Gregor Robertson (politician)

Under Robertson's leadership, Vancouver City Council made mixed progress in reducing homelessness.

At the beginning for his term in 2008, there were 1,536 homeless people recorded in an annual count in Vancouver, growing to 2,181 in 2018. [21]

On December 9, 2008, he announced low-barrier HEAT shelters to assist Vancouver's homeless citizens during an extremely cold winter,[22] which were filled to capacity.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29] On September 15, 2009, Vancouver city staff issued a report warning Robertson and the City Council that they should no longer expect the HEAT shelters to be funded after the 2009–2010 fiscal year.[30][31][32][33] In 2011, by the end of his first mayoral term, more than 90 percent of the homeless people in Vancouver were reportedly sleeping in shelters or other temporary spaces.[34] though by 2015 it had slipped back to 70%. [35]

In 2014, he oversaw the creation of Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency, which was established to create housing units primarily for low to moderate-income households.[36] A neighbourhood plan aimed to shape development of the Downtown Eastside was also approved. The plan was aimed to protect low-income residents of the area who were struggling to afford rent amidst a rise in cost of living.[37]

In September 2017, the Government of British Columbia announced a funding commitment of $66 million towards Robertson's plan to build 600 units of temporary modular housing in Vancouver.[38] In partnership with the BC Government, temporary modular homes were built within 18 months on empty or underutilized City-owned land, providing immediate relief to 600 people living without a home, as well as access to 24/7 supports, including life skills training and health services.[38]

The 12th annual Homeless Count in Vancouver held in 2018 saw a 2% increase in homeless residents since the 2017 count, compared with a 16% increase between 2016 and 2017.[39] Of those counted in 2018, 659 were living on the street and 1,522 were living in shelters, compared to 537 street homeless and 1,601 sheltered in 2017.[39] Fifty-two per cent of those counted reported being homeless for less than a year, showing the fluidity of homelessness year over year in Vancouver, and in 2017, the Homelessness Service's Outreach Team secured 850 homes for residents who were homeless or at risk of homelessness.[39]

Robertson faced public and council criticism over the issue of housing affordability. The overall residential benchmark price of a home in Vancouver more than doubled during his term, from $484,211 to $1,032,400. [39]

On February 25, 2009, Robertson announced the members of the Greenest City Action Team in support of his campaign promise to make Vancouver the greenest city in the world by 2020.[40][41] In April 2009, Robertson and the Greenest City Action Team released a report outlining quick-start recommendations to move aggressively on its green plan.[42] The report focused on three key areas: jobs and the economy, greener communities, and protecting human health.[40]

The Greenest City Action Plan (GCAP) was approved by the Vancouver City Council in 2011. The plan included 10 goals, including reduction of carbon emissions, development of the green economy, improvement in air and water quality, among others. Vancouver became the first city to regulate embodied carbon, and set a goal to eliminate fossil fuels and switch to 100% renewable energy by 2050.[43] In 2016, Vancouver was recognized as the third greenest city in the world according to the Global Green Economy Index, behind only Copenhagen and Stockholm.[44]

As part of GCAP, Vancouver also focused on waste management by turning organic waste into compost material which was then sold to gardeners. The city captured methane at landfills to heat greenhouses.[45] Vancouver also became the first city in North America to heat homes using thermal energy extracted from sewage and wastewater, which reportedly reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 65% in the False Creek neighbourhood.[46]

Robertson was a strong supporter of Cambie Street merchants and spoke regularly about hardships from the Canada Line construction.[47] He called the handling of the rail line construction an "injustice".[48] On March 23, 2009, Robertson testified in a lawsuit brought by a Cambie Street plebiscite merchant in the B.C. Supreme Court regarding damage to her business from the construction,[47] a lawsuit for which the merchant was awarded $600,000 by the B.C. Supreme Court because in part there was insufficient action to mitigate the effects of Canada Line construction on Cambie Street merchants.[49] This decision was later appealed and overturned at the B.C. Court of Appeal on February 18, 2012.[50] On the Canada Line opening day of August 17, 2009, Robertson said Greater Vancouver needed more rapid transit but the Canada Line was a "great start" and that he was a "Johnny-come-lately" to the project.[51]

On September 17, 2009, Robertson called for adding a toll to the Sea-to-Sky Highway, the primary driving route between Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, and to all major crossings of the Fraser River to help fund Translink.[52] British Columbia Minister of Transportation Shirley Bond dismissed the proposal by stating that the Province has no plans to add a toll to the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and that the Province was not contemplating a change in tolling strategy.[53]

Robertson and his team led the charge on cycling infrastructure, transforming Vancouver into one of the world's most livable cities.[54][3][55] In an April 2008 speech to a Critical Mass rally, Robertson requested the assistance of Critical Mass riders to help get him elected.[56] He took part in the April 2008 ride by illegally riding without a helmet to show his support for the protesters.[57] However, in July 2009, after he was elected, he expressed that he was "pissed off" at Critical Mass because organizers had not announced the route for the next ride and would not participate.[58][59] Vancouver's Critical Mass does not plan its routes.[60]

Cycling had been growing in popularity in Vancouver as it has all over the world and the desire of its citizens to cycle for at least some of their trips had been growing for decades however little was done before July 2009 when the Burrard Bridge bicycle lane trial was initiated to determine whether creating a new protected bike lane was a viable solution to increase the safety and comfort of people cycling and walking while still maintaining an effective flow of traffic. During his mayorship, the city's flagship project was the Seaside Greenway, running from downtown Vancouver to Jericho Beach.[61] This active transportation corridor was created by repurposing one lane of automobile traffic from the Burrard Bridge as well as blocking through vehicular traffic from the prestigious Point Grey Road.

In preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics in July 2009, the Vancouver Council approved several temporary bylaw changes—including security checkpoints, closed-circuit cameras, prohibition of "disturbance or nuisance interfering with the enjoyment of entertainment on city land by other persons", and prohibition of commercial flyers at celebration sites—which were controversial for some civil liberties advocates who argued that they "make it more difficult to exercise [the] fundamental constitutional rights to free speech, peaceful assembly and free expression."[62] As part of the changes city manager Penny Ballem, an unelected official, was given special powers that were referred to by Coalition of Progressive Electors councilor Ellen Woodsworth as "wide open carte blanche."[63] Robertson defended council's position, explaining the temporary bylaw changes were necessary given what Vancouver was required to implement as the host city. According to Robertson, "It is our ultimate obligation to ensure the safety and security of people who are in our city and this, I think, addresses a lot of the concerns proactively on that level while respecting the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is a temporary set of changes we're putting it in place for a special event."[64]

Robertson also implemented a bylaw in April 2014 that prevented homeowners from cutting trees down on their own private property.[65] The bylaw was proposed due to the rapid reduction in tree cover in the City of Vancouver.

On January 12, 2009, Robertson requested an amendment to the Vancouver Charter to allow the city to borrow $458 million to fund the completion of the 2010 Olympic Village in False Creek without seeking approval from taxpayers in an election-day plebiscite.[66] Robertson said this was due to extraordinary circumstances.[66] The amendment was passed on January 18, 2009, in an emergency session of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.[67][68]

On June 15, 2011, the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot occurred after a Vancouver Canucks loss in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. Robertson attributed the situation to "a small group of troublemakers".[69] Bob Whitelaw, author of a report into the 1994 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot, indicated that authorities had made several mistakes in the planning for the crowd—among them allowing parked cars near the screens and leaving newspaper boxes nearby which could be used as projectiles.[70] It was later claimed by Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu that Bob Whitelaw was not a contributor to the final report, and that all recommendations of the final report had been followed.[71] Robertson admitted to not having read the 1994 report.[72] Suzanne Anton dubbed the riot as "Robertson's Riot", a moniker which was picked up by some media outlets.[73][74][75][76][77][78][79]

In 2014, Vancouver declared itself to be the first "city of reconciliation", summarizing the principles to reconcile with Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh indigenous communities. Robertson acknowledged that the city was founded on the unceded homelands of the First Nations.[80] In 2017, Vancouver City Council raised the flags of the three host nations in the council chambers. Robertson also governed the transfer of a burial site back to the Musqueam community.[81]

Between 2009 and 2011, the city exceeded its target of 300 childcare spaces by 153. During his 2011 mayoral campaign, Robertson set the goal of setting up 500 affordable childcare spaces over the course of his second term. The budget surplus of $5 million in 2012 was partially invested into development of childcare spaces, the largest increase in childcare investment in Vancouver's history.[82] In 2014, the city announced that 599 spaces had been built or committed to since 2012, with a total investment of $62 million going into the plan.[83] By 2018, 1,064 additional childcare spaces had been committed in line with the 2015–2018 Capital Plan to create 1,000 new childcare spaces.[84]

Robertson advocated for drug decriminalization during the opioid crisis.[85] The city invested in overdose prevention sites, facilitating supervised injection and clean exchange of needles, which resulted in a decrease in overdose deaths.[86]

In 2019, Robertson was appointed as the global ambassador of Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, the largest city alliance for climate leadership with over 12,000 cities worldwide tackling the climate crisis and energy challenges.[12]

In 2019, Robertson joined Nexii Building Solutions, a green construction company, as its executive vice-president of strategy and partnerships.[87] In 2021, the company became the fastest Canadian startup to reach unicorn status.[88]