The City government is using an Alternative Approval process (AAP) to get voter approval for an  increase in the City’s borrowing authority by $55.7 million to $165 million in total.  

To object you must get the elector's response from the City’s website, fill it out, sign it and deliver an  original signed copy to City Hall before 5 pm on Monday April 22nd.  

This is a Hypocritical Bet on Voter Apathy  

If 4,233 voters, 10% of the total, sign and deliver response forms to City Hall the initiative fails, and  the City has the option to re-submit the bylaw as a normal yes/no question in a referendum.  

To support the bylaw, you don’t have to do anything. Under the AAP rules, doing nothing for any  reason, counts as support for the bylaw. Given that 80% of voters do nothing at election time, the  City is betting voter apathy will result in 90% of voters doing nothing about this bylaw.  

The City Government says it worries about low citizen engagement and declining trust, but when it  treats democratic process as a means to be manipulated for other ends, and cynically relies on low  voter engagement to be successful, they are being hypocritical. 

Questions Should Be Answered Before Voters Approve  It

The Public Notice says the bylaw is to authorize new debt to fund North Shore Neighbourhood  House and two new City parks. An attached memo explains the AAP process and says the financial  implications are that the City saves $100,000 not having a referendum.  

There are certainly other financial implications. A staff memo to Council said the new debt could  require a tax increase of 5.4% for debt servicing. When the total $165 million is drawn, which is three  times as much as this increase, does that mean taxes have to increase 16%? We should not have to  guess. The City should be telling us.  

Added to $109 million authorized for the Harry Jerome project, the bylaw increases the City’s credit  limit to $165 million, which is 120% of the City’s revenue. Fully drawn, the City will be one of 10%  most leveraged BC local governments.  

There should be some explanation of the effect that total debt will have on future spending and tax  increases. Were there forecasts done to get Ministry approval. Can we see them?  

Metro Vancouver just admitted Northshore households will be paying at least $750/yr for 30 years  for debts piling up at the sewage treatment plant. The City has big projects that were also hit by  rising interest and inflation, and spiraling construction costs. There will have been an impact on  future taxes that can be estimated. Like Metro, the City should be providing one.  

Using Discretion For Objection Suppression 

The bylaw is a $55.7 million loan application for which the City’s rationale boils down to: if you like  the things the loan will pay for, support the bylaw by doing nothing.  

Not content with the odds that 90% of voters will do nothing, where it has discretion in the process,  the City government used it to make objecting as difficult as possible.  

The Ministry’s Guide says electronic responses can be allowed but the City decided only original  signed response forms, delivered by hand or mailed to arrive on time at City Hall will be accepted.  

The Ministry rules also say petition-style response forms could be made available, of course the City  is not offering those. There is one resident elector response form with one signature block.  

This is not a secret ballot. The City could decide to have a Bylaw Enforcement Officer at the counter  taking response forms, frowning while they enter your name on a list of objectors for future  reference. (I will let you know if that is the case when I deliver my mine ;-)  

I am not opposed to North Shore Neighbourhood House, or to parks, but I am very opposed to this  bylaw and the self-serving and undemocratic approach taken by the City government. 

Guy Heywood