Municipal election 2022: What’s on the platform for each party and candidate?

On Saturday, Burnaby residents head to the polls to choose their next city council and school board. At the Beacon, we’ve laid out a list of council and school trustee candidates, along with the major parties running and some of the issues Burnabarians care about the most.

If you’re still unsure of who to vote for in the Oct. 15 election, here’s a quick rundown of the platforms from each party and independent candidates. (Note: not all independent candidates have published full platforms.)

Burnaby Green Party

The Burnaby Green platform is based on several key elements, including expanding affordable and social housing, getting Burnaby to net zero emissions by 2050 (the city has already committed to achieving carbon neutrality by that year), and preparing the city for “climate-related changes.”

On housing, elected Green candidates would consult with residents on gentle densification of single-family neighbourhoods and create a city-owned housing authority that would speed up development permits, work on creating new co-ops, and establish a rent-to-own model.

The Greens say they would achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through continued opposition of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project, and promote energy-saving measures like insulation and heat pumps in buildings to reduce their carbon footprint. To reduce fossil fuel emissions from vehicles, the party says it will work towards making Burnaby a 15-minute city.

To prepare the city for climate-related changes, the Greens are pledging to plant more trees, preserve Burnaby’s green spaces, and make the city more self-sufficient for food in the event of supply chain disruptions.

You can read the Greens’ full platform here.

One Burnaby

Burnaby’s newest political party, One Burnaby, is making several major promises that any elected candidates will pursue in council, some related to housing, affordability, and public safety.

One Burnaby pledges to freeze property taxes in 2023 while keeping the rate from 2024-26 at 2.95% or less, citing a cost of living crisis across the country.

It promises to speed up the permitting process and review the consultation process for new housing, and allow for densification of single family neighbourhoods (lots within a 15-minute walk would allow six units, while other neighborhoods would allow four lots per unit). The party says it would also establish a housing authority to secure land for affordable, city-owned-and-operated housing.

Like the Greens, One Burnaby promises to promote “complete communities” or a 15-minute city by building amenities like corner stores, cafes, childcare centers, and grocers in all neighbourhoods.

On public safety, One Burnaby candidates promise to prioritize community policing and develop a Car 87 mental health crisis program, similar to the Car 67 program in Surrey.

You can read One Burnaby’s full platform here.

Burnaby Citizens’ Association (BCA)

The BCA’s platform covers several topics that candidates will pursue if elected to city council, including tackling the housing crisis, taking action on Reconciliation and on climate change, and making sure that city services are running smoothly.

Along with facilitating more purpose-built rental developments, the BCA says its elected candidates will work to create a city-owned housing authority to build, own, and manage rental units for Burnaby residents in order to “take the profit out of [housing] development.” The party pledges to accelerate the zoning and permitting process for new builds.

The BCA plans to advocate for new and expanded public transit services in the city, along with encouraging car-share providers like EVO to expand into Burnaby. It says it will also improve safety standards at major intersections and create a fully connected cycling network, with new cycling routes and paths near schools and SkyTrain stations.

On Reconciliation, the BCA pledges to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action that are pertinent to local governments and align the city’s principles with the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

You can read the BCA’s full platform here.

Heymann Yip, independent

Yip makes several commitments in his platform focused on issues like public safety, housing, and supporting seniors.

If elected, Yip promises to vote against any new increases in property taxes for 2023 and 2024.

On housing, he pledges to create new social housing projects for low-income residents and families and ensure funding for social services. He also promises to put forward a motion to invest in new purpose-built rentals and laneway homes—although incumbent Coun. Alison Gu recently put forward a similar motion.

He is a staunch advocate for public safety and pledges to “ensure we have adequate resources for police, fire, and paramedics to support our population growth,” along with advocating for a new hospital in Burnaby.

You can read Yip’s full platform here.

Martin Kendell, independent

Kendell makes several promises in areas like housing, city services, and cleanliness, among others.

On housing, he says the city needs to be more flexible in terms of residential zoning and suggests that there should be incentives for developing “missing middle housing” (like multiplexes, stacked apartments, and laneway homes). He also advocates for the creation of an independent office to deal with inquiries related to the Tenant Assistance Policy and other rental issues.

Kendell also says the city needs to transition more quickly towards replacing its vehicle fleet with electric vehicles and hybrids, and says new building developments should include incentives to reduce emissions through measures like heat pumps and electric appliances.

On cleanliness, Kendell points to his litter-pickup campaign and says citizens should work together to “Make Burnaby the Cleanest Municipality in the Lower Mainland.”

You can read Kendell’s full platform here.

Scott Van Denham, independent

On the non-partisan website VoteMate, Van Denham lists several commitments under his reasons for running, including affordable housing, safer intersections, and opposition to the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project.

Van Denham says the city needs to revise its Official Community Plan (OCP) to allow for more diverse housing options, especially low- and mid-rise apartments, across the city. He says a cost-effective method of achieving that would be through the creation of a municipal housing corporation.

He advocates for the “daylighting” of major intersections to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe by adding sidewalk bulges and physical features like barriers and bike racks to keep vehicles from parking too close to intersections.

Van Denham also pledges to make Burnaby’s public spaces more accessible for people with physical disabilities, along with adding basic safety features like streetlights and curb cuts where they don’t already exist.

You can read Van Denham’s full platform here.

Deborah Skerry, independent

Skerry has not published a full platform, but her candidate biography says she has excellent conflict resolution skills as a result of 25 years of work experience in public safety and restorative justice. Skerry also says her work in building trades, property management, and small businesses have taught her how to handle finances and administration, and she believes she has the tools to get the job done effectively if elected to council.

You can read Skerry’s candidate biography here.

Gulam Firdos, independent

Firdos has not published a full platform, but on social media and in his candidate biography, he says he has experience as a professional city planner both in Burnaby and in Bangladesh. Firdos pledges to fight for housing affordability using the tools he’s learned in his work in land use planning.

You can read Firdos’ candidate biography here.

Ken Arnold, independent

Arnold has not published a full platform, but has lived in Burnaby all his life and has owned an HVAC company for the past 27 years. He says he’s volunteered with the City of Burnaby for the past 18 years and “plays a key role in their anti-graffiti program.” Arnold says he believes in community involvement and will work to support small businesses if elected.

You can read Arnold’s candidate biography here.

Konstantine Roccas, independent

Roccas has not published a full platform, but says on the non-partisan website VoteMate that he chose to run for council because local government “is further away from the people than ever before.” If elected, he says he will vote based on “facts and logic” and explain his reasoning.

You can read Roccas’ candidate biography here.

Michael Angelo Robinhood, independent

Robinhood has not published a full platform, but says in his candidate biography that he’s a small business owner who will represent those in our society who are economically and politically disadvantaged. He has also pledged to donate his salary to orphan children and women and children’s shelters.

You can read Robinhood’s candidate biography here.

Tom Tao, independent

Tao has not published a full platform, but his candidate biography says residents have lost trust in municipal government and council has to work on repairing its relationship with Burnaby residents.

You can read Tao’s candidate biography here.