tl;dr click here to get instructions on how to support the Olympic Village elementary school! Write in by February 12!
One of the big problems in Vancouver is that maintaining the status quo is so deeply embedded in our institutions that it’s incredibly difficult to actually do anything: building housing, opening a business, and yes, even building a provincially funded public elementary school has to go through countless hurdles. And because you can always find someone who is just opposed to change generally, that means we have a system that creates numerous veto points that can be exploited. This creates a system that systematically favours the interests of people who already have housing over those who need housing (or schools, or childcare, or pretty much anything!).
The Olympic Village elementary school is a sad example of this. It was promised before the OV was event built; it should have been funded years ago, and was finally only eventually funded in April 2024. That, despite promises that it had been “approved” in 2021, and the fact that all the schools in the area having waiting lists and lotteries.
And now here we are, another almost two years after that…and there needs to be a rezoning application just to approve it:
Isn’t that sad?
What’s even sadder is that, despite the obvious need for this school, some local Olympic Village NIMBYs are fighting against it:
Well, getting angry online is one thing, but trust me: it’s much, much better to take 2 minutes and write in to support this school.
Here’s how to write in to support the Olympic Village elementary school. The public hearing is on Thursday, February 12, so write in by that day to make sure your voice is heard!
- Click here to get to the City of Vancouver’s comment form.
- Click on “Subject” to get a drop down list, then select: “CD-1 (454) Text Amendment: 215 West 1st Avenue”.
- Click on SUPPORT!
- Under “Comments” you can say what ever you’d like, but don’t stress about it–it’s always ok to keep it simple! “I support building this school” is perfect!
- Fill in the rest of the information, then click on “next”.
- Review your comments then don’t forget to click on SUBMIT!
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