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Entries from January 2016

New shelter for women and children opened at 625 Powell

November 30th, 2009 · 2 Comments

Just back from the announcement about the new emergency shelter opening in the Downtown Eastside, an unusual one in that the building and cost of renos were donated by mainly by businesses, with the provincial government providing the money to run the shelter. AND all the permits and work got done in a miraculous seven […]

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New round of shelter openings in Vancouver

November 30th, 2009 · 7 Comments

The little bird from city hall (aka news release)  just told me that Mayor Gregor Robertson and Housing Minister Rich Coleman will be opening a new shelter for women in the Downtown Eastside this morning. This is the first of what you can expect to be several announcements along with line, as the city negotiates […]

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Illegal campaign donations put Summerland council in limbo

November 27th, 2009 · 3 Comments

Great story here just up from Daphne Bramham at the Sun on the problem of illegal donations in Summerland. This isn’t the only council afflicted with this problem, but it sounds like this council has the biggest one.

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Park and library cuts decided, while Vancouver foregoes parking revenue

November 26th, 2009 · 16 Comments

Here’s the Vancouver Sun’s recap of last night’s difficult park and library board meetings (though unfortunately doesn’t specify the third park board commissioner who voted against the cuts). Also a little confusing, as Loretta Woodcock says there are sponsors willing to fund the petting zoo and conservatory, but Ian Robertson makes it sound as though […]

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Tags: City Hall Talk

Library board meeting: Hours reduced at central and branches, Riley Park closes?

November 25th, 2009 · 8 Comments

This just in from the communications staff at the library, who apparently don’t sleep. LIBRARY BOARD SETS 2010 BUDGET PRIORITIES (Vancouver, British Columbia) – Vancouver Public Library Board of Trustees this evening proposed to reduce operating hours at some Library branches, reduce staffing, collections and administrative budgets and to further discuss with City Council a […]

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Party mood NOT, as cuts knock city hall, library, parks off balance

November 25th, 2009 · 27 Comments

As people are currently lined up tonight at park board and library board meetings, desperately trying to save parts of the system on the chopping block, I also got a note from the wife of a city hall employee about the sense of anxiety prevailing there. Please see it pasted below. All of which makes […]

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Woodward’s goes to New York

November 25th, 2009 · 14 Comments

There’s no more exciting moment for some people in this town than when Vancouver hits the New York Times. Here’s the latest, a huuuuge article on Woodward’s.

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What are green jobs anyway?

November 24th, 2009 · 35 Comments

As anyone not currently dead knows, one of the mantras at Vancouver city hall these days is that Green Jobs are the Economic Future. That has a few insiders scratching their heads, wondering what the heck green jobs mean anyway, as opposed to, say, just jobs that pay money. Mayor Gregor Robertson really lights up […]

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Relentless champion, Art Cowie, dies

November 23rd, 2009 · 11 Comments

For those not reading other blogs, the sad news came over the weekend that Art Cowie died. Cowie, a one-time TEAM councillor during the new wave that swept in to town in the 1970s, was a tireless advocate for having the city try new housing forms. That didn’t win him many friends on the west […]

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Goodbye to my friend Sandy Korman

November 22nd, 2009 · 22 Comments

Goodbye to my friend, Sandy Korman I went to the Kootenays this week, a part of the vast province outside our little urban corner that we often forget. It was beautiful, as it has been every time I’ve gone there for the past 26 years. The deep  cobalt-green mountains that enclose Castlegar in its narrow […]

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