Gordon Price

Gordon Price is a Canadian urban planner, gay rights activist, and former politician, known for his tenure as a Non-Partisan Association (NPA) member of Vancouver City Council. Serving six terms from 1986 to 2002, he notably became the first openly gay member of the council. During his time as a city councillor, Price also served on the board of Metro Vancouver and the board of TransLink in 1999. Since retiring from politics, Price has remained engaged in urban issues.^[3][4]

Price became prominent for leading a campaign to address street prostitution in Vancouver's West End neighbourhood. Forming the grassroots group CROWE (Concerned Residents of the West End) in 1981, Price aimed to maintain peace and livability in the area. The group sought to address the presence of sex workers in residential streets, drawing support from a diverse coalition of community members, including gay men, seniors, and heterosexual residents. However, the coalition's approach, emphasizing exclusionary and punitive measures, influenced perceptions of neighbourhood belonging, urban ideals, and community safety.^[5][6][7]

Gordon Price is known for his grassroots involvement as a co-founder of AIDS Vancouver in early 1983, one of the first organizations in Canada to address the AIDS crisis. He helped establish the organization with a focus on providing support, education, and advocacy for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.^[8][9]

Since retiring from office after serving 16 years, Price transitioned into roles as a writer, public lecturer, and professor, focusing on urban renewal and transportation planning issues. He contributed a column to the magazine Business in Vancouver. Additionally, he served as the director of the City Program, a continuing education initiative in urban planning and sustainable community development at Simon Fraser University from 2004 to 2016.^[10][11]

In 2009, Price was appointed by Gregor Robertson, the Mayor of Vancouver, to the city's "Greenest City Action Team", an ongoing appointment. In 2015, Vancouver won a C40 Cities award, given in recognition of cities that demonstrate world-leading sustainability initiatives.^[12][13]

Price has been a consistent advocate for cycling infrastructure in Vancouver, notably concerning the implementation of bike lanes on the Burrard Bridge. Despite facing initial opposition and setbacks, his efforts played a crucial role in the project's eventual success, reflecting effective planning, engineering, and political perseverance. Acknowledged as essential to the city's evolving cycling network and urban development, his advocacy highlights the impact of incremental commitments to cycling infrastructure on Vancouver's identity and culture.^[14][15]

In November 2013, Gordon Price and his partner Len Sobo, who had been together for 25 years as of 2013 and 35 years as of 2023, and are residents of the West End, were featured by Vancouver Cycle Chic for their active engagement in cycling and their commitment to sustainable living. They spent the day together, resulting in the creation of a short film documenting their experience.^[16]

In an interview conducted by Squamish council chairperson Khelsilem from a cafe in the Kitsilano neighborhood in 2022, former Vancouver city councillor Gordon Price raised concerns that reflect broader debates about the balance between Indigenous sovereignty, urban development, and community engagement in projects like Sen̓áḵw. His perspective highlights the need for careful consideration of diverse interests and values in shaping the future of urban spaces. In response, Khelsilem emphasized the importance of regaining control over resources to support their community and highlighted the nation's track record of developing rental housing.^[17]

In 2022, Price criticized a 12-tower housing development project by the Squamish Nation on First Nations land adjacent to the city of Vancouver. Price argued that Squamish Nation was not engaging in "an Indigenous way of building."^[18] Price said that the development, which could not be blocked by the Vancouver City Council, ran contrary to the land back movement, "It’s basically, ‘You f—ked us, now we f—k you.’ That’s no basis for reconciliation. That’s not gonna work. That’s awful."^[19] Price also asked "Where are the studies?" on the project's de-emphasis on parking spots and focus on public transit, bicycling infrastructure and walkability.^[20]