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Bike share: Coming to Seattle, delayed in San Francisco, doubted in New York — someday in Vancouver?

April 6th, 2014 · 30 Comments

It really takes a full-time national reporter to stay on top of the bike-share thing, with all the various news events. Among them in the past month: – Montreal got four offers for the international arm of Bixi recently, but decided none were good enough. – The City of Montreal will provide enough money ($4.3 […]

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The mystery of Vancouver’s lopsided houses and lumpy streets in Mount Pleasant — it’s all because of the Tea Swamp

January 2nd, 2014 · 8 Comments

I’ve been wanting to do a feature for 20 years on this strange chunk of the city known as the Tea Swamp, ever since I first started the city beat. Sadly, I missed the opportunity to photograph and write about the crazy house (on Prince Edward, on the north side of the lane between 16th […]

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Vancouver development permit board approves new casino site, mayor says will take extra precautions to ensure no gambling expansion

December 16th, 2013 · 23 Comments

In case anyone was wondering, this just out: Statement from the Mayor on relocation of casino       I have been very clear that I am opposed to any expansion of gambling in the City of Vancouver. Today’s decision by the Development Permit Board ensures that the proponent will have to align operations with […]

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Vancouver bike-news day: Bike-share contract reached; plan for Point Grey Road laid out

July 18th, 2013 · 169 Comments

Oh brother, here we go, the bike debates. But can’t avoid it, as that seems to be the week’s news. Here’s my story on the city report re agreement with Alta Bicycle Share on the new public-bike share system. Still some news to come on this, as we don’t know who the sponsors will be. […]

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Retired from city hall but not gone: The woman who made all us of see the homeless as people

May 31st, 2013 · 12 Comments

Vancouver’s official advocate for the homeless had her last day at city hall Thursday, along with her birthday. My story about her in the Globe is here but I wanted to add a few words. I started covering city hall for the Vancouver Sun in the fall of 1994 (when I was a toddler, of […]

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Vancouver continues to “solve” its affordability problem by going littler and littler

January 4th, 2013 · 67 Comments

The little house, the little apartment — they’re all I’m hearing about these days. Laneway houses continue to be popular. At last count, there were 600 that had been processed at city hall. Micro-suites have come to Surrey. Coquitlam is letting people build multiple-units on single-family lots. Some of this is welcomed, I think. We’ve […]

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Vancouver about to kick off a rent bank to reduce homelessness

March 21st, 2012 · 8 Comments

Like Surrey, Prince George and Toronto, Vancouver is about to start a small rent bank, kicking in $150,000 of the total cost, with $350,000 coming from Streetohome, the private-sector group working on homelessness, and others. The bank is aimed at helping prevent homelessness by providing small loans to people to help them get or retain […]

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The death of a Vancouver food-truck operation a cause for grieving in this foodie city

March 9th, 2012 · 28 Comments

The announcement by Coma Food Truck operator Jay Cho that he is winding up operations tomorrow provoked an outpouring of eating and grief this week by his many fans. Cho is giving up because he didn’t get selected for a permanent spot for the second year in a row. Although he seems to be successful […]

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Two cities, two rapid-transit lines, a world of differences

August 15th, 2010 · 12 Comments

As promised, the first of my two stories in the Globe Saturday. This a comparison of the rapid-transit lines in Seattle and Vancouver, both celebrating a one-year anniversary this summer but with very different histories and outcomes. I know this has already generated some comments elsewhere but for those who missed them …

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Beautiful Seattle transit line gets one-fifth the ridership of Canada Line

July 5th, 2010 · 32 Comments

As some of you may know already from following my twitter posts, I was in Seattle for the last few days. (Thanks to all the enthusiasts for keeping the blog lively while I was playing hooky.) Besides paying no tax on anything I bought there, as a result of the state’s controversial (and now court-challenged) […]

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