Showmanship added to generalship: Nigel Malkin has rocketed in weeks to become West Vancouver’s biggest one-man political force, maybe ever – determined to make B-Line boostership a bummer.
And now with satirical mobile theatre: Malkin is battling TransLink’s proposed buses with a 60-foot fake bus that will lead a citizens’ “March on Marine” parade starting at noon tomorrow at Irwin Park Elementary. (It takes a thief to catch a thief; fight fire with fire; reject buses with a bus. Makes sense, yes?)
With the element of surprise and the dashing originality of successful generals, Malkin and “some Irwin Park parents” slapped the bus together last weekend.
A fake bus it may be. But town hall careers could be thrown under it.
The march ends at West Vancouver Memorial Library with a straight-faced “to meet the mayor,” who coincidentally scheduled early last month a talk on council’s strategic priorities. There is a lot of pressure on Mayor Mary-Ann Booth, who was barely into what may seem like a very long four-year term when the B-Line rebellion broke out.
Malkin’s troops and allies are not ragtag conscripts or career whiners. Besides others noted here earlier, there’s Graham McIsaac, chief financial officer of HSBC Bank Canada from 2002 until retirement in 2012. He’s also a qualified chartered accountant with a gaggle of other professional initials after his name (even a youthful degree in theology).
“This [B-Line] issue has caused me to be very disappointed,” McIsaac writes. “I have written more to my mayor and council on this one issue than in the past 37 years!”
Former mayor Mark Sager has a bird’s eye view from his law office of present tight traffic at Marine and 15th – which would horrifically lose 25 priceless parking stalls under the B-Line plan – and backs the challengers of TransLink and West Van council.
But fair is fair. Malkin’s tactics make seductive media fare, as I can attest, obscuring the middle ground of opinion. The obviously influential West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce is taking a measured view.
Mark Stenner, who chairs the board of directors, expressed the chamber’s opinion at length: “…the proposed B-Line is a complex issue that impacts our diverse membership of business owners and operators in different ways. … The WV Chamber believes that each individual business operator is best equipped to determine the impact and opportunities for their business.” Stenner promises a membership survey and report to help its council’s “eventual decision” on the matter.
And all praise for Coun. Craig Cameron, seen by some as pro-B-Line, who had the jam to answer my request to crystallize his stand in a few sentences:
“My position on this issue does seem to be misunderstood. I’m not a proponent. I’m simply in favour of doing due diligence and making a decision after full, informed public debate. Getting relevant, reliable and timely information on this matter has proven to be a vexing challenge.
“While I see the need for transit improvements both now and in the future, I share many of the community’s concerns with the B-Line proposal. I’m not convinced the bus priority lanes are necessary. I don’t think the terminus should be anywhere near Irwin Park Elementary. And I am concerned about the loss of street parking in Ambleside. Once the consultation process is completed, I hope and expect this matter will be resolved quickly.”
No one at town hall has spoken so well and so clearly.
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Stop press! Received at deadline: Former mayor Michael Smith sent a detailed email to Carolanne Reynolds (forwarded to me by Christine Ballantine) including: “This TransLink idea should have been immediately rejected by WV as our residents would not support it and it would add little benefit in reducing travel time. … An east-west bus is a good thing overall but B-Line service is not needed on the route. The majority of West Van bus traffic is to downtown Vancouver where improved service would be welcome.”
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In answer to my recent nagging about the creeping pace of the release of terms of the resolution of the CN Rail-West Vancouver multi-decades dispute over access to the Seawalk: Communications director Donna Powers was informed that a detailed legal survey of the Seawalk will begin “very shortly.” In the meantime it’s leisure business as usual for Seawalkers.
Heaven knows I try to suppress my cynicism, but: Shouldn’t that survey have materialized early in negotiations, not after? And could the Sept. 7 announcement of the happy agreement in principle, as it apparently was, have been motivated by local politics – a gracious bow to departing mayor Smith, who personally intervened to grease talks, and/or a sunny ray for then-mayoral candidate Booth?
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Vancouver’s ride-hailing issue has been a snore for the undersigned, until a recent tale of a typical girls-night-out snapped me awake.
Women who attend evening entertainment downtown, followed by a drink, become growingly alarmed as midnight nears and the only taxis are full or non-existent. Suspicions abound that the New Democrats are politically on the curb about alienating the taxi owners and drivers.
Jordan Sturdy, West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA and Liberal transportation critic, minces no words: “No other jurisdiction has attempted to obstruct ride-hailing the way the NDP is trying to do in British Columbia.”
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Turning to current political explosions in Ottawa … Damn! Ran out of space!
OK, my potted prophecy: The Trudeau Liberals will win the election. SNC-Lavalin will continue in business. Including dirty business.
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