OneCity Announces its Plan to Fix the Budget & Make Your Vote Matter

VANCOUVER (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ Territories) – OneCity today released A Plan to Fix the Budget & Make Your Vote Matter, the party's plan to make the City budget something you can read, something you help write, and something that reflects what Vancouverites actually believe our city owes its people.

ABC's "Zero Means Zero" budget was service cuts dressed up as a slogan. OneCity is the only team this election with a plan to protect the services that keep the city running, raise revenue fairly, and give every neighbourhood a vote that counts.

"I spent decades reading City budgets so the public didn't have to," said Frances Bula, OneCity Candidate for City Council. "Nobody should need a journalist to explain where their tax dollars go. A budget you can't read is a useless budget, and I hate to admit that suits some people at City Hall just fine. Well, we don’t think that’s good enough."

OneCity will budget with Vancouverites’ values through:

• Participatory Budgeting – We’ll scale participatory budgeting citywide, giving residents real spending power and key information for the first time ever.

• A Readable Budget – We’re going to communicate the City’s budget in plain language and line by line accountability, so Vancouverites know what they’re getting from their government. 

• Balancing Revenues – We’ll explore a progressive property tax in Vancouver, so the wealthiest land owners who can afford it, contribute more.

• Cracking Down on Tax Dodgers – We’re going to end the tax write-offs for owners with building permits who don’t build badly needed housing and infrastructure.  

• Fighting Austerity – Protect the services that keep our city running through fair property annual tax rates that make it possible to build new critical infrastructure like pipes, parks, and pools.

OneCity will put public dollars towards building thriving communities by: 

• Supporting & Continuing the UNDRIP Action Plan - We will continue the work already unanimously adopted by the City of Vancouver to implement the UNDRIP Action Plan.

• Protecting Against Service Cuts – Adopt a Public Services Protection Test before cuts, contracting out, privatization, or service reductions, so money delivers value to communities instead of hollowing them out. 

• Restoring the Living Wage – Recertify the City and School Board as living wage employers so the workers who keep our city running can afford to live in it. 

• Repairing Pipes & Potholes Before They Break – Save money by fixing and replacing old critical infrastructure early through preventative maintenance and transparent timelines so we borrow money cheaper and spend less down the road. 

• Making Waterhogs Pay – Introduce water meters to lower utility costs for average Vancouverites and make big users of water, like mansion owners, pay their fair share. 

• Aligning City Council, Park, and School Boards to Deliver Services – Coordinate Shared Services Agreements so key services can be supported by every board, run more efficiently, scale more effectively, and available to as many Vancouverites as possible.

"I've sat through ABC trying to budget, and what they passed was a budget that delivered near-zero for road safety, for lifeguards, and for regular Vancouverites who depend on community infrastructure," said OneCity City Councillor Lucy Maloney. "The City budget clearly shows what and who you care about. At the very least, Vancouverites deserve to be able to read it, and have it deliver the things that actually work to meet the challenges we face and a City that is safe, vibrant and welcoming."

And We’ll Make Your Vote Matter – OneCity commits to an instant run off ranked ballot for mayor and the use of new voting methods, like proportional representation, to ensure that your ballot actually reflects who your neighbourhood wants to lead the City, not just who has the best funded campaign. We’ll get there by supporting a Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform that will recommend either a proportional, ward, or hybrid system to improve diversity and representation, ahead of the 2030 election. 

Media Contact:
Giovanna Orecchio, Campaign Director
media@onecityvancouver.ca

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