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Entries from January 2016

What’s wrong with giving away journalism content?

May 18th, 2009 · 17 Comments

I haven’t bothered to wade too far into the fray over whether journalism is dead, as so many people have been filling up bandwidth and killing trees to opinionate on the issue. But one issue I haven’t seen thrashed out is the argument I frequently read in (gasp – paper editions of ) journalism magazines […]

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Vancouver moves to “open source” government

May 15th, 2009 · 9 Comments

I had a story in the Globe this morning about the Vision Vancouver council’s move to promoting open-source government, which is already generating quite a buzz in certain nerdy info-tech circles to judge by my Google alerts. Ironically, the Globe had a glitch that prevented several stories in the B.C. edition from getting posted to […]

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Toronto gets $1b for light rail, more fodder for SkyTrain-rail debate

May 15th, 2009 · 9 Comments

In case you didn’t see it, this story about a federal/provincial billion for light rail in Toronto appeared on the Globe’s website this morning. Interesting that Mayor David Miller is advocating for light rail there, in light of the ongoing debate we have here in B.C. about whether TransLink should continue to pour billions into […]

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City manager poem, many jokes to send off Vancouver’s housing director

May 14th, 2009 · 3 Comments

In the steady march of the 60s generation out of city hall doors the last couple of years, two more left or are leaving this month. One was Trish French, the scarily smart senior planner who terrified more than one councillor, I am positive, with her incisive answers to their wandering questions. Her last day […]

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Reaction on VPD decision that it won’t lay charges in Olympic village leak

May 12th, 2009 · 12 Comments

Peter Ladner and Suzanne Anton are not impressed. That’s the politest way of putting their reaction to the news from the VPD this morning that no charges can be laid in the case of the missing Olympic village documents. Ladner can’t believe the police need people to agree to polygraph tests in order to complete […]

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No charges in purloined Olympic village document case

May 12th, 2009 · 9 Comments

Police announced this morning that they won’t be laying any charges in connection with the Olympic village documents that went missing last fall. They say it’s partly because some councillors declined to take a polygraphy test. As far as I can determine, that includes all the Vision councillors at the time — Raymond Louie, Tim […]

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Mere suggestion of towers in Chinatown brings out the forces

May 12th, 2009 · 38 Comments

Unbeknownst to most of you, there have been a number of workshops and open houses in what’s called Vancouver’s historic areas over the last few weeks to talk about potential height increases for those areas. City staff have asked the public to consider a few options, which they’ve graphically illustrated in a kind of cool […]

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Cities brace for the aftermath of the election and real budget numbers

May 11th, 2009 · 5 Comments

I got a copy of a letter last week from the Fraser Valley Regional Library board that expressed an anxiety felt by many out there. It began: Over the past few weeks the Board of Fraser Valley Regional Library, along with other libraries across the province were concerned to hear rumors over possible significant reductions […]

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Vancouver needs a pedestrian advocate, says SFU prof

May 8th, 2009 · 61 Comments

Just had lunch with SFU urban-studies program director Anthony Perl, who was beyond dismayed with council’s decision to opt for a one-lane bike trial Thursday. Perl says he’s now come to believe the city needs an advocate for pedestrians, as exists on Portland’s city planning staff, since they are the group that now has to […]

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Peter Ladner’s impressions of Cuba: great health, services, crippled economy

May 8th, 2009 · 6 Comments

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 […]

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Tags: City Hall Talk