Vancouver votes No to Wards

Residents speak out, turnout convincing:

VANCOUVER (CP) – Vancouver residents took to the polls in record numbers Saturday and voted not to adopt a ward system used by every other major Canadian city to elect its municipal politicians.

In the city-wide plebiscite, 54 per cent of voters said no to a ward system on their ballots. Fourty-six per cent were in favour according to unofficial results released late Saturday.

A visibly shocked Sam Sullivan, head of the No Wards campaign, had to revise his pre-planned loser speech. “I believe that a no vote was not for the status quo,” said the Vancouver city councillor. “It is a vote for cautious, deliberate, progressive change.”

I’d agree with that last comment. I spoke with quite a few people on this issue – even among those who had made their mind up one way or the other, there seemed a consistant level of indecision. Quite a few did not buy the arguments pro and con that either side put forward—democracy is alive and well.

A partial introduction of ward-like responsibility might have flown with the public, however hard it might be to implement. Idea: half of council ward-based, half at large?