paulhillsdon.com

Yes, I have decided, that I will run in this year’s municipal elections for a seat on Surrey City Council.

Over the past year or so, as my projects have come and gone, I’ve become frustrated. I developed policies and plans to fix many of the problems I encountered in daily life. I created the South of Fraser Transit 2011 proposal because transit is lackluster out here. I created the Surrey Cycling Initiative because biking anywhere wasn’t a safe or viable transportation alternative in my city. I created the Transit Metropolis Vancouver vision because I wanted to be able to move around the region quickly, comfortably, and cheaply.

But, without political will behind any of my, or any other person’s ideas, they are worth nothing. It is for this exact reason that I have chosen to enter politics. We need more creativity and idealism in our politicians - I think those are two qualities I possess in mounds.

Sustainability is the cornerstone of my entire platform. I am part of the generation that will inherit this planet from the baby boomers. It is imperative that Surrey take a leadership role in protecting our environment, developing green transportation, and providing equal opportunities for all citizens to succeed in life.

My platform revolves around four pillars: Sustainable Development, Green Spaces, Transportation Options, and Vibrant Communities. They all interconnect and create a much larger vision of the livable lifestyle - complete walkable communities with close access to sustainable transportation options, affordable housing, and green spaces.

It is time for Surrey to become all that it is capable of being and step up to the plate. To do so, we must take the lead in developing a city that will become a sustainable urban hub of Western Canada for the 21st century.

London, Curitiba, Dongtan, New York, Copenhagen, Freiburg, Paris, Dubai, Melbourne, Bogota, San Francisco, Sydney, and Vancouver can do it.

Why not Surrey?

I think with my vision and optimism, I would be an ideal councillor to help usher in the political will needed to make this transformation.

This is the third pillar in my civic platform.

Transportation, all things considered, isn’t actually a *huge* deal out here. Most Surrey residents own a car and deal with reasonable traffic loads. The minority that doesn’t rides the buses and have put up with poor service for a long time now. However, this cycle can’t continue forever. At some point, with too large an increase in population and not enough road expansion, the drivers will get angry. Everyone knows roads can’t be expanded forever.

From here, we need to start looking at ways other than the car for people to get around. One simple strategy is to improve transit to the point where you can sufficiently attract drivers out of their cars. Another one, somewhat pioneered in our region is the idea of building complete communities. With this strategy, the concept is that people will be able to work, live, and play, in the same area, and could simply walk or cycle anywhere they needed to go. Longer trips could be taken of my transit or even a car share type program.

At one point in time, Surrey grew up around the Interurban, sprouting communities like Newton, Sullivan, and Cloverdale. Unfortunately, we are no longer a rail city, and growth has been half hazardly occuring around roads. It’s quite rare to see anyone walk in the city - only from the car to the store. Don’t even think about cycling in the area unless you are ready to fight the drivers.

This is unsustainable and needs to change. Now.

Imagine living somewhere where you wanted to walk to the store because there was things to see along the way and you felt safe. Imagine being able to safely cycle on your own lane, physically separated from the auto traffic or down beautiful greenways along the creeks and rivers. Imagine being able to walk a short distance to a bus stop with a modern and sharp looking weather shelter, comfy bench, along with a transit map, a garbage and recycling bin, and daily newspapers. We can make this a reality. Here’s how.

1. A Transportation Hierarchy

Development in Surrey is based around the car. Simple as that. There have been attempts to make developments a bit more friendly to other forms of transport. For example, making sure sidewalks are built, or perhaps bike lanes. But, you’re still building for cars, not people.

No more.

Surrey needs to establish a transportation hierarchy that will apply to a whole methodology surrounding developments and the way people get around. Taken straight from SmartGrowth BC’s Transportation policy:

• Walking
• Cycling
• Public Transit
• Goods and Commercial Services
• High Occupancy Vehicles
• Single Occupant Vehicles

With this overarching philosophy in place, developments will be made once again for people, not cars.

2. Bus stop initiative

Surrey doesn’t have too much control over transit and is frankly very much held captive by TransLink and the provincial government on that matter. The one area they have jurisdiction over though is the bus stops and what amenities are located there. If Surrey is truly dedicated to transit and transportation alternatives, our bus stops need to be at least as good as Vancouver’s.

First off, Surrey and it’s citizens need to decide whether they are fine with adspace paying for a large portion of this program. We could define ourselves as the city without advertising. Bus stops could be adopted by the local community and feature job boards or school artwork. Or, they could have ads for car drivers. This decision needs to be made as it influences funding.

From there, the City needs to hold a design contest with local architects to design modular bus stop amenities that can give the City an overarching transit identity, but still flexible enough to change things like colours depending on which of the six town centres the stop is in.

Next, the City needs to define progressive guidelines for bus stop amenities and also take a good look at the data. For example, some stops may be places where everyone always exits - a stop which would unlikely need a shelter, at least compared to one where riders are waiting for the bus.

Taking these variations into consideration, I generally support the concept that all stops should feature at least a shelter. This is Metro Vancouver. It rains. Shelters are needed above anything else. Shelters can also comfortably be leaned upon. A shelter is of much more use than a seat. Also, all stops with shelters must incorporate a transit map into the design.

All stops should also feature a garbage/recycling bin, in various sizes depending on the usage of the stop. Busier stops should also have a comfortable seat (not metal!), as well as newspaper bins.

It may seem like a huge initiative, but could actually dramatically improve the transit experience for all riders for quite a low cost, especially if it is partially funded through adspace. Think about it. Standing in the rain could make someone want to never ride the bus again. Having a newspaper to read could dramatically reduce the stress one faces waiting for a late bus - similar to the effect the radio has on drivers stuck in traffic. Minor investments with huge benefits.

3. Cycling Network Initiative

This is another “best buy”, similar to the bus stop initiative. For very low capital investment, Surrey could make huge strides in terms of cycling usage.

Cycling could be Surrey’s defining feature. We could be the national capital of cycling. Why not? It’s fun, it’s healthy, it’s green.

In fact, a ton of the immigrants living in Surrey have known cycling for most of their lives. It’s sad seeing them attempt to ride safely on the sidewalk, away from the traffic.

Ask anyone why they don’t cycle and they’ll reply, somewhere near the top, that it’s not safe! Bike lanes don’t encourage cycling, at least not among the majority of the public. We need physical separation.

Of course, just like any form of transportation, there needs to be a network. That it why, under my originally proposed Surrey Cycling Initiative, the City would make major capital investments into the system to complete the network in the near future (i.e. a couple of years). And as I said, building a whole cycle network costs so little in comparison to road expansion.

The initiative revolves around creating two major networks.

• A greenway network would feature long distance routes running through the City’s expanded biotopes in coordination with the Nature Preservation Strategy in the Green Spaces pillar. These would run along the farms, the creeks, and through the park - connecting them all up for enjoyable recreational use. It would be Surrey’s equivalent of Vancouver’s extremely successful seawall route.

• The second network is a mainly commuter one. And as I said before, to make people feel comfortable to ever do so, there needs to be physical separation. The commuter network would feature physically separated cycling lanes, alongside sidewalks, down the major roads in Surrey (aka: King George, Fraser, Scott Road, 152 St., etc.). There are a number of way the separation could be achieved, but there needs to be something there (i.e. bollards, a mini median, trees and grass, a small concrete strip, etc.)

Futhermore, in coordination with the Traffic Calming Strategy further down, measures would be taken to make cycling safer in neighbourhoods and residential zones. This could be things like bike lanes, sharrows, and the like.

4. Traffic Calming Strategy

The current traffic calming strategy is failing in two main realms.

• It requires inception from the community. This means that unless people truly care about their neighbourhood and have enough support for traffic calming, it won’t be put in.
• The traffic calming features in use aren’t cycling friendly.

The solution is quite simple. Require a traffic calming strategy to be incorporated in all new developments. Also, update the strategy to include markers for calming features to be installed in certain areas. For example, you could set baeslines according to how many cars a road is designed for - if it surpasses this number, traffic calming is installed. Similar baselines could be set around the number of speeding tickets that have been written around certain location - or the number of accidents.

Also, update the acceptable measures to ensure that traffic calming that is friendly towards cyclists. For example, some cyclists have difficulty with roundabouts that feature a potted garden in the center. This could be adjusted be removing the garden, and allowing cyclists to proceed directly forward, while cars would have to do the roundabout. Or, you could just not have roundabouts in the first place, and do things like speed bumps or traffic diversion instead.

5. Municipal Green Fleet

As part of Surrey’s green efforts, the City should, sometime in the next few years, begin to purchase and replace it’s vehicles with “greener” ones. These could be anything from hybrids, to electrics, to diesels, to smart cars. Major capital shouldn’t be put into this, however a strategy should be in place to gradually upgrade the municipal fleet to greener vehicles.

This is the second pillar in my civic platform

Green Spaces ties quite deeply into Surrey’s long standing problem of “development at any cost” reputation. It’s quite clear to any Surrey resident that this is a huge problem, as we watch the creeks get piped up, the forests get chopped down, and animals lying dead on the roadside.

The other night walking home around 12, I spotted a pack of coyotes meandering across the road into private yards. It’s no wonder pets die from wild animals - we have stolen their habitats and forced them to either live in tiny parks or attempt to make home in urban areas. Preserving green spaces for these animals will not only improve their lives, but our lifestyles as well.

In addition, there is evidence that humans with greater connection to nature will enjoy less stress and have a general improved wellbeing than those who don’t. Surrey residents need increased access to doses of “vitamin g” ;)

The tree bylaw has failed, and council must make drastic moves now to secure important green spaces before the city is fully built out. This Green Spaces pillar goes leaps and bounds farther than any current land policy in Surrey, with the ultimate goal of achieving a prime balance between preserving our natural areas, while still allowing sustainable developments to take place.

1. Nature Preservation Strategy

This is the major initiative of the Green Spaces pillar. Working with staff and citizens, council needs to develop a plan of strategic green spaces that should be secured throughout the years, for the benefit of both residents and nature.

This strategy should be based around the goal of establishing biotopes - continuous stretches of green space. Just as you would expect there to be transportation corridors for human movement, nature needs corridors for safe animal and plant movement. Green spaces cannot be established as patchwork throughout a city - it must be the other way around.

In addition, these biotopes can be used for recreational use by citizens - for example, for cycling routes as laid out in the Transportation Alternatives pillar. The strategy will obviously take into account the size, location, and current usage of the land in it’s quest to lay out strategic areas of green space.

A major goal that should be part of this strategy is an acceptable distance of access that all urban settlements should have from green spaces. For example, most major transit centres are “accessible” based on a radius of 800m - a standard acceptable walking distance. A similar number should be set out in this strategy. This goal could also take into account the density of the surrounding area, as a place like Downtown Vancouver would need more green spaces simply because there’s more people that would be sharing the area.
There should also be a defined timeline to accomplish the set out goals in the strategy.

Potential sources of long term funding for strategic land acquisition could include a partnership with Metro Vancouver and increased DCCs (development cost charges).

This strategy will give the City a long term plan to both reserve and acquire key parts of land throughout the years to ensure Surrey is truly a city in a sea of green.

2. Guaranteed funding for eco programs and associations

Surrey currently runs a number of innovative programs that help support the environment and foster citizenship in our community. For example:

• SHARP: Salmon Habitat Restoration Program.
• SNAP: Surrey’s Natural Areas Partnership.
• Surrey Youth Stewardship Squad
• Adopt-a-Street
• Releaf
• Bulbs for Beauty
• Friends of the Forest

You’d think with so many programs and such wide citizen support, Surrey would be one of the greenest cities in Canada. Not quite so.

Thus, with some real council support via the Nature Preservation Strategy, the City will ensure it preserves the green spaces. Through a program of guaranteed funding, we are enabling citizens and volunteers to have the resources they need to be stewards of these new and expanded green spaces. Because, without true citizen support, there’s no real point in strategically acquiring more green spaces in Surrey.

With that said, I propose that council have a memorandum of understanding that guaranteed funding will be written into the City’s next five budgets to continue to support these programs. In addition, any other citizen’s associations that prove they are helping to protect and enhance Surrey’s green spaces should be provided with some grant money from the City.

This is the first pillar in my civic platform.

Development has always been a major issue in Surrey, ever since it’s inception many moons ago. This young city has always been a place of rapid growth and change, and projections show this will continue for a long time to come. In fact, it’s estimated that within 20 odd years, Surrey’s population will surpass that of Vancouver’s.

Now, it’s certainly debatable on how well Surrey has handled this growth throughout the years. I will definitely admit that with our sidestepping of the LRSP and a continuous “anything for development” attitude, our reputation around these parts has always been that of the raunchy stepchild. The attitude still pervades the city, even despite the boot of Doug McCallum - Dianne Watts certainly hasn’t slowed anything down, or taken a long term look at the impacts of certain developments. Just take a look at Campbell Heights.

While we may be beginning to make bigger steps in terms of density by building townhomes rather than single-family houses (which I would argue is for due to the market forces of high housing costs and developers wanting the most bang for their buck), there is still a *ton* of work to do.

What new do I bring to the table?

I can tell you right now that development can be good - if it’s done properly. So I’m not about to halt all future growth in the city. However, that does not mean that all developments must proceed. Council has a duty to only accept those which advance the wellbeing of the city as a whole. And with the plans I lay out below, I will ensure that the city of Surrey becomes a national leader in terms of sustainable development.

1. Green Building Strategy.

This one is big. Building structures have a huge effects on our communities, depending on their size, style, and efficiency. Buildings can contribute not only to huge energy savings, but also to substantial reductions in greenhouse gases - if they are built sustainably. Cities across the world have implemented Green Building strategies, typically in accordance to the LEED certification system.

Under LEED, new buildings, or major retrofits, take a look at a checklist of options that make a development greener. Depending on how many they fit, they will get a better and better LEED certification. LEED certification has proven to only cost approximatively 2% more than existing construction costs, and will produce huge savings down the line.

Most cities have the strategy applied simply to municipal buildings. Some even give incentives to private developments to encourage them to adopt the specifications.

Surrey will go ten steps farther to establish itself as a true leader in this space and to take a major step forward in the fight against climate change.

Obviously, all details and specifics regulations or targets would be marked down by staff, but here’s a general idea of what the strategy would be:

Beginning immediately, all new and major retrofitted civic buildings most adopt a LEED Gold certification - the most stringent in North America. The City must broker an agreement with the Board of Education that all schools will follow the same standard. In addition, major incentives will be given to private developers to encourage them to adopt the new standards. This includes a fasttracked system for building permits, a huge reduction in the cost of the building permit, and a huge reduction in DCCs (development cost charges), all based on what level of LEED certification has been proposed. These rebates will be offset a year or two later with the introduction of a levy on all new developments that do not feature LEED certification. Over time, again, based on the level of LEED certification that has been proposed, the “carrots” or incentives will decrease, and the “sticks” or disincentives will increase. This will continue to the point, over the course of a good 8 years, where all new developments in Surrey are LEED certified.

Such a plan gives developers a timeline to work off of to ensure they receive the best deal possible, and potentially avoid larger taxation in the future. With this reasonable market based system, Surrey can ensure that it lowers in carbon footprint, which increases it’s citizens overall wellbeing. In addition, Surrey will be a newfound national leader in the transition to a green economy.

2. Affordable Housing Strategy

As housing prices continue to escalate, hopeful homeowners have been priced out of the market for a single family house. Meanwhile, new options have sprung up, such as condos and townhomes, providing residents with brand new housing for an achievable pricetag. However, as of 2005, the average annual income of a citizen of Surrey is $32,000. And considering a whopping 90% of citizens are not in a common law relationship, the typical formula of having two people share a mortgage is no longer the reality. In fact, it is doubtful a large majority of residents can even afford to buy *any* form of housing.

Although renting continues to be an affordable alternative to home ownership, these citizens are unlikely to ever be able to enter the ownership market. In such a system, we are simply expanding the split between “haves” and “have nots” - something which has huge societal rebounds in the future.

An affordable housing strategy depends on a variety of measures to ensure that *all* citizens in Surrey can afford to live in reasonable accommodations. The strategy I’m proposed has four major sections.

• 1) The legalisation of secondary suites: This has been talked a lot for a long time, but has failed to be implemented in law by the current council. Such legislation will ensure that secondary suites are safe and built to the appropriate codes, in addition to providing tenants with legal venues for protection from landlords. This step can be done quickly and efficiently and will improve the housing stock in the City.

• 2) A market based incentives program similar to that of the Green Building Strategy: The City should set a baseline for the price a typical housing unit shall cost to be deemed “affordable”. For example, in Austin, the City that this program is based off of, deems “affordable” to be developments that are accessible to citizens at or below 80% of the average median family income for the area. Based on this bar of accessibility, the City gives developers incentives based on the number of affordable units in the development. These incentives should include an expedited building permit, and could also include a reduction in the building permit cost. The goal should be to provide affordable housing for all those at or below the average median family income. For example, if 30% of Surrey’s population fits this designation, then the City’s goal should be to have 30% of all housing priced for this bracket of the market. I believe that this market based approach to increasing affordable units in Surrey is far more sustainable than having the City build and run it’s own units.

• 3) Homeless partnerships: The City needs to proceed with partnerships for homeless shelters with the ultimate goal of having enough beds for the City’s full homeless population. Homeless shelters are an essential piece of the puzzle to helping those less fortunate get back on their feet. Most shelters include bathing facilities, food, and support staff. With these facilities in place, we can ensure that the homeless, or those at risk of becoming homeless, have a place to get help and, in due course, get a job and likely live in one of the proposed affordable housing units from the second section of the Strategy.

• 4) Ensure that the City has a large, diverse market of housing units: This follows the simple economics of supply and demand. If we ensure there is enough supply to meet, or even potentially exceed, demand, then we are ensuring that prices aren’t artificially inflated for housing. This strategy will be met with other initiatives in the Vibrant Communities pillar.

I’ve been pondering a lot recently about my position in the community and how to best realize my vision for this region, and, more specifically, for my home city of Surrey. You see, a person like me tends to have a lot of projects and ideas swirling around his head - it’s just a matter of how best to make these a reality. Rather often, it seems that the power to truly improve things lies in the hands of decision makers. To that end, I’m pondering a potential run for political office in Surrey during the November municipal elections.

I’ve written before about what I believe is a lack of boldness in this region. You know, that spice of life, that energy… that ability to make, support and rally around the *best* decisions and ideas - and I think it’s something I inherently possess. It’s a quality that could make up for my lack of experience in politics and support my candidacy as I’m advocating for the important issues.

And what are the important issues?

Well, take a look at the “four pillars”, so to speak, of a Surrey civic platform that I’ve been brainstorming.

1. Sustainable Development
2. Green Spaces
3. Transportation Alternatives
4. Vibrant Communities

I’m a logical guy, so trust me when I say that I already have many plans on how to achieve measurable improvements in these four categories - something rarely seen from political candidates vying for office. November’s a long ways away still. Does the platform sound intriguing to you? Something you would support?

Stay tuned, the rest of this week, I’ll give a full rundown on each of these “pillars”, including specific policies and plans.

Naturally, I’d really appreciate any and all comments :)

According to an earnest warning on Volumes 1 and 2, “Sesame Street: Old School” is adults-only: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”

The show rolled, and the sweet trauma came flooding back. What they did to us was hard-core. Man, was that scene rough. The masonry on the dingy brownstone at 123 Sesame Street, where the closeted Ernie and Bert shared a dismal basement apartment, was deteriorating. Cookie Monster was on a fast track to diabetes. Oscar’s depression was untreated. Prozacky Elmo didn’t exist….

In East Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant in 1978, 95 percent of households with kids ages 2 to 5 watched “Sesame Street.” The figure was even higher in Washington. Nationwide, though, the number wasn’t much lower, and was largely determined by the whims of the PBS affiliates: 80 percent in houses with young children. The so-called inner city became anywhere that “Sesame Street” played, because the Children’s Television Workshop declared the inner city not a grim sociological reality but a full-color fantasy — an eccentric scene, framed by a box and far removed from real farmland and city streets alike. [The New York Times via Digg]

It’s quite sad looking back at what once was and the Sesame Street that is running today in the States, and in it’s modified version around the world. That show invented the concept of edutainment, and I’m quite sure has touched many people in the last couple decades. Of course, you want to portray the “correct” image to young children, and I understand why they’ve made many changes to the characters over the years.

However, I found one of the quotes above particularly interesting, about they they wanted to point out the good parts of the inner city of communities, considering it was designed for the “poor black kids”, and at the same time change perception of such areas to the “suburban white kids”. I suppose, to a degree, that situation has progressed in the States. Povery isn’t nearly as bad, not to mention the efforts for years in restoring the downtown’s of cities, bringing a new mix and vitality to these “inner city” areas.

It is annoying though, seeing the show change, perhaps for better or for worse, especially when it’s so tightly knit to so many people’s childhoods. The perfect example of screwing around too much with a show is what ended up happening to Sesame Street Canada. The CRTC wanted so much Canadian content, the producers ended up removing so much of what made Sesame Street: the Street and it’s wealth of characters - human or Muppet. Eventually, it became so far removed from the original that they completely overhauled the show, bringing in all new “Canadian” Muppets, and set is around a park: thus the name Sesame Place. Suffice to say, it didn’t last too long, and Canadian kids have been missing out on the Sesame gang for almost ten years now. Let’s just hope that American producers don’t make the same mistake with the original Sesame Street.

There’s been a bit of discussion recently, eclipsing with the large failure that is iMOVE, about how TransLink doesn’t really know how to interact effectively with the web. I think it’s pretty evident in its ugly website, and PDF schedules alone that the transportation authority is somewhat behind the gun. Don’t even begin on social and independent media.

Roland has suggested they hire a social media guru to improve things. Ask and ye shall receive, apparently. TransLink recently posted a job listing on Craigslist and its site for a Communications Coordinator. It mainly talks about writing and publishing The Buzzer, but also mentions “the development and technical set up of The Buzzer online and [adapting] the printed Buzzer to online format and style. [Establishing] rules for the moderated online discussion area in conjunction with the Manager, Corporate Communications and [monitoring] interactive postings, communicating with the public by investigating and responding online to issues.”

Sounds like a social media guru to me! Also sounds like the perfect job opportunity for me, cause Zeus knows that I need one, especially considering I’m broke and Greg Andrews stole that Online Editor position at Techvibes before I even had a change to fight him over it :P

Course, being in Grade 12, I don’t quite fit the requirement of having completed high school, nor of having a certificate in communications or marketing. However, it’s not going to stop me.

I’ve submitted a resume and a cover letter to TransLink for the position. But what’s going to bring me over the top? Why, I put together a preliminary 7-point online communications strategy, something which would obviously need to be developed once someone (hopefully me) gets the job. You need to have a plan of where to go if you ever want to get anywhere, and this is that plan for Translink to effectively work with the web and the online community.

You can read the full document here on Google Docs, and I’ve also copied it over to this post, available below. Please leave a comment on what you think of the strategy, and support for me to get the job! Thanks everyone :D

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As it is well known, and quite obvious by the number of corporations jumping into the space, fostering interaction and two way communication between TransLink and its customers will ultimately improve TransLink’s image and ensure that customers voices are heard. Before we go into specifics, however, there is one main principle for TransLink to remember before beginning the transition from web 1.0 to web 2.0.

Let go to gain more

TransLink will have to understand that it cannot control everything. Customers will be more participatory than ever before. They will contribute heavily to the improvement of the end product - our transportation system. TransLink will have to give up control over certain information, while still maintaining an administrative role to ensure proper information and high quality content is made available.

More specifically, under seven different sections, there are many different ways that TransLink can go about providing information, fostering the development of online community, and engaging new stakeholders in all new discussions.

1. Corporate Domain

The corporate domain is the main face TransLink presents to the world through its main online website. While there may be microsites, or separate portals under TransLink’s control, its main page is the most essential part of the transportation authority being online. To foster interactivity, customers must be able to not only access what they want easily, but have opportunities to have two way communication with TransLink (which will need to be woven intricately throughout the whole website).

• Redesign the TransLink website to the likes of the MBTA’s site. Simplify and update the user interface, while also providing new opportunities for public community interaction with TransLink (i.e. RSS, blogs, etc.). Include a MyTransLink section to favourite specific routes, stops, and trips. Include mobile accessibility to service alerts, route and schedule information, and MyTransLink. Ensure the design is written to the latest web standards, and avoid the use of Flash for important information.

2. Search Engines

This is extremely important, because unless people know the direct web address of the corporate domain, they will find it through a search engine. It is imperative that the corporate domain speaks easily with search engines so that it can be found.

• Along with the website redesign, ensure search engine optimization. This relies of course on good content and navigation, but also on things like individualized title pages and META tags.

3. Outbound and Syndicated Web Communication

This is the more traditional form of communication in that TransLink is providing information directly to customers. It’s one-way communication. This is usually done through emails, newsletters, and more recently through syndication through RSS.

• Capitalize on the TransLink Online Advisory Panel by launching a survey asking what forms of communication with TransLink the Advisors would support and be most keenly interested in (i.e. would people rather have a newsletter, or a blog, or a podcast, etc.). The results would steer this online strategy.

• Ensure all important information on the corporate domain is available through RSS feeds (i.e. service alerts, The Buzzer, news releases). Also provide information on what RSS is and how to use it.

4. Brand Extension

Transportation is a consistently major issue to Metro Vancouverites. Typically TransLink is doing damage control in the media. This is the face that most see when they view TransLink. TransLink needs to use the web strategically to improve its brand, and to increase awareness of it.

• Vancouver’s transportation system is still very young, just like the region itself, compared to most others in the world, but it has an evolving “livable lifestyle” which includes using transit, walking, and cycling. This has developed even more with the advent of climate change, and reducing our carbon footprints. TransLink needs to develop and capitalize on this “livable lifestyle”. Along with the Marketing department, a long term strategy needs to be put in place to develop and market this “livable lifestyle” that TransLink provides. This includes the new two-way communication provided through the online strategy.
• As part of the “livable lifestyle” and the capitalization of the TransLink brand, TransLink should launch an online store to sell Vancouver transport specific merchandise, including shirts, hats, toques, buttons, umbrellas, etc. (i.e. a shirt with the words “The next station is…”).

5. Community and Social Media

This is web 2.0: the social internet. Plainly put, it means two way communication and plenty of interaction. This is something TransLink has yet to venture into very much, and will be a paradigm shift for the transportation authority, but will also yield the most improvements. By facilitating the development of community, TransLink will improve transparency, which will indirectly improve their image to the public. There are a number of ways in which TransLink can engage in this sector.

• Blogging
  • Develop a reasonable blogging policy for all employees, including blogging in and outside of work.
  • Embrace local bloggers. Create and continually update a list of local independent media, foster these relationships through invitations to press releases and face-to-face meetings, and ensure that communication is a completely transparent two-way process.
  • Launch official TransLink blogs. The main blog should be written by the new communications coordinator, based on an online version of The Buzzer, and should feature cross posting to local blogs, a friendly approachable internet tone, behind the scenes looks at the transportation authority, the latest news, frequent updates on planning processes underway, coverage of community open houses, and more.
  • Include sub-blogs, written by departments (i.e. planning, engineering, etc.) for more specific tidbits, insight, and developments. There must be an understanding however that blogs are not just online press releases, but interactive conversations with new stakeholders, and they must be updated, and writers should comment back.
  • Also launch internal blogs for all employees. This will keep everyone informed and under the same direction. For example, have one for the Coast Mountain Bus Company, discussing new bus routes, schedule changes, policy changes, etc.

• Social Networks
  • Have a Translink profile on Facebook. Allowing the public to befriend Translink will support a more interactive image and aid in developing the “livable lifestyle” of Translink. Service alerts, photos, podcasts, and links can be posted on the profile.

• Forums
  • Forums are a unique and difficult creature. Even getting them off the ground can be a difficult issue. Forums require dedicated users, and are constantly evolve based on who participates. While they do support a high level of interactivity and the development of community, it is suggestion that official Translink forums not be developed initially, unless there is a large demand for them based on the survey results.

• Wikis
  • Wikis are another very unique service available online. Its greatest advantage, the ability of anyone to modify a page, is also its greatest weakness. In the context of Translink reaching out to the community, wikis are not suggested, as it would be difficult to moderate the content. However, wikis have been successfully deployed corporately to keep everyone on the same page and flourish better communication and innovation. Therefore, it is concluded that wikis be more researched for potential at the corporate level of Translink with use by all employees.

• Widgets
  • Widgets are micro interactive chicklets with specific purposes. For example, a widget could be used to find movie listings. Widgets can be desktop-based or web-based. The most obvious widgets for Translink would be a next bus widget, presumably desktop-based, while a web-based widget would fit well on a platform like Facebook. Another good desktop-based widget would be service alerts, or latest Translink photos.
  • A fourth widget could be developed, in conjunction with MyTranslink, with users favourite routes, that the public can post on their own sites or blogs. This widget would support the “livable lifestyle” of Translink, by encouraging the public to essentially publicize that they take transit, which in turn, makes it cool.

• Microblogging
  • Microblogging is about blogging small blurbs very quickly. It is essentially making a text message available to the world. Microblogging has been developed by the likes of Twitter, Jaiku, and Pownce. The most obvious function for Translink to microblog would be service alerts. Through these different web service providers, other users can subscribe either to the feed directly through the website, through RSS, or sometimes through mobile text messages.

• Tagging
  • Tagging is basically keywording without a list of keywords. It isn’t immediately evident how Translink could take advantage of this technology. However, by extensively tagging content, search engine optimization will improve dramatically.

• Linking
  • Linking to the public’s content will again improve relations and foster two way communication. Users will be excited about being featured on Translink’s website, and their hits will increase. They will then attempt to develop even better content to get featured again. Linking can be done through a monthly, or weekly featured websites list. Another option would be to develop algorithm based “widgets” that continuously update and change the link list shown (i.e. most popular blog posts tagged with “translink” in the latest 24 hours). Link lists are beginning to be used quite a bit on corporate media’s websites.

• Photos
  • Translink should continue the example set by InTransitBC, in which that private corporation has been actively taking pictures of construction of the Canada Line, many from perspectives not seen normally by the public. Translink could provide photos of new buses, or new retrofits, or new shelters. They should not be locked into the Translink site, however, and it is therefore suggested that Translink have it’s own profile on a popular photo sharing site like Flickr.
  • Translink should actively engage with existing Vancouver Transit photography groups, such as the VanTransit group on Flickr. It should post its pictures in groups, and should feature the community’s photography on the corporate domain through algorithm based widgets (i.e. photos in the latest week, photos rate with five stars, photos tagged “skytrain”).
  • TransLink should continue reaching out to the community of photographers by holding photo contests, or using local photographers for marketing shoots.

7. The Real World and the Virtual World are Tied

More than anything, the web is a supplement to the real world. It opens up new venues and opportunities to make real life connections and discussions. For TransLink to have a truly successful online strategy, they need to translate the opportunities they provide online into opportunities in person.

• TransLink should sponsor events surrounding transportation. For example, public lectures by the SFU City Program. Or, a Vancouver Transit Camp. Be sure to support the events and organizations that want to improve transit. Make sure TransLink is ready and willing to work with others, and help its connections when they need aid.
• Host blogger lounges to develop connections with key stakeholders in the independant media and foster that relationship. Provide bloggers with the resources they may need to create amazing content.
• Host community events such as public forums and dialogue sessions. They don’t have to be about the development of a specific plan - they can be general. They could be about a specific event that recently happened, such as the frequent service changes on SkyTrain when it snows, and different ways to work around such a problem. They could be about facilitating a conversation about reuse of the Interuban. Make it interactive in real life, and make sure those who participate online participate in the real world.
• Extend open houses and public forums through social media. Record the audio and add it to a podcast. Take pictures and post them on Flickr and Facebook. Make a video rundown of the event for YouTube.

I’ve always been something of a long distance commuter. Being in French Immersion, it was up to my parents to take me to the specific school, which was about 15-20 minutes away from home. This had a weird ripple effect on my early social life as well, simply because all my classmates also lived a far distance from the school. This reduced any out-of-school hang out time with my friends, at least compared to other kids who went to a school in their catchment area.

When my Dad moved out from Surrey to Burnaby, suddenly that 20 minute travel time doubled to 40+. Course, luckily, I was still being driven around everywhere. This did mean, though, that to make it in school in time for 8:40 am, I would wake up at 7. I got around a lot of the primping time in the morning by doing that the evening before, so I could sleep in longer.

Once I got a job, it created even more scheduling confusion between whether I would be at my Mom’s in Surrey, or my Dad’s in Burnaby. Thankfully, I could walk to work, and it only took about 7 minutes.

At the beginning of this year, I started regularly going to a youth group downtown. One of the issues around this was the days, and the times, it was held on… Wednesday afternoons, and Friday nights. In any case, it was connected to SkyTrain, and, by happenstance, my Dad lives by Metrotown.

As my social life developed, and I began to hang out more and more with these new friends, outside of the youth group, scheduling conflicts arose, and commute times become even more of an issue. And being somewhere who was grown up with worsening commute times you think I’d be used to it, but it’s beginning to reach a breaking point, especially as I now rely on transit to get me around, rather than my parent’s cars.

Now, I’m hopping between Cloverdale (Surrey), Burnaby, Downtown Vancouver, East Van, North Van, Richmond, and everywhere in between. I need to get around this region. I want to do it easily, and quickly. SkyTrain is great. It’s fast and convenient. Problem is, it doesn’t go everywhere I need it to.

I can’t handle 3 hours + commute times as I try to get from one end of the region to another. When you live in Cloverdale and have to get to the Horseshoe Bay ferry - you have no idea how annoying and stressful the trip is; especially if you are carrying a large backpack.

Frankly, I am thinking about buying a car. It’s sad and disappointing that I’ve had to even think about it. I never once in the last few years though I would ever possibly have one or have a need for one, but here I am.

This personal issue is really showing me a bigger picture. Imagine all the thousands of people who are students, immigrants, seniors, poor, or green: we rely on the transit system to get us places - and to get us there quickly!

As Mike Harcourt has said, let’s fix this damned half assed rapid transit system. I don’t care if you expand SkyTrain, or if it’s LRT, or if it’s even commuter rail. I don’t want some stupid bus. Get me around this region. Put the freakin’ money into it. And get it done now. Metro Vancouverites like me cannot wait another 30 years for rail to the Valley or to the North Shore. Let’s get this f**king mess fixed. I’m sick and tired of it.

That’s the headline from Reuters International.

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) said a total ban would be brought in by April 30, 2008. An indoor smoking ban has been in place since January 2006 but prison staff complained the rule was being ignored.

Congrats to Canada. This is the first truly progressive news I’ve read in awhile. Feels like I’m back in the country of Pearson, Douglas and Trudeau.

Having grown up in the street empty suburbs and being diagnosed with asthma as a child, I was never really exposed to second-hand smoke. Nowadays, I’m still surprised at how many people I see in the streets of downtown Vancouver lighting up. I hate it when I get stuck walking behind these people, as the smoke just infiltrates your clean air, and you are forced to speed up and pass them. It’s even worse when I’m at places like Surrey Central’s bus loop, where it seems like everyone is smoking and you just can’t escape because you’re standing in line to get a good seat on the bus! Heck, I doubt I’ll ever survive going to a bar or club. I just cannot stand the scent of cigarette smoke, and after 5 minutes I begin some really bad coughing.

Having adopted the libertarian perspective as of late, I’m all for banning smoking at bus stops, restaurants, bars, clubs, workplaces, etc. The onus has, and should always be, on those who choose to smoke the cancer sticks. But, not just indoors, no, we should ban it on patios, and have a distinct smoke-free zone in front of all buildings. Businesses, should, however, being allowed to install closed smoking rooms with the proper air filtration. I’m not about to say to anyone that you are not allowed to smoke; I’m going to tell them you aren’t allowed to smoke where it affects me or any other person who does not wish to have smoke forced into their lungs. We’ve made great progress in the last few decades, but the current bans need to be expanded ten fold!

Doug Sanders has a terrific column about the Canada of 1967, or the so-called golden age of my country. This quote really made me think:

“For right-wing writers like David Frum, 1967 marks the end of the old, self-sufficient Canada and the start of the state-controlled, high-tax, welfare-dependent nanny state, the working woman and the liberated homosexual, the rise of easy divorce and birth control. It was in 1967 that the Canada and Quebec medicare programs sprang fully to life, that our unemployment-insurance system (called Manpower in those days) became a full-fledged assistance plan, that our banks became protected with deposit insurance and, most gallingly, that the federal-provincial Canada Assistance Plan was created, launching the modern welfare state.”

It’s odd to me to think of the Canada before the 60’s - a country still largely controlled or influenced by Britain and populated by Europeans, a country of only two major political parties (Conservatives and Liberals), a country that discriminated against Asians, East Indians, Aboriginals, Germans, and Italians.

My Canada is the country of Medicare, of peacekeepers, of strong and resilient social justice for all citizens; of beavers, maple leaves, and moose; of countless innovators in sports, technology, and the arts (hockey, the telephone and insulin, comedians abound); of mountains, prairies, and the tundra. This is the Canada I am proud to call my home.

I wonder, today, what my Canada is becoming, just as the people of the 40’s pondered the same thing in the 1960’s. Sure, we are a multicultural society, but is there too much immigration without enough assimilation? Are citizens becoming more conservative in the 21st century, with many questions surrounding war, health care, human rights, and the environment? Is my Canada a country slowly dying, or is it bound for a strong evolution in the coming years?

We all have a part to play in the country we live in. There is nothing wrong with patriotism or nationalism as long as we remember we are above all things human together on this Earth. With that in mind, enjoy today with your friends, family and fellow citizens, and celebrate living in such a wonderful country.

Here’s two great clips that symbolize Canada to me. The first is a great little cartoon that used to play on TV all the time for me as a child, made by the National Film Board of Canada. The second was a slideshow I made two years ago for Socials class on Canadian Pride. Enjoy :)