I received my voters card in the mail this week and I’m pumped about voting on the 19th up at Trinity United Church on Larch. Unfortunately, it’s not clear to me which candidates are looking out for Kits. We’re voting for City Council, the Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation, and the Vancouver School Board. If anybody has an opinion on the Mayor or City Councillors, let us know by commenting below.
Last modified: November 2, 2005
I’d vote for Jim Green but I don’t think he’s ever been West of Cambie.
I’m tired of the cycle of calling for a crack down after a big bust of a couple big wigs, grow bust or Meth labs, then asking for a bigger budget.. The answer may lie in increased police budgets but not increased Enforcement when it comes to the four pillar approach. Much more has to be done by way of Harm Reduction, Prevention and Education.
Police need to do more to help the poor, the ill and the disempowered rather than criminalize them or beat them in Stanley Park. The answer may also lie in redistributing and reorganizing the kind of policing police are doing now. PIVOT legal society has its hands full and over 42 police have faced indictments for assault already. It could be the kind of policing in Vancouver has to change, not, just the numbers of police.
Because prostitution is ‘illegal’, sex trade workers are beaten by pimps and disappear in droves, some of whom were allegedly buried on a Willy\’s infamous pig farm .While police ignored searching for ‘missing woman’ they went after, more than ever, busting doors of ma and pa growers, increasing the risk, pushing grow-ops more into domain of ‘organized crime’.
Queens Council , John Conroy testified to Senate Committee on illegal drugs in Issue 14″ Drug squad members say from time to time, “Hey, Conroy, what are you doing? You are going to ruin a good thing’ they much prefer to investigate drug cases, running around trying to smell marijuana grow-ops, than murder, robbery and rape cases… An industry has grown up out there and drug squads run around trying to find grow-ops. They spend tones of taxpayers’ money on what seems to me to be a low-end offence. Crimes of violence and property crimes, to my way of thinking, are far more serious than marijuana-growing operations.
“Poly-trickins, “U.S. Drug Czarâ€, Walters & “B.C.’s Top Cop” Coleman,and now Sam Sullivan,use drug war hysteria to advance their careers. It’s their bread and butter.
Cannabis is less “addictive” than caffeine and alcohol and not physically addictive at all. Ask people who know real addictions like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, they’ll tell you marijuana provides solace and keeps them off the hard stuff.
Lying to young people about the “dangers” of marijuana is counter-productive, as has been shown by the failed DARE program in our schools. The only “gateway” occurs when prohibition does not distinguish between drugs and there is no safe place for people to acquire and enjoy their intelligent preference. The real ‘harm’ is the legal and social fallout.
The average age of introduction to cannabis is 15 and use is highest in ages 16 to 24. If the age of cannabis consent finally settles at 18, and the average age of introduction remains the same, for three years the young people have been obtaining their cannabis from sources outside of the regulated market, exposing them to cannabis that hasn’t been government-inspected, nor limits the sale to only cannabis.
Dealers offering cannabis to the pre-of-age teens may offer an enticing assortment of harder drugs, like alcohol , cocaine and Meth. Some teens credit cannabis for preventing their teenage suicide. It is better to accept a certain reality that some 16-year-olds will seek cannabis and have them go through regulated channels.
About half of all drug arrests in Canada are for simple possession of small amounts of marijuana: about 31,299 convictions in 1995 alone.
Many lead to jail terms or fines and all result in that indelible social tattoo: a criminal record forcing higher aspirations to go up in a puff of smoke. It has been shown in strong marijuana prohibitionist countries that hard-drug use increases. Where there is the least availability of marijuana, in countries like Sweden, youth are even turning to solvents.
It has been demonstrated in countries like Holland and Switzerland,
which have decriminalized cannabis and separated cannabis from heroin, that decriminalization reduces the consumption in both drugs.
It reduces crime and allows those countries to redirect the funds that would otherwise have gone into prisons, courts, unnecessary police and other related costs to such useful things as education, health care, fighting homelessness and other pressing social issues.
If prohibition is repealed and the herb is available in regulated coffee shops, herb stores and pharmacies, people wouldn’t be offered Meth, crack and heroin, by the black market, like they are now. I’ve had the great privilege to write about the Da Kine store for Cannabis Culture magazine. I found Carol and her staff to be good people. They are not going to try and convince you to try crystal Meth or crack or rave drugs – or even alcohol or cigarettes. They prefer to see people making the natural, healthy, intelligent choice of cannabis.
The system of delivery for cannabis set up by Health Canada has been a miserable failure, offering, a cumbersome bureaucracy and paperwork that exchanges medical users’ and growers’ civil rights for the liberty of growing or processing marijuana. The only system that works for cities with hard-drug addicts is separating cannabis from, the black market and providing safe places to buy it and imbibe.
GORDON, John Patrick
Mr. Buday is not a dogmatic Libertarian or a Nihilist but less of the steriotype and more of the phylosophical type, he is an individualist and is wondering now what Mr. Gordon’s position is on his X-Tra West and GLBA’s exclusion of all but 1% of candidates in their debate at the roundhouse community centre. Mr. Buday is outraged at political elitism and censorship, whether it is debate exclusion or special treatment like in the Shaw Debate for the Shaw Vision-NPA Candidate(s). Or any other. Mr. Buday opposes espionage and any other form of attack privacy, the basic ideals that no one should be deprived of the right to Life, Liberty, Privacy, or Property without due process. Nor does he find splitting the melting pot and celebrating any deversity but the forgotton and smited diversity of opinion and philosophy. — GZB as GZB’s Press Secretary (In The Third Person)
Something I forgot: Is there a Kitsilano Debate, because I ran in 02 and now as well but only got invited to the debate in 1996, back when my Campaign was nothing compared to the last two, although bloomed to this point; Kits attendies may remember me as the Candidate following “Buzz” in the Pt. Grey-Kits Debate; hey I would be glad to Kits your ass, oh one of my nominants, father and General/Family Practitioner are out there so I do appear there at times; some nice bakeries although some Granola Types as well, If your with the Transendental Meditation (Yuppie Yoga) crowd, you likely would not support me, unless your voting for someone you can trust, an enemy you can trust us better than one you can’t. I coined the phrase at this debate, “The only thing worse than a criminal [scum bag] is when a cop is a criminal.” — Gölök Zoltán Leenderdt Franco Buday, 1997; Vancouver Mayoral Debate. —
Gölök Zoltán Leenderdt Franco Buday
Who are these jokers? Quit cutting and pasting from your notes and actually address some issues that are relevant to Kitsilano/PointGrey. Thoughts on the Burrard Street Bridge bike lane? Opinion of the Watermark development on public land on Kits beach? Rob & Mikey, delete this crap and let’s actually get a discussion going here!
Hi, Rob sent me an email asking what I thought about the up coming municipal election. I see people want to know what candidates think of their local issues.
Burrard Bridge Trial: This will be a minimum six-month trial, and at the end of the trial, council could vote for another six-month trial, or decide to give the two outside traffic lanes to cyclists.
Besides Sam Sullivan, they believe it will promote more people to ride a bike, or to walk the bridge. So city council believes everyone who uses the burrard bridge, either has a bike, or lives by the bridge, and works on the other side of the bridge.
Now the only question is, which one of COPEs retarded ideas is worse, the burrard bridge, Tim Stevenson\’s gay, bisexual, transgender only community center, or anything Tim Louis, Anne Roberts, and Ellen Woodsworth can come up with.
As bad as you think this is, its nothing compared to Toronto city hall.
This is what I think should happen, besides stopping this program from happening, either make the two outside lanes transit only lanes, or expand the Burrard bridge by two lanes, and make them transit only lanes, and widen the sidewalk’s for bikes to use.
If the Burrard bridge is expanded by two lanes, this would be the last time the bridge was ever expanded.
As for the Watermark development on public land on Kits beach. I didn’t know that was going on. I do not know everthing, my thing is more electoral reform, and bigger issues. I do care about the small issues, becuase all issues matter, but I haven’t read anything about it in the media.
As for the media coverage, it sucks! I understand why the media only covers the candidates with profile, becuase candidates with no profile, can not get elected. But to get profile, the media has to cover you, so its a catch 22 with the media.
Hope this doesn’t piss anyone off,
Scott
I AM A CANDIDATE FOR CITY COUNCIL…BURRARD BRIDGE BIKE LANES GOOD IDEA….KEVIN POTVIN HAD A SEPARATE PED/BIKE BRIDGE IDEA WHICH IS ALSO GOOD IDEA BUT UNTIL SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS THE BURRARD BRIDGE TRIALS IS GOOD….LESS CARS ON THE ROAD….I WISH….THE ONLY ISSUE I HAVE WITH CITY PEOPLE SEGREGATING THEIR NEIGHBOURHOODS IS ITS ABOUT ALL OF VANCOUVER…AT A PUBLIC MEETING QUESTION PERIOD THE OTHER NIGHT A KITS DUDE WAS ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE HOMELESS IN KITS….I WONDER AS IM A DTES RESIDENT HOW THE WHOLE CITY CAN WORK ON THIS ISSUE….THE DTES MAY BE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM BUT IT TOUCHES ALL OF VANCOUVER….WE NEED TO SOLVE THINGS AT THE ROOT….ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE WAY THE CITY IS RUN IS THE RED TAPE…SO MUCH DISCUSSION NOT ENOUGH ACTION……YOU CAN SEE MY VIEWS ON THINGS AT WENDYTHIRTEEN.COM….
BTW AT LEAST THE WATERMARK IS CLASSY…. 🙂
WENDY,
LARGE CAPS SUCK…
I think it is much better and safer idea right now to make the sidewalks wider on the Burrard Street bridge.
All civic candidates received an email from Jack, a Vancouver resident. He was suggesting devoting one lane each way on the bridge to transit only.
If the bridge can accomodate wider sidewalks, a dedicated transit lane and two lanes of car traffic each way, I’m all for that.
Hi, I’m a candidate for mayor and I’m here with a list of proposed sollutions and the intent to give people the voice to decide what should be done. I want to make a list of all the problems and suggestions and go down that list solving the issues until everyone is happy! Can democracy get any more serious than that? I encourage you to check out my site & add content as you feel neccessary! And to answer your question “who’s lookin out for kits?” I WILL but everyone has to vote for me on Nov. 19,
Spreaad the word, I’m here for the people, NOT the money!
PEACE
I TYPE IN CAPS…ALWAYS HAVE…WHATEVES…ITS LIKE THE GRAMMAR POLICE ON CRAIGSLIST….BESIDE THE POINT…HAVE A GOOD DAY….
Just stop right now with the all caps. It effectively makes all of the points you’ve posted moot. Seriously.
did anybody hear what I said?
Couldn’t hurt to have brought up an issue or two. I don’t think this park land should be publicall owned and ran. I do support a bike / skateboard / rollerblade inclusive lane on Burrard bridge for off rush hour times.
One must approach these things with some reason (van.general and bc.politics may be a good place to find concerns). Frankly I could talk to my father about his concerns in Kits/Pt. Grey and it won’t be the same as the people who run the bakery near my docs office where I get pastry; the fact is no matter what even when they agree and when they do not they are all individuals and should be respected as individuals and not as some creature that is part of a central organism. Or collective. God bless free will, well blessed us with it. This includes individualism. As far as privatised park land and beaches, it makes for a good private business, selling concession licences and so on. I’d like to see ice cream and french frie trucks like Harbour Front once had in Toronto. Even elsewhere. TO gave them an unfair hard time. Licencing this vendor outlit could improve commerce out there and here. Really what are the individuals concernes? Now that can lead to a diverse setup; Dunbar Citizens are angry at the two “top guys” and have a Candidate meet today to discus Bureaucrats versus Voters; now this isn’t Bridges and Kits Beach. This is CUPE’s Tyrranny over the individuals who need their roads fixed, replaced, and maintained.
Gölök Zoltán Leenderdt Franco Buday
http://www.myegotimes.com/Contact/
“The only thing worse than a criminal [scum bag] is when a cop is a criminal.” — Gölök Zoltán Leenderdt Franco Buday, 1996; Vancouver Mayoral Debate.
http://www.myegotimes.com/archive
I have lived in Kits for the last 25 years. I am running for re-election, having been elected in 1999, and re-elected in 2002.
I am a very strong supporter of librairies. I also spearheaded the city’s Ethical and Sustainable Purchasing Policy.
I would be happy to answer any questions people would like to post.
sheesh……..
As an addition, Mora noted he also lives in lives Stratcona area as I do of course, this adds to my point that concerns are and views are not the same neighbour to neighbour let alone along borough citizens. Individuality and diversity in views is usually the only constant. The best is a collective, individuality is divine.
Oh, Louis, sorry about the Ian King article, it was Raymond Louie I told him that I regreted voting for, I didn’t vote for you on the grounds that I believe in the seperation of powers and knew you were and are an active lawyer. How you sit in a council meeting I do not know, making laws is a conflict of interest for lawyers, they need more laws to make a living.
Understandable mistake Louis could even be an anglified version of the french name Louie. Likely misheard.
Gölök Zoltán Leenderdt Franco Buday
The reality is that so much attention hs been given to the DTES and maga projects Kits and other communities are largely being ignored by council and the mayor. The currrent group has unfortunately defined Vancouver through the DTES. I believe that all of Vancouver needs attention to the high property taxes, property crime, safety on the streets and organized development.
I would be happy to hear from you as to what issues as your new mayor you feel need to be addressed in Kitsilano. As mayor I will mayor of the entire city and will be sure council meets in all communites over the course of the next three years. I will also form a Citizens Dialogue Assembly where citizens can sit down with the mayor and council on a regular basis and informally discuss this wonderful city and what we can do together to make Vancouver more secure and prosperous for all.
Hey all, I just found out about some disturbing facts about the sewage plant, check the link under emails on my site http://www.604industries.com , just another issue I’ll tackle.
Joe
I am an independent candidate for Mayor on November 19. My web is raypowerformayor@blogspot.com
At a recent Dunbar Resident’s Association meeting there was much discussion about the proposed alcohol rehab centre at 16 & Dunbar.
This centre is being brought forward without regard for the views of Dunbar residents. It is close enough to your neighborhood that it will effect your quality of life.
This is an example of bureaucrats at City Hall ignorning the concerns of citizens.
If you are concerned, call your neighbors in Dunbar. Get involved and make a difference on November 19. Both Jim Green and Sam Sullivan are on record as being in support of the staff report on this matter.
If you want to have someone hear your voice after November 19, vote for me, Ray Power.
It’s time we put people before process and put the service back in public service.
Ray Power
Vancouver Mayoral Candidate
604 325 9394
email rayjpower@aol.com
ya so basicly anyone’s better to vote for than Jim or Sam, they’re just not down to Earth with people’s intrests… and by not voting at all, your just helping them get the majority because they have such a large cult like group following them blindly.
Review my site and all the other candidates and make an educated decision. The fate of Vancouver relys on it.
Peace, Joe
Hi there, I am running for Vancouver School Board with the NPA and would love to hear from anyone who has concerns, comments or suggestions regarding our schools.
I also have a blog so please feel free to visit my website.
Best regards,
Michelle Mollineaux
Government schools can collapse to the ground all I care, it is not the business of government to propagandise the poor children who’s parents can not afford the private they might make with a voucher option.
Government land grabs and industry must stop, this is attack on capitalism and friend of oligarchy who’s stock conglomerates may expect to join the feast of immonent domain aka a statist pillage.
Such as the Olympic assault on Vancouver. Oh my father someone who was an Olympic Photograher in the Calgary Olympics and his fellow actors will benefit from the difficulty of Hotel Availlability and Location accessability while that goes on, so much emphasis on foreign torism and thier expendable income our government(s) seems content on gambling our options for building expendable income at home. For what the glory of welcoming the Chinese President again? Frankly I don’t want him to ever come back until a reasonable election, then again Jim Green and to a slightly lesser extent Sam Sullivan may be placed in that company they might be in the same company; given the lack of legitamacy this election has on seeing that everyone who votes for them is treated as counting and not as not counting. Even if they don’t personally weasle their way into an election coverage monopoly where they wear there oversized heads thin, their people must be doing it and this might show a lack leadership and control over their campaigns.
Now as for the “would you like some company crowd,” at least that’s how the solicitation is mentioned around the Cannery area, likely to find out the hard way on what they are in for; it really is not a collective solution, frankly rape kits come to mind and punishing johns and pimps and leaving the hoes for testimony, have they ever gotten philosophical options or just community activists with bird course knowlledge handing out panflits and bible thumping? Ever walk around the cannery row around Hastings-Sunrise and Wall Street? Some start out bright wide eyed ladies who yoou’d expect to see in some legit option before they become the dirt faced heroin using cynic who gave up on life. Places like the Royal Drake even started upping a dancer’s over head (before under a head) by charging stage fees (main stage) and a manditory 3 private dances (some even having to trick you into a private which is frotage and at the price of the lap not the air dance you expected. In case some one fell for it for the 10th time, it’s “fool me once.”) rule, trailing them to deeper ground, and if the bright girls can be lead to the street, even a bright exotic dancers; now if no sexual contact at these places were being treated like it was sexual harassment for even asking for it or for asking them to do it maybe dancer careers wouldn’t get worse or ended. Not to mention the demands that they buy their work place be stopped, or make it so people buy their cubicles and offices as well, maybe, oh they do buy their political seats don’t they.
Privacy laws are the key, red lights are not, you’d likely have it behind closed doors, independent, and unsegregated if it’s not even prosecuted unless it was caught in public or by evidence that leads one to a warrant. Then again, will it happen much anyway if they can out their pimps without fearing prosecution and fines? Not as much as it is now. If it hasn’t slowed down anyway. Window houses, that’s a laugh a prostitute that washes in a sink, AIDS, Syphilis, and other diseases anyone?
Now if you tape it is it illegal? No it’s speech, and the john and prostitute (male as well, yes there are male ones) are one and the same thing and the pimping is done via production or paying duo girls in strip clubs in a way that discriminates against fully solo ones. Or fascilitating a sex show and calling it a stripping act. Just calling a spade a spade. Funny how jokes are punished more than this and the Royal Drake is doing fine and open despite the infractions I have mentioned to the police and city several times.
Anyway in some ways there are double standards like Baby Blues on a station that bleeps pussy in any context from films that are comedic and clean. Even late at night. Anyway this is a lot to absorb.
Gölök Z. L. F. Buday
More promises to break….
“Mr. Buday announces short term solution until WARDs can be formalized. I am announcing today that, he will as Mayor, create constituency offices and oppoint the at-large elected 10 to local offices. Instead of a city hall office. Such offices will be rented out.” — from press release.
I, as someone who lives in East Vancouver because a dog makes homes unaffordable in the West End, I will do what ever I can to fight descrimination against dog masters. I think fixing is cruel, I want leashed and off leashed licenses and to make see that licenses are not void until a negative altercation occurs at the fault of the master of the dog, at this point even a suspention or ban would be needed depending on how bad or chronic this problem is.
A semi-perminent licensing, why pay again until you screw up.
I don’t want someone to pay more for keeping the balls on his or her dog, it presumes way too much.
I wonder if there are any dog owner assoc. anymore, I remember the Gallery Owner had one in the West End, but man I can’t find a reference online, I was wondering if they had any “Some Candidates Meetings” as well. I don’t just hug dogs on the Patterson Paper.
The best,
Gölök Zoltán Leenderdt Franco Buday
I’m running for Park Board because I want to use my PhD in environmental studies and my passion for sports and recreation to create a better balance of preservation of nature and use of nature for healthy, balanced living. I want to bring integrity to the Park Board: financial, environmental and personal integrity.
Please visit http://www.heatherholden.ca and email or phone to talk about issues of concern. I hope you’ll consider voting for me on Saturday, as I’d be truly honoured to serve as one of your Park Board Commissioners.
Thanks for reading,
hh
To bring integrity to the Park Board is to abolish the park board.
Run the parks from city hall.
Mayoral Candidate for Vancouver, Gölök Zoltán Buday
I\’m amazed at the sheer lack of professionalism on the part of many candidates who have posted on this comments page. It seems many of you lack clear understanding of how the business (yes, it is a business, although it does not have to be a corrupt one) of running a major city really works. There have been statements calling for and promising sweeping reform of various policies and blanket statements stating that candidate X “will tackle†(what exactly does that mean? To what specific extent will you bring change?) issue Y on this comment page, yet I\’m willing to bet that many candidates don\’t have a sense of the resources (fiscal budgets, time, manpower) required to create these changes nor the struggle which a civic government would face in terms of sustaining said change and the value associated with it. It appears that many campaigns lack depth, clarity, or purpose… It seems that these campaigns are created for selfish purposes, perhaps to satisfy hopes of simply being in the public eye.
– abolishing park boards, the collapse of public schools… get real (or at minimum realistic)
– penalties for “dog masters”… restaurants on kits beach… are these really pressing issues for a rapidly expanding city of 3 million people?
As a voter who would like to see sucessful management of the city I live in, this is frustrating.
I should stress that not all candidate whove posted on this comment page have shown lack of insight or common sense, and to those people I wish you well in the upcoming elections, may your commitment and professionalism to your campaign let you rise to the top.
My own father, who would have voted for me, was turned away; he also had a drivers licence, but recently moved here (early fall); it was a Toronto ID, Local Actor and Kitsalano Resident and Co-Signer of my Nomination Papers, Zoltán Buday (middle name sake) was denied as well.
Got Payraise? http://www.elections.bc.ca/rcl/recall.new.htm
More: http://www.myegotimes.com/voter-turned-away.shtml
Gölök Zoltán Leenderdt Franco Buday
I’m truly sorry for not answering this e-mail till after this election.
I’m running as an independent with a very left wing political position. My website will explain a lot. one reason for not answering was that I was in court all week.
Last week I was found guilty of trafficking in ‘medical cannabis’ to members with medical need.
– The sentence is carry on the good work.
I got this senternce for operating the Canadian Marijuana Party Compassion Club service. I’m not running against Libby Davis in this coming election. I’m running in Quadra. Ps. that in your neiborhood
I am opening a quite large compassion club west and south of Granville Island in a quiet industrial location.
I plan on having a cafe bakery in a low key discrete quiet membership club and I would like some local support.
From the tone and content of your website I think we may gat along.
Please call me at 604-721-7461
Marc Boyer
As an anti-monarchist I enjoyed part of your article; but actually Kits is patt of Vancouver-Centre, your thinking of Dundas.
I wonder what is compassionate about the Gaba sucker you offer? Why not a little Gabapentin or Clonazepam. Even Buscapam is better, much better, and it would make for a great detox for drug users I think. Since it is an anti-neurotoxin.
Guarana?
“M.Dr.” Boyer what gives you the right to enable a drug that is illegal until the state can openly get a piece of the action?
With sin taxes as your party and Emery have proposed in the Provincial?
I don’t want this toxic cloud out there.
Gölök Zoltán Leenderdt Franco Buday
http://www.myegotimes.com/Contact/
“Like other tyrannies, the tyranny of the majority was at first, and is still vulgarly, held in dread, chiefly as operating through the acts of the public authorities. But reflecting persons perceived that when society is itself the tyrant — society collectively over the separate individuals who compose it — its means of tyrannizing are not restricted to the acts which it may do by the hands of its political functionaries. Society can and does execute its own mandates; and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with which it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. Protection, therefore, against the tyranny of the magistrate is not enough; there needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling, against the tendency of society to impose, by other means than civil penalties, its own ideas and practices as rules of conduct on those who dissent from them; to fetter the development and, if possible, prevent the formation of any individuality not in harmony with its ways, and compel all characters to fashion themselves upon the model of its own. There is a limit to the legitimate interference of collective opinion with individual independence; and to find that limit, and maintain it against encroachment, is as indispensable to a good condition of human affairs as protection against political despotism.” — On Liberty, The Library of Liberal Arts edition, p.7.