Gregor Robertson (politician)

Entrepreneur, politician

• Born: September 18, 1964
• Place of Birth: North Vancouver, BC, Canada

Education: Carson Graham Secondary School; Colorado College; Stanford University School of Medicine (fellowship)

Significance: Successful business owner and politician, Gregor Robertson has favored policies that promote sustainable growth, that are environmentally friendly, and that provide for those in need. He served as mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, from 2008 to 2018.

Background

Entrepreneur, politician. Born on September 18, 1964, in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Gregor Angus Bethune Robertson was the son of a lawyer and a teacher. He grew up in Canada, then near San Francisco after his parents divorced, and then back in Canada when he was in high school. He returned to the United States to attend Colorado College. After graduating, he and his wife Amy—whom he met at college—traveled for a year and a half in the Pacific region. On this trip, they became committed to the idea of sustainable farming.

In 1990, the couple settled in British Columbia, bought land, and began growing organic vegetables and berries. In 1994, Robertson and Randal Ius, a friend from high school, established Happy Planet to manufacture organic juice and smoothies. The company has since become one of Canada’s major producers of natural food. Company policy set by Robertson and Ius at the beginning required the company to give 10 percent of its profits to charitable organizations. In 2005, when he entered politics, Robertson gave up involvement in the company’s operations.

Life’s Work

Robertson’s political career began with his election to the British Columbia provincial legislature in May 2005. He won with a 47 percent plurality in a field of six candidates and took office in September of that year. A progressive who believed in pro-growth and socially responsible policies, Robertson took office as part of Canada’s New Democratic Party. In the legislature, he worked on small business development and climate change.

Three years later, Robertson won the mayoral nomination of Vision Vancouver, a center-left party. Buttressed by the support of another liberal party, the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), Robertson took 55 percent of the vote. Vision Vancouver also placed seven members on the ten-person city council, with COPE taking two of the remaining seats.

Robertson took office facing a major problem: the city was in the midst of the Great Recession of 2008 while still planning to complete preparations for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics. That recession created a funding problem, as some corporate sponsors of the games pulled out, security costs far exceeded estimates, and the recession left the developer building Olympic housing without money. The city had to turn to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for help and borrow money, leaving it with an estimated $1 billion in debt. The city had to take ownership of the Olympic Village site in the hopes of selling it off. That effort took several years but was finally completed in 2014. Robertson proclaimed the final sale a victory for the city, though critics complained that the city had still taken a loss on the Olympic venture.

Robertson easily won re-election in 2011, taking 54 percent of the vote. Once again, Vision Vancouver captured seven of ten council seats as well. He ran for re-election three years later on a platform of improved mass transit, with an aim to make Vancouver an even greener city; more affordable housing and an end to homelessness; making the city comfortable for a diverse population; building neighborhoods; and promoting economic growth. By that campaign, though, Robertson faced criticism that his government has become too closely tied with business leaders, especially developers. His administration has also been criticized for a lack of openness. He won the election, but his share of the vote fell under 50 percent, indicating growing disaffection with his policies. COPE ran its own candidate, indicating some progressives’ disaffection with Robertson.

Robertson was dealt a blow in mid-2015 when voters in the metropolitan area overwhelmingly turned down a 0.5 percent sales tax increase, with the proceeds earmarked to help fund a mass-transit expansion project. Despite strong support from all the region’s mayors, led by Robertson, 62 percent of voters cast their ballots against the tax. The following year, the transit agency that runs the system hired a new CEO. Robertson, who served on the board of the Mayor’s Council, looked to that new appointment as a step toward addressing the desired expansion.

Another lingering issue was housing. Vancouver began rapid growth in population in the 1990s, in part because of an influx of immigrants from China. Rapid growth has led to a housing crisis, as rapidly rising home prices have made Vancouver one of the most expensive cities in the world. Robertson explored mechanisms for reining in housing speculation. The sharply rising costs led to another problem: homelessness. Robertson had campaigned back in 2008 on a platform of ending homelessness. In 2015, he had to admit that while progress had been made, the problem persisted.

Robertson enjoyed success on a major environmental issue in his third term. Canada was considering authorizing additions to a pipeline that linked shale-oil production sites in Alberta to the Vancouver area. Robertson strongly opposed the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline, which he argued would increase oil tanker traffic in Vancouver sevenfold, raising the risk of oil spills. In January 2016, the government of British Columbia joined with Vancouver and many neighboring communities in opposing the expansion, a position that Robertson celebrated.

In January 2018, Robertson announced he would not be seeking reelection for mayor. He stepped down from office at the end of his term in November 2018. In January 2020, Robertson joined the construction company Nexii Building Solutions as the executive vice-president of strategy and partnerships, hoping to help the company expand green building technology. In 2022, the company Roberts cofounded in 1994 with his Partner Randal Ius, Happy Planet, sued a Canadian bank for $570,701 in a fraud case. That same year, Robertson was placed on Business Insider's Climate Action 30 list. In 2024, Robertson was appointed to the position of special envoy representing the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) as part of the coalition for high ambition multilevel partnerships (CHAMP).

Impact

While Robertson had not been able to solve all of Vancouver’s problems, he did have some accomplishments. His 2014 re-election meant he would be the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history. While Vancouver has problems related to population growth and housing, continued growth has shown that it remains a desirable place to live. Under his leadership, the city took steps to promote ethnic and other celebrations and cultural and gender diversity.

Efforts to care for the city’s environment have seen some success as well. The city enacted the greenest building code in 2010, a move that Robertson backed. He spearheaded the effort to have the city adopt the Greenest City Action Plan in 2012, which aimed to make Vancouver the world’s most environmentally friendly city in the world by 2020. The city reported that 93 percent of its electricity came from renewable sources and that greenhouse gas emission dropped below 1990 levels despite its population growth.

Personal Life

Robertson and his wife had four children, Terra, Satchel, Johanna, and foster-son, Jinagh Navas-Rivas. In 2014, the Robertsons announced that they were separating amicably. The following year, he confirmed reports that he was dating Wanting Qu, a China-born entertainer and Vancouver’s tourism ambassador to China. The couple later broke up in 2017.

Bibliography

Bailey, Ian. "Incoming TransLink CEO Hired from Seattle Excited for ‘New Challenge.’" The Globe and Mail, 10 Feb. 2016, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/translink-hires-head-of-seattle-transit-authority-as-ceo/article28699091. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Drews, Kevin. "Vancouver Pays Off Olympic Debt." The Huffington Post British Columbia, 28 Apr. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/04/28/vancouver-olympic-village‗n‗5227918.html.

Findlay, Andrew. "Gregor Robertson: Pursuit of Happiness." BCBusiness, 1 Dec. 2006, www.bcbusiness.ca/people/gregor-robertson-pursuit-of-happiness. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

"Gregor Robertson, Wanting Qu Confirm Relationship on Weibo." The Huffington Post British Columbia, 18 Feb. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/02/17/gregor-robertson-wanting-qu-dating‗n‗6700374.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kane, Linda. "Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion ‘Disastrous,’ Says Mayor Gregor Robertson." CBS News, 28 May 2015, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/trans-mountain-pipeline-expansion-disastrous-says-mayor-gregor-robertson-1.3090501. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Mackin, Bob. "Robertson Sells Out of His Happy Planet Juice Co.: City Hall Disclosures." Business Vancouver, 15 Jan. 2013, www.biv.com/article/2013/1/robertson-sells-out-of-his-happy-planet-juice-co-c. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

"Mayor Gregor Robertson ‘Disappointed’ Vancouver not Closer to Ending Street Homelessness." Vancouver Free Press Publishing Straight News, 24 Mar. 2015, www.straight.com/news/416561/mayor-gregor-robertson-disappointed-vancouver-not-closer-ending-street-homelessness. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Orton, Tyler, and Jen St. Denis. "Vancouver Mayor: ‘There Is No Plan B.’" Vancouver Courier, 2 July 2015, www.vancourier.com/news/vancouver-mayor-there-is-no-plan-b-1.1987767. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

"Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, Wife Announce Separation." HuffPost British Columbia, 12 Aug. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/07/05/gregor-robertson-wife‗n‗5560359.html. Accessed 113 Oct. 2024.

Wray, Sarah. "The Missing Link in National Climate Plans - Cities, Green Pledges in UK Election Manifestos, and More." Global Government Forum, 11 June 2024, www.globalgovernmentforum.com/the-missing-link-in-national-climate-plans-cities-green-pledges-in-uk-election-manifestos-and-more/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.