As council comes up to a vote on where to go with laneway houses this Thursday, my look here at their popularity in Vancouver and elsewhere. There are many issues I didn’t address in this story that I have elsewhere (complaints about the sizes of some of the larger ones, the outsize city fees that [...]

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Doug sent me this photo and message about the (incendiary) Hornby bike lane today, which I’m posting somewhat against my better judgment, as every cycling post here seems to reignite the cyclical and never-resolved Hundred Years War. About noon on Halloween day, the last concrete was poured for the separated Hornby St bikeway lane.  I [...]

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Didn’t put this up yesterday, but here’s my story on the announcement about the big tower development for Burrard on the current Pattison Toyota site. As I note in my story, although the development is mostly condo, it also has 200,000 square feet of office space because the developers (Pattison, who owns part of the [...]

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Rob Ford, the un-PC guy from the burbs, is the new mayor of Toronto, in case you didn’t know. Start reading here. In the meantime, the party that is hoping to shake Vision Vancouver and Gregor Robertson off their perches in Vancouver are looking for who should lead them into battle. They have no one [...]

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While everyone is fighting over towers in the West End and in Marpole, I discovered almost by accident last week that there’s a significant new development planned for Main and Kingsway when I dropped in to the urban design panel. Unbeknownst to I think many people, the much-praised firm of Acton Ostry has been designing [...]

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An object lesson for the 2011 election here in Vancouver (and elsewhere) is what Naheed Nenshi promised Calgary voters that swept them off their feet: Fiscal responsibility, a good business climate, and safety, plus bike lanes, transit, basement suites, sustainability, walkability, culture, libraries, and more. You can check it out here. That’s actually what everyone [...]

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First, before any analysis whatsoever of the Non-Partisan Association dinner last night — the gathering of the faithful who support Vancouver’s venerable centre-right party — I have to ask this. Look at this picture below and tell me who you think this person — currently involved in Canadian civic politics — is. No, not the [...]

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The Non-Partisan Association is getting into gear this week for next year’s election with a fundraising dinner — an event they used to hold every year but which was noticeable by its absence last year. The event, starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Italian Cultural Centre (see you there!), should be a good sign [...]

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Remember back in 2005 when the Non-Partisan Association made killing the Burrard Bridge bike lane one of its major campaign planks? It loooked last week as though NPA councillor Suzanne Anton was gearing up for a repeat of that, when she rescinded her vote on the Hornby bike lane. But is that really what’s happening? [...]

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This just out.   The City of Vancouver today announced the selection of Amanda Pitre-Hayes as its new Director of Sustainability.   With 18 years of experience in leadership roles at the Pembina Institute, Vancity, Citizens Bank of Canada and the Body Shop Canada, Ms. Pitre-Hayes brings to the City innovative environmental and business practices [...]

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