VANCOUVER -- A new poll suggests B.C.'s three largest cities are getting a passing grade from their residents on several key issues but some are not making the grade when it comes to dealing with homelessness and poverty.
The poll, conducted by Research Co., looked at how Vancouver, Surrey and Burnaby are handling several municipal issues, including transportation, public safety, and protecting the environment. The research comes just over a year after the last municipal election that saw three new mayors elected to the province's largest municipalities.
The poll suggests 57 per cent of Surrey residents are happy with the current administration's approach to transportation. That marks an increase of 33 per cent over the approval rating of the previous government.
Residents were not asked specifically about the cities' approach to ride-hailing, as Uber and Lyft had not yet been approved to operate when the poll was conducted.
The survey also suggests that Surrey residents are happier with the current council's approach to promoting tourism, which rose from 39 per cent to 64 per cent, and enhancing quality of life, which rose from 36 per cent to 68 per cent. Those surveyed also gave the city high marks for its work on protecting the environment, with 70 per cent of respondents saying the city had done a good job on the issue.
"The lowest ranked issue across all three cities is dealing with homelessness and poverty (44 per cent). Satisfaction with this file rises to 52 per cent in Surrey, but is lower in Vancouver (42 per cent) and Burnaby (39 per cent)," said Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., in a news release.
More than half of Vancouver residents surveyed approved of the city's approach to transportation, with 58 per cent saying the municipal government had done a good job on the issue. When it comes to the environment, 64 per cent of Vancouver residents were happy with the city's handling of the issue.
"There are some subtle differences between the three cities when it comes to public safety," said Canseco. "While 60 per cent of Burnaby residents endorse the performance of their administration, the proportion falls to 54 per cent in Vancouver and 52 per cent in Surrey."
The mayors of all three cities have similar approval ratings, with Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart sitting at 52 per cent, Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley at 51 per cent and Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum at 50 per cent.
The results were gathered in an online survey conducted from Jan. 2 to 6 among 1,200 adults in Vancouver, Surrey and Burnaby. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points for each municipality, 19 times out of 20.
