CITY HALL COUNCILLORS MASTERS OF THE FLIP-FLOP

Now that Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell and his COPE team have occupied
council chambers for six months we think it's time they were given a
performance assessment.

Consistency when it comes to policy issues and determination to carry out
campaign commitments are not city council's strong suits.

Gone is the mayor's plan to install the police department in the old
Woodward's building. Gone is his vow to have a supervised injection site in
the Downtown Eastside running by now. Gone is his promise to keep property
tax increases to the level of inflation -- council recently approved a 5.67
per cent hike for homeowners, that's twice the inflation rate.

Council flipped-flopped on the Wal-Mart issue, too. Indeed, a 2010 Olympic
games referendum was one of the only promises not broken -- and an inane,
thoughtless one it was. For ability to keep their word and deliver, rookie
Campbell and COPE get a C. We'll be more rigorous in our marking in the
future if the flip-flops continue.

Now to the issues.

The good news is that council approved the rapid transit tunnel from
Vancouver to Richmond along the Cambie Street boulevard. The bad news is
COPE councillors Ann Roberts and Tim Lewis were dumbfounded; they couldn't
figure out how it was they wound up voting yes: C+

However, they did better with Wal-Mart's bid to open a first store in the
city. They've gone from opposing it to now agreeing to look at the big-box
retailer's proposals and to hold public hearings: B

As for the four pillars approach to drug addiction -- enforcement,
treatment, prevention and harm reduction -- COPE has yet to back any but
the last one.

Council recently rejected the police chief's request for money to sustain
the successful crackdown in the Downtown Eastside, one which made residents
and businesses in the area safer. They had no money for enforcement but
found $5.5 million to buy the Woodward's store for social housing: D

Kudos for permitting Vancouver libraries to open year-round and for
agreeing to look at how to put a ward system in place: B

Tomorrow we grade Surrey.

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