From Pro Fun City
Pledge results are available. Updates as we get them.
[edit] Vancouver doesn't have to be No Fun City.
Despite the best intentions of past councils, Vancouver continues to suffer from a No Fun City reputation. Restrictive legislation and unclear regulation discourage businesses and limit the choices in the city's entertainment outlets. Experiments like the Granville Entertainment District have put strain on policing budgets and do not reflect the diversity of the city's growing population or encourage community development.
The problems have larger implications than a boring night life. The city's Creative City Initiative acknowledges the importance of cultural development, but old No Fun regulations stop a lot of cultural development from happening on its own. The policies that exist today make Vancouver a less interesting place for young, creative, mobile people to live. Too many are choosing to move away after enjoying the diverse urban cultures in other cities. Cultural and economic development depend on making space available for citizens to freely interact, sometimes late into the night.
City Hall should allow Vancouver's businesses and citizens more freedom to enjoy life. We're a world class city, and we should be having world class fun.
A Pro Fun City requires a Pro Fun Council.
[edit] If elected, I pledge to:
(check the goals you commit to work toward if elected) 1. Allow licensed restaurants, bars, and clubs to stay open until times consistent with major Canadian cities, and other world-class creative cities.
2. Allow the free market to operate by letting licensed establishments set their own hours of operation, as has been done in London.
3. Reduce the unfair advantage gained by grandfathered licensees and level the playing field.
4. Stop restricting the number of licenses across the city.
5. End the Granville Entertainment District monopoly on nightclubs by allowing longer hours in other parts of the city.
6. Increase the transparency of the licensing and inspection process by making standards, bylaws, licensing and inspection documents openly available to the public.
7. Advocate with the province and Park Board to allow the responsible use of alcohol on some beaches and in some parks when consumed with food, as is done in Montreal where this is classed as a picnic.
8. Advocate to allow corkage in restaurants, so diners at restaurants with or with out liquor licenses can bring their own alcohol, as is done in Quebec, Alberta, Australia and several US cities.
9. Take into account the social and cultural value of community gathering places and live music or dance venues when assessing the impact of a new establishment on neighbourhoods.
10. Simplify and streamline the complex licensing and inspection process, making it easy to understand how to get a license and what is required of licensees.
11. Encourage cooperation between city inspectors, provincial inspectors, and business by allowing owners to request a "compliance check" by officials, including a grace period to remedy any violations that are not a critical threat to public safety.
12. Limit licensing fees to a cost-recovery level, paying for inspection or increased policing requirements but not contributing to general revenue.
13. Review existing licensing procedures to end the private transfer of licenses. A license to operate should be easily obtained only from the government and allow a particular establishment to operate. It should not be a hoarded asset which new entrants into the market are unable to afford.
14. Loosen zoning restrictions on the size of commercial space in Vancouver, making it easier for bars and restaurants to obtain licenses in smaller venues, and enable shared rental spaces, so that businesses can partition commercial spaces, making rents more affordable.
Notes on the Pledge according to its custom research papers:
- Candidates can pick and choose from the stated objectives, pledging to pursue the objectives that they feel would benefit the city. Committing to one goal does not imply support of the others.
- Candidates commitments and comments will be published at profuncity.com
- If a candidate feels that they favor other Pro Fun City policies that are not listed in the above pledge they are encouraged to do so. Additional comments will be published on profuncity.com.
- For goals that cannot be achieved at the city level alone, a checkmark means that candidates would pledge lobby at the Provincial level to achieve the objective.
The Fun Vancouver Pledge These are the policy positions that we are asking candidates to pledge on. A candidate does not have to agree to every policy suggestion here, but we are asking them to check the ones that they feel they can honestly support.
No Fun City History How did we get where we are? What policies have been discarded, and what progress has been made?
Pro Fun Leaders If you're running or have run a business or an event and it was harder than it should have been tell your story here.
Citizens' Stories Lose your good times to city shutdowns? Move away because you were too bored? Tell us your story here.
