Summer Greetings From Ellen Woodsworth
Dear Friends,
It’s been a very busy year and a lot has been accomplished to make our city a Vancouver for everyone. I wanted to send you a brief note about some of my work before we wind up for the summer.
These are some of the areas I have focused on in 2010:
- Worked hard on issues around housing and homelessness including joining the seven day fast for a national housing program
- Stood clear in fighting for civil liberties during the Olympics and not accepting any free tickets
- Supported the expansion of bike lanes
- Opposed the tax shift from businesses to residential properties
- Opposed Mixed Martial Arts in Vancouver
- Introduced several motions regarding the need for electoral reform, including hard caps on donations
- Convinced city council to join the Canadian Municipalities Against Racial Discrimination
- Proposed an Office of Public Consultation
- Stood for a lower tax rate for small business
- Brought forward motions opposing the HST
- Brought forward a motion for a visioning process for the West End
Despite all this, however, there is much more work we need to do. This fall I will urge Council to refocus around three key issues:
- Creating a new “Office of Public Consultation” that is transparent, accountable, and has teeth
- Fighting for strong visioning processes for all neighbourhoods, especially the neighbourhoods that haven’t had one – West End, Grandview Woodlands, Downtown Eastside and Marpole
- Implementing all of Vancouver’s electoral reform submissions, including hard donation caps and spending limits
In the meantime, I plan to take advantage of the summer break to consult with citizens from all over Vancouver about the pressing issues they want to see acted upon at Council.
I wish you all a wonderful summer!
All the best,
Councillor Ellen Woodsworth
604 873 7240
