Frances Bula header image 4

Christmas break free-for-all: What kind of city was Vancouver, what kind of metro region did we evolve to, in 2012?

December 19th, 2012 · 158 Comments

In case no one guessed, I’m pretty much in full-time baking mode here with occasional forays into the outside world to discover what new commercial enterprises have opened and closed since last Christmas. A few heart-warming stories to come over the holidays but I’m going to go into low gear until after New Year’s Day […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized

With the Pickton murders haunting them, police and city set new policies to make sex work indoors an option

December 18th, 2012 · 7 Comments

With the release of Wally Oppal’s report from Missing Women Commission of Inquiry now out, there’s been a lot of examination in what police (and everyone) did wrong. (Note to self: Media might want to look at why so many weren’t interested in this story in the beginning, until Vancouver Sun reporter Lindsay Kines started […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized

Vancouver credit rating downgraded, in tandem with province’s, but TransLink stays the same

December 13th, 2012 · 20 Comments

This just out from Moody’s. Funny how TransLink is unaffected — must be all those reserves it’s been holding that the province is trying to make it spend. Not great for the city, with the note that the debt from the Olympic village puts it out of line with other cities getting a Triple A […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized

Yaletown residents go to war against winter homelessness shelter and also the “huge self-perpetuating social service industry”

December 13th, 2012 · 85 Comments

Just to give a flavour of what is happening out on the battleground, as Yaletown residents ramp up resistance to the winter shelter that has been opened in their neighbourhood — a memo from the inside, with recommended strategies to fight the war. For those unfamiliar with the shelter situation: The province funds a number […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized

City Plumber: How many shelters are there for homeless people in Toronto? And other skill-testing questions about homelessness

December 12th, 2012 · 1 Comment

A timely question, as the city’s four temporary winter shelters are just about to open, with some communities (Yaletown) in an uproar and some apparently oblivious (I’ve been told the Mount Pleasant shelter opened recently near Sixth and Ontario to zero public comment). Answers over on City Plumber, kids.

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized

Port CEO advocates industrial land reserve, says may be forced to use farmland if industrial space not saved

December 10th, 2012 · 27 Comments

Robin Silvester, Port Metro Vancouver CEO, always worth paying attention to. Here’s my Globe story on what he had to say recently: The Vancouver region’s industrial land needs to be protected the same way its farmland has over the past 40 years – with an industrial land reserve to prevent it from being rezoned for […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized

As Vancouver city budget is debated and approved tonight, a look at some of the stories behind the numbers

December 4th, 2012 · 23 Comments

After years of being criticized for producing somewhat skimpy budget numbers, the city’s finance department came up with a veritable bible about city activities and spending. My story and the report. As I’ve said elsewhere, a vast improvement but it would still be nice to see in easy-to-understand numbers how much the city is spending […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized

UBC anxiety ramps up at talk of a two-phase approach to building Broadway rapid-transit line

November 27th, 2012 · 159 Comments

Council heard an update today from its engineers on plans for the line which answers some of these questions. I’ll be posting that story later. In the meantime, here’s what I had today And, for keen readers, here is belatedly the story that came out of council on the city’s position re the Broadway line. […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized

City Plumber: The Buy-Low/Kingsgate Mall analysis.

November 26th, 2012 · 17 Comments

Over there on the left of the screen, people.

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized

West End apartment for sale: “Rented significantly below market – need upgrades”

November 26th, 2012 · 24 Comments

Hope this one ends well. From a recent listing. Prime West End! The Randi Lynn is a three storey plus penthouse 23-suite apartment building.  Only 3 blocks to Sunset Beach—a prime English Bay address in the heart of the popular West End district, offering tenants immediate proximity to the employment, entertainment, shopping, beaches and recreational […]

[Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized