Burnaby Coun. Dan Johnston gave me a good laugh this week when he complained to the NOW about feeling “ganged up on” by other members of council.
He said it without a hint of irony, despite being a longstanding member of the Burnaby Citizens’ Association – the political dynasty that has held a stranglehold on Burnaby for decades.
For several terms, the BCA has held every single seat on council and school board. They’ve been able to do whatever they have wanted with impunity.
So you’ll excuse me if I don’t shed any tears for Johnston for feeling like he’s been treated unfairly.
I imagine all of those renters who have been demovicted over the years in Burnaby have felt “ganged up on” and ignored.
Johnston’s comments came in the wake of him and Councillors Colleen Jordan and Paul McDonell submitting a joint letter of resignation from the BCA on Wednesday, Feb. 5. You can read more about what happened here.
It’s a stunning move for a party that has dominated politics for so long.
It follows the BCA’s Derek Corrigan getting ousted as mayor by Mike Hurley.
Nothing will top that bombshell, but having three BCA councillors quit mid-term is pretty close.
Things have been building ever since the last municipal election. With Corrigan gone, we discovered just how firm his grip was on the rest of council because it didn’t take long for some BCA members to start squabbling with each other.
Councillors Sav Dhaliwal and Pietro Calendino, in particular, have been at odds with Jordan and Johnston regarding several issues. Some have been small, like golf fees for council members and a possible smoking ban, but mostly it’s been over housing. Jordan was outspoken in October 2019 about how fast Metrotown was growing, and Dhaliwal and Calendino pushed back hard.
Things, however, really blew up in March 2019 at a regular council meeting that resembled the final battle scene of the movie 1917.
Jordan tried to amend a bylaw on making basements bigger that was up for second reading – an unusual move at that point of the process.
Calendino responded by saying Jordan was being “obstructionist.”
Jordan then accused her colleagues of only pursuing the bylaw because it will boost home values and not the rental supply.
This was a stunning exchange for two people supposedly on the same team.
The gloves are officially off, but that’s a good thing for Burnaby. The era of rubber-stamped policies is over. We’re seeing more debate on issues, which can produce better legislation.
This will also force the BCA to find some new candidates for the next election.
Burnaby council desperately needs to get younger and more diverse to better reflect our community.
This political slugfest could be a way to achieve that goal.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
