Here is the actual text of the memorandum of agreement between the province and mayors, which many are hoping will end the food fight that was going on between the two sides last year. But it’s a little hard to figure out, just from looking at these words, what it all actually means. I’ll have […]
Entries from January 2016
Mayors, province sign new MOU on how to pay for transit — but what does it mean?
September 23rd, 2010 · 46 Comments
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Vancouver hires “change manager” as it struggles with employee backlash
September 23rd, 2010 · 24 Comments
Vancouver city hall continues to be a workplace under stress. News broke earlier that the non-union staff had issued a memo outlining their concerns about the new style of management. While I know there are some people who are really enjoying working with new city manager Penny Ballem — they like her directness, willingness to […]
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What would the Marine Gateway project look like elsewhere? An architect shows us
September 21st, 2010 · 47 Comments
Architect Nigel Baldwin, who was always a thoughtful and rigorous evaluator of development projects when he was on the urban-design panel has also weighed in on his concerns about the Marine Gateway project. Besides his words, which I will include below, he has also provided visuals: what the Marine Gateway project would look like if […]
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Second train Vancouver-Seattle to be cancelled
September 21st, 2010 · 13 Comments
Sad news for us urbanists who love travelling between these two cities.
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Vancouver councillor in trouble for shouting at citizen during meeting — in Washington
September 20th, 2010 · 9 Comments
What is it with municipal councillors these days? At least Mayor Gregor Robertson had the decency to wait until everyone was gone and he thought the mikes had been turned off before he referred to speakers/audience members at a public meeting as “f***ing NPA hacks.” (For the irony-challenged, please spare me your posts about how […]
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Distressed renters, where are you?
September 20th, 2010 · 20 Comments
My one-time buddy and sparring partner at the Vancouver Sun, Pete McMartin, has written a timely column on the problem of the missing renters in public debate. Housing manager Don Littleford at Metro Vancouver has helped initiate a site for them at www.RentersSpeakUp.org to prove that they’re out there. As he said in a recent […]
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NPA slowly moves into first gear with community forum on STIR
September 20th, 2010 · 18 Comments
For those of you who’ve missed it on the Urban Wonks Events calendar here, the Non-Partisan Association is reviving one of its old techniques for developing some public profile. It will be holding a community forum on Vision’s controversial STIR (Short Term Incentives for Rental) program tonight, presumably to capitalize on the dissatisfaction that has […]
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Mayors willing to entertain new local taxes to pay for Evergreen after rejecting them last year
September 16th, 2010 · 57 Comments
Local mayors kicked up a sh*tstorm last year with the province by campaigning aggressively to get new mechanisms to pay for transit than they have now. (What they have now: property tax, fuel tax, fares, so-far-unused vehicle tax) When the province wouldn’t entertain using the carbon tax or allowing new road-pricing schemes, the mayors voted […]
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Marine Gateway survey shows quiet support from two-thirds of residents
September 16th, 2010 · 31 Comments
The Marine Gateway proponents have released a survey on what the Marpole community thinks of the proposal for the large complex being planned for Marine and Cambie, which currently includes a very tall residential tower, a smaller office tower, a plaza surrounded by retail, a daycare, and a cineplex. The proposal has been generating significant […]
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Magee says the city’s books are open for scrutiny of FD Element bills
September 15th, 2010 · 84 Comments
Here’s my more official recap of the week’s events in the Globe when it comes to the story of FD Element, the company hired to build the mayor’s website, also funding a political blog that attacks Vision critics. I should note that the anonymous former contractor who went on Global did not specifically say that […]
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