Vancouver Overcast with Mike Klassen Mike Klassen

In Episode 20 we're joined by Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung. Now in her 2nd term, there are few portfolios Sarah hasn't taken on during her time on Vancouver City Council. Councillor Kirby-Yung is known as a fierce advocate for a livable, vibrant, and culturally rich Vancouver. In this conversation we gain insights into her work on behalf of the city, and what drew her into public life.

City councillors Mike Klassen (Vancouver) and Daniel Fontaine (New Westminster) break down some of the top issues they've been immersed in since being sworn into office late last year. Each discusses how they've adjusted to public life and what their goals are in the 2nd year of their term in office.

Mike speaks with housing policy expert and developer Michael Geller, who brings 5 decades of experience in the housing industry and has been an important voice on the 'missing middle' of housing. The tweet referred to by Michael in the golf club locker room is here: https://twitter.com/michaelgeller/status/1538319049754439680
 
Avi Barzelai (barzelai.ca) is @EastVanBuilder on Twitter. Avi has been sharing threads on the hard and soft costs of housing. Here is one of those threads: https://twitter.com/EastVanBuilder/status/1538279237047623680
 
Be sure to subscribe, like and rate Vancouver Overcast podcast. Visit https://www.overcastyvr.ca for more information.

Our podcast guest Daniel Fontaine is a longtime friend with a superlative background in politics and government. He is the Deputy Minster and CEO of Métis Nation British Columbia.
Daniel has more than 15 years of senior management experience in public relations and governmental affairs, including serving as Chief of Staff to Mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, where I had the pleasure to work closely with him.
Fontaine was Chief Public Affairs Officer for Mitacs, an influential non-profit organization that links industries and post-secondary institutions to advance relevant industry research. He then took the post as CEO of the BC Care Providers Association, where we once again had the opportunity to work together in support of B.C. seniors and the people who care for them.
It is our work together as co-founders of CityCaucus.com, a groundbreaking civic politics website that garnered over 5 million page views during its three-and-a-half-year run. Daniel continues his active interest in local government politics as the founding board president of the New West Progressives elector organization.
SUBSCRIBE LIKE AND SHARE the podcast.
Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTube
Listen to past episodes at https://www.overcastyvr.ca
Want more of this programming? Consider supporting the podcast at https://patreon.com/overcastyvr
Follow the podcast on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @OvercastYVR
Recorded on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples including the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations.
 
STORIES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE
August
BC Opioid Crisis: Overdose awareness day shines light on more than 7,700 B.C. lives lost — and what's still at stake | CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/overdose-awareness-day-shines-light-on-more-than-7-000-b-c-lives-lost-and-what-s-still-at-stake-1.6159224
 
September
Vancouver council OKs court order against Sahota-owned SRO https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-council-oks-court-order-against-sahota-owned-sro
 
October
Former Vancouver mayor Philip Owen dead at 88 | CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/philip-owen-dead-88-1.6196737
 
Wastewater project delay one of several billion-dollar questions facing Metro Vancouver | CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/metro-van-budgets-wastewater-iona-north-vancouver-1.6201226
 
November
BC Disaster Response: Flood management in B.C. is left up to municipalities. Should it be? | CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/flood-management-province-bc-jurisdiction-1.6261541
 
FVRD’s Jason Lum: The bureaucracy and the flood: disaster hits the valley’s rural communities https://fvcurrent.com/article/fvrd-flood-funding-delay/
 
December
Vancouver 6.53% tax increase: City taxpayers stuck with tab from Vancouver council's stratospheric spending - Commentary | Business in Vancouver
https://biv.com/article/2021/12/city-taxpayers-stuck-tab-vancouver-councils-stratospheric-spending
 
CityCaucus 2021 Honourable Mention list
Spencer Coyne, mayor of Princeton, B.C.
Linda Brown, mayor of Merritt, B.C.
Chief Arnold Lampreau, Shackan First Nation
 
CityCaucus Local Government Leader of 2021
Henry Braun, mayor of Abbotsford, B.C.
https://biv.com/article/2021/12/abbotsford-mayor-henry-braun-proves-his-depth-flood-crisis

Our podcast guest Daniel Fontaine is a longtime friend with a superlative background in politics and government. He is the Deputy Minster and CEO of Métis Nation British Columbia.
Daniel has more than 15 years of senior management experience in public relations and governmental affairs, including serving as Chief of Staff to Mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, where I had the pleasure to work closely with him.
Fontaine was Chief Public Affairs Officer for Mitacs, an influential non-profit organization that links industries and post-secondary institutions to advance relevant industry research. He then took the post as CEO of the BC Care Providers Association, where we once again had the opportunity to work together in support of B.C. seniors and the people who care for them.
It is our work together as co-founders of CityCaucus.com, a groundbreaking civic politics website that garnered over 5 million page views during its three-and-a-half-year run. Daniel continues his active interest in local government politics as the founding board president of the New West Progressives elector organization.
SUBSCRIBE LIKE AND SHARE the podcast.
Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTube
Listen to past episodes at https://www.overcastyvr.ca
Want more of this programming? Consider supporting the podcast at https://patreon.com/overcastyvr
Follow the podcast on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @OvercastYVR
Recorded on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples including the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations.
 
STORIES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE
January
Sadhu Johnston quits as Vancouver city manager
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-city-manager-sadhu-johnston-to-step-down-at-start-of-2021-1.5725102
 
February
New West backs down on de-funding police proposal
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/new-west-council-police-budget-1.5897257
 
Vancouver: Kitsilano site may become home to six-storey rental building https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/courier-archive/real-estate/kitsilano-site-may-become-home-to-six-storey-rental-building-3116697
 
March
Bike lane debate: Vancouver businesses aim to block motion proposing return of route to Stanley Park | CTV News https://bc.ctvnews.ca/bike-lane-debate-vancouver-businesses-aim-to-block-motion-proposing-return-of-route-to-stanley-park-1.5333790
 
April
Vancouver's NPA picks John Coupar to run for mayor in 2022 | CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-coupar-2022-candidate-1.5976740
 
Reaction from NPA councillors
https://twitter.com/sarahkirby_yung/status/1379643853867651081
 
Marissen follows suit and announces mayoral run
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-mayor-race-2022-mark-marissen-1.5399419
 
Will Jody Wilson-Raybould run for mayor of Vancouver, or not? https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/will-jody-wilson-raybould-run-for-mayor-of-vancouver-or-not-3975473 
 
Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum to face off against Coun. Brenda Locke in Surrey's 2022 election | CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/surrey-mayor-2021-mccallum-locke-1.6115492
 
May
Surrey police chief hopes for 'soft launch' this fall https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/surrey-police-chief-hopes-for-soft-launch-this-fall  via @VancouverSun
 
June
Vancouver: Gas-powered sports cars, SUVs face higher street parking fees under Vancouver's anti-pollution proposal | CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/city-vancouver-parking-climate-emergency-parking-proposal-1.6065135
 
Burnaby: Hillman / NWVDLC byelection split — Longtime federal Liberal breaks Big Labour’s grip on Burnaby council https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/council-byelection-marked-by-low-voter-turnout-burnaby-mlas-shot-at-one-candidate-3917583
 
New West: Downtown business group and new political party clash over Together New West name https://www.newwestrecord.ca/local-news/downtown-business-group-and-new-political-par

Welcome to Vancouver Overcast with Mike Klassen Episode 15. On this edition we have brought together a group formally known as the Wine Roundtable. As listeners will discover as I introduce them, each of our 4 guests have a strong involvement in British Columbia’s dynamic wine scene.