Carellin Brooks Answers
Affordable Housing
1. What could Vancity do to create more affordable housing for both low- and middle-income Vancouverites?
Vancity already offers mortgages to unrelated groups of people, and its community funding has included initiatives for homeless youth. The problems with housing affordability are systemic and should not be addressed by the financial services sector - we have already seen the scaling back of such products as longer-term mortgages or the trend towards would-be homeowners taking on extra debt in proportion to income. What is needed is for government to support measures to keep housing affordable, such as discouraging speculation and making sure rent-control measures have teeth.
2. How can Vancity use financial products or services to support the creation of more rental housing units in Vancouver?
Vancity can structure commercial mortgages so that it becomes feasible for landlords, developers, or groups of tenants to create or maintain existing rental housing. It can offer rebates or discounts to landlords or owners in exchange for desirable community outcomes, such as greening rental units, reserving space for low-income tenants or maintaining rental stock in the face of attractive private-sector alternatives.
Transportation
1. What can Vancity do to provide incentives to its members to use alternatives to private vehicles in the same way it has facilitated alternative transportation programs for its 2,400 staff?
Vancity can offer, through its link with Co-operators insurance, discounts to cyclists and pedestrians. It can, again through insurance, advocate for changing to a system that charges per vehicle trip rather than on a flat-rate basis, so as to make the true cost of each private-vehicle trip apparent. It can make auto loans more expensive, and offer information on car-sharing and car pools to members at tellers' desks.
2. How can Vancity use financial products or services to support the widespread adoption of alternatives to private vehicle use in Vancouver?
See above. Vancity could also offer a bicycle loan at advantageous terms (for example, offering a rebate for trading in a vehicle, especially an older one) as is already done elsewhere. Vancity can support the Car Sharing Network (CAN) and Zipcars as corporate clients, and can ally with CAN as a fellow cooperative.
Citizen Engagement and Involvement
1. What could Vancity do to include more citizen engagement in its decision-making processes?
2. How can local branches engage citizens more directly in Vancouver's 23 neighbourhoods?Vancity already offers superior engagement in allowing members to vote for the Board, and in inviting members to vote on worthwhile community endeavors to support through, say, Vancity Visa. Vancity can continue to explore new technologies and their potential impact in allowing members to weigh in on issues - for example, voting by cellphone or online. Vancity can also do more to let non-members know about the benefits of being a Vancity member, including representation and participation.
Vancity branches can become even more neighbourhood-specific by taking on the flavour of the areas in which they are located. ATMs already offer locally used languages in addition to English and French, and community groups occasionally have space within branches to fundraise and share information. But Vancity can become more deeply embedded in the fabric of the neighbourhood through community festivals, events, projects, and distribution of information, as well as by, if applicable, beautifying their own grounds in a way that benefits the larger community - eg with benches, water fountains, and gardens.
Other
1. What else would you like to tell Think City supporters about your candidacy?
Voting for me will bring fresh energy to the Board, as well as solid experience of board participation, co-operative living, project management, and marketing. I'm committed to representing Vancity's members, deepening the credit union's community ties and continuing our commitment to sustainability principles.