John Jones on Facebook 
John Jones
Independent for Vancouver Council
Businesses & Jobs
Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres
Thorough environmental and resource assessments before major projects are considered.
Support involving the Host Nations (Musqueam, Squamish, & Tsleil-Waututh) for all major developments with unusual environmental or resource demands, as per the Vancouver UNDRIP Action Plan
Business Permitting
Support making permits easier and more affordable for local businesses
Climate Change, Heat, Fires, & the Environment
Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres
Thorough environmental and resource assessments before major projects are considered.
Support involving the Host Nations (Musqueam, Squamish, & Tsleil-Waututh) for all major developments with unusual environmental or resource demands, as per the Vancouver UNDRIP Action Plan
Energy-Efficient Buildings
Support no gas for new buildings.
Flooding
Support assessing sewer drain efficacy and work to come up with an action plan.
Green Space
Support adequate funding to the Park Board to maintain parks and green spaces.
Private Vehicles & Parking
Support getting rid of parking zones for local parking.
Urban Heat
Support adequate cooling centres with additional support for seniors who live alone during intense heat waves.
Walking & Cycling
Maintain and repair sea wall, bike lanes, and outdoor walking paths.
Zoning
Support looking into dense but low-storey housing options in cooperation with the neighbourhood.
Culture & Events
Festivals & Events
Support creating revenue-generating events and festivals so the city can support and fund more activities throughout the city.
Public Art
Support creating grants and opportunities for local artists.
Nightlife
Support working with local bars and clubs to revitalize Vancouver nightlife safely.
Housing & Homelessness
Building Maintenance & Occupant Health
Enforcing building owners to upgrade has a large risk: in 2021, the provincial government implemented a bill to amend the Residential Tenancy Regulation (§23.1) to charge tenants for upgrades and maintenance.
Homelessness
Support better advocacy, better support services, and better communication between organizations.
Housing Accessibility
Support increasing advocacy for those with accessibility requirements.
Indigenous-Led Housing
Support working with indigenous communities to find out what their communities want and need, and support working to meet those needs.
Property Taxes
Support being fiscally responsible with the city's existing revenue instead of unnecessarily raising property taxes.
Zoning
Support looking into dense but low-storey housing options in cooperation with the neighbourhood.
Human Rights
Human Rights Abroad
Support working to end discrimination, and working towards multi-cultural communities that are safe and respectful for everyone.
Recent Immigrants
Support working with existing support services to help recent immigrants navigate Vancouver.
Sex Work
Support providing a safety plan so sex workers are better protected.
Trans Rights & Access to Public Services
Support advocating to the provincial and federal governments for better access to healthcare and support services.
Local Government, Planning, & Democracy
Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres
Thorough environmental and resource assessments before major projects are considered.
Support involving the Host Nations (Musqueam, Squamish, & Tsleil-Waututh) for all major developments with unusual environmental or resource demands, as per the Vancouver UNDRIP Action Plan
Budgeting
Support taking the auditor general's findings seriously and being fiscally responsible with the budget.
Public Engagement
Support having City Hall fully open to the public to walk into to speak to staff.
Youth Engagement
Support working with the Vancouver School Board in having City Hall cooperate with students.
Mental Health, Drugs, & Addiction
Mental Health Crisis Response
John will push to extend the VPD's Car 87 program (one car with a psychiatric nurse and a police officer) to operate 24 hours.
Overdoses & the Contaminated Drug Supply
Support outreach workers in the field who respond to overdoses to save lives and connect people to necessary support services.
Treatment for Addiction
Support expanding programs that aim for true recovery, such as the program Road to Recovery at St. Paul's Hospital.
Public Safety & Policing
Police Funding
Support expanding the VPD program Car 87 (one psychiatric nurse, and one police officer) to operate 24 hours.
Upstream Causes of Crime
Support working with the Police Board in a plan to have a liaison (or other staff) communicate with individuals once arrested to figure out what support services they need and connect them with those services.
Public Spaces & Services
Fitness & Sports Facilities
Support repairing and maintaining existing city-owned facilities.
Green Space
Support adequate funding to the Park Board to maintain parks and green spaces.
Public Washrooms
Support building and maintaining self-cleaning bathrooms in areas requiring them.
Sidewalks & Bike Paths
Support maintaining and repairing sidewalks that are safe for mobility devices, and bike paths that are safe for tires.
Zoning
Support looking into dense but low-storey housing options in cooperation with the neighbourhood.
Reconciliation & Indigenous Nations
Transit & Getting Around
Private Vehicles & Parking
Support getting rid of parking zones for local parking.
Sidewalks & Bike Paths
Support maintaining and repairing sidewalks that are safe for mobility devices, and bike paths that are safe for tires.
Transit Projects
Support working with Translink and city planners to improve fast and efficient transit, especially in high density areas.
Walking & Cycling
Maintain and repair sea wall, bike lanes, and outdoor walking paths.
E-Bikes & E-Scooters
Support working to create and amend by-laws around stricter safety regulations for e-bikes and e-scooters.
Biography
submitted by the candidate or their team
John Jones grew up in Toronto and has lived in Vancouver, on and off, for four decades, working in tenancy, disability, and human rights advocacy. He moved back to Vancouver for good in 2019, and is running as an independent to use his advocacy background to help the city.
John's work in advocating for a variety of clients fighting for their rights and their personal well-being has given him a thorough understanding of how systems work and how to get things done. He wants to bring this knowledge to Vancouver City Hall by truly listening to you, which is why you can call his personal number at 236-514-9607 and speak to him directly any time. He believes a councillor works for the people of the city, and they should be able to phone a councillor directly any time.
His goals are towards safety for communities (like stronger safety by-laws around e-bikes and e-scooters), funding programs that work, repairing and maintaining existing city infrastructure, and being fiscally responsible with the city's budget to be able to take care of our local pools, community centres, and roads.
Promises
See all 35 promises
Police Funding
Support expanding the VPD program Car 87 (one psychiatric nurse, and one police officer) to operate 24 hours.
E-Bikes & E-Scooters
Support working to create and amend by-laws around stricter safety regulations for e-bikes and e-scooters.
Homelessness
Support better advocacy, better support services, and better communication between organizations.
Reason for running
submitted by the candidate or their team
When John returned to Vancouver in 2019, he saw a city that had become broken, didn't take care of its infrastructure, and left its residents without advocacy, supports, or proper care, especially for seniors and elders.
In the years since his return, John has still advocated for people, working with organizations, government entities, and others to get people connected to the right services. In doing so, he discovered how fragmented Vancouver's operations had become, how money is not being spent taking care of the city, and how unsafe it had become. He aims to use the city's money to take care of our parks, our roads, and our pools, and city infrastructure before large major projects. In trying to advocate to City Hall before deciding to run, he found councillors not returning his calls, and being dismissed. That's why he's running, so people can actually reach out to him when they're in trouble, and to be fiscally responsible with the city's money to repair and maintain our communities.
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