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Entries from January 2016

First court ruling re community centres vs Vancouver park board goes in favour of the park board

October 29th, 2013 · 307 Comments

That’s the way it reads at first run-through. I await interpretation from the various legal experts out there. Here’s the judgment. COMMUNITYCENTRESVSPARKBOARD1  

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New coalition of neighbourhood groups demand more say in Vancouver city planning

October 26th, 2013 · 222 Comments

People concerned about the pace of development are not new to Vancouver. There’s been some discomfort almost since the day the city was founded about how rapidly it changes. Neighbourhoods agitated for more control in the big, bad, freeway-building ’60s. In 1996, former alderman Jonathan Baker, who is now part of the new TEAM party […]

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What would happen if Vancouver residents blocked all new density?

October 24th, 2013 · 101 Comments

Every development opposition person I meet always starts off by saying, “I’m not opposed to development but …” In some cases, I believe that’s true. In others, it’s more dubious. The more you try to get an answer on what IS acceptable (Not towers. Not low-rise apartment complexes. Not six-storey projects. Not stacked townhouses. Not […]

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New development in older neighbourhoods sparks new-style protest groups, questions about how to assess community opinion

October 16th, 2013 · 146 Comments

My feature piece last weekend is the beginning of a longer look at the anti-development groups, tactics, and messes around the Lower Mainland. People think Vancouver is the only place where residents are increasingly tense about new development. It’s not, as my story makes clear. (And, after I published, a group in Port Moody also […]

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Vancouver, Surrey still struggling to get homeless numbers down — keeping them from going up is the measure of success so far

October 10th, 2013 · 109 Comments

Vancouver council heard all about the latest numbers on homelessness and new housing this week. (Breaking news: The city just bought the Ramada on East Hastings for some dollar amount that we media scum were told we’d get but it hasn’t been provided yet.) The positive: 480 people who went to winter shelters the last […]

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The food-truck revolution enters Phase 2: Grim reality, hard road to success, and a search for ways to make money off the street

October 2nd, 2013 · 135 Comments

Food trucks and bike shares, the trendiest urban movements of the 21st century. They’re perfect, right? Well, they are great. I’m a huge fan of both. But that doesn’t mean all is bluebirds of happiness in paradise. (Now there’s one weird mixed metaphor.) For my latest Vancouver magazine column, I went out and took a […]

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