With mayors uncertain yesterday whether to delay any decision about cancelling a two-year property-tax increase for TransLink or to go through with cancelling it instantly, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson swooped in with what’s being called a compromise motion. The motion, which got enough votes to pass thanks to co-operation from Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, warns […]
Entries from January 2016
Mayors give province an ultimatum on coming up with new transit-funding plan, but unclear what leverage they have
October 19th, 2012 · 57 Comments
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Vancouver airport mall likely moving to new location on Canada Line in response to concerns from public, council
October 19th, 2012 · 9 Comments
My story in this week’s Globe isn’t really focused on the point in my headline, but it is the change of most interest to those watching the plans for the airport mall. (Locals already know about the airport-mall plans from stories by me and others around Vancouver. This version was recast to explain it all to […]
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East Hastings project demonstrates new way to create social housing units, but draws criticism from DTES groups
October 16th, 2012 · 14 Comments
As my Globe story today says, the project at public hearing tonight from Wall Financial represents the city’s new solution to creating social housing. Wall Financial is proposing a building at 955 East Hastings that consists of two floors of industrial space in the old Alex Gair building, and 352 condos, of which 70 will […]
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Community finally rises up to protest imminent destruction of bowling alley, Ridge Theatre on Arbutus
October 13th, 2012 · 117 Comments
I’ve been wondering if anyone cared about the plans to raze the corner of 16th and Arbutus, home for decades to the Ridge Theatre and theVarsity Ridge Bowling Centre. It got sold to Cressey Developments in June 2011 for $15,584,701, in a move that surprised some, since it seemed as though the theatre and bowling […]
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Almost everything you have read or heard so far about the Vancouver’s task force on housing affordability is misleading, off-base or just wrong
October 11th, 2012 · 63 Comments
I have seen some strange media circuses in my life, but the one that happened the last two weeks — as people attempted to report on the final report from the housing affordability task force — was one of the weirder ones in the annals of communications. I will attribute some of this fiasco to […]
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Why do people on Point Grey Road get to have the speed limit lowered and no one else in the city does?
October 11th, 2012 · 16 Comments
Another scintillating question and even more scintillating answer on City Plumber re the ever-troublesome question of traffic and the city.
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Main Canada Post building downtown now up for sale, to dismay of heritage advocates
October 9th, 2012 · 57 Comments
My story today about the Canada Post building at Georgia and Hamilton/Homer now being on the market. Besides the issues identified in the story, this also has implications for the Vancouver Art Gallery. The gallery had been asked to explore other options for a new site, besides the Larwill Park site two blocks away that […]
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Impending end of federal research project on homelessness has many fearing 300 of the city’s most troubled will go back to square one
October 8th, 2012 · 22 Comments
Former senator Michael Kirby managed to get $110 million through the Mental Health Commission of Canada to put into studying the best strategies for getting homeless people back into housing and a stabilized life. It’s a project that could potentially point the way to answers for many countries. Five cities participated in that study, Vancouver […]
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Lawsuit between Vancity and former vice-president ripples the waters of Vancouver’s small circle of social-enterprisers
October 8th, 2012 · 57 Comments
The lawsuit that has been filed by former Vancity senior vice-president David Berge against his ex-employer is hard to fathom, pitting, as it does, people who have normally been part of a small world unified in their aim to approach business, development and the environment in a different way from the usual corporate capitalist model. […]
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Vancouver’s bike-lane-friendly council gets support from Point Grey Road residents who want traffic chaos reduced
October 3rd, 2012 · 90 Comments
There’s been a lot of talk over the years about a bike route along Cornwall and Point Grey Road. Former NPA councillor Peter Ladner was an early proponent. The city’s current map of future bike-route plans identifies it as a key connecting route from the already bike-ified Burrard Bridge out to the west side. Now, […]
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