A wooden model shows the proposed development at the heart of Mount Pleasant.

The Residents Association Mount Pleasant (RAMP) called one of the first meetings for Oct. 26^th at south Main Street’s Heritage Hall. The group’s goal is to get council hopefuls to clearly state to what degree, if elected, they will use neighbourhood-level input to guide city planning and land use decisions.

RAMP and Rize

RAMP was formed in response to a July 2010 rezoning application by Rize Alliance Properties. The building proposed by Rize at the corner of Kingsway and East Broadway includes a mix of retail and residential units and would rise to 19 stories at its highest point. Fifteen of the 241 dwellings would be rentals proposed under the city’s Short Term Incentives for Rental program.

The group believes the development threatens the neighbourhood’s current character. On its website and in regular Facebook and Twitter posts, RAMP argues that the project doesn’t fit with the vision that emerged from the 2007-2010 Mount Pleasant community planning program.

“Generations of residents, planners, and politicians have created the current environment in Mount Pleasant,” said Stephen Bohus, RAMP’s director. “Now, an opportunistic developer has come in and they have a different vision: high rises.”

Mount Pleasant residents who attended community consultations held by Rize in March and April 2011 expressed little support for the project. RAMP has gathered nearly 2,000 signatures on a petition opposing it.

The public hearing and council vote on Rize’s rezoning application is unlikely to occur before Nov. 19. Bohus believes the outcry from angry constituents about the project has spooked the election-minded council.

“I don’t think Council will want to look at a public hearing of a few hundred people right before the election” he said. “That’s not a politically expedient thing to do; you don’t want to have a hot potato in your hands.”

Sandeep Johal posts a flyer advertising RAMP's all-candidates meeting.

Citizens call council candidates on the carpet

RAMP proposed the upcoming all-candidates meeting as a way to force council candidates to take a stance on the Rize project and other development projects across the city that are facing local opposition.

“It’s sort of a litmus test,” said RAMP volunteer Sandeep Johal. “Citizens can really decide who is espousing their values and supporting their communities.”

Other citizen groups have adopted a similar strategy, and a series of all-candidate meetings pack the calendar in the weeks leading up the the 2011 municipal election.

Randy Helten, a candidate for mayor with the Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver, tracks the events on his blog CityHallWatch. He says the pre-election forums grow out of a frustration with the current Vision Vancouver majority on city council. Helten estimates neighbourhood groups have dedicated “tens of thousands of hours” organizing letters, emails and calls to council that are critical of projects in the city planning process, to seemingly little effect.

“Vision Vancouver has absolute power on city council, with 8 of eleven votes,” said Helten. “They vote as a block, with almost no exceptions, against the wishes of the community.”

New media, new activism

The large number of pre-election forums reflects the growth of a relatively new network of citizen bloggers and Internet-savvy neighbourhood-based organizations, according to Helten. He says few such candidate debates occurred before the 2008 election.

In the coming weeks, these groups will use social media tools and other means of Internet-based publication to distribute records of the candidate’s meetings.

“We will be filming, Twittering, and live streaming our event,” said RAMP’s Johal. “It will be right there in black and white. People can see exactly what’s said; it can’t be misinterpreted.”

Johal hopes the records of the candidate’s statements will inspire voters and inform their choices on Nov. 19, an exciting prospect for Helten, as well.

“This election will be really interesting to watch, because it puts the information into the hands of the citizens,” he said. “It’s a new stage in our democratic system here in Vancouver.”

Amanda Miller says she doesn’t look First Nations. But her mother is. Not appearing native has given Miller an uncensored understanding of what some white people really think.

Miller was raised mostly by her father, who is white. She didn’t identify as First Nations until she was 19 and took a history course on First Nations issues at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

The course prompted her to transfer into the First Nations Studies program where she became part of the tightly woven UBC First Nations and Métis community. Now she is completing her second undergraduate degree, this time in First Nations Legal Studies.

“I get to see both sides of the spectrum. I get to see the racist side and I get to see the First Nations side,” she says. “Some of the things people say about First Nations issues and First Nations politics are something they would never say to a visibly First Nations person’s face.”

Miller wants to work on human rights issues at the United Nations when she graduates. For her, it is Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s failure to ratify the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that is weighing most heavily in her voting calculations for the October 14 election.

The legally non-binding declaration establishes the global human rights of indigenous peoples, enshrining their rights to self-determination and the resources of their land. The declaration was passed in September 2007 with the support of 143 countries. Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand did not sign on.

The PM’s refusal to sign the declaration “pissed [her] off.” Ever since, Miller says, there has been something about Harper that she doesn’t trust. “Economically he was good for our country, but in every other aspect he was horrible.”

Even with Harper ruled out, the way she will cast her vote on October 14 is still up in the air.

“I’m from Alberta which is an extremely conservative province. And I’m here and I’m surrounded by very liberal people,” Miller explains. “It’s hard to try and find the middle ground because I don’t like the liberal side and I don’t like the conservative side so I’m kind of like where do I go from here?…I’m not going to vote for someone who lives in a whitewashed world.”

Miller will vote in the Red Deer electoral district, a neighbouring riding to her hometown’s district. She has been talking with people “back home” in Rocky Mountain House, taking their views into consideration while she prepares to cast her vote.

“I guess the whole First Nations thing has rubbed off on me more. We talk all the time,” Miller says. “I’m not going to make a decision based on my voice alone.”

In the 2006 federal election, the Conservatives swept Alberta. In the Red Deer riding, the Conservative Party won 75.8 per cent of the popular vote. Miller says that last time, her friends and family supported Harper and his Conservatives. But she thinks things might be changing this election, at least in Rocky Mountain House.

“A lot of [people back home] have changed their position on [Harper] especially after not signing the declaration,” Miller says. “But they don’t want Dion either… and at this point, the NDP and Greens aren’t going to do anything back home.”

Miller didn’t vote in the 2006 federal election because she says she couldn’t decide. Voting turnout amongst First Nations people is generally lower than the Canadian average. Using data from the 264 polling divisions that include only reserves, Elections Canada estimated that 48 per cent of Aboriginal people voted compared to the national average of 64 per cent in the 2000 federal election.

“At this point I’m like I have to vote, because if I don’t vote then I don’t get the right to bitch,” Miller says laughing. “One vote could change everything.”

Oct. 14 will be the first time Stefani Zhu can vote as a Canadian citizen, but as she heads to the ballot box, China is on her mind.

Zhu, 22, moved to Vancouver from China with her father six years ago and attends classes at UBC and Langara College. She received her citizenship in January, making her one of the newest potential voters in Canada. The election is a catalyst for thinking about how citizenship and politics relate to her life.

“I decided to vote for sure,” said Zhu. “I am going to vote Liberal.”

Zhu’s choice is driven by an issue that hits close to home – Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s absence from the Beijing Olympics. Zhu said Harper’s action demonstrated a lack of respect for the Chinese community.

Zhu’s decision to vote came after a month of tortured indecision about whether to vote at all.

“If I decided to be a Canadian, then I should vote. That’s my responsibility,” said Zhu.

In reality, the decision to vote wasn’t that simple.

The odds may be stacked against Zhu. Immigrants arriving after 1991 are 30 per cent less likely to vote than other immigrants according to Statistics Canada’s 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey. The same data shows the participation rates for Chinese voters aged 18 to 25 is only 37 per cent, compared to 74 per cent in 45 to 54 year-olds. Additionally, people reporting a higher sense of belonging to Canada — a sense that Zhu is just starting to develop — tended to report higher voting rates.

Political calculations

At the outset of the campaign Zhu resolved to make a decision on whether or not to go to the ballot box based on how informed she felt on election day.

Lack of political information is one of the top barriers Zhu faces as a new voter.

“I don’t just randomly make a decision,” said Zhu. “I don’t think that is really responsible. You have to learn about [politicians], know what they are doing and what they are going to do for you, then you can vote.”

“I don’t know where I heard about this but people were saying that the promises they were making are sometimes bullshit,” said Zhu.

“I was planning to vote. Now that I don’t even have time to do my homework, the election comes second,” she explained.

That’s when Zhu turned to her friends for information and advice and learned about the issues that were important for her—a process that changed her political calculations.

This process is a familiar one for many young or new Canadians. UBC political science professor Fred Cutler says that while many older Canadians have a strong sense of duty to vote and will do so no matter what, young people and new Canadians are motivated more strongly by factors such as interest, compelling leaders, or an issue that personally affects them.

Zhu says she doesn’t have the time to do further research and will trust her friends’ judgment even though she would like to have more facts to inform her vote.

Zhu’s decision during this election is driven mostly by her Chinese identity, but she expects the balance to shift now that she is a Canadian citizen.

“It is like a big change for us,” said Zhu. “You belong to another country and you start caring about them and starting to learn new information about them.

On Oct. 14 Zhu will head to the polls with a tempered enthusiasm to “be a part of the country” that she has been living in for six years.

Check back after the election to read about Stefani’s experience at the ballot box.

Kyle Noftall is disappointed in his first federal election. The University of British Columbia student was excited to be able to vote for the first time on Oct. 14, but he is getting discouraged by what he sees as the “juvenile” nature of the debates and party dialogues.

Noftall has been researching the party platforms and following the campaigns closely, but he is feeling “let down” by the campaign process.   He strongly believes in exercising his democratic right, though.

“If you want to get your opinion out there, you have to vote,” says Noftall, 18, who will be voting in the Vancouver-Quadra riding.

Leadership

Noftall sees the candidates as the significant problem.  He said the politicians are “a little bit catty”. “I thought they would be a little more professional.”

The UBC student is also having trouble identifying a clear leader, and separating the bickering from the platform and leadership qualities. He believes there is a difference between voicing strong views about key issues and just raising the volume.

“If you’re confident in your platform, it should just speak for itself.  Don’t try to make the other parties look bad to make yourself look better.”

Noftall wants to vote for Joyce Murray, the incumbent Liberal candidate, because he agrees with the Liberal platform concerning environmental issues, tuition fees and the war in Afghanistan.  The only thing holding him back is that he does not think party leader Stéphane Dion has the leadership skills required to be prime minister.

“It all has to do with leadership,” says Noftall, whose second choice is to vote Conservative because he thinks that Stephen Harper has the necessary leadership qualities.  With the financial crisis in the United States and the opening of the North-West passage, Noftall says: “Canada needs to become even more independent. Canada needs to be able to stand on its own two feet.”

The UBC student said he is looking for a leader such as Martin Luther King, Jr. who was able to stand up for the issues he believed in.

“They have to be able to hold my attention,” said Noftall.  “They have to have that confidence that makes you trust them.”

Noftall predicts that as long as Dion “keeps his cool” during the debates and shows enthusiasm for Canada, he will stick to his decision to vote Liberal.

‘Trust issue’

He says that he isn’t alone on campus in thinking about the issues and that more students are talking about the elections and getting excited about the vote. Elections Canada reported youth voter turnout was lower than the national average in the 2006 federal election with only 43.8 per cent of 18-24-year-olds voting.  Only 42.2 per cent of first-time voters participated.

Noftall grew up in a household where his parents voted but politics were only discussed “when something upset them.”  His father votes Conservative and his mother Liberal.   His parents have influenced his political opinions.

Since moving away from home, Noftall has had to rely on his friends to discuss politics.  “They don’t really know much about politics,” said Noftall.  Now he has found a group of peers at UBC to discuss the elections with.  He enjoys hearing what people who support different parties have to say.

It can be a struggle voting for the first time because of the uncertainty, he says. “You don’t want to be voting for someone you don’t know anything about. It’s a trust issue.”

Noftall believes he will be much better prepared for the next election.  “I’ll know who to trust.  Right now I am just going on gut instinct.”

Despite the efforts of UBC’s student activist and political issues groups to raise awareness of the upcoming elections, the resounding message is still “apathy,” said key student activists.

Co-founder of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and a well-known student activist, Nathan Crompton says that a lot of students at UBC are apathetic towards politics in general due to heavy workloads and the increasing stress of student debt.

Crompton cites Conservative government policies as part of the culprit for the fact that an average of six out of 10 students in British Columbia are either engaged in part time of full time work, and the typical student graduates with $25,000 worth of debt.

“A certain percentage of the population of the student body who have a certain level of privilege are happy with the way things are in the world, more or less, are satisfied with existing conditions,” he said, accounting for some of the apathy with respect to electoral issues.

NDP Vancouver Centre candidate Michael Byers capitalized on these sentiments in a debate in front of UBC students, criticizing the Conservatives’ post-secondary education fund policies. “This is a system for the rich, for the privileged, for the people who are born with silver spoons in their mouth,” he told a group of nearly 100 students who were amassed at the UBC Student Union Building (SUB) on Sept. 25, as many of them showed their support.

Byers asked how many students presently were working while going to school, and nearly half of the group raised their hands. Byers’ speech on post-secondary funding sparked the approval of all of these students, who were also asked whether or not they depended heavily on student loans and wished they could spend less time working and more time focusing on their academic studies.

Despite the enthusiasm for Byers’ support and the number of electoral events on campus, VP of Student Services Rodrigo Ferrari Nunes says that most politicians in both the municipal and federal elections are almost indistinguishable from one another for many students. “As for the federal election, I am still trying to get used to the candidates,” he says.

Liberal party leader Stéphane Dion was invited by the BC Young Liberals, and the open debate in the SUB was hosted by students of the AMS External, showing the need for students to access politicians directly in order for their questions to be answered.

Interdisciplinary PhD student and member of the SDS, Edward Lee Durgan says that the electoral events on campus were all initiated, coordinated and promoted by students, rather than the political parties directly. “I don’t think the elections are geared towards students,” he said.

When discussing the truth that so many students decide remain apathetic to politics, Durgan said that the candidates and party leaders depend on this kind of willful disengagement. “I think the major political parties count on that, the disenfranchisement or marginalization of that part of the population, and that’s just that many fewer people that they have to influence somehow,” he said.

Amber Afaq, a recent immigrant from Pakistan, is suffering from first-time voter panic.

Afaq, a childcare worker, became a Canadian citizen last year and will be voting for the first time in this federal election. Her challenge is two-fold: how to understand the issues and processes and then decide which candidate to vote for. She admits she doesn’t have much insight into Canadian politics and is reaching out to friends and colleagues with a diverse range of opinions.

“I feel anxious when someone asks: ‘Who gets my vote?’ For me personally the struggle is to choose the right candidate.”

Despite her concerns, Afaq’s vote matters. According to Simon Fraser University Communications and Public Policy professor Catherine Murray, votes from new immigrant Canadians could affect the outcome of this election. “We know that many immigrants who arrived in Canada before the year 2000 have very high voting rates, compared to other Canadians.”

Murray adds the first thing new Canadians must do is register to vote.

For Afaq, registering to vote on the Elections Canada website was the easy part. But recognizing that as a new Canadian voting is a civic duty that part “did not sink in immediately”. She did not think of the election process and voting as an important part of being a Canadian citizen until her citizenship ceremony. During the citizenship ceremony speech, the judge highlighted that it was a Canadian’s civic duty to vote.

“Canada is my home now and my decisions will affect me and my family directly. I do not think it will help if I don’t vote, as every single vote counts. I will vote for sure.”

Decision time

In preparing to vote, Afaq is looking at party platforms. As a mother of two children and a child care worker she said she likes the NDP campaign platform about establishing new child care spaces through the Early Learning and Child Care Act.

The Act, which has passed its second reading in Parliament, will fund a Canada-wide child care program that will make non-profit and licensed childcare available to 150,000-220,000 Canadian families.

Pakistani Youth Council executive Hamza Malik, who works closely with first-time voters in a local riding association, said the election process is similar in Pakistan. In Malik’s experience new immigrant Pakistanis take their time learning about the process, rather than plunging into Canadian politics or elections.

“To help new immigrants ease into the process, organizing information sessions for Pakistani Canadians to highlight the importance of elections will prove beneficial,” said Malik.

Afaq is still making her final choice because she is having a difficult time evaluating the party policy solutions. “The candidates seem to be aware of the prevalent issues but provide very different solutions.”

The jury is still out for Afaq but she has learned a lot during this challenging process.