and former councillors Christine Boyle and Adriane Carr – whose seats they’re trying to fill – as meaningful opposition to the ABC majority, based on their voting records on area and land-use plans that TEAM opposes, like the Broadway Plan and the Vancouver Plan. 

• “Even if I can't make any of the kinds of changes that I'm talking about… At least if I'm on city council, I can shine a light on what's broken,” Hardwick said. 

“It's very likely that a lot of what will bring forward won't pass,” Abbott admitted. “But generating media coverage and media attention on issues like the Broadway Plan, and making residents feel as though their voices are being heard at City Hall for the next 18 months is, I think, going to be really, really important for generating momentum for movements like Pause the [Broadway] Plan,” Abbott said of TEAM’s role on council.

“I see this as the thin end of the wedge… we're hoping [TEAM candidates being elected] will give us two men on the chess board, so to speak, so that we can start to prepare the ground game for [the 2026 municipal election],” Hardwick said.

Elected park board support: Hardwick and Abbott both expressed their support for the elected park board, saying they would engage with Premier David Eby to advocate for the province not to amend the Vancouver Charter and allow Sim to absorb parks and recreation under direct city governance.

Moreover, Abbott argued, “the way that Ken Sim is going about trying to abolish the park board is completely undemocratic. So whether you think we should have an elected park board or not, that's one side of the coin. The flip side is, I don't think anyone would support the completely undemocratic way in which he's gone about trying to achieve this… I think it's a real attack on democracy,” Abbott said. 

• Hardwick said she’d ask Eby and the province to “not take Ken Sim’s suggestion seriously. He is unserious. He doesn't know what he's doing in the first place, and it's the wrong thing to do,” Hardwick said. 

Last word: Abbott said TEAM believes Vancouver neighbourhoods are completely being ignored, and, as a city councillor he’d advocate “for a return to a form of civic governance that listens to its communities and grows in conjunction with [them], rather than just seeing residents as collateral damage.” 

• One practical form that could take – which Abbott said he’d advocate for – would be instituting a ward system, where some councillors would be elected within certain neighbourhoods to represent those specific areas, rather than Vancouver’s current at-large system, which elects representatives city-wide. 

“We really need knowledgeable people in [city council] because if we don't, the outcomes will not be very desirable,” Hardwick said when asked why people should vote for her, adding “I feel a very strong sense of responsibility to apply what I know and try and turn the ship around, but I can't do that sitting on the sidelines.”

Our coverage: Vancity Lookout is committed to continuing to bring you the perspectives, positions, and arguments from the people and parties campaigning for your vote in the upcoming by-election on April 5th. We hope to interview every major candidate in the lead-up to the by-election.

• Catch up on our previous coverage – including nomination tactics and a Q&A with OneCity candidate Lucy Maloney – and stay tuned for more.

DREAM HOME

This delightfully charming houseboat from the 1980s is up for sale. Docked in Coal Harbour, this is a unique set-up ideal for someone who loves the mariner lifestyle. Downsides are the tight quarters (one bed, one bath, plus combined kitchen and living room) but it does look incredibly cute. 

The price is certainly less than other downtown spots but the moorage costs but would something to factor in as well…

THE AGENDA

☃️ Vancouver public school students were still in class on Tuesday, while their North and West Van peers got another day off due to unsafe road conditions and the amount of snow on the North Shore. SFU, UBC, Langara, and VCC all closed for the day and cancelled in-person classes, while BCIT remained open. [City News, BCIT, Langara]

⛴️ The snow day is causing issues for local transportation systems, with most arriving flights at YVR being delayed on Tuesday, according to the airport’s website, and Vancouver transit services slowing down. BC Ferries has cancelled all sailings between Horseshoe Bay and Bowen Island until Thursday, though they are providing service via water taxi (no cars). Meanwhile, officials were asking drivers to avoid Highway 1 near the Port Mann bridge on Tuesday due to “extreme traffic delays.” [Daily Hive, VIA]

🗞️ Any Vancouver Sun readers out there who still get the physical paper might be receiving your Tuesday newspaper today after the snowfall delayed the paper’s deliveries. [Vancouver Sun, online]

🚧 The expansive and well-travelled deck between the Creekside Community Centre and Science World will be closed “until further notice,” according to the city, after a concerning structural assessment of the seawall section. Pedestrians and cyclists will have to watch out for each other as they navigate to other paths in the already busy area. [CityNews] 

😒 Mayor Ken Sim’s plan to halt new supportive housing projects in Vancouver will hurt people, businesses, and the city, according to this opinion piece from six Order of Canada recipients. [The Tyee] 

🏊🏿‍♂️ A new book about Sarfim “Joe” Fortes, Vancouver’s most famous lifeguard, highlights the contradictions of public support for Fortes co-existing alongside the popularity of exclusionary and racist movements in early 20th century Vancouver. [CBC]

🎤 Canucks staff told a first-time anthem singer to expect boos during her rendition of the American national anthem at a Canucks home game over the weekend, and boo they did. The reaction from fans to the tariff threats has reignited questions of whether the pre-game anthem tradition should continue, with the Canucks simply saying they are “discussing things internally.” [CBC]

Outside Vancouver 

🇨🇦 You’ve probably already heard the news, but U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to pause a 25% tariff on Canadian imports and an additional 10% tariff on Canadian energy for 30 days. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he agreed to several initiatives to combat cross-border crime, including appointing a “fentanyl czar”. While fentanyl clearly is a problem in Canada and Vancouver [see drug deaths above], as this opinion piece in The Tyee notes, the premise that drugs like fentanyl are pouring into the U.S. from Canada is not based in fact. [AP, The Tyee]

🛢️ The province announced they’ll be fast-tracking 18 resource projects in order to reduce their reliance on trade with the U.S., amid the turbulent trade threats and negotiations between the countries. This includes a number of mining projects, and new or expanded gas pipelines and projects. Environmental groups are concerned the province and industry are using the threat of tariffs to push through potentially risky projects. [CBC] 

🚆 A levy on new developments in northwest Richmond helped Vancouver’s southern neighbour raise $27.8 million between 2012 and 2018 to finance Capstan Station, a newly opened station between Bridgeport and Aberdeen on the Canada Line. Richmond’s mayor and a transit expert are calling the funding plan and the resulting infrastructure a “win-win.” Two additional stations proposed for the Canada Line at 33rd and 57th Ave. in Vancouver aren’t proceeding anytime soon, despite the city setting some money and space for the projects. [The Tyee]

EVENTS

Performance

PuSH Performing Arts Festival is still on until Feb 9th. New dates have been added for Lasa Ng Imperyo, an adaptation of the acclaimed play A Taste of Empire from a feminine perspective. Tickets $39

The City of Others, a powerful dance and live music performance, explores how cities can be transformed from places of prejudice and loneliness to ones of collective belonging. Afro-Columbian dance company Sankofa Danzafro will be in Vancouver for three shows over two days, Feb. 21st and 22nd. Tickets $35+

Movies 

VIFF also has a wide variety of captivating films on. To kick off their Black History Month programming they’re playing Luther: Never Too Much, a definitive doc on soul superstar Luther Vandross, and Play It Loud: How Toronto Got Soul, an energizing history of Canadian Caribbean music featuring Jay Douglas. Tickets $10-16

On Feb. 6th, PuSh is presenting Born in Flames; a screening of the 1983 film, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Lizzie Borden. Tickets $10

At the Rio this week, catch Sing Sing. The 2024 film, based on a true story, is about resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors. Shows on Wednesday and Friday afternoon. Tickets $15

Art

The Bill Reid Gallery has launched its year-long exhibit on the work of Haida artist Kihl ‘Yahda, Christian White. A full-time artist since he was 17, the exhibit will feature carvings, inlay work, and jewellery from across White’s 50-year career. Tickets $13

Vancouver Art Gallery’s latest exhibit Emily Carr: Navigating an Impenetrable Landscape opened in late January. Tickets $29 or go this Friday between 4 and 8pm for free (reservations suggested)

IMAGE OF THE DAY

A gorgeous view of the snowy mountains from the crest of Knight Street near Kensington Park.

VANCOUVER GUESSER

A great spot to see the snowy mountains, can the name the school where this 2020 photo was taken? 

OMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Get a first look at all the events coming to a park near you in 2025! Looks like the Stanley Park train will be up and running again (cross your fingers and toes) [Park board]

• You’ve probably seen plenty of dogs having fun in the snow, but these squeaking otters take the cake for cuteness [VIA]

• One of those people who got a $109 for not clearing snow off their car before driving was going 12 km per hour with a windshield full of snow. [TriCity News]

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