Does a mayor matter? Gentrification, land use policy, and the 2018 mayoral election in Burnaby, BC.

In the American context, the mayor is weak by design, as Progressive Era reforms almost entirely eliminated the mayor's office in favour of a council and city manager system (Schragger 2005). A change only in the mayor's office led to a significant policy shift in Burnaby, with the rights of renters being recognized in ways not implemented by Council under the former mayor. Keywords: Burnaby; Canadian mayor; housing policy; suburban gentrification; purpose-built rental housing; fonction de maire; politique en matière de logement; embourgeoisement suburbain; logement locatif EN Burnaby Canadian mayor housing policy suburban gentrification purpose-built rental housing FR fonction de maire politique en matière de logement embourgeoisement suburbain logement locatif 581 594 14 09/12/22 20220901 NES 220901 Key Messages The city of Burnaby introduced a significant change in its approach to renter displacement in gentrifying Metrotown following the 2018 electoral loss of the five-term incumbent mayor. In particular, Burnaby's long-serving mayor, Derek Corrigan (hereafter Corrigan) lost the 2018 election, while all seven of his incumbent Councillors won re-election. In a strong mayor system, the mayor holds some executive power, whereas in a weak mayor system the office is largely ceremonial with executive power invested in the city manager. [Extracted from the article]