Mayor Gregor Robertson promised Monday to strike a task force on housing affordability and recommitted his promise to end street homelessness by 2015.
The mayor made the promises at an inauguration ceremony at the Creekside Community Centre, where he and 10 city councillors were officially sworn into office after being elected Nov. 19.
"My wife Amy and I have had many late-night conversations, just like many parents do," Robertson said in his speech, while his wife and two of his adult children sat in the first row of the packed gymnasium. "We wonder, will this be a place our kids and their friends can afford to live? The answer must be an emphatic yes. And over the next three years, we will focus the resources and tools of city hall on our affordable housing and homelessness plan."
The mayor, wearing a ceremonial kilt as he did at the 2008 inauguration, said the task force will include housing advocates, architects, developers, building owners and financiers. The task force's goal will be to identify ways the city can increase Vancouver's supply of affordable homesin the short and long term.
"Can city hall solve our affordability crisis by itself in three years? No," Robertson said. "But we're not powerless. And over the next term, this council will take action."
Over the past two months, Robertson and Housing Minister Rich Coleman have knocked heads over whether more temporary homeless shelters should open this winter.
Robertson, who has pushed for more shelters, pointed to Coleman's decision last week to announce more shelters will open Monday night.
"Yes, there was disagreement about how best to proceedbut our partnership has remained strong for three very tough budget years," the mayor said. "And it doesnt matter whose name is on the shelters, as long as the doors are open and the beds are warm and safe."
But, he added, shelters aren't homes. Only a larger, sustainable supply of low-income housing will keep this city on track to meet a goal "that means more to many of us than any other," he said.
"This council may have its political differences, but I trust that we are united in our conviction that in a city as prosperous as Vancouver, nobody should ever be forced to sleep on the streets," he said. "And we recommit to ending street homelessness in the city of Vancouver by 2015."
Robertson also promised to keep taxes low, support small business, open 500 new childcare spaces and protect artists' spaces.
The ceremony, which included a lion dance and speeches from members of the Squamish and Musqueam First Nations, cost $15,000 to $20,000, according to city communications manager Wendy Stewart. The inauguration in 2008 cost $84,000.
Outside the community centre, about a dozen protesters banged on windows and shouted "we're hungry, too" during the ceremony. A heavy police presence ensured no protesters got inside the building.
After the ceremony, Robertson told reporters that "people are welcome to come and express their opinions" but said banging on the windows was "particularly inappropriate" during prayers from First Nations leaders.
"That's unfortunate, it's not very respectful," the mayor said.
Four new councillorsthe Green Party's Adriane Carr, Vision Vancouver's Tony Tang and the NPA's George Affleck and Elizabeth Ballwere sworn in Monday.
They join re-elected Vision Vancouver councillors Raymond Louie, Tim Stevenson, Heather Deal, Andrea Reimer, Geoff Meggs and Kerry Jang.
The new council's first meeting was scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday. The next election is in 2014, one year before Robertson promised to end street homelessness.
mhowell@vancourier.com
Twitter: @Howellings
