Questions for Vancouver-Burrard Candidates

Comments 8 by Rebecca Bollwitt

As previously noted, there will be a by-election in BC in the Vancouver-Burrard and Vancouver-Fairview provincial ridings on October 29th. I am currently lining up interviews with some of the candidates for Vancouver-Burrard and was wondering what my readers would like me to ask them.

A few key points:

Spencer Herbert – BC NDP

  • elected Vancouver Park Commissioner 2005-2008
  • led first fundraising efforts to restore storm-damaged Stanley Park, and other key Park Board environmental, social and cultural initiatives
  • works closely with the Stanley Park Ecology Society and the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre
  • voted ‘Unsung Hero’ by readers of the WestEnder
  • voted one of Vancouver’s three ‘Best Politicians’ by Georgia Straight readers
  • award winning manager of arts companies
  • associate producer, United Nations World Urban Festival
  • facilitator and lecturer with Better Environmentally Sound Transportation, the GLBT Centre, and BC Civil Liberties Association
  • avid baseball player and keen community gardener
  • born in Vancouver, lives in the West End with partner Romi, a Community Developer
  • Arthur Griffths – BC Liberals

  • Born April 3, 1957 (age 51) in Vancouver
  • Former owner of the Vancouver Canucks and Vancouver Grizzlies
  • Giffiths’ name synonymous with community-building, leadership, and philanthropy
  • Founded Canuck Place Children’s Hospice
  • Created Blade Runners, providing skills and training to residents of the Downtown Eastside
  • Initiated the Diamond Ball, contributing millions of dollars to the Canadian Cancer Society
  • Committed to public transit; chaired the Millennium Skytrain Line project- compelted on-time and under budget
  • Chaired the successful bid for the 2010 Olympic Games
  • Married to small-business owned Janelle Griffiths, has five children
  • Other candidates (that are very welcome to contact me about an interview as well) include Marc Emery of the BC Marijuana Party, Ian McLeod of the BC Conservative Party, and Drina Alicia Read of the Green Party of BC.

    If you have any questions or comments about what I should ask these candidates, let me know in the comments below and I’ll also give you a shout out when I publish the finished interviews – thanks!

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    8 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

    1. DonMonday, October 20th, 2008 — 7:03am PDT

      Spencer is a very approachable person. I saw him out on the street campaigning on Friday and just walked up and started a convo. Smart guy!

    2. BethMonday, October 20th, 2008 — 8:00am PDT

      I’d be interested in hearing their positions on education (specifically thoughts on tuition fees and student loan programs), health care and the InSite Supervised Injection Facility.

    3. SteveMonday, October 20th, 2008 — 1:03pm PDT

      Arthur seems like a great guy — I ran into him at 1181 a few weeks ago and we just started chatting. Very cool.

    4. DustinMonday, October 20th, 2008 — 2:16pm PDT

      Please ask them about their actual connection to the V-Burrard riding: How long have they lived there? Do they understand the issues facing dense apartment living? (rental rates, lack of composting options, stance on car/bike sharing services)

      V-Burrard is a unique riding. I hope that we can get an MP who actually understands the area, as opposed to somebody merely trumpeting their provincial party’s line on everything.

    5. Pete QuilyTuesday, October 21st, 2008 — 12:24pm PDT

      Hi Rebecca,

      Please ask them if they would reopen the BC Adult ADHD clinic that was closed down because the 1 year plus wait list to get diagnosed was too long and too politically embarrassing to the BC liberal government. The clinic asked for more money to reduce the 14 month wait list and the government refused so they shut down the clinic. They didn’t open the clinic elsewhere and just abandoned the patients that needed help.

      The BC NDP said and did nothing about it too, despite several phone call attempts and promises to raise it in the legislature.

      Ideally open it at another hospital than BC Children’s hospital. They added an adult ADHD clinic to the children’s ADHD clinic (it’s 85% genetic, and 5% of the population has adult ADHD) and adults very quickly became half their caseload.

      It’s very hard to find someone who knows enough about adult ADHD to get accurately diagnosed, and I get continual calls and emails from all over BC looking to find someone who can diagnose adult ADHD, since most medical professionals aren’t trained to do so.

      for background check out these 2 blog posts

      http://tinyurl.com/25a9kq

      http://tinyurl.com/yp58q7

    6. Vancouver-Burrard By-Election Candidate Interview: Spencer Herbert » Vancouver Blog Miss 604 by Rebecca BollwittWednesday, October 22nd, 2008 — 8:20am PDT

      […] community, who lives here, and who cares about what happens in downtown Vancouver. Related posts: Questions for Vancouver-Burrard Candidates, By-elections for Vancouver-Burrard and […]

    7. Vancouver-Burrard By-Election Candidate Interview: Drina Read » Vancouver Blog Miss 604 by Rebecca BollwittThursday, October 23rd, 2008 — 11:12am PDT

      […] we’re going to have a better life, is by having a better government.” Related posts: Questions for Vancouver-Burrard Candidates, By-elections for Vancouver-Burrard and Vancouver-Fairview, Candidate interview: Spencer Herbert. […]

    8. Vancouver-Burrard By-Election Candidate Interview: Arthur Griffiths » Vancouver Blog Miss 604 by Rebecca BollwittFriday, October 24th, 2008 — 3:25pm PDT

      […] posts: Questions for Vancouver-Burrard Candidates, By-elections for Vancouver-Burrard and Vancouver-Fairview, Candidate interview: Spencer Herbert, […]

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