Former Vancouver councillor Jim Green hired to help with Olympic village project
VANCOUVER -- Former Vancouver councillor, mayoral candidate and Downtown eastside activist Jim Green has been hired by Millennium Developments to help with its controversial Vancouver Athletes Village.
Green told The Vancouver Sun Monday afternoon that he will be working with the company on a six-month contract as it tries to get back on track with the troubled False Creek development.
"My job is to ensure the project goes ahead as planned," he said. "Millennium wants to get this project done and it also wants to deliver on the social housing component it is building for the city."
Green said he's not being paid by city taxpayers and that he had not spoken to Mayor Gregor Robertson about his new job.
He said he was approached by the owners of Millennium around Christmas to help as the company continued to reel from financing trouble caused when its lender, Fortress Investment Group, halted payments on a $750 million loan.
At that point Vancouver had agreed to give Millennium up to $100 million in "protective advances" in the hope that Fortress would restart payments.
However, it has not and the city has since received special borrowing powers from the provincial government that will allow it to bypass Fortress if the three parties can't come to an agreement.
Green had been working on a half-time contract in the Queen Charlotte Islands (also known as Haida Gwaii) as the CEO of the Misty Isles Economic Development Society. He resigned from that position on Monday, but said he will continue to help them when possible.
Green's appointment is the first significant one since the resignation of Jody Andrews, Vancouver's deputy city manager and village project manager.
Green is no stranger to Vancouverites. He was a long-time director of the Downtown Eastside Residents Association and also shepherded a number of social housing developments. He was elected to Vancouver council in 2002 under the Coalition of Progressive Electors, but later left the party along with mayor Larry Campbell and another councillor, Raymond Louie, to form Vision Vancouver, which now controls council and the mayor's office.
Green ran against Sam Sullivan for mayor in 2005 in a race that saw a namesake, James Green, garner enough votes to prevent Jim Green from taking office.
It was the second time Green ran for the mayor's office, having lost to Gordon Campbell in 1990. He also lost a riding challenge to Campbell in the 1996 provincial election.
Green said his job will also likely extend to several other Millennium projects, including developments at Davie and Bidwell, in West Vancouver and in Nanaimo.
Vision Councillor Geoff Meggs said the city had nothing to do with the hiring of Green, whom he said was a friend of his.
He said Millennium has enough direct contacts into the city that he doesn't believe Green's job will involve civic relations.
"I don't know if it has any effect on the city, I don't think it hurts, but I don't think it makes any difference, I'm serious. Not to detract from the great qualities of my friend," he said.
"The city has so many relationships with Millennium that are so much more direct. If Millennium leadership wants to talk to anyone at city hall, they get their calls returned pretty quickly."
jefflee@vancouversun.com
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