What happened in 2011 that most affected city dwellers?
Last week I discussed the Vancouver Courier's newsmaker story where six subjects – the riot, the hockey finals, the casino proposal, the election, the Occupy Vancouver encampment and social media influence – were shortlisted among as their top news subjects. They were all certainly headline grabbing topics for Vancouverites. But what about the region, or the rest of Canada? Why even stop there?
As someone who is extremely interested in the topic of cities, I'd like to know what the big story for 2011 was that affected cities, and why. I've begun to survey a number of local media and opinion leaders for their viewpoint on this question, asking that they provide a brief response (a couple of sentences will suffice) by the end of Tuesday, December 27th.
I appreciate that this is a challenging time of year to get anyone to focus their mind, which is why I've not set the bar very high. I'll take every response I get and compile it in a year-end blog post next week.
I invite readers also to contribute as well. Leave a comment below, or email me if you'd like. I'm very interested in what you all have to say.
Cheers, and best wishes for the upcoming holiday season.
- post by @MikeKlassen. Follow me and also follow Daniel @Fontaine_D on Twitter.
PDF 
green dust.
The Thought of The Night
“The biggest story of the 2011? The month of November stupefying of the Vancouver citizens.”
Or in plain English translation:
“You fooled me once in 2008, shame on you. You fooled me again in 2011, shame on the 18% that voted Vision, and shame on the rest of Vancouver that didn’t vote at all!
Merry Cross-Me-us, to all of you!
To the rest of you honest, working, citizens of Vancouver… Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJSprXxBoyo
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.
.. I think the biggest story that affected cities in 2011 was (and still is) democracy driving out dictatorship… several of the biggest dictators in the world were driven out by the citizens they oppressed .. now it will be interesting to see if the dictators conveniently disguised as leaders of democracy will be next.
PeaceOut…
lol let it go GR.
Biggest story? Globally it would have to be the events in Egypt etc… The social media aspect and the role large public spaces played.
In Vancouver, I think the biggest issue that will have the biggest impact on our city is the Cambie Plan. Ironically one of the most under-reported plans, it will dramatically transform a group of neighbourhoods from one end of the city to the other.
Okay, let me translate a little. Julia thinks that being ‘green’ was the biggest city story of 2011. You may not be far off. Is it real or is it greenwashing as some surmise?
Glissy has issues with the outcome of the election. You’re not alone in that obviously. What does it mean when almost all incumbents across Metro were re-elected? I’ve already heard from others on this subject. Fewer than one in five eligible voters elected Vision to run Vancouver, for example. Worth discussing.
Wendy also thinks that democracy and governance – albeit on the global stage – is a top issue. How can cities be governed better?
Boohoo says there is a big shift happening on the Cambie corridor, one that the public has little understanding about. Are we prepared for this change? It’s something I think about a lot over in my Fraser Street neighbourhood, which is evolving in a less radical way.
Thanks for your comments so far. Keep them coming.
Boohoo, you are right about Cambie but my guess is it is too late to do much about it. We are a year in to it and the horse has left the barn.
Existing businesses will be totally destroyed because of tax increases, Speculative developers may or may not get caught overspending on land, home owners that are selling to those speculative developers are going to laugh all the way to the bank and the citizens of Vancouver will get some density along Cambie – as you say, from one end to the other.
Will the end justify the means – hard to say.
Mike, nothing is happening at the hall unless it comes in some form of green wrapper. Paint it green if you have to… but that is the magic word, regardless of cost, regardless of whether it is actually green in the end and regardless of whether it is actually going to make a ‘problem’ go away. I am still waiting to understand what a green job is.
Yes Julia who could forget the green dust. http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20110614/documents/a2.pdf
I’d very much contradict you boohoo,
the biggest impact on this city (because I think this is what Glissy was referring to, and not the world, like you Vision Globalists)was/is/will be Vision reelection and their Puppet Mayor.
That’s all the little things that are going to affect you on a personal level are going to come from… not from Egypt, or Libya, you fool…
So you ask me, Vancouver Election results will have the biggest impact on life, priorities, expenditure for ALL Vancouver citizens.
I really don’t care much if the North Pole is losing one inch of ice this season, Mother Nature, what can you do? Billions of years of interglacial back and forth… but I already know that Andrea Reimer’s priorities are there already… only after that, we’ll discuss, school closures, community centers fee increases, parking fee hikes, more empty bike lanes, see what I mean, boohoo?
So please sit down, and relax your friends are in the bread.
You make me laugh, buddy!
And it appears there is no end in sight.http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnewstt_news=4749&tx_ttnewsbackPid=983&cHash=53fbcf0c81
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1487&tx_ttnewstt_news=4749&tx_ttnewsbackPid=983&cHash=53fbcf0c81
“the biggest impact on this city (because I think this is what Glissy was referring to, and not the world, like you Vision Globalists)”
Ned,
You had me until the above. I thought you might be disagreeing with me and have some interesting rationale or reason why. I was clearly wrong.
The question posed by Mike in the article:
‘They were all certainly headline grabbing topics for Vancouverites. But what about the region, or the rest of Canada? Why even stop there?’
and subsequent replies were discussing international events. Notice how I gave my opinion for that, and for the local issues? I notice you cherry picked that out and ignored it so you could create your stupid strawman.
If civil discourse is too much for you, so be it. If neatly pegging me as something to fit your narrow view of the world makes you happy, so be it. But don’t insult me with your tired, childish, petty, ignorant ‘vision globalist’ bullshit personal insults. I’m bloody tired of it. I’m tired of getting hacked on this blog, labeled as everything under the sun and when asked for a single shred of evidence to back it up the blog goes dead quiet.
Why is that?
Boohoo, does that mean you are going to take your ball and go home?
There are global and national issues that can be discussed on global and national blogs. The question was local. Face it, it may not be sexy but civic politics is the focus of this blog.
Get with the program.
The Thought of The Nighty Night
“Baby Steps. First, we make sure we don’t carry dog shit on our shoes inside the store. Then, we go adopt a Bear Cub in the Interior.”
Ned,
LMAO! You shouldn’t have, but Thanks!
boohoo,
Actually, the definition “Vision Globalists” was pretty funny, can’t deny that! And Ned was right on. I wasn’t tackling the Big Global picture in my comment, naah, I was staying local, my 30 Miles Diet thingy. Why should I bother with that when we have so many thirsty activists/ advocates in town, to do just that for all of us… not that anyone asked them to do it!
Mike intro was:
“Last week I discussed the Vancouver Courier’s newsmaker story where six subjects – the riot (LOCAL), the hockey finals (LOCAL), the casino proposal (LOCAL), the election (LOCAL), the Occupy Vancouver encampment (LOCAL) and social media influence (LOCAL) – were shortlisted among as their top news subjects. They were all certainly headline grabbing topics for Vancouverites. But what about the region, or the rest of Canada? Why even stop there?(This to me sounded more like a RHETORICAL QUESTION…)”
But I give you that… still 6 to 1!
And as I said we don’t have to bother with the Global issues anymore ’cause we have paid mouthpieces, hired “locally” to do that for us… hmmm, something is not right!
Not a single boring moment when Reimer is around:
http://www.straight.com/article-567781/vancouver/speak-climate-reimer-urges-canada
And here’s my two kopecks on that:
“The Thought of The Night
“The Lady of Shallow is back in “business”, after a short spiritual constipation journey. Who knew, that a simple climate cleansing, can do that much, to a person?”
Advocates. Paper shufflers. Activists.
Small minded people trying to control others.The way other people speak, walk, fetch water, recycle, for goodness sake they even want us to take a dump the LEED AP way! Because… (and here comes the most arrogant statement of the human world) they-want-to-save-the-Planet!
Yes, they think the Planet needs their help to save itself…
Tell you what, you arrogant fools, if the Planet wants to get rid of us as troublemakers, she does a very good job. The way she does it, is so diverse, comes in different forms, shapes, waves… earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires, droughts… just ask around.
These people just want one thing, to control others. Period.
And having no right whatsoever, I may add.
With liberty, freedom of expression, comes … excess.
What are the new values? You guessed, “green values”!
“Enviro-values”, every kook and their dog can put it in a phrase “How do you like your hotdog? And, BTW, did you know that the relish it came with is environmentally friendly, fair trade, and it was never tested on animals?”
Yeah, I didn’t know that either!
This type of approach is an open invitation to Dictatorship Lite.
Whenever the Censorship grows, Democracy decreases.
But, like for any Vision apparatchik would tell you… Democracy, unless is Cubed, is of no value.
Don’t have to believe me.
Ask the Downtown Bear.”
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.
Again Julia, GR, you both seem to be conveniently ignoring the fact that I did give my opinion on the top story for local issues so you can make your little points.
As I quoted, Mike said, local, national, why stop there. As in greater than national. WendyF made a comment about intl events, I followed up.
Stop cherry picking posts ffs.
go back and read the post Boohoo. Mike was asking for VANCOUVER events that had local OR far reaching influence.
If you want to discuss international storied that affected Vancouver, by all means but please avoid the lectures until you learn how to read.
Julia,
Stop being a bloody clown. You already replied to my post regarding the Cambie corridor, why are you pretending I never mentioned that now?
I only brought up the intl events because the poster prior to me did, simple as that. Why aren’t you shitting on WendyF who only posted about intl events?
One of the biggest and unreported stories is one few people are willing to discuss: The White Flight from Vancouver, Richmond and increasingly West Vancouver (friends living there told me 75% of the houses around them were bought by Mainland Chinese in the last 18 months).
Such a demographic sea-change is unprecedented in most areas outside of a refugee crisis, yet mainstream media barely covers it. I was out in Langley last weekend and its obvious where the previous residents of the West Side have headed.
Now you can debate whether the issue has a “good or bad” side, but there’s no denying it exists.
Boohoo, Wendy does not act like an a$$ all the time – you do.
Does not matter what you say, you are never wrong, never out of line, never inappropriate, never off topic. Must be tough being so perfect.
Been called lots of things – never a clown. LOL
Brilliant, do you think it is more dramatic than 1986? We were having the same conversations then. Are we able to tell if these purchases are made by off-shore or Canadian Chinese? Without asking them directly or engaging in a conversation, I can’t tell. Can we tell the offshore Caucasian buyers from the local buyers? Hearing lots about europeans looking for safe places to park their cash.
Read an interesting article about the exodus of Chinese purchasers to the south side of Burnaby after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Apparently, Richmond is falling out of favour.
The issues surfaced by Occupy Vancouver.
The growing gap between rich and poor and the hollowing out of the middle class is going to dominate many conversations in the coming years. Can Vancouver, or the GVRD, do more to shape its economic future and the social relations that shape economies? Most of this has to do with how we relate to each other and the economic and investment decisions we make, so let’s not turn this into another round of partisan bickering.
Actually we ecofacists just want to stop subsidizing your (and our) addictions and we want people to pay real costs. You want to use a car, go ahead, but pay for all the space you consume, make sure that there is zero pollution (or negotiate to pay for the damage the pollution causes). Don’t assume that the rest of us should pay for you just because you got away with it in the past.
Someone told me (I have not verified this) that laneway houses have to include a parking space. How stupid is that. It should be the owner’s choice if they dedicate expensive space to cars when it could be used for gardens of housing.
So far I am happy to to have Robertson as mayor and not Anton, who campaigned as if she were a stooge for the Toronto right wing. I am sure she is not, and that she had bad advice during the campaign. But it was her decision to take the advice and run a negative campaign based on brain dead policy thinking.
I like to read. What are people’s top ten books about Vancouver – the books they would like everyone to have read so that we share more common stories and reference points?
Steve, I am hoping to unwrap The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver. How the book was finished after Chuck’s passing is enough to make me want to read it.
Dream City by Lance Berelowitz, and for a change of pace, Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman. The last 2 have been out there for quite some time but I enjoyed both.
@Steven Forth-How stupid would it be to pretend people suddenly don’t own a car because they live in a laneway house? All your plan would do would force those cars out onto a public street instead of a private yard. And its been said before, buts its really convenient for the ecoweenies that its hard to quantify the benefits of car ownership. How many Vancouver businesses survive because they can rely on cheaper labour living in the suburbs. Maybe you could volunteer to buy monthly transit passes for your employees.
Until we stop having seniors and those with disabilities living in our communities or sufficient jobs that people don’t have to commute or the ability to get your hockey gear on the bus and get to practice on time, I think we still need to consider 1 parking spot for those laneway houses.
In 10 years we can revisit the subject. Things might be different by then.
perhaps that is another subject worth consideration – the pace of change. The perfect Vancouver…and how some of us need to be open to change while others need to be patient for change to take place.
really, isn’t that the majority of our arguments around here? How much, how fast?
Julia,
I never said I was perfect or never wrong. Go back to my first post. Nothing controversial, nothing insulting, just my opinion on the global AND local topic as per the question asked by Mike.
I proceeded to get shit on and personally insulted for it. Sorry if that’s not cool with me.
Boohoo your insults and cheap shots in the other direction are not cool either – or are you oblivious to the tone of your writing style.
give it a rest.
Julia,
You yourself replied to my original post. You in fact said I was right and made a perfectly civil comment.
Now you’re just jumping on the bandwagon to slag me. Why is that?
If I’m so rude and offensive to you, please feel free to ignore me. Why you aren’t slagging Ned who personally insulted me out of the blue remains a mystery I suppose…
Boohoo, stop. Your constant revisiting of posts and rehashing conversation after conversation is exactly why you get push back. It is damn annoying. Learn from others that seem to get away with cheap shots – they know when to quit.
Sure Julia. I guess it is annoying to be called out for personal insults and cherry picked responses, isn’t it?
Steven,tsk, tsk, tsk…
Nobody called you an eco-fascist. Definitely not Glissando in his post, so why are you calling yourself… that? The WWII is 70 years removed from our days, but some people cannot let go of the propaganda! To appeal to the masses? To your Vision chosen gang?
LOL, Steven what’s your game, man? You come here day in, day out and preach your Vision mantra to the rest of us. No takers Steven? You’ve got no respect from any of us, and it hurts your feelings? What is it?
What would it take for you to see through the straw man Robertson? Does he needs to throw someone under the bus? The man was a DISASTER as an MLA, and as a Mayor, so Steven, please …! He is by far the most incompetent Mayor in the history of this city. Do you want me to read you the list of losses to the city during his stunt? …Anton? Bad choice perhaps for the NPA, but way better than Robertson. At least the woman said she wants to be the Mayor for the 100% of Vancouver not only for the 18% Hollyhock cronies, O-Ke-Doke?
And after stirring the crap with your little teaspoon, then you casually ask about my preferred Vancouver books …LOL!
I am also a Pinko Commie Cyclist, and proud of it thanks. Even getting a jacket made.
And as far as I can see Robertson has been a far better mayor than Sullivan. So I am pretty happy with the outcome of the election and am looking forward to the next three years.
I am not the only one that thought so. That is why we have elections.
I think this conversation needs some rum and Avalon eggnog. Might put us all in a better mood.
Hi Julia – I have no problem with people choosing to have a parking space in their laneway house. If that is how an owner wants to use space fine. My problem is being forced to do that with my own space.
Pouring myself one now! Thank you.
We do buy monthly transit passes for our employees, those that don’t cycle. And I would be in favour of requiring everyone to show that they have a parking space for their car and charging people who rely on on-street parking. I have no problem with people owning and using cars, would just like us all to pay the true costs.
I am hoping to find the Chuck Davis book under the tree too! I have read Dream City, and am going over to Amazon to look for Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman. Too bad I can’t walk down 4th and look for it in a bookstore. Two of my favourites are Tim Taylor’s Stanley Park and Story House. I plan to read Doug Coupland’s City of Glass one day. It is not exactly Vancouver but Daphne Marlatt’s Steveston is one of my favourite books.
“…six subjects – the riot, the hockey finals, the casino proposal, the election, the Occupy Vancouver encampment and social media influence – were shortlisted among as their top news subjects. They were all certainly headline grabbing topics for Vancouverites. But what about the region, or the rest of Canada? Why even stop there?
As someone who is extremely interested in the topic of cities, I’d like to know what the big story for 2011 was that affected cities, and why.
.. so .. since I interpreted Mike’s invitation to include cities anywhere .. I put forth my idea about the political landscape abroad .. which .. whether we like it not .. affects global policies and economy .. I personally found it inspiring that despite the attrocities committed against them by their leaders.. people took responsibility for the changes they wanted and did what it took to get them .. .. not a bad example to set for others in similar situations…
.. ..yeah ..I know .. my choice is a bit of a stretch .. but .. I think it’s extremely nearsighted to think that events of this nature do not affect us at the local level.. just because they don’t occur right under our noses…
.. on a more festive note.. grab your favourite brew and enjoy this funky celebration .. ..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9H9Fi4Qcus
Peace and Love
time to smile. Eat your heart out Glissy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obGjx8Hry3M&sns=em
Oh Julia,
ROTFLMAO….that was absolutely hysterical…thank you for the humorous escape..
The Thought of The Evening
“The Vancouver Book Club… the only Vision Free place in town. Classic Book? A book most Vision Councillors and Mayor would praise, quote from, but never read! They didn’t do it for three years, why start the self flagellation now…”
* Fish wrapper
** Your Cat Likes It More than You Do
*** Needs a Joint for Enjoyment
**** This one you have to own
***** Better than Sax,Flute,Clarinet
1. Nostalgia Category:
VANCOUVER PHOTOGRAPHS
Fred Herzog
*****
VANCOUVER REMEMBERED -
Michael Kluckner
****
VANCOUVER NOIR
Diane Purvey
****
2. Urban Design & Architecture Category:
RICHARD HENRIQUEZ
Richard Henriquez
*****
THE CHANGING CITY
John Atkin
**
DREAM CITY
Lance Berelowitz
***
3 History Redux Category:
AT THE WORLD ‘s EDGE: CURT LANG’s VANVOUVER
Claudia Cornwall
***
THE MAN WHO SAVED VANCOUVER
Daphne Sleigh
***
FACING HISTORY
Karen Love
***
4 MISCELLANEOUS Category:
VANCOUVER COOKS 2
Andrew Chef’s Table Society of BC
*** + Wine
FYI, I own all the above books and also read them too. The (*) Rating is mine.
Hmmmm…Re.
HISTORY OF METROPOLITAN VANCOUVER
Chuck Davis
***
I have one confession to make. I own the 1997 “Metropolitan Vancouver” curated and autographed by Chuck Davis. That one… I liked!
I wanted to buy this one too, but… it’s hard to convince myself to buy it and then get stuck with false facts and lying history(and with no fault from the author, but from the screwed politicians).
Let me explain:
On page 552, under one picture of Mayor Gregor sporting Intellectual Spectacles, it says:
“Mayor Gregor Robertson and a unanimous city council turn down the Edgewater Casino expansion, April 19, 2011″
Move forward…
Days before the launch of Chuck’s Book… “Vancouver city council voted Tuesday to approve a rezoning that would allow the Edgewater casino to move from its former site on False Creek to a planned hotel complex beside BC Place.”
http://www.straight.com/article-551026/vancouver/vancouver-not-vegas-group-demands-public-hearing-casino-relocation
See what I mean? Now, anybody wonders why Pharaoh Tutankhamun (sometimes called King Tut) was recorded as such a “great” leader, despite thousands of slaves dying while building his LEED Stone Pyramids? For goodness sake, by the time the pyramids were erected, the adulation stone tablets were already carved, indexed and displayed, for the public to see. What could a poor scribe carver do?
There! See how the history is made up on the go?
Other than that, Chuck’s book makes a fancy coffee table book, and a great present.
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.
PS.
Julia,
Yeah, funny, but… how do you find Charlie’s potpourri?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar9rqwmoYUs
Glissando,
Got my copy of Chuck’s book tonight…of course I rushed to page 552..sigh
But I cheered right up when I listened to Charlie sing his Carol…lol
Great list GR, thank you. I will pick up the ones I am missing and read them in 2012. Too bad I can’t buy them at a local bookstore.
Glissy, HaHoHo.
Oscars on Broadway might have the Herzog and Kluckner. Tanglewood (again, on Broadway near Fir) may have gently used copies of some of the older titles.
one more:
http://youtu.be/1ZveAyEMWJ0
Holiday TV Rituals Forge Strong Ties
Deep within all of us, there are holiday rituals that we cherish. From reuniting for family feasts to helping children bake cookies for Santa, these annual rites of the season bring people closer together. They also create memories that last long after the final Christmas presents have been opened.
That is especially true when loved ones sit down to watch their favourite holiday movies.
We all have youthful memories of Christmas Eves and New Year’s Eves spent huddled by the TV, wrapped in blankets and chomping popcorn as the magic of these films wafted off the screen.
There we sat, curled up with our parents, grandparents and siblings watching “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “A Christmas Carol,” and other black-and-white holiday classics of the 1940s and 1950s.
Sometimes the night’s bill included ’80s comedies like “A Christmas Story” or “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
Other times breezy romcoms like 2003′s “Love Actually” made the cut or Christmas fantasies like the 1947 film, “The Bishop’s Wife.” That’s not surprising. Who wouldn’t want Cary Grant, the heavenly messenger in “The Bishop’s Wife,” as their guardian angel at Christmas?
Whatever the film, this entertainment ritual has made generations feel safe, secure and connected to one another during this special time of the year.
It has also given millions of people around the world a sense of history and being part of a family…. continue
Merry Christmas!
.. continue..
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20111221/christmas-viewing-rituals-strengthen-bonds-111224/
eeek
Alas neither came under the tree. I have the exhibution catalog for the Herzog but feel I need to own the book. May go out and look today.
Back to Mike’s question, I interpreted it as being about Vancouver, and I think the issues and discontinuities surfaced by the Occupy movement are likely to dominate conversations in Vancouver in 2012. On the other hand (or is this related) there was a lot of talk ab out Cambie around the table at Christmas.
Steven, Cambie is the sleeping giant. I am not talking about just the visual impact of some 6 storey condos dotted along the corridor. I am talking about the carnage that will happen over the next 5 -7 years to those who currently live and do business in the area as they are faced with construction, soaring taxes and changing pedestrian and traffic patterns.
Canada Line was only round 1.
Norquay, Marpole are in a similar fix but at a smaller scale.
http://fairtaxcoalition.com/2011/11/cambie-street/
Can you say more about Norquay and Marpole? I lived in Marpole when I first moved to Vancouver at the end of 1988 and thought it had great potential as a neighbourhood and as a local business community.
Steven, they just approved a full redevelopment of the Safeway site. While that may eventually be a good thing for the community (added density, revite etc) the transition is the problem. I believe the Business Association has come out in support of the project in principle.
However, 2 things are going to happen
1)If you can believe this – the cost for the city to provide general services to a completed Safeway site will cost more than what is currently there now, but the revenue through taxation will be less because of our out of whack tax policy of having class 5 pay 4 times the rate of class 1. The shortfall will be distributed among remaining class 5/6 properties throughout the city (same as Cambie, same as Yaletown, etc.)
2) Valuation increases will kick in on adjacent properties even though nothing really has changed. The little coffee shop will be mid lease and be trapped in a huge spike in assessments (read property taxes) that he cannot escape because of his contractual obligations. Averaging will not save them.
I call all this collateral damage. Planners look at the current ‘problem’, they see the finished solution but nobody bothers to worry about what happens in between.
Thanks. I would like to hear other people’s thoughts on (i) better transition strategies and (ii) how we can better rebalance tax burdens.
Late to this thread, but as a follow-up to Brilliant’s post, did you notice in today’s (Tuesday) Sun, everyone in their crowd shots at the Boxing Day Sales was Asian! What’s up with that?
Nice list GLissando! Happy new year to you and all city caucus readers, mike and Daniel!
thank goodness someone out there is keeping retail afloat – I don’t care what nationality they are.
Cambie is a huge development that really needs a closer look,how many thousands of people will be plunked in at these different hubs? What is the cost to service this density increase and where is the employment for these new residents.All I see is low paying mercantile jobs in the area,most will have to commute to afford to live there.They propose %20 affordable housing,whatever that means,but in the same breath they say for an appropriate cash payment this %20 can be overridden. http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/cambiecorridor/resources/pdf/CambieCorridorPlan.pdf
gman, did you see any economic analysis in that document? I could not find any. Tax revenue vs. cost to service?
In the past I have heard Mr. Toderian suggest that is not his job.
Julia all I see is just a bunch of pretty pictures and buzz words like sustainable,carbon neutral and green.But on page 22-3.1 it says ” Estimates of population growth based on the Plan
indicate that the population in the study area could
increase from the current population of 21,500 to
approximately 35,000 by 2041″ that will almost double the density so I would think there will be a large upgrade to sewer, water and hydro.And im sure it wont be cheap.
Julia I dont know if this helps,its the DCL rates.I cant find any hard numbers but I know that if they expect a developer to build rental units they will have to waive DCL costs as an incentive,these costs will be passed onto taxpayers. http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/infobul1.pdf
this is what troubles me…
http://fairtaxcoalition.com/the-issue/the-hidden-cost-of-redevelopment/
Julia that is an eye opener and if you go to their “Hot Spots” section and see whats happened to the businesses who have already had to survive the canada line construction are faced with 400% tax increases.Massive rezoning can be a real killer and there is no guarantee when new construction will begin.Im afraid we are going to see more and more empty stores on Cambie.
You do know that roughly 67% of Vancouverites do not speak English as a first language (or at all) depending on whether they are here ‘as family’ and do not have to meet the same qualifications. Look to our medical costs for that one as well.
Caucasians in Vancouver are the new minority. And I wonder…where/who is my advocate and/or where is my ‘part of town’. Vision has given every so called minority their own ‘town’ – well, where is ‘cuacasian town’?
Julia, some of us do care. Selling retail is no different than selling out housing to the highest bidder. No different at all. And speaks to a lot of issues we are seeing in Vancouver.
You do know that roughly 67% of Vancouverites do not speak English as a first language (or at all) depending on whether they are here ‘as family’ and do not have to meet the same qualifications. Look to our soaring medical costs for that one as well.
Caucasians in Vancouver are the new minority. And I wonder…where/who is my advocate and/or where is my ‘part of town’. Vision has given every so called minority their own ‘town’ – well, where is ‘Caucasian’ town’?
Julia, some of us do care. Selling retail is no different than selling out housing to the highest bidder. No different at all. And speaks to a lot of issues we are seeing in Vancouver.
Max, I was born in Vancouver and I have witnessed first hand the ‘visual’ and social changes to our city. However, in my childhood, the bad guys were the refugees coming out of Europe that only spoke German. After that it was the Vietnamese, then the South Asian, now the Chinese.
I think we better get over the fact that us white folks do not own this town and we have the same advocates as everyone else.
It is almost 2012 and I can’t quite believe we are having this conversation.
My family, like many in Vancouver, is proudly mongerel. As is our family culture. At our holiday party we had about 100 people and sang in English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Farsee and Punjabi. There were also Czech, Mandarin, Cantonese and Haaka speakers, and people that spoke Thai, Vietnamese, Spanish and Coast Salish as second languages. I delight in a Vancouver that has no majority and where I can seek and find many different cultural experiences. Two books I would like to recommend: The Difference by Scott Page on the power of diversity http://www.amazon.com/Difference-Diversity-Creates-Schools-Societies/dp/0691138540/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325179212&sr=8-1 and The Spirit Level by Kate Pickett and Scott Wilkinson on the costs of disparities of wealth distribution http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Level-Equality-Societies-Stronger/dp/1608193411/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325179275&sr=1-1
If Vancouver were not a diverse city I would not want to live here.
Thank you Julia.
Julia:
It is a statement of fact.
My friend’s little mother (may she Rest in Peace) lived in Vancouver for roughly 50 – 60 years. She immigrated here from Mainland China.
She spoke a handful of English. Most of the time she would just smile and nod. She didn’t have to learn English as where she lived, where she shopped, where she dined, was all Chinese.
What I am trying to point out, is that by creating ‘pockets’ of ethnic areas, we are creating segregation. People don’t have to mingle or learn one of our two national languages as they have their own distinctive areas.
We have Little India, Chinatown, Japantown, Koreatown, and so on.
Canada is suppose to be ‘mulitcultural’ yet you have politicians in order to get ‘the vote’ separating the population.
Just as a side note Julia, I have been let out of jobs as I don’t speak Cantonese, Korean or Mandarin. Going through school I would never have dreamed language would have been an issue.
You have businesses setting up, and hate to say it, but they will hire in those that can communicate with their client base.
Case in point: There is a mine (Chinese owned) in BC bringing in 92 Asian workers as they claim, these positions cannot be filled locally. Now you want to tell me that nowhere in this province is a trained heavy equipment truck driver – rock trucks. We have out of work forestry workers that have multiple skill sets and yet we are pulling people in from another country. I have a problem digesting this.
Perhaps something for parents of small kids to consider when making school electives selections.
French, unless you are heading into a government job, is almost a waste of class hours. Kids are better off learning one of the Chinese languages or Spanish.
As a note: my grandparents were immigrants on both sides. Neither of my mom’s parents spoke a stitch of English when they came here, but they learned.
People now don’t seem to need to learn.
Where is the Japan town you refer to? There was one before the war but we know what happened to that.
I would be more concerned about your friend’s children than their mother. Are they fluent in English (and hopefully other languages)? Are they part of the emerging Vancouver culture?
In any case, we should let people choose where they want to live and not try to dictate this to them.
In regard to ” There is a mine (Chinese owned) in BC bringing in 92 Asian workers as they claim, these positions cannot be filled locally.” can you point out a link for this? If true it is certainly very questionable.
Personally I think we spend far too much effort on attracting foreign investment when we should be trying to create local pools of capital that invest locally. And we are better with bond and bank financing than we are with direct investment in our resources. We should look at the tax and policy issues that favor direct equity investment over other forms and at what is preventing local capital pooling and investment.
Stephen:
What is the emerging Vancouver culture?
You are going to need to provide me with a definition.
As for my friend, oddly enough, she speaks little to no Chinese and does not care to learn.
She does not identify herself as Chinese, she identifies herself as Canadian.
OK round eye,first we build you railroad,now you build us CITY!!!
Irish need not apply:>
Not sure if this is what Max was referring to,but if you go to Strategic Priority 4:page #14 the numbers are a lot higher than what Max used.We could also look at who built the Canada Line.
http://www.gov.bc.ca/jti/down/api_report_08_09_final.pdf
Im not giving an opinion either way,but the simple fact is that birthrates in the west are down to 1.7,that means our population is shrinking,I understand the Italian gov.started paying Italians to have more children.
@Julia: “I can’t quite believe we are having this conversation”
Why is that? What are the benefits of the current situation? Usually you get some throwaway answer like “we’re so cosmopolitan now” What does that mean and what is the inherent benefit? Is it something like “thank God I can get decent siu mai, even though I can no longer afford a house?
Here is a 2006 link on what is happening across Europe with birthrates.I dont know if they are still able to afford it in their present economic situation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4837422.stm
My vote for story of the year is when Mike Klassen appeard on world famous blog Don’t Dad: http://seanorr.tumblr.com/post/14997331762/lets-not
@Sean Orr
I’m not really sure of the point of that? Personally I thought it was a classy move on Mike’s part, not just wanting to engage voters at election time. I’m hoping he tries again in 2014.
LOL guys!
Julia…
“thank goodness someone out there is keeping retail afloat – I don’t care what nationality they are. ”
Abnd this kind of approach is EXACTLY why Vancouver will never see Affordable housing any time soon. Realtors, developers,and city officials do not give a crap on where their profits/ or inflated salaries come from/ or are paid by. Period. Same as retailers.
Steven Forth…
“In any case, we should let people choose where they want to live and not try to dictate this to them.”
No shiat? But that’s exactly what your Vision pals and your fav Da Mayor wants to dictate on the Vancouverites. You know, they know what’s best for the rest of us, and that’s a fact, ask Heater deal to explain to you DemocracyX3, ho, ho, ho.
Max…
“What I am trying to point out, is that by creating ‘pockets’ of ethnic areas, we are creating segregation. People don’t have to mingle or learn one of our two national languages as they have their own distinctive areas.
We have Little India, Chinatown, Japantown, Koreatown, and so on.”
Right on, Max. But saying it like that it’s not kosher for the leeches populating city hall these days. No one would ever admit that. Not in public, no.
“No shiat? But that’s exactly what your Vision pals and your fav Da Mayor wants to dictate on the Vancouverites. You know, they know what’s best for the rest of us, and that’s a fact, ask Heater deal to explain to you DemocracyX3, ho, ho, ho.”
You have any evidence for this? Letting people have chickens, ride bikes, making a first few tiny gestures to reducing subsidies to the car culture. This all adds up to reducing control. Oh, you prefer your well established forms of control? Sorry. I don’t.
We are all going to need to get used to shrinking population economics. The demographics show China’s population peaking around 2030 and then entering a sharp decline, India around 2050, Packistan, Bangladesh around 2070. The trends for sub Saharan Africa are harder to predict but I believe they will also go into population decline around the turn of the century (if things go reasonably well for them, there are some uglier scenarios). I was once part of a team that modeled this and the models suggested that global population will stablize between 2 billion and 5 billion and that a relatively ‘soft landing’ is the most likely path. Of course one can tweak assumptions to get some very nasty outcomes (a sharp drop to under one billion) or a very slow and long decline. But for the US, Canada and Australia the only way to keep population steady or even to grow a bit is to have strong immigation – but our societies are designed to accept this. This will not work much past 2050-2070 though. Japan and China – not so much. They are not friendly to immigrants. Western Europe, a middle case. So we are going to need to learn how to manage economies with shrinking populations. None of us knows how to do this, yet. Japan is an interesting test case, see the excellent book Shrinking Population Economics by Matsutani. http://www.amazon.com/Shrinking-population-Economics-Lessons-Akihiko-Matsutani/dp/4924971189/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325222159&sr=1-1
In general we are going to need (i) to change our focus from economic growth to wealth creation – wealth including soft concepts like wellness, (ii) change working patterns and largely eliminate retirement, (iii) lower taxes (not raise them as many assume), (iv) reduce reliance on debt financing. Companies will want to focus much more on profitability and on creating value for customers and less on market share and creating value for shareholders (see Roger Martin’s book Fixing the Game http://www.amazon.com/Fixing-Game-Bubbles-Crashes-Capitalism/dp/1422171647/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325222331&sr=1-1).
That was my point, you look at the culture of the second and third generation to guage how population trends will impact society. Many first generation immigrants from European countries never became fluent in English either, but their children did. The current wave of immigrants will change our culture, are changing our culture, but they will assimilate.
Too bad we are losing the languages though. Speaking and reading more than one language opens worlds and changes how one thinks. I generally prefer to hire people who are at least bilingual. My wife and I worked hard to make sure our kids learned Japanese, speaking it at home, reading to them in Japanese, encouraging them to watch Japanese anime and play Japanese video games (OK, maybe the last two things did not take much encouragement.)
On the emerging Vancouver culture – a long thread for another day (sorry for the cop out but my wife is calling me away).
Steven:
Canada just removed the mandatory retirement age.
My one co-worker is 75. He was going to retire in January of 2012, but has decided he wants to stay for another year.
Still one of my favourite posts and likely the best answer to the question lingering in recent comments.
http://www.citycaucus.com/2011/02/this-is-beautiful-moving-and-so-vancouver
Thank you skippy.. I loved this..:)
Steven I agree with a lot of what you said,I have always been amazed at how such a small group of Malthusians like Ehrlich and his “Population Bomb” and the crap that came out of The Club of Rome have managed to frighten the world for so long.I guess where I disagree with you is why I agree with Matsutani although I haven’t read his book if I understand what he is saying is let the economy shrink with the population,I think if this can work for Japan it can work in all other cultures thereby retaining the diverse cultures the world is made up of.
As far as the second part of your comment I would not say its not much in disagreement with my own libertarian views,and for that matter with Ron Paul or even Peter Schiff.And I haven’t read Martins book either but I cant disagree with what I think he is saying,the two things that make my life miserable are huge hedge funds and trading bots.And we certainly have to stop paying CEOs with stock options.Every 15 to 20 years our ponzi banking system hands us some kind of crash,but every 80 years the entire world goes through a paradigm shift and that is where we are now,it could be good or it could be bad.Not many north americans realize that a farmer in India has more wealth than they do,the reason they have more wealth is they have no debt.When the SHTF ask yourself who will fair better?
Steven I should also say I would agree with some kind of Tobin tax on highspeed computer trades and eliminate the SLV and the GLD and all other paper markets in precious metals until proper accounting of what is in the vault can be verified.Lets bring some reality back into the markets.
Ned, Retailers are EMPLOYERS – let’s hope they stay that way or we have a much larger problem than affordable housing. A job usually comes before a house.
Given we are country of immigrants who rely on immigrants to sustain our workforce, and given we cannot restrict where people move to once they arrive in our country (at our invitation-by the way) and given people who are in a good situation back home are not likely to want to pack up and start over in another country – we better get used to the idea that 1) Vancouver is in the top 3 places that new Canadians consider a desirable place to live 2) the people of the world that are currently looking to immigrate are generally ‘not white’ and 3)immigrants tend to have more children than nationals SO, the ‘complexion’ of Vancouver is going to change and increase – that includes language mix. If we don’t like it, well… perhaps we can move to Saskatchewan or Minnesota.
I was watching a Christmas musical program over the holiday from Utah and another from Minnesota. In both cases, there was a token smattering of ‘colour’. It looked so odd, that it actually became our topic of conversation at the holiday table.
@Julia-You’re making the classic deflection/error.Do you really think those buying $2 million teardowns are the poor, tired huddled masses looking to build our economy through hatd work? How many working at jobs in Vancouver can afford that? Not enough to cause the ongoing price distortion? You haven’t explained why disconnecting housing prices from local incomes is a good thing.
Similarly your critique of the Utah service comes across as reverse racism. How is it “worse” than a more multicultural make-up?
It is not reverse racism, it is a simple observation by a Vancouver family that has come to love our local diversity and could not imagine it any other way. I am sure the folks are quite pleasant to be around and are quite happy in Utah.
Once you taste authentic chinese food – you never eat deep fried chicken balls again, right?
2 million dollar houses are a very small segment of the population and the real estate market. Look east of Main. Lots of houses there under 2 million dollars.
I agree that the financial markets probably need (i) some form of damping system, a tax would be fine and (ii) more rigorous ways of tieing assets to liabilities. I have no problem with derivatives, but they have to actually be tied to what they derive from.
I am less sanguine about options, maybe because I generally have them. I also feel strongly that people should be able to have direct ownership in the companies they create and work for. Part of my philosophy is that everyone in my companies has equity and if at all possible they have some of each layer of equity (this is not always a popular approach with investors and in some cases securities rules make it impossible).
I would like to make it easier for people in Vancouver to invest in Vancouver companies.
A question of preference. Like Julia, I prefer to live in a diverse society and that is one of the main reasons we chose Vancouver in 1988. I also think a diverse culture is better seed ground for creativity and new businesses. I could have lived just about anywhere when I chose Vancouver, still could, but I like it here and I like it a lot more today than I did in 1988. But I am concerned about (i) housing affordability, (ii) the weaknesses in the local innovation economy, (iii) the sustainability of the local economy. And I find the human suffering caused by homelessness deeply distressing.
Two more interesting links http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/11/28/maximizing-shareholder-value-the-dumbest-idea-in-the-world/ on Roger Martin’s book and http://www.marketwatch.com/story/living-the-good-life-in-canada-2011-12-29 on Canada’s economic position. On the other hand, Vancouver is not doing so well as a centre for innovation http://www.innovation-cities.com/innovation-cities-index-top-cities-for-innovation-2011/
Steven I was going to disagree with your comment on options,but then I read your link to the Denning article and he put it much better than I ever could.
What can I say, most of my wealth comes from founders shares in various companies. The current options system at many companies may be dysfunctional, but I believe that people should be given every chance possible to own part of the company they work for and that options are one way to do this.
@Julia & Steven Forth-I’m not sure why you would equate wealthy foreigners buying up local real estate with “diversity”. There’s a world of difference between someone immigrating to Canada to make a contribution and a better life and some astronaut using a Canadian passport as a flag of convenience.
Julia why should a huge swath of Vancouver housing stock be rendered off limits to everyone working here? The insane % increase in West Side prices relative to incomes is a sign of something seriously out of whack. “Solutions” like 300 sq ft studios for $800 a month are an insult to everyone living and working hete.
I agree Brilliant. A commenter on Bula’s blog made a statement about the social housing and how the ‘wealthy Chinese investors’ buying into the Oly Village did not like the situation.
And as I posted back – I don’t give a rat’s ass what they do or do not ‘like’.
This just up on twitter:
Downtown Vancouver rents rise sharply in five years: report http://bit.ly/t9q44g
Sort of apropos to this discussion, I found this quote in the NY Times Auto section interesting:
“Rolls-Royce’s growing popularity in China and in Chinese expatriate communities like Vancouver, British Columbia, sparked a commemorative Year of the Dragon Collection, a 2012 Phantom whose bespoke features include dragon-embroidered headrests and dragon inlays.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/automobiles/booming-sales-for-the-brands-moguls-desire.html?ref=automobiles
Alway love it when our little burg makes it into the Times!
Max: Downtown rents are up,yup… commercial rents. nobody bothered to ask how much of that increase was for actual rent or property tax increases.
I don’t care where you live, there are pockets of property that exceed someone’s price point- In my day, it was the British Properties.
That reality is true of real estate, clothes, shoes, education, cars…
I could not afford to live on Angus Drive in 1950, 1960, 1979 or 2011. I will get over it.
I’m sorry Julia:
Your point is?
Max, we are talking residential affordability but you are referencing a twitter post about commercial lease rates.
The furry about being shut out of exclusive neighbourhoods within our city seems unrealistic. We along with endless other cities have exclusive neighbourhoods.
Are we protesting the prices or are we protesting who can afford them? I am hoping like heck we are simply protesting the prices.
The facts are really astonishing, the stakes are usually astronomical, it really is tough to discuss and even more difficult to deal with it. Technologies, guidance, communicating… they all compete with human nature. In addition to each and every situation is unique.
Julia:
I did not realize that the Olympic Village was considered an ‘exclusive neighborhood’.
When we are being told that low income persons are not welcome in certain areas because rich investors don’t want to live near them – then I and many others take issue.
And here is a suggestion for 2012 – try being a touch less condescending.
Lord, you make me want to paint a sign and join Occupy.
This topic is wandering all over the map and we are getting ourselves caught in a fragmented conversation that is going nowhere.
I have no idea what your Olympic Village comment is referring to.
Condescending… no. Indignant, yes.
“not sure why you would equate wealthy foreigners buying up local houses with diversity”
Fair point. It can even drive out diversity. I agree that housing affordability is a problem. And I agree that housing costs have dissassociated themselves from local incomes. This suggests to me a correction is unavoidable.
I would still like to see some rigorous research on what is behind the rise in Vancouver housing prices – foreign buyers, a cash economy, an attractive location and dynamic and diverse culture … there is more than one cause.
But there is not much the municipal government can do about most of this. What they can do is allow more density (increase supply) and help people experiment with alternate models of housing ownership like co-ops.
I agree that we cannot use local tax money to try to solve housing affordability.
The Thought of The Evening
“Vancouver’s Real Estate Appetite = Easy Money + Fishy Money + Greed + Human Nature + Eldorado Laws.”
Stephen,
Here’s more on the subject of “foreign investors” in Vancouver/ BC, my personal opinion, of course.
You’ll have to scroll down the comments on this post as I got caught in the discussion… a lot:
http://www.francesbula.com/uncategorized/is-our-city-good-to-live-in-or-good-to-visit-only/
And here’s the “teaser” that started it all:
………………………………..
Glissando Remmy // Jun 22, 2011 at 2:08 pm
The Thought of The Day
‘Vancouver was a very good place to live in, until one day, when the Yeehaa! Vision wagons, came to town.’
I’ll go even further. Canada was a good place to live in…until one day when high ranked Chinese Communist party officials, high echelon administrators of Sweatshop Factories catering to Major Western Brand names , and hardened criminals dealing in drugs and human trafficking… started to move large amounts of cash here, embezzling cca 14-15 Billion dollars that now the Chinese Government is looking for, in one of their biggest monetary recovery effort ever. With a bit of luck you’ll be seeing less BMW’s on the streets of Vancouver, but don’t hold your breath.
Hey, what am I saying. Vancouver has become a household name on the Riot circuit. Yeah, baby. Before I drove my family to the airport this past Saturday, I asked my friends in Paris what do they want from Vancouver… smoked salmon, maple syrup, Canadian flag T-shirts, miniature totem poles, what…
You know what they said?
To send all the local papers for Thursday 16th and Friday 17th of June 2011. Great souvenirs in Paris… two 24 Hours and one Metro… free dinner at Les Deux Magots.
Who knew? The Chinese Magots in Paris, too.
Now that…is what I call a riot.
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy…one day, though, I’ll visit.
………………………………..
Cheers and Happy New Year!
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.
Glissando..
Earlier this evening, I was going to post a comment, but decided to wait to see who would address the other elephant in the room.
You never disappoint me….
Steven, read Glissando’s comment carefully, as always, he has eloquently stated exactly what no one else is willing to talk about ..the big old elephant in the room…
Happy New Year Glissando my friend..
Nice to hear from you George, thanks and a Happy New Year to you too!
As for my comments on that particular thread, the point I wanted to make was, that the new emigres to Canada, from that part of the world are a totally new breed. This group are not the hard working, hopeful people trying to escape a communist nightmarish regime, in order to achieve a better life here in Canada. Nope… the mentality of money talks and bullshit walks, in the shadow of a despotic type of government is crawling slowly but surely on to us, as we continue, stupidly I may add, to be oblivious to the changes that are taking place in our own living room.
I hope I am wrong, though.
GR-eetings.
Happy new Year guys! Glissando I am seconding George, quite a compelling reading over at Fabula. And I too, ahem, approve the message…