Vancouver mayor’s office inquired about public plaza, FOI reveals

Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request reveal involvement from Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s Office in the location of a temporary plaza.

Documents obtained by CTV News through a Freedom of Information request, reveal involvement from Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s office in the location of a temporary public plaza, putting conflict of interest questions back in the spotlight.

In May, CTV News broke a story about a pop-up plaza built next to Bells & Whistles on East 17^th Avenue and Fraser Street, and whether it was fast-tracked due to one of its owners’ connections to the mayor’s office.

Prior to becoming Sim’s director of communications, Ogi Radoicic, a partner at Gooseneck Hospitality, which own Bells & Whistles, had inquired about the temporary plaza in January.

Since becoming the mayor’s director of communications, Radoicic told CTV News that he’s stepped away from his day-to-day responsibilities at Gooseneck.

Emails now show a staff member who works in Sim’s office inquired about the plaza to city staff, and that staff shared hesitations around the initial plan.

Doherty’s email

On Jan., 28, Conor Doherty, an operations manager in the mayor’s office sent an email to Lon LaClaire, the city’s general manager of engineering services, stating the mayor’s office had been approached by Radoicic about the possibility of a temporary plaza at this location during the FIFA World Cup tournament.

“Who would be the appropriate staff in engineering to discuss this proposal, and when would we be able to potentially schedule a meeting at city hall next week for a discussion between Ogi, Engineering and the mayor’s office?,” his email states.

From there, a staff member said they will determine who from the department could take the meeting.

CTV News asked to interview Doherty, and questioned whether the mayor’s office had inquired about other plazas, but the request was denied.

In a statement, the mayor’s office said, the email was “consistent with the city’s standard process.”

The statement continued, “after making that referral, the staff member had no further involvement in the matter. Engineering subsequently determined that there was no need for a meeting with the mayor’s office and managed the file directly from that point forward.”

Following Doherty’s meeting request, a staffer wrote, “Rachel, since the (mayor’s office) seems interested in this, can you have the team do a quick scan on logistically is it possible to do a full and / or partial road closure? Then we can meet with them and Conor and go from there? Or other thoughts on next steps for this?.”

Another email, sent between staff members on Jan 30., said, “Actually, Lon said we should treat Conor like an elected official and we cannot meet with him and Ogi at the same time.”

Speaking to CTV News anonymously, a staff member said the “mayors office has never been this directly involved on staff initiating a plaza before.”

Max Cameron, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, said three things stick out to him.

“The first is the relationship between elected officials and their political appointees and staff,” he said. “The second is the question of conflict of interest, and the third is whether the outcome serves the public.”

Cameron added, the emails depict a power imbalance between staff and elected officials.

“Staff naturally want to please the elected officials,” he said.

“They’re there to do the work that is given to them by the city manager and by the elected officials. And they want to do their best. They don’t want to alienate members of council or the mayor, or people around the mayor.”

Cameron, said it also raises questions regarding conflicts of interest, whether or not one occurred.

“It’s very important that when you are elected, you understand that the appearance of a conflict of interest can be as damaging as the reality of a conflict of interest.”

Questions around suitability

As staff discussed the feasibility of the space, one staff member who works in street activities concluded, “I don’t think this location is very suitable, to be honest.”

She continued that her colleague suggested another location, at Fraser and East 19^th Avenue, “but I understand the lack of proximity to Bells & Whistles will probably be a problem. As well, you’d need a bike lane at a plaza on Fraser and 19th, which reduces usable space.”

About two weeks later, the same staffer said, she met with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services who stated, “It is not recommended from a fire safety perspective to place a plaza here.”

The plaza was finalized in four months, which appears to be one of the quickest on record as per a city document.

Other plazas have taken anywhere from six months to three and a half years to complete.

Staff eventually determined that with adjustments, a temporary plaza would work for the summer.

City’s response

Asked about the adjustments, the City of Vancouver said, staff consulted with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services to ensure emergency access requirements can be maintained.

“For this location, the plaza design was adjusted to preserve an access route through the site and provide space along its southern edge for VFRS vehicles to stage and deploy outriggers during an emergency. These requirements reduced the area available for plaza furniture and other public uses.”

As for the input from the mayor’s office, the city said its involvement was limited to forwarding an inquiry to appropriate staff.

“The mayor’s olffice did not participate in the assessment or decision-making process for this plaza and has not participated in the review or approval of other plaza requests,” the statement said.

The city said staff have received nine responses to date about the plaza, including comments both supporting and opposing it related to traffic and safety.