Sorry, I’m falling down on the job in getting those internal memos out there fast enough. I got this last Thursday and here it is at last.
From: Ballem, Penny
To: [deleted]
Sent: Thu Mar 04 16:01:48 2010
Subject: For your info – this is going to council tonight pb

I would like to provide you with an update on [...]

[Read more →]

An announcement about the hiring of another staffer for the mayor at 12th and Cambie going out shortly, this one for Lara Honrado. That brings the number of people working in the mayor’s office to four. Here’s the bio going out. Interesting how important the Filipino community has become in municipal politics here.
Lara Honrado is [...]

[Read more →]

I know it’s hard to pay attention to this kind of thing when our whole city is in major uproar mode and 800 staff are currently enjoying the sunshine out at various Olympics sites, but …
Interesting to note that hiring seems to have picked up at the hall. There are currently 19 positions posted, including [...]

[Read more →]

Several sources have notified me that Melina Scholefield, the one-time manager of the city’s sustainability group, is packing it in at city hall.
(Here’s the official blurb on her job:
Melina Scholefield
Manager of Sustainability
Melina manages the Sustainability Group, a branch of the City dedicated to climate protection, green architecture, active transportation, sustainable [...]

[Read more →]

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 [...]

[Read more →]

You can tell it’s a serious economic crisis when even the Vancouver police are cutting back on . But that’s what’s being proposed, along with some serious choices at the library and elsewhere as everyone buckles down for the storm. The budgets for some of those departments were made public or were at least talked [...]

[Read more →]

Our two-term councillor and recent mayoral candidate went to Cuba for the 50th anniversary of La Revolucion — a return trip after a visit in 1970, where Peter Ladner had the dubious pleasure of staying in the same hotel as FLQ refugees, if I’m recalling the story he told me correctly.
Always great to get postcards [...]

[Read more →]

This just arrived on my doorstep, from a clearly unhappy city employee not thrilled with the removal of employee parking, which has been traded for bus passes et all.
rom:   COV Broadcast Server
Sent:   Wednesday, April 08, 2009 3:26 PM
To:     City Hall Campus Staff – DL; Sustainability Group Staff – DL; SEFC Team [...]

[Read more →]

Lots of speculation about what is happening with the Burrard Bridge bike trial, which will involve closing two lanes of traffic. Councillor Geoff Meggs has a brief update on his blog here, but to add a few more details that I’ve heard from the inside.
City doesn’t want to start any trials until construction is finished [...]

[Read more →]

As the city prepares for a little Woodward’s opening ceremony tomorrow, the word has gone around at 12th and Main that the lucky departments being considered for a transfer into the city’s space at Woodward’s are cultural planning, social planning and housing.
That’s not sitting too well with many of them (about 35 people in all), [...]

[Read more →]