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Council hopefuls make final pleas for votes at Steveston all-candidates meeting

Hundreds of people crammed into a room at the Steveston Community Centre Wednesday evening to hear Richmond’s civic candidates make their final pitches before election day.
Megan Devlin

Hundreds of people crammed into a room at the Steveston Community Centre Wednesday evening to hear Richmond’s civic candidates make their final pitches before election day.

The room was packed, with 200 seats full and a few dozen more people standing at the back.

The meeting got off to a heated start, with incumbent mayor Malcolm Brodie using his four minute speech to criticize challenger Hong Guo.

“[Guo] has never been to a city council meeting,” he said. “To the extent that there is some diversion from reality, it’s understandable.”

Malcom Brodie
Incumbent mayor Malcolm Brodie used his four minute speech to criticize challenger Hong Guo. Photo: Megan Devlin/Richmond News

His comments elicited oohs from the crowd.

Guo later told the Richmond News she has attended city council meetings on Temporary Modular housing and ALR home sizes.

“I don’t like that [what Brodie said] … I’m a lawyer, right. I need to attend … to help my clients [with rezoning applications],” she said.

Hong Guo
Mayoral candidate Hong Guo called for accountability at city hall, a bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel and a tax freeze. Photo: Richmond News/Megan Devlin

She was the first to speak, and called for more accountability at city hall, a bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel, better community safety and a tax freeze.

Brodie countered her comments by saying Richmond has some of the lowest tax rates in the Lower Mainland.

“I’m asking that on Oct. 20 you support a person who’s shown leadership and experience and vision for the future,” he said. “Together, we can enhance the quality of life.”

Kelvin Higo, from host organization Steveston Community Society, made sure the 30 council candidates went by at a fast clip. He reminded them that two minutes of speaking time may seem short, but it’s long for the audience.

Jason Tarnow, a criminal lawyer, began his speech by wishing the crowd a happy legalization day. He was the first candidate to publicly voice his support for allowing cannabis retail stores in Richmond.

“Rumour has it McNulty’s hosting a pot party. Brodie’s bringing his bong,” he said. “Just kidding.”

He quickly moved on to a joke at Guo’s expense.

“Still no trouble from the law society,” he said, referring the investigation she’s facing.

There were several calls for action on affordable housing, especially from the RITE-Richmond Citizen’s Association (RCA) coalition.

Judie Schneider (RCA) told the audience about her several forced moves from rental to rental in recent years.

RITE's Niti Sharma said Richmond needs to “plant seeds” for affordable housing. She doesn’t believe density at city centre has brought promised affordability, and said demolishing older homes means losing cheaper rental stock.

Several incumbents didn’t call for major changes but instead talked of what they’ve already done.

Coun. Chak Au with the Richmond Community Coalition referenced his work to regulate illegal Airbnbs. He also said he’d address housing affordability, traffic and climate change if re-elected.

"Instead of quick fixes, I want to strive for long-term solutions," he said.

Richmond First's Derek Dang touched on improving community safety.

Linda McPhail
Coun. Linda McPhail, an incumbent with Richmond First, talked of her ties to Richmond, her Buddhist temple work and the need for a new Steveston Community Centre. Photo: Richmond News/Megan Devlin

His Richmond First running-mate, Coun. Linda McPhail, talked about the Steveston Buddhist Temple and the need for a new community centre in the seaside neighbourhood.

Incumbent Coun. Alexa Loo, who is a former Olympic snowboarder, also touched on building community recreation facilities “so kids can grow up with strong bodies and minds.”

Alexa Loo
Incumbent Coun. Alexa Loo, who is a former Olympic snowboarder, wants to ensure Richmond builds recreation centres “so kids can grow up with strong bodies and minds.” Photo: Richmond News/Megan Devlin

Limiting house sizes on agricultural land was another popular topic among candidates.

“The big battle for farmland is back,” said incumbent Coun. Harold Steves. “With those mega houses, Richmond will never be the same again.”

Coun. Carol Day, with RITE, also said she’d tackle mansions on agricultural land and reinforced her commitment to serving citizens.

“I will not allow lobby groups to control my vote,” she said. “You're my boss, plain and simple.”

After going through all the candidates, the meeting broke into informal mingling. Higo explained that it’s tradition at Steveston meetings for candidates to take their platforms “to the floor,” so that members of the public can ask them questions directly.

For more on what candidates had to say, follow News reporter Megan Devlin’s live tweets from the event: