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Entries from January 2016

No Senator Sam

December 22nd, 2008 · 21 Comments

Prime Minister Harper’s appointments have just been announced and, in spite of rampant speculation from some that former mayor Sam Sullivan would be on the list, no such thing. The B.C. choices are Nancy Greene Raine, MLA Richard Neufeld (whew! won’t have to go through that May election) and Yonah Martin, a 43-year-old teacher, former […]

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Debate over NPA future rages

December 22nd, 2008 · 4 Comments

Boy, I thought everyone would be out slogging through the snow to get their Christmas shopping done the last few days, but apparently pondering the future of the city’s Non-Partisan Association took precedence. Anyway, check out the comments under my last post, where some former directors like Paul Barbeau and Alex Tsakumis are weighing in. […]

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The NPA renewal team

December 18th, 2008 · 24 Comments

Who will lead the Non-Partisan Association out of its current wilderness? Here’s the list of people who want to. They’ll have quite a job ahead of them, after the second self-destruct in six years. The question for many is what message they can find to bring back the people who either switched to Vision or […]

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An early report on Vancouver homeless efforts

December 18th, 2008 · 6 Comments

From: Graves, Judy Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:44 AM To: [Removed] It looks like you have had unprecedented success with the expanded shelter openings. It has been well over a decade since there have been so few people sleeping rough in the DTES overnight during Extreme Weather. The whole area was quiet, very few […]

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York Theatre gets the density save it needs

December 18th, 2008 · 10 Comments

I just passed through city hall briefly, where there was a lot of crying and hugging going on in the aftermath of council’s unanimous decision to give the York Theatre whatever it needs to cover all the renos it needs to be functional  — that will be not just density bonusing, but also maybe cash […]

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The team behind Gregor Robertson

December 18th, 2008 · 2 Comments

One of my blog readers reminded me that I forgot to link to this story I had in the Globe lately on the team behind our new mayor: Mike Magee, Bob Penner, Joel Solomon et al. Here you go, for your reading pleasure on a snowy day. Oops, realized after I posted this that the […]

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Tags: City Hall Talk

Robertson and Campbell burned the phone lines to get deal

December 17th, 2008 · 1 Comment

The fast agreement between Premier Campbell and Mayor Robertson that led to yesterday’s announcement of 200 new shelter beds points to a willingness between the two to work around the clock to get things done, as I found out for my Globe story today.

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The first council meeting sets the stage for three years

December 17th, 2008 · 13 Comments

I really think there should have been a sports commentator at today’s first meeting of the new Vision-controlled council. Or several really, to handle the various rounds that ensued as council proceeded through the many motions put forward to kickstart the Vision agenda. We could have started with one of those hushed-voice golf types for […]

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Olympic village review will look at city’s options for project

December 16th, 2008 · 4 Comments

More on what the review by KPMG will provide answers to, with lots of comments by new councillor Geoff Meggs.

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First working council meeting tomorrow; apartment owners on red alert

December 16th, 2008 · 10 Comments

Who needs It’s a Wonderful Life or Miracle on Whatever Street as pre-Christmas entertainment, when Vancouver’s new dust-busting council is on the go? Tomorrow will be the first council meeting with real business and a chance to see Dr. Penny Ballem in the city manager’s chair. In the meantime, Vision councillors have a raft of […]

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