Vancouver Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung dropped an F-bomb during a long meeting that included motions to potentially make CCTV footage available to police for investigations, create a registry for lobbyists to improve transparency and have only councillors from the mayor’s party be acting mayors, deputy mayors or duty councillors.
The 12-hour Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities at city hall and its testy exchanges come two years into the current council’s four-year mandate and illustrated the procedural strain council may be under despite having a super-majority.
Seven of 10 councillors are aligned with the mayor’s A Better City Vancouver party (ABC).
“This is not the wild west of f–king procedure,” exclaimed Kirby-Yung, an ABC councillor, about nine hours into the meeting over apparent frustration with how rules for debating a motion were being administered by the chair and ABC Coun. Mike Klassen.
“Oh my gosh, I’m going to call a point of order,” said Coun. Rebecca Bligh, who was sitting next to Kirby-Yung. “It’s really inappropriate.”
Before more was said, microphones in council chambers were cut, and councillors took a brief recess before resuming, with Kirby-Yung absent from council chambers. She returned after a dinner break but did not immediately respond to CBC News inquiries about her outburst.
Political watchers say tension is part of politics but needs to be held in check, or at least behind closed doors.
“There’s that inevitable human element of politics,” said UBC political science lecturer Stewart Prest.
“If this ABC council is not able to address some of those internal fractures, that it’s going to become a bigger issue for the city going forward.”
Kirby-Yung’s outburst wasn’t the only moment of conflict from the meeting.
Coun. Pete Fry and Coun. Adriane Carr, both Green Party members, questioned Mayor Ken Sim for removing them as alternate city representatives in his absence, something that has traditionally rotated between all council members.
“You’re asking all of council to vote on effectively censuring Councillor Carr and I,” said Fry.
The duo has also been removed as board members for the regional government of Metro Vancouver.
“I hope it has nothing to do with my performance,” said Carr.
‘Deal with it’
Sim said people showing up to events where an elected city representative was required expected to see him or an ABC councillor there.. Fry asked Sim if performing the duty was considered partisan, to which Sim responded by saying he wished the council was less so.
“The answer is basically I just made a change,” he said to Fry about the appointments. “I made a decision, I’m good with it.”
Sim’s attempt to close ranks follows apparent cracks in his slate.
In the summer, two ABC councillors — Peter Meiszner and Lisa Dominato — voted in opposition to the party over a motion that would allow new homes to use natural gas for heating, a reversal of the current bylaw.
It pits spurring more home construction in the city versus climate goals. The issue is set to come back to council this fall.
There are also other issues ABC has stumbled on, such as eliminating the city’s elected Park Board and an attempt to pause the work of the city’s integrity commissioner.
That issue led to the ABC chair of the Vancouver School Board quitting the party to sit as an independent trustee.
Political science lecturer Stewart Prest says the challenges show how even governments with strong majorities can struggle at times to be cohesive, especially over the long term.
“I think every slate will encounter its moment of difficulty when you’re dealing with the individuals in a party,” he said.
“But the question is really, does that work get done behind the scenes, or do we see the frustration start to break out on the surface and in so doing, perhaps start to undermine the direction of council itself?”
The next bellwether moment for council is expected soon — an upcoming byelection to replace Coun. Christine Boyle.
She was elected as the MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain with the NDP.
She has not yet tendered her resignation at council, but all three parties with members in council chambers say they will be ready once that happens.
Prest says the byelection could either fortify ABC’s current majority with another seat or add another opposition voice that could further open up cracks in council’s cohesion.