The MSM (mainstream media) has taken a beating in recent years, as everyone from the far right to the far left to the far centre takes a run at everything they do wrong. But they do some things right, thanks to the dedication of many journalists who see their work as more than just a [...]

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I spent a lot of time in Richmond in the late 1970s and the 1980s. I worked as a commercial fisherman with boats based in Steveston for several years, had a set of relatives there and took my son to Suzuki violin classes every week for more years than I care to remember. It was [...]

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My assignment: Compare and contrast the annual general meetings of Vancouver’s two major political parties, the Non-Partisan Association, once all-powerful, now hunting for its way forward, and Vision Vancouver, the new ecocapitalist party, still riding high on its 2008 win. (Someone once said being a journalist is like having homework the rest of your life. [...]

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This little story just keeps going on. Latest info here.

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On the off chance that you’ve decided that you’d rather be inside a small room with a bunch of diehard political junkies talking about party governance  than channel-surfing, tonight (Wednesday, April 28) is your lucky night. Both of the two main civic parties in Vancouver are holding their annual general meetings. The Non-Partisan Association, which [...]

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Every time I drive around the region, I’m jolted again by some new architectural trend even more hideous than the last one in this city that is allegedly the envy of the world. Each new version of the archetypal Vancouver special is so spectacularly more ghastly than the last one — decorative glass doors! wedding-cake [...]

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Until last week, I had only heard the rapid-transit line from Commercial to Broadway referred to as the Millennium Line extension. TransLink seems to be calling it now either the Broadway Line or the UBC Line. We know those names will be replaced at some point with something more brand-y. How about suggestions? And we [...]

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There has already been a lot of information and discussion posted here and elsewhere about TransLink’s early planning for the Broadway Line. Here’s my Globe story today, which has a bit more reaction and commentary from various observers and TransLink’s new planning guy, Mike Shiffer, the public point man on this.

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Date: April 21, 2010 To: NEWSROOMS SUBJECT: UBC Line Open Houses Hi there! There’s a fair bit of interest in the public consultation open houses for the Broadway West-UBC rapid transit plan.  Could you please let your viewers/listeners/readers know the dates and times of the five sessions? Thurs. Apr. 22 UBC Student Union Bldg., 2nd [...]

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This internal memo was passed on to me recently, a decision by the Vancouver planning department that a proposal for a new tower added to the existing Beach Towers complex is not going to be allowed to go ahead. One less sore point for the West End. April 19,2010 Martin Bruckner IBI/HB Architects 700 – [...]

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