Another round of North Shore local government elections is in the books. As always, incumbents have done well, with almost all being re-elected. Across the three councils, there are just seven new (or returning) faces.
So what do our new councils mean for the direction of the North Shore? Surprisingly not that much. Despite the new members of council, the balance of power between progressives and conservatives did not shift at any of them.
City of North Vancouver council will likely continue to add new housing and transportation options. District of North Vancouver council will likely favour the status quo. And the District of West Vancouver will likely look much the same in four years as it does today.
Whether and how these strategies will address the snowballing challenges our region and our planet face remains to be seen. We do look forward to some new ideas and motions being added to our council agendas this term.
We congratulate all those who’ve been elected. It’s a monumental task. We salute everyone who ran. It takes tremendous courage and effort. By most accounts, it was a clean and orderly campaign that we can all be proud of.
What we can’t be proud of is our absolutely pathetic voter turnout - 22.6 per cent in the two North Vancouvers and 35.2 per cent in West Vancouver.
In a couple weeks’ time, we’ll be wearing poppies in memory of those who gave their lives so we could have the right to choose our leaders. Staying home on election day is a sorry way to honour their sacrifice.
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