Vancouver mayor reads long, boring statement

Question from @ctv_jon via @PennyDaflos about "commercial crime wave".

Mayor says he has utmost confidence in VPD, they now have "special assignments", "we have a handle on this" and "we have the best police force in the world".

Mayor is urging businesses to tell City Hall to tell them how the City might best serve them, when coming back.

For the second time he mentions the Commodore nightclub. He is apparently looking forward to going to see shows there again.

"We are talking to mayors around the world, and seeing how our policies might evolve."

"Where we can help getting businesses back open, or changing operations, so they can reopen" is something they're talking about "every day"

@nickeagland asks about what's being done to make people in Oppenheimer Park safer.

Says he's waiting for MLA Shane Simpson to make a move, and that he's "Leaving that to the province to decide," as "the City has gone to the edge of our resources as to what we can provide"

At the end of @nickeagland's question you could hear his baby making baby noises in the background. That was fantastic.

Our @Howellings asks what mayor asked Shane Simpson.

"It was more of what WE could offer," in terms of raising peoples' quality of living. Talks about opening community centres for shelter.

"The outbreak of COVID at the chicken processing plant [near Oppenheimer] is worrying."

"The health and wellbeing of folks in Oppenheimer Park is our top priority."

"I've been talking to the federal government since last April," about modular housing.

"We have a whole bunch of sites that are ready to go," just need funding.

"The feds have been pretty quiet."

@j_mcelroy needs to stand in a better corner of his apartment. Cutting out... something to do with property taxes...

Cutting property taxes "would be a mistake", says the mayor of Vancouver.

"That would mean even deeper layoffs [at the City]"

"I will not be advising for or voting any property tax cut."

Someone from Radio Canada asks about reopening libraries.

"My sister is a librarian. I talked to her yesterday," and there is a "huge spike" in people accessing online library stuff.

"Maybe there's ways to open smaller branches in the near future," because limit of 50 gathering

@ctv_shannon is wondering if the mayor wants commercial landlords to lower rents.

He says "I think everybody should be pulling together," and if they can afford it, landlords should lower rent.

Then "Historical events do change people's habits."

Mayor says "I've talked to people who haven't left their house for five weeks," and that once people start to feel normal again, business may improve.

Shannon asks a followup about breaks in property taxes.

The mayor is not interested in lowering property taxes.

For some reason mayor thinks Toronto is in a much better place to receive relief funding from the federal government. Doesn't say why.

And then the thing ends.