Civility was the name of the game at an all-candidates meeting on Zoom Thursday evening with nine out of 10 candidates, all vying for a spot on Richmond council, taking part.
But this didn't stop candidates from differing on a wide variety of topics, be it on funding police, density or public transportation.
After introductions at the meeting, organized by the Steveston Community Society, two candidates at a time were asked a specific question on topics sent in by the public. (The meeting was not recorded for future viewing.)
Andy Hobbs talked about increasing density in Richmond to create “pocket neighbourhoods,” laneway homes as well as duplexes and triplexes to allow younger people to get into the housing market.
In contrast, Jonathan Ho, running as the Richmond Community Coalition candidate, said, with so much density planned, the downtown core needs to be rethought, saying it will soon be “another Wall Street.”
Ho also focused on taxes, saying the 5.8 per cent property tax increase in Richmond is too high. The city is “detached” from Richmond’s reality, Ho said.
“That is a totally inappropriate tax at an inappropriate time,” he added.
Ken Hamaguchi, who is currently a school trustee but seeking a spot on Richmond council, also argued for lower taxes, saying property tax hikes shouldn’t exceed the increase in cost of living.
If elected to council, Hamaguchi said he won’t step down as a school trustee, firstly, because he doesn’t want to put the city through a costly byelection.
But, he added, being on both could be advantageous for Richmond.
“My holding a prominent position in both our school and city operations, such that the left hand and the right hand have a better understanding of each other, can only benefit the city,” Hamaguchi said.
Funding of the RCMP came up at the all-candidates meeting, with Dennis Page arguing to put more funding into police to tackle international money laundering and other illegal activities, saying crime these days is “international, largely on the Internet and very mobile.”
“If we don’t (fund the police), we’ll have a Richmond where criminals are running rampant and shooting each other,” Page said.
John Roston, however, cited provincial data that stated Richmond had the fourth lowest crime rate in B.C. He also cited a report commissioned by the city, which stated the city doesn’t need more firefighters until 2027.
Richmond voted to fund 16 more RCMP officers – and 11 municipal employees to support the RCMP - and 12 more firefighters this year.
“Obviously, as time goes on, we’re going to need more police and more fire (fighters), but the question is do we need them right now,” Roston said at the meeting. (He pointed out gang murders are handled by IHIT, not by the Richmond RCMP.)
While one candidate felt public transportation was adequate in Richmond, another pointed out there is no direct bus from Steveston to Ironwood.
“We have a great transportation system here,” said Page, who lives near McNair secondary, while Steveston resident Karina Reid said the transportation system “needs a lot of work.” Reid cited the example of a friend who takes three buses to get her kids to school.
For candidate Kay Hale, speeding is a problem in Richmond and she said it should be dealt with “seriously,” with more than just a fine.
Mark Lee, however, argued that, while there are traffic congestion problems in Richmond, his issue is the “over-reliance on cars.” He said there should be proper walkways for pedestrians and safe bike infrastructure.
The downtown core of Richmond needs more greenspace and needs to be safe for pedestrians, said Jennifer Huang. But she would also like to see affordable homes for the next generation and a continuation of the Canada Line.
Sunny Ho was the only candidate in the Richmond byelection who didn’t take part in the all-candidates meeting.
The byelection is on May 29. For information on how to vote, go to richmond.ca/elections.
