Another anti-poverty activist has thrown her name into the race for the Vancouver city council seat left vacant by Geoff Meggs.
Jean Swanson announced her run for the seat on Tuesday. If elected, she’ll make Vancouver’s rent prices a key focus of her time in office.
Coverage of poverty in Vancouver and B.C. on Globalnews.ca:
“Rents are over two thousand dollars a month, which is more than what a minimum wage worker makes,” she said.
Swanson said she’ll be looking to the provincial government to implement a rent freeze.
“We’re talking about a four-year rent freeze,” she said. “To go after the province, or if the province won’t give us a rent freeze, to go after the province to have the powers for a city rent freeze.”
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Also on Swanson’s agenda: advocating for the environment, social justice and lower public transit rates.
“In Calgary they have a $5 a month pass you can get if you’re a low income person,” she said.
Swanson joins Judy Graves in the race for the council seat.
Candidates can submit their nominations until Sept. 8 and the by-election will take place on Oct. 14.
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