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Vancouver city planner sees term ended by Vision council

January 31st, 2012 · 45 Comments

My news of the day, which started circulating among developers and architects last week: city planning director Brent Toderian being told his contract is being terminated. Council is supposed to vote on it in camera today, but it’s widely known among those close to city hall. Here’s the profile I did of Brent a few […]

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Robertson, Vision high in polls but vulnerable over homelessness, bike lanes

September 7th, 2010 · 29 Comments

In keeping with my sense that the civic-election campaign has already started, more than a year from the election, here’s some news from the polling front. This poll from Barb Justason confirms that Vision and Gregor Robertson are still riding high with the public. But, in spite of that strength, she says there are signs […]

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Sam Sullivan: Governor-General?

April 10th, 2010 · 14 Comments

My friend Peg Fong has a nice scoop in the Toronto Star today, with sources talking to her about the possibility of former mayor Sam Sullivan being considered for Governor-General. The Star’s big story last week, also based on sources, was that Rick Hansen had been approached about the post and had turned it down. […]

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Vancouver’s former head of sustainability back for free lecture

April 7th, 2010 · 4 Comments

SFU’s always-great City Program has another interesting lecture coming up, this one by Thomas Osdoba, the former sustainability manager in Vancouver. Those who think the recent firing of the city’s chief electrician was odd should refresh their memories about what happened with Osdoba, who was fired by then-city manager Judy Rogers after a lot of […]

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NPA makes a move to get more members

August 24th, 2009 · 9 Comments

Vancouver’s Non-Partisan Association sent out a notice late last week saying it plans to lower its membership fee from $20 to $10 a year, in an apparent move to compete with Vision Vancouver’s successful membership drive that brought in 17,000 new members last year at as low as $5 apiece. This seems to be part […]

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Vancouver’s car-free days admired from afar

June 25th, 2009 · 4 Comments

This story from the Toronto Star, praising Vancouver’s car-free days and Toronto’s lack of same, popped up on my screen today. It’s ironic given the debate that keeps raging in this city about changing the current proportions of the car-bike-walker sharing system. It reminds me forcibly of the way it’s so easy to praise from […]

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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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Mayor’s comments about departing bureaucrats rile many

April 28th, 2009 · 32 Comments

Mayor Gregor Robertson’s comments that city hall bureaucrats are leaving because they can’t handle the pace of his aggressive agenda are really kicking up a s**storm. The comments, for those who haven’t seen them, are in Jeff Lee’s story in the Sun here and the mayor said substantially the same thing to me, which will […]

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Campaign finance disclosures: Louie and DeGenova

April 10th, 2009 · 14 Comments

I apologize that it’s taken me so long to put this up, but here, at last, are the campaign finance disclosures that mayoral candidates Raymond Louie and Allan DeGenova filed with Vision Vancouver. (My late-night struggles with blog technology are finally paying off.) They aren’t available at the city clerk’s office because the city clerk […]

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Tags: 2008 Vancouver Civic Election

The $5-million civic election comes to Vancouver

March 13th, 2009 · 8 Comments

Not all the financial disclosures are in yet — still waiting for many of the Non-Partisan Association candidates — but there’s now enough in to show that the spending reached unbelievable new levels. Vision Vancouver spent almost $2 million, as I report in the Globe this morning. (The documents will be filed with the city […]

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