NEWS-CLIPS October 15/2019 to November 20/2019

A list of actions being taken on climate change.pdf North Van road rage brings out kindness of strangers.pdf Attractive cities are ones that manage to preserve their heritage.pdf North Van snuffs out smoking in green spaces.pdf BC government working to change cannabis retail rules.pdf North Van woman ordered to cover vet bills after off-leash dog attack.pdf Bear swipes North Van gardener shoe.pdf North Vancouver approves ban targeting councillors neighbour.pdf Black bear stops for a paws at North Vancouver home.pdf Notice - DNV Leasing Opportunity of former Capilano United Church.pdf Blowing smoke.pdf Notice-PIM for development at 1080 Marine Dr.pdf Burnaby man dies in Whistler Mountain Bike Park.pdf Notice-PIM for developments on 2131-2171 Old Dollarton Road.pdf CleanBC climate change electrification plan may not hold water .pdf Notice-Public Hearing on updated Coach House Program.pdf Climate change drives policy change in West Van.pdf October inflation rates for Canadian provinces.pdf Court tosses social media deformation case.pdf Official Community Plan targeted review.pdf Delbrook project still too oversized.pdf Oil tanker risk claims not backed by facts.pdf District of North Van looks to curb maximum house size.pdf Pigeon ban is time wasted.pdf District of North Van rezones Delbrook lands for housing and park and seniors.pdf Pigeon owner mulls legal action over DNV bird ban.pdf District of North Van to domestic pigeons - Shoo.pdf Planet of the vapes.pdf District of North Van to get its house in order on climate.pdf Popular neighbourhood pizza joint to open in North Vancouver.pdf District workers in Lynn Canyon are super caring.pdf Pot shop not wanted in Dollarton neighbourhood.pdf DNV closes pot shop public hearing.pdf Pot shops lining up in District of North Vancouver.pdf DNV pigeon-keeping ban ruffles feathers.pdf Restaurants developing their own dining niche in Edgemont.pdf DNV to offer single-family homes for affordable housing.pdf Seniors and poverty an overlooked local issue.pdf Dont call me a pessimist on climate change - I am a realist.pdf Social housing and shelters - impact on surrounding property values.pdf Drill puts North Van disaster response to the test.pdf Someone is again drilling holes in BC Hydro transformers in North Van.pdf France lays out new rules to rein in e-scooters.pdf Squamish Nation aims to bring 1000 members home.pdf Green space transformed.pdf Squamish Nation unveils rainbow crosswalk.pdf How the federal election could impact investors.pdf Subdivided we fall.pdf Lighter days ahead.pdf Swagtron affordable e-bike.pdf Little is known of the cause of CHS or why it affects dome heavy cannabis users.pdf The Science Of Why 5G Is -almost - Certainly Safe For Humans.pdf Lynn Canyon suspension bridge closing for repairs.pdf The World Is Not Going To Halve Carbon Emissions By 2030.pdf Metro tax bite to rise 43.5 per cent.pdf TransLink consults on Phibbs-Metrotown express bus.pdf Minor differences.pdf TransLink is spending over 13million dollars on North Shore.pdf Mixed reaction towards four-storey Delbrook project.pdf Tsleil-Waututh Nation applies to expand land reserve in Maplewood.pdf More Canadians would like to snuff out vaping.pdf Tsleil-Waututh Nation wants to expand reserve.pdf Myths about older adults are destrictive.pdf Tsleil-Waututh seek 45 acres of Maplewood for reserve land.pdf National Housing Agency thinks Toronto is no longer overvalued.pdf Upper Levels highway to get first major study.pdf New Hugo Ray multiuse path connects North and West Vancouver.pdf Vancouver directs Empty Homes Tax revenue to new social housing grant.pdf New Mountain Highway ramps now open.pdf Vancouver ranked sixth best city in the world for drivers.pdf Newcomers to Canada buy one in every five homes.pdf We call fowl on North Vancouver District pegion prohibition.pdf North Shore teen cyclist injured in head.pdf What a Liberal minority government means to Vancouver real estate.pdf North Shore traffic nightmare raises concerns about plans for a real disaster.pdf What the federal parties are saying about cycling.pdf North Van parking lot expansion concerns.pdf Wheels off the bus.pdf North Van proceeding with scaled back Lynn Canyon parking project.pdf Why Rich Cities Rebel.pdf A list of actions being taken on climate change around the world The Canadian Press October 25, 2019 02:46 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/a-list-of-actions-being-taken-on-climate-change-around-the-world-1.23988499

A lawyer holds the documents filed on behalf of the 15 young people who are parties to a lawsuit against the federal government for contributing to high levels of greenhouse gas emissions and dangerous climate change during a rally in Vancouver, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck VANCOUVER — Fifteen young Canadians are suing the federal government over climate change. It's not the first climate change litigation. Here are five other cases: 1) An environmental group in Quebec sought to launch a class action against the federal government in November 2018 for what it said was a failure to combat climate change. Lawyers sought to argue that Quebecers who are 35 and under are being deprived of a right to a healthy environment and will suffer the effects of global warming more than older generations. Superior Court Justice Gary Morrison said in July that the cause of environmental protection was of undoubted importance. But he said in a ruling that members of the class would have to be 18 or older and excluding those over 35 appeared to be a "purely subjective and arbitrary choice" by the organization. "Although the mission and objectives of (the group) are admirable on the socio-political level, they are too subjective and limiting in their nature to form the basis of an appropriate group for the purpose of exercising collective action," Morrison wrote. The group "can be the 'voice' of young people," he added, "but it does not have the authority to change the legal status and powers of minors." ——— 2) Youth represented by Our Children's Trust filed a constitutional climate lawsuit against the United States government in 2015. The lawsuit was filed with the U.S. District Court in Eugene, Ore., and it wants a judge to declare that the U.S. government is violating the plaintiffs' constitutional rights to life, liberty and property by substantially causing or contributing to a dangerous concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It asks the court to declare federal energy policy that contributes to global warming unconstitutional, order the government to quickly phase out carbon dioxide emissions to a certain level by 2100, and mandate a national climate recovery plan. The young people argue that government officials have known for more than 50 years that carbon pollution from fossil fuels was causing climate change and that policies promoting oil and gas deprive them of those rights. Lawyers for President Donald Trump's administration have argued that the lawsuit is trying to direct federal environmental and energy policies through the courts instead of through the political process. ——— 3) In the Netherlands, an appeals court last year upheld a landmark ruling that ordered the Dutch government to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 per cent by 2020 from benchmark 1990 levels. The original June 2015 ruling came in a case brought by the environmental group Urgenda on behalf of 900 Dutch citizens. The Hague Appeals Court said the government is under a legal obligation to take measures to protect its citizens against dangerous climate change. "Considering the great dangers that are likely to occur, more ambitious measures have to be taken in the short term to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to protect the life and family life of citizens in the Netherlands," the court said in a statement. ——— 4) Colombia's highest court told the government is has to take urgent action to protect its Amazon rainforest against deforestation in 2018. An environmental group that supported a group of 25 children and youth in the lawsuit says they successfully argued that deforestation and the increase of the average temperature in the country threatened their rights to a healthy environment, life, health, food and water. The youth also argued that future generations will be the ones to suffer the worst climate change effects. The organization says the court ordered the government to create an "intergenerational pact for the life of the Colombian Amazon" to reduce deforestation and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. It also recognized the Colombian Amazon as "an entity subject of rights." ——— 5) The City of Victoria explored the idea of launching a class-action lawsuit with other municipalities against energy companies this year. The city is among more than a dozen B.C. municipalities that sent letters to oil and gas companies asking them to chip in to cover growing bills associated with climate change in proportion to their emissions. Storm surges combined with a one-metre rise in sea level, which is projected by 2100, could result in business disruption losses of almost $500,000 per day, according to a 2015 report commissioned by the regional government. Meanwhile, delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities voted against a proposed motion from Port Moody calling the province to pass legislation holding energy companies financially liable for costs related to climate change at their annual meeting in September. © 2019 North Shore News

LETTER: The most attractive cities are the ones that manage to preserve their heritage North Shore News October 16, 2019 12:30 AM https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letter-the-most-attractive-cities-are-the-ones-that-manage-to-preserve-their-heritage-1.23977804

file photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News Dear editor: It was with a heavy heart I read about the plans to demolish two iconic West Vancouver buildings. [Iconic Pink Palace Up for Redevelopment, Oct. 9 news story.) related  New North Vancouver district plan focuses on heritage preservation

I am sure I am not alone. I’m sure it was not ironic placement for this article to be on the same page as DNV Focuses on Heritage Preservation that notes “it comes down to money sometimes.” Both the Shoreland and Villa Maris, while not particularly old by world standards, have significant heritage value as well as being much loved community landmarks. But, of course, new waterfront strata units will provide the biggest possible financial return. With little to no incentives or other mechanisms to encourage the retention and renovation of older buildings I fear these beauties and more will be soon lost. Look at older cities in Canada, North America or elsewhere: it can be argued the most attractive and interesting are the same ones that have also best managed to preserve their heritage. Anyone been to Boston recently? It took significant effort to save Vancouver’s much older (1930) Marine Building but it would be hard to find anyone to say it was not worth it. On the other hand, the new Georgia Medical & Dental Building, though it has some merits including architectural details and artwork preserved from the original, is a mere shadow of the building it replaced. Try as you might – you simply can’t replace iconic. The owners of these two West Vancouver landmarks seem sensitive to both the community and their tenants – a valuable quality not found in all property owners but certainly one that should provide some hope and incentive to save these buildings. Scenery Slater West Vancouver © 2019 North Shore News B.C. government working to change cannabis retail rules B.C.’s solicitor general is looking to broaden what stores can sell, and to allow growers to sell direct to consumers Glen Korstrom / Business in Vancouver October 19, 2019 11:11 AM https://www.nsnews.com/b-c-government-working-to-change-cannabis-retail-rules-1.23982060

B.C. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth speaks to media at provincial government offices in Vancouver on Friday, Oct. 18. Photo Glen Korstrom/Business in Vancouver The B.C. government is working to change its rules on what products licensed cannabis retailers are able to sell. It is also working to create policy to allow growers to get provincial licences to sell cannabis directly to customers at production sites, Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said Friday. The news comes one day after the federal government legalized sales of edibles, vaping products, lotions, concentrates and other forms of consuming cannabis. While Farnworth repeatedly mentioned “small-scale producers” as a segment within the cannabis sector that he particularly wants to help thrive, he also suggested changes that could come soon on what products are able to be sold in provincially licensed retail stores. Unlike private liquor retailers in the province, cannabis outlets are prohibited from selling “snacks, tobacco or other non-cannabis-related items," according to a government retail-licensing guide released last year. The stores can sell rolling papers, bongs and grinders, because they are considered to be “cannabis-related” items. Clothing has so far fallen into the “non-cannabis-related item” category. That has prompted strange situations where retailers would be selling T-shirts and baseball caps emblazoned with cannabis brands. They would then receive their provincial licence to sell cannabis and would have to halt clothing sales. Burb, for example, was selling a range of clothing items at its Port Coquitlam location until September. Then it got its licence to sell cannabis and the clothing items became background decorations on walls that it could not sell. “We could no longer sell apparel in store or online in B.C.,” CEO John Kaye told Business in Vancouver. “If you go into our flagship [store] in Port Coquitlam, there are still clothes hanging there. They just don’t have hang-tags and we can’t legally sell them. It’s been quite funny — selling cannabis with every major credit card, but nothing on the apparel side.” Farnworth said “one of the areas that has been brought to my attention — and I indicated that I would like to take a look at — is in the kinds of some of the [merchandise] that can be sold. Clothing is an example.” When he looked at the example of T-shirts, “my reaction: [I] didn’t see an issue with it,” he said. BIV asked Farnworth if he would broaden the list of potential items that could be sold in legal cannabis stores to chocolate bars and other munchies, and he said, “I’m prepared to look at some of the suggestions that have been made but it’s a bit early to get into specifics on things like that.” One potential retail change in B.C. would involve allowing federally licensed producers to sell cannabis products directly from greenhouses or other production facilities. Canopy Growth Corp. sells products to customers at a Newfoundland production facility — a phenomenon that shows that allowing farm-gate sales is entirely within provincial jurisdiction. B.C. “has been at the forefront of the provinces in terms of wanting to get small-scale production up and running, and bringing it into the legal system,” Farnworth said. “I see farm-gate [sales] as an important component of it. We’re not there yet, but I fully expect that we’ll get to a point where you will be able to see farm-gate sales.” He added that his ministry is conducting necessary “policy work” to get needed changes done. Licensing small growers is federal jurisdiction but Farnworth said that his ministry is urging Ottawa to license as many small growers as possible. “One of the things that we want to see is as much small-scale production as possible,” he said. “Given the size of the industry that we’ve had in this province, and it has been around for such a long time. It’s underpinned many small communities in the Interior, the Kootenays in particular. What I would like to see is that when they are licensing production, that they do take into account those regional issues, and producers from different parts of B.C., or anywhere for that matter.” Uncertainty on what Ottawa will do, Farnworth acknowledged, depends on what happens in the Oct. 21 election because a new government may have a different sense of how it wants cannabis to be regulated. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said last year that he would evaluate how cannabis laws are working and “make necessary corrections” were he to become prime minister. He does not plan to recriminalize cannabis. [email protected] @GlenKorstrom © 2019 North Shore News

Bear swipes North Van gardener's shoe, boots it

Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News

October 21, 2019 12:14 PM

https://www.nsnews.com/community/bear-swipes-north-van-gardener-s-shoe-boots-it-1.23983280

Shoe bear, shoe. One Seymour resident is walking around in bare feet after an exploring bruin grabbed his gardening shoe and pitched it into the Seymour River. photo supplied, Patrick Lee A Seymour resident gained a photo as his neighbour lost some footwear recently. Patrick Lee readied his camera as an approximately three-year-old bear ambled from yard to yard on Riverside Drive across the Seymour River. The shoe-curious bear wasn’t threatening but it seemed purposeful, Lee said. “It knew to look for garbage around the side of the house,” Lee said, noting the bear scurried away as soon as a neighbour opened a patio door. The playful bruin eventually clamped down on a neighbour’s gardening shoe, dangling the shoe by its laces and swinging it around before letting it loose with what Lee called a “perfect lob.” “It went straight in the river,” Lee said. © 2019 North Shore News

Black bear stops for a paws at North Vancouver home Ben Bengtson / North Shore News November 9, 2019 03:11 PM https://www.nsnews.com/community/black-bear-stops-for-a-paws-at-north-vancouver-home-1.24002933

North Vancouver resident Jeff Banks snapped this photo of an upright black bear posing on his deck in Deep Cove Thursday morning. photo supplied Jeff Banks Deep Cove resident Jeff Banks received quite a shock while working from home Thursday morning. He was on the phone with a client a little before 10 a.m. when he peered out his office window and noticed a black bear was getting comfortable on his back deck. “I thought it was just this big black dog that comes down to the deck and visits,” said Banks. “When I turned and it wasn’t this black dog anymore … it was an interesting encounter. I didn’t feel threatened or anything like that. She wasn’t trying to get in.” After a little while Banks said the bear stood up and had a look around, at which point he managed to snap a photo from the safety of his office. “For some reason she stood up and put her hand against the wall. She wasn’t really clawing and trying to get in. I don’t know why she stood up – she just did,” said Banks. While Banks said he was used to getting bear visitors, he had never had one show up in the middle of the day and come up so close to his house. The animated bruin stuck around for about 10 minutes before departing towards the ocean, according to Banks. The North Shore Black Bear Society noted that bear sightings may be more common at this time of year as bruins prepare for their long hibernation periods. The society advised residents to stay clear of bears and be diligent about ensuring outdoor attractants, such as bird feeders, compost bins and garbage bins, were not left out for them. “The bears are foraging up to 20 hours a day getting ready for hibernation,” said Christine Miller, education co- ordinator with the society. © 2019 North Shore News EDITORIAL: Blowing smoke

North Shore News

November 12, 2019 08:00 PM

Smoking will soon be prohibited in most of all of North Vancouver's parks, plazas and pathways. file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

If you’re smoking in North Vancouver – to borrow an old, kitschy saying – you’d better be on fire. Both the city and district councils have voted to greatly expand the areas where sparking a butt, lighting a doobie or hauling on an e-cigarette in public is prohibited.

In addition to being banned within 7.5 metres of any doors or windows, the city will soon forbid smoking in all parks, plazas and paths. The District of North Van, meanwhile, will no longer allow smoking in its parks or on its trails. related

 North Van snuffs out smoking in green spaces  City of North Van may ban smoking in all parks, plazas and paths  North Van woman campaigning to have smoking banned in district parks  City of North Vancouver's smoking bylaw not enforced

The rationale is that it’s better for the environment, better for our public health and better for our forests, and we couldn’t agree more. We were as surprised as you that it was legal for people to smoke in places like Lynn Canyon in the first place.

Except for one critical thing. It’s absolutely inevitable that someone will end up fuming mad after they report a smoker violating the new rules to the municipality and see that nothing ever gets done. Enforcement of anti- smoking rules mostly falls to Vancouver Coastal Health and it isn’t any more a priority for them than it is for our municipalities’ relatively small bylaw departments.

We never recommend governments create toothless laws. It sets up false expectations and it erodes faith in the process.

Perhaps it’s time for the province to meet municipalities halfway to make handing out tickets easier. But if our councils really want to stop the noxious fumes, we suggest they first staff up their bylaw departments.

Without enforcement, these bylaw changes amount to councils blowing smoke, which is a filthy habit in its own right.

Burnaby man dies in Whistler Mountain Bike Park 35-year-old fell while riding A-Line on Wednesday, Oct. 9

Brandon Barrett / Pique Newsmagazine

October 16, 2019 06:35 AM https://www.nsnews.com/burnaby-man-dies-in-whistler-mountain-bike-park-1.23978115

Photo: Lum3n.com from Pexels

A Burnaby man is dead after falling in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, authorities have confirmed.

In a statement, Whistler Blackcomb said the 35-year-old fell in the park last Wednesday, Oct. 9 on A-Line. After first responders provided care at the scene, the man was transported to Vancouver General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

“Whistler Blackcomb and the entire Vail Resorts family extend our deepest sympathy to the guests’ family and friends,” said Geoff Buchheister, Whistler Blackcomb's chief operating officer, in the release.

Pique only confirmed the death on Tuesday, Oct. 15, as it took authorities days to notify the decedent's next of kin, who live out of country.

This story has been update since it was origially posted.

INVESTIGATION: CleanBC climate-change electrification plan may not hold water New climate-change strategy, risk assessment in the works: ministry Jeremy Hainsworth / Glacier Syndicated October 23, 2019 04:48 PM

Revelstoke Dam on the Columbia River Photograph By iStock B.C. could face seasonal or long-term water shortages and hydroelectric production disruptions lasting weeks or months by 2050, the year by which Victoria hopes to move 60% of B.C. to electrical power under its CleanBC strategy, a Glacier Media investigation has found. That move to clean electricity from sources such as hydroelectric production sits at the heart of the initial plan the government hopes will help B.C. meet greenhouse gas reduction goals to combat climate change. “By moving to clean, renewable energy – like our abundant supply of B.C. electricity – we can power our growing economy and make life better and more affordable for British Columbians,” Premier John Horgan said when the plan was unveiled in December 2018. However, with interior glaciers receding and expected to be minimal by 2100, B.C. is relying on expected increases in precipitation to fill the province’s dam reservoirs for power generation, despite the fact drought periods are also predicted. And, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy said, a new strategy is in the works for 2020, a commitment made in the original 2018 plan. There is, however, a proverbial fly in the ointment. The Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment for British Columbia report, released quietly in July, said water shortages could disrupt key infrastructure services, including electricity production and water treatment. “Historically, water shortages in Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest have reduced hydroelectric production capacity, caused thermo-electric plants to shut down and increased water and wastewater treatment requirements due to higher turbidity,” the assessment said. U.S. academic studies for neighbouring Washington State suggest the same concerns. The assessment said costs to the B.C. taxpayers could hit $750 million while agriculture, fishing, forestry, transportation, recreation, tourism, and oil and gas sectors could see costs exceeding $1 billion.

BC Prelim Strat Climate Ris... by Emma Crawford Hampel, BIV.com on Scribd https://www.scribd.com/document/429184874/BC-Prelim-Strat-Climate-Risk-Assessment# The threats to power generation could make life tough for British Columbians, as more than 90% of BC Hydro's generation is produced through hydroelectric generation. A quarter of BC Hydro's power comes from the Mica, Revelstoke and Hugh Keenleyside dams on the Columbia River. Some 29% comes from dams in the Peace region. At certain points of the year, those reservoirs, which act as batteries storing water for power, are reliant on glacier water. While the utility says it is investigating alternative sources of energy, such as wind and wave power, its 43,000 gigawatt hours of electricity annual production supplies more than 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. The risk assessment came three years after it was suggested to cabinet in January 2016 that a risk framework be developed, according to documents obtained by Glacier Media under access to information laws. Five months later, Ministry of Environment communications staff asked for data on identifying the forests, ecosystems and watersheds at greatest risk and recommendations to protect them. Another study has been requested for that purpose. 2016-Assessment of Climate ... by Emma Crawford Hampel, BIV.com on Scribd https://www.scribd.com/document/431747366/2016-Assessment-of-Climate-Leadership-Team-Recommendations# Climate change drives policy change in West Van Brent Richter / North Shore News October 30, 2019 06:00 AM https://www.nsnews.com/news/climate-change-drives-policy-change-in-west-van-1.23991756

A walker seeks shelter from the angry sea as a fall storm blows into West Vancouver, on Friday. PHOTO LINDA LEIGH MCDOUGALL West Vancouverites can expect some sweeping changes in their bylaws as the municipality looks to cut the community’s greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to halt devastating climate change. District staff have drawn up a list of possible policy changes in keeping with council’s declaration of a climate emergency in July. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned we must cut carbon emissions 45 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050 if we are to stave off irreversible climate change. While most of the major tools to tackle GHGs are in provincial and federal hands, municipalities do influence where people live and how they get around through their official community plans. In West Vancouver’s case, the recommendation is densification of smaller, more efficient homes around walkable village centres with access to transit and active transportation options. Council may also seek higher standards in what they allow to be built, including mandatory electric vehicle charging and bicycle parking in all new buildings, reduction of parking requirements for properties with secondary suites or coach houses, establishing low-carbon energy requirements for heat and hot water systems like electricity over natural gas, and requiring larger single-family homes to be built to higher environmental standards than smaller ones. Council must also continue to implement its community energy and emissions plan, the staff report adds. Staff’s outline also suggests other more complex ideas that would require further study including accelerating energy retrofits, adopting mass timber for buildings up to 12 storeys, updating the community’s transportation plan, improving demolition practices and sequestering carbon on private and district owned lands. The ideas, preliminary as they are, got resounding support from dozens of residents who turned up to the meeting. Greta Gibson thanked council for making climate action a priority. “The steps you have already taken warm my heart and give me hope that you will have the courage to take the steps that must follow,” she said. Reducing West Vancouver’s emissions will mean costs, although the exact amount hasn’t been even sketched on a napkin yet. For those costs, staff are suggesting the creation of a new climate action reserve fund. The province’s rebates to the municipality could act as seed money but staff said the rest will have to come from community amenity contributions, property taxes or a new environmental levy that will appear on residential and commercial tax notices, something that will be discussed as part of the 2020 budget Ann-Margaret Tait said as a “standard corporate West Van type of folk” she was not shy to pick up the tab if it meant West Vancouver being a leader in climate action. “We are fortunate to be a very rich community. We are fortunate to able to make the sacrifices that we need to make. I’m sitting here today to say to you, we are behind you. There are many, many people like me in West Vancouver and we don’t come and say what we need to say enough,” she said. Mayor Mary-Ann Booth agreed. The cost of mitigating climate change will be nothing compared to the cost of bearing the full brunt of it, she said. “The horrendous wildfires in California are directly impacting people. And we’ve had some impacts in West Vancouver, but nothing compared to what some of the other places in the world have faced. And in some ways, that’s a bit of a problem because people do not see the imminence of this,” she said. “It is going to cost money. But the consequences of the business as usual approach are far worse.” The motion directing staff to proceed with the work passed unanimously. Staff are expected to return in with a suite of policies for council to consider omnibus style sometime in the first quarter of 2020. Coun. Nora Gambioli said she had little faith in the current federal or provincial governments to address the problem, so she said it’s important for municipalities to do whatever is in their power, “I sure don’t want my kids or any of you to be telling me that I didn’t do enough while I was in this chair. So I would like us to be as bold as possible. We have said this is an emergency,” she said. Coun. Craig Cameron said he still hears from climate science deniers and people who believe there is no point in targeting Canadians’ emissions when so much of world’s carbon output comes from elsewhere. But he added, he would not see the climate emergency declaration reduced to hollow words. “The point isn’t whether we can solve the problem by ourselves, the point is, whether we’re going to be part of the solution or part of the problem,” he said. “We need to change how we live, every single person in this room in this community is going to have to change how we live. … We’re not going to be able to live the way we’ve lived for the past 50 years. “It’s not going to work. It’s not good enough anymore. It amounts to whistling past the graveyard.” © 2019 North Shore News

Court tosses lawyer’s alleged social media defamation case Vancouver lawyer alleged review of him on Yelp was defamatory

Jeremy Hainsworth / Glacier Media

October 16, 2019 10:49 AM

https://www.nsnews.com/court-tosses-lawyer-s-alleged-social-media-defamation-case-1.23978451

Photograph By iStock

B.C. Supreme Court has tossed out a lawyer’s attempt to sue social media company Yelp for defamation after a client’s bad review of him.

A ruling posted online Oct. 15 said that, in August 2013, Vancouver lawyer Peter T. Busch created a business owner account with Yelp, using an email address. He then claimed the page for the law office of Peter T. Busch, Justice Alan Ross said in the September decision.

Since October 2013, Busch has used his business account to add information about his law office such as its location, special areas of practice, and other information, Ross said. In order to create the account, Busch was required to agree to Yelp's publically available terms of service.

“The plaintiff agreed to the terms of service when he signed up for his business account,” Ross wrote. “He further agreed to those terms of service each time he has logged in to the Yelp site.” Among those terms of service was a clause stating California law and courts would govern the contract.

While businesses can set up Yelp pages, Yelp allows people to post reviews of those businesses

“Yelpers have written more than 192 million reviews by the end of Q2 2019,” Yelp’s website said.

In April 2017, a client posted a negative review of Bush on the site.

“Upon reading the negative review, the plaintiff took several steps with Yelp to attempt to have it removed. He did not receive any satisfactory response from Yelp.”

So, in April 2019, he turned to B.C.’s courts.

“He seeks, among other things, damages for defamation, slander and loss of reputation; damages for civil contempt; punitive and exemplary damages; and a declaration that one or more of the defendants committed a hate crime,” Ross wrote.

Yelp and a subsidiary named in the case, asked for the case to be tossed based on the terms of service, that B.C. courts had no jurisdiction.

Ross agreed with Yelp.

Busch, however, argued his relationship with Yelp falls into a grey area, somewhere between that of a consumer and that of a commercial enterprise, that the forum selection clause is unconscionable, that the terms were forced upon him and that he would have a court advantage in B.C.

“He says that a jury in British Columbia would be more sympathetic to his claim than a jury in San Francisco,” Ross wrote.

But, said Ross, Busch acknowledged he read the terms of service before deciding to claim the business page.

“Although he now argues that Yelp has been in breach of those terms, he cannot seek to enforce only part of the contract. He read the contract, and he is bound by it,” Ross wrote.

The judge said he found compelling Yelp’s submission that the U.S. Communications Decency Act would immunize Yelp from a defamation action or liability to pay damages because Yelp would not be liable for the content contained on its web site.

“In effect, Yelp would not be considered a ‘publisher,’” Ross wrote.

LETTER: Delbrook project still too oversized North Shore News November 6, 2019 09:22 PM

Reaction to a potential four-storey building at the 600 West Queens Rd. parking lot site ranged from enthusiastic support to outright opposition to mild confusion at a public hearing Oct. 22. image supplied Google Maps Dear editor: Your Oct. 30 story on the proposed Delbrook lands development [Mixed Reaction Towards Four-Storey Project at Public Hearing, by reporter Jeremy Shepherd] identifies me as a frequent critic of the proposal rather than as a frequent critic of council. I am fully supportive of seniors' respite care and affordable housing being developed on this site, but I am opposed to council ignoring the policies of the official community plan by permitting an oversized building on the site. The OCP was developed in consultation with 5,000 district residents and contains principles, goals and policies that were intended to guide the management of growth in the district. If council is going to adopt the practice of exempting projects from the constraints of policy then there is no policy; and without policy there is no plan, and council becomes just a facilitator of growth rather than a manager of growth. James Gill North Vancouver © 2019 North Shore News

District of North Van looks to curb maximum house size One-storey coach house program also re-examined

Ben Bengtson / North Shore News

November 5, 2019 05:30 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/district-of-north-van-looks-to-curb-maximum-house-size-1.23998784

District of North Vancouver has given first reading to a bylaw amendment that would speed the approval process for one-storey coach houses on certain lots. file photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News

It just got easier to build coach houses and more challenging to build a big house in some parts of North Vancouver.

District of North Vancouver council is sending a bylaw to public hearing which, if passed, would cap the allowable maximum house size at 5,813 square feet for properties within the single-family residential zone RS1. Unlike other single-family zones in the district, which have their house sizes calculated based on a maximum permitted floor space ratio that varies with lot size, the municipality had not previously established a maximum principal building size for the RS1 zone.

Arguing that very large homes were inconsistent with “our community’s plan,” Coun. Jim Hanson said that the new limitations were reasonable. “It will cause the zoning requirements, density requirements in the RS1 zone to match the RS2 zone, which will create a consistency across the district,” said Hanson.

The municipality recently sent letters to the owners of the 167 RS1-zoned properties across the district, noting the proposed change. The letter noted that existing houses within the zone that were already larger than the proposed maximum house size of 5,813 sq. ft. would become “legally non-conforming,” should the bylaw proceed.

Of the 167 privately owned properties in the one-acre zone, existing density regulations would only allow 51 of those lots to exceed 5,813 sq. ft. in the first place, according to a staff report. The report also notes that the average size of existing houses in the RS1 zone is currently estimated at approximately 3,160 sq. ft.

While house size is determined by adding the area of all floors in a house, Mayor Mike Little noted certain areas were exempt from this, such as parking garages, small sheds and basements.

“When we go into the public hearing we need to be very clear that the basement exemption is the largest and most common of the exemptions,” said Little.

The district also recently gave first reading to a bylaw amendment updating its coach house program. If the amendment clears the necessary hurdles, more than 3,000 properties across the district would meet the requirements to head straight to the building permit stage if owners wanted to build a one-storey coach house.

Prior to this, the district regulated coach house development by issuing development variance permits and all final approvals rested with council, which took the opportunity to review all coach houses applications. The purpose of the amendment is to allow property owners to head straight to the building permit stage, effectively simplifying the process for those wanting to build a one-story coach house.

Specifically, under the new bylaw amendment, properties on lots that are least 49.2 feet wide with open lanes, or corner lots on local streets, would be able to proceed to the building permit stage.

“I think the approach of this council has been beneficial to the community of proceeding in an incrementalist way. It has become clear that if the lot size is appropriate, if it’s single storey, if it has a lane or it’s on a corner lot there hasn’t been any resistance,” said Hanson.

The district has approved an average of four coach houses per year since the program began in 2014, according to a staff report. While the bylaw amendment would update the program for those looking to build a one-storey coach house, those looking to build two-story coach houses, or a coach house not on a property with open lanes or a corner lot, would continue to require council’s approval through the development variance permit process, according to the report.

“We have had a couple of two storeys which were successful, but I think the two storey still needs to continue with those baby steps to deal with some impacts in our challenging geographical community,” said Muri.

A public hearing on the proposed bylaw amendment is set to be scheduled.

District of North Van rezones Delbrook lands for housing, park and seniors

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 5, 2019 09:00 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/district-of-north-van-rezones-delbrook-lands-for-housing-park-and-seniors-1.23998803

The latest conceptual pan for the Delbrook lands in the District of North Vancouver, image supplied.

District of North Vancouver council has given their blessing to a seniors’ care facility, four floors of low-to- moderate income housing and 3.5 acres of parkland on the Delbrook lands. In November 2018, the newly sworn-in council voted down a five-storey affordable housing project on the parking lot at 600 West Queens Rd. after it proved unpopular with its Delbrook neighbours. But council voted unanimously Monday night to rezone the site with a more demure option, and adjoining park.

 Mixed reaction towards four-storey Delbrook project  DNV advances housing/park plan for Delbrook lands  'We can do better': District of North Van rejects Delbrook affordable housing project

How many units of housing will be in the four-storey building, how many bedrooms they’ll have and what the rents will be are all yet to be determined as, unlike the previous proposal, there is no non-profit proponent waiting to build the project.

Coun. Jim Hanson said the latest version represented a compromise of community interests that council should be proud of.

“Some say that we should have put a larger building on the site to accommodate more affordable units. Others will say, notwithstanding all that we have done to come to this point, that the building is still too high,” he said. “I think that’s the hallmark of good local government is listening to the community and finding the path that might not make one side completely happy. … I believe this council and this community can be confident that the project is proceeding with broad community support.”

Coun. Mathew Bond, one of the two council members who supported the previous Delbrook proposal, supported the rezoning but added he did so reluctantly.

“We know from our affordable housing strategy that we need an additional 600 to 1,000 affordable rental homes in the district by 2026. That’s only seven years away from now,” he said. “In my mind compromising 20 affordable homes for 20 households in need for esthetic preferences of five storeys versus four, is not a fair compromise.”

Mayor Mike Little expressed confidence the district would be able to find a non-profit willing to build and operate the affordable housing and seniors care facility, and said he hoped pre-zoning land would provide certainty for both non-profits and the neighbours.

“I hope that it is a model going forward – that we can find a successful project in this. I just think that creating a situation where we don’t have a conflict between the neighbours and a potential tenant was worth the effort to go back and re-examine this project and try to find a way forward,” he said.

Coun. Lisa Muri said it was refreshing to see a project come before council with some consensus behind it, rather than divisiveness. Had the previous council listened more closely to the neighbours and been more willing to compromise, “this building probably would have been built by now.”

“Obviously there’s never enough. There’s never going to be enough for all the people that want to come move to the region, not just the district,” she said.

District of North Van to domestic pigeons: Shoo! Ben Bengtson / North Shore News November 1, 2019 06:00 AM https://www.nsnews.com/news/district-of-north-van-to-domestic-pigeons-shoo-1.23994389

If pigeons continue to roost in the District of North Vancouver, they better not have anyone sheltering them. District council has voted to ban keeping domestic pigeons. file photo, Burnaby Now Coo-er heads didn’t prevail. Domestic pigeons are being told to fly the coop in the District of North Vancouver, following council’s passing of a new bylaw which will prohibit the possession of the winged pets within the municipality. Under the new pigeon prohibition bylaw, it’s an offence to own, possess, harbour, hold or keep in captivity a pigeon, or pigeons, anywhere in the district. Violators of the new bylaw could be hit with a $200 fine. Comparing pigeon keeping to owning a different kind of pet, such as a dog, and allowing it to “run wild” in the municipality, Coun. Lisa Muri, who argued in favour of the new bylaw, stated that owning pigeons and letting them fly throughout the neighbourhood could impact others in the community. “I would equate it to me having racing dogs and letting them go in the neighbourhood and hoping they would come back,” said Muri. “There has been an ongoing issue with regards to some complaints that have gone on for several years. I believe it is time that we took a position on this.” The district first adopted a bylaw that regulates the keeping of pigeons in 1971. The bylaw set standards for general enclosure cleanliness and health, and prohibited pigeons from perching, roosting, straying or feeding on another parcel, highway or public place. But as the district has become less and less rural during the proceeding 50 years, the original bylaw has been in need of a major refresher, according to Coun. Jim Hanson. “This pigeon prohibition takes into account the evolving nature and the urbanization of North Vancouver District,” said Hanson. “It isn’t a rural setting anymore. There obviously isn’t a great public demand to keep pigeons.” A staff report from July points to documented cases of pigeons flying over private property and public lands, roosting and defecating on private property and public lands, and pigeon food attracting rats and other vermin. But according to district staff, there is also only one household in the municipality, as far as staff can ascertain, that is harbouring pigeons as domestic pets. Couns. Mathew Bond and Jordan Back took umbrage with council passing a whole new bylaw just to deal with what amounts to a single active complaint from several years ago registered against the owner of the pigeons. While first noting the types of different animals that are allowed to be kept across the district, including dogs, cats, and even chickens, Bond said the few complaints surrounding pigeon keeping could have been addressed by the original 1971 bylaw. “There’s only one known owner of pigeons,” said Bond. “I don’t see this to be necessarily an issue that we should really even be talking about now considering the other pressing needs at council.” Mayor Mike Little countered that technically having one owner of pigeons and one complainant was actually a “terrible record” and it could still have an onerous impact even if only a few parties were involved. “It’s important for us to spend a little bit of council time refreshing our old bylaws and making sure that they keep current,” said Little. “We also don’t allow many other animals to roam the neighbourhood. … I think that this time has come.” The new bylaw does allow pigeons to be transported through or obtain veterinary services within the district, as well as the temporary possession of pigeons if it relates to animal rescue. The pigeon prohibition bylaw will take effect on May 1, 2020 in order to allow those keeping pigeons on their property some time to find new suitable homes for their avians. Council voted 4-2 in favour of the bylaw, with Couns. Bond and Back against it. Coun. Betty Forbes recused herself from voting, citing a conflict of interest. “I’m declaring a conflict because I have been involved in a situation like this, so I’m stepping aside,” said Forbes. © 2019 North Shore News

District of North Van to ‘get its house in order’ on climate Brent Richter / North Shore News November 15, 2019 06:00 AM https://www.nsnews.com/news/district-of-north-van-to-get-its-house-in-order-on-climate-1.24008633

District of North Vancouver municipal hall, where council is planning ways to halt carbon emissions. file photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News The District of North Vancouver is the latest local government to draw up fresh plans for cutting carbon emissions following a declaration of a climate emergency. At their last meeting, council endorsed unanimously a series of actions the district could take to align itself with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s goals of quickly halting carbon emissions. Among the actions listed: requiring municipal buildings meet high-performance emissions standards, such as passive house or passive house equivalent, prioritizing modular construction, eliminating all non-renewable energy sources including fossil gas and coming up with further recommendations to achieve net zero emission buildings. related  EDITORIAL: Winds of change  Climate change drives policy change in West Van  North Shore declares climate crisis  North Vancouver school trustees declare climate emergency The motion also directs staff to report back with the expected costs to retrofit all of the district’s buildings by 2025 to achieve highest energy performance and net zero carbon and transition municipal equipment powered by fossil fuels such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers, garbage trucks, etc. to electric or biogas. The motion came from Coun. Megan Curren, who said she did not have faith in senior levels of government to address the problem. “I think that cities, municipalities, and Indigenous communities, we’re on the front lines of climate change. And we actually can move a lot more quickly than other levels of government. “And the science is so clear, we know what we need to do, and we need to decarbonize rapidly. And there’s lots of ways to do that,” she said. “I want to frame climate change, not as a future event, and people are dying, and they’re suffering right now as we speak. “We’re in planetary overshoot, we are not living within the means of this planet. And it’s not about switching from one thing to another. It’s about less of everything. And we are not living within the means of the biosphere.” Coun. Lisa Muri said the motion was a message to a community that has always been very protective of its environment, that council is getting its own house in order. Coun. Mathew Bond said he was pleased to see the motion wouldn’t apply just to new builds but also retrofits of existing district infrastructure. But, the district’s chief administrative officer Dave Stewart cautioned council not to commit to any actions without first getting staff to report back to them on the “potential impacts, consequences and achievability.” “We may come back and say, ‘Well intended, but the technology is just not there right now, totally,’ or ‘The costs or the consequences which haven’t really been truly understood, are these,’” he said. “I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. I’m saying we definitely need to go this direction. It’s how fast and how we go about doing it.” Mayor Mike Little agreed, and warned his fellow council members to “not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” There isn’t enough supply of wood to switch entirely to passive house standards, Little cited as an example. More practical would be pursuing solar hot water heating, he argued. “It’s something where you can actually put the resources in and see the benefit directly back out,” he said. “This is the right direction but we haven’t fleshed this out enough to be able to make this work in the District of North Vancouver now.” © 2019 North Shore News

LETTER: District workers in Lynn Canyon 'super- caring' but trees still need saving North Shore News November 12, 2019 06:00 AM https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letters/letter-district-workers-in-lynn-canyon-super-caring-but-trees-still-need-saving-1.24002380

District of North Vancouver parks workers remove ferns from the Lynn Canyon parking lot expansion area,in process of being transplanted elsewhere in the park. photo supplied, Sheila Balzer Dear editor: Re: North Van Proceeding with Scaled Back Lynn Canyon Parking Project, Oct. 16 front-page story. Protecting, restoring and funding projects in light of the climate emergency simply needs to happen throughout the world, including in the District of North Vancouver. The plans for Lynn Canyon feel like the balance has not been achieved, especially with plans to remove healthy [mature] trees. [On the morning of Nov. 8], there were lots of super-caring district staff members there working so very hard in all of their roles, including the relocation and rescue of plants in areas that are been changed. A photo I took of one of the ferns yesterday being lifted and loaded into a truck, in the process of being transplanted elsewhere in the park. There is more work ahead and the need for volunteer efforts to remove invasive species will be great in the future too. Also, some of the trees I was worried that were coming out, such as the tree in the entrance, the lichen trees, and the giant tree near the existing lot, are to remain. But there are still lots of healthy trees that are scheduled to come out too. Mayor Mike Little and others with the district are really trying very hard to balance all the needs of safety, access and competing concern. I still hope that even more can be done, especially as it relates to surface areas and retaining even more trees and bio mass. Sheila Balzer North Vancouver Editor’s note: Construction will begin mid-November and continue until spring 2020, as noted on the district’s website here. The first phase of construction will begin in the upper parking lot. During this time, visitors will be able to park in the lower parking lot or east parking lot, according to a district spokesperson.

© 2019 North Shore News DNV closes pot shop public hearing Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News November 8, 2019 11:35 AM https://www.nsnews.com/community/neighbourhoods/dnv-closes-pot-shop-public-hearing-1.24001547

With the public hearing closed, District of North Vancouver council is set to vote on the rules regarding pot shops in the municipality. The vote is tentatively slated for Nov. 18. file photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News The District of North Vancouver may be two meetings away from opening the marijuana bud-gates. Council cleared one of their last procedural hurdles Tuesday evening with a 24- minute public hearing regarding pot shop bylaws.

“It’s been a long time coming and we’re very pleased it’s here,” said City of North Vancouver resident John McNally, one of two speakers to address council. As the bylaw is written, future pot shops would operate between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., seven days a week. However, McNally requested cannabis stores keep the same hours as private liquor stores, which would allow them to close up at 11 p.m. Council is tentatively slated to vote on their non-medical cannabis bylaw Nov. 18, with final adoption to follow at a subsequent meeting. If passed, the district would allow one pot shop apiece in Maplewood, Lions Gate, Lynn Valley and Lynn Creek town centres. Businesses outside town centres could be considered on a case-by-case basis. Cannabis outlets would need to be 200 metres from schools and would be limited to areas where liquor sales are permitted. The district has received seven retail applications through B.C.’s Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch. A cannabis licence application fee is $2,040 and the annual business licence fee is $5,000. There’s also a $1,785 public notification fee. Cannabis warehouses would be permitted in any area that allows warehouse use. While he acknowledged concern over pot shop over-proliferation, Coun. Mathew Bond previously suggested council could consider more pot shops in the future. Except in a case involving a residential neighbourhood, Coun. Lisa Muri has said she would generally waive public hearings for cannabis stores in retail, commercial and light industrial areas. © 2019 North Shore News

LETTER: District of North Vancouver's pigeon- keeping ban ruffles feathers North Shore News November 6, 2019 07:00 PM https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letter-district-of-north-vancouver-s-pigeon-keeping-ban-ruffles-feathers-1.23998768

If pigeons continue to roost in the District of North Vancouver, they better not have anyone sheltering them. District council has voted to ban keeping domestic pigeons. file photo Burnaby Now Dear editor: Re: District of North Vancouver to pigeons: Shoo!, Nov. 1 news story. On the evening of Nov. 4, District of North Vancouver council approved a bylaw prohibiting the keeping of pigeons on private property in the DNV. What was not discussed by council was the preponderance of evidence that this bylaw is a pet project of Coun. Betty Forbes related to her own personal dispute with a neighbour. Ms. Forbes is the only person to complain regarding domestic pigeons in the district in the recent past to the best knowledge of DNV staff. The proponent for this new bylaw, Coun. Lisa Muri, seems to have brought it up out of thin air, unless you acknowledge Ms. Forbes’ private communications with Ms. Muri and DNV staff that were brought to light by the freedom of information requests obtained by CBC’s Justin McElroy. Given that Ms. Forbes campaigned on transparency in government, this whole episode stinks of hypocrisy and represents a significant abuse of her position as a councillor. We ask that our elected officials act ethically and transparently when they debate issues at council. The fact that DNV council, save Couns. Mathew Bond and Jordan Back, pushed this bylaw through without any acknowledgement of the significant conflict of interest at play here is abhorrent. It makes you wonder what kind of other fowl dealings are going on behind the closed doors of this council. Maybe voters will consider cleaning the coop when the next election rolls around. Dan Rankin North Vancouver © 2019 North Shore News

District of North Van to offer single-family homes for affordable housing

Brent Richter / North Shore News

October 27, 2019 12:00 AM https://www.nsnews.com/news/district-of-north-van-to-offer-single-family-homes-for-affordable-housing-1.23988738

The District of North Vancouver occasionally purchases single-family homes with the intention of demolishing them. Soon, they will be used for affordable housing. file photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News

District of North Vancouver council members are offering up their own homes for affordable housing – in a manner of speaking.

District council voted unanimously at their last regular council meeting to adopt a new policy directing staff to offer any single-family homes the district purchases to non-profits at a nominal rate to be rented out at affordable rates.

Local governments occasionally purchase homes with plans to demolish them for expansion of parks, roads or other municipal infrastructure. The district currently owns 14 single-family homes, 10 of which are rented out at market rates, four of which are in the hands of non-profits.

The new policy will apply to any new homes the district acquires but does not anticipate demolishing for a period of two to five years.

How much the new policy will cost the district in foregone rental revenues would be hard to predict, according to a staff report, “as few properties may become unavailable.”

District council has previously rejected affordable housing projects on district-owned land but Coun. Jim Hanson moved the motion Oct. 7 after first asking staff to prepare a detailed report on the matter in April.

“This reflects a philosophy of mine and, I believe, of this council, to – as much as possible – use district assets for social purposes and I believe the policy achieves that aim,” said Hanson,

Mayor Mike Little commended Hanson for bringing the motion forward.

“I think it’s probably something people probably thought we were doing already with these properties. We don’t get into the habit of acquiring properties as a resource revenue area. It’s certainly something we can demonstrate by showing that we’re going to use a relationship with a non-profit to put these properties back into use as an affordable source of housing.”

Don’t Call Me a Pessimist on Climate Change. I Am a Realist

To see our fate clearly, we must face these hard facts about energy, growth and governance. Part one of two.

William E. Rees Today | TheTyee.ca

William E. Rees is professor emeritus of human ecology and ecological economics at the University of British Columbia.

A smile in the face of reality. UBC ecological economist William E. Rees, co- creator of the ecological footprint concept, has some bad news for techno- optimists. Photo by Martin Dee.

No one wants to be the downer at the party, and some would say that I am an unreformed pessimist. But consider this — pessimism and optimism are mere states of mind that may or may not be anchored in reality. I would prefer to be labeled a realist, someone who sees things as they are, who has a healthy respect for good data and solid analysis (or at least credible theory).

Why is this important? Well, if Greta Thunberg and followers are to inspire more than emotional release about climate change, the world needs to face some hard facts that suggest we are headed toward catastrophe. At the same time, skepticism is the hallmark of good science; realists too must be open to the challenge posed by new facts.

So, today, and in a piece to follow, I present an unpopular but fact-based argument in the form of two “Am I wrong?” queries. If you accept my facts, you will see the massive challenge we face in transforming human assumptions and ways of living on Earth.

I welcome being told what crucial facts I might be missing. Even a realist — perhaps especially a realist in present circumstances — occasionally wants to be proved incorrect.

Question 1: The modern world is deeply addicted to fossil fuels and green energy is no substitute. Am I wrong?

We can probably agree that techno-industrial societies are utterly dependent on abundant cheap energy just to maintain themselves — and even more energy to grow. The simple fact is that 84 per cent of the world’s primary energy today is derived from fossil fuels.

It should be no surprise, then, that carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is the greatest metabolic waste by weight produced by industrial economies. Climate change is a waste management problem!

Cheap fossil energy enabled the world to urbanize, and this process is continuing. The UN expects the urban population to rise to 6.7 billion — 68 per cent of humanity — by 2050. There will be 43 mega-cities with more than 10 million inhabitants each as early as 2030, mostly in China and other Asian countries.

Building out these and hundreds more large cities will require much of the remaining allowable carbon budget. Moreover, the current and future inhabitants of every modern city depend absolutely on the fossil-fuelled productivity of distant hinterlands and on fossil-fuelled transportation for their daily supplies of all essential resources, including water and food.

Fact: Urban civilization cannot exist without prodigious quantities of dependable energy.

All of which generates a genuine emergency. By 2018, the combustion of fossil fuel alone was pumping 37.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Add to this the net carbon emissions from land clearing (soil oxidation) and more vigorous forest fires, and we can see why atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations reached an all-time high of 415 parts per billion in early 2019. This is 48 per cent above pre-industrial levels and concentrations are rising exponentially.

And, of course, everyone with an active brain cell is aware that CO2 is the main human-related driver of global warming and associated climate change.

Cue the techno-optimists’ chorus: “Not to worry, all we have to do is transition to green renewable energy!”

In fact, there is plenty of superficial support for the notion that green tech is our saviour. We are told repeatedly that the costs of providing renewable energy have fallen so low that it will soon be practically free. Australian professors Andrew Blakers and Matthew Stocks say “Solar photovoltaic and wind power are rapidly getting cheaper and more abundant — so much so that they are on track to entirely supplant fossil fuels worldwide within two decades.” Luckily, the transition won’t even take up much space: UC Berkeley professor Mehran Moalem argues that “an area of the Earth 335 kilometres by 335 kilometres with solar panels... will provide more than 17.4 TW power.... That means 1.2 per cent of the Sahara desert is sufficient to cover all of the energy needs of the world in solar energy.” (Someone should remind Prof. Moalem that, even if such an engineering feat were possible, a single sandstorm would bury the world’s entire energy supply.)

The first problem with such claims is that despite rapid growth in wind and solar generation, the green energy transition is not really happening. The chart below shows that in most recent years (except 2009, following the 2008 global financial crisis), the uptick in global demand for electrical energy exceeded the total output of the world’s entire 30-year accumulation of solar power installations. Between 2017 and 2018, the demand increase outpaced total solar supply by 60 per cent; two years’ demand increase absorbs the entire output of solar and wind power combined.

The annual increase in demand for electricity exceeds the entire output of photovoltaic electricity installations. Graph courtesy of Pedro Prieto, with permission.

As long as the growth in demand exceeds additions to supply from renewables, the latter cannot displace fossil fuels even in electricity generation — and remember, electricity is still less than 20 per cent of total energy consumption, with the rest being supplied mostly by fossil fuels. Nor is any green transition likely to be cheap. The cost of land is substantial and, while the price of solar panels and wind turbines have declined dramatically, this is independent of the high costs associated with transmission, grid stabilization and systems maintenance. Consistently reliable wind and solar electricity requires integrating these sources into the grid using battery or pumped hydro storage, back-up generation sources (e.g., gas turbines, cruise-ship scale internal combustion engines, etc.) and meeting other challenges that make it more expensive.

Also problematic is the fact that wind/solar energy is not really renewable. In practice, the life expectancy of a wind turbine may be less than 15 years. Solar panels may last a few years longer but with declining efficiency, so both turbines and panels have to be replaced regularly at great financial, energy and environmental cost. Consider that building a typical wind turbine requires 817 energy-intensive tonnes of steel, 2,270 tonnes of concrete and 41 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic. Solar power also requires large quantities of cement, steel and glass as well as various rare earth metals.

World demand for rare-earth elements — and Earth-destroying mining and refining — would rise 300 per cent to 1,000 per cent by 2050 just to meet the Paris goals. Ironically, the mining, transportation, refining and manufacturing of material inputs to the green energy solution would be powered mainly by fossil fuels (and we’d still have to replace all the machinery and equipment currently running on oil and gas with their electricity-powered equivalents, also using fossil fuel). In short, even if the energy transition were occurring as advertised, it would not necessarily be reflected in declining CO2 emissions.

If we divide 2018 into energy segments, oil, coal and natural gas powered the globe for 309 out of 365 days, hydro and nuclear energy gave us 41 days, and non-hydro renewables (solar panels, wind turbines, biomass) a mere 15 days. If the race is towards a decarbonized finish line by 2050, we’re still pretty much stalled at the gate.

Fact: Despite the hype about the green energy revolution and enhanced efficiency, the global community in 2019 remains addicted to fossil energy and no real cure is on the horizon.

As I say, please do tell me I’m wrong.

Tomorrow: But wait, Bill. Never underestimate plucky human spirit and our power to collectively accomplish great things!

Now that you’re here, we have a favour to ask…

Canada has many challenges ahead: ecological, social, democratic, and the list goes on. Independent, public- interest journalism is more important than ever to unearth facts and spark the conversations we need to have.

The Tyee is funded in large part directly by our readers. This means we don’t have to rely solely on advertising to fund our reporting or lock our hard-hitting journalism away behind a paywall. The average amount that a reader gives to The Tyee is 10 dollars per month, which we use to pay for high-quality, in-depth journalism, and make it free for everyone to read.

If you value independent journalism that works for readers, not advertisers, please become a Tyee Builder today.

Drill puts North Van disaster response to the test Brent Richter / North Shore News November 5, 2019 03:05 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/drill-puts-north-van-disaster-response-to-the-test-1.23998722

Members of North Shore Rescue congregate in Cates Park along with a Talon helicopter and the Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft Tuesday morning. Multiple agencies came together to simulate an emergency response after an earthquake threatens the two North Shore bridges. photo Brent Richter, North Shore News It’s been seven days since a 7.3-magnitude quake shook the Strait of Georgia. Our bridges are still standing but structural engineers haven’t yet determined if they’re safe to cross. The trouble is, most of our emergency and municipal workers are on the other side. That’s the scenario North Shore Emergency Management simulated Tuesday morning, bringing in, by air and by sea, more than 100 personnel who would be critical to keeping the lights on in days after a disaster. “It’s always a great opportunity for our first responders and people involved in the relief effort to get the opportunity to practice. When you practice, you iron out the wrinkles,” said Jocelyn Hewson, public education co-ordinator for North Shore Emergency Management. Starting around 7 a.m. boats began arriving from Squamish, Lions Bay, Vancouver and Port Moody, thanks to help from the Canadian Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue, the Vancouver Police Department marine unit and Canada Task Force One, as well as private businesses. Just after 10 a.m., the Coast Guard hovercraft arrived to deliver a fresh emergency vehicle to the boat launch at Cates Park/Whey-ah- Wichen and a Talon helicopter was also called in to drop off a massive tent and supplies via sling line. “We’re showing how to move employees that are really critical to returning our society to normalcy, such as municipal employees and first responders” Hewson said. “We’re taking advantage of our airways, we’re taking advantage of our waterways. We know that following a disaster, our transportation routes will be extremely challenged.” While the scenario was primarily intended to test how well they could get crews and supplies to the North Shore, the group also conducted their first-ever test of distributing supplies to the public. The team distributed more than 200 emergency preparedness packages to residents who lined up in the park. NSEM constantly pushes the message that residents should have enough food, water and supplies to be totally self-sufficient for three days at minimum, but a week would be far better, said Fiona Dercole, NSEM director. “We know that stockpiles of retail supplies like groceries will be depleted after three to five days and that water and sanitation networks will be damaged and take weeks or months to repair,” she said. “This is small in comparison of what we will need to do in a disaster. But we need to start small to understand the logistics and the process so that we can learn from it and have some success with it and then expand it beyond that.” As the exercise came to an end, Tuesday, NSEM deputy director Mike Andrews said he liked what he saw. “The movement of people went extremely well, pretty much according to plan,” said Andrews. “Everybody got to work, so that was a win. And our communications worked extremely well.” District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little, who was at Cates Parks Tuesday to lend support, said he could come away confident the North Shore is in good hands. “This is very encouraging to see this kind of co-ordination taking place,” he said.

France lays out new rules to rein in e-scooters 25 Oct 2019 08:21PM (Updated: 25 Oct 2019 08:37PM) https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/france-lays-out-new-rules-to-rein-in-e-scooters-12035508 PARIS: The French government issued on Friday (Oct 25) a series of rules on the use of e-scooters, whose exploding popularity has proved a headache for officials seeking to safely incorporate them into crowded urban landscapes. Speeds for e-scooters as well as hoverboards, monowheels and other motorised "personal transporters" will now be capped at 25kmh for riders who must be at least 12 years old, junior transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said in a statement. Advertisement Riding on sidewalks will be prohibited unless a city permits them in certain areas, and at walking speed only. And tourists beware: No more zipping around two at a time while snapping selfies. Only one rider per device, and as is the case for drivers and cyclists, no mobile phone use will be allowed. Most of the new rules come into effect on Saturday except for those that require technology tweaks - such as speed control - which will start on Jul 1. Djebbari said they will encourage "more responsible use .. and restore a sense of tranquility for pedestrians, in particular the most vulnerable: the elderly, children and handicapped people." READ: PMDs could be banned if rider behaviour does not improve: Janil Puthucheary As in cities worldwide, Paris is grappling with how to handle the roughly 15,000 "dockless" scooters that have flooded its streets since last year. A ban on parking them on sidewalks largely goes unheeded despite the threat of a €35 (US$40) fine, and scooters can be found strewn over parks and squares across the French capital. City Hall plans to cut the number of operators to three by issuing tender offers in the coming months, down from a peak of 12 earlier this year. Already in June around half had withdrawn or suspended operations in Paris, citing high maintenance costs - vandalism remains a problem, as with the city's Velib bike-share system - and fierce competition. The move will come once lawmakers pass the government's so-called Mobility law to govern free-float scooter sharing systems. But critics say the rules may not be enough to address safety concerns for pedestrians as well as riders. Last weekend, a 25-year-old man was killed and a young woman seriously injured after the scooter they were riding was struck by a car in the southwestern city of Bordeaux. At least five other scooter deaths have been reported in France, including Paris and its suburbs and the eastern city of Reims. North Van planting event aims to transform overrun area into functioning wetland Ben Bengtson / North Shore News October 26, 2019 01:13 PM https://www.nsnews.com/community/north-van-planting-event-aims-to-transform-overrun-area-into-functioning-wetland-1.23989070

Fiona Wright, co-ordinator for North Shore Wetlands Partners, gets digging during a planting event at Lloyd wetland, adjacent to North Vancouver's Mackay Creek, Saturday morning. photo Ben Bengtson, North Shore News A group of volunteers helped give new life to a stretch of green space in North Vancouver Saturday morning. The purpose of the planting event was to help transform a pond near Mackay Creek into a functioning wetland, according to Krystal Brennan, outreach co-ordinator with Wildcoast Ecological Society, which organized the undertaking along with other community partners. related  North Shore Rain Garden Project demonstrates 'natural technology' “We really wanted to do this to raise awareness about the need to restore and preserve these kinds of natural spaces,” said Brennan. “There’s so much development around, it’s really important to preserve the spaces we do have left.” Volunteers gathered at what’s being called the Lloyd wetland or pond, located near the intersection of West First Street and Lloyd Avenue, around 10 a.m. As traffic whizzed by on busy First Street, a quick deviation from the nearby Spirit Trail into the undergrowth revealed more than a dozen green thumbs hard at work removing invasive plants and replacing them with native ones. Once volunteers are able to restore the area to proper urban wetland status, the area will be able to provide a habitat for many waterfowl, songbirds and even coho salmon fry, according to Brennan, who added that urban wetlands are “really hard to find.”

The pond located just through some undergrowth near West First Street and Lloyd Avenue in North Vancouver had been overrun with invasive plants. Volunteers are working to transform it into a functioning wetland - photo Ben Bengtson, North Shore News “The marsh also provides off-channel habitat for coho salmon. Previously there had been coho salmon in here, but with being choked out by invasive plants we’ve found there wasn’t as much water in here to support those salmon,” said Brennan. Last month, Wildcoast Ecological Society and other volunteers brought an excavator to help lower the water table at Lloyd wetland and remove more invasive plants which had been turning the wetland into a dry bed, said Brennan. https://twitter.com/BenBengtson/status/1188164060673478656 The wetland sits adjacent to nearby Mackay Creek, which Wildcoast Ecological Society have been helping to maintain and transform since 2013. “There have been many spills on Mackay Creek,” said Brennan. “A lot of the road runoff and other industrial runoff from nearby areas here will flow through this marsh before entering the creek. This is a way of cleaning that area to help prevent future damage.” © 2019 North Shore News

MAKING CENTS: Here's how the federal election could impact investors

Lori Pinkowski / Contributing writer

October 16, 2019 01:22 AM

https://www.nsnews.com/lifestyle/work/making-cents-here-s-how-the-federal-election-could-impact-investors-1.23977253

file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

With the election quickly approaching, Canadians will head to the polls on Oct. 21 to vote in the upcoming federal election.

While the U.S. political system gets much more attention, any election in Canada at a federal, or even provincial level, can bring change to businesses and the economic landscape, and this election is no different.

As investors, we want to know how each party and their economic policies, if elected, will impact our portfolios. So what are the main ways political parties have a potential impact on your investments?

Taxes and encouraging business investment are two of the biggest potential influences on your money, but their spending plans can also have an effect.

The big three – Liberal, Conservative and NDP parties – all want to help address the housing concerns and their methods of making change could have a big influence on the future outlook for the real estate market in Canada and in turn, the real estate portion of your investments. No one likes the tax man but the government needs an income to cover their expenses. Tax cuts, including an increase in personal exemptions, would give Canadians more money in their pockets. There is controversy over the taxes of the middle-class versus the wealthy and who should bear most of the expense.

Liberals want to improve the lowest tax bracket while Conservatives want to undo the changes the Liberals made two years ago that impacted small businesses. Both parties have plans that would be beneficial for taxpayers overall but the amount of the benefit would depend on your income level. The NDP have proposed a “super wealth tax” which could affect high net worth investors and their families, as those who have wealth in excess of $20 million would be subject to a tax of one per cent on the value of their total assets including investments, cars, homes, and jewelry.

There have been discussions concerning increasing the capital gains tax as well, something all investors, in real estate and the stock market, should be watching closely.

With an aging demographic of baby boomers, the number of retirees and seniors is drastically increasing within Canada. The political parties are focused on assisting low income seniors and boosting retirement benefits for them. Increasing old age security as well as enhancing Canada pension benefits for spouses, and providing caregivers with income incentives are all proposed for seniors in Canada.

The energy sector is a huge part of the Canadian economy and the political leadership will certainly have a notable impact on investments in that area. There has been a push for investment into sustainable energy within the Canadian economy, and that will continue with all parties, but some focus more on it than others. Many want to reduce Canada’s carbon emissions, and while some parties are pro pipeline development, others want to keep the oil in the ground. All have their pros and cons around jobs, growth in the economy and environmental sustainability. Incentives for electric vehicles, public transit tax credits, and cannabis tax are the steering points for green energy.

The Liberals have proposed a national speculation tax modelled after the one here in B.C. Vancouver has already seen a much needed decrease to home prices but I feel it’s too many taxes implemented at one time. Yes, we need affordable housing for Canadians and the real estate market needs oversight to prevent speculation causing prices to get out of control, but solving the problem needs careful consideration of those soon to be or already retired Canadians who are depending on the value of their home as part of their overall retirement plan. Additional steep price declines could further hurt their retirement. There are other ways instead of punishing those who have saved well their entire life or who are looking at investing and moving legally to our country. Discouraging investment can only hurt an economy over the long run. Keep this in mind when heading to the polls in a few weeks.

Our federal election outcome won’t impact our outlook, as we don’t foresee any candidate implementing policies that would materially affect the country’s growth or inflation prospects. Our job is to manage risk and provide a favourable return for our clients, so we watch and monitor the political scenery with interest, but we don’t actively make trades or restructure our clients’ portfolios dependent on who the political winner is poised to be. We feel it is prudent for other investors to do the same.

Lori Pinkowski is a senior portfolio manager and senior vice president, Private Client Group, at Raymond James Ltd., a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. This is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Raymond James. Lori can answer any questions at 604-915-LORI or [email protected]. You can also listen to her every Wednesday morning on CKNW at 8:40 a.m.

EDITORIAL: Lighter days ahead North Shore News https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/editorial-lighter-days-ahead-1.23994519 October 31, 2019 04:44 PM

photo supplied Łukasz Hejnak/flickr.com This weekend we move our clocks back one hour to standard time. The immediate result will be more light earlier in the morning and less light in the afternoon/early evening. But if the province follows through on its plans, it could be one of the last times for our twice-yearly ritual of “spring forward, fall back” clock gerrymandering. When the province invited the public to weigh in on the issue this summer, an overwhelming number were in favour of keeping daylight time year round. Convenient, since the province was likely planning that anyway, to ensure we stay in sync with similar changes being contemplated by western U.S. states. That so many people felt strongly on this topic, however, is slightly perplexing. Fiddling with the clocks, after all, involves math, something most of us do not excel at. Some like to talk about daylight time giving us an “extra hour” of light, for instance. But much as we would like to believe otherwise, there are only so many hours of daylight in a 24-hour period. The light you gain at the end of the day will come at the expense of light in the morning during winter hours – when kids would be walking to school before the sun comes up, for instance. Apparently we’re crankier and have trouble sleeping and generally focussing around the time changes. But the same could be said for the day after the sugar high of Halloween, and we don’t see the province making moves to legislate that. But, as sure as night follows day, we expect B.C. to fall in with the western states on whether we make the change permanent. © 2019 North Shore News

Little is known of the cause of CHS, or why it affects some heavy cannabis users and not others Adam Miller · CBC News · Posted: Nov 16, 2019 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: November 16 https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/cannabinoid-hyperemesis-syndrome-underdiagnosed-canada-1.5362007

A mysterious cannabis-related illness is turning up in emergency rooms in Canada, but exactly what causes it is unknown. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press) This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of eclectic and under-the- radar health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.

Regina Denney's 17-year-old son Brian called her in a panic; he couldn't stop throwing up. It was April 7, 2018 and the Indianapolis teen asked her to take him to the emergency room — but doctors there couldn't figure out what was wrong. He was severely dehydrated and constantly vomiting. "As we're sitting there talking, another doctor happens to walk by our room and she pokes her head in and she says, 'Do you smoke marijuana?'" Denney said. "And he said yes. And she said, 'Does it get better with hot showers or hot baths?' And he said yes." Brian Smith Jr. was diagnosed with a rare condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). When his lab results came back, his mother said the teen's kidneys were shutting down and his liver wasn't functioning properly. "It was just crazy," Denney said. "They were able to rehydrate him. And [the results] improved. So they released him the next day, but didn't give us any information about what CHS was, what causes it, what to look for." He was a heavy cannabis smoker and his mother convinced him to stop, at least until they could see a gastroenterologist 45 days later. Denney said he still had symptoms leading up to that appointment and thought if they were related to his cannabis use, he would have been symptom free. So he started smoking again.

Brian Smith Jr. was diagnosed with a rare condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). (Submitted by Regina Denney) What they didn't know was CHS can present symptoms weeks or months after stopping cannabis use. By October, enney said her son had lost more than 40 pounds."You could see his bones. He looked sick," she said. "It's torture."  Cannabis can make you sick: Calgary woman diagnosed with rare cannabinoid syndrome On the morning of Oct. 24, 2018, she woke up at 5 a.m. to find her son sitting on the couch in the family's home, clutching his stomach. He assured his mother he was fine and told her to return to bed. "So I went back to bed, got up later on in the morning, and he had said he was nauseated and then he started vomiting. I held the bucket for him, I got a washcloth, I fixed his pillows, I brought him drinks," she said. "At one point Brian walked out of the room to go the bathroom and he said 'Mom, I can't do this anymore. I'm going to quit smoking.' and he laid back down and he grabbed his back."  Cannabis-related hospitalizations highlight need for education, clinicians say Denney suspected kidney damage, so she called 911. "They said they were on their way. So I came back in and he looked at me and he said, 'Mom, I can't breathe.'" she said. "And I rolled him over and he had quit breathing." Denney and a neighbour performed CPR until paramedics arrived, and they tried to revive him for 30 minutes. "I said, 'Please just try a little longer. He's 17, just please try a little longer.' They tried for 45 minutes, there was nothing they could do," she said. "So at 6:43 a.m. on Oct. 24, I lost my 17-year-old son. I didn't know what caused it." What causes CHS? Little is known about the exact cause of the condition or why it affects some heavy cannabis users and not others. Health Canada says it's typically found in daily cannabis users who have symptoms of severe nausea, abdominal pain and bouts of constant vomiting that can last for hours or days and are relieved by hot showers. Typical anti-nausea medications like Gravol have little effect, and treatment recommendations include rehydration, stopping cannabis use completely and psychological counselling.  Sweeping new B.C. regulations on vape products include higher taxes, health warnings on packaging Haldol, an antipsychotic drug that is used to decrease excitement in the brain, can have a positive effect, as can capsaicin lotion, which is derived from chili peppers and can mimic the hot shower effect. One theory on the cause of CHS relates to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, which could potentially become overloaded due to heavy cannabis use causing them to malfunction. "Cannabis does have some effect on nausea and so we know it has an effect on those receptors in the brain," said Dr. Atul Kapur, an Ottawa-based emergency room doctor and co-chair of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians' (CAEP) public affairs committee. "So we think that's where this is occurring, but the exact mechanism of why it's having this effect I'm not aware of." Of the more estimated 5.3 million Canadians who used cannabis this year, six per cent of those surveyed used it daily. (Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty Images) Dr. Taylor Lougheed, Ottawa family physician who works in sports, emergency and cannabinoid medicine, said there appears to be a link to cannabis strains with high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but not cannabidiol (CBD). "One of the theories is that there could be an accumulation of THC in the body's fat," he said. "So it's possible that during periods of stress, or during periods of relative fasting, particularly in the morning when someone's waking up, that they might feel nauseated because as we go through a period of fasting, our body starts to use some fat stores as a form of energy and so that could release the THC chemical."  High rate of youth hospitalization from substance use has P.E.I. mental health chief 'very concerned' Another theory is a common pesticide called neem oil, which could potentially be used in the growing of cannabis. "If you overdose with it, it can cause nausea and vomiting," said Dr. Ian Mitchell, an emergency physician and clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. "But there's no evidence that neem oil poisoning is associated with having to take hot showers." Is it underdiagnosed? Reports in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and the Boston Globe this week speculated whether CHS is underdiagnosed in Canada and the U.S., but a lack of data on the condition prevents a clear picture of how widespread it is. Of the more estimated 5.3 million Canadians who used cannabis this year, six per cent of those surveyed used it daily, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada. Forty per cent of the 23,410 hospital stays for "harm caused by substance use" in 2017-18 were related to cannabis, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), but specific data for CHS is unavailable.  Does cannabis make you mellow or manic? A new genetic test may explain why "It's a regular occurrence to be treating cannabis hyperemesis in our emergency department," said Dr. Eddy Lang, an ER physician and head of emergency medicine in Calgary. "They come to us because they have incessant, nonstop vomiting going on for hours and hours. And that's very frightening for patients." Lang said of the 800 to 1,000 patients seen in Calgary emergency departments per day, it wouldn't surprise him if they were treating upwards of five to 10 cases of CHS. Dr. Eddy Lang says CHS is a "regular occurrence" in Calgary emergency rooms. (Submitted by Dr. Eddy Lang) "So it's small overall, it's under one per cent," he said. "But it's not insignificant." Kapur said ERs across the country saw an increase in the condition a few years ago, but it pales in comparison to the harms from other drugs. "People are recognizing this and it's noteworthy. And we're glad that the word is getting out there," he said. "But this is not our main problem, it's the opioids, it's the crystal meth, especially out west."  'We don't have a choice': Experts call for the decriminalization and safe supply of drugs But for Denney, CHS is a very real threat. "Yes, it's rare that death does occur, but it happened and one person losing their life to this is too many," she said. "And if there's some way that I can get this out there, and it saves another person, then Brian's memory continues to live on."

To read the entire Second Opinion newsletter every Saturday morning, please subscribe. CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices

Lynn Canyon suspension bridge closing for repairs (for real this time) Brent Richter / North Shore News November 13, 2019 04:29 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/lynn-canyon-suspension-bridge-closing-for-repairs-for-real-this-time-1.24007213

With the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge expected to be closed for the next two months, the District of North Vancouver is offering suggestions for trail users to use to get across the creek. Map supplied, District of North Vancouver. The District of North Vancouver’s popular Lynn Canyon suspension bridge will be out of commission for more than two months of repairs – for real this time. The district announced in September the bridge would close imminently so crews could replace and upgrade the main deck, but the work was postponed. "The bridge deck is reaching the end of its design life so we're doing some proactive maintenance to keep it in safe working condition," said district spokeswoman Courtenay Rannard at the time. "Everything except the two main cables is actually being replaced. Those were reinforced last year." The work is now expected to begin on Nov. 19 with completion by early 2020. The bridge deck, which hasn’t had an upgrade since 2007, will have the same slope, width and appearance, with non-slip surface and side meshing. In the meantime, people wanting to access trails and cross the canyon will have to detour either to Pipeline Bridge to the north, about a two-kilometre or 50-minute walk, or Twin Falls Bridge, one kilometre or 30 minutes on foot to the south. © 2019 North Shore News

EDITORIAL: Minor differences North Shore News October 23, 2019 03:15 AM https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/editorial-minor-differences-1.23984982

Jonathan Wilkinson and his wife Tara celebrate his re-election in the North Vancouver riding Monday night. photo Paul McGrath, North Shore News By the looks of things, we are getting a minority government, most likely with the Liberals and NDP making peace and making policy. Here on the North Shore, we’ve opted for the status quo as parties go, but added a new face in Patrick Weiler in West Vancouver. Weiler didn’t enjoy the landslide victory his predecessor did but Conservatives barely budged from their lacklustre results in 2015. North Vancouver has long been looked to as a Conservative/Liberal swing riding and bellwether but while the Tories grew their vote nationally, their North Van candidate was only able to pick up an extra one per cent locally. It may be North Van is becoming one of those safe, urban seats the Liberals can count on. In Burnaby North-Seymour, Heather Leung got almost 20 per cent of the vote despite being ostensibly dumped by the Conservatives over her homophobia, which we are flummoxed by. And much was made of the Trans Mountain pipeline in the local campaigns but if we are reading the ballots correctly, it appears we want our pipelines and our carbon taxes too. The lifespan of a minority government is anyone’s guess but we suspect there is enough common ground between the Liberals and NDP that they can keep themselves busy for a year or two. And we don’t predict any of the parties, who are now exhausted and broke, are eager to sprint back into an election. The Bloc is back — an all-party spoiler that will make it difficult for any party to form a majority. So, for the time being, North Shore voters can rest assured they will have a voice in government, even it’s not quite the one they had in mind on Oct. 21. © 2019 North Shore News

Mixed reaction towards four-storey Delbrook project Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News October 29, 2019 07:08 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/mixed-reaction-towards-four-storey-delbrook-project-1.23991817

Reaction to a potential four-storey building at the 600 West Queens Rd. parking lot site ranged from enthusiastic support to outright opposition to mild confusion at a public hearing Oct. 22. image supplied Google Maps The new Delbrook project is one storey shorter but for some residents, it may still not measure up. Reaction to a potential four-storey building at the 600 West Queens Rd. parking lot site ranged from enthusiastic support to outright opposition to mild confusion at a public hearing Oct. 22. related  Four-storey Delbrook project on DNV docket this fall  DNV advances housing/park plan for Delbrook lands The project is tentatively slated to reserve three floors for rental units and one storey for a seniors care facility. James Gill, a frequent critic of the development, suggested a four-storey building would “compromise” neighbourhood character. Project details such as unit mix and size, funding source and projected rents have yet to be determined. “Many of us are not sure what it is that we are being asked to support,” Gill told council. While he agreed the proposal seems “unfinished,” Community Housing Action Committee chairman Don Peters was supportive. “We urge you to get on with it,” he said, noting the need for seniors care and below-market housing. Former council candidate John Gilmour agreed. “This is not as much housing as needed but it’s better than nothing,” he said. Amid calls for an extra tennis court and a memorial for the former Delbrook Secondary, much of the conversation centred on parking. Council previously voted to remove parking requirements, which would have mandated a minimum of 0.7 stalls per unit on the site. The Delbrook rec centre provides a “horrible example” of a lack of parking, according to Diana Bellhouse, who said cars belonging to visitors and staff frequently line both sides of the street. Council heard a different perspective from Hesam Deihimi, a principal with North Vancouver real estate development company Milori, who noted that he had only one family car. “And we can’t wait until we rid of that one car,” he said. “That’s my generation talking.” While it would be “far preferable” to have a three- or two-storey building rather than a four-storey structure that would “tower” over neighbours, Keith Collier said he was ultimately supportive of the proposal. Seniors care and affordable housing are both “very much needed,” he said. The feasibility of the new Delbrook project will depend largely on the rents, according to Catalyst Community Developments Society president Robert Brown. Catalyst, a non-profit organization, partnered with the municipality on an 80-unit, five-storey below market rental/seniors’ respite centre that was ultimately rejected by a majority of council in 2018. The district was slated to provide the land and waive development fees while Catalyst paid capital costs. There have been no conversations between Catalyst and the district since that decision, according to Brown. “It was a tough process for us to go through,” he said, speaking to the North Shore News prior to the public hearing. In particular, Brown recalls their proposal was “roundly criticized” for lack of parking. However, Brown said Catalyst would consider submitting another application to the district but advised they would have to assess the risk of the project. The new development is tentatively slated to house between 50 and 62 units. “We did look at decreasing the sale of the project,” he said. “The problem is there’s a number of fixed costs . . . even if you take a floor off.” The new project is set to coincide with the construction of a $2.2 -million park on the north side of the site. An early park design includes a grass amphitheatre, sports courts, a playground, water jets, exercise equipment and an open grass area as well as 22 parking spots. However, a majority of council suggested they would favour fewer features. © 2019 North Shore News

More Canadians would like to snuff out vaping, survey finds

Mario Canseco / Glacier Media

November 12, 2019 04:50 PM

https://www.nsnews.com/more-canadians-would-like- to-snuff-out-vaping-survey-finds-1.24005826

Photograph By iStock

Plenty of things have happened since we last took a look at Canadian attitudes towards e-cigarettes. The curious devices that entered our conscience as welcome additions to the realm of smoking cessation products have developed into a North American health emergency.

In the United States, more than 1,800 cases of severe lung illness related to vaping have been reported. By late October, Health Canadahad acknowledged five confirmed or probable cases of severe lung illness related to vaping in Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

On the issue of prevention, one U.S. state has been ahead of the curve. In late September, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakerdeclared a temporary four-month ban on all vaping products in his jurisdiction. As expected, court challenges ensued, but the prohibition remained in place in early November.

Last year, Research Co.looked at specific aspects of vaping legislation that had been implemented by the federal government across Canada. Some of the most crucial measures – such as prohibiting the sale of vaping products to minors and restricting the use of testimonials and “lifestyle” advertising – were widely supported by Canadians.

In 2019, following the reports of severe lung illness related to vaping in North America, a large majority of Canadians (73%) surveyed would like their own province to follow Massachusetts’ lead and enact a temporary vaping ban. Across every region of the country, more than seven in 10 residents would welcome this course of action.

There is also a high level of support for implementing a ban on the use of e-cigarettes in public places where smoking is currently prohibited (73%) and a call for action on one of the intricacies that makes this practice attractive to children: more than half of Canadians (57%) would like to see all flavoured vaping products disappear from store shelves.

There are two aspects of vaping that did not go through a significant modification. Eleven per cent of Canadians said they used an e-cigarette in the past 12 months, unchanged at the national level since 2018. As was the case before, Canadians aged 18 to 34 are more likely to have vaped (17%) than those aged 35 to 54 (11%) and those aged 55 and over (6%).

The main difference on usage from year to year is observed in specific regions. While Atlantic Canada had the largest proportion of vapers in 2018 (15%), the level has halved (7%). Conversely, British Columbia stood in the middle of the pack last year (9%) but has now climbed to the top spot on the list (16%).

When Canadians are asked if they would consider dating a person who vapes, we continue to see half of the adult population (50%) rejecting this possibility. There is no gender gap, with equal numbers of men and women steering clear of vapers when it comes to romance. The province in Canada that has the highest number of residents who would not date a vaper is British Columbia (54%).

Among the country’s youngest adults, there are more who would walk away from an e-cigarette user (47%) than those who would perceive them as dating prospects (39%).

As we look at the recent evolution of vaping in the eyes of Canadians, there are specific issues that are remarkable. The fact that Health Canada has now established a link between the practice and severe lung illness has not made residents less willing to try an e-cigarette. The number of early adopters was low to begin with. However, the level of support for specific prohibitions is extremely high, in some cases reaching proportions usually observed only for conventional tobacco products.

The results of this survey point to a Canadian public that remains particularly unmoved by e-cigarettes. Still, a majority would welcome the opportunity to slow down this fad until its full impact on the health of users can be categorized. And, on the public policy matter of where vapers should be able to enjoy their products, most Canadians see little difference between battery-powered vaporizers and burning tobacco. •

Mario Canseco is president of Research Co.

Results are based on an online study conducted October 21–23, 2019, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

OLDER AND WISER: Myths about older adults are destructive, says seniors advocate Margaret Coates / North Shore News October 10, 2019 07:00 AM https://www.nsnews.com/lifestyle/seniors/older-and-wiser-myths-about-older-adults-are-destructive-says-seniors-advocate-1.23970988

B.C.’s seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie speaks at Silver Harbour Seniors Centre earlier this month. photo Paul McGrath, North Shore News Have you fallen for the usual myths about seniors? It seems many of us do, according to B.C.’s Seniors Advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, in a presentation to a group of 152 seniors on the North Shore last week. The presentation, organized by the Municipal Pension Retirees’ Association and hosted at Silver Harbour Seniors’ Activity Centre, looked at a number of ways seniors individually and as a group can be stereotyped. Silver Harbour president Lynne Pentland, who attended the presentation, said: “Isobel Mackenzie really focused on the importance of dispelling the myths we have about aging and seniors. Whether it’s about ourselves, our friends, or our family members, we need to reject these misconceptions. There are changes that come with the aging process, but our discussions about aging need to be evidenced-based and not rely on stereotypes and misinformation.” So, what are some of those myths? One myth Mackenzie focused on was how seniors are often seen as a homogenous group with little to differentiate them. Not so. “The only thing all seniors have in common is that they are all older than the rest of the population,” she said. Using two seniors who were born around the same time, Mackenzie talked about their differences as young women and that those differences did not just fade away as they aged. In their younger years one of the women had been a stay-at-home mom and one a hippie. Though they may look similar now, those women continue to maintain their differences with their own aspirations, values and hopes in the same way as young people. Unfortunately, some services do not accommodate those differences. In fact, services are often “one size fits all.” It seems that society often treats seniors as irrelevant, infirm, feeble, and in the throes of losing their ability to make good judgments. They can also be infantilized – we act like we know what’s best for our aging senior. Whether it is doing an errand or making a financial decision, never assume you know what seniors want. As we age, our bodies and minds do change. We experience some memory loss and loss of strength, perhaps we have trouble sleeping, we are at risk for more chronic conditions, and we lose some of our abilities with our five senses. But why should these natural aging processes affect how we treat seniors or why the myths abound? There are many seniors who adapt to the aging process. For instance, the loss of our abilities can be compensated through assistive devices such as hearing aids, glasses, and walkers, and through modifications of the older person’s environment. Maybe it’s time to get that walk-in bathtub, put up grab bars in the bathroom and get rid of throw rugs (a falling prevention piece of advice). Some people assume older people are not sexually active, dementia is inevitable, and, at 80, no matter what driving record they have, all seniors should stop driving and seniors are a drain on the economy. The Alzheimer Society of Canada states that most people do not develop dementia as they age; dementia is not a normal part of aging. According to recent data available from the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2017, more than 402,000 seniors (65 years and older) were living with dementia in Canada (data from all provinces and territories except Saskatchewan). This represents only 7.1 per cent of the seniors’ population. Mackenzie said in a presentation in 2016: “Prepare to live a long life, most of it independently (94 per cent over 65 and 74 per cent over 85), but you could expect to lose your driver’s licence after age 85.” Seniors are required to take the Driver’s Medical Examination Report at 80. Many feel that this is unfair especially if a senior’s driving record has been exemplary. Often you hear that seniors are a drain on the economy. In an address on the International Day of the Older Person in 2019, Mackenzie said: “There are literally hundreds of thousands of seniors throughout this province volunteering to deliver meals; provide rides to medical appointments; raise money for hospital foundations; lead chair yoga sessions and visit those who cannot get to the seniors centre. Without this selfless donation of time, government would be spending close to a billion more dollars each year on services.” Let’s fight ageism with facts. Margaret Coates is the co-ordinator of Lionsview Seniors’ Planning Society. She has lived on the North Shore for 48 years and has worked for and with seniors for 21 of those years. Ideas for future columns are welcome. Email: [email protected]. © 2019 North Shore News

Canada’s National Housing Agency Thinks Toronto Is No Longer Overvalued https://betterdwelling.com/canadas-national-housing-agency-thinks-toronto-is-no-longer-overvalued/#_ https://betterdwelling.com/tag/canadian-real-estate-prices/

November 8, 2019 What housing affordability crisis? The latest Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Housing Market Assessment shows real estate is at a “moderate” level of risk. The ratings, were largely unchanged, but did include one surprise. Toronto and Hamilton, previously at high vulnerability, received downgrades to their risk. Generally, more risk is seen in real estate markets west of Ottawa. From Ottawa, heading east, all major markets are still in the clear, according to the agency. The Housing Market Assessment The Housing Market Assessment is a color coded (read: simplified) look at real estate. The CMHC rates fundamentals using just three levels – low (green), medium (yellow), and high (red). Overheating and price acceleration only rank low or moderate. That is, overheating and price acceleration only exists, or it doesn’t. It’s totally binary, and there’s no degree. Besides those two, the rest of the market ranks in degrees of vulnerability. Canadian Real Estate Is Moderately Vulnerable Canadian real estate is displaying moderate signs of vulnerability in the latest report. The report for 2019 Q4 shows it holding the same moderate rank as last year. This follows ten quarters of a red, or “high,” degree of vulnerability. Overvaluation is the only key issue the housing agency readily sees in its models.

Source: CMHC. Toronto Real Estate Is Moderately Vulnerable Toronto real estate has a “moderate” vulnerability rating – an improvement from high. Market activity is improving, there’s still overheating, and prices are accelerating. Overvaluation is easing though. Kind of silly, since they’re looking at the market from an aggregate perspective. Detached home prices increased just a few notches above inflation. However, condo prices increased nearly a whole year of wages for the median person in Toronto. Vancouver Real Estate Is Moderately Vulnerable Vancouver real estate maintained it’s “moderate” vulnerability rating. The market is overvalued, but the agency isn’t seeing overheating. Price acceleration has been low over the past year, because it’s been negative. Worth a mention that sales volumes have returned, and those negatives are shrinking. Montreal Real Estate Has Low Levels of Vulnerability Montreal, a hot market for investors recently, is demonstrating low levels of vulnerability. The agency notes that home prices are consistent with economic and demographic fundamentals. They also note the resale market is beginning to show signs of overheating. So far, it hasn’t registered on the color coded model yet. Not a lot’s changed, except for the downgrades to Toronto and Hamilton real estate. Both markets continue to “overheating,” but somehow don’t show overvaluation. Major cities west of Ottawa continues to show moderate signs of vulnerability. Ottawa and East, continue to display few signs of vulnerability. Kaitlin Last New Hugo Ray multi-use path connects North and West Vancouver Ben Bengtson / North Shore News November 8, 2019 01:28 PM https://www.nsnews.com/community/new-hugo-ray-multi-use-path-connects-north-and-west-vancouver-1.24002182

Cyclists travel along the new Hugo Ray Connecter, a multi-use path which links the north side of Highway 1 between Capilano River in North Vancouver to the entrance of Hugo Ray Park on Third Street in West Vancouver. photo Ben Bengtson, North Shore News The path connecting North Vancouver to West Vancouver just got a little clearer. The Hugo Ray Connecter, a multi-use path intended for cyclists and pedestrians that links the north side of Highway 1 between Capilano River in North Vancouver to the entrance of Hugo Ray Park on Third Street in West Vancouver, is now open. “We have advocated for this facility for several years now,” said Paul Stott, of the bike advocacy group HUB Cycling, during an official unveiling ceremony Friday morning. Prior to the project’s completion, cyclists and pedestrians had to travel along an uneven shoulder directly adjacent to the busy highway. The purpose of the creation of the formal multi-use pathway is to improve safety and accessibility though the corridor, according to the District of West Vancouver. The new pathway, which was co-funded by the district and the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, involved installing a railing to separate the path from traffic, constructing a retaining wall, and improving the area’s drainage and paving. Although the project involved more than a year of planning, it took approximately seven weeks from shovel-ready to completion, according to West Vancouver Mayor Mary-Ann Booth. “If we’re going to reduce congestion, we know we need to support sustainable modes of transportation like walking, cycling and public transit. The Hugo Ray Connector is an excellent example of how we can do that,” said Booth. “This path not only creates a safe cycling and walking route between West Vancouver and North Vancouver, it also greatly improves access to the Capilano Pacific Trail and the Capilano Regional Park.” North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma, who spearheaded last year’s Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project that emphasized developing more multi-use paths, touted the importance of creating more safe cycling infrastructure. “I’m really excited to see more of this kind of infrastructure pop up across the North Shore,” said Ma. “I’m often reminded of the serious consequences that occur when you don’t have safe cycling infrastructure.” Earlier this year, a cyclist was killed after being knocked under the wheels of a truck trailer on West Esplanade, and in Moodyville last year a cyclist died following a collision with a dump truck. “In 2017 I was actually present for the tragic death of another person on a cycle over on Keith Road. There are serious consequences and they’re unacceptable,” said Ma. Although significantly smaller, the Hugo Ray connecter joins the Spirit Trail as another multi-use path that connects North Vancouver and West Vancouver. © 2019 North Shore News

New Mountain Highway on/off-ramps now open Brent Richter / North Shore News November 4, 2019 03:50 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/new-mountain-highway-on-off-ramps-now-open-1.23997719

Mid-day commuters make their way down the new Mountain Highway off- ramp in North Vancouver. photo Paul McGrath, North Shore News Commuters who have had two and a half long years of watching construction on the new Mountain Highway on- and off-ramps from the Cut are now free to put them to good use. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure opened the new lanes on Saturday.

related  New North Van highway infrastructure opens Saturday  Two years later, Mountain Highway project nearly complete “It’s looking really good. I've had lots of good, positive feedback on it. And I've tried both ramps and yeah, they work fine,” said Jay Porter, project manager on the $200-million Lower Lynn improvement project. “It's really good.” Those expecting to turn left from the new off-ramp to go north onto Mountain Highway, however, will be disappointed as only emergency vehicles will be allowed to turn north. Porter said adding a left-turn phase to the traffic signal there would have backed traffic up Mountain Highway, congesting the intersection of Mountain and Keith. Ministry staff we will be monitoring traffic and making adjustments to the signal timing as needed. For the time being, the new on-ramp onto the Cut will also only be accessible to drivers who are southbound on Mountain Highway. Every hour during the afternoon rush, the ministry anticipates the new off-ramp will take 800 drivers who would otherwise be bound for the Main Street/Dollarton Highway and Mount Seymour Parkway interchanges, off the cut. Together those interchanges serve about 55 per cent of all the vehicle traffic that comes to and from the North Shore, Porter said. “And so you relieve some of that pressure further down,” he said. “We're trying to spread that traffic around a little bit more evenly with the addition of the ramps at Mountain highway.” In mid-December, traffic in both directions will be diverted over one of the two new bridges being built across Lynn Creek, which will allow crews to rehabilitate the existing orange bridge and extend its life. © 2019 North Shore News

Newcomers to Canada buy one in every five homes: study Immigrants, workers and refugees are investing in their new Canadian lives and having a significant effect on real estate demand, finds Royal LePage

Joannah Connolly / Glacier Media Real Estate

October 16, 2019 03:24 PM

https://www.nsnews.com/newcomers-to-canada-buy-one-in-every-five-homes-study-1.23978914

Photo Dan Toulgoet

Newcomers to Canada are moving the dial on real estate demand, with one in every five Canadian homes purchased by a buyer who arrived in the past 10 years, according to a survey by national real estate brokerage Royal LePage.

The study of 1,500 newcomers to Canada, all of whom arrived in the past decade, included immigrants, refugees, those on working visas and international students.

"In addition to supporting Canada's economic growth, newcomers to Canada are vital to the health of our national real estate market," said Phil Soper, president and CEO, Royal LePage. "The combined demand for affordable housing among younger Canadians and new Canadians can be met through housing policies that encourage smart and sustainable development, with a focus on protecting and developing green spaces in our urban centres. Canada's economy and labour markets are expanding and it is crucial that housing supply keeps pace."

Eighty-six per cent of Canadian newcomers said they see real estate as a good investment and 75 per cent arrive with savings to help purchase a property. The study showed that of the newcomers that purchased a home, the average time was three years after arriving in Canada.

“It is not surprising that newcomers see a home in Canada as a good investment. Having lived abroad myself, I have seen first-hand the challenges of relocating a family to a new world. It takes courage and commitment. Newcomers are doing more than investing in Canadian real estate, they are investing in their family's future,” added Soper.

Royal LePage said in its report, “Despite the desire to purchase a home, the homeownership rate of newcomers is only 32 per cent. The overall homeownership rate for all Canadians is 68 per cent. Of those who purchase a home, 51 per cent of newcomers buy a detached house, 18 per cent buy a condominium, 15 per cent buy a townhouse and 13 per cent buy a semi-detached house.”

If the current international migration level is maintained, Canadian newcomers are expected to purchase 680,000 homes over the next five years, said Royal LePage.

B.C. findings

In British Columbia, the homeownership rate among newcomers was the same as the national figure, at 32 per cent, and it was the same for newcomers living in Greater Vancouver. But the proportion of newcomers to British Columbia with enough funds to help buy a home was higher than the national figure, at 89 per cent.

Royal LePage added, “Consumer confidence in the province's real estate market is healthy, as 85 per cent of respondents in British Columbia believe that homeownership is a good financial investment. Eighty-six per cent of newcomers in British Columbia remain in their first city or region of residence. Currently, newcomers represent 15 per cent of all home buyers in the province and they are projected to purchase 91,000 homes over the next five years at the current rate of international migration.”

Randy Ryalls, general manager, Royal LePage Sterling Realty, added, “Greater Vancouver is one of the most desirable places in the world to live and we attract newcomers who are optimistic about what the city has to offer in terms of both lifestyle and employment.”

North Shore teen cyclist injured in head-on crash with driver

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 8, 2019 02:46 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/north-shore-teen-cyclist-injured-in-head-on-crash-with-driver-1.24002328

The 300-block of Welch Street where the North Vancouver is connected to West Vancouver via Squamish Nation land. image supplied, Google

West Vancouver police are investigating after a driver struck a cyclist head-on during the Thursday evening rush hour.

The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. on the 300 block of Welch Street, just west of Mathias Road, according to Const. Nicole Braithwaite, West Vancouver police spokeswoman.

Braithwaite said the driver, a 49-year-old woman, was headed west on Welch when she attempted to “make an unsafe pass” and struck the 19-year-old man on the bike, who was travelling eastbound.

There is a solid yellow line on Welch at that point, Braithwaite confirmed.

The victim was taken to hospital with several broken teeth and cuts requiring stitches, Braithwaite said.

As of Friday, no ticket had been issued.

“At this time, officers are conducting a full investigation into this matter,” Braithwaite said.

Braithwaite said with the sun setting earlier, drivers, pedestrians and cyclists all need to be paying sharper attention.

The roads were heavily congested at the time of the crash.

North Shore traffic nightmare raises concerns about plans for a real disaster Calls for better transit infrastructure follow four-hour gridlock earlier this week Joel Ballard · CBC News · Posted: Nov 08, 2019 5:35 PM PT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/north-shore-traffic-nightmare-1.5354020

A flipped concrete truck on the Vancouver side of the Iron Workers Memorial Second Narrows bridge brought southbound traffic from the North Shore to a grinding halt during Thursday's evening rush hour. (Tim Oldfield/Vancouver Fire Rescue Service/Twitter) On a regular day, Dale Marthaller's commute from his job in North Vancouver to his home in Vancouver can take anywhere from 20 minutes to just under an hour. But it took him four hours and 15 minutes to get home Thursday evening, with two of those hours spent inching his vehicle forward only two blocks. A concrete truck had flipped on the McGill Street ramp on the Vancouver side of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge immobilizing traffic from the North Shore trying to reach other parts of the Lower Mainland. "It was a complete parking lot," said Marthaller. But more than anything, he says it raises real concerns about emergency management in the region.  B.C. government to study fixed-link rapid transit to North Shore "Can you imagine if we really had an emergency? If we had floods or earthquakes ... or something that involved a heavy police presence," said Marthaller. "I can't imagine the chaos that would ensue from that. We are not at all equipped to move the number of people we have to and from the North Shore." For years, those who live and work on the North Shore have been calling for transit alternatives to car commuting and many ideas have been floated including new tunnels, bridges and even increased ferry service. Yet, despite the calls and studies, there are still no approved plans.

The Ironworkers Memorial Bridge is one of two bridges connecting the North Shore to Vancouver, B.C. (Christer Waara/CBC) Mayor weighs in District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little agrees that disaster response is a major concern for the community. In fact, the district participated in an emergency management exercise Tuesday to practise its post-disaster plans. Still, he says Thursday's traffic jam was an unfortunate example of the infrastructure failing. "This issue of transportation on the North Shore is our top issue, hands down," he said. And while he notes efforts by both the provincial and federal governments — a fixed-link rapid transit study for the North Shore, as well as another that focuses on the economic impacts of traffic on the region — he says concrete action is needed, not just reports.

District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little says transportation to and from the North Shore is the district's main concern. (Christian Amundson/CBC) Little points out there hasn't been an increase in the number of bridge lanes connecting North Shore municipalities to Vancouver since 1968, even though the population has more than doubled in that time. "[The traffic] is making it very hard for people to be able to live their lives in our community," said Little. Transit infrastructure for the North Shore, he says, is taking a back seat to other regional priorities. He points to projects like a replacement for the Massey Tunnel serving communities south of the Fraser River which is currently in public consultations. Or the Pattullo Bridge, connecting Surrey and New Westminster, slated to be replaced with a new four-lane bridge by 2023. "It [the Iron Workers Memorial bridge] is a very significant piece of regional infrastructure. And it needs to be addressed," he said.  Action, not a study, needed to address North Shore traffic congestion, says BIA Government response The provincial Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says it's not possible to expand either of the two bridges to the North Shore due to structural limitations. There are also no plans for a third bridge because "a new bridge would lead to more congestion, slower travel times and more traffic on the streets," a ministry spokesperson wrote to CBC News in an emailed statement. The province acknowledged the call for more transit options between the North Shore and the Mainland and said they are currently studying the feasibility of fixed-link rapid transit. In the case of a disaster or an emergency, the ministry said they would provide "timely information on the status of our bridges and highways" from an emergency operations centre.

LETTER: North Van parking lot expansion will spoil ‘this little jewel of nature’ North Shore News https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letter-north-van-parking-lot-expansion-will-spoil-this-little-jewel-of-nature-1.23985012 October 24, 2019 06:00 AM

The Lynn Canyon Park parking lot adjacent to the ecology centre is pictured on Sunday evening after heavy rain. DNV plans to pave and expand the lot. photo supplied Susanne Simon An open letter to District of North Vancouver mayor and council: Re: Lynn Canyon Parking Lot Project Scaled Back, Oct. 18 news story. It is with shock and disbelief that we learned about the proposed tree removal in Lynn Canyon Park. The question that came to mind immediately was: What should be the goal of any work done in Lynn Canyon Park? Should it be to make this little jewel of nature more accessible for a quick visit by car or should the goal be to preserve this park in its most natural state for future generations? We, the residents in the immediate vicinity of the park are very fortunate to live by the park where we are able to observe owls, bear, coyote, birds, salamanders, skunks, racoons and many more species up close. These critters depend on this natural environment and its mature trees. The current district plan has now changed from cutting down 74 mature trees to 52 trees. Let me reiterate that these trees have been deemed healthy by a tree specialist. The district keeps insisting to pave the parking lot. Ask yourselves the question: where does it stop? Are we making the parking lot bigger again in five years, then 10 years? Currently you enter the park in a circular loop. You go in one way and out the other. It is really not very difficult to keep driving in one direction: in one side, out the other. [Section manager for parks and planning] Susan Rogers mentions flooding. Yesterday, after heavy rains there was no flooding to be observed, just a bit of natural accumulation of water. She continues to say that Mayor Mike Little was shocked to see how hard the park is to access for a person in a wheelchair. May I point out that we are in a canyon, it is called Lynn Canyon. Every single trail starts with steep stairs. I doubt that paving the parking lot will help with this issue. In the midst of the park is the “ecology centre,” a place where we learn about the impact of cutting down trees and the importance of trees to filter air. Hasn’t this centre been implemented by the same organization that now seems in favour of destroying part of this paradise? The park and the animals are in dire need of our protection. We have already infringed our activity on much of their habitat. While we fully understand that there is a need for all of us to enjoy this park, may we propose the following:  Direct people to the huge, almost always empty parking lots by the water filtration plant, located off the northern end of Lillooet Road near the Lower Seymour Conservation Area. Lynn Headwaters Regional Park and all trails are easily accessible from here.  Transform all existing parking at the Ecology Center into disabled and family with small children only parking.  Leave the one-hour-only parking restriction at the streets where already installed on Robinson Road.  Talk to the school district to see whether during the weekends, the parking lots of Brockton and Ross Road schools could be used.  Implement a summertime shuttle bus that runs from Peters Road and or Brockton/Ross Road schools to the ecology centre. Charge a small fee for that. You were elected to represent the needs of your constituents. You were elected to consult with them. This has not been done. Many residents of the North Shore who are not at all in favour of the changes proposed, have approached you. Listen to them. We are expecting that you will take these concerns seriously. We are eager to hear your reponse. Susanne and Christophe Simon Lynn Valley © 2019 North Shore News

North Van proceeding with scaled back Lynn Canyon parking project

Brent Richter / North Shore News

October 16, 2019 04:35 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/north-van-proceeding-with-scaled-back-lynn-canyon-parking-project-1.23979035

An artist's rendering shows the the Lynn Canyon parking lot might look after it is paved. image supplied

The District of North Vancouver is walking back the number of trees to be cut and parking stalls to be added to Lynn Canyon Park’s west parking lot, but proceeding with plans to pave the lot.

The district announced plans in August to add painted lines and stalls, concrete curbs, a staging area for visiting school buses and better pedestrian paths and wayfinding to address safety concerns. Along with that, 74 trees would have been removed and 33 new stalls would be added, bringing the total to 143. related

 North Van to expand Lynn Canyon parking lot  Residents decry loss of trees for Lynn Canyon parking lot But neighbours along Robinson Road pushed back at the plan to remove the mature trees that act as a buffer between their yards and the parking lot. They hired their own arborist who produced a report stating the trees were in better condition than the district’s arborist assessed them at.

After meeting with the residents, district staff have changed the plan to maintain the buffer, retaining 22 more trees and adding just seven stalls.

Robinson Road resident Rob Zylstra said the final design is an improvement but still by no means perfect.

"For the most part, it seems that the district council and park designers are now listening to what we are saying. It would have been nice to have been contacted early on to be a part of the process, rather than initiating it myself," he said. "There are still healthy trees out there that they plan to take down for cars. I don't think that's right when we are all trying to be more environmentally conscious."

The changes maintain the safety improvements the district had in mind at the project’s outset, according to district staff.

“The high summer volume really does create congestion in the central area and when people drive into the park, they are often unsure where to go, where to drive there. It creates backups with the roadways, and circulation for cars is quite poorly defined,” said Susan Rogers, section manager for parks and planning, at a recent meeting of council’s committee of the whole. “With no dedicated pedestrian and cycling routes, during busy times, the rangers are constantly reporting they’ve witnessed near accidents with pedestrians, cyclists and dogs. We have multiple complaints of vehicles speeding down Peters Road into the park and within the park roadways themselves.”

Mayor Mike Little thanked district staff for coming up with the compromise after news of the plan to remove 74 trees spread.

“Immediately, there was a response from the community and concern, and we all want to be good stewards of this gem, our public parks system, so I do appreciate the efforts you’ve made to reduce the impact on the tree canopy,” he said at the committee meeting.

After an audit from the district’s advisory committee on disability issues, Little added he was shocked to see how hard the park is to access for a person in a wheelchair.

District staff are expected to award the contract for the work in the coming weeks.

When the project is complete in 2020, the district is planning to replant 200 more trees within the park.

LETTER: North Van road rage brings out kindness of strangers

North Shore News

November 11, 2019 08:00 AM

https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letters/letter-north-van-road-rage-brings-out-kindness-of-strangers-1.24001831

file photo North Shore News

Dear editor:

This past Wednesday, two weeks post- surgery and feeling slightly vulnerable, I made my way to a critical doctor’s appointment. I pulled into a parallel parking spot along Lonsdale Avenue and went to exit my car. I looked out my driver’s side window to see a black Mercedes perpendicular to my vehicle (across three lanes of Lonsdale) with a man yelling expletives at me. If he had put his foot on the gas, he would have slammed directly into me in my seat.

Just then, the parking spot in front of my car became available, so the Mercedes finished his four-lane U-turn to take this spot. Concerned about his driving ability and most certainly his rage, I exited my car and waited tentatively. By this time, three Good Samaritans who had witnessed the scene came out of the nearby coffee shop to stand by my side as we watched the man’s inept attempt at parallel parking, which ended with him bashing into my car. Leaving his parked car two-thirds of the way into the Lonsdale southbound lane, he jumped out of his car and continued ranting at me, unaware that he had even hit my car.

At this point, I was definitely feeling shaken. Two of the Good Samaritans stood by my side, reassuring me that they would be witnesses for me, while the third took the Mercedes man to task, telling him “it is illegal to do a U-turn across four lanes of Lonsdale to get a parking spot, AND you just hit her car!”

I would have felt unsafe standing my ground alone with this man and asking for his driver’s information. Fortunately, I had community backup. I was nearly in tears, not so much because of the car situation, but because of how kind these three people were to step in to protect me and confront this man. I want to say thank- you to the three kind souls (Parisa, Tim, and one other whose name I did not get) who exemplify what it means to be good citizens and who help to make the North Shore a kinder, safer place.

T.E. Davies North Vancouver

North Van snuffs out smoking in green spaces Brent Richter , Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News November 12, 2019 07:59 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/north-van-snuffs-out-smoking-in-green-spaces-1.24005738

Where there's smoke (or vapour...). The City of North Vancouver is expanding its ban on smoking and vaping in public. Photo LJUBAPHOTO/ISTOCk The City of North Vancouver is about to go smoke-free and the District of North Van is also cutting down. Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, bongs, joints, e-cigarettes, hookahs and vape pens are now verboten in city parks and plazas and on city paths, following a Nov. 4 meeting. The only grey area in the policy may be enforcement. related  EDITORIAL: Blowing smoke The city’s six-person bylaw team has so far received 2,585 complaints in 2019, according to bylaws manager Paul Duffy. “We have all the tools we need as far as enforcing this bylaw. The staff, maybe not so much,” he told council. “I think we’re reaching capacity with that number of staff.” City bylaw officers generally work in teams of three, seven days a week. One officer per shift focuses on parking while other officers focus primarily on areas such as construction complaints, graffiti, illegal suites and animal control. Duffy suggested bylaw officers could spend time in city parks explaining the policy to residents and essentially merge the smoking and off-leash dog beats. Alerting residents may allow smokers to “self-enforce,” Coun. Tina Hu suggested. While there was some question as to whether smoking would be entirely banned in the Shipyards, Mayor Linda Buchanan suggested treating the waterfront area as a smoke-free gathering place was an “obvious extension” of the policy. Council also voted unanimously to start a cigarette butt recycling program and to develop a policy opposing vaping advertisements on city property such as bus shelters. While the city’s previous mayor expressed concern that cigarette receptacles could exacerbate the problem by making smoking more acceptable, Buchanan ultimately decided that the environmental harm posed by flicked butts washing into waterways was the more pressing concern. “I’d love to see that we have a completely non- smoking population but we’re not there yet,” she said. There has also seemed to be a huge uptick in complaints regarding cigarette litter recently, Buchanan said. The ban includes the Green Necklace and Spirit Trail, although residents can still smoke on sidewalks provided they aren’t within 7.5 metres of a building. While Canadian judges have previously deemed that smokers are not a group suffering social, political or legal disadvantages, city staff noted that the city “could be susceptible to a Charter of a Human Rights Code challenge,” according to a staff report. Meanwhile, District of North Vancouver council is moving to stub out the darts in district parks. District council reviewed its parks bylaw in 2018 but opted to continue to allow smoking in parks as long as it was done more than six metres from children’s playgrounds, playing fields, swimming beaches, food concessions, or picnic areas and in any part of a park where there is a public event. After lobbying by members of the public, council voted unanimously Nov. 4 to apply the ban to all parts of municipal parks, as well as wooded trails that aren’t within designated park areas. Those caught vaping, or smoking tobacco or cannabis, will be subject to a $100 fine, up from the $25 fine the district previously had in place. After agreeing a ban would cut down on noxious fumes and toxic litter and reduce wildfire risk, support from council was unanimous. “I think a lot of people thought we probably already banned it in our trails. Why would anybody walk in a trail with a cigarette? It seems a little counterintuitive as to why you would be in that trail in the first place,” said Coun. Lisa Muri, introducing the motion. Matina Spiropoulos, the Lynn Valley resident who organized a campaign to ban smoking in parks, welcomed the news and said she was thankful to council for listening. “Most of all, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to write their letters to DNV. This decision benefits us all. Enjoy the fresh air on the trails,” she said. © 2019 North Shore News North Van woman ordered to cover vet bills after off-leash dog attack

Brent Richter / North Shore News

October 20, 2019 06:00 AM

Dogs are not permitted to be "at large" in the District of North Vancouver. file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

A North Vancouver woman has been ordered to pay a hefty vet bill after her off-leash dog attacked a stranger’s dog on public property.

The incident happened on May 19, 2019, according to a ruling from the Civil Resolution Tribunal, when a dog named Bibi bolted from her yard and took a bite out of Muffin, who was being walked on the street.

“I find that Bibi came onto public property and bit Muffin on the behind, without provocation. Muffin suffered one small, deep puncture wound to her perianal region,” tribunal member Julie Gibson wrote in her ruling.

Muffin’s owner took the injured pup to the Mountainside Animal Hospital to be stitched up and was billed $783.09. During a follow-up visit two days later, the vet prescribed pain meds for Muffin, resulting in another $87.65 bill. After the incident, Muffin’s owner canvassed the neighbourhood, looking for witnesses or anyone who had “prior experience with this dog being aggressive,” the ruling noted.

Two different neighbours came forward and shared their stories of Bibi being aggressive towards dogs on public property, including one incident in which Bibi bit a Maltese. A search of District of North Vancouver records by Muffin’s owner found Bibi had been the subject of a complaint for being “at large” in 2016.

Bibi’s owner didn’t deny her dog was off-leash at the time but argued Bibi would not have attacked unprovoked, according to the written ruling.

“The respondent asserts that Bibi has no history of aggressive behaviour and that she in unaware of Bibi ever attacking other dogs unprovoked. I find this assertion is inconsistent with her evidence that Bibi would get ‘really upset’ when other dogs came onto their property,” Gibson wrote.

In her defence, Bibi’s owner submitted photos she’d collected of other off-leash dogs in “unidentified locations.”

"However, I find the respondent cannot excuse her responsibility for Bibi by demonstrating that sometimes other dogs are off leash,” Gibson wrote.

“In the circumstances, I find it was negligent to leave Bibi unleashed in the front yard, without adult supervision,” she added.

Bibi’s owner also tried to argue that Muffin’s owner should have chosen a less expensive vet, which the tribunal also rejected.

Bibi’s owner has now been given 30 days to pay $1,002.53 to cover Muffin’s vet bills, tribunal fees and pre- judgement interest.

Pigeon feud: North Vancouver approves ban targeting councillor's neighbour District staff say the ban would only apply to 1 person — the person who lives beside Betty Forbes https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pigeons-north-vancouver-prohibition-1.5347419 Justin McElroy · CBC News · Posted: Nov 04, 2019 4:09 PM PT | Last Updated: November 5 Kulwant Dulay is pictured in his pigeon coop where he keeps homing pigeons at his home in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019. (Ben Nelms/CBC) "Everybody has a hobby, right? Some have cats, some have dogs. I have pigeons." Kulwant Dulay says he's lived in the District of North Vancouver for 25 years and, for most of them, he's kept homing pigeons on his property in a coop in the backyard, without ruffling any feathers. But that changed three years ago when he bought a new house in Lynn Valley. Within a few weeks, his next door neighbour began complaining about the birds. "In my other house in North Vancouver, everyone loved pigeons. They were flying around no problem. My second, third week I moved in, she started complaining," he said. On Monday evening, North Vancouver District council formally approved a new bylaw that would make it illegal to own pigeons, repealing a 1971 law allowing them. The discussion was brief, but council discussed the motion in detail the week before. There, staff told them they could only find one person in the district who had pigeons and only one person who had recently filed a complaint. It was proposed the new law wouldn't come into effect until May 2020 to allow a transition period. The vote both weeks passed 4-2. Councillor Betty Forbes recused herself. "I have been involved in a situation like this," she told council before one of the discussions. That wasn't exactly accurate. Because, while it was never said in that meeting, Forbes was the next door neighbour who complained.

On the day of the final vote, Kulwant Dulay went to North Vancouver District hall to plead his case. (Ben Nelms/CBC) 'A new neighbour moved in' "I've spent lots of money fixing my backyard. I try and keep it as prim and proper as I can. I invest in it every year. And now I get to sit on the back deck and entertain and look at a pigeon coop." In May 2017, the district held a public hearing for a proposed bylaw allowing backyard chicken coops. Betty Forbes, then just a member of the public, made her first appearance in front of council. She wanted to talk about "a situation" that had arisen. "A new neighbour moved in," said Forbes. The coop was "ramshackle" and "an eyesore." And, she warned, it would harm the value of her property. "I know it sounds pretty cold," she told council, "but there is an impact to having coops in backyards to properties next door to that. I've spoken with a couple of real estate agents, and they've told me it will definitely have an effect." Council passed the chicken coop bylaw. Over the next year, Forbes sent a number of letters and phone calls to district staff about Dulay's pigeons. She also sent a letter to then-mayor Richard Walton, saying that Dulay "allows his pigeons to fly and perch on neighbours properties without any control or supervision." In the summer of 2018, staff investigated and took away six of Dulay's pigeons. A total of 15 remain, trained to fly back and forth from their large coop in Dulay's backyard, a few feet from the fence surrounding his and Forbes' homes. Dulay says he applied for a permit from the district but never got one. He also claims he's worked to be a good neighbour after Forbes' complaint, but Forbes hasn't spoken to him since. "My neighbourhood is nice ... only one person complains," he said. Meanwhile, Forbes started attending council more often, ran for office herself and was elected on Oct. 20 last year. That's the point where her situation with Dulay and his pigeons goes from a feud between neighbours to the political arena — and puts Forbes' communications with district staff and councillors under the microscope. Forbes ran for council in 2018 and was elected with 9,214 votes, finishing third out of 18 candidates. (bettyforbes.ca) Conflict of interest rules In July 2019, Coun. Lisa Muri brought forward a motion that asked staff to explore changing the district's decade- old pigeon bylaw, beginning the process that ended on Monday evening. "This is a very old archaic bylaw," she said. "Why do we need to allow homing pigeons to be released? I am not allowed to release my dogs. They have to be leashed … so, I would ask why would we allow pigeons?" Forbes also recused herself from that discussion, as mandated under the conflict of interest section in B.C.'s Community Charter.  Conflict of interest — the hot-button political issue in Metro Vancouver It states that a councillor with a "direct or indirect pecuniary interest in a matter" must not "attempt in any way, whether before, during or after such a meeting, to influence the voting on any question," and that they must not "attempt to influence in any way a decision, recommendation or other action to be made or taken ... by an officer or an employee of the municipality." In both cases, provincial law says the punishment is disqualification [from office] "unless the contravention was done inadvertently or because of an error in judgment made in good faith."

Dulay's pigeon coop in the backyard of his home. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

FOI documents show communication According to Freedom of Information documents provided to CBC News, after Forbes was elected — but before she was officially sworn in — she sent an email to the city's chief planning and permitting officer, complaining about the situation and asking for action. "The discussion and explanations for how this situation has been handled in the last 1 1/2 years were not reasonable nor acceptable," she wrote. And from April to June, Muri and Forbes had three email discussions where the subject line read "Pigeons," "Repeal of the pigeon bylaw" and "Keeping of Pigeons Bylaw." CBC News asked Forbes questions about her letter to staff after the election, and her emails with Coun. Muri, but she did not respond. CBC News also asked Muri about the bylaw and her emails to Forbes, and she declined comment. Mathew Bond was one of two councillors who voted against the initial motion last week. He says the bylaw isn't an appropriate use of the district's time. "We're in the middle of a regional housing crisis and I'm not sure how the pigeon bylaw got to the top of the agenda," he said. "Generally, if there's one complaint, that's what our bylaws are for and that's why we have bylaw enforcement." Dulay is still hopeful he'll be able to keep his pigeons. And wonders why things went so wrong between him and the councillor. "She has two dogs, I never complain," he said. "Even though they're always barking." Freedom of Information documents detailing the exchanges Betty Forbes had about pigeons:

Freedom of Information documents detailing the exchanges Betty Forbes had about pigeons: (PDF KB) Freedom of Information documents detailing the exchanges Betty Forbes had about pigeons: (Text KB) CBC is not responsible for 3rd party content CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices

Here's a list October inflation rates for Canadian provinces, territories

The Canadian Press https://www.nsnews.com/here-s-a-list-october-inflation-rates-for-canadian-provinces-territories-1.24013411

November 20, 2019 05:47 AM

OTTAWA — Canada's national annual inflation rate was 1.9 per cent in October, Statistics Canada says. Here's what happened in the provinces (previous month in brackets):

— Newfoundland and Labrador: 0.5 per cent (0.5)

— Prince Edward Island: 1.1 (1.6)

— Nova Scotia: 1.0 (2.1)

— New Brunswick: 1.3 (1.8)

— Quebec: 2.3 (2.2)

— Ontario: 1.7 (1.7)

— Manitoba: 2.2 (2.2)

— Saskatchewan: 1.6 (1.7)

— Alberta: 1.6 (1.3)

— British Columbia: 2.2 (2.4)

Official Community Plan targeted review https://www.dnv.org/property-development/official-community-plan-targeted-review Share  Twitter  Facebook  Google+  Email As part of a targeted review of our Official Community Plan (OCP), we are examining four key areas including housing, transportation, climate emergency, and economy and employment lands. We are working with our community to develop an action plan that will continue to guide our work. What is an OCP? Our Official Community Plan (OCP) supports our long-term vision and path to 2030 by guiding planning and decision making about the future of our community, while working together with strategic action and implementation plans. What is a targeted OCP review? The targeted review will help us develop an action plan to implement the long-term vision of the OCP. We will be identifying current and emerging issues, challenges and constraints, trends within key topics, and areas where we can improve. To determine how we move forward and the impacts to our economy, we will be reviewing our policies and evaluating what we have accomplished so far. Areas of focus The targeted review of the plan will focus on these four key topics:  Housing  Transportation  Climate emergency  Economy and employment We want to make sure the work we are doing in these areas is supporting your needs. Project scope Public engagement Starting fall 2019, you will have the opportunity to participate in surveys to share your ideas, concerns, and issues on these key areas. Your feedback will provide input into next steps, action items, and proposed policy changes. Action plan To identify the current state, challenges, and opportunities within each key topic, a white paper will be completed for each of the key focus areas. These concise reports will help break down complex issues, outline potential solutions, and provide recommendations on ways to achieve key goals and policies. Public input from surveys will help shape the reports to provide a good understanding of our community's concerns and priorities. The purpose of the white papers is to support the development of an action plan. Focus groups Once the white papers and action plan are produced in spring 2020, we will engage the public once again by hosting focus groups with residents and stakeholder groups to dive deeper into the content. Representing different age groups and demographics within the District, the focus groups will provide an opportunity for our community to share input on the proposed action plan. Final report After we've had a chance to engage with our community and dig deeper into the findings, we'll produce a final report with information we've learned, priority action items, and next steps. The action plan will guide the work we do related to housing, transportation, climate emergency, and the economy and employment, and continue to set the direction for future growth and change. Timeline We anticipate the targeted review will take up to 12 months to complete.  Public engagement — Fall 2019  Develop concise reports on key topics — Spring 2020  Host focus groups to discuss findings — Spring 2020  Create final report with action plan — Fall 2020 Background The OCP was developed through a two-year community engagement initiative called Identity DNV 2030. During this initiative, we held open houses, public and stakeholder workshops, coffee shop talks, town hall meetings, and telephone, online, and event surveys where residents shared their ideas and vision for the future of our community. Adopted in 2011, our OCP is intended to be adapted and amended to respond to evolving conditions and community needs. Learn more about the OCP May 13, 2019 — Council consideration Staff presented the Official Community Plan Review - Scope, Timeline, and Budget for discussion at a Council workshop. View the staff report to Council May 27, 2019 — Council consideration Council approved the Official Community Plan Review - Scope, Timeline, and Budget. View the staff report to council Do you have feedback or ideas about housing, transportation, climate emergency, or economy and employment lands? See https://www.dnv.org/property-development/official-community-plan-targeted-review

LETTER: Pigeon ban is time wasted North Shore News November 12, 2019 03:49 PM https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letters/letter-pigeon-ban- is-time-wasted-1.24005705

Time spent dealing with pigeons should be devoted to issues like transportation and housing, according to two District of North Vancouver councillors. file photo North Shore News Dear editor: In light of the recent news coverage (DNV to Domestic Pigeons: Shoo!,) and ongoing public response, we feel a need to clarify our position on the issues around the recently adopted pigeon prohibition bylaw in the District of North Vancouver. With the range of important issues our community is dealing with today – from the housing crisis, safe and reliable transportation, and the climate emergency – it is completely inappropriate to spend valuable staff and council time to ban an activity based on a single complaint from a citizen who also happens to be a North Vancouver District councillor. Given the widespread negative response this issue has generated in the community, it is our hope that those directly involved will show accountability so that we can get back to the more important issues facing our community. Mathew Bond and Jordan Back, District of North Vancouver councillors 2019 North Shore News

Pigeon owner mulls legal action over DNV’s bird ban Coun. Forbes makes brief statement amid calls for oversight Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News November 18, 2019 08:52 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/pigeon-owner-mulls-legal-action-over-dnv-s-bird-ban-1.24012028

Pigeon keeping and government transparency took centre stage Monday as several residents claimed the District of North Vancouver's new bylaw is a misuse of power, affecting only pigeon owner Kulwant Dulay. photo Paul McGrath, North Shore News With less than six months before the District of North Vancouver’s pigeon prohibition takes effect, bird buffs and transparency watchdogs beseeched council on Monday to take a second look at the bylaw. Council’s recent decision to bar residents from owning or harbouring pigeons anywhere in the district was a misuse of power, according to Guy Trotter, who previously served as a volunteer on the district’s official community plan monitoring committee. The bylaw hurts one pigeon-keeping resident, Kulwant Dulay, and helps one pigeon-opposed resident, Coun. Betty Forbes, according to Trotter. The councillor was the only district resident to file a recent complaint about pigeons, Trotter added. “I don’t care about pigeons one way or the other,” Trotter told council. “I do, however, care about good governance.” The pigeon issue was first broached in a district public hearing on backyard chickens in May 2017 when Forbes, prior to winning a seat on council, asked council to re-examine their 1971-era pigeon bylaw. “We have a pigeon bylaw?” responded a surprised then-mayor Richard Walton. Allowing it might sound cold, Forbes suggested banning pigeons due to the possibility the birds would depress real estate values. Forbes explained she’d spent a lot of money to keep her backyard “prim and proper,” but her attempts to entertain outdoors were marred by the sight of her neighbour’s “ramshackle” pigeon coop. Forbes also sent the district a 1,400-word missive outlining her concerns about the keeping of backyard chickens and pigeons. Forbes was elected to council in 2018. But before being sworn in, Forbes sent an email complaining about the pigeons to district staff and requesting a remedy, according to Freedom of Information documents provided to CBC News. From April to June of 2019, Forbes and Coun. Lisa Muri had three email exchanges in which the subject line referred to pigeons. In an April 24, 2019 email, Muri wrote to Forbes: “It will be fine, we can wave (sic) the hearing . . . if we need one.” Council voted 4-2 to ban pigeons, with Couns. Mathew Bond and Jordan Back opposed. Forbes recused herself from council discussions and votes on the subject. However, her emails were the subject of scrutiny for lawyer and district resident Vincent Santacroce. “She and Coun. Muri exchanged cryptic emails about the matter,” he told council on Monday. “I don’t believe ‘cryptic’ is appropriate,” Muri responded. “I’ll give you a dictionary,” Santacroce replied. The bylaw was both rushed and sloppy, according to Santacroce. “Why was there the need for such an overhaul?” he asked. “Was there a pigeon scourge on the district worthy of an Alfred Hitchcock movie?” Addressing criticism at the end of Monday’s meeting, Forbes offered a two-minute statement in which she mentioned the word “pigeon” once. “If I have erred in any way I assure council and the community that it was done inadvertently and in good faith with my understanding, as a new councillor, of the conflict of interest rules,” Forbes said. Forbes requested “additional training” for herself and her council colleagues on the issues of conflict of interest and freedom of information. Following the meeting, Kulwant Dulay seemed distressed at what might happen to his pigeons but said he’ll try to persuade council at future meetings. “If nothing happens . . . I’ll hire a lawyer,” he said. Forbes received strong support from frequent council watcher Corrie Kost as well as 2018 council candidate Peter Teevan. After explaining that a Google search revealed pigeons are classified as pests due to their ability to spread disease, Teevan defended Forbes’ actions. “As a matter of happenstance, Ms. Forbes became Coun. Forbes and she did the proper thing according to conflict of interest regulations,” he said. The bylaw will benefit district residents, according to Kost. “Any one of us could have been negatively impacted then, and in the future,” he said. Council should re-examine their decision, countered Andy Hansen, who said he has raised pigeons for most of his life. “We get a lot of peace and love out of [keeping pigeons],” he told council. Council failed to distinguish between feral pigeons, which might perch on a neighbour’s roof, and homing pigeons, which are trained to return to their coop, Hansen explained. “They’re pets,” he said. “We have feral cats everywhere too. Do we ban all cats?” Dulay’s coop is clean and tidy, according to Lynn Valley resident Krista Page. Page spoke at council in support of her neighbour Dulay. In the spirit of community, it’s vital to try to “work things out as neighbours,” she told council. Forbes’ comments on the issue were both vague and disappointing, according to Vancouver Poultry and Fancy Pigeon Association director Givo Hassko. “I’m glad that I don’t live next door to a council member,” he said.

EDITORIAL: Planet of the Vapes

North Shore News November 14, 2019 08:30 PM

https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/editorial-planet-of-the-vapes-1.24008642

photo supplied Unsplash Years ago, in that more trusting era when men wore hats and the planet was our smoking section, 20,679 physicians agreed that Lucky Strike cigarettes were less irritating to the throat. After all, they were toasted.

Dentists backed Viceroys, athletes touted Camels, and future U.S. president Ronald Reagan opted for Chesterfields as generations blackened their lungs, yellowed their teeth and made the air as ugly as their habit.

 North Vancouver high school locks washrooms to stop student vaping  'Almost everyone has tried it': North Van student warns of increase in teen vaping  Provincial government introduces new vaping laws  North Van snuffs out smoking in green spaces

We hoped that era was over but, much like virulent racism and junk science, it survived on social media. While Juul marketed vape juice on brand new platforms, they recycled very old cigarette ads featuring attractive young people who presumably never hack up anything awful in the morning or suffer shortness of breath.

The strategy, which emphasized kid-friendly flavours like cotton candy and pink lemonade and downplayed reports of impurities like formaldehyde, seemed to work as Canada’s vaping rate among young people shot up 74 per cent between 2017 and 2018.

Our province, finally, is acting. B.C. is tripling the PST on vape products and restricting advertising in public places like bus shelters. The regulations also limit nicotine levels, which may be chopped by as much as 60 per cent.

The province’s announcement follows news of a Michigan teenager who needed a double lung transplant after his lungs were severely damaged from vaping. The doctor who led the surgery called vaping: “an evil I haven’t faced before.”

But he has. We all have.

Let’s win this time.

Popular neighbourhood pizza joint to open new location in North Vancouver

Hanna McLean https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bufala-pizzeria-north-vancouver | Oct 31 2019, 10:10 am

Epic pizz a joints popping up on the North Shore is now a bonafide trend, and the newest news from Bufala confirms that.

The popular Kerrisdale pizzeria opened in 2014, and now the brand will be opening a second outpost in North Vancouver’s Edgemont Village at 3280 Edgemont Boulevard.

The 160-seat space is 3,300 sq. ft. and will feature a dining room, bar, and even a patio in the future.

Bufala Edgemont will be open for lunch and dinner daily along with weekend brunch to boot.

Folks can expect an expanded menu of eats at this second spot, including more Italian-inspired pizzas, pasta, and hearty mains, in addition to an “Old- and New-World wine and a cocktail list.”

This is the fifth venture for the Gooseneck Hospitality Group, adding to a portfolio that includes Wildebeest, Lucky Taco, Bells and Whistles, and the original Bufala in Vancouver.

We’ll keep you posted on an exact opening date, stay tuned!

Jonathan Norton

Bufala Edgemont

Address: 3280 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver

LETTER: Pot shop not wanted in Dollarton neighbourhood North Shore News November 20, 2019 02:00 AM https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letter-pot-shop-not-wanted-in-dollarton-neighbourhood-1.24013041

file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News Dear editor: In response to the Oct. 18 article Pot Shops Lining Up in District of North Vancouver, I urge district council to oppose the application for a zoning bylaw amendment to allow for a non-medical cannabis retail store to open at Dollarton Village at 385 North Dollarton Hwy., to operate seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. This proposed location is situated close to Sherwood Park Elementary and is completely surrounded by residential homes. It is not a commercial area in nature. Families and children walking to and from Sherwood Park utilize the trail network that directly passes by the doors of the proposed pot shop location in Dollarton Village. Children may be directly exposed to second-hand smoke and other paraphernalia. Speaking to the mandated minimum buffer of 200 metres that a pot shop should be situated away from a school, the direct distance between the proposed location and Sherwood Park is approximately 300 metres. This is a mere 100 metres over the recommended minimum buffer. The spirit of such a “geographical buffer” is to create a healthy distance between the sale of controlled substances and exposure to our children and families. The residents of this community do not appreciate having their children exposed to cannabis on a daily basis. There is currently a pot shop operating out of Tsleil-Waututh [reserve lands] just under three kilometres away, another proposed to open at 1560 Main St., at six kilometres away, with another at Park & Tilford, seven kilometres away. Do we really need four pot shops within a seven-kilometre stretch? The Oct. 18 article sites that council is allowing one pot shop to operate in a given area, referencing Maplewood and other areas, with more being considered on a case-by-case basis. Please consider this case and say no to amending the zoning bylaw to allow a pot shop to open for business in a primarily residential neighbourhood where homes are located immediately adjacent to its operating doors and an elementary school situated closely by. [City of North Vancouver] council has approved pot shop locations in commercial areas, like Park & Tilford and Lonsdale. Keep the sales of cannabis where it belongs, in appropriate commercial and light industrial areas. Jeanette Schisler Dollarton area © 2019 North Shore News

Pot shops lining up in District of North Vancouver Brent Richter / North Shore News October 18, 2019 06:00 AM https://www.nsnews.com/news/pot-shops-lining-up-in-district-of-north-vancouver-1.23980507 Fresh bud, once sold out of illegal dispensaries, may soon be coming back to the District of North Vancouver. file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News A year after the seed of legalization was planted, things are beginning to flower for District of North Vancouver cannabis users. District council is set to clear some of the final hurdles non- medicinal cannabis retailers will have to clear before they can open up shop. related  District of North Vancouver starts considering pot shop applications  North Van District debates where and how to sell cannabis  North Van dispensaries shutter following cannabis legalization Council laid most of the ground rules cannabis shops must operate by in July. Apart from complying with all of the province’s regulations, council stipulated pot shops must be located at least 200 metres from the property line of any school. While they may be allowed virtually anywhere a liquor store is allowed, council is only allowing one shop each within the Maplewood, Lions Gate, Lynn Valley, Marine Drive and Lynn Creek town centres, although council tweaked that rule to allow additional shops to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Since July, seven would-be pot proprietors have applied to the province for cannabis retail licences in the district and four have filed the necessary rezoning applications, according to a staff report. The first crop of stores sought in the district are Aura Cannabis Inc. at 1560 Main St., North Shore Cannabis at 1520 Barrow St., Muse Cannabis 385 North Dollarton Hwy. in Deep Cove, and a BC Cannabis Store at 1074 Marine Dr. But, before anyone can line up for their indica or CBD, council must still take care of some housekeeping in their bylaws – including repealing their prohibition on cannabis retailers. Coun. Lisa Muri said she was pleased to see the district would consider additional applications. “Because we certainly have more than one liquor establishment in a given area,” she said. And Muri added, the City of North Vancouver’s experience with illegal shops may provide a window into what the district can expect. “They had a number of operations in their borders and I heard little from the local community in regards to those,” she said. “I heard a lot more when they disappeared and ‘Why isn’t the big bad district approving cannabis stores?’” Coun. Jim Hanson said while the district’s approach may be “incrementalist,” it was prudent. “I do believe this proposal strikes a reasonable balance between providing community access to cannabis and, for the time being at least, keeping appropriate oversight as to the locations,” he said. Under the proposed new rules, pot shops will have to pay a one-time $2,040 fee and an annual business licence fee of $5,000, which is meant to be on par with liquor establishments and is intended to help cover policing costs. Pot shops in the district will be limited to doing business between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Council will hold a public hearing on the rule changes on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. © 2019 North Shore News Restaurants developing their own dining niche in Edgemont Bufala preparing to launch new rustic Italian eatery this month

Chris Dagenais / North Shore News

November 9, 2019 08:00 AM

https://www.nsnews.com/lifestyle/taste/restaurants-developing-their-own-dining-niche-in-edgemont-1.24002399

Bufala's new rustic Italian eatery is opening later this month at 3280 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver. Photo Supplied, Jonathan Norton

Let’s call this a public service announcement. I’m here to encourage everyone to continue their patronage of our local independent restaurant, brewery, distillery, and café businesses beyond the manic holiday season that is approaching.

When the spectre of conspicuous consumption retreats until Valentine’s Day (nothing says you care like a grape-sized diamond), the front and back of house teams that were there for us when our offices descended on their spaces for ugly sweater revelry will feel the pinch of post December austerity. It takes a lot to run a successful food and beverage operation, that much is clear from the practiced smiles that remain pasted on the faces of service staff as they deliver the umpteenth bowl of roasted chestnut veloute. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that many of the venues we call our favourites put a lifetime’s worth of effort into their business before ever serving a single plate.

The stories from local operators abound. The new brewery that took two years to complete from the time the foundation rebar was placed to the time the doors opened. The new distillery caught in regulatory hell, for whom the goalposts kept moving (with attendant tens of thousands of unbudgeted dollars required) because municipal decision makers didn’t have a suitable precedent for their category of operation. The well established daytime restaurant that must close its doors because of some officious dispute about the nature of its business nearly five years on from opening.

Restaurateurs must climb the highest bureaucratic mountains until their knees buckle under the weight of their obligations, and then they must run a triathlon to get to the finish line, still a precarious place in the free market economy where fickle tastes and subjective social media opinions prevail. Bufala Edgemont will be the second location of Kerrisdale favourite, Bufala, which is operated by Gooseneck Hospitality. - Supplied, Jonathan Norton

The opening of the new building at 3280 Edgemont Boulevard has been a long time coming. Traffic cones, portable fencing, heavy machinery, exposed earth, roving security guards, and complex scaffolding have been fixtures of the village for what feels to me like forever.

The era of interminable construction in Edgemont was the source of much consternation for Chef Scott Kidd, whose highly respected, always reliable restaurant, The Canyon, shuttered earlier this year after a solid run as one of North Vancouver’s few fine-dining (ish) destinations. I don’t think Chef Kidd, who always tells it like it is, would mind me revisiting the topic of difficult conditions for small businesses on the North Shore, as I have already reported on his situation in these pages and he was glad to give me his impressions of the effects of construction and other external influences on his business, about a year and a half ago, some six months before The Canyon served its last meal.

Among Kidd’s comments was a particularly insightful one about how long it takes new businesses to get underway on the North Shore. In his view, Nicli Antica, which took the better part of a year to open once signage announcing its arrival was posted, was a classic example of the hurdles that independent businesses need to jump through to get up and running. A better competitive landscape, installed earlier, Kidd speculated, might have drawn more dining patrons to Edgemont Village, and ultimately to The Canyon, supporting an adage popular in the craft brewing world, namely, that all ships rise with the tide.

Well, Nicli Antica did eventually get underway and I have noted happily that it seems to be attracting significant volumes of patrons daily and nightly. In The Canyon’s old space is the casual ramen and fried chicken eatery, Red Tori. The fashionable, novel Bjorn Bar continues to do solid business as it approaches its fourth year of operation. And although Spud.ca’s bricks and mortar outlet, Be Fresh Market, did not find sustainable business conditions in Edgemont, a new craft yogurt operation, Krave Kulture, is opening soon in the same block.

Additionally, I received word recently that there is to be a new rustic Italian eatery opening later this month in the aforementioned 3280 space. It will be the second location of Kerrisdale favourite, Bufala, which is operated by Gooseneck Hospitality, responsible for the exceptional Gastown venue, Wildebeest, Fraserhood’s smash hit Bells & Whistles, as well as a handful of other rooms around town. I brought my family to the Kerrisdale Bufala in December of last year before checking out the Van Dusen Gardens holiday lights display and found the food to be expertly prepared and adeptly served, without pretension.

Bufala’s pizzas and by-the-glass wine program were especially good, leading me to believe that perhaps, at long last, the climate of healthy competition in Edgemont Village is reaching a sustainable level. In fact, competition may have reached a zenith as two high profile restaurants, both second locations of popular Vancouver progenitors, situated within two blocks of each other in a small geographic delineation, will now go head to head with menu fare that is, at least on the surface, very similar.

I caught up earlier this week with Gooseneck Hospitality co-founder James Iranzad to discuss the road to Bufala’s opening. It quickly became clear in speaking with Iranzad that he possesses a hard-won maturity, a realist perspective born of opening more than 10 restaurants in his career and learning the tough lesson that, as he put it, “people aren’t automatically going to love what you do just because you do it.” Bufala Edgemont’s team (back row, left to right): Gooseneck Hospitality partners Josh Pape and James Iranzad, Bufala Edgemont consulting chef Ian McHale, (front row, left to right)general manager Ogi Radoicic, Gooseneck Hospitality partner Nick Miller, bar manager Sonja Wilson and chef Kevin Atkinson. - Supplied, Jonathan Norton The idea for the Edgemont Bufala emerged three years ago as Iranzad and his partners, used to opening restaurants with new concepts each time, challenged themselves to translate an existing, successful concept into a new space, with the necessary adjustments to remain creative and relevant to the neighbourhood. After exploring locations, Iranzad and company sensed in Edgemont Village an approachable, community-minded, anti big box vibe that was not unlike Kerrisdale. The wheels were set in motion and the Gooseneck team eventually found a realty opportunity with the Grosvenor Group’s Connaught development on Edgemont Boulevard. “Back in the fall of 2017 Grosvenor told us very clearly- you are not taking possession [of the space] until 2019,” Iranzad recounts. “That was fine. We would not have been comfortable trying open sooner and we wanted to grow at a responsible rate.” I can tell you from countless discussions with first time restaurateurs that this is not a common attitude. Many cannot wait to open their doors and have, in fact, even forecasted revenue from an on-time opening into their planning. It can be a recipe for disaster. Delays are to be expected, explains Iranzad, and it is important to keep egos out of the equation when opening a new business; no one owes you anything and so your concept needs to be rock solid, without compromise. Business owners need to take the time it takes to do the job right, to show integrity the whole way through. By Iranzad’s account, the Bufala Edegmont concept meets Gooseneck’s standards, with the group taking their time to secure their preferred architects, designers, and general contractors to realize a new iteration of Bufala that both preserves the winning approach from the original while finding a unique North Shore voice. I asked Iranzad if he knows why the second locations of so many successful Vancouver restaurants opening up here on the North Shore seem to be pursuing the rustic Italian theme. Indeed, Nicli Antica, Farina a Legna, and the soon to open Nook at the Shipyards, all share a similar culinary vernacular with Bufala. He shrugs the question off affably, chalking the phenomenon up to the universal appeal and generally democratic reputation of the casual Italian style of cuisine, and suggests that by securing space for their North Shore location back in 2017, Gooseneck likely started the wave in the first place. “But anyway, look, we’re friends with most of these guys. I’m looking forward to going out myself to have some delicious food at their restaurants.” I think we should all join him in that undertaking. We now have on our doorstep a still burgeoning, but very promising, new wave of dining and libation options. It is my sincere hope that we support these businesses whenever we are able. At the very least, I know for certain that they have earned my curiosity by planting seeds that have taken years to sprout. © 2019 North Shore News

Social housing and shelters don't impact surrounding property values: BC Housing Kenneth Chan | Nov 8 2019, 7:37 pm https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-social-housing-land-value-impact-bc-housing

Coast Mental Health's Dunbar Apartments at 3595 West 17th Avenue, Vancouver. (Green Building Brain) A new analysis by BC Housing suggests social housing and homeless shelters do not cause property values in the surrounding area to drop. The agency examined the potential stigma vortex effect of 13 social housing and shelter properties across the province as separate case studies, with just two of these properties located in the city of Vancouver.  See also: o 11-storey mass timber social housing building proposed for Kingsway in Vancouver o 1,100 affordable homes on 9 Vancouver sites announced by federal government o Design for new DTES social housing for Indigenous peoples revealed Of the 13 case studies, 11 saw increases in the assessed values in the immediate area, while only two saw decreases. As well, four of the case studies’ assessed values in the immediate area saw faster growth compared to similar housing in the surrounding municipality, while three case study sites’ assessed values did not keep pace with the surrounding municipality’s trends. Analysts state macroeconomic conditions are more likely to have a greater influence on property values than proximity to non-market housing and shelters. “The property values in the immediate area surrounding the cases study sites typically either mirrored or surpassed similar housing in the surrounding municipalities. This suggests the introduction of non-market housing, such as supportive or affordable rental housing, does not affect residential property values,” reads the findings. “Global and local economic factors are the main drivers of residential real estate trends rather than the introduction of non-market housing to the area.”

Land value impact of social housing. (BC Housing) For instance, according to the data provided, the 147 properties within a 200-metre radius of Coast Mental Health’s 2011-built, 51-unit Dunbar Apartments at 3595 West 17th Avenue, deep in the Vancouver Westside, saw an 88% uptick in property values between the building’s opening in 2011 and 2018. Over a larger radius of 500 metres, with 1,074 properties, the change in property values over the same period was similarly at 87%. With Sanford Housing Society’s 147-unit Marguerite Ford Apartments at 215 West 2nd Avenue, immediately west of Olympic Village, there was a 47% increase in property values for the 541 properties within a 200-metre radius and a 60% increase for the 3,348 properties within a 500-metre radius between the building’s opening in 2013 and 2018. The study acknowledged there were some research limitations in how analysts modelled the impact of values to surrounding areas, including the small sample size and the differences in floor area between household units, which can affect median value.

Someone is again drilling holes in BC Hydro transformers in North Van Staff report October 24, 2019 11:00am https://www.theglobalcanadian.com/someone-is-again-drilling-holes-in-bc-hydro-transformers-in-north-van/ North Vancouver RCMP and BC Hydro are investigating yet another case of vandalism of BC Hydro transformers in North Vancouver. The outage that shut down Seycove Secondary School as well affected Mount Seymour Parkway and Mount Seymour Road area on Wednesday was caused by vandalism, said BC Hydro spokesperson Susie Rieder. Rieder said the latest case of vandalism was similar to several incidents BC Hydro had seen in the Mount Seymour and Parkgate area previously. Yesterday, someone seemed to have drilled holes into a pad-mounted transformer box again, causing an outage at the 1200 block of Caledonia Avenue that resulted in the closure of Seycove Secondary school, Rieder said. A small cut in the pipe of the transformer. The act is extremely dangerous because a transformer has about 12,500 volts of electricity. Photo: BC Hydro The act was extremely dangerous, she added. “Vandalism to our equipment is extremely dangerous and can cause power outages, fires and oil spills. Tampering with a box can also be deadly — transformers have about 12,500 volts of electricity,” she said. She said North Vancouver RCMP was currently investigating these incidents. In July, BC Hydro reported that at least four transformers in the Seymour community had holes drilled in them, leading to power outages, oil spills and transformer explosions. The transformers that were vandalised were all in the same area – along the edge of Northland golf course. BC Hydro believes it is the same person responsible for each incident. It had cost BC Hydro approximately $150,000 to replace and repair the equipment.

A large gaping hole can be seen at the bottom. Photo: BC Hydro

Squamish Nation aims to bring 1,000 members home

Brent Richter / North Shore News

October 31, 2019 07:30 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/squamish-nation-aims-to-bring-1-000-members-home-1.23994479

Squamish Nation council spokesman Khelsilem is excited to 7mesh Housing Society and bring 1,000 Squamish people back to reserve land. photo PAUL MCGRATH, North Shore News

The Squamish Nation is on its way to bringing home perhaps 1,000 of its members who have been unable to live on their North Shore and Squamish Valley reserve lands.

T o ’s o s for d o -profit housing society with a mandate to build below-market rental units on undeveloped reserve lands for Squamish Nation members currently caught in the housing affordability crisis. related

 Squamish Nation to create housing authority

L ss f of q s N o ’s pop o of 4,000 r r v o r s rv d, o g s r v s v shown upwards of 80 per cent of those living elsewhere would come home if there were affordable options for , s d K s , q s N o o spok s . “ R g o , r ’s j s v r f oppo r s, especially for young people – young people who are in their 20s and starting to have families of their own. T r r o op o s for rr , so ’r ov g , d r s r g r s of our children being raised outside of our community and not having that connection to our culture, our programs, r f s, s ppor ork ’v r d o for o s ds of g r o s,” s d. “O r go s o b d 1,000 s ov r 10 rs or soo r. … T jor of o d b o Nor or .”

T ’v os for bod s 7mesh Housing Society.

“W s ‘ q s r o g o ,’” K s s d. “T r g o o s g s so g r b v .”

It would be up to the board to set the rental rates, but the plan now is for rent to be geared to income.

T so op r r ’s g fro o , s r g q s o s ro d o o of o s g d for of gr s r ’ po z d, s o s d r d b s pr o g o s g societies, Khelsilem said.

T b d’s d rs p b g p or g d 2018. I A g s , pprov d ork p d s b dg for the creation of the housing society and are now in the final stages of appointing a board of directors.

Next on the to-do s s r g O o b g pro ss of r sf rr g r s rv ds ov r o 7mesh Housing Society. There are six parcels of land up for consideration, four of which are on the North Shore. The other two are in the Squamish Valley.

Building the multi-family homes close to transit is one of the key criteria in selecting which sites would be appropriate, Khelsilem said, so they can keep costs down by not having to build expensive underground parking garages. And, he added, a lot of low-income families cannot afford the luxury of a car, insurance and gas.

“T g r s r s d so r ook g d v op s o g jor r s ro s, d B-Line [RapidBus] being one of the deter g f ors o p s ppor ,” s d.

If go s s oo , K s s d ’d k o s f rs k s b g d d o o q s s two years.

Unlike most on-reserve housing, the band plans to finance the construction with long-term debt through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. or B.C. Housing.

Squamish Nation unveils rainbow crosswalk Ben Bengtson / North Shore News October 9, 2019 01:50 PM https://www.nsnews.com/community/squamish-nation-unveils-rainbow-crosswalk-1.23972258

Squamish Nation council members unveil the nation's new rainbow crosswalk, a powerful symbol in the LGBTQ2 community, during a ceremony held at Welch Street and Capilano Road Friday. photo supplied It might have been an overcast day, but you could still see a rainbow. Squamish Nation revealed its new rainbow crosswalk located at Welch Street and Capilano Road during an unveiling ceremony held Friday. “I think it’s the change that we’ve wanted for a really long time,” said Orene Askew, a Squamish Nation council member who was there for the unveiling on Oct. 4. The event was attended by Squamish Nation council, as well as West Vancouver Mayor Mary-Ann Booth, District of North Vancouver councillors, North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma, and others. The North Shore got its first public rainbow crosswalk after the City of North Vancouver unveiled its own addition at the intersection of Lonsdale Avenue and 14th Avenue in August. Squamish Nation’s rainbow crosswalk will serve as a visual display of community support and acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2) people, according to Askew. “I’m two-spirited and every time I drive by I have the biggest smile on my face,” said Askew. Two-spirit, according to Askew, is an important part of some Indigenous cultures, and describes First Nations people who might identify as having both a masculine and feminine spirit. “Council agreed this is something we want in the community, and it happened,” said Askew. “The fact that North Van has done it as well, I feel like we’re all on the same page about being inclusive, which is really great.” In August, Askew, who also DJs under the moniker DJ O Show, was the first-ever Squamish Nation member to be named a grand marshal of the 2019 Pride Parade in Vancouver. Askew, who grew up in North Vancouver, said the installation of Squamish Nation’s new rainbow crosswalk is a huge first step, but there was still more to be done. “For me that’s one of the things I want to do in life – help our members be more comfortable being who they are. This rainbow crosswalk is a start to represent that,” said Askew. © 2019 North Shore News EDITORIAL: ...subdivided we fall North Shore News November 6, 2019 09:29 AM https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/editorial-subdivided-we-fall-1.23999347

A proposal that would have allowed a 1,500-square-foot infill house behind this heritage property was rejected Monday. photo supplied District of West Vancouver. The stakes were so small, that from some angles, they were invisible. West Vancouver council was mulling an infill home, 1,500 square feet or so, tucked behind the 95-year-old Hewitt House on Radcliffe Avenue. The infill house would have kept a family together and guaranteed the preservation of a Craftsman cottage that was built when the Lions Gate Bridge was only an idea. And looking through the foliage, most people wouldn’t have known that an infill house was even there. But, following Coun. Marcus Wong’s 11th hour reversal, council rejected it. Despite providing a small service for local history and a great opportunity for a local family, a majority of council was swayed by phantom concerns around neighbourhood sensitivity. We don’t decry this decision just because we worry about losing gabled roofs and shed dormers, lovely as they are. Right now, West Vancouver’s vacancy rates are low, its housing types are as diverse as a Trump rally and its prices are inhospitable for anyone who’s ever had to wash their hands after a day’s work. This infill house was, quite literally, the least they could do. And they didn’t. Tantalus Gardens, a revolutionary 14-unit project earmarked for Horseshoe Bay, was scuttled last week after outcry about preserving a church that closed six years earlier. As long as the majority of council blows with the fickle wind of neighbourhood sentiment, we’ll lose the opportunity to build something as real and lasting as the Hewitt house. The stakes were small this time. But they’ll get bigger. It’s regrettable when a council dismisses history. It’s unforgivable for a council to overlook the future. © 2019 North Shore News

Swagtron’s popular $599 electric bicycle just got even better Micah Toll - Oct. 23rd 2019 4:30 pm ET https://electrek.co/2019/10/23/swagtrons-eb7-plus-electric-bicycle-upgrades/ @MicahToll

Swagtron’s EB7 folding electric bike has long been one of the brand’s best selling e-bikes. With an original price of just $599 and the performance to match many e-bikes at twice its price, its popularity is no surprise. And now the company is back with a number of upgrades to the Swagtron EB7 that should help make it better than ever. The changes to the Swagtron EB7 come barely a week after Swagtron unveiled its latest full-size electric bicycles. But it has long been the brand’s folding e-bikes that have topped sales charts due to their low prices. According to Swagtron’s CMO Jason Wakefield: “The EB7 is one of our best-selling folding e-bikes. But we knew it could be better. We listened to feedback from customers, and made small changes that will have a big impact on versatility and day-to-day performance.”

Upgrades to the Swagtron EB7 The new version of the bike is now known as the Swagtron EB7 Plus. Its main upgrade is a larger 6.4 Ah battery that bumps the total capacity up to 230 Wh. That’s not huge by any industry standard but still manages to eke out decent range in a small, lightweight folding e-bike. Swagtron rates the EB7 Plus for 20 miles (32 km) of range. The Swagtron EB7 Plus retains the same 350 W hub motor and 18.6 mph (30 km/h) top speed as the original EB7. But the EB7 gets a new Shimano 7 speed drivetrain to replace the old single-speed setup. That might add a pound or so to the bike but makes it much easier to pedal up hills and allows riders to add assist even at higher speeds. The EB7 Plus also gets a new, longer seat post designed to accommodate taller riders than the previous version.

The new version, unfortunately, gets a bit of a price bump as well, with the EB7 Plus priced at $699. It is available on Swagtron’s website as well as on Amazon. You can still get the original EB7 for $599, but you won’t get the upgraded battery, new drivetrain or other additions. The original EB7 is also available on Swagtron’s website as well as on Amazon. Both bikes come with built-in LED headlights, disc brakes, 16-inch wheels, and rear suspension.

Electrek’s Take Look, no one has ever said that Swagtron makes the best e-bikes out there. But they do make decent e-bikes at great prices, and that’s what’s important when new riders are deciding whether to take a chance on an e-bike. I love a nice $4,000 e- bike as much as the next guy. But not everyone wants to (or is able to) jump into the deep end like that. And so I’m glad to see affordable options like these that make it easy for car drivers to try switching to an e-bike and realize how much of a difference it can make on a commute. As always, we’ll make sure to get our hands on the latest model ASAP to get you guys a review and see if the new Swagtron EB7 Plus does its predecessor proud.

The Science Of Why 5G Is (Almost) Certainly Safe For Humans Nov 1, 2019, 02:00am https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/11/01/the-science-of-why-5g-is-almost-certainly-safe-for-humans/ Ethan Siegel Senior Contributor Starts With A Bang Contributor Group Science The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it.

In order to bring the benefits of 5G technology to a worldwide population, a new set of towers, routers, and additional infrastructure will need to be installed. Although there are many articles and sources touting the potential dangers of 5G in particular and WiFi in general, one needs to examine the full suite of scientific evidence to know if something is truly dangerous to humans, or if such claims are based solely in fear. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty images.

Over the coming few years, a new set of infrastructure will be rolled out across the world: 5G wireless technology. Just as 4G networks are able to provide mobile internet speeds hundreds of times faster than 3G — enabling users worldwide to stream HD TV, browse webpages quickly, and even make high-quality video calls — the advent of 5G will enable speeds of up to 100 Gigabits per second: up to 100 times faster than 4G. With each new generation of WiFi that comes out, a new wave of fear-mongering health claims emerges. They always come along with the same arguments:

Today In: Innovation  humans have never been exposed to this much of this type of radiation before,  scientists have not demonstrated that the proposed new infrastructure won't be harmful to humans,  the World Health Organization has already declared radio-frequency (WiFi) radiation to be "possibly cancerous,"  and therefore, we should declare a moratorium on this technology until its safety has been established. Fortunately, science already tells us that 5G almost certainly poses no danger to humans. Unless you value unfounded conspiracies over bona fide science, here's what you should know. PROMOTED

The size, wavelength and temperature/energy scales that correspond to various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. You have to go to higher energies, and shorter wavelengths, to probe the smallest scales. At energies slightly greater than visible light, in the ultraviolet portion and beyond, individual photons are powerful enough to ionize electrons bound to matter. NASA and Wikimedia Commons user Inductiveload Above, you can see the electromagnetic spectrum. While you're typically only aware of your interactions with optical (visible) and infrared (heat) radiation, there's much more that's constantly interacting with your body. There are lower-energy signals such as microwaves, with wavelength between a millimeter and a meter, bombard us constantly here on Earth. Microwave radiation includes a mix of natural signals like atmospheric molecules, astronomical signals, and even the leftover glow from the Big Bang, coupled with human-made radio, radar, satellite, bluetooth, GPS and broadband signals. It also includes all WiFi signals, including 3G, 4G and 5G. Also invisible to human eyes are higher-energy signals: ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray light. In large doses, any form of radiation can be dangerous to living things, but in modest doses, only the high-energy signals matter.

The results of a body scanner, similar to the types people go through at the airport. Even the most intense X- rays one receives are only equivalent to seconds of the dose one would get while flying. Large doses would pose extreme dangers to humans, or potentially any living creature. Transportation Security Administration

The reason for this, believe it or not, has everything to do with the quantum nature of matter and energy. When light interacts with matter, there are three possibilities for what can occur: 1. The light is of the wrong wavelength to be absorbed by the matter, and therefore gets reflected. 2. The light is of the right wavelength to be absorbed by matter but too low in energy to kick any electrons off of their parent atoms/molecules. 3. Light gets absorbed and each photon is energetic enough to ionize one (or more) electrons. Plants are green, for example, because they don't absorb green light; instead they reflect it. Food gets cooked in a microwave because liquid water molecules (along with some others) are excellent absorbers of microwave radiation, enabling it to heat up. (Fun fact: ice, which is a lattice of water molecules, isn't a good absorber of microwave radiation, which is why your frozen foods can be simultanously boiling on the outside, where the ice has melted, but remain frozen at the center.)

The photoelectric effect details how electrons can be ionized by photons based on the wavelength of individual photons, not on light intensity or total energy or any other property Wolfmankurd / Wikimedia Commons But the third option, where ionization occurs and electrons get kicked off of atoms, is the type of radiation that truly is damaging at the cellular level to biological organisms. This is why you wear sunscreen when you know your skin is going to be exposed to direct sunlight: because the ultraviolet light will ionize the material in your skin and cause burns that can get quite severe. That's why you wear a lead shield when you get an X-ray taken, because that even higher-energy radiation can cause extensive damage to your body. And that's why you demand excessive shielding for any nuclear reactors and require humans to stay far away from any nuclear detonations: because gamma-rays, the highest-energy radiation of all, can cause cellular damage so severe it can be fatal to humans in even small, targeted doses.

Cosmic rays produced by high-energy astrophysics sources can reach any object in the Solar System, and appear to permeate our local region of space omnidirectionally. When they collide with Earth, they strike atoms in the atmosphere, creating particle and radiation showers at the surface. The small amount of ionizing radiation that reaches the surface in the form of ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray radiation is far and away the most dangerous type to living organisms. ASPERA collaboration / AStroParticle ERAnet The ionizing radiation is what causes the most direct, severe damage to not only human but most living things, and that's why there are such tight regulations, all over the world, on how much of these hazardous types of radiation any entity can emit. But non-ionizing radiation that gets absorbed can still cause damage, provided that there's enough total energy to be damaging. Instead of ionizing individual electrons, this radiation can get absorbed and converted into thermal (heat) energy, and too much heat — just as it can cook plants, animals or fungi — can permanently damage living tissue. So it seems like a legitimate question: could 5G wireless technology, and the ambient radiation that it will create surrounding each and every one of us, possibly be damaging?

A Huawei 5G router is seen at a 5G experience hall in China. Routers, cellphones, and WiFi radiation have long been the subject of conspiracy theories, but pose no health hazards that have been linked to human populations for many good reasons. (Long Wei/Visual China Group via Getty Images) Getty If you ask a WiFi truther, like Berkeley's Joel Moskowitz, they'll insist that it is. That WiFi has already been harming us, that it's the cause of a number of rampant health problems in the human population, that there's an enormous conspiracy to bury it, and that since the World Health Organization has classified 5G (and WiFi radiation in general) as possibly carcinogenic, we should avoid it until it's demonstrated that it's safe, after all. Unfortunately for Moskowitz, and fortunately for society, possibly carcinogenic is one of the lowest danger levels that can be ascribed to a risk factor. If any study at all finds that any dose of a substance causes any spike in cancer in any creature — even in mice, even with a small sample size, even with marginal or dubious significance — this is the classification it gets. If you're not afraid of coffee or thyme, or getting a nickel with your change, you shouldn't be afraid of 5G, or WiFi radiation in general.

Hundreds of materials, chemicals, and other forms of matter and energy have been classified as 'possibly carcinogenic' by the World Health Organization, including nickel, like the kind found in all American nickels from the 1800s onwards. Unless something gets reclassified as either carcinogenic or probably carcinogenic, there's no need to fear it. Getty The reason for this is simple: the only way this radiation can harm you is through the total energy your body (or a part of your body) absorbs. Whenever a device sends or receives a wireless signal, it emits or searches for radiation of the appropriate frequency. The devices all use power, and the energy they emit spreads out in a sphere: falling off as the inverse of the distance squared as you leave the source. If you ever held a portable radio or boombox close to you, you received far more radiation of similar frequencies than you do from a 5G device that sits in your pocket. At the end-user, consumer level, even dozens of devices surrounding you — similar to the situation you'd experience in an office, classroom, or airport — impart a level of radiation that, based on energy concerns, ought to pose no threat at all. As Dr. Alex Berezow of the American Council on Science and Health states, the assumption that 5G is safe is already backed by the full suite of scientific studies. Only, he contends, "[i]f sufficient evidence shows something to the contrary, then we should reconsider the status quo."

One of the most ubiquitous conspiracies about WiFi radiation is that it's responsible for the growth of cancerous brain tumors, but the evidence shows that the cancer rate has remained unchanged, even as WiFi usage and devices have gone mainstream. P. D. Inskip, R. N. Hoover, and S. S. Devesa, Neuro Oncol. 2010 Nov; 12(11): 1147–1151 From a theoretical point of view, there's absolutely no reason to fear 5G technology, or WiFi radiation in any form. But if you were really curious about the potential hazards to humans, you'd take a look at the people who get the highest levels of 5G radiation exposure: the electrical and construction workers who build and install the wireless communication towers that provide the necessary infrastructure for 5G. In the UK, the National Register of RF workers is the body that looks after the health and safety of that group of people, and it's composed entirely of RF workers themselves. What might be a dangerous dose of radiation when you're four inches (about 10 centimeters) away from it goes down by a factor of 10,000 when you move to be about 33 feet (10 meters) from it.

The first Brandenburger transmission tower that meets the new 5G standard for cellphone and internet stands at the edge of Oranienburger Straße. A total of 80 masts have been installed by Vodaphone thus far, and all are high enough so that no human should ever encounter a dangerous level of radiation. (Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images) Getty As reported by Simon Rockman here on Forbes, there are 4,500 people in the UK who work in close proximity to radiofrequency (RF) radiation. The RF exposure they're allowed to receive is five times that of the general population, and there is no evidence that they have higher rates of cancer or any other health problems that could possibly be attributable to WiFi radiation than any other population of humans. Still, the best measure that they can take is to simply have a small exclusion zone around the radio masts (or towers) that emit the most powerful signals for this type of radiation. So long as that exclusion zone is about 10 meters in all directions, any humans outside of the zone will undoubtedly be safe. A receiver/transmitter that's perched very high above the ground or a tall building will automatically be safe for any humans directly beneath it, so long as they're more than 10 meters below the active device.

Warning sign on the side of a cellular phone tower indicating that the tower emits strong radio, magnetic and other radiation, and warning those near the tower to take protective measures. Only at incredibly close distances can this radiation even plausibly negatively affect humans. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Getty Finally, the benefits that 5G will bring to society in the coming decade are truly revolutionary. In addition to the accelerated speeds that regular consumers will see, laying the infrastructure for 5G will enable civilization- changing smart technologies and a virtually unlimited number of device connections. 5G will enable blossoming technologies that rely on connectivity to the internet to go widespread, from connected self-driving cars to smart plugs, lights, cameras, toothbrushes, thermostats, healthcare monitoring devices and more. The Internet of Things is coming, and 5G is the technology that will take it mainstream. There are lots of real hazards out there in the world, but 5G — much like vaccines, fluoridated drinking water, and the vapor trails left by airplanes — aren't among them. In the search for truth, society should rely on the full suite of scientific evidence, rather than fear or ideology, to guide us. When we do, all of us can reap the benefits of a safe, connected world. Follow me on Twitter. Check out my website or some of my other work here. Ethan Siegel

The World Is Not Going To Halve Carbon Emissions By 2030, So Now What?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerpielke/2019/10/27/the-world-is-not-going-to-reduce-carbon-dioxide-emissions-by-50-by-2030-now-what/#5b993e3e3794

Roger Pielke Contributor Energy I research and write about science, policy and politics.

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22 October 2019, Brandenburg, Sieversdorf: Wind turbines in the morning fog in the Oder-Spree ... [+]

dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that “limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.” Specifically, “Global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ‘net zero’ around 2050.” Since then, many advocates and policy makers have proposed that target as a political goal.

Here I’ll show you the simple mathematics of what achieving the 2030 target entails. The evidence shows clearly that the world is far from being on a path that will come anywhere close to that goal. That is not an opinion, it is just math.

Of course, climate change poses risks to our future, and aggressive mitigation and adaptation policies make good sense. So getting policy making right is important.

Today In: Business

Let’s begin with a few key numbers as starting points. According to the 2019 BP Statistical Review of World Energy, in 2018 the world consumed in total almost 14,000 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe). That energy supports the lives, hopes, aspirations of more than 7 billion people.

Like wealth, energy consumption is deeply unequal around the world, and many who do not have access to a full range of energy products and services are working hard to secure that access. So we should expect energy demand to continue to grow over the next decade. From 2000 to 2018, according to BP, consumption grew at about 2.2% per year, and ranged from a drop of 1.4% in 2009 to an increase of 4.9% in 2004. In the analysis below, I use an assumed 2.2% growth per year to 2030. PROMOTED

Here I focus on carbon dioxide from the consumption of fossil fuels, coal, natural gas and oil, and ignore emissions from the use of land. When combusted, fossil fuels emit different amounts of carbon dioxide. Coal by far emits the most. In 2018 about 27% of total global energy consumption came from coal, but according to the Global Carbon Project, coal accounts for about 40% of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.

To simplify the analysis, I assume that emissions reduction targets will be met through reductions in fossil fuel consumption which occur across all fossil fuels. That allows us to equate a reduction in fossil fuel consumption with a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. It also keeps us from misinterpreting a reduction in emissions from a switch from coal to natural gas. If the ultimate goal is net-zero carbon dioxide, then eventually all energy consumption will have to be carbon-free, meaning that carbon dioxide-emitted natural gas will have to also be eliminated.

I’ll also ignore the possibility of technologies of “negative emissions” which would allow the continued use of fossil fuels. The main reason for ignoring such technologies is that they don’t presently exist at scale, and don’t appear to be just over the horizon.

OK, with these starting points in place, let’s now look at the IPCC target for 2030. A 45% reduction in emissions from 2010, implies an allowance of about 5,950 mtoe of fossil fuel consumption for 2030, and a reduction of about 5,800 mtoe from 2018. If consumption grows by 2.2% per year to 2030, that means that the world will consume about 4,200 mtoe more in 2030 than in 2018. So the grand total of new, carbon-free consumption by 2030 needed to hit the 45% reduction target is about 10,000 mtoe.

That means that the world will need add about 1,000 mtoe of carbon-free energy every year over the next decade. Over the past decade, the world added about 64 mtoe of carbon-free energy every year, and in 2018 it added a record 114 mtoe. So the world would need to accelerate the deployment of carbon-free energy by 9 times or more the rate observed in 2018, and about 15 times greater than that of the past decade. The deployment of new carbon-emitting energy would obviously have to cease immediately. Over the past decade fossil fuel consumption has increased annually by an average of about 150 mtoe. Last year’s record increase of 114 mtoe of carbon-free energy was dwarfed by an increase in fossil fuels of more than 275 mtoe. It is accurate to say that the world’s growing supply of carbon-free energy is additive, and not replacing fossil fuels.

Discussions of climate policy often center on the deployment of carbon-free energy supply, but rarely discussed is the corresponding requirement for the decommissioning of fossil fuel energy. As I have argued in a previous column, the magnitude of the net-zero by 2050 challenge is equivalent to the deployment of a new nuclear plant every day for the next 30 years, while retiring an equivalent amount of fossil fuel energy every day. Emissions reductions for 2030 consistent with the IPCC view of the 1.5°C temperature target require a much great rate of deployment than one nuclear power plant worth of carbon-free energy deployment every day, because about half of the required emissions reductions are squeezed into the next 10 years.

The bottom line of this analysis should be undeniable: There is simply no evidence that the world is, or is on the brink of, making “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” that would be required for the deep decarbonization associated with a 1.5°C temperature target. Anyone advocating a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 is engaging in a form of climate theater, full of drama but not much suspense. But don’t just take it from me, do the math yourself.

Despite the overwhelming evidence on the unlikelihood of meeting the 2030 target, such realism has yet to take hold in climate policy discussions. Some even go so far as to claim that presentation of this type of analysis amounts to climate denial. For those making such claims, I’ve got news for you – the world is going to miss the 2030 target whether we talk about that reality or deny it, so we had better get to work on rethinking climate policy.

Follow me on Twitter @RogerPielkeJr

Roger Pielke

I have been on the faculty of the University of Colorado since 2001, where I teach and write on a diverse range of policy and governance issues related to science, innovation, sports. I have degrees in mathematics, public policy and political science. My books include The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics published by Cambridge University Press (2007), The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won’t Tell you About Global Warming (2010, Basic Books) and The Edge: The War Against Cheating and Corruption in the Cutthroat World of Elite Sports (Roaring Forties Press, 2016). My most recent book is The Rightful Place of Science: Disasters and Climate Change (2nd edition, 2018, Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes

TransLink consults on Phibbs-Metrotown express bus Brent Richter / North Shore News October 28, 2019 04:36 PM A map shows the proposed route of a new express bus linking Burnaby's Metrotown SkyTrain station to Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver. map supplied How do you like the sound of an express bus plugging Phibbs Exchange into the SkyTrain system at Brentwood and Metrotown? TransLink would like to know. The transit authority has begun consultations on the new 222 bus route, which it hopes to have running some time in 2020. The 222 bus would have stops at Metrotown, BCIT, Brentwood, Hastings Street at Willingdon Avenue, the Kootenay Loop and Phibbs. A bus making that trip today would have 29 stops and take 35 to 45 minutes, according to TransLink. The new 222 would shave at least five to six minutes off of that time. When the service does begin, TransLink will no longer run the 130 bus all the way to CapU during peak hours. Instead, those passengers will have to hop off at Phibbs and transfer to the 222. A new RapidBus (formerly B-Line) connecting Capilano University to Metrotown was part of the Mayors Council 10-year vision, although not until the final phase of the project. Expediting that service was one of the recommendations of the Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project in 2018. In June, the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation gave support to a plan that would reallocate funding from the 231 Harbouside route to the 222. When the final phase of the 10- year vision gets funding, the 222 will become a RapidBus route. TransLink is seeking public feedback on the plan via its website at translink.ca/networkreview. Sometime after the Nov. 11 deadline, the responses will be compiled into one report. In a release, TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said: “We are always looking at our system and finding ways to improve. In a region experiencing unprecedented ridership growth and expecting to grow by more than a million people in the next 30 years, the needs of our customers are changing rapidly.” © 2019 North Shore News https://www.nsnews.com/news/translink-consults-on-phibbs-metrotown-express-bus-1.23990605 TransLink is spending over $13 million on North Shore Here is the breakdown of all the projects on the North Shore By Gagandeep Ghuman October 17, 2019 12:55pm https://www.theglobalcanadian.com/translink-is-spending-over-13-million-on-north-shore/ TransLink says it is investing $100 million to help construct or improve 76 projects throughout the Metro Vancouver region, with $13,338,766 being spent on projects in North Shore. TransLink unveiled the final list of projects receiving investments from the TransLink Walking, Cycling, and Roads Program in 2019. It includes investment in walking and cycling paths, major road networks, and operation and maintenance. Since 2017, TransLink says it has invested in 25 kilometres of new or upgraded walking paths and 102 kilometres of new or upgraded cycle paths. The programme has also invested in 17 kilometres of new or upgraded roads and infrastructure, and maintained more than 1,700 traffic signals and more than 800 structures. Here is the breakdown of all projects on the North Shore: City of North Vancouver Projects: Casino-Loutet overpass, Green Necklace, from Lonsdale Avenue to Grand Boulevard, West Keith bicycle multi use, third street pedestrian and cycling improvements, between Forbes Avenue and 2nd project, cycling improvements on Chesterfield. Investment: $4,720,170

Projects: Replacement of Cotton Bridge at Lynn Creek, replacement of Marine Drive Bridge at Mackay Creek,a traffic signal at 4th street and Lonsdale Avenue are some of the structure and pedestrian improvements. Investment: $2,882,667 Projects: additional signal heads at 3rd Street at Lonsdale, and improved intersection safety along Lonsdale Avenue, between 4th Street and 6th Street. Investment: $243,000 District of North Vancouver Projects: Some of the pedestrian improvements include a sidewalk on Ross Road, between Mountain Highway and Allan Road, new sidewalks and pedestrian crossing on Mountain Highway, and a sidewalk on William Avenue. Investment: $557,000 Projects: Some of the cycling improvement projects include an enhanced Spirit Trail between the CNV border and East Keith Road, and new bike lanes on Lynn Valley Road between William Avenue and Mollie Nye Way. Investment: $2,874,800 Projects: New bike lanes on Mount Seymour Parkway between Seymour Boulevard and Riverside Drive, signal upgrade at the intersection of Mount Seymour parkway and Broadview Drive, and seismic retrofit project on Mount Seymour Parkway Bridge are other investments by TransLink. Investment: $534,129

District of West Vancouver Projects: Spirit Trail connection to Lions Gate Bridge, separated bike lanes on the Spirit Trail, Capilano Pacific Trail improvements, bike lanes on Marine Drive, multi-use pathways on Mathers Avenue are some of the cycling projects TransLink has invested in West Vancouver. Investment: $1,239,000 Projects: Widening the Marine Drive, construction of sidewalk on Inglewood Avenue, and pedestrian walkway improvements on Taylor Way at Clyde Avenue are some of the pedestrian and road improvement projects. Investment: $288,000 Tsleil-Waututh Nation applies to expand land reserve in Maplewood

Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News

October 25, 2019 03:39 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/tsleil-waututh-nation-applies-to-expand-land-reserve-in-maplewood-1.23988649

Darwin Properties president Oliver Webbe stands besides Tsleil-Waututh Nation development manager Dennis Thomas in 2018 while preparing to pitch the Maplewood Innovation District to District of North Vancouver council. Council opted to defer the proposal twice, pushing deliberations to 2020. file photo Kevin Hill, North Shore News

The Tsleil-Waututh Nation is looking to expand their reserve lands by picking up 45 acres in north Maplewood, according to a release from the band.

The Addition to Reserve application, filed with the federal government, is intended to move the community toward “self-sufficiency and sovereignty,” according to Chief Leah George Wilson.

“We strive to preserve the Tsleil-Waututh values in our land and business development activities,” Wilson stated in the release. “The feedback we receive from Tsleil-Waututh community members and the greater community will continue to be reflected in the community planning process.”

The release also stated the return of this ancestral land ”will help the nation move toward economic prosperity for present and future generations.” Canada’s Addition to Reserve policy dates back to 1972.

In evaluating the application, government policy is to assess environmental concerns, the qualms of municipal and provincial governments, public access, and the cost-effectiveness of the proposal.

The Tsleil-Waututh Nation previously partnered with local development company Darwin on the deferred Maplewood Innovation District, a tech-centric town centre.

“Our future generations are the reason why we are investing in this project,” explained Tsleil-Waututh Nation development manager Dennis Thomas in 2018. “Enabling our youth to work, learn and live successfully in our community is what we are striving for.”

After initially proposing 900 units of housing and 1.4-million square feet of business space on the former gravel quarry site, Darwin advanced a more modest development this year, pitching a combined 424,713 square feet of light industrial and office space as well as 250 to 275 rental housing units.

In a split vote in May, district council deferred voting on the proposal until 2020, following a review of the official community plan.

Tsleil-Waututh Nation wants to expand reserve, create new neighbourhood

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-tsleil-waututh-nation-wants-to-expand-reserve-create-new/

Brent Jang

VANCOUVER

Published 9 hours ago Oct 25/2019

The Tsleil-Waututh Nation is asking the federal government to approve its request to expand its reserve land to include a sprawling area in the District of North Vancouver in hopes of building a new residential and commercial neighbourhood.

Tsleil-Waututh leaders, who are opposed to the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project, say developing real estate will be crucial to ensuring the economic self-sufficiency of their 600 members.

“The return of this ancestral land to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation will help the Nation move toward economic prosperity for present and future generations,” the elected First Nation council said.

The Tsleil-Waututh and Darwin Properties co-own 45 acres of land located east of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, near the First Nation’s reserve. The private property along the Dollarton Highway includes the site of a former gravel pit and is now mostly undeveloped, though a child-care centre and two industrial firms are among the tenants situated in a forested area.

In May, the District of North Vancouver council deferred making a decision on an application by the Tsleil- Waututh and Darwin to build what they call the North Shore Innovation District. Nearby residents opposed to the project say that even after Darwin scaled back designs, the development plans still have too much density, don’t fit with the existing neighbourhood and would extend traffic jams in the congested Maplewood area.

Under new legislation that came into force in August, the federal government is now allowing Indigenous groups to request permission to expand geographically, known as an “addition to reserve” application. The Tsleil-Waututh, which has offices on what Ottawa calls Burrard Inlet Indian Reserve No. 3 in North Vancouver, filed documents for broadening its land reserve in September through Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

Tsleil-Waututh leaders say they will hold community consultations and conduct environmental studies next year, aiming to gain approval from Ottawa in the spring of 2021 to add the Maplewood acreage to the Indigenous group’s land code. The holding consists of one parcel at 39 acres and the other at six acres.

“The decision to file an addition to reserve relates back to Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s mandate to expand the community’s land base, as well as to develop new and existing business opportunities and partnerships that provide economic growth for the Tsleil-Waututh community,” the band council said.

Tsleil-Waututh elected Chief Leah George-Wilson said in a videotaped message that her community, also known as TWN, values the history of its ancestral villages.

“The return of this ancestral land will not only help to reconcile the past for TWN, but allow the Nation to thrive in the future through increasing our small land base,” she said. “More specifically, it will bring additional transportation options for our community, diverse housing types, employment opportunities and more support for local businesses and services.”

In an e-mail, Ms. George-Wilson noted that the Maplewood project is within the rezoning jurisdiction of the District of North Vancouver. But assuming the federal process for adding reserve land pans out in 2021, the development would be carried out with 99-year leaseholds under the direction of the Tsleil-Waututh.

“Our decision to file the addition to reserve is in support of self-determination for our community, addressing the unjust loss of land for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and increasing our reserve land holdings for future generations,” she wrote.

The District of North Vancouver has cautioned that if the development proceeds, the Dollarton Highway would need to be upgraded, including new sidewalks and separated bike lanes.

In putting the proposal by the Tsleil-Waututh and Darwin on hold earlier this year, the district noted that work on North Vancouver’s official community plan is continuing and a final report won’t be ready until the fall of 2020. “We will be identifying current and emerging issues, challenges and constraints, trends within key topics, and areas where we can improve,” the district said.

Tsleil-Waututh leaders are optimistic that their goals will be in harmony with North Vancouver’s official community plan.

Tsleil-Waututh seek 45 acres of Maplewood for reserve land

Brent Richter / North Shore News

October 29, 2019 03:20 PM https://www.nsnews.com/news/tsleil-waututh-seek-45-acres- of-maplewood-for-reserve-land-1.23991742

A map shows the boundaries of the land that could go from District of North Vancouver jurisdiction to Tsleil- Waututh reserve land. map supplied

North Vancouver’s Tsleil-Wautuh Nation is looking to add to their reserve 45 acres of land in the Maplewood area.

The 600-member nation has formally applied to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to take on the land that it had been seeking to redevelop into the now-stalled Maplewood Innovation District. The property at 2420 Dollarton Hwy. is currently owned by a 50/50 partnership of Darwin Construction and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

The Addition to Reserve application is intended to move the community toward “self-sufficiency and sovereignty,” according to Chief Leah George Wilson. “We strive to preserve the Tsleil-Waututh values in our land and business development activities,” Wilson stated in a release.

After initially proposing 900 units of housing and 1.4 million square feet of tech-centric business space on the former gravel quarry site, Darwin advanced a more modest development this year, pitching a combined 424,713 square feet of light industrial and office space as well as 250 to 275 rental housing units. In a split vote in May, district council deferred voting on the proposal until 2020, to allow for a review of the official community plan.

Archeological evidence shows the Tsleil-Waututh have occupied the land for almost 4,000 years and oral histories date back 10,000 years, according to the band. Before colonization, the land was a Tsleil-Waututh village site known as Squaw-uck, which they used for harvesting berries and medicinal plants, hunting deer and other game, trapping, collecting firewood and harvesting salmon from Ah-wal-tum/McCartney Creek. If their application is successful, it will once again be used to help the band sustain itself, albeit in a more modern fashion.

“The return of this ancestral land to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation will help the nation move towards economic prosperity for present and future generations, and create more opportunities for the nation to continue to build meaningful relationships with our neighbouring communities,” George Wilson stated in the release.

The land is made up of two adjoined parcels, 6.5 acres and 39 acres in size. The larger parcel was last assessed at $47,382,000. No info was available on the smaller lot’s assessment.

Canada’s Addition to Reserve policy dates back to 1972, although new legislation brought into effect in August streamlines the process for First Nations. In evaluating the application, the federal government must assess any environmental concerns, the qualms of municipal and provincial governments, public access, and the cost- effectiveness of the proposal. The whole process is expected to last until sometime in 2021.

District Mayor Mike Little said he learned about the proposal directly from George Wilson shortly before it was announced.

“Obviously, it’s a major decision that has to be made. I’m supportive of reconciliation, and I think you’ll find our whole council is supportive of meaningful reconciliation. And we’ve known for a long time that that was going to mean the transfer of administration of land,” he said.

Although district council will have lost any right to determine how the land is used and any tax revenue it generates, the project will have to be plugged into district utilities, which will require the two sides to negotiate a servicing agreement, Little said.

Little said he expects the district will have a lot of time to sit down with the band’s leadership “as neighbours and partners.”

Little said his council wasn’t opposed to redevelopment of the land, although they likely would have preferred something more modest than what the Darwin/Tsleil-Waututh partnership was proposing, and spread out over a longer time.

“We had anticipated that there would be some changes on the site, but we wanted to have meaningful consideration of the environmental impact of changing the use on that site and redeveloping it,” he said. “Which is why we deferred it. We did not reject it.”

Upper Levels highway to get first major study

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 12, 2019 03:20 PM

Traffic backs up on Highway 1 during an afternoon rush hour. file photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is taking its first-ever look at the long-term needs for Highway 1 from Lynn Valley Road to Horseshoe bay.

The province has awarded a $110,000 contract to Parsons Inc. to study one of the busiest transportation corridors in the Lower Mainland and come up with recommendations for future improvements. related

 Escaping gridlock's grip: New plan addresses North Shore traffic problems  Two years later, Mountain Highway project nearly complete

The interchanges from Lynn Valley to the Ironworkers are in the midst of $200 million in upgrades but the province hasn’t done any study whatsoever on what the long-term demands on the rest of the highway will be, said Bowinn Ma, North Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA. For too long, Ma said, the province has planned transportation priorities on an ad-hoc basis.

“You will spend hundreds of millions dollars or billions of dollars on one area – maybe you upgrade one interchange, or you add one 10-lane bridge – where you deal with one congestion problem and it just moves the congestion somewhere else, and then you end up chasing the congestion. That’s not a good use of taxpayer money and it’s not good long-term planning either,” said Ma, who is also a civil engineer. “Transportation systems have to be treated as systems. It’s important that we have these long-term plans in place if we actually want to start to address the problem.”

Under the scope of the work, Parsons will assess how the highway is doing under current volumes as well as project demand up to 2050, including what local government priorities are and how a potential expansion of the B.C. Ferries terminal at Horseshoe Bay would funnel more cars onto the road.

“It is to see what kind of improvements give you the most benefit, and then go develop an implementation strategy,” Ma said.

Safety will also be a major component with the study taking into account collision data from ICBC “basically identifying which interchanges need the most help as quickly as possible,” Ma added.

Some of the potential improvements on the table include expanding the highway to add bus-only or HOV lanes, opportunities to expand active transportation routes or add new lanes of general traffic, although Ma isn’t holding her breath on that last one.

Most studies have shown adding new lanes for general traffic use only invites more people to drive, quickly negating the expensive project’s sought-after improvements, a concept known as induced demand, Ma said.

Ma said she expects to see the report completed by the summer of 2020.

In 2018, the Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project found drivers on the North Shore are uniquely dependent on their highway for local travel. Almost a quarter of the cars on the Upper Levels highway during the afternoon rush hour are not headed for either bridge, but rather, somewhere else on the North Shore compared to less than five per cent in Surrey or less than three per cent in Richmond.

Regardless of what improvements the study recommends, Ma may not be getting a lot of personal use out of them. She and her partner recently sold both of their gas-burning autos and replaced them with an electric car and an e-bike, which Ma now uses as her main conveyance.

Ma said she spends a lot of time talking about the importance of using active transportation to cut down on congestion and wanted to walk the walk, so to speak.

“I really wanted to be able to demonstrate that even I as an MLA who doesn’t just have one place to go to on her commute but multiple places every day can make this happen” she said. “I was pretty surprised because I looked into the numbers and that saves about 9.2 metric tonnes of GHGs, just from our tailpipes every year.”

City of Vancouver directs Empty Homes Tax revenue to new social housing grant https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-community-housing-incentive-program Kenneth Chan Oct 22 2019, 3:07 pm

Artistic rendering of the social housing building at 2221 Main Street in Vancouver. (Catalyst Community Developments Society / Marcon Developments)

In a meeting today, Vancouver city council approved the creation of a new grant that helps non-profit housing organizations finance their new social housing and co-op housing developments. The new Community Housing Incentive Program (CHIP), running between 2019 and 2022, will have a pool of $25 million dedicated to funding construction projects with housing income limit and shelter rate homes. CHIP is an adaptation of the $8-million in approved funding for Social Housing Infrastructure Grants (SHIG), topped up by a further $17 million from revenue generated by the city’s Empty Homes Tax (EHT). According to a city staff report, such grant programs are beneficial for projects that provide greater affordability, which have a lower mortgage capacity to repay their construction financing loans. “In the case of a Shelter unit where operating costs exceed rent revenues from the Shelter Rate of Income Assistance, the unit provides no mortgage capacity to repay the construction loan, and will likely require ongoing operating subsidies from other levels of government subject to the project’s overall rental mix,” reads the report. “Generally speaking, there is less mortgage capacity and greater net upfront capital funding requirement for projects offering a higher proportion of homes at deeper levels of affordability.”

Example of how non-market housing projects are funded. (City of Vancouver)

The city anticipates the new program’s grant contributions could cover up to 20% of project construction costs. This supplements the required additional funding from the provincial government and federal government to cover the remaining costs of typical social housing and co-op housing projects pursued by non-profit entities. This program’s predecessor, SHIG, allocated $10.8 million in grants for 10 projects between 2015 and 2018, creating 780 non-market homes. Last year, the EHT raised $38 million in revenue, with $7.5 million going towards the one-time start-up costs of implementing the new tax measure and another $2.5 million towards operating and management costs. In 2018, declarations for the second year of the EHT show a total of 922 properties were declared vacant — down from the 1,085 properties declared vacant last year, representing a 15% decrease. Homes determined to be empty are subject to the city’s vacancy tax of 1% of the property’s assessed taxable value. Vancouver ranked sixth best city in the world for drivers Elana Shepert / Vancouver Is Awesome November 16, 2019 11:45 AM https://www.nsnews.com/vancouver-ranked-sixth-best-city-in-the-world-for-drivers-1.24010338

Auto parts vendor Mister Auto has ranked Vancouver as the sixth best city in the world for drivers. File photo Dan Toulgoet Vancouver was recently ranked among the best cities for drivers in the world in a study published by auto parts vendor, Mister Auto. The study looked at three key categories in order to determine the ranking including infrastructure, safety and costs. These categories were further broken down to look at multiple parameters including road quality, traffic quality, number of fatal accidents, and the cost of parking and fuel. The study collected data from hundreds of cities worldwide and then selected a shortlist of 100 cities. From there, the final index combined a total of 15 factors to reveal the best and worst cities for car owners to drive in across the globe. Calgary placed first, with a perfect score of 100. Dubai came second, with an impressive score of 97.87. Ottawa claimed the third spot, scoring 96.60. Switzerland was the highest scoring European country, placing fourth, while El Paso was the lone U.S. city to place in the top ten. As for the details, on the level of traffic jams, you are much better off living in El Paso, USA or Malmö, Sweden than you would be in Mumbai, India. Brisbane, Australia, Salvador, Brazil and Stockholm stand out for air quality, which is at its worst in Lagos, Nigeria. With regard to accidents, taking into account the size of their populations, Manchester, England and Stockholm, have the lowest fatality rates. At the other end of the scale, Lagos, Orlando, Florida and Kolkata, India are among the most dangerous cities for drivers. The world’s top 10 cities for drivers (scores) 1. Calgary, Canada (100) 2. Dubai, United Arab Emirates (97.87) 3. Ottawa, Canada (96.60) 4. Bern, Switzerland (96.23) 5. El Paso, United States (96.01) 6. Vancouver, Canada (95.99) 7. Gothenburg, Sweden (95.66) 8. Düsseldorf, Germany (95.36) 9. Basel, Switzerland (95.28) 10. Dortmund, Germany (95.27) Read the original article here. © 2019 North Shore News EDITORIAL: We call fowl on North Vancouver District's pigeon prohibition North Shore News November 19, 2019 05:00 PM https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/editorial-we-call-fowl-on-north-vancouver-district-s-pigeon-prohibition-1.24013054

Pigeon keeping and government transparency took centre stage Monday as several residents claimed the District of North Vancouver's new bylaw is a misuse of power, affecting only pigeon owner Kulwant Dulay. photo Paul McGrath, North Shore News It may be reasonable to run for political office on a campaign of Not In My Backyard, but there’s something untoward about an unspoken campaign of Not In Your Backyard, Either.

At best, District of North Vancouver’s recent pigeon ban is a zero sum decision in which one resident was hurt and another, Coun. Betty Forbes, was helped. related  Pigeon owner mulls legal action over DNV’s bird ban  LETTER: Pigeon ban is time wasted  LETTER: District of North Vancouver's pigeon-keeping ban ruffles feathers  District of North Van to domestic pigeons: Shoo! We may never understand why Forbes looked at her neighbour’s hobby and saw a political hobby horse. However, we are owed a greater explanation than the two-minute, content-light speech she offered Monday. Forbes, who once authored a 1,400-word letter on the issue of backyard birds, requested “additional training” regarding conflicts of interest. It is worrisome that two previous training sessions weren’t sufficient to clarify a simple rule: if it feels good, don’t do it. Because even if the pigeon bylaw is better than the mean-spirited, arbitrary legislation it appears to be, the multiple back-channel communications leading up to the ban suggest this was the pettiest of pet issues. We’d also note that the district is missing both a housing partner on the Delbrook project and an entire generation. There’s a housing crisis, a climate crisis, and North Shore traffic. At a time when we need vision, we have a councillor who seems focused only on her view. Barring a sudden attack of common sense from council, one resident’s pets will soon be gone. The neighbours and what’s left of the neighbourhood will remain. We may not share or even comprehend the passions of our neighbours, but it’s imperative we offer empathy, even without understanding. Because the truth is that, beyond our fences, there’s only one backyard. We all need to share it.

What a Liberal minority government means to Vancouver real estate Provincial, municipal policy will have a more direct effect https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/liberal-minority-vanre-mark-ting-1.5336596

Mark Ting · for CBC News · Posted: Oct 27, 2019 6:00 AM PT | Last Updated: 10 hours ago

CBC On The Coast's guide to personal finance Mark Ting says election initiatives proposed by the Liberal minority government won't have a meaningful impact on Vancouver's real estate market. (Rafferty Baker/CBC) Now that the election is over, many people are wondering what a Liberal minority government means for the Lower Mainland real estate market. Under the First Time Home Buyers Incentive (FTHBI), the Liberals will be increasing the upper limit for eligible homes from $480,000 to $789,000. With the FTHBI, home buyers receive between five and 10 per cent of the purchase price as an "incentive." This is not a "gift" as it isn't free money — the government will have an equity stake in the buyer's home. This program will appeal to many, but if I were a first-time home buyer I would avoid it if possible. The other major election announcement is a one-per-cent vacant home tax applied to non-Canadians, not living in Canada. There are few details on how this tax will administered, so we will have to wait and see how it plays out. Overall, I don't think these initiatives will have a meaningful impact on our real estate market. The FTHBI will allow more people to enter the market and increase demand for homes around the $800,000 price point which would be a positive in the short term, but won't do much to help with affordability. Impact of transit building Compared to the federal government, the provincial and municipal government real estate policies are more impactful. One just has to look at how buying behaviour changed with the introduction of the province's foreign buyers, school and speculation tax — or the City of Vancouver's empty home tax. The biggest federal real estate related election promise wasn't the FTHBI or the vacancy tax — it was the promise to help fund the Broadway corridor SkyTrain route. When this happens, billions of investment dollars will be spent along this corridor, attracting jobs, businesses, people and real estate developers.  Why a Liberal minority government could be good news for cities like Vancouver The last time a major transit corridor opened in Vancouver was the Canada Line. At that time, the lucky property owners living along the Cambie route saw their homes surge in price from $1 million to $3 to 4 million in a very short time. Developers were bidding up prices along the transit route in order to build condos and townhomes. Unfortunately for landowners along the Broadway corridor, they will likely not experience a similar lift. The City of Vancouver has plans to charge a development fee along the Broadway corridor equal to $330-$425 per square foot of habitable space. Cap on land speculation To put this into context, a future 1,000-square-foot apartment on Broadway will have a $330,000 fee levied against it. The money goes to the City of Vancouver under its "Development Contribution Expectations (DCE)" policy initiative. The city is attempting to put a cap on land speculation which organically occurs around new transit projects. Had this initiative been around during the construction of the Canada Line, we wouldn't have seen land values jump 300-400 per cent along the Cambie corridor. With the DCE, developers still pay a premium to build their condos. However, the money no longer flows to the property owners who live along the transit route. Rather, it's paid to the City of Vancouver in the way of a development fee. The fees generated by the DCE are expected to be significant, with some estimates as high as $12 billion. Twelve billion dollars can help solve a lot of the city's problems, so it will be interesting to see where it allocates the funds. One would hope that since the money is generated from real estate that the City of Vancouver would use it to fight the housing crisis, but unfortunately, it has no obligation to do so. This column is part of CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read our FAQ. About the Author

Mark Ting Mark Ting is a partner with Foundation Wealth, where he helps clients reach their financial goals. He can also be heard every Thursday at 4:50 p.m. on CBC radio as On the Coast’s guide to personal finance. @MarkTingCFP [email protected]

Schedule A

Development Cost Charges Applicable to The District of North Vancouver

TOTAL CLASS OF SANITARY WATER DRAIN- DCCs ROADS PARKS LAND USE SEWERS WORKS AGE RECOVER- ABLE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL $11,672.31 $1,544.35 $3,118.31 $5,206.53 $6,494.30 $28,035.81 USE per dwelling unit RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY USE, GROUND ORIENTED $53.03 $10.69 $21.58 $13.69 $44.94 $143.92 per square metre of gross floor area RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY USE, APARTMENT $63.46 $11.70 $23.62 $6.79 $49.19 $154.75 per square metre of gross floor area COMMERCIAL USE per square $84.89 $4.63 $9.35 $20.03 $2.92 $121.83 metre of gross floor area INDUSTRIAL USE per square $63.67 $4.63 $9.35 $20.03 $2.92 $100.60 metre of gross floor area INSTITUTIONAL USE per square $42.44 $2.57 $5.20 $21.46 $1.08 $72.75 metre of gross floor area (7964, 8155, 8205, 8281)

Document: 3562037 PEDAL PUSHERS: Here's what the federal parties are saying about cycling Pedal Pushers / North Shore News October 18, 2019 11:50 AM https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/columnists/pedal-pushers-here-s-what-the-federal-parties-are-saying-about-cycling-1.23981332 Cyclists traverse the City of North Vancouver via West First Street. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News To see what the federal parties are saying about cycling and active transportation, the Pedal Pushers downloaded the platforms from the Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Green, Bloc Quebecois and People’s parties. Then we looked through them to see if any had policy statements on cycling or active transportation. Turns out that only two of the six parties mention cycling in their platforms: the Greens and the NDP. The Greens would “create a national cycling and walking infrastructure fund to help support zero-emissions active transportation.” Here at Pedal Pushers, we really like the word fund. It means money! The NDP platform says that “better commutes include promoting smart community planning and active transportation like walking and cycling, helping Canadians make choices that are healthier and more affordable for everyone.” At Pedal Pushers we think the word “strategy” might be a bit weasely, but will give NDP leader Jagmeet Singh full points for recently leading a bike ride in Ottawa. He seems to like cycling. Also, NDP member of Parliament Gord Johns (from Courtenay-Alberni) has a private member’s bill before Parliament to establish a national cycling strategy that would commit Ottawa to set targets for expanding cycling infrastructure, encourage more Canadians to use bikes to get around and create a public education campaign on cycling safety for cyclists and motorists. Thumbs up for both the Greens and the NDP. So why do the other parties not even mention cycling? It’s not a big surprise since so few people us their bike for transportation. Here in North Vancouver, the last census found that two per cent of trips to work were on a bicycle. In the City of North Vancouver that number climbs to a whopping 2.4 per cent. It’s sad but true that few politicians are going to champion a cause that’s so undersubscribed. Why are there so few people cycling? At Pedal Pushers we have a circular theory that makes anyone close enough to hear it a bit nuts. “No one cycles because there are very few routes that are safe. There are very few routes that are safe, because no one cycles.” This spins around and around and around, like a bicycle wheel with nowhere to go. Eventually, anyone foolish enough to advocate for something so unpopular will begin to wobble. And, indeed, the chicken and egg thing gets tiresome for those of us advocating for safer cycling infrastructure. At Pedal Pushers we are still hopeful. We say “Build it and they will come.” We know this because our neighbour across the water, the City of Vancouver, has increased cycling trips to seven per cent of all trips – not just commuting to work. They built safe infrastructure like the Burrard Street bike lanes, the Adanac bikeway, and the Hornby separated bike lanes, among many others. Guess what? The number of trips by bicycle increased by 54 per cent between 2013 and 2017 and cycling is now the fastest growing mode of transportation in the city. We are holding out hope on the federal front. Often the perpetual ruling parties (the Liberals and the Conservatives) will borrow good ideas from other parties and incorporate them into their own policies. Especially when there is a minority government. We’ll see what happens next Monday, Oct. 21, when Canadians cycle on over to a polling station to vote. The North Shore Pedal Pushers are Heather Drugge and Antje Wahl. The guy who makes the column readable, Dan Campbell, prefers driving. See – we can all work together. © 2019 North Shore News

EDITORIAL: Wheels off the bus North Shore News https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/editorial-wheels-off-the-bus-1.23991793 October 29, 2019 10:00 PM

file photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News This week the union representing bus drivers and SeaBus operators issued a 72-hour strike notice. That means if issues aren’t resolved, the rubber could hit the road on some kind of job action starting Friday. Luckily, so far the union’s signalled it won’t be a full shut down. related  Metro Vancouver bus drivers deliver 72-hour strike notice The last time a transit strike held the Lower Mainland in a gridlock grip was 18 years ago. We hope it won’t come to that. We like to complain a lot about transit. But when faced with the prospect that it could be taken away – even temporarily – we get a good reminder of just how critical the bus system is to both our economy and our quality of life on the North Shore. Truth is the bus system doesn’t always get a lot of love, especially on this side of Burrard Inlet. We fantasize about the fancier, more worldly option of rapid transit – which is always just out of reach. But in the meantime, buses are the workhorses of our transit system. (When talking about the North Shore, we’ll throw the SeaBus in that category too.) Buses carry far more passengers than rapid transit in Metro Vancouver and ridership on buses is growing faster. They don’t require massive capital outlays from government. For the most part, they do the job. The bus system isn’t perfect. Anyone who’s had a full bus rumble on by their stop can attest to that. But not having a bus system and not working to make that system better would be infinitely worse. Let’s hope it doesn’t take a strike to remind us how valuable this public service is. Because while it would be bad for the Lower Mainland, it would be far worse for the North Shore. © 2019 North Shore News

Why Rich Cities Rebel

Oct 22, 2019 Jeffrey D. Sachs

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/explaining-social-protest-in-paris-hong-kong-santiago-by- jeffrey-d-sachs-2019-10?fbclid=IwAR0qoJJ3lSjhffccJLyjNiNUN6qvTLd5vj2l8D06DIWg_nA0Z__qn7kp-K0

Having lost touch with public sentiment, officials in Paris, Hong Kong, and Santiago failed to anticipate that a seemingly modest policy action (a fuel-tax increase, an extradition bill, and higher metro prices, respectively) would trigger a massive social explosion.

NEW YORK – Three of the world’s more affluent cities have erupted in protests and unrest this year. Paris has faced waves of protests and rioting since November 2018, soon after French President Emmanuel Macron raised fuel taxes. Hong Kong has been in upheaval since March, after Chief Executive Carrie Lam proposed a law to allow extradition to the Chinese mainland. And Santiago exploded in rioting this month after President Sebastian Piñera ordered an increase in metro prices. Each protest has its distinct local factors, but, taken together, they tell a larger story of what can happen when a sense of unfairness combines with a widespread perception of low social mobility.

By the traditional metric of GDP per capita, the three cities are paragons of economic success. Per capita income is around $40,000 in Hong Kong, more than $60,000 in Paris, and around $18,000 in Santiago, one of the wealthiest cities in Latin America. In the 2019 Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum, Hong Kong ranks third, France 15th, and Chile 33rd (the best in Latin America by a wide margin).Yet, while these countries are quite rich and competitive by conventional standards, their populations are dissatisfied with key aspects of their lives. According to the 2019 World Happiness Report, the citizens of Hong Kong, France, and Chile feel that their lives are stuck in important ways. Each year, the Gallup Poll asks people all over the world, “Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?” While Hong Kong ranks ninth globally in GDP per capita, it ranks far lower, in 66th place, in terms of the public’s perception of personal freedom to choose a life course. The same discrepancy is apparent in France (25th in GDP per capita but 69th in freedom to choose) and Chile (48th and 98th, respectively).Ironically, both the Heritage Foundation and Simon Fraser University rank Hong Kong as having the most economic freedom in the entire world, yet Hong Kong residents despair of their freedom to choose what to do with their lives. In all three countries, urban young people not born into wealth despair of their chances of finding affordable housing and a decent job. In Hong Kong, property prices relative to average salaries are among the highest in the world. Chile has the highest income inequality in the OECD, the club of high-income countries. In France, children of elite families have vast advantages in their life course.Because of very high housing prices, most people are pushed away from the central business districts and typically depend on personal vehicles or public transport to get to work. Much of the public may thus be especially sensitive to changes in transportation prices, as shown by the explosion of protests in Paris and Santiago.

Hong Kong, France, and Chile are hardly alone in facing a crisis of social mobility and grievances over inequality. The United States is experiencing soaring suicide rates and other signs of social distress, such as mass shootings, at a time of unprecedented inequality and a collapse in public trust in government. The US will certainly see more social explosions ahead if we continue with politics and economics as usual.

If we are to head off that outcome, we must draw some lessons from the three recent cases. All three governments were blindsided by the protests. Having lost touch with public sentiment, they failed to anticipate that a seemingly modest policy action (Hong Kong’s extradition bill, France’s fuel-tax increase, and higher metro prices in Chile) would trigger a massive social explosion. Perhaps most important, and least surprising, traditional economic measures of wellbeing are wholly insufficient to gauge the public’s real sentiments. GDP per capita measures an economy’s average income, but says nothing about its distribution, people’s perceptions of fairness or injustice, the public’s sense of financial vulnerability, or other conditions (such as trust in the government) that weigh heavily on the overall quality of life. And rankings like the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitive Index, the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom, and Simon Fraser University’s measure of Economic Freedom of the World also capture far too little about the public’s subjective sense of fairness, freedom to make life choices, the government’s honesty, and the perceived trustworthiness of fellow citizens.To learn about such sentiments, it is necessary to ask the public directly about their life satisfaction, sense of personal freedom, trust in government and compatriots, and about other dimensions of social life that bear heavily on life quality and therefore on the prospects of social upheaval. That’s the approach taken by Gallup’s annual surveys on wellbeing, which my colleagues and I report on each year in the World Happiness Report.The idea of sustainable development, reflected in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the world’s governments in 2015, is to move beyond traditional indicators such as GDP growth and per capita income, to a much richer set of objectives, including social fairness, trust, and environmental sustainability. The SDGs, for example, draw specific attention not only to income inequality (SDG 10), but also to broader measures of wellbeing (SDG 3).It behooves every society to take the pulse of its population and heed well the sources of social unhappiness and distrust. Economic growth without fairness and environmental sustainability is a recipe for disorder, not for wellbeing. We will need far greater provision of public services, more redistribution of income from rich to poor, and more public investment to achieve environmental sustainability. Even apparently sensible policies such as ending fuel subsidies or raising metro prices to cover costs will lead to massive upheavals if carried out under conditions of low social trust, high inequality, and a widely shared sense of unfairness.

Jeffrey D. Sachs

Writing for PS since 1995 308 Commentaries