1.THE CLIMATE CRISIS

This power player can wipe out infrastructure, threaten the health and safety of our most vulnerable and trash our economy in the process—all with no warning. From floods to fires, from seawall-crushing king tides to devastating crop failures, the climate emergency is making its uncomfortable presence felt in this city.

Not that environmental concerns are anything new (Vancouver’s “zero-waste by 2040” plan has been in place since 2008, and warnings about climate change have been sounding since the ’70s), but 2022 marked the first year that every serious civic political party featured a climate plan in their platform—even the right-leaning set. Washed-out highways rang alarm bells about just how vulnerable (and deeply unprepared) we are in the face of natural disaster and local linguistic tics like “atmospheric river” and “heat dome” are showing just how deeply climate change has impacted our experience, while Okanagan smoke is now just part of the forecast.

Climate will aff ect our natural resources (fishing, logging) and, in turn, our economy: the Canadian Climate Institute estimates that climate impacts will slow the country’s annual economic growth by $25 billion by 2025. While we’d have loved to name a person who’s leading the charge on climate mitigation strategies—and getting those in power to truly listen—for this number one spot, we haven’t seen that leader yet. But if power is the ability to attract attention, to change the conversation, to make your presence felt—and known, and feared—who else but the climate could we call #1?

John Horgan braved both COVID chaos and cancer treatment before (very reasonably) deciding enough was enough; in the fall he passed the torch to David Eby, who stepped into his position not just as a mid-term seat-holder but also as a premier with some big plans and a penchant for action. Eby came out swinging during the campaign with a major housing platform that a lot of people, left and right, spoke of as comprehensive and well thought out—the sign of someone who has rigorously studied all the policy options and come up with the best package. And then: he actually cut through the red tape and made policy a reality—not just on housing but on multiple fronts. In the first weeks alone, Eby removed rental restrictions in an attempt to ease the housing crisis, changed regulations to welcome more international doctors to help with our health-care shortage and introduced a new BC Affordability Credit to address the rising cost of living. He was also the first premier ever to have a swearingin hosted by a First Nation: a positive sign that reconciliation will be top of mind for the new NDP leader.

Eby has always been a takecharge guy (and, in fact, was #1 on our list in 2018, despite the fact that he wasn’t then holding the top position in the province)—and now he’s a take-charge guy with more firepower than ever before. Whether you’re on #TeamEby or still sour about his only competitor, Anjali Appadurai, getting banned from the race, you can’t deny he’s a politician who actually makes an impact on his community—and one who genuinely seems to listen to the people he’s responsible for leading.

Eby came out swinging during the campaign with a major housing platform that a lot of people, left and right, spoke of as comprehensive and well thought out—the sign of someone who has rigorously studied all the policy options and come up with the best package.

Mst Development Corporation

PREVIOUSLY (AS MUSQUEAM, SQUAMISH AND TSLEIL-WAUTUTH NATIONS) #1, 2022 3.

The Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations landed at #1 on our list last year for their undeniable impact on both development and decolonization efforts—but in 2023, it’s once again their for-profit development arm (MST Development) that’s making their influence felt most intensely across the city. Collaborations continue on the new St. Paul’s, the rezoning of the Heather and Jericho Lands and the extension of the subway line as other long-term projects come to fruition—like the renaming of Trutch Street to Musqueamview. Reconciliation is not something we’ll achieve overnight, or without continued struggle, but with MST’s incredible political heft and leverage across all levels of government, progress feels possible... and powerful.