Riot will serve as "case study" on how to dupe electorate
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and his council colleagues mark a special anniversary Friday at City Hall. But don’t expect to see colourful balloons or fanfare anytime soon. That’s because there are few civic politicians who want to talk about the events that led to last year’s Stanley Cup riot.
The genesis of Vancouver’s billion dollar public relations black eye can be traced back directly to Robertson. It was the mayor who personally directed city hall staff to set up special downtown fan zones complete with big screen televisions.
By Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, it was estimated the massive party on Georgia Street had swelled to more than 150,000 people. A large number of people were under 30 years old, drunk, and keen on some sort of public demonstration.
In the hours that followed the Canucks loss, the same people invited downtown for a big street party were now turning the city upside down. They burned, looted and vandalized their way onto almost every major newscast around the world.
In response, the Vancouver Police Department assigned over 70 officers to work full time on these cases. At a news conference, Chief Jim Chu told the media that so far police have recommended 674 charges against 225 suspects. In total, he anticipates 300 arrests will be made with over 900 criminal charges laid. “We believe this is the greatest number of people charged with a crime arising from one incident in Canadian history,” said Chu.
When added up, Robertson’s downtown party plans have cost B.C. and Vancouver taxpayers dearly.
In addition to the $2 million spent hosting the party, the city subsequently spent $7 million on police salaries plus an additional $2 million in related costs. Losses to individual victims, businesses and various government agencies total $3.7 million. As far as the provincial court system goes, the final bill has yet to be tallied – but it will likely be seven figures.
While the public purse has clearly taken a hit, there appears to be no political cost associated with the riot. Robertson and his team skillfully managed to ensure their fingerprints were nowhere to be found at the scene. In fact, Vancouver’s electorate actually rewarded them with an even larger majority.
I have no doubt that Vancouver’s 2011 Stanley Cup riot will serve as a case study on how a politician can cause an unimaginable mess, and get away without a scratch.
- post by Daniel
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Vancouver have become a joke of a city. Stupid electorate. Separated bike lanes on the busiest streets, next they’ll want the viaducts that serve 40,000 + cars per day , removed… Idiots! Their name is Vision, as for the city staff (that Dobrovolny guy) have been emasculated by Ballem long time ago.
So Daniel, have you asked yourself why Vision was relected. I know some want to say it is because Vancouver has a ‘stupid electorate’. Is that the reason then, that we are stupid, at least in the eyes of our betters? Or are there other reasons?
You see Daniel, most of us believe mistakes were made by many people, including the Mayor, the police chief, BCTransit, the LDB and of course the rioters. For your own political purposes you choose to focus on the mayor trying to leave the impression that he alone was at fault. You are entitled to your views.
However the citizens of Vancouver knew all fo this, had to listen to Anton going on ad nauseum to try to pin it all on Robertson. They listened and they disagreed. As you may appreciate (even if followers fo yours like Higgins don’t) it is this strange phnomenon called democracy. The people have the right to choose and they chose differently. They rejected the NPA line as was their right.
Nutters like Higgins think (used in the widest sense of the word) the electorate is stupid. Even if he is right, it doesn’t matter. The dogs still bark but the camel train has moved on.
We live in Vancouver and keeping the NPA haters at bay keeps us busy.
There you go again.
The Wuss is everywhere. That’s democracy!
“We live in Vancouver and the Wuss gets No Respect… keeping us busy.”
What else have you got, Wuss?
Walt, it may be that those other figures shared some of the blame. But there is no escaping from the fact that it was Robertson and Ballem’s naivete and misreading of the situation that led to all of the bad decisions made by those minor players.
Daniel, these are your supporters. Do you share the view that the Vancouver electorate is stupid? Simple question. A simple answer will do.
I don’t know what Daniel answer would be but, I’m proud of being part of the… smart electorate… the one who did not vote for Vision. I have no problem with any of the comments here including yours Walt! Yes i’m one of many Daniel’s supporters!
Gee Daniel, your silence is both revealing and deafening. Your silence appears toconfirm that ‘together with Higgins and Ned, you consider the Vancouver electorate stupid.
What do you mean by electorate Waltyss?
People who voted, or people entitled to vote who may or may not have voted?
Considering the statistical probability of getting the goodies you’ve been promised through voting, I’d have to say yes, the people who voted (regardless of what party) are severely miseducated. I don’t think stupid is really the right word.
But as a whole I think the people who could have voted but didn’t are the wise ones.
2011 Vancouver Election
Ballots Cast/Registered Voters : 144,823 /418,878
Votes for Gregor: 77,005
Votes for Suzanne: 58,152
304,055 people said “Democracy doesn’t work, none of these clowns represent me”
77,005 people said “Gregor has pretty eyes and I like bicycles”
58,152 people said “I can’t stand Gregor and his meddling but I still think democracy works.”
Justified apathy was the true winner of that election. In other words, the large majority of people who can vote in Vancouver are smart indeed. It’s a shame the 35% minority who voted unfortunately now control the fortune of the majority. But that’s democracy: Always delivering the opposite of what’s promised.
“77,005 people said “Gregor has pretty eyes and I like bicycles”” Snide but removed from the facts. I looked closely at the NPA record, Ms. Anton’s policies and where the money was coming from and made an informed decision that Vision was more in line with my own values and that they had been reasonable stewards of the city, as good as the NPA had been. You disagree, but don’t assume that you and your buddies are smarter than the rest of us. You haven’t shown any evidence of that.
You also assume that most people made a conscious choice not to vote. I doubt that your characterization that ’304,055 people said “Democracy doesn’t work, none of these clowns represent me”’ describes what most of these 300,000 plus people Can you provide any evidence for this claim?
re: “You disagree, but don’t assume that you and your buddies are smarter than the rest of us.”
I specifically made a point in my post that this isn’t a matter of “smart and stupid”, and who are the “buddies” you refer to? This “stupid/smart” thing seems to have been born out of Higgins’ post, but I’m not him. Maybe, because Higgins isn’t on your “team”, and I’m not on your “team” you’ve put Higgins and I together on a “team” in your mind and you think this “team” is the antithesis to your “team”.
Point being I don’t think people are stupid because they are misguided or wrong on certain topics. A brilliant mathematician doesn’t become “stupid” if he knows nothing about politics and therefor votes. A great architect might be a terrible speller, but that doesn’t make them stupid. To put people into the categories of stupid or smart is just binary thinking. (red team vs. blue team)
Anyway, no I do not have “evidence” of the exact thought process of each eligible voter, the made-up quotes are quite cleary sarcasm. The point however is not. Believing in democracy is essentially “magical” thinking, it leaves out logic and rational ethics in exchange for good feelings and trendiness.
AP and Ipsos did a study showing around 30-35% of people believe in ghosts and UFO’s.
Funny how that number correlates perfectly with the percentage of people in Vancouver who believe in the inverted morality of bribocracy.
Or perhaps democracy is, among other things, a tool for distributed decision making. And the more local the decisions the more likely they are to be relevant. This is one reason I would like to see our power structures inverted and to make the municipal the senior level of government.
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!
“This is one reason I would like to see our power structures inverted and to make the municipal the senior level of government.”
That’s right out of Robertson’s Book of Job! Stepped down from the cheap seats MLA job in Victoria , than he pocketed the top job at City hall, and then his advocates are “advocating” for making the municipal government the … top / senior government, ha, ha, ha! In other hands handing the ass … the head. Ha!
best joke of the weekend!
We know that these guys never liked to work for anything in their entire lives, eh? Hard work and their way of life is a contradiction, eh? Now this? Common Steven you can do better!
OOOPS!
That was supposed to be:
“In other words is like handing the ass … to the head. Ha!”
Geez!
Glad to make your day Ned. Of course this would apply to any city not just Vancouver (I am one of those pimko commie cyclists that Mr. Ford and his supporters findsso offensive). And I expect to wake up one day with an NDP government and an NPA mayor. Would still rather have more decisions made closer to people.
Birdy,
Those kinds numbers are always trotted out from the losing side and the winning side always says ‘well that’s democracy’. Next time the NPA wins and the vast majority of Vancouver residents stay home, they’ll be using the exact same argument, as will vision.
Also, your one liner summarizing every voter….come on.
Don’t forget all the people that went with “lets ignore this lot of looney navel grazers and self congratulation society” and voted with their feet to get the hell out of the city of Vancouver and it’s never ending battle between the wealthy parasites and the poor parasites.
Exactly.
This probably the best example why we need other type of journalism than MSM. Check out Alex g tasks is site for real good journalism outside MSM.. Blogs are the future!
Oops.
That was supposed to be:
Alex G Tsakumis!
Teflon Mayor, eh? BTW, did you all know that Teflon is bad for ya? Great late night salesmanship behind it, but cancerous when used for too long…
I caefully watched, and thought about, the last civic election.
While I could find candidates to support for Council, I could support neither of the two main contenders.
Anecdtally, I heard the same from many I knew.
A 31% voter turnout is both outrageous and depressing when it comes to democratic governments (and we know what both main parties would say if their opposition were elected with that percentage of the total vote!).
Frankly, I’m more interested in why people don’t bother to vote at all!
But give Vision their due for the win. They have an unbelievable organizational network and have been especially effective at reaching and messaging out to youth, minoritities, and other “non traditional’ voting groups. Put the power of the union movement behind some of their candidates and its a machine.
That being said, I hate the crappy attitudes on display at City Hall by the majority of Vision counsellors when citizens, who don’t agree with them, presentthere during public debate.
Snotty, condescending, viscious comments. What, you EAT with those mouths?! Degrading to the positon of trust they hold–and that WE give them.
You can throw in a couple of Vision Park and School Board peeps, too.
Sorry, I think I was unclear.
“I could support neither of the two main contenders.” should have read: “I could support neither of the two main mayoralty candidates.
Too depressing.
“That being said, I hate the crappy attitudes on display at City Hall by the majority of Vision counsellors when citizens, who don’t agree with them, presentthere during public debate.
Snotty, condescending, viscious comments. What, you EAT with those mouths?! Degrading to the positon of trust they hold–and that WE give them.”
I second that!
@The Angry Taxpayer:
Well, one of the main Vision pitt bulls will be moving to provincial politics soon – Meggs. In my opinion he is the nastiest of them all.
After that follows Jang and Louie.
Lucky BC.
Yep, and probably going to be part of an NDP government.
The Angry Taxpayer is going to have to change his/her name to The Furious Taxpayer or The Sick to My Stomach Taxpayer or The **** This I Am Moving To Alberta Taxpayer.
I put this kind of behaviour down to people who feel they have been on the “outside”, feeling somewhat vengeful.
But people need to learn to have grace in victory,as well as defeat.
“But people need to learn to have grace in victory,as well as defeat.” Most sensible thing I have read today.
drunken thought of the day
There’s hope for sensible. But no learning.
He’s no Dominic DiVinci but he will be a great villain in the Vivian Krause movie. You’ll see.