List of Newspaper Clips Collected from November 14/2017 To

List of Newspaper Clips Collected from

November 14/2017 to December 12/2017

10-lane-bridge would ease traffic.pdf 2016 Census - commute to work is 26 minutes.pdf Lynn Creek to get new towers.pdf 3000 encroachments in CNV.pdf Mayor-Walton-on-Mobility-Pricing.pdf A Metrotown solution to our housing crisis.pdf More Vancouverites commuting on public transit.pdf Academic takes on Vancouver housing supply myth.pdf No logic to locals first.pdf Adding housing will not remove traffic jams.pdf North Shore number one economic issue - transportation.pdf Affordable housing providers look at public-private partnerships.pdf North Shore stakeholders weigh in on mobility pricing.pdf Air quality concerns waft from North Vancouver dry dock.pdf North Vancouver Chemtrade plant shut down for repairs.pdf Almost half of North Shore rents unaffordable.pdf North Vancouver condo proposal includes Cap U student housing.pdf Arguing policians exacerbate transportation.pdf North Vancouver residents in turf war with football club over proposed playing field.pdf Buyer who walks is on hook for price drop-page A13-NSNEWS-24Nov2017.pdf Notice-on-residential-wood-smoke.pdf Car-sharing adds more cars on road.pdf Notice-PIM-on-62unit-at-1210-1260-W-16th.pdf Chesterfield Avenue density may double -CNV.pdf Notice-Propose property disposition-Gaspe-PLace.pdf Cities made a huge mistake promoting cycling.pdf Notice-Propose property disposition.pdf CNV delays vote on Telus site redevelopment.pdf Notices- Public Hearing Dec 5 Townhouses on Ridgewood.pdf Court ruling could end secrecy surrounding home prices.pdf Notices- Public Hearing Nov 28 on 2 Townhouse projects.pdf Data driven.pdf Notices-removal-of-density-bonus-and-CapU-housing.pdf District of North Vancouver files lawsuit against pot shop.pdf Organized climb.pdf District of North Vancouver hands out Civic Recognition Awards.pdf Ottawa asks public to weigh in on rules for marijuana producers.pdf District to explore buy local.pdf PIM-30Nov2017-26 townhomes.pdf DNV to vote on Lynn Creek project.pdf Pipeline claims warrant debunking.pdf Experts weigh in on national housing strategy.pdf Pipeline expansion wont guarantee a beeter price.pdf Federal Housing Scheme faces challenges.pdf Property surtax proposed.pdf Former nurse has seen many changes.pdf Purcell Way condos, Cap U student housing praised at public hearing.pdf FortisBC sues DNV over Keith Road bill.pdf Put traffic fix before development.pdf Greater Vancouver home prices to drop 21 per cent by 2019.pdf Researchers study ancient water levels.pdf Harry Jerome neighbourhoods lands envisioned.pdf Road trip time machine.pdf Historian claims Pierre Berton award.docx Set aside the leaf blower.pdf Historian claims Pierre Berton award.pdf Seymour residents decry B.C. Parks for tree loss.pdf Homeless-in-North-Vancouver-by-Jonathan-Wilkinsonpdf.pdf Switch off CNN and click on CNV.org.pdf Horgan targets housing for 2018.pdf This November tied for rainiest.pdf Housing Plan B.pdf Tim Berners-Lee on why the web is failing.docx If you build it....pdf Tim Berners-Lee on why the web is failing.pdf Infill change could add 59 homes to Upper Capilano.pdf Traffic gridlock top topic at business breakfast with North Vancouver MLAs.pdf Is isolation making city unhappy.pdf TransLink fare change could mean cheaper SeaBus rides.pdf Is there hope for a North Shore transportation solution anytime soon.pdf What goes up.pdf Longevity growth slowing.pdf

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2017 north shore news nsnews.com NEWS | A9 INQUIRINGREPORTER Are you in favour of the Sky Wheel? To quote Journey: “Wheel in VOLUNTEERS WANTED the sky keeps on turning.” That’s the idea behind a ferris wheel-style ride, deemed Sky APPLYBY4:30P.M.ONDECEMBER8,2017. Wheel, that’ll be taking riders for a spin six storeys above the West Vancouver is committed to seeking the advice and tapping intothe expertise annual Shipyards Christmas of residents wishing to work on Council policies and projects, as well as serving on Festival in Lower Lonsdale Dec. boards, committees and workinggroups.Ifyou areaWestVancouver resident and 2-3. The Sky Wheel, sponsored would liketovolunteer to serveonaboardorcommittee, opportunities for2018 by the Lower Lonsdale areavailable as follows: Business Improvement Area, is the partial fruition of the City BOARDS of North Vancouver’s long- •BoardofVariance •Memorial Library Board coveted ferris wheel attraction. Chris Cruz Shefali Agarwal COMMITTEES Only time will tell how realistic Vancouver North Vancouver •AwardsCommittee •GleneaglesCommunityCentre such an option is. In the “I do support that. I think that’s “It’s nice to see some fun •CommunityEngagementCommittee Advisory Committee meantime, we wanted to know an amazing idea. It’s going things happening around •CommunityGrants Committee •Lower Caulfeild Advisory Committee how much support there was to draw people together and North Vancouver, other than •DesignReviewCommittee •Public ArtAdvisory Committee for Sky Wheel’s appearance. •FinanceCommittee •North ShoreAdvisory Committee bring a lot more people to the just going on hikes. This Weigh in at nsnews.com. on DisabilityIssues – Ben Bengtson Quay.” weather – hopefully it’ll clear.” NOTE: Vacancies on boards and committees generally occur at year end but may also occur at othertimesduringthe year.

APPLICATION FORMS: Available in LegislativeServices at Municipal Hall and on westvancouver.ca/volunteer.Select the CommunityInvolvementApplication Form for boards, committees and workinggroups. Submit completed applications and abrief personalresuméto: LegislativeServices at West Vancouver MunicipalHall 75017th Street, West Vancouver BC V7V 3T3 fax: 604-925-7006 |email: [email protected]

ALSO: TheWest Vancouver Memorial Library Foundation (WVML Foundation) Lisa Wylie Mo Kazemi Patricia Asbun is seeking volunteerstoact as directorsonthe WVML Foundation board, or as Vancouver North Vancouver North Vancouver membersofWVMLFoundation committees. Formoreinformation please contact “I don’t live in this community, “No, my kids are all grown “I don’t plan to ride it because the WVML Foundation at [email protected]. but I work in it. I’m here five up now, but I would imag- I’m going to be away, but I days a week, and I love how ine as a parent it would be think it’s a good idea to pro- much this area has been revi- interesting.” mote outdoor activities and APPLICATIONPROCESS QUERIES: talized. I think it’s a great idea.” doing something with family.” LegislativeServices at 604-925-7004. MAILBOX 10-lane bridge would Cross at HauteCoutureCollection ease our traffic woes your peril

("2! '+78$!& I understand we might not ("2! '+78$!& Re: Condos and Traffic have the funds for a replace- Somebody is going to die Over Coffee and Tea; North ment or additional bridge but on St. Georges Avenue. With Shore MLAs Debate Local it would certainly improve traffic using this vertical Issues with Business Leaders traffic flow if we did have a speedway as an alternate to at North Van Chamber 10-lane North Shore bridge. Lonsdale Avenue, everyone Breakfast, Nov. 17 front-page Public transit services is at risk. Cars don’t stop for story. are also expensive and can’t pedestrians (except for Keith MLA Bowinn Ma com- be used by most drivers Road and beyond where there mented on traffic on the using the Ironworkers bridge are stop signs and crosswalks) North Shore by saying, because of their purpose and some pedestrians don’t “building more lanes and or destination. Drivers watch for cars. Crossing or bridges won’t fix the traffic of trucks, drivers travel- turning onto lower St. Georges congestion problem.” I beg ling to most areas on the is another game of chance to differ. North Shore and ferry, and as you inch forward, hoping The evidence of regional Squamish and Whistler traf- to see past parked vehicles. transportation infrastructure fic can not use public transit. Some of these are trucks – too improvements, like the new It would be really nice if our big to see over, too long to see Port Mann and related high- MLAs could at least imagine around. Somebody is going to way access, would show that the solution for our traffic die on St. Georges ... and it just traffic is flowing nicely over woes. might be me. the new 10-lane Port Mann */85" .73:$/ ,%// 1$9/:8$/ Bridge. )$!89 02/-$64"! )$!89 02/-$64"!

Simone Perele's unparalleled expertise and "savoir faire" fashioned these romantic pieces. Dorothy travels Oz in self-help age This hypnotizing collection plays the cardofseduction. Satin, velvet and tulle combine From page 8 I applied the obligatory 100 “Throughout the careers of in agame of veiling and unveiling,refined sheer tulleaw br ith velvet applique &satin trim. self-lashings with a wet noodle Audrey Hepburn’s two most in the self-help age, with the for a blunder in this space beloved directors, there was Scarecrow searching for the Nov. 17. The director of the endless confusion between perfect diet and the Shy Lion film under discussion, Roman ‘Billy Wilder’ and ‘Willie Wyler.’ yearning to be an Internet Holiday, was not Billy Wilder Wilder, who was slightly Sensation. Veteran stage but William Wyler – doubly younger and more annoyed people Anne Marsh produces, embarrassing because I’d writ- by the mistake, says Wyler Miles Lavkulich directs, and ten a UBC essay on the matter. ‘would put his arm around we fit youperfectly from 30 -44A-H in panto tradition there’s a Small solace, but I’m me and say, ‘Come on now 1403 Bellevue Avenue promise of “many horrible, in large company. In his – Monet/Manet? What’s the WestVancouver horrible jokes!” excellent biography of the difference?’” ### movie’s star, Barry Paris notes: [email protected] 604 926 2222 2016 Census: Our average commute to work is 26 minutes

Brent Richter / North Shore News

December 5, 2017 07:54 PM

Among residents of the North Shore’s three municipalities, West Vancouverites are most behind the wheel, at 74.8 per cent, with less than six per cent carpooling. graphic Myra McGrath, North Shore News

The number of people commuting to the North Shore has risen nine per cent since the last census, a statistic that likely goes a long way to explaining our daily traffic jams. Statistics Canada released a batch of data on commuting habits last week, showing 1,880 more people who regularly work on the North Shore in 2016 but live elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, compared to 2011.

And despite a local population growth of 3.3 per cent in that time, the number of commuters heading south over Burrard Inlet each day has actually gone down by about 0.5 per cent, the data shows.

In total, 41.4 per cent of the North Shore’s workforce comes from elsewhere in the region, according to the census, up from 39.6 per cent in 2011.

“Interestingly enough, people are commuting into your system as opposed to commuting out,” said Andy Yan, director of Simon Fraser University’s City Program.

The stats, however, only include people with a “usual place of work” meaning they do not capture those who work on short-term contracts like construction trades workers who may only be at one project for a matter of days or weeks. In 2014, the study by the province found a direct link between demolition and building permits in the three municipalities and traffic flow over the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing.

District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton said, taken together, that amounts to the smoking gun in the mystery over the North Shore’s traffic congestion.

“There’s no question that it is,” he said. “It just verifies what we’ve observed the last five or six years with the massive increase in the number of people in the trades who are commuting across the Ironworkers ever day to the North Shore. … And then all those folks are getting right back into the same traffic, trying to get over the Ironworkers in the afternoon between 3:30 and 6 p.m.”

Labour stats from the census show the number of North Vancouver residents who work in the trades has fallen by four per cent in the last 10 years. And, Walton added, the cost of housing here is a significant factor.

“We have increasing numbers of people who are commuting because they can’t afford to buy entry-level housing here,” he said.

No secret to anyone, our commutes are getting longer. The average duration for DNV residents was 26.6 minutes (from 25.1 minutes in 2011). A typical city resident spends 26.2 minutes between home and work, up from 24.3 minutes. West Vancouverites have the shortest commute at 26 minutes up from 24.6.

There have been some shifts in how we get around. In the City of North Vancouver, 57.6 per cent of the city’s commuters drive daily, down from 58 per cent. Only one out of 15.8 carpool with someone else according to the data. Just under one-quarter of commuters in the city take transit, up from 22.8 per cent five years ago. Eleven per cent walk and 2.5 per cent of commuters are daily cyclists, up from two per cent.

In the District of North Vancouver, 73.2 per cent of commuters are behind the wheel. Only seven per cent of them bring a passenger. Three per cent choose to bike, up from 2.1 per cent in 2011. Walkers make up only four per cent. Public transit decreased from 14.9 per cent in 2011 to 13.6 per cent, still well below the regional average of 20 per cent.

West Vancouver’s commuters were the most likely to drive at 74.8 per cent with less than six per cent carpooling. Cyclists account for 1.7 per cent of commuters, a number that’s gone unchanged since the last census. West Vancouver also experienced a drop in transit usage from 13.6 per cent in 2011 to 11.6 per cent in 2016. Walkers make up roughly five per cent of commuters from West Vancouver. Walton said the numbers indicate the district is on the right track with its official community plan, which foresees 85 to 95 per cent of residential growth happening in transit-oriented town centres where residents will have the option to carry out most tasks without a car.

“That is the strategy that was articulated 10 years ago and I don’t think that’s going to change. Certainly we need to be building those town centres and working in an accelerated way to in taking advantage of affordable housing opportunities,” he said.

Council is frequently chastised for its approval of condo developments because of their supposed impact on traffic. But Walton said, slowing or stopping development will only make matters worse.

“To grind everything to a halt and have no additional supply into the North Shore, in a region that is growing very, very quickly, you’re going to exacerbate the situation where you’ve probably got more and more people who are critical to jobs on the North Shore having to commute because they can’t find housing here,” he said.

For some of the folks arriving here each morning, transit won’t be an option, particularly if they’re coming long distances or coming with tools and supplies as trades workers do, Walton noted.

What might be key to unlocking the gridlock is mobility pricing, which the province is currently studying, Walton added.

“It will result in people changing their behaviour marginally. Not most people, but all you need is five or 10 per cent of people to change their behaviour and you can free up capacity during peak hours,” Walton said.

Yan said if we want to alleviate traffic, we need to do a better job of shifting our mode share away from single- occupancy vehicles, not necessarily build the fabled “third crossing.”

“The vast majority of people living on the North Shore are car dependent,” he said. “It may be more about the issue of a much better transit network on the North Shore.”

Because of the sprawling nature of the North Vancouver and West Vancouver districts, they have a tougher task ahead of them in building the types of neighbourhoods that get good transit connections.

“A robust transit network needs, I think, a certain level of density to help drive it,” he said.

And, Yan noted, if we’re wishing the daily traffic jams would just go away, we should be careful what we wish for. Traffic means jobs and economic activity that generates the tax revenue we rely on to pay for services.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing that you’re developing into your own job centre,” he said. “‘No, no. I don’t want more jobs in my community.’ I have to admit, in my career, I’ve never heard that before. It’s a really interesting kind of dilemma for the North Shore.”

3,000 encroachments in CNV: report Removing the city’s 266 severe encroaching hedges and fences could take as long as 10 years

Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News

November 28, 2017 04:21 PM

Foliage pushes a pedestrian to the edge of the sidewalk in Moodyville. City of North Vancouver staff recorded 3,000 encroachments on public land, 266 are considered severe. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

Hedging is rampant in the City of North Vancouver.

There are approximately 3,000 hedges, retaining walls, decks and sheds that encroach onto city-owned streets and boulevards, and the willingness to trim those hedges and remove those structures has plummeted, according to a city staff report.

In 2015, 52 per cent of homeowners complied with city requests to remove various encroachments. Compliance dipped to 36 per cent in 2016 and – as of September 2017 – willingness to respect city property dropped to 15 per cent.

The city classifies 266 of the cases as severe enough to be considered Level 3, meaning the encroachment obstructs the sidewalk or limits visibility at an intersection.

Staff anticipate they can only remove between five and 10 encroachments each year, meaning it will take seven to 10 years to eliminate the most severe encroachments “if no new Level 3 encroachments are identified.” “That, to me, is unacceptable,” responded Coun. Pam Bookham, who said she was “amazed, shocked (and) dismayed” to discover so many encroachments and such a meagre rate of compliance.

The city needs an: “accelerated plan to address those encroachments that are considered serious, primarily because they affect safety,” Bookham said.

Staff’s plan represents a “happy medium,” according to Coun. Craig Keating, who encouraged resolving the issue through discussion.

Property owners are encouraged to maintain city-owned boulevards in “some kind of esthetically pleasing fashion,” Keating pointed out.

“Unless and until the city wants to take its own entire responsibility for all those lands that it owns . . . I think we should work in a co-operative way.”

The encroachments can also be costly. City staff attributed a $65,000 cost overrun on the East Keith Road segment of the Green Necklace to “resolving encroachment related issues.”

City staff requested $50,000 in the city’s 2018 budget for a “landscape encroachment management program,” explaining that limited enforcement has led to more encroachments and severe impacts.

In the case of encroachments, the city sends a letter requesting compliance to the property owner in question, warning that they can remove the encroachment 30 days after the letter’s delivery.

“Because of limited staff time . . . there are rarely repercussions for property owners who do not comply,” the report noted.

The city’s management program could stand to be a bit more aggressive, according to Mayor Darrell Mussatto.

“I’d like to see it accelerated just a little bit because in my world, the public realm is more important than the private realm,” he said.

However, some of those trespassing hedges add to the charm of a boulevard, Coun. Holly Back said.

“If they’re encroaching but they’re not a problem, what’s our concern?” she asked.

Coun. Don Bell requested a report on the success – or lack thereof – of the program in 2018.

“The ratio that they’ve had of voluntary compliance at 36 per cent is pathetic.”

Any hedge that spills onto the sidewalk needs to be cleaned up quickly, according to Bell.

“I think those need to be done and I don’t think we need to stretch those over 10 years,” he said.

Coun. Rod Clark noted the “considerable cost” taxpayers would face if the city tried to remove all the offending hedges and walls within the next 12 to 24 months.

Coun. Linda Buchanan did not attend the meeting.

12 Dec 2017 Vancouver Sun Fabian Dawson is the former deputy editor of The Province and The Vancouver Sun. A Metrotown solution to our housing crisis Residents, developer, city all win, writes Fabian Dawson.

The city more than doubles its affordable housing stock than what it is losing. Normally, when developers want to tear down the low-rises on their property and replace them with high- density towers, chances are placards and protests go up. Those being displaced generally add to the growing affordability housing crisis that is plaguing the Lower Mainland. But this is not the case at one project in Burnaby’s Metrotown area, often the epicentre of our affordable housing debates. Here, a unique solution has taken hold, with about 100 longtime residents facing eviction, the developer, B.C. Housing and the City of Burnaby all happy. On Dec. 12, all of them are lining up to give the project the green light and hail it as a solution to the near-zero rental vacancy rates across B.C. The project is also being touted as a benchmark for Burnaby’s Metrotown development plan which, when done, will see low-rise walkups being replaced by highrise towers, displacing some 6,000 people in the area. This unique plan involves New Vista Society, a non-profit organization that provides affordable housing to seniors and families, the City of Burnaby, B.C. Housing and Thind Properties Ltd. The property at 6525, 6559 and 6585 Sussex Ave., which is now occupied by three low-rise rentals totalling 64 units, is owned by Thind. The company has teamed with up with New Vista to build a new 14-storey apartment building and a 47-storey, mixed-use tower that would have retail space, 10 storeys of office-commercial space, residential units and townhomes. Those being displaced will be given first crack for homes in the 14-storey, non-market rental building. While it is being built, New Vista will house the displaced tenants in their current stock of 540 independent living apartments. As part of the deal, the City of Burnaby will provide $5.6 million from its density bonus housing fund to buy the land for the socialhousing tower, which it will then lease to B.C. Housing for a minimal amount for 60 years. B.C. Housing will lease the property back to New Vista to provide non-market rentals to its clients, after those displaced are taken care of. The City of Burnaby, enamoured with the proposal, will also give New Vista $1.4 million to offset servicing and permit fees and B.C. Housing said it is prepared to commit $9.1 million to the project. When all is said and done, the city more than doubles its affordable housing stock than what it is losing, those being displaced get newer homes and the developer gets on a fast-track and makes money. Burnaby Coun. Colleen Jordan, chairwoman of the city’s planning and development committee, hopes the project will be the template for future mixed-development with social housing in Metrotown. Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan has praised the partnership, while the Metrotown Residents’ Association, which has been vocal about the lack of affordable housing in Burnaby, said it is “pleasantly surprised” with the project. The City of Vancouver — which faces its own set of challenges and appears more interested in policing rental units rather than helping developers build new ones — could learn a lesson from this project. Similarly, the lessons learned in Metrotown will help the B.C. NDP fulfil its promise to build 114,000 new rental, non-profit and co-op housing units over a 10-year period.

Academic takes on Vancouver’s housing-supply ‘myth’

DARRYL DYCK/The Globe and Mail

Kerry Gold Special to The Globe and Mail 23 hours ago November 17, 2017

In Vancouver, the detached house owner is often vilified. So too, is the resident who protests density.

They are vilified by what one academic is calling "the housing supply myth," which is the belief that we need more housing in order to lower costs. It's an argument commonly used by politicians, industry, and some academics and citizen activists.

"There is an intuitive appeal to that argument," says Dr. John Rose, who spent the last year on education leave, researching the popular belief that Vancouver has a lack of housing supply. "We understand this idea of supply and demand, intuitively, even if you haven't taken an economics course."

However, he has concluded that Vancouver does not have a shortage of housing units. In fact, we have a surplus. And, as anybody in Metro Vancouver knows, prices have not plummeted as a result.

"If we are looking back at the last 15 to 20 years, we have been providing more than enough units of housing – and it's still unaffordable.

"And yet, you see this argument being thrown out there by various quarters, that we have this housing shortage."

Dr. Rose is an instructor in the department of geography and environment at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He's been teaching there since 2002. He calls his report The Housing Supply Myth, based on data from the Statistics Canada censuses and the Demographia Survey House Price Data. He also looked at supply in housing markets elsewhere in Canada, the United States and Australia.

"As a resident of Metro Vancouver and observing all this construction around me, I thought: 'How do we have a housing shortage?' Maybe I'm missing something, but this doesn't seem to stick. And this data supports that idea."

In order to ensure his findings weren't just a blip, Dr. Rose went back to the 2001 census, covering a 15-year span. He found that for each household added during this period, the region added 1.19 net units of housing. Put another way, for every 100 households that came along, Metro Vancouver added 119 net units of housing. According to census data, there are also 66,719 unoccupied dwellings in Metro Vancouver.

And despite a surplus of housing stock, affordability has significantly worsened – a contradiction to the supply mantra.

"It's quite the surplus," he says. "I should also note that Vancouver's ratio was the fifth highest of all 33 census metropolitan areas examined during this period – at the same time as its housing prices escalated far beyond the other markets.

"We would think that if a market got less affordable, maybe that meant supply was getting tighter and tighter. But that's baloney. That's garbage," he says. "So my answer to the supply argument is that it's tenuous for all the markets, because you can basically see no relationship – and this is over a 15-year period. "Here we've had more than enough supply and yet the housing costs have gone crazy."

It's important that people understand the true nature of the affordability problem so we can take significant action to correct it, says Dr. Rose. He favours taxes on speculation, and doesn't rule out a ban on foreign buying of existing properties, as New Zealand is implementing next year. He also questions the building of housing units that are overpriced and intended for speculation, and therefore "pointless."

And he's not a man without "skin in the game."

"I am doing research that would, if acted upon, significantly degrade the value of my property, and I think to myself, 'if I sell it now maybe I could retire earlier.' So the self-interested side of me would say, 'don't interrupt the party.' The good side says, 'no, for this situation to get reined in, something more dramatic is necessary.'"

The supply argument also targets residents who are more community-minded than concerned with housing units. Whether it's people trying to fight density in Chinatown, Marpole or Grandview-Woodland, they're routinely painted as selfish NIMBYs who are to blame for high prices.

Josh Gordon, assistant professor at Simon Fraser University's School of Public Policy, has regularly spoken out against the more-supply argument.

"There's simply no evidence of a slowdown in construction or supply," says Dr. Gordon. "The construction industry in Vancouver is operating at full throttle. There are around 40,000 units under construction, which is twice the historical average for the post-2000 period. The idea that we should get more supply into the pipeline is a bit silly.

"The role of the supply argument is, to a large extent, to distract the public and policy makers from action on the demand side, specifically in terms of foreign capital."

Dr. Rose says the pro-supply camps tend to be divided into those who blame land use constraints, such as the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), as limiting outward expansion, and those that argue for upward density, such as towers. Both camps blame government regulations on stifling development and consequently standing in the way of affordable housing.

Demographia, which puts out the Housing Affordability Survey of cities each year, attributes high prices to constraints such as the ALR. In the other camp is industry spokesman and condo marketer Bob Rennie, who has said: "If you have a 'no tower' sign on your front lawn, you have no right to speak to your children about affordability … We can't have low density and low prices … We just don't have the supply."

"What they're implicating is citizen resistance," says Dr. Rose. "Bob Rennie is very aware he's advancing an argument that benefits him economically. He acknowledges that. But it's interesting that it's an argument picked up by generally well-meaning academics that support the idea of smart growth. I'm sympathetic to that, too. But I'm leery of attributing our high housing costs and the escalation we've seen over the last 15 years to an inadequate densification."

University of B.C. sociology professor, Dr. Nathanael Lauster, who wrote the book, The Death and Life of the Single-Family House, advocates for greater density. He sees the single-family house as an oppressive housing type designed to exclude low-income people.

"I think both demand and supply policies, all these things are working together. But I do think insofar as we have a lot of land locked up, reserved only for millionaires, I think expanding into that land, and enabling more diverse housing options would enable more affordability." There are supplyists who are notoriously confrontational, particularly on social media, and Dr. Rose knows that his findings will be challenged.

"Bring it," he says. "Here's the data. If you want to argue against it, go ahead. It's publicly available. And when I did this research, I had my independence. Nobody owns this. I get no sponsorship from any industry, any sector. I'm a free agent.

"I think that's a benefit of this research. It's not coming from a school of business that is being funded by the real estate industry, or somebody who's passionate about densification and smart growth. I think there's some romanticizing going on, about what the ideal city should look like, and unfortunately it gets sucked into this debate about affordability.

"I'm just saying look at the numbers, and we see Vancouver has plenty of supply.

"And can we build ourselves out of this? Not in this current model."

For some comments on the above see https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/7dn8kx/academic_takes_on_vancouvers_housingsupply_myth/

SULLIVAN: Adding housing will not remove traffic jams

Paul Sullivan / Contributing Writer

November 24, 2017 09:00 AM

file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

I spent some quality time on the on-ramp to the Lion’s Gate Bridge on Monday. Approximately 40 minutes. Plenty of time to look around and watch everyone break the law on hand-held devices.

But what else were they supposed to do, stuck in park in a foolish attempt to scale the city’s most picturesque bottleneck? Think about why they’re stuck in park, etc.? related

 Traffic gridlock top topic at business breakfast with North Vancouver MLAs  LETTER: Traffic solution: do nothing  North Shore stakeholders weigh in on mobility pricing

Well, if I’ve learned one thing about traffic on the North Shore, it’s best not to think about why it’s so bad, and even worse trying to figure out how to fix it. It just ends in tears.

Take, for instance, the recent North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce breakfast dedicated to traffic (I wonder how everyone got there?), featuring three of the North Shore’s foremost solutioneers: provincial MLAs Ralph Sultan, Jane Thornthwaite and Bowinn Ma.

A formidable brain trust spanning the generations.

Bowinn Ma, the freshly minted MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale, is also the parliamentary secretary for TransLink for the provincial government. She’s kind of in charge of moving people around. Which is why it made my eyes water when she said the problem was housing affordability. Don’t get me wrong; housing affordability is a big problem. There’s no way we could afford to buy the modest Norgate bungalow we bought in 1989 to get a foothold on the housing market ladder, but blaming the housing bubble for traffic inflation seems like a bit of a stretch.

Yet, it’s hardly the first time I’ve heard it. The argument is: ordinary people who work on the North Shore now have to commute to and from PoCo and points east, so the highways and byways have become increasingly plugged with people trying to get to work and home.

You have to believe, however, that if more people could afford to live here, traffic wouldn’t be so bad.

Hmm.

Jane Thornthwaite, who has been an MLA a lot longer than Bowinn Ma, agreed with her honourable adversary. We need density, that is – more people. After all, “do we really want our snow removal guys coming from Chilliwack?” I suspect that was a rhetorical question, but let me try to address it anyway: It’s at least possible that more people will exacerbate the problem. Unless required to do so by the terms of their employment, people live where they like. And it’s conceivable they may prefer to live in Chilliwack than in a 600-square-foot apartment in North Vancouver – even if they could afford it. And if at the same time we increase density on the North Shore without increasing capacity, we’re going to have more traffic. No? Capacity. The elephant on the bridge, blocking traffic. Read it and weep: In 1960, there were nine lanes of traffic to and from the North Shore. Fifty-seven years later, there are still nine lanes. And according to the above formidable brain trust, no more are in the works. Ma, the TransLink czar, maintained firmly that “you cannot build your way out of traffic congestion” with more lanes, bridges and therefore, more cars. The only long-term solution, she says, is public transit. Thornthwaite is all in on TransLink and has even floated the idea of connecting the North Shore to the rest of the world via SkyTrain. Brilliant idea! Of course, it’s not one that TransLink takes seriously, with its sights set on more pressing priorities such as rapid transit in Surrey and along Broadway to UBC, both admirable goals, surely. At this point, the tears are starting to run down my cheeks. But my upper lip remains stiff, if quivering slightly. Ralph Sultan, the veteran, artfully pointed to the federal and municipal governments as sources of the solution. Indeed, the feds have pledged to go billions of dollars into debt to get Canada moving again. Somehow, though, once it’s funnelled through political channels, all that cash and commitment comes out the other end as another SeaBus. Sultan also buys into the need to power up development as a solution to traffic. Once again, before I become completely inconsolable, would someone please explain to me how affordable housing (even if it’s remotely likely, which it’s not), somehow solves the traffic problem on the North Shore? Maybe the formidable brain trust is just being, um, political, and the truth is nothing solves the North Shore traffic crisis. Maybe we’re just destined to become an endless vale of traffic tears. Or maybe it’s time to dry our eyes and take up the cry for the SkyTrain to the North Shore. At the very least, TransLink may send a few extra buses across those nine lanes, just to shut us up. Journalist and communications consultant Paul Sullivan has been a North Vancouver resident since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rise of Madonna. [email protected]

Affordable housing providers look at public-private partnerships to solve B.C. housing crisis

B.C. Housing CEO says there has been a dearth of new rental housing built in the past 30 years

CBC News Posted: Nov 20, 2017 6:41 AM PT Last Updated: Nov 20, 2017 6:41 AM PT

The 25th Housing Central Conference is taking place in Richmond, B.C., until Tuesday. (Christer Waara/CBC)

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 Real estate brokers ready to unleash secretive home sales data to public  House prices and other sales data should be online, Toronto Real Estate Board told  Real estate board fighting ruling to put home sales data online  Threatened real estate industry fights court battle to keep sales data secret

A court ruling Friday could bring an end to a multi-year fight over who has access to data about how much homes sold for, information that real estate agents have fought long and hard to keep confidential in a practice that some critics say keeps consumers at a disadvantage. The Federal Court of Appeal is expected to rule on Friday in a case between Canada's Competition Bureau and the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB). At issue is confidential information about homes that have been sold, including the selling price. The fight over access to that data stretches back to at least 2011.  From 2011: Competition Bureau sues TREB  From 2016: TREB ordered to open up sales data The Competition Bureau argues that limiting access to detailed information about home sales — how much a home sold for, agent commissions earned on the sale, and other data — should be given more freely to consumers in order to help them make informed decisions. Under current rules, a prospective buyer or seller must work with a TREB-licensed agent in order to get access to detailed data. That's not the case everywhere, however. In Nova Scotia, for example, ViewPoint Realty has turned itself into one of the largest independent brokerages in the province by offering its trove of data on every real estate transaction in the province free of charge to consumers. Others have tried the same, including in Toronto, where some brokers were sending out sales data free of charge before being ordered to stop doing that by TREB last year. A Competition Tribunal last year ruled in favour of the bureau and ordered the data be made public, but TREB appealed the decision, and the ruling from that higher court is expected Friday.  Realtors fret court ruling could break lock on secret sales data  Battle begins over access to real estate sales data TREB argues they need to be the gate-keepers for housing sale data, telling the court in submissions that it's concerned about privacy issues if detailed information about real estate was available more freely. Last year's ruling "opens the door to misuse and abuse of … sensitive personal financial information and the content of an Agreement of Purchase and Sale contract that has not closed," said TREB CEO John DiMichele last year. "The consumer has privacy rights and only the consumer should be the one to determine, with clear understanding, when and where their personal financial information is disclosed."

Toronto realtor John Pasalis would welcome more openness and clarity when it comes to sales data. (Realosophy Realty) John Pasalis is one broker who would welcome more openness and clarity on the issue. "It certainly will change the way most brokers work," he said in an interview. "You may be able to just sign in and view sold listings on your own." Pasalis, founder of Realosophy, says good realtors shouldn't fear the push to more open data. "We think that people should have access to more information to make better decisions," he said. "I think it does help businesses like ours." Torontonian Shashi Khatri is a home owner who thinks the more information people have at their disposal, the better it will be for everyone. He was trying to sell his home recently, and was shocked at some of the costs incurred for basic services. Agent commissions 'out of step with the times' "The type of commissions that real estate agents have been charging is out of step with the times," Khatri said in an interview. "The function they served back in the day is now fulfilled by just doing a search online." He is hoping the court rules in the Competition Bureau's favour because having easier access to more detailed data "empowers the consumers and takes away all this middle man's commission, so it's great." But regardless of what happens, Friday's ruling likely won't be the end of the story. Both parties have 60 days to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, which would have final say on the matter. And while this battle may be taking place over Toronto's market, it is expected to have a broader impact. "It will probably have ripple effects nationally," Pasalis said. "You'll probably start seeing this with other boards as well."

EDITORIAL: Data driven

North Shore News

November 14, 2017 03:53 PM

file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

It was 79 years ago this week that Lions Gate Bridge officially opened to traffic. The cost of building the bridge was underwritten by the Guinness family as a means to ensure the success of their housing development plans, the British Pacific Properties. We’ve been arguing about the impacts development has on traffic ever since. Currently, the District of North Vancouver is debating whether to proceed with the Maplewood neighbourhood plan, which could bring another 1,500 units of housing and 4,500 employees to the lands east of the Seymour River.

We can foresee already that the debate will be centred around whether these new homes will exacerbate traffic by adding new cars to road, or alleviate traffic by allowing more people who commute to the North Shore the chance to find a place to live here. Without meaningful data, it’s hard to know. related

 Almost half of North Shore rents unaffordable: Census  1 in 5 West Vancouver households 'low income'

We’re coming up to the end of a year of fresh data releases from the 2016 census. Here’s a bit of what we do know so far: The North Shore’s population has grown at about half the rate of the Metro Vancouver average. The fastest growing communities are in the Fraser Valley. And almost half of people renting on the North Shore today are paying more than they can afford.

Later this month, Statistics Canada will release data on labour and the commuting habits of Canadians. This will be the single biggest piece of the puzzle in helping us definitively answer whether it’s “us” or “them” who are to blame for the traffic.

But casting blame misses the point and it achieves nothing if it doesn’t come with meaningful action. That means affordable housing, not just more housing. And it means viable transportation alternatives to the single- occupancy vehicle.

District of North Vancouver files lawsuit against pot shop

Jane Seyd / North Shore News

November 24, 2017 07:00 AM

The MMJ marijuana dispensary on Pemberton Avenue opened despite a municipal ban. District of North Vancouver is pursuing the shop’s operators in court. photo Paul McGrath The District of North Vancouver is going to fight another pot shop in the courts. The municipality filed court documents Nov. 15 in B.C. Supreme Court, asking for an order that the owners of Medicinal Mary Jane Iprio Inc. operating at 1488 Pemberton Ave. stop selling marijuana and marijuana products, in contravention of local bylaws. The court documents also ask for an order authorizing police to arrest anyone who contravenes a judge’s order in the case. Six people – residents of Vancouver, New Westminster and Richmond who are directors of the company, are named in the lawsuit, along with Orient Holdings Ltd, which owns the property where the marijuana retail shop operates. Legal documents also name the Medicinal Mary-Jane Canada Society and three people who are directors of the society, including Aaron Sinnathamby of Burnaby who is also a director of Medicinal Mary Jane Iprio Inc. Sinnathamby’s online profile lists him as the co-founder and chief operating officer of MMJ Canada, which also operates four other pot shops in the City of Vancouver, as well as two in Toronto, three in Hamilton and one in Nelson. Sinnathamby also appears on a list of guests who attended a federal Liberal fundraising dinner at the Sheraton Wall Centre with Justin Trudeau on May 18 of this year. According to court documents filed by the district, bylaw officers Armaan Chanana and Erin Bishop visited the pot shop, identified on signs as a “boutique dispensary” several times this fall, beginning in September. Glass display cases inside the store contained dried marijuana leaf and bud, cannabis capsules, edibles including marijuana-infused olive oil and brownies packaged as being “Baked with Mary Jane,” as well as “Dope Soap” and THC-laced dog treats, according to affidavits. On Sept. 14, bylaw officers spoke to three employees, who refused to identify themselves, but gave municipal staffers the email address for a Sean Baird at “head office.” Baird sent a reply Sept. 15 saying corporate bosses were consulting lawyers. Bylaw officers also spoke with Orient Holdings’ Henry Lum, who said the storefront was leased to a computer repair company, which had sublet to the marijuana store, according to court documents. Bylaw officers told Lum he was responsible for activities on his property, according to the affidavits. A man who identified himself as “Tanny,” the manager working at the store this week, told the North Shore News he wasn’t sure what the pot shop’s bosses were planning to do about the district lawsuit. He said the store only sells to members, who have to have a doctor’s note. Representatives from MMJ replied to an email from the North Shore News, but did not respond to questions by deadline. It isn’t the first time the district has gone after a pot shop in the courts. After a six-month legal process, the district forced the closure in May of Green Tea Dispensary Society, which had opened at 1370 Marine Dr. Currently, marijuana dispensaries are illegal throughout North Vancouver. Despite that, five shops operate in the City of North Vancouver, where council has opted not to pursue them in the courts. The federal government has set July 2018 as the date for legalizing recreational marijuana. But many of the details around that – including how and where cannabis can be sold, rules around public consumption of pot, and road safety laws – will be up to the province to regulate and have yet to be worked out. Both the federal and provincial governments are currently conducting consultation on those issues.

District of North Vancouver hands out Civic Recognition Awards

Christine Lyon / North Shore News

November 21, 2017 08:59 PM

District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton presents a Civic Recognition Award to Lizz Lindsay of Sharing Abundance. photo supplied

Six individuals and one organization were honoured by the District of North Vancouver this week for their positive contributions to the community.

Mayor Richard Walton and council presented the latest round of Civic Recognition Awards at municipal hall on Monday night.

The Award of Honour, which recognizes those that have made outstanding contributions to the community, including significant achievements in sports, science and culture, either within the district, the province, nationally or internationally, went to two people and a non-profit society. Christine Miller received the award for her commitment to safety education at the North Shore Black Bear Society and in the community. Mick Maguire earned the recognition for his work with the North Shore Triathlon and for promoting active and healthy living in the community. And Sharing Abundance got the award for providing high-quality, nutritious meals, and for creating opportunities to build community ties.

Three people received the Achievement Award, which is presented to individuals, teams or groups who achieve provincial, national or international recognition in the areas of sports or culture, or perform a noteworthy deed which is considered a benefit to the community. Jan Lander and Doug Hayman both earned the award for their commitment to salmon enhancement and streamkeeper programs in the community. The recognition was also bestowed upon Kulvir Mann for her commitment to leadership and safety at Canyon Heights Elementary and in the community.

A Certificate of Appreciation, which recognizes the commitment and contribution that a person or organization made towards the district, went to Lana MacArthur for her response to an emergency and her commitment to keeping the children of Highlands Elementary safe.

The awards are part of the district’s ongoing Civic Recognition Program. To nominate a deserving individual or organization, visit dnv.org/our-government/civic-recognition-roll.

District to explore ‘buy local’ program for civic contracts Council mulls merit of awarding contracts to locals

Brent Richter / North Shore News

December 1, 2017 10:23 AM

file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

District of North Vancouver taxpayers’ dollars could be staying a lot closer to home in the future if the municipality follows through on a “buy local” proposal.

District council voted unanimously Monday night to explore how it could support local business, “while still complying with a local government’s obligations for open, transparent and non- discriminatory procurement practices under provincial, federal and international trade agreements.”

The motion came from Coun. Jim Hanson who said he was inspired after learning each of the 52,000 new garbage bins delivered to the district this year emblazoned with a “Made in the USA” label.

“Quite frankly, I view it as unpatriotic for the district to be making allocations of money of this size on American merchandise at a time when America is not buying our lumber, imposing punitive trade circumstances on airplanes and airplane parts and otherwise just taking a very aggressive position towards us,” he said, noting many products and services can be sourced locally or, at least, in Canada. “I think that’s where district residents would want those goods and services to be provisioned. Beyond that, in the Lower Mainland. Beyond that, in British Columbia and beyond that, in Canada.”

In his written report to council, Hanson suggested allowing a 10 per cent premium on prices for local vendors, or awarding contracts to locals when bids from firms are otherwise equal.

Municipalities are subject to a number of trade agreements within Canada that kick in for contracts of $75,000 or more for goods and services and $200,000 for construction, according to Hanson’s report. The North American Free Trade Agreement does not apply.

Couns. Roger Bassam and Robin Hicks both showed deep qualms. Bassam was attending the meeting via phone while on a business trip to the U.S. where he was looking to sell software to the U.S. government.

“I’m not a big supporter of artificial trade barriers and non-tariff barriers and what Coun. Hanson is proposing. I would go further to suggest that rather than putting in a policy that says we should pay 10 per cent more, we should be following the policy we have, which is prudent procurement. We are looking for the best value for the money for our taxpayers,” he said. “”We do (buy local) whenever it makes sense but not if it’s going to cost us an excessive amount of money and not if it’s going to give us a second-class product and not if it’s going to give us inferior service.”

Coun. Hicks, who spent his career working in municipal finance departments, also advised against modelling district policy on populist measures favoured by certain nation states.

“I think introspective and insular policies, which are now being espoused both in the states and in the U.K., are highly controversial and not to be followed,” he said.

But Hanson was able to win over council’s support to, at the very least, ask district staff to report back with more details on how a buy-local policy could work within the district’s existing procurement policy.

“I know from my experience and my education in local economic development and sustainable community development, that every dollar spent in the local economy has a multiplier effect,” said Coun. Mathew Bond, giving his support to the motion. “When you spend money in the local economy, it stays in the local economy and has spinoff effects.”

The staff report on buying local is expected in the new year.

DNV to vote on Lynn Creek project Council may vote to forgo industrial land

Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News

November 25, 2017 12:31 PM

Council is slated to vote on a 326-unit development on Hunter Street and Mountain Highway that would displace 13 businesses, nine of which have been operating on the site for less than one year. image supplied

The future of a major development project, 13 businesses, and the Lynn Creek Community Centre may be decided Monday.

District of North Vancouver council is slated to vote on a major proposal that envisions 27- and 16-storey towers sandwiching a four-storey townhouse on Hunter Street and Mountain Highway. The 326-unit proposal comes with a three-storey community centre on an adjacent 2.1-acre industrial site.

Council advanced the proposal to a public hearing with a 5-1 vote in October. Coun. Lisa Muri cast the lone dissenting vote, citing the need to maintain the municipality’s light industrial land.

“Without that land, jobs and business go elsewhere,” she stated.

The project’s approval would mean the displacement of 13 Hunter Street businesses who collectively employ 30 workers, 10 of whom live on the North Shore, according to a district staff report. There are also 14 vacant units in the area, according to a staff report.

The proponent, Intergulf Development, would build the 28,000-square-foot community centre before beginning construction on the residential project. Upon completion of the community centre, the district would pay Intergulf $2.5 million, which is the estimated difference between construction costs and the value of the community amenity contributions required.

At a height of 290 feet, the 27-storey tower would be the third tallest on the North Shore, trailing Seylynn Village’s 32- and 28-storey towers.

Of the 326 units, 61 per cent will have two bedrooms and four per cent are scheduled to have three bedrooms.

The project includes 438 parking spaces and 505 bicycle storage stalls.

District of North Vancouver council unanimously supported the 20-year plan to bring new housing, retail and office space to Lower Lynn in 2013. The strip of Mountain Highway between Crown and Hunter streets was identified as the heart of the neighbourhood.

Experts weigh in on national housing strategy

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 23, 2017 04:04 PM

An outreach worker assists an individual sleeping outside on West Second Street in North Vancouver last year. file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News The federal government’s new national housing strategy is getting mixed reviews from planners, experts and advocates on the North Shore. Jean-Yves Duclos, minister of families, children and social development, debuted the government’s long-awaited national housing strategy Wednesday, bringing with it billions in spending aimed at helping Canada’s 1.7 million residents living in “core housing need.” Among the baskets of funding announced in the plan: the $4-billion Canada Housing Benefit, an average annual rent subsidy of $2,500 for eligible households; $15.9 billion to build 60,000 new affordable housing units and refurbish 240,000 existing ones and $2.2 billion aimed at reducing chronic homelessness by 50 per cent. The government is hoping to prioritize projects close to transit and ones that assist the most vulnerable populations including seniors, Indigenous people, survivors of family violence, people with disabilities, refugees, veterans, and those grappling with homelessness. The announcement was welcomed by North Shore Community Resources’ community housing action committee, but chairman Don Peters said the strategy is still vague and too slow given how much time the Liberals have had. “CHAC is very pleased that, at long last, the feds are getting around to the housing crisis, particularly after abandoning it in the early ’90s. But at the same time I am very concerned about the apparent lack of urgency in the whole thing,” he said. Money for some of the programs, like the housing benefit, won’t start flowing for several years, and in many cases, it is contingent on matching provincial funds, Peters noted. Instead of growing the federal bureaucracy, Peters said the money would be put to better use in the hands of municipalities, which are on the front lines of the affordability crisis. “They’re the ones who are struggling with limited tools,” he said. “They’re the ones who listen year after year after year to requests from social agencies for assistance. … We do know that it gets worse every year. There are more and more people at the food banks. There are more and more people needing shelter.” District of North Vancouver planning staff say they are well positioned to take advantage of the new funding coming down the line because the district has land to leverage for new affordable housing projects. The district has a stated goal of creating 600 to 1,000 below-market units over the next 10 years. Council has already earmarked two of its properties for roughly 80 units each, including the Delbrook lands and seven lots on Oxford Street just west of Phibbs Exchange. District staff are also working right now to find a location for a shelter for families who are homeless, and modular housing, said Dan Milburn, general manager of planning. And Milburn added, there is also great potential that the federal funds could be applied to building roughly 500 new units of affordable housing on district-owned land in the Maplewood area, which is set for massive change pending adoption of the Maplewood Village Centre plan. “I think we’re going to be achieving our goals that we set for ourselves in terms of the number of units that we want to see in 10 years,” Milburn said. “What’s really needed next is delivering on those sites and so getting the dollars for capital investment … is the key thing we’re looking for the province and the federal government to come to the table on.” The City of North Vancouver has considerably less land to offer up, said planning director Michael Epp, but there are some opportunities on the horizon, including expanding a co-op housing complex on the 700 block of West 16th Street and including subsidized units in the redevelopment of the Harry Jerome recreation centre. Though not directly under the city’s purview, Epp said he was pleased to see the feds pledging to not abandon existing affordable housing providers whose funding agreements are coming to an end. “Some of them are in rough shape and need substantial reinvestment in order to keep them on the market,” he said. “The city has quite a bit of that type of housing with the expiring operating agreements.” Penny Gurstein, professor in UBC’s school of community and regional planning, said the plan responds to the most vulnerable populations. “I’m fairly positive. I do think that it demonstrates that the federal government recognizes that there is an issue across Canada,” she said. Gurstein said she was heartened to see that the plan targets 25 per cent of its funding specifically for women and children. Noticeably absent from the strategy, however, Gurstein noted, was any measure to create new market rental housing, or control the flow of foreign capital, which is impacting Vancouver’s housing market particularly. “That’s something maybe they’ll be doing, hopefully, in some other way,” she said. 4 Dec 2017 Vancouver Sun ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press Housing scheme faces ‘challenges’

OTTAWA • The federal Liberals are having second thoughts about a 2015 campaign promise out of concern that expanding the popular Home Buyers’ Plan would throw fuel on overheated housing markets. An internal document suggests high housing prices are a key reason the Liberals don’t appear to be in a hurry to fulfil an election pledge that would enable Canadians to dip back into their registered retirement savings to help pay for a home. The detail surfaces as policy-makers consider new measures aimed at cooling real estate markets and to slow rising household debt loads, which have climbed to historic levels. During the election campaign, the Liberals promised to expand the Home Buyers’ Plan to allow those affected by major life events — death of a spouse, divorce or taking in an elderly relative — to borrow a down payment from their RRSPs without incurring a penalty. The current plan enables first-time buyers to borrow up to $25,000 tax-free from their RRSPs to put toward the purchase of a home. The amount must be repaid within 15 years. The Trudeau government recently signalled that its promise to modernize the plan was still in progress, but that it faced “challenges.” The update was posted on a website the government created to track the tasks Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assigned to his cabinet ministers. An accompanying explanation on the site says Ottawa has instead provided more support for families facing significant life changes, helped stabilize the real estate market by tightening mortgage rules and committed $11.2 billion over the next 11 years to support affordable housing. A June briefing note for Finance Minister Bill Morneau adds more details about the government’s thinking on the Home Buyers’ Plan. The document, prepared for Morneau ahead of his meeting with the Canadian Real Estate Association, recommends he answer questions about the status of expanding the plan by saying policies that increase home ownership by triggering more demand would help push prices higher. The briefing, obtained via the Access of Information Act, lays out the government’s concerns that low interest rates and rising home prices have encouraged many Canadians to amass high debt levels. “Policies to further boost home ownership by stimulating demand would exert more pressure on house prices,” says the memo. “With respect to housing affordability, at this time, the government is prioritizing investments to support Canadian households that need it most.”

Former nurse has seen many changes

Laura Anderson / Contributing Writer

December 11, 2017 06:45 AM

Longtime Lynn Valley resident Peg McIsaac has seen many things in her time, including numerous changes in the field of medicine and nursing, but one thing she maintains is that the heart of her community remains the same. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

“I came to Lynn Valley in 1962 and I’ve never lived anywhere else ever since. We didn’t look any further once we found Lynn Valley. It just had the lifestyle I wanted to live.”

In 1962, Peg McIsaac was a trained nurse and a young mother with a baby on the way when she and her husband decided to make their home in Lynn Valley. Fifty-five years on, Peg has seen her community and her profession transform.

Peg, named Margaret, known always as Peg, grew up back east in Montreal and in Toronto, where she was born in 1933.

Every summer, Peg and her brother Bill took the train to their grandmother’s cottage at Lake Simcoe. Peg liked the lake and the village down the road. “We would walk about a mile along a gravel road to the little town, buy candy, and walk back home, getting into trouble on the way.” What kind of trouble would that be? “Oh, we’d steal an apple or pull a carrot,” Peg admits. “That was about all.”

Peg’s father, Clifford Booth, was an engineer who worked with a new material called fibreglass. The work involved testing various products at home.

“We had fibreglass curtains in our living room, and, do you remember marbles? Bonkers and those big ones we called ‘twosies’? They were made from fibreglass.”

Her mother, Helen Kerr, trained as a nurse at Toronto General Hospital, graduating as a registered nurse in 1923. She worked on the wards at the hospital until her marriage in 1929.

Daughter Peg always wanted to be a nurse like her mother.

She entered the nursing program at Toronto General in 1953.

“I lived in residence for the three years of training. Our usual curfew was 10 p.m. but one night every month we could stay out until midnight. We would sneak in after hours, of course. It was a great time in my life. I learned about nursing and I learned how to be a nurse.”

Half way through her training, Peg’s father died suddenly. Helen returned to her career in nursing, “and I got the assignment to teach my mother about changes in nursing,” Peg recalls.

“Nursing in 1954 was a different world from nursing as it was for mother in the 1920s. Medical instruments are one example. They didn’t have to be boiled as they were in mother’s day. They came pre-sterilized, in packages.”

Peg’s re-training helped her mother master the changes that had occurred in her profession over the past 25 years. “Mother went on to be a very good nursing supervisor. She was known as Peg’s mother when she re-entered the nursing program. By the time I graduated in 1955, I was known as Mrs. Booth’s daughter.”

Mrs. Booth’s daughter worked for a time as a nurse in Toronto, but her dreams drew her west. Marriage to Stephen McIsaac was a step in that direction. He was from Trail, B.C., an accomplished skier keen to return to the west side of the Rockies.

Soon after their marriage in 1959, the newlyweds made the move west. By 1962, with the second of their three sons on the way, they purchased their first home in Lynn Valley.

Fifty-fifve years on, Peg remembers Lynn Valley as it was.

“At Lynn Valley Road and Mount Seymour Parkway there was a strip of shops facing onto a gravel lot. I remember it as gravel, but it may have been paved. The boys got their candy from the Jack and Jill store, where Waves coffee shop is now.The Cedar movie theatre was near the intersection, and there was a good hardware store - not Paine’s Hardware quality (the iconic hardware store on Lonsdale) but very good. The boys learned to ski and skate here.” Once the boys were in school, Peg worked at Lions Gate Hospital from 1969 until an opportunity took her to Burnaby General in 1977. “I loved working at Lions Gate. I still get together with friends I made there. But, I like the elderly. That’s why I went to Burnaby.”

As head nurse in a long term care ward, Peg was in a position to observe the potential for improvements in care for elderly patients. At that time, standard hospital policy required patients to be woken up three times during the night for medication and assessment. During the day, these patients were agitated and did not eat well, causing them to deteriorate rather than improve.

Would patients improve during the day if they could sleep through the night?

Peg and her colleagues decided to try something different. Nurses checked patients at half hour intervals throughout the night, administering aid and medication as necessary. “We did a proper sleep study,” says Peg, “documenting and charting the procedures.” They also introduced the use of incontinent briefs, as they were known then.

The results were positive. Patients’ appetites improved and they exhibited less agitation and confusion during the day. “The ward evolved into a ‘rehab’ unit. People came in unable to walk and they left able to walk on their own.”

Peg retired in 1995, a couple of years after that study was conducted. Changes in nursing practices and approaches over the past 22 years are of interest to Peg, but not her focus. “I move through one day at a time. Everything I do is to help the keep the right brain going so the left brain works.”

A forward thinking and acting person, Peg’s skills, experience and interests were not confined to her own benefit. She helps her community too.

Take bridge, for example. Bridge lessons at Silver Harbour Seniors Centre led to the addition of more classes at the centre, and a stint on the Silver Harbour board of directors. She’s an active member of the North Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club, playing a mean game of darts in the winter months. Mostly, though, Peg is out and about in her beloved Lynn Valley, hiking the trails with her trusty walking poles. It may be that Lynn Valley itself is an element in Peg’s approach to life, that all is well with the world as long as she is in Lynn Valley.

“To me, Lynn Valley has always been, and still is, a small town. From the time I came until now, it’s still the friendly community I moved into, still home although there are more buildings and more lights. The heart of Lynn Valley is still very much the same.”

Laura Anderson works with and for seniors on the North Shore. Contact her at 778-279-2275 or email her at [email protected].

FortisBC sues DNV over Keith Road bill

Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News

November 14, 2017 04:07 PM

The District of North Vancouver knew, or "ought to have known" Fortis was doing gas main work on the new Keith Road Bridge, according to the energy provider's recently filed lawsuit asking for payment of $762,880. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore news The District of North Vancouver might be in hot water with an energy provider. FortisBC is suing the District of North Vancouver for $762,880 over what the company claims is a breached contract regarding gas main work connected to the construction of the Keith Road Bridge. According to Fortis’ recently filed civil claim, the district contracted the energy company to install a new gas main to provide heat for residents in the Capilano University neighbourhood. The work, which coincided with the demolition of the old Keith Road Bridge in the summer of 2015, was meant to be the first of a two-phase process. Fortis estimated Phase 1 would cost $203,825. Upon completion of the work, which included abandonment of the gas main on the old Keith Road Bridge, Fortis submitted an invoice to the district for $424,906.83. According to Fortis’ civil claim, the company would typically provide an estimate for the relocation of a gas main before the district would issue a purchase order. Following completion of the work, the municipality would pay Fortis. That order went astray with Phase 2 of construction, according to Fortis. Fortis estimated the second phase would cost $223,110. The district did not issue a purchase order. As it was necessary for Phase 2 to be completed alongside bridge construction, Fortis began work in January 2016. “The district knew, or ought to have known,” that Fortis was proceeding, “and did not object,” according to the company’s claim. By allowing Fortis to complete the work, “the district accepted the estimate and agreed to pay,” according to the claim. Fortis’ bill for Phase 2 was $337,973.29. Fortis’ estimate for the entire project was $426,935 but its combined invoice was for $762,880. The district has “refused or neglected” to pay Fortis, “despite demand,” breaching a contract and causing Fortis to suffer “loss and damage,” according to the claim. Fortis is seeking a judgment in the amount of $762,880, plus interest. Alternatively, Fortis is requesting the company be paid a reasonable sum that the court may enforce when a dollar figure isn’t stipulated in a contract. The District of North Vancouver declined to comment on the case. The new Keith Road Bridge opened to traffic in April 2016 and was completed in December 2016. The $14- million project replaced the 70-year-old steel bridge. This article has been amended to clarify the completion date of the new Keith Road Bridge. Greater Vancouver home prices to drop 21 per cent by 2019: analysis

Technical charts point to prolonged house price slide, technical analyst contends

Frank O'Brien / Western Investor

October 4, 2017 10:00 AM

Photo Dan Toulgoet

The average price of a detached house in Greater Vancouver will decline 21 per cent from its recent peak to $1.5 million by 2019 and will stay at that level until a recovery begins in late 2021, according to a forecast based on historical trading patterns.

“Sell now and begin buying again in four to five years,” is the advice from Dane Eitel, a North Shore realtor who has applied the discipline of technical charting used in the equity market to forecast Greater Vancouver’s housing market.

His call is for the average detached-house price to fall from the recent peak of $1.8 million to $1.48 million to $1.5 million in the latter half of 2019. Prices will remain in that range for two years before bottoming in 2021.

Eitel concentrated on detached housing because it does not have the supply swings common to the condominium or townhouse sectors. “It all starts with detached houses,” he said.

By looking at 40 years of Greater Vancouver detached-house sales and average price cycles, Eitel is confident that a trading pattern is established that will play out over the next five to seven years.

He noted that the last long-term cycle began in October 1987 and ran to 1996, during which time average house prices increased 190 per cent and peaked at $286,000 in February 1995. The average price then dropped 19 per cent to bottom out in December 1996. Prices did not recover to the earlier price peak until November 2002, six years later.

We are seeing a similar pattern today, Eitel said.

“The current Vancouver detached-housing market has been on a long term uptrend line established during the 2008-09 recession,” he said. “We have tested this long term uptrend line six times since its inception in November 2008, which was the bottom of that cycle. At that time the average sale price was $750,686. In each of the six instances, the line has held true and propelled the market higher.

“This time, however, we will be seeing a similar event as during the 1990s, with a growth percentage of 144 per cent over the uptrend, which started from the low point in November 2008 and topped out in May 2017. By 2019 we will be on another collision course with two divergent trends converging on middle ground of the trading range to see which one will win out. This time we do have such downtrend occurrence positioning itself, eerily similar to the ‘90s. The time is upcoming for another long-term [downward] trend of more inventory, less volatility and lower average sale prices,” he explained.

Eitel claims that residential investors can use technical charting to successfully time the market.

Source: Western Investor

“From all data collected from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver [REBGV] dating from January 1977, the real estate market has acted in a predictable manner. This has not been noticed to date as a prevalent factor in the real estate community. Equity markets have been using technical charting all over the world on a daily basis. While this may come as a shocking revelation to some in the real estate community, the fact remains that technical charting works.”

Eitel noted that his theory of technical forecasting dates back to Charles Dow, who founded both the Wall Street Journal and the Dow Jones industrial average more than 100 years ago. Dow, Eitel said, proved that “history repeats itself and human psychology for buying and selling in a marketplace could be prognosticated using technical analysis.”

POLITICAL FACTOR

Eitel said that current conditions mirror the 1990s in that the Greater Vancouver housing market is also at the peak of a 10-year price growth cycle with similar price increases, and the political environment is also similar.

“The last time we had a Liberal prime minister and an NDP premier in B.C. was from November 1993 when Jean Chretien was elected and the NDP’s Michael Harcourt was already in power, since November 1991. The average detached sale price in November 1993 was $347,300. The two parties remained in power until June of 2001. The total price growth of the Greater Vancouver detached market during that period of time was 6 per cent,” he said.

“I do expect the market to come off from its highs and sell in the lower half of the trading range starting late in 2019 and lasting for years. However, I also firmly believe in Vancouver’s property values long term. At any time, you can buy a detached house and 10 years later that property will be worth more.”

CURRENT CONDITIONS

Sales of Greater Vancouver detached houses in August 2017 reached 901 units, a 26 per cent increase from the 715 detached sales recorded in August 2016. The benchmark price for detached properties as of August was $1,615,100. This represents a 2.2 per cent increase from August 2016 and a 0.2 per cent increase compared with July 2017, reports the REBGV.

This appears to challenge Eitel’s forecast of falling sales and higher inventory leading to a prolonged decline in detached house prices.

However, Eitel explains that the board uses benchmark prices, not average prices. He contends average prices provide a more accurate reading of real market conditions. He says that average Greater Vancouver house prices peaked in May 2017 at $1.8 million, and have been declining ever since.

Eitel also notes that the REBGV reports that total sales of detached houses in Greater Vancouver have fallen 33 per cent in the first eight months of this year compared with 2016, to 8,268 units. In three municipalities, benchmark prices are lower now than a year ago.

His advice to speculators: sell now and begin buying back into the Greater Vancouver detached housing market in the fourth quarter of 2021, which will be the bottom of the market. The breakout will begin then with a new price peak reached in mid-2023, Eitel contends.

Harry Jerome neighbourhoods lands envisioned Deal with Darwin would fund new rec centre

Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News

November 24, 2017 07:53 AM

This preliminary image anticipates the old Harry Jerome rec centre replaced by a housing development as well as the expansion of Crickmay Park. image supplied

City residents can get their first look at a massive 23rd Street development proposal that could help pay for the new Harry Jerome recreation centre at a Dec. 6 meeting.

If their proposal is approved by council, Darwin Properties would sign a 99-year lease on the land currently occupied by the Harry Jerome rec centre.

The city would use money from that lease to fund the new centre – which has a preliminary price tag of $160 million and would be built across the street. The old rec centre would stay open during construction.

While details on Darwin’s proposal are vague, company president Oliver Webbe said the project will include affordable housing as well as housing for families.

The site is currently zoned for a maximum height of 20 storeys. “We will be looking for feedback from the community (regarding) the form and character of the building,” Webbe said.

The project also includes an expansion of Crickmay Park, which would span “several acres,” according to Webbe, who said the park would stretch: “the entire length of Lonsdale from 23rd to 21st.”

According to a press release issued by the city, “a public hearing and approval of the rezoning application will take place by summer 2018.”

Council is slated to consider the development proposal as well as the details of the new Harry Jerome rec centre in a parallel process.

While a majority of council has favoured a 217,000-square foot centre that includes a 50-metre pool, Mayor Darrell Mussatto has argued council should “tone it down a bit” and invest in a smaller, less expensive centre. City staff have previously recommended a $130-million, 42,000-square-foot centre.

The city has $14 million earmarked for the centre and the ability to borrow another $43 million.

The meeting is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. at 2121 Lonsdale Ave.

Historian claims Pierre Berton award Past catches up with North Vancouver’s Daniel Francis

Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News

November 21, 2017 03:37 PM

North Vancouver historian Daniel Francis accepts the Pierre Berton award from Governor General Julie Payette at a ceremony in Rideau Hall. photo supplied

If Daniel Francis’ imagination were better, Canadian history would be poorer.

On Wednesday, the North Vancouver resident is slated to receive the Governor General’s History Award in recognition of his 30 books chronicling Canadian mythology, Indigenous stereotypes, and the history of the District of North Vancouver. But before a single hardcover spine bore his surname, Francis was one more fiction writer scribbling in the shadow of New Journalism giant Tom Wolfe. He tried to submit a “short story or two” to “one of the usual journals,” he recalls. “They were awful,” he says, pronouncing the judgment without mercy but also without regret. “I don’t have any imagination,” he says. “I can’t invent stories very well.” But he remembers flipping to the back flap of Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Testand noting the white-suited author’s degree in American studies. “Perhaps I should give Canadian studies a try,” he wondered. History, he recalls, “was perfect for me.” The characters, settings and dramatic actions were right there in archives and artifacts. “I realized: here was a subject with endless stories that I could write about.” While he studied at Carleton University, Pierre Trudeau was elected Prime Minister, Montreal hosted Expo ’67, and the kidnapping of a trade commissioner culminated in the October Crisis. “All these things focused one’s attention more on our own country,” Francis recalls. There was also a feeling old facts could still be unearthed and old narratives could finally be buried. North Vancouver historian Daniel Francis is the author of more than 30 books. - photo supplied Francis’ first major work attempted to debunk the theory the fur trade was destructive to Indigenous people, portraying the business as a partnership. Partners in Furs, (“My first and last academic book,” Francis recalls) set the young writer on a path to undermine widely held beliefs and to examine just why those beliefs were so widely held. In his 1992 work, The Imaginary Indian, Francis recounts being 184 kilometres south of Calgary and touring the museum of Head- Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. In the midst of describing “the warm wind (that) seems to be the Earth breathing,” and feeling “the connectedness of lives back through time . . .” Francis notes the Piikani First Nations who worked in the museum. Almost like a driver startling himself awake after dozing at the wheel, Francis catches himself thinking a peculiar thought: “They didn’t look like Indians to me.” Later in the book, Francis quotes poet and journalist Charles Mair, who observed Indigenous people at the Half- Breed Scrip Commission nearly 100 years earlier. Mair noted the Indigenous people had: “well-washed unpainted faces,” and that they wear “ordinary” clothes “One felt disappointed, even defrauded,” Mair wrote. “It was not what was expected, what we believed we had a right to expect . . .” Speaking about the book now – as well as the larger issue of cultural appropriation – Francis recalls feeling “a little uncomfortable” to be a non-Indigenous person working in Indigenous history. The discomfort resulted in the historian “taking a step sideways” to study white people’s myths. Francis draws a straight line from Mair’s rumination to the stereotype that had staked a claim in his own consciousness. “The Indian is the invention of the European,” he writes. “The Indian began as a white man’s mistake, and became a white man’s fantasy.” He examines paintings, Wild West shows, and perhaps most interestingly: the elasticity of the stereotype. Sometimes the stereotypical Indian is the wise protector of the environment. Sometimes he’s a scalp-taking warrior. The book was published in 1992, but continues to resonate. “I think it’s still the case that Indigenous people are burdened by a lot of stereotypes,” Francis says. But through The Imaginary Indian, as well as his other books National Dreamsand Selling Canada, a single question sustains Francis: “Why do we believe what we believe about the past?” For the past 30 years, Francis has been a resident of the District of North Vancouver, which compelled him to write the municipality’s history: Where Mountains Meet the Sea, published in 2016. While the book was written to coincide with the district’s 125th anniversary, Francis’ study goes beyond incorporation. Francis' chronicle of the District of North Vancouver is rich with historical photos including this shot of the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. - photo supplied North Vancouver Museum and Archives He describes the Northwest Passage- seeking explorers from England and Spain who etched the first uncertain drafts of West Coast maps at the tail end of the 18th century. He also recounts the moment the North Shore received its first proper snubbing. Led by navigator Jose Maria Narvaez, the seafarers of the Santa Saturnina were likely the first Europeans to behold the North Shore mountains, sailing near Ambleside Beach in the summer of 1791. “Narvaez decided against entering the narrow passage . . .” Francis writes. Spain dispatched another expedition the following summer. Again, they beheld the North Shore and headed back the way they came. Francis also goes into detail on Sewell Moody and the Moodyville lumber operation that became “the single largest source of export revenue in the province.” But Francis lets both losers and winners each have a crack at writing history. In the case of the North Shore, the loser has at times been the environment, as Francis and a wide range of photos depict denuded forests. “Many kilometres of pristine wetlands were filled in and dredged up to make way for mills, cargo terminals, railway tracks, grain silos and chemical plants,” he writes. “The shoreline that exists today in no way resembles the natural shoreline once used by the First Nations to harvest shellfish and hunt waterfowl.” While Francis is blunt about doing some of his work for “strictly monetary reasons,” he explains that his most important books are about interrogating history. In Where Mountains Meet the Sea, Francis writes: “Famously, we are the people where two worlds coexist . . .” Francis’ work, imaginative or not, is about making sense of both those worlds. Francis is scheduled to receive the Pierre Berton award at Rideau Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 22.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017 north shore news nsnews.com NEWS | A9 INQUIRINGREPORTER SPONSORED CONTENT Have you started your holiday shopping? We can deny it all we want, JonathanWilkinson pretend we don’t hear the Christmas music inside NORTH VANCOUVER’S MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT certain stores or notice the advertising blitz coming from certain brands, but the fact is November 17, 2017 the holiday season is upon us. As local venues start to offer craft markets and Christmas fairs, advent calendars have Homeless in made their appearance and people are already dutifully planning for the month of North Vancouver December. But how are you Patty Ordonez Amy Thorn on holiday gift shopping? Are Sitting warm in my home over the •Children with homeless or at-risk North Vancouver West Vancouver you making an effort to get it Remembrance Day weekend -with “Yes, started yesterday. “Yes, maybe two weeks ago. parents: 143 done early this year or are you We are leaving for Mexico There was a good deal on November living up to its reputation waiting until the last minute ... for wind and driving rain –I •Slightly over half of the 200 women like you do every year? in December so I had to things that aren’t usually a at risk of homelessness reported buy some presents for my good deal – kids’ things.” couldn’thelp but think of those in Weigh in at nsnews.com our community living on the streets. being victims of domestic violence. – Ben Bengtson nephew.” Especially after it was recently The gap between the need and revealed that there are more homeless existing homeless services on the on the North Shore than estimates North Shore is staggering: 18 beds have led many of us to believe. for women and children, 4beds for This spring, Metro Vancouver’s youth, 45 beds for adults –totaling annual one-day “homeless count” 67. tallied just 100 people on the North Last month, to its credit, District of Shore without proper shelter –a North Vancouver Council responded number most on the front lines felt to the Task Force report by asking grossly underestimated the severity of staff to prepare abusiness case for the problem. the creation of aFamily Shelter and Craig Benzan Sarah Zannoort Tom MacNeill Areport released this fall by the Supported Housing project in the North Vancouver North Vancouver North Vancouver North Shore Homelessness Task District and to explore potential “No, but I’ll let you know when “Absolutely not, because for “I’ve already finished my Force tried adifferent methodology. locations on aDistrict-owned site. I figure it out.” me Christmas doesn’t start Christmas shopping. I started until December.” in October to get ahead of Comprised of six major providers Putting up land for affordable the Christmas rush and to be of homelessness services on the housing and incenting developers to ready.” North Shore, the Task Force tallied build more are key actions North up the number of people who Vancouver’smunicipalities can accessed services for the homeless take. But it goes without saying that MAILBOX on the North Shore in 2016 - action, collaboration and political 736 “absolutely homeless” with resolve are required of all three levels another 295 at “imminent risk” of of government. Traffic solution: do nothing Bite better homelessness. Re-establishing federal '(21 &-#.517 promoting is a pedestrian than a bullet The Task Force’sdefinitions of housing role Re: North Vancouver MLA gondola from Phibbs Exchange those terms bring the reality into In the next few weeks, our federal Calls for North Shore SkyTrain, to the Westcoast Express '(21 &-#.517 stark focus: government will roll out aNational Oct. 18 news story. tracks at the south end of the Re: Victim Bitten in Violent “Absolutely homeless includes Housing Strategy –the first such I’m amused that MLA Ironworkers bridge. West Van Break-in, Oct. 25 those living on the streets or in strategy ever in Canada and one Jane Thornthwaite’s pro- Another even cheaper alter- front-page story. places not intended for human which will re-establish the federal posed cross-harbour route native is to do nothing. Many This is a terrible story habitation, those staying in homeless role in housing and introduce key just happens to connect her predict that car ownership and of course and a lesson to tools to fill critical gaps, respond to provincial riding directly to the number of cars on the road people to let the police handle shelters (including safe houses and women’sshelters) and those whose imbalances in housing markets and Vancouver and Burnaby. The will soon decline as cheap self- situations like this. The one spur innovation. more obvious albeit longer driving electric taxis arrive and thankful outcome of this is accommodation is temporary and SkyTrain crossing would drastically reduce the need for that there were no life threat- lacks security of tenure (i.e. couch And there’smoney on the table to connect Lonsdale Quay to both. Considering that, per- ening injuries to the owners of surfing, hospitals, detox facilities).” work on this with municipalities, downtown Vancouver’s exist- haps we shouldn’t be spending the home. However, the most “At Risk refers to those who are provinces and community service ing Waterfront station. much money to improve our thankful thing is that here in not homeless, but whose current providers. The single largest That said, there are many existing transportation infra- Canada we have more sensible economic and/or housing situation commitment in Budget 2017 was to cheaper alternatives such as structure. The future is arriving gun laws in place than our is precarious or does not meet public housing, with planned investments of (likely forthcoming) mobil- faster than we think. neighbours to the south. health and safety standards.” $11.2 billion over 10 years. ity pricing. Another that Ms. 3$#! )$,00 '58 6/*2#8 Thornthwaite might consider 451.$ %28/5,+(1 451.$ %28/5,+(1 Given North Vancouver’sincreasing It will not be a“cookie cutter” rents and decreasing vacancies, even approach –there’srecognition that these numbers are thought to be community housing issues require Mere musings on a ghostly sighting conservative estimates –plus, they community solutions. don’tinclude anyone who registered One of my roles as your Member From page 8 North Shore. corridor and saw – nothing. for services in previous years but are of Parliament is to be apersuasive I won’t divulge all. I She went down the cor- still living without safe, secure and and effective advocate for access you knew that.) regret having to be myste- ridor, checked the elevator, adequate housing. rious. Adds to the story, the stairs. There simply to federal funding and to facilitate """ though. hadn’t been enough time Most vulnerable affected collaboration, innovation and Out of the gate, stum- This appropriately for the passing figure to More disturbing than the overall political commitment. bling Julie Payette’s occurred just a few nights disappear from sight. It just numbers is the breakdown of the Ibelieve there’scurrently apolitical un-governor general-like after Halloween. – vanished. most vulnerable categories: climate at all levels of government mockeries, including of the Around 1 a.m. a staff Hamlet: “There are more horoscope, would annoy me member was at her work things in heaven and earth, •Homeless seniors (over 55): 178 –finally –tomake asignificant and – if I didn’t generously weigh station in a health facility. Horatio, than are dreamt of lasting impact on affordable housing every point of view, a trait of She saw a figure – male or in your philosophy.” •Homeless youth (under 24): 103 issues. Let’sseize this moment. all Libras. female, unclear – pass by Couldn’t have been the Which handily leads into in the corridor. The figure whispy ghost of Canada’s the next item … waved. UN peacekeeping commit- CONTACTINFO: """ In response, the staff ment, could it? Ghost story. Real. And member walked to the [email protected] CONSTITUENCY OFFICE: 102West 3rdStreet, North Vancouver EMAIL: [email protected] | TEL: 604-775-6333 2 Dec 2017 Vancouver Sun Horgan targets housing for 2018 ‘No. 1 issue on my desk,’ premier says

VICTORIA Providing more affordable housing across British Columbia is the provincial government’s top priority and will be a prominent feature in the February budget, Premier John Horgan said Thursday.

Horgan said housing was the major issue in last spring’s provincial election and data released this week from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. indicates little has changed, with near-zero rental vacancy rates in both large urban centres and smaller communities.

The premier made the comments Thursday during a news conference to wrap up the fall session of the legislature, where his minority New Democrat government passed legislation banning union and corporate donations to political parties and paved the way for a referendum on electoral reform next fall.

“Housing is the No. 1 issue on my desk right now,” said Horgan. “We are going to have a comprehensive plan rolled out in our February budget with respect to increasing supply so there are more units, more two- and three- bedroom units.”

He said building larger units allows families to grow and helps people stay longer in their communities.

Horgan said the housing supply and affordability issue no longer just applies to Metro Vancouver, as people in communities throughout B.C. have serious issues with finding a place to live.

The CMHC report says Kelowna and the Abbotsford-Mission area have rental vacancy rates at 0.2 per cent, while Victoria is 0.6 per cent and Vancouver is at 0.9 per cent.

The report says the largest rent increases were also found in B.C., with Kelowna at 8.6 per cent and Victoria at 8.1 per cent.

Vancouver posted Canada’s highest average monthly rents for twobedroom apartments at $1,552.

Horgan said the lack of rental units and family homes hurts B.C.’s economy because people will not move to a new city if there is no place to live, no matter how solid the job offer.

The NDP has promised to build 114,000 new rental, non-profit and co-op housing units over a 10-year period.

The Canadian Press

EDITORIAL: Housing Plan B

North Shore News

November 23, 2017 04:16 PM

file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

It’s on old cliché that when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. In the early 1990s, the federal government scrapped its national housing strategy and largely got out of the business of funding affordable housing and rental units.

Today, we’re living with that failure. Census data released last month shows almost half of North Shore renters are paying more than they can afford. And the North Shore Homelessness Task Force published a report this fall finding 736 unique individuals registered for services, seven times more than previously thought. related

 Experts weigh in on national housing strategy  Almost half of North Shore rents unaffordable: Census

We welcome the return of a national housing strategy, announced this week by the feds. Over 10 years, it’s expected to put up $40 billion aimed at ensuring vulnerable people like seniors, Indigenous people, single moms and veterans have access to safe, affordable homes. For this we offer nothing but praise.

But much of the money is back loaded in to later years of the plan, and experts say the strategy is still vague and reliant on matching funds from the provinces.

It also doesn’t do much for the middle class that Justin Trudeau campaigned to be the saviour of. Now they too find their incomes no longer enough to afford decent shelter in Canada’s largest cities. We still would like to see more aggressive controls on foreign capital distorting our housing market and incentives for the creation of rental housing. Vacancy rates are frozen below one per cent.

All in all, we’re pleased to see the government taking action. We only wish it had come sooner. Just imagine how much more we could have gotten for these billions of dollars if we addressed this problem years ago when land and construction costs were a fraction of what they are now.

EDITORIAL: If you build it ... North Shore News

December 5, 2017 04:16 PM

file photo North Shore News Thanks to an exhaustive study we finally know the truth: traffic is bad. It’s gotten about nine per cent worse since 2011 as 1,880 additional 9-to-5 commuters cross one bridge to make a living here and one more bridge to get where they live. (The StatsCan figures don’t include roving construction workers who build the North Shore houses most of them will never afford.) At the start of 2017, North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite announced we were “finally going to fix” much of our daily gridlock with $198 million worth of infrastructure. All three levels of government championed this sensible-sounding solution that requires no personal responsibility or changes in behaviour. Only it hasn’t worked anywhere in the world. Traffic in Singapore is so bad the government mandates drivers pay thousands for a certificate just to become eligible to buy a car. Caving to the laws of induced demand, Paris and Copenhagen have largely parted with parking spots in their city centres to dissuade drivers. A city in Spain tried offering drivers a trade: your car for a lifetime transit pass. But on the North Shore we’re still clinging to the hope that if we build it, they won’t come. We do hope our traffic problems will be finished in a few years alongside the Mountain and Dollarton highway interchanges. But at the moment, it seems like that $198 million would’ve been better spent bribing drivers to take the bus. Obviously traffic is bad. The real question is: is it bad enough? Is it bad enough for a provincial government to pledge $7 or $8 billion toward public transit without forsaking their chances of ever winning another election? We certainly hope so, because as long as our vacancy rates hover just north of zero, the North Shore will remain a journey for too many and a destination for too few. Yes, traffic is bad. That doesn’t mean it can’t get worse. It all depends on what we build. Infill change could add 59 homes to Upper Capilano Neighbourhood residents give council earful on infill

Jeremy Shepherd / North Shore News

December 6, 2017 07:43 AM

Canyon Boulevard is within the study area that could see owners apply to create small single-family lots to allow for affordable housing in Upper Capilano. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News We stand, hoping to be divided. That was the message several Upper Capilano residents delivered to District of North Vancouver council Monday as they trumpeted a policy that would allow 59 new lots to be created in the neighbourhood. The area is bordered by Cliffridge Avenue and Belvedere Drive, and includes lots on Prospect and Clements avenues, as well as Canyon and Montroyal boulevards. Council voted unanimously to advance the proposal – which would allow for 138 lots to be cut into 197 lots – to a public hearing set for Jan. 16, much to the delight of Canyon Boulevard resident Claudia Cornwall. “We can rejuvenate the neighbourhood, have greener and more efficient houses by passing this law,” she said. Many of the homes in the neighbourhood were constructed in the 1950s and ’60s, and are currently at their “best-before date,” according to Cornwall. As the old bungalows disappear, monster homes will creep into the neighbourhood, argued longtime resident Andrew Westwell-Roper. “It would seem that the monster house lobby is alive and well and operating in our area,” he said. “Council could show no greater disrespect to our neighbourhood at this time than by failing to approve the (single-lot infill areas) motion.” His position was echoed by Greg Cameron, who punctuated his presentation to council by showing them an advertisement for a 5,700-square-foot, six-bedroom, nine-bathroom home for sale in the area. “The status quo is one choice that is certainly not available,” he said, suggesting turning 66-foot lots into 33- foot lots will allow for new houses that are more sensitive in scale to the neighbourhood. Cameron’s comments seemed to resonate with Coun. Jim Hanson. “As far as I’m concerned, nine bathrooms is just too many,” Hanson said. While the divided lots will still be pricey, the move is nonetheless a step toward offering more affordable family housing, according to Hanson. Less certain was Mayor Richard Walton, who suggested the end result might be: “splitting an existing house that’s worth $1.8 million and putting two more houses on that are worth $1.8 million each.” Council’s efforts might be better spent establishing multi-family housing along bus routes as opposed to splitting lots in residential areas, Walton said. Property owners would still undergo a regulatory process before subdivision could be approved. The district generally approves three or four subdivisions each year, according to a district staff report. While Coun. Roger Bassam expressed misgivings about tinkering with the free market, he ultimately supported the motion. “It is a better land-use decision to have smaller lots with reasonable houses,” he said, suggesting the community enjoyed a less than “tremendous value” from 5,700-square-foot homes. The zoning change could extend farther, Bassam said, making the case that small-lot infill is a good fit for the area between Capilano Road to the west and Ranger Avenue to the east. “I recognize we’ve picked a much smaller part of that particular neighbourhood,” he said. “Sometimes in politics you take what you can.” Coun. Mathew Bond offered a counterpoint to Bassam, reminding the gallery that zoning is an “intervention in the free market,” and that the intervention must be good for the community. The change would allow homeowners to “impose a smaller footprint,” while benefiting the community at large, according to Coun. Robin Hicks. “It’s the right thing to do to accommodate more people,” he said, adding the district would: “probably get more property tax and utility fees out of this as well.” Infill housing is a “more efficient way” to offer services such as water, storm sewers, and street lighting by squeezing more taxpayers into the same distance of linear infrastructure, according to a district staff report. “This means infill housing is an overall financial benefit to the district,” the report noted. The potential zoning includes 12 lots in a slope hazard area. However, the same development permit guidelines would apply to ensure the property would be safe before construction could begin. Once fully built out, district staff estimates the infill area would bring 60 more vehicles per hour through the neighbourhood during the afternoon rush. Couns. Lisa Muri and Doug MacKay-Dunn did not attend Monday’s meeting.

2 Dec 2017 Vancouver Sun IS ISOLATION MAKING CITY UNHAPPY?

AStatistics Canada report not long ago found that Vancouver was the unhappiest city of the 33 Canadian municipalities it surveyed and commentators surmised that a lack of social connectedness was a major reason why.

A report released this week by the Vancouver Foundation confirmed that we have a lot of work to do when it comes to social relationships and community engagement. The foundation’s Connections and Engagement report found that one in five residents don’t know their neighbours well enough to call on them for help, and one in four found themselves alone more often than they would like. Compared with a similar survey in 2012, there were declines in the percentage of those who visited a local library or community centre, voted in the last municipal election, signed a petition, went to a cultural or ethnic event put on by a group different from their own, attended a neighbourhood or community meeting, participated in a neighbourhood or community project, or attended a city council or school board meeting.

Roughly half said they don’t have time for such activities, nearly a quarter said they did not have enough money to participate, and a third said they were not aware of the opportunities or events. Some argue that we have to rethink how spaces are designed to create a sense of belonging. For instance, half of people living in apartments or condos do not have a common area to socialize with neighbours.

The foundation’s inaugural connections and engagement report in 2012 was released the same year the City of Vancouver established the Engaged City Task Force to increase engagement. The decline in engagement since then suggests the plan has been unsuccessful.

Young adults and people in low-income households were most likely to experience social isolation, according to the report.

But beyond age and income, it would have been interesting had the report also included social relationships viewed through an ethnic lens, given that 45 per cent of the population is foreign- born and a majority is visible minority.

While civic leaders consider options for funding, organizing, designing and educating, we can do our part. The report found that three-quarters of people interacting with each other in a public space will muster a smile, and two-thirds will say hello. But fewer than half would respond to a question from a stranger and only 23 per cent would ask a question or initiate a conversation. Surely, we can do better than that.

Is there hope for a North Shore transportation solution anytime soon?

'Every single business is impacted by the delays,' says CEO of North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce

By Justin McElroy, CBC News Posted: Dec 03, 2017 7:00 AM PT Last Updated: Dec 03, 2017 7:00 AM PT

Traffic on the North Shore is getting worse and jam isn't just aggravating to people stuck on the highway — it's a drain on businesses. (Christer Waara/CBC)

About The Author

Justin McElroy @j_mcelroy

Justin is the municipal affairs reporter for CBC Vancouver, covering political stories throughout the Lower Mainland.

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It's a general rule of thumb that in the Lower Mainland, affordability is the number one issue, no matter where you live. Not so on the North Shore.

Traffic in the region is so bad that when a recent study highlighted eight congestion hot spots in Metro Vancouver, one of them was "Travel to, from and around the North Shore — in every direction."

 North Shore councillor fed up with traffic congestion

There are signs the provincial government may be looking at taking action. On Friday, there was a meeting of the region's local, provincial and federal politicians to discuss the best way forward.

But at this point, that's all it is — low-level discussions.

"We're trying to do work to find out what's really going on with the traffic, what's causing that, and we want to address solutions in a proper way," said City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto, who said the meeting was initiated by North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma.

"How do we resolve the bottleneck at the bridges? How do we make it easier for people to come to and from the North Shore, and how do we allow people to commute along the North Shore east and west?"

But because of the provincial government and TransLink's stated priorities, those questions may continue to be asked, with no solution in sight, for years to come. Economic impact

The daily region-wide traffic jam isn't just aggravating to people stuck on the highway — it's a drain on businesses. "Every single business is impacted by the delays," said Patrick Stafford-Smith, CEO of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. "You pretty much build it into any appointment, and people make adjustments based on that." The organization hosted a forum on Wednesday discussing the issue, with much of the focus on the growing number of commuters crossing the Lions Gate and Second Narrows bridges. Mussatto noted the number of North Shore residents crossing the bridges to go to work hasn't changed much in the last decade. Traffic flow changes

What has changed, he says, is the number of non-North Shore residents coming to the region for work and leaving in the afternoon.

"The numbers that are leaving the North Shore to go to work are very similar to what they were ten years ago. The big change is there's more people commuting to work and then leaving in the afternoon," said Mussatto.

New figures from the 2016 Census bear that out. In total, 22,295 people said they worked on the North Shore, but lived in a Metro Vancouver municipality that required crossing the Burrard Inlet.

That's up 20 per cent from a decade ago. Plus, there are nearly 35,000 North Shore residents commuting to jobs on the south side of the Burrard Inlet.  How do people in Metro Vancouver get to work? 4 interesting facts from the 2016 census  Here's how much time you save by commuting anywhere in B.C. but Vancouver It's just enough to push an aging infrastructure grid — the number of bridge lanes linking the region to the rest of Metro Vancouver hasn't changed in over 50 years — into gridlock on most afternoons. Adding to the complexity is many of the workers coming to the North Shore are working on construction sites for renovated homes or new developments, which have end dates for completion. Focusing improvements exclusively on public transit might not be the best solution. "I'm personally a big fan of public transit ... but I want to make sure that you don't spend a tremendous amount of money and find out it's not being used," said Mussatto.

A hypothetical SkyTrain line linking Vancouver with both North and West Vancouver, as designed by North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite. (Jane Thornthwaite) Other projects come first

The growing frustration is linked to the growing megaproject proposals coming from politicians in the region: Mussatto has suggested a SkyTrain tunnel to North Vancouver, while MLA Jane Thornthwaite has suggested a SkyTrain extending west to east along the North Shore. But while transportation may be the number one issue on the North Shore, the North Shore is far from the number one priority for decision makers.  TransLink reveals plans for Broadway SkyTrain, Surrey LRT  B.C. government puts Massey Tunnel bridge on hold; independent review to take place TransLink is committed to the Mayors' Council 10-year plan, which focuses on a new Pattullo Bridge, extending rapid transit lines in Vancouver and Surrey, and creating a new rapid transit line to Langley. And the provincial government's focus is on a Massey Tunnel replacement. If you're an optimist, you could point that more talking is happening around North Shore transportation than ever before. If you're a pessimist? It's still just talk. 4 Dec 2017 Vancouver Sun Frederick Vettese is a partner at Morneau Shepell and the author of The Essential Retirement Guide: A Contrarian’s Perspective. Financial Post LONGEVITY GROWTH IS NO LONGER WHAT IT USED TO BE Trend of shrinking lifespans could result in grim silver lining, says Fred Vettese.

It turns out that the years leading up to 2011 were a golden period when it came to improvements in mortality. Mortality rates in this country were dropping significantly as Canadians were adding an average of 2.1 months to their lifespans in each year between 2000 and 2011.

Canada was not alone in this regard. Improvements of similar magnitude were being recorded in the U.S., Australia, Japan and throughout Western Europe. It did not seem at all far-fetched to forecast that today’s babies could expect to live to 100 and beyond.

Then something happened around 2011 to change this trend. The big increases in life expectancy that we had grown accustomed to seeing suddenly shrank to nearly zero. In Canada, lifespans have been growing by a mere 0.4 months a year since 2011, just one fifth of what was happening before 2011. The same dramatic shift has also occurred in the U.S. and much of Europe. The U.K. and Spain have been particularly hard hit. In fact, the lifespans for certain age groups in the U.S. and the U.K. have actually shrunk since 2011.

What makes this new mortality trend so troubling is that no one is sure of the reason (or reasons) for it. Just like an Agatha Christie novel, there are many suspects, all of which look plausible.

In the U.K., it is being blamed on austerity measures that the government took after the Great Recession. The cutbacks in U.K. health-care spending, some say, is leading to more deaths.

In the U.S., deaths due to drug and alcohol poisoning, suicide, chronic liver diseases have increased sharply since 1999. Opioids, in particular, have been responsible for a spike in the mortality rate of certain age groups.

Another suspect is obesity, which is still on the rise in many countries including the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Germany. On the other hand, obesity was already a big problem before 2011 and mortality improvements during that time were still robust. Nothing happened around 2011 to cause the impact of obesity to change suddenly. Moreover, Spain’s mortality improvement rate plunged more than in almost any other country even though Spain’s obesity rate has not changed much since 2011.

Finally, there is the possibility that all the low-hanging fruit from medical advances has now been picked. The death rate from cardiovascular disease in particular, for instance, has dropped by two thirds since the 1960s but that success will be mathematically impossible to repeat in future years.

It is possible that the death rate from cancers can be reduced significantly but it would take a breakthrough, which frankly is not on the horizon. The one problem with this theory is that Japan already has lower mortality rates than most countries and that hasn’t stopped it from achieving big reductions in mortality rates since 2011. Japan is the one outlier in the global shift in mortality trends.

There may be an element of truth to all these factors but the suspicion is that something more fundamental is afoot. After all, it seems implausible that a global trend occurred at virtually the same time in so many countries but for different reasons in each country. More likely, there is a root cause that has afflicted most parts of the globe since the Great Recession.

That root cause could be the rising gap between rich and poor. That gap has been rising for decades, of course, but it was exacerbated by the Great Recession and the actions that governments took in response to it. In support of this theory, the U.S. has one of the biggest gaps between rich and poor amongst developed countries and it also has the lowest life expectancy. Sweden has one of the smallest income disparities and it was less affected than other European countries by whatever happened in 2011 to change the mortality trend.

As for Canada, middle class incomes have appeared to be holding their own in recent years so you would think it is an exception.

On the other hand, middleincome households are being forced to spend historically high percentages of income on servicing mortgage debt (especially in its big cities). The net effect is that the middle class is doing less well than it appears.

If income disparity is indeed the heart of the problem, then its impact will be felt for some time to come since that is not something that changes quickly. As a result, mortality rates that are improving slowly or even stagnating may be the new normal. A couple of recent data points bear this out. In the U.S., 2015 was the first year in decades that life expectancy actually fell. As for Canada, the year 2017 is not yet over and the emerging mortality data suggests it will be another bad year.

There are some practical ramifications to this new trend. In the U.K. alone, PwC estimates that shifting life expectancy may reduce pension deficits by over 300-billion pounds but this may be just the tip of the iceberg. The new mortality trend could lop trillions of dollars off the cost of defined benefit pension plans and Social Security systems in North America and Europe.CPP and Old Age Security would be among the beneficiaries of this windfall.

Also, the cost of annuities should fall as insurance companies realize they have built in too much of a cushion for the impact of future mortality improvements.

This is all good from a financial perspective but as silver linings go, it is a rather grim one.

Lynn Creek to get new towers, community centre DNV green-lights 27 storeys for Hunter Street

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 29, 2017 09:00 AM

Architect Markus Holzmair gets a close-up of Ramsay Worden Architects’ designs for a 326-unit condominium project and community centre now approved for Hunter Street and Mountain Highway in North Vancouver’s Lynn Creek town centre. photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News

District of North Vancouver council has given its OK for a major condo and townhouse project in the Lynn Creek neighbourhood, including what will be the third tallest tower on the North Shore.

Council voted 5-2 Monday night to approve Intergulf Development’s plan for 16- and 27-storey towers on Hunter Street at Mountain Highway. In total, it will bring 326 condo and townhouse units to the area, plus a new community centre to serve the fledgling neighbourhood. Lost to redevelopment will be 13 businesses in the light industrial lots on Hunter Street. related

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An artist’s rendering depicts how Intergulf Development’s two new towers will look on Hunter Street at Mountain Highway - image supplied

Under the agreement, Intergulf will put up the land and build the shell of a three-storey, 28,000- square-foot community centre covering all but $2.5 million of the $10.8 million cost. The district would be required to spend another $4.5 million to outfit the community centre’s interior, although much of that cash is already set aside in reserves. The community centre must be completed before the residential towers can be built. Of the 326 new residences, 198 will have two bedrooms and 13 will have three bedrooms. The remainder are either one-bedroom units or studio apartments.

The emerging Lynn Creek town centre is one of four areas targeted for development in the district’s official community plan.

“The model for the new area, I think, fits in well,” said Coun. Robin Hicks. “We have to accommodate a certain amount of population coming into the district and this one has been designed as a town centre and it’s on a bus route.”

The plan dovetails with planned improvements to Seylynn Park, which will be key to the success of the neighbourhood, Coun. Mathew Bond said.

“I think as we continue to live in a denser city, it becomes more and more important to provide these types of benefits, (such as) a community centre, for the approximately 5,000 residents who will come to live in this area over the next 10 to 15 years,” he said.

The two dissenting votes came from Couns. Lisa Muri and Jim Hanson, largely on the grounds that it would further eat away at the district’s employment-generating light-industrial land base. Muri said council was drifting too far from its goals of being an affordable place to live and work.

“This was a blue collar community and we have to keep that (eclecticism) of the community to make it rich and be better than it has been in the past. It was awesome in the past. Change is hard. It’s awkward. But we can always do better and I don’t think we should be pushing businesses out for the sake of anything,” she said.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2017 north shore news nsnews.com NEWS | A5

Sponsored content NEWS NOVEMBER TIED FOR RAINIEST 7 MAILBOX WHEN CAR-SHARING MEANS MORE CARS 9 Mayor’s NEWS NEW TENANTS FOR SHIPYARDS 11 Message

RichardWalton, Mayor,District of North Vancouver

TheIndependent MobilityPricing Commission wantstohearfromyou.

Its recently produced researchreport, ExploringNew Approaches to ReducingCongestion is availableatitstimemv.ca. Youcan reviewthe preliminaryfindings and shapeyour own thoughts about the Commission’swork to date,the future of our region, and whatfairness means, as we considersolutionstorelieve peakperiod traffic congestion and providealternatives. The Mobility Pricing Commission is independent: it mustbeifits report next April is to be seen as auseful policy building document by all three levels of government and all political parties. Its 14 members,who reside throughoutthe Metro region, arecollectinginformation from avariety of sources, learning whatisbeingdonearoundthe world, siftingthrough whatworks and whatdoesn’t, and familiarizing themselves with current academic research. Hopefully theircollective wisdom will be listened to by all three levels of government –that is why they wereengaged. AdventureSmart outreach educator Kelly Uren shows off some equipment to North Shore Conversations about mobility pricing aren’tnew.But you can offer unique Multicultural Society students Yuta Monzen and Chang Hong Yin. PHOTOS MIKE WAKEFIELD perspectives about employingthis strategy in Metro Vancouver. In both 2011and 2012Imadepresentations on TransLink's behalf, to the World Urban Transit Conference, where ideasfrommanycountrieswere AdventureSmart targets discussedinconstructive dialogue. Citiesthroughoutthe world arestriving to design mobility pricing planstobalance supply with demand:not just for spaceonroads, but also for transit seatsand goods movement tourists and new Canadians efficiency.

From page 4 We’ve learned that indefinitely increasing road capacity simply encouraged the practice of one person in one car as the dominantmeans themselves into. of travel in North America, especially during its sprawling, suburban “It’s not Disneyland out growthfrom1945untilthe mid-1990s. No community can affordtoretrofit “free” highwaysand expand into built-outareas. The pricenow is too there,” says Uren. “All of it is high,and it’shidden. We’ve beenpaying for it with our sales, income, and very new to them. … It’s a lot luxury taxes. of information that we give them, but it’s all very crucial Mobility pricing isn’thidden, and it’snot atax grab. as well. If they remember just Aproperly planned mobility pricing strategy,basedonbestpractice, a small bit of what we tell allocatesthe fundsgenerated directly,and openly,tobeneficial programs. them, it could very well save In referendum-driven Los Angeles,mobility pricing fundsare earmarked their lives.” specifically for fixingroads, building subways, increasing HOV lanes, As she starts her pre- buying buses, and expanding cycling capacity.The dedicated funding sentation Uren speaks very provides arangeofoptions and improvements for all residents. slowly and clearly, pausing In Stockholm, congestion pricing for entering the city centrecontributes when she senses that the fundstowardcompletion of the ring road and buys buses, whichisagain class is not understanding for drivers and transit riders alike.And locally,Metro residents did not what she is saying. Scenes like this – the snow of Cypress Provincial Park – are a complain when“free” HOV laneswereintroduced to localhighwaysto “What does ‘essentials’ powerful draw for visitors to the Lower Mainland. allow multi-passenger vehicles to jump the queue. We all thought that was mean?” a student asks. pretty fair,because any one of us could adjust accordingly and benefit. “In the morning,” replies rather a topographical line. happen to anyone at any Last September 1, we learned whathappenstotravel patterns without Uren, “coffee is ESSENTIAL That was one mistake among moment.” mobility pricing tools. Thatday,tolls wereremoved from the Golden Ears for me.” This draw a big many. Their first mistake Back at the multicultural and Port MannBridges. Traffic volume on both bridges increasedby25 laugh. occurred before they even society Uren told another, percent almost immediately.And the responsibilityfor paying the Uren keeps it simple, set out for the day. even more harrowing story still-existing bill to thirdparties who built the bridges shifted, on apolitical explaining some of the basics “I’m pretty sure nobody of survival. Seizing on a whim,fromthe userstoeveryone, and it happened without any of the search and rescue pro- knew where we were,” Uren recent headline, she told meaningful policy discussion. cedures in the province. says. “So that was also a the students about dog It’stime to think this throughagain. “If you’re hiking and you mistake that we had made – walker Annette Poitras. The break your ankle, you DON’T not telling anyone where we 56-year-old was rescued We all pay,one way or another,atone time or another,for every bit of have to pay for a rescue,” she were going.” after a three-day search on transportation infrastructurethat’s madeavailable for our use. What says, drawing an apprecia- Faced with rocks and Coquitlam’s Burke Mountain. insights can you contribute to the Commission about how to do this fairly? tive gasp from the students. open ocean on one side and Poitras said her ordeal Currently,fares within the regioncover just 40 percent of operatingcosts Those engaging in high seemingly impenetrable bush started when she slipped on for the transit system. The remaining operatingfundscomefromthe risk adventures or ventur- on the other, they opted for a log and became injured and regional gas tax -- whichisproblematic because it dependsonour ing into unfamiliar territory the bush. disoriented. continued use of fossil fuels--property tax, and othersources. Whenwe may be most at risk, but in “We decided to do that “Think about Annette,” makemoreuse of current roadsand bridges throughcarpools,transit, and all of her presentations Uren rather than go skirting Uren tells the students. “She better time management, we’llpay less for new and expensive stresses that incidents can around the slippery rocks was only walking her dogs.” infrastructure. happen to anyone at any above the ocean in the dark,” !!! Mobility pricing createsanequitable transportation system that invests time. Even her. she says. “It took about an There’s an odd opening to wisely in increasedcapacity,and spreadsthe system’scostsfairlyamong She was one of those two hour and a half to go 400 the story of how Sandra its users. explorers stuck on a craggy metres, through the salal Riches became an outdoor It’sabout time. beach outside of Tofino. and really soft ground. We’re safety crusader. Growing up She’d been counting on her lucky that it ended as it did. in St. Catherines, Ont., she friend to navigate, and as the It could have been much barely ever ventured into the sun was disappearing they worse.” wilderness. discovered that what they’d She sometimes tells that “Absolutely not,” she says [email protected] been following on Google story during her presenta- dnv.org/mayor Maps was not a trail at all but tions as a reminder: “it could See Success page 23 More Vancouverites commuting on public transit: census

Jessica Kerr / Vancouver Courier

November 29, 2017 02:11 PM

The percentage of Vancouver residents using public transit to get to and from work has been steadily increasing over the last two decades. Photo Dan Toulgoet/Vancouver Courier

The number of people in Vancouver using public transit on their daily commute is on the rise, and increasing faster than any other major metropolitan area in the country.

According to census data released today, the proportion of people using public transit to get to and from work has been rising, slowly but steadily, over the last 20 years — Statistics Canada first starting collecting that information in 1996. That year, 10.1 per cent of Canadians commuted on public transit. In 2016, that number was 12.4 per cent. In terms of the actual number of commuters, there was an additional 734,350 public transit commuters over the last two decades — an increase of 59.5 per cent. related

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The data also shows the rate of people commuting on public transit is increasing at a faster rate than the overall number of commuters, which has increased by 30.3 per cent since 1996.

Vancouver ranks third in the nation, behind Toronto and Montreal, in terms of the proportion of workers using public transit. In 2016, 20.4 per cent of commuters in this city used public transit compared to 24.3 in Toronto and 22.3 per cent in Montreal. However, Vancouver saw a 6.1 per cent increase in the percentage of public transit commuters since 1996. Toronto and Montreal had increases of just 2.3 per cent and 2.5 per cent respectively. According to Statistics Canada, part of the increased rate of use in the city is due to expansion of services in recent years. Between 2002 and 2009, Metro Vancouver saw two major expansions to the SkyTrain system, adding 53 additional kilometres of track, and 250 buses were added to the fleet between 2005 and 2009.

The number of people using “sustainable modes of transportation” is also on the rise. Statistics Canada defines this as “modes of transportation that have a smaller net impact on the environment or transportation infrastructure than cars and heavy trucks.” The census data includes the use of public transit, as well as active transportation (walking and cycling) and carpooling.

In 2016, nearly one third, 31.4 per cent, of employed Canadians regularly used a mode of sustainable transportation to get to work — with 12.4 per cent using public transit, 12.1 per cent carpooling and 6.9 per cent walking or cycling to work.

Amongst the country’s largest cities, Vancouver had the second highest proportion of commuters using a form sustainable transportation — 40.6 per cent compared to Toronto at 42.5 per cent. However, the city has the highest proportion of people walking or cycling to work — 9.1 per cent compared to 7.2 per cent in Montreal and 6.7 per cent in Toronto.

Travel times are also increasing, which is being attributed mostly to public transit. Between 2011, when Statistics Canada first started collecting data on travel times, and 2016 one-way commuting times went up by 0.8 minutes nationally from an average of 25.4 minutes to 26.2. For those using public transit, commuting time increased by 1.9 minutes to 44.8 minutes.

The average commuting time went up by more than a minute in both Vancouver and Toronto. However, Vancouver still has the shortest average commute of Canada’s three largest cities at 29.7 minutes compared to 30 minutes in Montreal and 34 minutes in Toronto.

Jessica Kerr is a reporter with Vancouver Courier, a Glacier Community Media publication and sister paper to the North Shore News. Go to vancourier.com to read more.

@JessicaEKerr [email protected]

LETTER: No logic to ‘locals first’

North Shore News

November 20, 2017 07:30 AM

file photo Mike Wakefield

Dear Editor:

I am amazed that anyone in a position of authority should suggest, let alone consider, a “locals first” policy whereby residents of the North Shore would be given exclusive rights to buy new residential units for the first 60 days. related

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This is not only discriminatory but impractical if not counter-productive. What would happen if other cities did the same thing? Then, North Shore residents who want to live elsewhere would be prevented from doing so and be forced to stay and pay the high prices that are the problem this proposal is supposed to solve.

Fred Bruhn North Vancouver

North Shore's number one economic issue: transportation Traffic gridlock, commute times straining local workforce, major employers tell business forum

Jane Seyd / North Shore News

November 30, 2017 04:36 PM

Panelists at Wednesday's transportation forum included SFU professor and transportation expert Anthony Perl, TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond, Seaspan CEO Frank Buzelaar and Lance Richardson, vice-president of operations at Arc’teryx Equipment. photo Mike Wakefield

Traffic gridlock is seriously impacting North Shore businesses, but there’s no magic bullet solution, said speakers at a transportation forum Wednesday.

“Transportation is the No. 1 economic issue in North Vancouver,” said Patrick Stafford-Smith, CEO of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.

Much of that traffic is created by people who work on the North Shore but live elsewhere, said speakers.

To demonstrate commuting patterns, Stafford-Smith showed a recently created map with blue dots representing where workers of four representative North Shore employers live, scattered throughout the Lower Mainland, ranging from Squamish to White Rock and out into the Fraser Valley.

“This is not just contractors,” he said. “It’s white collar, blue collar.” This map created by the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and its economic partnership shows where employees of representative North Vancouver businesses live. - graphic supplied

The forum, attended by business leaders and politicians Wednesday morning, was hosted by the chamber and its economic partnership at Capilano University’s Bosa Centre.

As both an educational institution and a major North Shore employer, transportation is a significant issue for Capilano University, said Toran Savjord, vice-president of strategic planning for the university.

Kevin Desmond, chief executive officer for TransLink, said congestion is a problem throughout the Lower Mainland, but “we need to dig further into the data” to find out more about how people and goods are moving around the region. One thing that’s clear is more people are commuting to the North Shore for work now than away from it.

In the decade between 2005 and 2016, the volume of traffic heading south over the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing remained steady, said Desmond, while the volume of cars heading to the North Shore in the morning increased between 10 and 12 per cent.

That’s despite a recent increase in ridership of between two and seven per cent on buses heading over the bridges and a seven per cent increase in SeaBus boardings in the past year, said Desmond.

Meanwhile the Lions Gate and Second Narrows bridges still have the same combined nine lanes they were built with to absorb the extra traffic, he said.

Two North Vancouver employers described the transportation challenges they’ve faced getting employees to their work sites. Seaspan has added more than 1,000 employees to its workforce in recent years and 75 per cent of them don’t live on the North Shore, said France Buzelaar, chief executive officer. While the company has had success promoting carpooling and has been talking to TransLink about developing van pools, the shipyard at the base of Pemberton Avenue is not on any bus routes, he said, so many of the 1,300 workers on day shift there in North Vancouver have “very few options other than to commute by vehicle. By and large our people are driving to the North Shore every morning.”

Lance Richardson, vice-president of operations at Arc’teryx Equipment, said his company’s 450 North Vancouver employees face similar challenges.

About 75 per cent of those workers don’t live in North Vancouver, said Richardson, whether that’s because of housing affordability or other lifestyle factors like where an employee’s spouse works.

“There are too many days recently when people are in the coffee room wasting time complaining about the traffic mess,” he said. But the alternatives in getting to the head office on the Dollarton Highway aren’t great, he added. “It’s taking people an average of 55 minutes to get to the office by bus,” he said. “That’s a lot of commuting time.”

Desmond said every area of the Lower Mainland wants more transit. “Big ideas” – like bringing a SkyTrain to the North Shore by tunnel, floated by North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto, or building a rapid transit line here, put forward by North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite – get a lot of buzz in the media, said Desmond. “People really want to think big,” he said. “Thinking big comes with a price tag and a time dimension. That tunnel – you’re talking billions of dollars and years and years of development.”

While big ideas are welcome, “We also have to be thinking of today and tomorrow, let along the day after tomorrow,” he said.

Buses are viewed as “second best,” he said, but if there’s a good bus system, people will choose it. TransLink plans to have an east-west B-line bus running across the North Shore in place by 2019, along with a third SeaBus running on 10-minute intervals.

Desmond said other options like van pools, car sharing and ride hailing could all be part of the congestion solution.

Dr. Anthony Perl, a Simon Fraser University professor of urban studies who has examined transportation, echoed many of those comments.

“Everyone wants rapid transit,” he said. “Rail is seen as the gold standard.” But at the same time, “Those same people hate to pay for the taxes and tolls” which pay for that expensive transit infrastructure, he said. “We love the benefits of mobility but we hate to pay for them.” Perl said that mindset was evident in the 2015 referendum on TransLink funding that was defeated by voters. “It can be very risky for public officials to (ask the public to) pay now and get something later,” he said. Similarly, most people think the onus is on someone else to solve the gridlock problem, he said, imagining, “if the other person who is beside me hogging this road were to disappear on to a bus that would automatically solve the problem.” But “it’s not just about getting someone else to do something,” he said. “We’re all in it together.” North Shore stakeholders weigh in on mobility pricing

Jane Seyd / North Shore News

November 17, 2017 10:24 AM

Addressing traffic gridlock is one of the goals of the mobility pricing commission. file photo Mike Wakefield

Trying to get more people out of their cars during gridlocked rush hour on the North Shore is a laudable goal. But doing that when reasonable transit options aren’t available and charging those who can least afford it more to drive aren’t good options either.

Those were among the dilemmas that a handful of North Shore stakeholders grappled with recently as they sat down to discuss ideas for road, vehicle or congestion tolls being considered by a mobility pricing commission.

The session held at North Vancouver’s Holiday Inn Nov. 8 was one of several invitation-only discussions with stakeholders being held throughout the Lower Mainland as the commission gathers information that will go into a final report and recommendations next spring.

All of those gathered agreed that traffic congestion is a big problem on the North Shore, but didn’t see easy answers on what to do about it.

“There are a lot of people who want to make changes to help this … they are not provided with solutions,” said Sylvain Celaire of Modo car sharing. A lack of dedicated bus lanes means buses also frequently get stuck in gridlock, said Alison Morse, representing ferry travellers from Bowen Island. Stakeholders also pointed to a lack of buses that cross the entire North Shore and a lack of park-and-ride lots that would make taking transit partway to destinations more feasible for many people.

Transportation patterns are being driven by a lack of affordable housing, which also impacts businesses trying to hire staff, said Carol Reimer of North Vancouver’s integrated transportation committee. “Whenever I think of this topic I think about the poor folks who are moving out (of the North Shore) to have a family,” said Reimer.

Morse added if the committee considers taxing larger vehicles as a way to encourage smaller, fuel-efficient choices and cut down on pollution, it will end up penalizing families.

“You’ve got the family who can only afford one car. They’ve got the dog and four kids. They’re not going to be in the Smart car,” she said.

Most of those gathered agreed people with lower incomes and less flexible work schedules could end up getting hit harder with any mobility pricing unless there are good alternatives.

“Being poor is extremely expensive and time-consuming,” said Celaire.

North Shore residents are among those spending the most time stuck in traffic in Metro Vancouver and are feeling the most frustrated about its impact on their lives, according to another study done by the Mobility Pricing Independent Commission.

About 30 per cent of the time people spend driving in rush hour in the Lower Mainland is spent sitting in traffic snarls, according to the commission’s preliminary research.

North Shore drivers are among the worst affected, along with residents of Langley, the study found.

The public can register their thoughts about what to do about traffic gridlock by logging on to the commission’s website at itstimemv.ca.

Early online results (which change as more people respond to the survey) showed that more than 70 per cent of those answering said congestion makes travel to and from the North Shore difficult. More than 85 per cent of respondents rated improvements to transit as an important goal, while 67 per cent pointed to the need to improve roads and transportation infrastructure. About 67 per cent said it should cost less to drive in areas with fewer transit options.

North Vancouver's Chemtrade plant shut down for two weeks of repairs

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 21, 2017 04:47 PM

Chemtrade Eletrochem Inc., formerly Canexus, on Dollarton Highway in North Vancouver. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

Chemtrade Electrochem is shutting down its North Vancouver chlor-alkali plant for two weeks while it deals with an “operating issue.”

The company, formerly known as Canexus, issued a release on Monday alerting its customers that it would be unable to meet some orders.

“This unscheduled shutdown is the result of an issue known at the time the plant was acquired as part of the purchase of Canexus and is scheduled to be permanently fixed in April 2018 during a planned turnaround,” the release stated.

Prior to the shutdown, the plant had been setting production records, according to the company.

The plant produces industrial caustic soda, chlorine and hydrochloric acid.

The company estimates the shutdown will result in a loss of earnings of $7 to $8 million. North Vancouver condo proposal includes Cap U student housing

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 17, 2017 04:37 PM

An artist’s rendering shows how new townhouses on Purcell Way may look if District of North Vancouver council approves a project now before them. photo supplied District of North Vancouver council is considering a new condo project that, if approved, would include the first ever purpose-built housing for Capilano University students. Facing “serious, immediate and expensive infrastructure and maintenance issues” that could cost upwards of $100,000 per unit, the owners of a 40-year-old, 90-unit strata complex at 1923 Purcell Way voted to dissolve their strata and sell the land. Woodbridge Northwest Homes is now looking to build 124 condo units, 60 townhouses and another 60 microsuites which would be owned by Capilano University and rented exclusively to their students. The property would hold two six-storey buildings and three four-storey townhouse buildings. The plan also includes 276 parking spaces (although none for the students), and space for 408 bicycles, including one per student housing unit. The student housing units would be approximately 200 square feet with room for a bed and a desk, as well as micro kitchen and private bathroom. Student residents would also have communal spaces for laundry and studying. While the student housing building would be on campus-owned land along Greg Lee Way, 1,217 square feet of land would have to be transferred to the university and rezoned for the deal to go through. If approved, the developer will provide new residents with a bus pass as well as pay for improvements to nearby bus shelters and trails. The district would also receive $1,698,940 in community amenity contributions for the redevelopment. In a letter sent to council by the strata council last year, the owners characterized their decision to sell as a difficult one but the best option available to them. “The support for this redevelopment has not been an easy decision on the part of our ownership. It does not represent a financial windfall. The payout will range from $295,000 to $388,000 per unit. For owners who have recently purchased into the complex and/or invested in renovations, this may result in a loss. For all 90 owners, this was an unforeseen and unplanned circumstance, with implications beyond financial,” strata president Penny Chester wrote. At least one of the holdouts not wanting to sell turned out to council Nov. 6 to decry the “unfair” process that had led them there. Jodie Bergeron said the developer’s offer was based on the assumption that the district would not increase the density allowed on the site. “The community that makes up the owners of this complex are retired fixed-income people, single parents, single individuals with one income, parents with small children, individuals with compromised abilities and disabilities and a few that fall outside those parameters. There is little chance any of us can afford to stay here regardless of the diversity or mix of unit stiles. We’ll be priced out of North Van and the Lower Mainland completely if this goes through,” she said. The public is invited to have their say on the redevelopment at a public hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 21. North Vancouver residents in turf war with football club over proposed playing field

Addition of a second soccer pitch would mean losing a popular forested area

By Tamara Rahmani, CBC News Posted: Nov 30, 2017 10:30 PM PT Last Updated: Nov 30, 2017 11:51 PM PT

The District of North Vancouver introduced a plan last summer for a second soccer field near Lynn Creek which would allow for future soccer tournaments, but require extensive tree removal. A decision is expected in early 2018. (The District of North Vancouver)

A proposed new sports field in North Vancouver is pitting soccer players against residents who don't want any more trees cut down in Lynnmour, a fast-growing neighbourhood near Lynn Creek.

The District of North Vancouver says it will decide in early 2018 whether to add a new sports field near an existing soccer pitch — which requires clearing a forested area — or simply upgrade the existing field.

Michelle Silver of the Inter River Community Association opposes a second sports field.

"I want the forest to remain intact, non-negotiable," she said.

North Vancouver resident Michelle Silver opposes cutting down more trees near Inter River Park. ( Inter River Park Community Association Facebook Page)

She says community members have been fighting since the early '90s to preserve the forest.

"This small forest in that kind of densified area is an opportunity for people to be able to have access to a forested area within all of this urbanization."

Stuart Ince, president of the North Vancouver Football Club, is lobbying for a second field. He said there are other places residents can go to enjoy a walk the woods.

"There is a significant walking area that runs on both sides of the river in Brigman Park," Ince said. "I walk my dog down there all the time."

Ince says the club's 3,700 members don't have many choices for fields, especially compared to other clubs in the region.

"We have traditionally had the lowest ratio of field-to-players in the whole of the Lower Mainland," Ince said. "Until just recently we've only had four fields."

The club has started using the newly constructed Fen Burdett Stadium in North Vancouver, and a training pitch is expected to be built at Kirkstone Park in the new year, but that is still not enough, Ince said.

A30 | LOOK nsnews.com north shore news FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017 Fashion show highlights Serbian style

CHRISTINE LYON in Sarajevo. She later moved adorned with floral embroi- [email protected] production to Belgrade in the dery, to $499 for a printed 1990s and grew her small busi- oversized coat. Winter wardrobes needn’t ness into a fashion brand. Over the past year, Abkari be as dreary as the The line is stocked in has recruited her daughter weather. major fashion stores in and her daughter’s high Serbian fashion label Ivko Europe and the U.S., but school friends to put on an is known for creating brightly Canadian shoppers will have a Ivko fashion presentation at coloured clothing for every hard time getting their hands their home in order to show- season, and its fall/winter on Ivko apparel. case the line to interested 2017 collection is no differ- That’s where North buyers. “They just do an awe- ent. Designed in Belgrade, Vancouver resident Neda some job,” Abkari says. the line of women’s clothing Abkari comes in. Abkari This weekend, the teens and accessories specializes recently launched a retail are putting on their third Ivko in knitted garments made website that sells Ivko cloth- fashion show and the public is from natural fabrics and fibres ing to the Western Canadian invited to come take a look at (such as cotton, linen, silk and market. the latest collection. wool). The pieces are often “It’s a very unique type of The event takes place embellished with intricate clothing. I mean, it’s unusual Saturday, Nov. 18, 5-8 p.m. embroidery, folk motifs and in Vancouver because there’s at 695 Kerry Place, North artisanal prints. lots of colours,” she says. Vancouver. RSVP to Neda Ivko was established in Prices in range from C$135 604-312-8080. 1986 when Danica Komnenic for a tank top, to $388 for a Shop Abkari’s website at opened a small knitting shop merino wool jacquard jacket hermisapparel.com.

Friends from Handsworth Secondary model some of the garments by Serbian fashion label 2018 BoardofDirectors’Election Ivko that will be shown Saturday evening. PHOTO CINDY GOODMAN Call fornominations

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU MANAGINGRESIDENTIALWOODSMOKE IN The Nominations and Election Committeeisseeking METROVANCOUVER Vancitymemberstofillthree directorpositions in the 2018 election. Each position is forathree-yearterm, Metro Vancouver is seeking inputonintroducing aphased approach to regulatingresidential woodsmoke emissions from indoor residential wood commencing afterthe AnnualGeneral Meeting on burning in the region. Tuesday, May8,2018. Metro Vancouver will be holding events in November and December 2017for businesses, health experts,and members of the public to provide Prospectivecandidatesare stronglyencouraged to feedback about the proposals. attend an information session which willbeheldat 6:00 pm on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at Vancity Thursday, 4–6pmPinetree Community Centre November 16 (Room7), 1260 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam Centre, 183TerminalAvenue, Vancouver. Please contact Monday, 4–6pmMarpole-Oakridge Community Centre the GovernanceDepartment at 604.877.7595 by no later November 20 (Club Room), 990 W59th Ave, Vancouver than 12 noon, Tuesday, December 5, 2017 to register for Tuesday, 4–6pmDelbrooke Community Centre this session. November 21 (Maple Room), 851 WQueens Rd, NorthVancouver Thursday, 4–6pmSurrey City CentrePublic Library Prospectivecandidatesare required to submit November 23 (Dr.AmbedkarRm418),10350UniversityDr, Surrey Monday, 4–6pmRichmond Library and Cultural Centre confirmation of their intention to run by no later November 27 (Atrium), 7700 Minoru Gate,Richmond than noon on Wednesday, January 10, 2018. Interviews Tuesday, 4–6pmBonsor RecreationComplex willbescheduled shortlythereafter. December5 (Arts Room), 6550 Bonsor Ave, Burnaby Specific details about running forelection canbe Please send comments to [email protected] call 604-432-6200byJanuary 15, 2018. found in the Candidates’ Package posted on our Comments received afterJanuary 15, 2018 may be takeninto consideration website, vancity.com. until the MVRDBoardmakes adecision about abylawregulatingwood smoke emissions from indoor residential woodburning. To ﬁnd out more: www.metrovancouver.organd search “residential woodsmoke”.

VOLUNTEER DRIVERS NEEDED! MakeGood Money(TM) is atrademark of Vancouver CitySavingsCredit Union. For more information call 604-515-5400 or visit volunteercancerdrivers.ca A12 | PULSE nsnews.com north shore news FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 ARTSCALENDAR

! Young The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Theatre on Granville Island, P Nov. 26 at 3 p.m. 31. Tickets $35/$29/$18. For more information visit carouseltheatre.ca

BEN BENGTSON [email protected]

In the classic children’s fantasy novel Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Susan, Edmund, and Lucy discover an old wardrobe that leads to an enchanted land. For stage crafter Shizuka Kai, SILK ROAD MUSIC Conductor Janna Sailor leads RESPECT YOUR UNIVERSE Mosaic artist Jason THE MAGIC OF SEVEN Ann Mortifee celebrates when she ditched acting the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra and Silk Road Dussault has joined forces with Vancouver-based athletic her 70th birthday with two special concerts at Christ and decided to focus on Music ensembles in Thread at the Orpheum Annex on apparel company RYU in a new collection that will make Church Cathedral (690 Burrard St.) on Nov. 30 and Dec. Saturday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. Tickets: $20, $30, $50. For more its debut at Respect Your Universe Metrotown on Dec. 3 1 at 7:30 p.m. Doors 7 p.m. To order tickets visit magic-of- set design she was thrilled to be the one crafting the information visit vicothread.bpt.me. (ryu.com/collaboration). seven.eventbrite.ca. PHOTOS SUPPLIED enchanted lands on the other side. Galleries CAROUNARTGALLERY p.m. nvartscouncil.ca 300 local artists priced at $100 silver sculptural work is on display BRUSHSTROKESGALLERY 1403 Bewicke Ave., North CENTENNIALTHEATRE Inviting: Through glasswork and for each piece until Dec. 16. until Nov. 27. the whole stor 123 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver. Tuesday to Saturday, 2300 Lonsdale Ave., North mixed media Larissa Blokhuis DISTRICTFOYERGALLERY DISTRICTLIBRARYGALLERY together in terms of the Vancouver. Wednesday-Sunday noon to 8 p.m. 778-372-0765 Vancouver. 604-984-4484 nvrc. has created an installation that 355 West Queens Rd., North 1277 Lynn Valley Rd., North actors, the lights, the sets, and statutory holidays from noon caroun.net ca/centennial-theatre celebrates the relationships that Vancouver. Monday-Friday, 8:30 Vancouver. nvartscouncil.ca the costumes – when it to 6 p.m. nsartists.ca Calligraphy Painting Exhibition: Rotating Exhibit: Members of fungi and trees have with each a.m.-4:30 p.m. 604-988-6844 You are Here Calendar: Original comes together it just feels $100, $200, $300 Show: North Works by Shahram Gholyan on the North Shore Photographic other until Dec. 4. nvartscouncil.ca images included in the 2018 right Shore Artists’ Guild is selling display Dec. 1-3. Society exhibit a variety of work CITYSCAPECOMMUNITY Lost Birds and Small Things: calendar created by 12 local And usually the audience works until Dec. 30. Eight Year Art Show: A CAG by different members in an ARTSPACE Marisa Mary Myrah’s art focusing artists depicting North Shore loves the show when that BOWENISLANDMUSEUM celebration with works by various ongoing rotating exhibit in the 335 Lonsdale Ave., North on endangered songbirds and scenes are being exhibited until happens,” Kai says of her ANDARCHIVES artists Dec. 6-14. lobby. Vancouver. Monday-Friday, their habitat is on display until Dec. 11. philosophy when it comes 1014 Miller Rd., Bowen Island. 604- Annual Photography Exhibition: CITYATRIUMGALLERY 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 604-988-6844 Nov. 27. FERRYBUILDINGGALLERY to theatrical design that 947-2655 [email protected] Works by the Caroun Photo 141 West 14th St., North nvartscouncil.ca Zippers: Miaad Eshraghi’s 1414 Argyle Ave., West Vancouver. ensnar bowenislandmuseum.ca Club are on display Dec. 16-30. Vancouver. Monday-Friday, Anonymous Art Show: Choose artwork using different metal leaves people with a sense of See more page 14 Opening reception: Dec. 16, 4-8 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. 604-988-6844 from 738 works of art from over smithing techniques to create wonder

PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING Theatr production of Aredevelopment is being proposed for1210to1260 W16th Street, to Witch and the W construct two, four-storey residential buildings. Yo uare invited to ameeting needsVolunteersfor to discuss the project. Date: WednesdayNovember 29, 2017 theNorth Shore... Time: 6:30 to 8:30pm Location of meeting: Chief JoeMathias Centre, Eslha7an Room It’s SAFE! It’s EASY! It’s FUN!

The applicant proposes to rezone the sitefromsingle-familyzoning to a comprehensivedevelopment zone to permit atotal of 62 units.One building Howitworks Between 9pmand 3am, volunteers working in teams of will be amarketstratawith 31 units and the other with 31 rental units.Inboth three people,will be the designated drivers to escort car owners andtheir buildings,units range in sizebetween 567 to 993 squarefeet and include one levelofunderground parking to be accessed from the laneway, with 88 spaces. cars home safely.The service is FREE, but donations arewelcome. Volunteeryourselforasateamofthree with adriver, an escort anda navigator or as adispatchoperator Choose anight: November 24, 25, December 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16 &31

Call Rudy’s volunteerhotline 604-319-9075 for avolunteer formor checkthe website: operationrednosenorthshore.com or email: [email protected]

Information packages arebeing distributed to residents within 100meter radius Brought to you by the RotaryClubs of the North Shore. Donations support youth programs in North of the site. If youwould liketoreceiveacopyorifyou would likemoreinformation, and West Vancouver.FollowORN on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ORNNorthShore contact Darren Veresofthe CommunityPlanning Department at 604-990-2487 or Simon Richards of Cornerstone Architectureat604-253-8800 ext301 or bring your questions and comments to the meeting.

This is not aPublic Hearing. DNV Council will receiveareportfromstaff on issues raised at the meeting and will formallyconsider the proposal at alater date. A16 | COMMUNITY nsnews.com north shore news WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

An artist’s rendering shows how the new St. Thomas Aquinas will look from Keith Road, Principal John Campbell chats construction plans with students Adam Pizzolon and Maria complete with new sidewalks. The $26-million project will provide students with a bigger Altamirano. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD gym and an arts centre. IMAGE SUPPLIED St. Thomas Aquinas set to open new school building by 2019

JEREMY SHEPHERD [email protected] The catalyst for the $26-mil- 250 student. STA currently has day, Campbell said. from Angus and Margaret year,” Campbell said. lion construction project was an enrolment of more than With thicker windows, bet- Reid, who donated $1 mil- Asked how the school St. Thomas Aquinas stu- a seismic assessment of the 600. ter insulation and hot water lion, and Clement and Docile accommodates students dur- dents shouldn’t have any nearly 60-year-old school The school’s convent, heating provided by Lonsdale Pelletier, who contributed ing construction, Campbell trouble finding their new building. which is on a heritage list, is Energy Corporation, the new $900,000. chuckled. school. “The building code back set to be split with band and STA should be much more Those donations were “Very carefully,” he said. Workers recently broke then is substantially different drama taking either end of energy-efficient. “essential,” Campbell said, “We had all of our sidewalks ground on the new STA, which than it is today,” Campbell the building. The project also “We’ve been told that’s explaining the Diocese was ripped out the first day of is set to be located beside the noted. includes new common space going to be a huge cost sav- willing to match the school school when we got back so current school and behind the Given the cost of a major for students and a highly ings,” he said, discussing the dollar for dollar if they could we’ve been really challenged convent, which is slated to be seismic upgrade, leadership anticipated double gym. link to LEC. raise an additional $3 million. with access to the school.” transformed into a performing at the school decided “it just While students have “made The project was funded The school continues to Campbell said he’s hoping arts centre. made more sense” to rebuild, do,” in part by taking physical through the school’s archdio- raise funds for the project. to open the doors of the brand “We’re hoping to open according to Campbell, who education at Mahon Park, the cese, community supporters Given increasing costs in new STA in September 2019. in 2019,” principal John noted the school was origi- school’s old gym is generally and regional parishes. salaries and utilities, “tuition “Everybody’s pulling together Campbell reported. nally built to accommodate double booked throughout the The school also got a boost kind of gets bumped up every to make this a reality.”

NotiCLceICKTofOEPrDITMoposASTERTedITLE

Property Disposition Rain?Mud?Dress up? Dressdown? Blundstone bootstakeitall in stride. Mountain Highway Interchange ImprovementProject Tryall-season, all-terrain,all-world In accordancewithSection 26 of the Blundstoneboots. Laces? Who Community Charter, theDistrictofNorth needs‘em? Vancouver givesnoticeofits intentionto

transfertoHer Majestythe Queen in rightof #1306 The Chisel Toe theProvinceofBritish Columbia,as in Rustic Brown. represented by theMinistryofTransportation $219.95 and Infrastructure (the “Ministry”)the lands BLUNDSTONE.CA shadedinred and labelledas“Subject Property” on themap, forthe purposeof thenew MountainHighway interchange improvementsbeing constructedbythe Ministry. TheSubjectProperty has an area of 263,162 squarefeet (6.04acres)moreor less. Thetransferofthe SubjectProperties Monday, November 20 to theMinistryrepresentsthe District’s contributiontowards theMountainHighway 3:00-5:00pm interchangeimprovement projectwhich said projectbenefits theDistrict. Choices North Vancouver 801 Marine Drive If youhaveany questions pleasecontactJanine Ryder,Manager – Real Estate and Properties, ComplimentaryNaturopathic Consults at 604-990-2455 or email [email protected]. With Dr.Sarah Wulkan, ND,North Shore Wellness Centre

Free 15 consults, registration required dnv.org @www.choicesmarkets.com/events NVanDistrict @NVanDistrict /Choices_Markets WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017 north shore news nsnews.com NEWS | A11

Notice of ProposedRoad Closure&PrCLICKoperTOty DiEDsposiIT tion Gaspe Place&MASTERMt.SeyTITLEmour Parkway Bylaw8248, 2017 In accordance with section26ofthe Community Charter, the DistrictofNorth Vancouvergives notice of itsintention to close Foliage pushes a pedestrian to the edge of the sidewalk in Moodyville. City of North Vancouver staff recorded 3,000 encroachments on public land, 266 are considered severe. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD to trafficthe portion of road allowanceshownoutlined belowas “ClosedRoad” and remove thededicationofthisportion as Voluntary compliance highway. This portion of road allowanceis465.7 square metres.

rate ‘pathetic’: Coun. Bell TheBylaw closingthe road allowanceand removing the dedicationwill be considered by Councilatits regularmeeting From page 1 program,” explaining that trespassing hedges add to limited enforcement has led the charm of a boulevard, at theDistrictHall, 355 West Queens Road,North Vancouver, Coun. Craig Keating, who to more encroachments and Coun. Holly Back said. on December 11,2017at7:00pm. Persons whoconsider they encouraged resolving the severe impacts. “If they’re encroaching areaffectedbythe bylawwill be provided an opportunity to issue through discussion. In the case of encroach- but they’re not a problem, Property owners are ments, the city sends a letter what’s our concern?” she make representations to Councilatthe meeting or by encouraged to maintain city- requesting compliance to asked. deliveringawrittensubmission to theMunicipalClerk by owned boulevards in “some the property owner in ques- Coun. Don Bell requested 4:00 pm on that date. kind of esthetically pleasing tion, warning that they can a report on the success – or fashion,” Keating pointed remove the encroachment lack thereof – of the program out. 30 days after the letter’s in 2018. TheDistrictofNorth Vancouverthen intendstotransferthe “Unless and until the city delivery. “The ratio that they’ve feesimpleinterestin: wants to take its own entire “Because of limited staff had of voluntary compliance responsibility for all those time . . . there are rarely at 36 per cent is pathetic.” (a)The ClosedRoad;and, lands that it owns . . . I think repercussions for property Any hedge that spills onto (b)Lots 16 &17Block 5ofBlocks 1to4,DistrictLot 622,Plan we should work in a co-oper- owners who do not comply,” the sidewalk needs to be ative way.” the report noted. cleaned up quickly, accord- 2866shownoutlined belowas“Lots 16 &17”, The encroachments The city’s management ing to Bell. can also be costly. City program could stand to “I think those need to be to 1091821 B.C. Ltd. forthe purposeofconsolidationwiththe staff attributed a $65,000 be a bit more aggressive, done and I don’t think we adjacentlandsshownoutlined below as “Adjacent Lands”.This cost overrun on the East according to Mayor Darrell need to stretch those over 10 Keith Road segment of the Mussatto. years,” he said. dispositionissubjecttoadoptionofabylawtorezone the Green Necklace to “resolv- “I’d like to see it acceler- Coun. Rod Clark noted proposedconsolidated parcel. ing encroachment related ated just a little bit because the “considerable cost” issues.” in my world, the public taxpayers would face if the Therezoning bylawhas yettobeintroducedand opportunities City staff requested realm is more important city tried to remove all the $50,000 in the city’s 2018 than the private realm,” he offending hedges and walls forpublic participation and consultation including apublic budget for a “landscape said. within the next 12 to 24 hearingwill be provided priortoCouncilconsideringadoption encroachment management However, some of those months. of thebylaws.

TheDistrictofNorth Vancouverwill receivethe market valueof $4,700,000 forthe feesimpletitle to theselands.

People who could benet should: •Take prescribedmedication for memory loss •Be50yearsorolderand in general goodhealth •Have astudy partner they see at least 10 hoursper week

You may qualify to participate in astudy and receive: •All study-related medication and medical care at no cost •MRI and PET scansofthe brain to assist in determining the cause of memory loss If youhaveany questions pleasecontactLenia Calico, •Anallowance toward studyrelated expenses •The opportunity to participate in PropertyServicesAgent – Real Estate and Propertiesat research for yourself and futuregenerations 604-990-2277oremail [email protected].

NVanDistrict @NVanDistrict SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 north shore news nsnews.com | A9

NSN STORY: SUV Driver Strikes Senior in Delbrook Crosswalk (Nov. 19 news story) Steve Lloyd (at nsnews.com): Sadly, I had just two days before (Wednesday, Nov. 15) sent an email to the District of North Vancouver engineering department about this crosswalk. I’ve seen way too many very close calls with cars and pedestrians there over the years. The Proposed* combination of no overhead lighted crosswalk signal, no cones to limit cars from staying too close to the curb (allowing northbound traffic to pass in the crosswalk), vehicles travelling at speeds far above the legal limit, dark/weather and poorly marked clothing is a recipe for tragedy.

NSN STORY: TransLink Fare Change Could Mean Cheaper SeaBus Rides (Nov. 22 news story) Helen Zaparniuk (on Facebook): On the SeaBus you only go from A to B. You should not be charged a two-zone fee. But if you want to access transit on either side you should have the option to pay the fee then (as a two-zone).

Follow us and have your say: Facebook: North Shore News, Twitter: @NorthShoreNews *Provided by applicant forillustrative purposes only. Theactualdevelopment,ifapproved, maydiffer. Get this fixed so we can feel confident What changes? Bylaw8278 proposes to amend the OCPland usedesignation of the subject paying for parts we’ve never heard of properties from Residential Level 2: Detached Residential (RES2)toResidential Level 4: TransitionMultifamily (RES4)and to designate thesepropertiesas From page 8 remember that it was very And I know there are many Development Permit Areas forFormand Character and Energy and Water important to get those gaps others like me, so it’s kind Conservation and GHGEmissionReduction. Bylaw8256 proposes to amend know. In high school I took a just right. If it was supposed of nice to realize that there the District’s Zoning Bylawbycreating anew ComprehensiveDevelopment small-engine repair class. All to be 5/8th of a millimetre, may be some folks fighting I remember is we had this and you somehow screwed over how incredibly fair they Zone 111 (CD111)and rezone the subjectsitefromSingle-Family Residential ring of little tabs of various it all up and made it 9/16th, are being to their customers. Edgemont Zone (RSE) to CD111.The CD111 Zone addressesuse,density, widths that we would have your lawn mower would Keep up the fighting, amenities,height, setbacks, sitecoverage, acousticrequirements,landscaping to slide into tiny gaps to immediately explode, killing guys! Let’s get to the bottom and parking. make sure that they were dozens of awkward teenage of this. Just make sure that When can Ispeak? just the right size. Damned boys. you don’t nick up any of We welcome your input Tuesday,December 5, 2017, at 7pm. Youcan speak in if I can remember what we What I’m saying is, I your cars in the battle – that were measuring though. wouldn’t know a crooked stuff is crazy expensive to personbysigning up at the hearing, or youcan provideawritten submissionto Spark plugs? Drive shafts? repair job even if it kicked fix. the Municipal [email protected] or by mail to Municipal Clerk, District of Rim jobs? I don’t know. I just me right in the ball joints. [email protected] NorthVancouver,355 West Queens Road, NorthVancouver,BC, V7N4N5, beforethe conclusionofthe hearing. Pleasenote that Council maynot receivefurther submissions from the public QUOTES OF THE WEEK: concerning thisapplication after the conclusionofthe public hearing. Need more info? It’s not like fixing your dad’s Oldsmobile.” Relevant backgroundmaterialand copies of the bylaws areavailablefor review — Craftsman Collision chief operating officer Rick Hatswell explaining how expensive at the Municipal Clerk’s Office or onlineatdnv.org/public_hearing from specialized tools required to fix modern day vehicles are (from a Nov. 22 news story). November 7toDecember 5. Office hours areMonday to Friday 8amto 4:30 pm,except statutoryholidays. We knew we had the law on our side.” Whocan Ispeak to? — North Vancouver documentary filmmaker Gary Charbonneau reacts after winning a case If youhavequestions on the development proposal, pleasecontact against him by the Vancouver Aquarium in provincial court (from a Nov. 19 news story). Emel Nordin,Development Planner,at604-990-2347 or [email protected]

This is going to sound a bit corny, but it’s going to be magical.”

— Lower Lonsdale Business Improvement Area executive director Greg Holmes announces a ferris wheel will delight guests Dec. 2-3 at the Shipyards (from a Nov. 19 news story). dnv.org/public_hearing NVanDistrict @NVanDistrict SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 north shore news nsnews.com | A11 PUBLIC HEARINGS Tuesday,November 28, 2017, at 7pm

District of North Vancouver Municipal Hall 355WestQCLueensICKTRoOEad,NDIorTMth VaASTERncouver,BCTITLE Twopublic hearings will occurconsecutively in theorder noted below.

3030 Sunnyhurst Road 2932 ChesterfieldAvenue Three Unit TownhouseProject Four Unit TownhouseProject What: What: APublic Hearingfor Bylaw8239, aproposed amendmenttothe Zoning APublic Hearingfor Bylaw8249, aproposed amendmenttothe Zoning Bylaw, to permitthe development of athree unittownhouseproject. Bylaw, to permitthe development of afour unittownhouseproject.

What changes? What changes? Bylaw8239 proposes to amend theDistrict’sZoning Bylawbyrezoning the Bylaw8249 proposes to amend theDistrict’sZoning Bylawbycreatinga subjectsitefromResidentialSingle-Family 6000 Zone (RS4)to new Comprehensive Development Zone 110 (CD110) and rezone the Comprehensive Development Zone 51 (CD51).Further,thisbylaw subjectsitefromResidentialSingle-Family 6000 Zone (RS4)to proposes to amend CD51toaddresssize, shape and siting regulations and Comprehensive Development Zone 110 (CD110).The CD110 Zone amenities specific to theproposed development on thesubjectsite. addressesuse,density, amenities,setbacks,height,coverage, landscaping and parking. Whocan Ispeak to? If youhavequestions on thedevelopment proposal,pleasecontact Whocan Ispeak to? Emel Nordin,Development Planner,at604-990-2347 or [email protected] If youhavequestions on thedevelopment proposal,pleasecontact Emel Nordin,Development Planner,at604-990-2347 or [email protected]

Proposed* Proposed*

*Provided by applicant forillustrative purposes only. *Provided by applicant forillustrative purposes only. Theactual development,ifapproved, maydiffer. Theactual development,ifapproved, maydiffer.

Howcan Iprovide input? We welcomeyour input Tuesday,November 28, 2017, at 7pm. Youcan speak in personbysigning up at thehearing, or youcan provideawrittensubmission to theMunicipal [email protected] or by mail to Municipal Clerk, District of NorthVancouver,355 West Queens Road, NorthVancouver,BC, V7N4N5, beforethe conclusion of thehearing.

Pleasenotethat Council maynot receive further submissions from thepublic concerning this applicationafter theconclusion of thepublic hearing.

Need more info? Relevant background material and copies of thebylaw areavailablefor reviewatthe Municipal Clerk’sOffice or onlineatdnv.org/public_hearingfrom November 7toNovember 28, 2017. Office hoursare Monday to Friday 8amto4:30pm, except statutoryholidays.

dnv.org/public_hearing

NVanDistrict @NVanDistrict A20 | nsnews.com north shore news WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017 PUBLIC HEARINGS Tuesday,November 21, 2017, at 7pm

District of North Vancouver Municipal Hall 355WestQCLueensICKTRoOEad,NDIorTMth VaASncouverTERT,BCITLE Twopublic hearingswill occurconsecutively in theorder noted below. 1923 PurcellWay &CapilanoUniversity RemovalofDensity Bonus for What: Multi-Family &Student Housing Energy PerformanceProvisions APublic Hearingfor Bylaws 8262 and 8263, proposed amendmentstothe from theZoning Bylaw Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw, to permitthe development of multi- family and student housing. What: What changes? Bylaw8262 proposes to amend theOCP land usedesignationofthe small APublic Hearingfor Bylaw8273 that proposes to deletesection 4C03 portion of 1923 PurcellWay identifiedinthe drawingbelow from Residential DensityBonus forEnergy Performanceand associated references from Level 5: Low DensityApartment (RES5)toInstitutional.Bylaw 8263proposes District of NorthVancouver Zoning Bylaw3210, 1965. to amend theDistrict’sZoning Bylawbycreatinganew Comprehensive Development Zone 109 (CD109) and rezone 1923 PurcellWay from Low Rise Whatchanges? ResidentialZone 1(RL1) to Comprehensive Development Zone 109 (CD109). TheCD109 Zone addressesuse,density, amenities,setbacks,sitecoverage, buildingheight,landscaping and parking. Bylaw8263 also proposes to rezone TheZoning Bylaw currently permits amodestincreaseinfloorspacefor thesmall portion of 1923 PurcellWay identifiedinthe drawingbelow to Public enhanced energy performanceinbuildings.The Provincial government Assembly (PA) to facilitatethe construction of astudent housingproject. has enactedthe Building Act and BC Energy Step Code in an effort to standardize buildingregulations across theProvince.Asaresult,local Whocan Ispeak to? regulations that deal with matters addressedinthe BC Building Code, If youhavequestions on thedevelopment proposal,pleasecontact such as theDistrict’sDensityBonus forEnergy Performancecontained Tamsin Guppy,Development Planner,at604-990-2391 or [email protected] in itsZoning Bylaw, will havenoeffect afterDecember 15, 2017. This bylawproposes to deletethe DensityBonus forEnergy Performance provisions from theZoning Bylaw.

Who can Ispeak to?

If youhavequestions on thedevelopment proposal,pleasecontact BrettDwyer,Manager – Development Services,at604-990-2247 or [email protected]

Proposed*

*Provided by applicant for illustrative purposes only. Theactual development, if approved,may differ. Howcan Iprovide input?

We welcomeyour input Tuesday,November 21, 2017, at 7pm. Youcan speak in personbysigning up at thehearing, or youcan provideawrittensubmission to theMunicipal [email protected] or by mail to Municipal Clerk, District of NorthVancouver,355 West Queens Road, NorthVancouver,BC, V7N4N5, beforethe conclusion of thehearing.

Please notethat Council maynot receive further submissions from thepublic concerning this applicationafter theconclusion of thepublic hearing.

Need more info? Relevant background material and copies of thebylawsare availablefor reviewatthe Municipal Clerk’sOffice or onlineatdnv.org/public_hearingfrom November 7toNovember 21, 2017. Office hoursare MondaytoFriday 8amto4:30pm, except statutoryholidays.

dnv.org/public_hearing

NVanDistrict @NVanDistrict EDITORIAL: Organized climb

North Shore News

November 30, 2017 06:00 PM

file photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News

There will be no adventure tourists climbing the Lions Gate Bridge any time soon. Not legally, at least. The province confirmed this week it rejected a local entrepreneur’s proposal to offer organized climbs up the service ladders inside the main support towers.

The rationale given by the transportation minister was that the government would not support a “private company requesting the ongoing use of a major piece of public infrastructure for commercial gain.” related

 Province rejects Lions Gate Bridge climbing business  Ministry mulls Lions Gate Bridge climbing biz

Much of the province’s revenue comes from licensing the use of Crown assets. Using the minister’s logic, there should be no ski resorts on the North Shore. That too is commercializing our collective assets for private gain. But it also brings in millions of dollars in revenue and employs hundreds of people.

The B.C. Liberals have been quick to seize on the rejection as being just another example of the NDP choosing to be unfriendly to small business and entrepreneurs. It’s hard to argue with them.

We didn’t find much love for the bridge climbing idea among our readers and the online commentariat, many of whom raised issues of safety and liability. It’s true, people at the top could be seen by motorists below and that may indeed be a distraction, which no one wants. And we never did get to see detailed plans on how rescues could be carried out inside the tower or at the top.

But the province’s rejection was on principle. Not for practical reasons. Risks can be mitigated. Liability can be waived.

And, with or without an organized climbing business, those same risks exist right now, regardless.

We heard from a few rogue, amateur climbers who have made their way to the top without supervision or safety equipment.

Perhaps the province could have used some revenue to pay for security measures the bridge is already lacking. Ottawa asks public to weigh in on rules for marijuana producers North Vancouver, West Vancouver municipalities want provincial pot regulations similar to liquor

Jane Seyd / North Shore News

November 24, 2017 07:04 AM

Both the province and Ottawa are consulting the public about proposed regulations for marijuana legalization in 2018. photo Paul McGrath

North Shore residents should be able to buy marijuana in either private or government-run outlets, similar to liquor stores, but there should be strict regulations banning youth under 19 from accessing weed and roadside suspensions for drivers impaired by pot.

Local municipalities also want a cut of marijuana revenues to help with enforcement of the rules and a say about where pot shops are set up. Those are some of the messages put forward by all three North Shore municipalities in response to a provincial call for submissions as B.C. considers how legal marijuana will be sold and regulated next year. Those responses received are now posted online by the province.

Local municipalities generally favoured marijuana being regulated in a manner similar to alcohol, with a minimum age of 19. West Vancouver also favoured a ban on outdoor growing of pot by the public, for fear it would increase mischief and property crime.

This week, the federal government also announced a set of proposed regulations for legalized marijuana, connected to the way pot will be produced and distributed when it becomes legal.

Ottawa has proposed a system of suppliers for recreational pot including both large and small producers.

Both types of producers, along with nurseries that supply seeds and seedling plants, would require a government licence, under proposed rules.

Producers would not be allowed to operate from private homes and would be required to have adequate security systems in place, including alarms and video surveillance, according to the proposed regulations.

The government would also require key people in control of such operations – including directors and officers of parent corporations, and major shareholders – to have federally issued security clearance. Those would be denied to people with convictions for drug trafficking, corruption or violent offences, under the proposed regulations, as well as people associated with organized crime.

People with more minor convictions for possession of pot or small-scale cultivation may still be eligible for security clearance, according to the draft regulations.

The proposed federal regulations also called for independent testing to check for contamination by pesticides or mold, ensure product quality and standardized amounts of THC and other active ingredients in pot. Marijuana products would have to be documented in batches, to allow for recall, and would have to be sold in child-proof packages with warning labels, and a clear marijuana symbol, according to the proposed regulations.

The public can weigh in on the proposed federal rules on marijuana suppliers until Jan. 20 at [email protected].

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 north shore news nsnews.com SENIORS | A23 Fitness class geared for those Seniors CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR 55+ SINGLES Meet single friends for holiday cheer Saturday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. Admission: $10 to cover with early stage dementia costs and bring a non-perishable food item for donation. Private North Vancouver home. RSVP by text to 604-354-7764 or by calling 604-770-4397. [email protected] BEN BENGTSON [email protected] FABULOUS FIRST FRIDAY SOCIAL AND DANCE Dance to a live band playing anything from The Beatles to the Eagles Dec. 8, 7-9:30 p.m. at Parkgate Community Centre, 3625 Banff Court A recent North Shore North Vancouver. $9/$7 which includes snacks, coffee and tea. Neighbourhood House Other beverages available for $5. 604-983-6350 pilot program is aiming to emphasize physical activ- CHRISTMAS TENNIS SOCIAL The STANS (Seniors Tennis ity for both the body and Association of North Shore) hosts a round robin and social mind for people living Saturday, Dec. 9 at the North Vancouver Tennis Centre, 280 with dementia. Lloyd Ave., North Vancouver. Registration 6:30 p.m., game play 7-9 p.m., social 9 p.m. $10 or $4 for the party only. Everyone is The program, called Mind welcome. facebook.com/stanstennis and Body Fitness for People with Dementia, is adminis- tered by the neighbourhood house at John Braithwaite Can’t ﬁndwhatyou’re Community Centre in North lookingfor...again? Vancouver and is scheduled to run every Monday from 1 to 3 p.m. until Dec. 11. The program includes weekly sessions that will feature mild physical Call Caroline Vincent today exercise, as well as games, for your FREE consultation. creative activities and social Fitness instructor Gail Roxburgh wants to get the word out about the Mind and Body Fitness 778.899.0141 interaction. for People with Dementia program she’s running at John Braithwaite. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD shelfgenie.com/british-columbia Longtime North Shore fitness instructor Gail program is best suited for work. “It’s beneficial for on their own or with a Roxburgh is excited to be people living with early stage many, many reasons,” she caregiver. leading the program. She has dementia or mild cognitive said. If the pilot program, which taught other programs at impairment and the intake One of the prime focuses has been running since John Braithwaite through the process for the pilot program of the program is maintain- September, proves success- DELIVER neighbourhood house in the includes a short screening ing participants’ strengths ful the neighbourhood house past, in addition to numer- interview to ensure a good fit and abilities, even as their anticipates offering more HAPPINESS ous other fitness sessions for the individual. cognitive functions might be in the new year. Either way, throughout the community. “This program will be changing. Roxburgh emphasized that “When I started there I strictly for people with the Roxburgh said she likes the crux of the programming Mealsonwheels is lookingfor had no idea about dementia early stages of dementia. how outright the program is is about focusing on and volunteers to help 1-2 hours or Alzheimer’s and then I We’re taking our time doing about who it’s intended for. strengthening the abilities perweekorganizing, preparing began really figuring out it because for each person “To come into a centre that participants with early where I could take courses we’re kind of interviewing and see an actual program stage dementia or mild cogni- and/ordelivering meals. and start working with peo- them to see if it’s a fit for saying this is for people with tive impairment already have. ple with dementia. Also, I’m a the program because some dementia – before we might “We’re trying to Call 604-922-3414 or email fitness instructor so both of people might be in another not have that out because strengthen the abilities [email protected] them kind of work together stage,” she said. some people wouldn’t want they’ve got. It’s more on not because fitness is such a big She said generally the to see it and there’s still a what they can’t do – it’s more part of everybody’s life with first hour of the program is little bit of stigma – so now what they can do,” she said. dementia,” Roxburgh told the devoted to low-key physical it’s right out there,” she said. To learn more about North North Shore News. exercise, including aerobics, Participants are encour- Shore Neighbourhood House She added that the strengthening and balance aged to attend the program programs, visit nsnh.bc.ca.

NoticeofaPublic Information Meeting in Your Neighborhood Aredevelopmentisbeing proposedfor 340 Mountain Highwayand 1515 –1537 Rupert St. Have you had in North Vancouver,toconstructa5story stacked townhomebuilding. Youare invited to a meeting to discuss the project: Date:ThursdayNovember 30th,2017 astroke? Time: 7:00 –8:30 PM Location of Meeting:North ShoreWinterClub 1325 E. Keith Road, North Vancouver

RedicDevelopmentInc proposes to construct a5story townhouse building on 340 Mountain Highwayand 1515 – 1537 Rupert St. NEW FAME exercise classes Theproposalisfor 26 townhouses, which include3fourbedroom units, and23three bedroom for people after stroke can improve units.Themainpedestrian accesstothe building will be from Mountain Highwaywhile the your mobility and strength, and reduce accesstoits underground parkingisthrough Rupert St.47parkingstallsare provided for residents andvisitors.TheproposalalsoincludesimprovementtobothRupert andMountain your chance of another stroke. As this Highwaysidewalks,adding newbikelanes andprovisionofpublicart. program is designed to improve walking and balance, people who attend this class should be able to independently stand for 5minutes, and walk 10 meters with or without assistive devices (cane or walker).

SMALL SUPERVISED GROUP CLASSES STARTING IN JANUARYATTHE Project Rendering. Subject Property WEST VANCOUVER COMMUNITY CENTRE. (Viewfromthe corner of Rupert St. and MountainHighway) REGISTER NOW! This information package is beingdistributedtothe ownersand occupants within100m of the proposed developmentsiteinaccordance withDistrict of North Vancouverpolicy.Ifyou like to receiveacopy Call Eric 604-921-2169 for more information or if youwould like moreinformation, please contact A. Khatoonabadi at 604-338-8496 or RobynHay, or register online www.westvancouverrec.ca DevelopmentPlanner at 604-990-2369, or bring your questions and comments to the meeting. LETTER: Pipeline claims warrant debunking

North Shore News

December 11, 2017 10:22 AM

file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

Dear Editor:

Over the past several weeks there have been several letters/articles in the North Shore News regarding the Kinder Morgan Canada pipeline expansion project. The two I address have errors and are misleading, in my opinion, to the average reader.

 LETTER: Pipeline expansion won’t guarantee a better oil price  First Nations, eco-tour owners shocked at razor wire fence

In your Nov. 22 edition, Pipeline Expansion Won’t Guarantee a Better Oil Price, Doug Taylor claims that the KMC expansion will not improve the economics of oilsands projects. If this is correct, then why are so many oil companies signing long-term multimillion-dollar contracts to use the line? Secondly, 100 per cent of Western Canada’s oil and gas exports go to the United States, our only customer and often not a friendly one – think softwood lumber. The energy companies know that having all your eggs in one basket is insane, and the KMC expansion is a first step to reduce this.

In your Nov. 10 edition, Eco-Tour Operators, Tsleil-Waututh Dismayed as Oil Terminal Expansion Work Gets Underway (news story), eco-tour operators and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation are “upset and dismayed” and “surprised” that work has started “so early” on the tanker terminal on Burrard inlet and that a floating security fencing was put in place. Well, anyone who reads the local newspapers, or the TMPL Expansion website should not have been surprised. As for the security fencing, the five protesters arrested trespassing on the KMC installation facilities explains in part the reason for that.

Rueben George of the TWN claims in that article that someone building a balcony on their house goes through more permitting than KMC has. In my opinion, this statement is total hyperbole. He then complains: “There’s no consultation at all,” presumably referring to KMC.

I attended a meeting at Capilano University Nov. 29, 2012 where Ms. Carleen Thomas (a then TWN councillor) stated that TWN refused to participate with KMC because it might be viewed as consultation (from my written notes). Well, it takes two to tango.

John Hunter North Vancouver

LETTER: Pipeline expansion won’t guarantee a better oil price

North Shore News

November 21, 2017 04:08 PM

A kayaker gets close to a floating fence installed by Kinder Morgan in preparation for construction of a new dock complex at Burnaby’s Westridge Marine Terminal. photo supplied Bob Putnam

Dear Editor:

Alberta says they need the Kinder Morgan pipeline to obtain a better price for their oil and to attract investment to their province.

They blame their economic woes on regulations and lack of pipeline access to world markets. Their real problem is the $50 oil price and the oil industry’s reluctance to invest in new oilsands facilities that will require a $75 oil price just to break even.

Alberta needs to find new, innovative ways to utilize their oilsands resource so they can derive more value from it. Their track record to date is dismal. The value of their heritage fund is less than two per cent of Norway’s oil fund, a difference that is hard to comprehend since total production from the oilsands has been 50 per cent of Norway’s production over the past 20 years.

Building the Kinder Morgan expansion pipeline will do nothing to improve the fundamental poor economics of new Alberta oilsands projects. It will, however, very significantly increase the risks to Western Canada’s coastline and to the B.C. economy.

Doug Taylor North Vancouver

6 Dec 2017 Vancouver Sun DAN FUMANO [email protected] twitter.com/fumano PROPERTY SURTAX TAKES AIM AT ‘FREE- RIDING’ HOMEOWNERS Proponents say proposal would bring more fairness to Vancouver’s real estate market We have this big tax giveaway to people who want to invest here and not make a living here. It’s a real problem. The idea of a property surtax linked to income taxes was proposed almost two years ago by several local academics as a way to bring more fairness to the famously unaffordable world of Vancouver real estate. Proponents say the surtax would be good for those who live and work here. The people forced to pay more under the change, they say, would mostly be wealthy foreign owners who purchase Vancouver real estate to stash their money or those who avoid paying Canadian taxes in various ways. The surtax idea is, as Simon Fraser University assistant professor Josh Gordon wrote in a Vancouver Sun column last month, “so obviously fair” that since it was floated, “not a single serious attempt has been made to criticize it. To do so would be to defend tax avoidance.” And now the City of Vancouver also wants to explore the idea. Vancouver’s 10-year housing strategy, which council approved last week, includes “high-priority” measures the city wants to explore with senior governments “to limit commodification of housing and land for speculation and/or investment purposes.” Possible measures include a flipping tax and restricting property ownership by non-permanent residents. The “action plan” also raises the idea supported by dozens of economists over the last two years: the city wants to look at “linking property tax to income taxes paid in B.C.,” the plan says, citing the work of academics from the University of B.C. and SFU. Vancouver homeowners might balk at the idea of increasing property taxes in an already expensive city. However, the proposed surtax wouldn’t affect the vast majority of local homeowners or landlords. That’s because the proposal, as first outlined in a January 2016 Sun column by SFU Prof. Rhys Kesselman, would allow taxpayers to credit against the property surtax their B.C. income tax paid in recent years. So almost everyone paying income tax in the province would be exempt. Property owners most affected by the surtax would include “non-resident foreign owners, astronaut families, tax evaders and criminals using their proceeds to buy homes,” Kesselman wrote. Within days of Kesselman’s Sun column, a similar idea was proposed by a group of academics led by economists with UBC’s Sauder School of Business and the Vancouver School of Economics. The two proposals featured different policy details, including how best to protect “house-rich, but cash-poor” retirees, but shared the central idea of a property surtax that can be offset by income tax paid in B.C. (or Canada). Gordon said this week: “There are several policy variations on this proposal, but the underlying insight is the same: our current tax system incentivizes freeriding. We need to make sure that wealthy people pay their fair share, otherwise we become a subsidized resort town for the world’s rich.” The fact Vancouver now wants to explore such an approach represents a significant, positive step, Gordon said. Last week, Vancouver’s chief planner Gil Kelley told The Sun that the city can’t fix the unaffordability crisis without taming global demand for local real estate. It would have been hard to imagine such a statement coming from city hall a couple of years ago, Gordon said, at a time when “leadership had somewhat downplayed the role of global capital.” “But it shouldn’t have been a surprise. This should have been the conclusion all along, this was staring us in the face for years,” Gordon said. “It’s a relief that we’re finally at this conclusion, but in the meantime, a fair bit of damage has been done.” Gordon referred to a 2014 Canadian government report showing wealthy investor immigrants paid an average annual income tax of $1,400, far lower than other kinds of immigrants or the national average. That’s a key point when considering the question of fairness, said Tom Davidoff, a Sauder School of Business professor and co-author of the 2016 UBC proposal, pointing out recent research on the phenomenon of low incomes reported in expensive Vancouver neighbourhoods with multimillion-dollar homes. “If you’re declaring poverty income and you live in a gazillion-dollar house, I think as a matter of basic fairness and efficiency you ought to be footing a lot of the tax bill,” Davidoff said. Davidoff stresses that even for homes hit with the 1.5 per cent annual surcharge he’s suggested, the total property tax rate wouldn’t be especially high by global standards. But Vancouver’s current combination of low property tax rates and high income taxes, Davidoff said, is “just rolling out the red carpet for unaffordability.” “We have this big tax giveaway to people who want to invest here and not make a living here,” he said. “It’s a real problem.” The UBC proposal forecasts revenue of $90 million per year in Vancouver alone, which they described as a “conservative estimate.” Kesselman said the idea he proposed was “probably too left of centre for a B.C. Liberal government.” But the current alignment of governments suggest there’s a chance it could see the light of day. B.C. Finance Minister Carole James didn’t answer a question this week about the viability of a property surtax, but in an emailed statement said she and Housing Minister Selina Robinson are working on a housing strategy “that can improve affordability for British Columbians, reduce speculation and ensure fairness.” The B.C. NDP publicly supported the surtax approach last year while in opposition. Kesselman’s proposed approach doesn’t differentiate based on nationality or immigration status — only where income taxes have been paid. Asked this week whether anyone criticized the proposal as xenophobic, Kesselman answered with a question: “Is it xenophobic to want to protect housing for people who live somewhere, make their living there, contribute there? “I would hope we’re beyond the point where that’s going to freeze us in our ability to deal with some of these issues,” he said.

Purcell Way condos, Cap U student housing praised at public hearing

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 23, 2017 04:11 PM

An artist's rendering shows how a a student housing building proposed for the edge of Capilano University, would look if District of North Vancouver council votes in favour or a larger condo redevelopment on Purcell Way next month. image supplied A proposal to demolish a rundown and failing 90-unit condominium complex with one more than twice the size, including dedicated housing for Capilano University students, got mostly straight As at a public hearing Tuesday night. Residents at the 40-year-old Lynnmour South condo complex at 1923-1959 Purcell Way learned in 2015 that the building’s structure was failing and it would cost upwards of $100,000 per unit to repair. Facing the dilemma, the strata’s members voted 84 per cent in favour of selling the property. Woodbridge Northwest Homes beat out other developers in an open tender, offering the 90 owners $29.5 million, with the option to stay for a year past the closing date and six months’ free rent or equivalent money towards a down payment on one of the new units. The B.C. Supreme Court approved the winding down of the strata earlier this year. The deal, however, is subject to district council approving Woodbridge Northwest’s plan for 124 condo units and 60 townhouses to be built on the property along with 60 200-square-foot microsuites which would be owned by Capilano University and rented exclusively to students enrolled at the North Vancouver campus. Dozens of owners showed up to the public hearing, urging council to approve the project, sparing them from hardship and debt. “There are a number of us who are on fixed incomes and will be unable to finance or will be ineligible for financial help that is needed,” said Sue Buchanan. “As much as I love it here, I would be bankrupt and have to walk away.” Debbie Freeman, also a Lynnmour South condo owner, said she too would be ruined if council turned down the application. “I’m here today because I love my condo. I do not want to move. I have to move,” she said. “I am on a pension. I can’t afford this. I will be bankrupt. We are mostly retired people, working-class people, young families in this building now. Those costs would completely destroy my (standard of) living.” Woodbridge Northwest’s proposal is also “an amazing opportunity” for the North Shore, Freeman added. “The buildings are beautiful. They fit into the neighbourhood.” There were holdouts, however, including two residents who argued that the money Woodbridge Northwest was offering wasn’t enough, and that the repairs could be done cheaper than what the strata’s official reports suggested. Council and staff repeatedly stressed, however, that they must make their decision based on the merits of the Woodbridge Northwest’s proposal, and that it wasn’t for them to intervene in the strata’s affairs. Members of the Capilano University community, including the school’s president as well as current and former students, turned out hoping to persuade council to vote in favour. Noah Berson, vice-president of external affairs for the Capilano Student Union, urged council to approve the project. “I can speak anecdotally for friends of mine who have been days away from being homeless on campus. There have been examples of people living in their cars. There are people who camp in the woods around Capilano. The housing crisis has reached a boiling point and this residence, as far as we can tell, is going to be the quickest way to turn the temperature down,” he said. University president Paul Dangerfield said the 60 student apartments would help Capilano compete with other universities. “The lack of affordable housing on the North Shore continues to limit the number of students that we can attract and retain to the university,” he said. And, Dangerfield added, the new condos and townhouses would be appealing to the more than 900 faculty and staff who work at the university, more than half of whom commute from off the North Shore. The project does have the support of the strata board at the adjacent condo complex, at 1811 Purcell Way, which will share in a rebuilt clubhouse and playground included in the designs. James Lewis, a neighbour from across Purcell Way, however, questioned the wisdom of tripling the number of potential residents on a road already known to have access and egress problems. “I just don’t think you guys have done your research on what you’re putting into that spot,” he said. Council will vote on the proposal Dec. 11.

LETTER: Put traffic fix before development

North Shore News

November 25, 2017 09:00 AM

An artist’s rendering depicts how two new towers will look on Hunter Street at Mountain Highway. image supplied

Dear Editor:

Re: Towers Pitched for Lynn Creek, Oct. 27 news story.

 Two towers and community centre pitched for Lynn Creek  LETTER: Light industrial land is vital to a diverse and thriving community

I would suggest that planning for traffic is becoming the very most important consideration for North Shore housing plans and I do not think that North Shore councils should grant any further approvals until they succeed at tackling the problem as it already exists. We have a truly astonishingly poor traffic situation.

Does new housing generate more, or less, traffic on the highway?

Could it be that new housing means more people who work on the North Shore could also live here and thereby reduce traffic? Or is the opposite true: that more condos means more congestion.

Answers would presumably involve realistic modelling by council staff or consultants. But is council not at least asking these questions?

Mark Drew West Vancouver

Researchers study ancient water levels Examining First Nation oral traditions for historical evidence of flooding

Tessa Vikander / Westender

November 26, 2017 08:15 AM

Chief Ian Campbell says there is anecdotal evidence of “great floods” in the oral tradition of the Squamish Nation. photo supplied Dan Toulgoet/Westender

Ask Squamish Nation Chief Ian Campbell what he thinks about global sea level rise, and he’ll tell you that it’s something his ancestors have already lived through.

Based on the oral teachings passed down to him from his grandfather, Campbell can almost picture the “great floods” that might have covered the land thousands of years ago.

 ‘Smaller’ earthquakes pose greater risk than the next Big One  In the event of an emergency . . .

“Growing up, I really thought that what I was learning was matter of fact, that everyone had access to this information,” says Campbell.

Campbell – who had been in court challenging the Kinder Morgan pipeline just prior to our interview – says he wants the history of how the Squamish dealt with sea level rise to become common knowledge.

It’s possible that the great floods Campbell is referring to are linked to the melting of ice sheets or glaciers at the tail end of the last Ice Age.

John Clague, professor emeritus of Earth Sciences at SFU, says that, during the last Ice Age, the Lower Mainland was submerged below sea level, weighed down by thick ice sheets. “As the ice disappeared over the land 12-13,000 years ago, the land rebounded. It bobbed back up like a cork in water,” he says. “As it did, the land eventually rose, what is now the Fraser Valley became land area, and that’s the time I think First Nations people first occupied parts of the Fraser Valley.”

Although not yet published, Clague says his latest research indicates that there was a “monster flood” in the Lower Mainland about 12,000 years ago, when a glacier-dammed lake emptied suddenly, sending a flood of water down the Fraser Canyon. At that time there weren’t any glaciers left in the Fraser Valley, but some still existed farther inland. His research indicates that, during the time of the flood, the deepest parts of the Fraser River would have been 152 metres (500 feet). “Most peoples prior to the Industrial Revolution have tales of flood. ... The biblical flood is an example. One has to be a little careful about linking it to some specific event in the past, but, having said that, I’ve been doing some work on a ‘huge flood’ that came down the Fraser Valley” during a time when Indigenous people would have inhabited the area.

Returning to Indigenous oral history, Campbell relates that “sea levels rose drastically … flooding out most of the coastal peoples, and many people perished. Populations were decimated and a handful of our people survived by going to places like (Mount Garibaldi) to find safe haven.” After his grandfather passed away, Campbell says he continued learning from other local elders, including the Musqueam, who relayed similar stories about landscape-altering floods. According to Squamish knowledge, the great floods happened as a result of selfish behaviour. “The young people turned their backs to the old laws, and they weren’t listening, they were wasting, they were greedy,” Campbell says. “Our people were exhausting resources like sea lion colonies, elk herds, different things and they weren’t sharing them.” Elders warned the young people that they needed to take care of each other, but the young people persisted in their ways, and then came the flood. “The medicine people would then pray and mark some sticks with ochre, and that would stabilize the water for a while,” says Campbell. “But the young people would (continue to) turn their backs on the old way and the water would then breach and continue rising.” With so much land under water, the Squamish people gathered on three major peaks – Garibaldi, Mt. Baker and Icecap Peak (near Lillooet) – says Campbell. The waters were rocky, with strong currents. Canoe groups would get separated easily, fish stocks were unreliable and food was scarce. “Over generations they were traumatized,” he explains, “and they had to re-establish themselves once the water receded, and we had to repopulate the areas.” Campbell says that not everyone believes the story that was passed down, but even non-believers can understand it as a cautionary tale. “It’s an oral tradition which recounts the values and the principles and the structures that were necessary for us to survive those major events,” he explains. According to Clague’s knowledge, gathered through Western scientific research, “in the post-Ice Age world, you do get huge floods on the Fraser River, and maybe one of those floods over the past 10,000 years was so big, so unprecedented, that it was actually what the oral traditions (such as Campbell’s) are referring to.” One of the important takeaways, says Campbell, is that population growth is cyclical, that everything changes, and that people must adapt. Adapting, of course, is what a coastal city like Vancouver will have to do. Scientists at both the provincial and federal level have conducted extensive research on sea level rise. According to Environmental Reporting B.C., the sea level has risen an average of 3.7 centimetres in Vancouver between 1910 and 2014. Looking ahead, a report from Natural Resources Canada projects Vancouver’s sea level to rise 60-70 centimetres (roughly two feet) by 2100. However, Christian Schoof, a UBC professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, says that by 2100 we can expect “a metre of sea level rise” or more due to “significant uncertainty” over how the Antarctic ice will respond to climate change.

On a municipal level, the City of Vancouver has been preparing for sea level rise for several years. However, the majority of its plans have focused on the technical aspects, using modelling to simulate storm flooding and mapping which areas of the city will be affected by sea level rise.

Theoretical changes in local sea levels between 13,500 and 12,500 years ago - graphics John Clague & Robert Turner / Richard Franklin diagrams Brad Badelt, assistant director of sustainability, says the city will begin community and neighbourhood consultations soon. Last month, the city met with members of the Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations to share research findings and discuss how they can partner effectively in addressing the coming changes. (Badelt says the city hopes to meet with Squamish Nation soon.) “(It was about) getting some of their thoughts as to how the city can respond to sea level rise, and then really identifying how we can work together going forward. We know this is going to be years of work together,” Badelt says.

Westender reached out to the Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam nations to hear their perspective, but interview requests went unanswered. However, Campbell says that, in partnering with governments to address sea level rise, he wants to see a nation-to-nation relationship. The fact that Vancouver’s First Nations reserves are close to the water makes the need for a strategy even greater.

Sea level rise consultant John Englander says there are a number of ways to respond to changing sea levels, including constructing buildings on stilts or concrete pilings, erecting flood protection walls, building on floats and, finally, large-scale retreat – in which people move away from the coastline. Due to the price of land in Vancouver, Badelt says retreat isn’t the city’s preferred option. Neither is building concrete flood walls. “It’s difficult to move people away. In Vancouver, we don’t have a lot of space as it is, and the value of land here is so high that retreat is a difficult option here … So, at the moment, we’re looking at ways to protect or adapt our neighbourhoods,” he explains.

One option the city is considering is to convert hard-walled shorelines to a more natural shoreline, with flood protection embedded in the landscaping. As Badelt describes it, this could mean replacing hard, vertical seawalls with a specially engineered shoreline that slopes downward to ease wave action.

“Right now, the seawall around False Creek has quite a … hard-wall edge to it, which has served us well for nearly a century,” says Badelt. “But a more natural approach would take that hard edge and replace it with an edge like you might see in parts of Stanley Park, where you’ve got the coastal tide pools and the benching, replacing the kind of hard infrastructure edge with a more natural shoreline.”

Tessa Vikander is a reporter with the Westender, a Glacier Community Media publication and sister paper to the North Shore News. Go to westender.com to read more.

‘Road trip time machine’ a drive down North Shore's memory lane

Maria Spitale-Leisk / North Shore News

November 15, 2017 04:07 PM

A primitive dashboard camera captures a couple strolling down an uncongested Taylor Way in 1966. image supplied ministry of transportation West Vancouver bathed in sepia tone has a starring role in a video that’s gone viral, giving older viewers a trip down memory lane and younger generations a glimpse into the past. In 1966, summer students were first hired to map B.C.’s entire road system on 35-millimetre film for the Ministry of Transportation. The students had no idea the fruits of their labour would half a century later reach more than 100,000 people through the click of a button. The footage was uncovered a few years ago by a pair of enterprising Ministry of Transportation employees who devise web and social media content. Rumour had it there were film canisters harbouring a transportation time capsule at the B.C. Archives office. “It came to us in 16-millimetre reels and we quickly realized the ministry didn’t have a 16-millimetre projector to see what was on the reels,” said Kristen Reimer. Reimer and her colleague James Penner embarked on a bumpy mission to uncover what was on the reels. After four weeks of scouring a Victoria buy-and-sell site to find a projector, they learned of such a relic languishing in someone’s basement. The history enthusiasts plunked down about 50 bucks for the projector, after convincing their superiors at the ministry that it was a good investment. But, once they turned on the machine, the light bulb broke. So back to the internet they went to track down a rare light bulb, which arrived from New York two months later. Once Reimer and Penner got all the pieces together they went into a boardroom on their lunch break to see what images had been buried for all those years. The scene opens in Horseshoe Bay and takes the viewer on a 1960s cruise eastbound along Highway 1, across the Lions Gate Bridge and into downtown Vancouver. The speedometer needle dances steadily between 40 and 50 miles per hour on the Ford Falcon. It’s rigged with a camera system on the dash to automatically capture still images every 26 metres. Those 35-millimetre pictures were later looped together into a film, which ministry engineers would watch to identify deficiencies in the road system and plan for transportation upgrades. Fast-forward to 2017 and the rare footage, shot before the proliferation of video cameras, also serves a nostalgic purpose. On their smartphones, viewers swoon over the 1960s scenery. Juvenile trees fringe the roadside and there are large gravel shoulders. A sign appears: Vancouver Turnoff in Half a Mile. The metric system wouldn’t be introduced until four years later in 1970. As the film reel ticks along, stark differences on Highway 1 in West Vancouver then and now stand out to Reimer: only one lane in both directions, no Upper Levels Highway and a lack of development along the roadside. There are also familiar comforts on the film, for Reimer, who grew up in the Greater Vancouver area. “I like the idea of coming down Taylor Way and seeing the Park Royal mall – it’s something that’s always been there,” she said. On the film you see an older couple strolling down an uncongested Taylor Way. The viewer is left wondering where the couple was going that day and what was happening in the world at that time. “And that’s what I like the most, seeing the people in the landscape as you move through it and getting a sense of the human aspect of it,” said Reimer. After crossing the Lions Gate Bridge a number of notable landmarks on Georgia Street come into view on the film, including Christ Church Cathedral, Hotel Georgia and the Hudson’s Bay building. The industrious duo digitized the old footage, cleaned it up and pared it to a three-and-a-half-minute clip, which has since amassed 100,000 views on the ministry’s YouTube channel. This latest video is one in a series of historical B.C. road trips the ministry has created from millions of miles of footage. Reimer said they have only worked their way through one box of 1966 reels, and this photo log road mapping was done every couple of years. Once they get past the 1960s, the plan is to roll on to the 1970s with this digital archiving project. These days, the ministry uses a specialized van called an automatic road analyzer, outfitted with computers, lasers, GPS and high definition cameras to collect transportation data.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017 north shore news nsnews.com NEWS | A9

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NSN OPINION: 10-lane Bridge Would Ease Our Traffic Woes (Dec. 2 letter to editor) powderflask (at nsnews.com): This argument is full of fallacy – if you reduce demand from commuters (by improving ride sharing, public transit, redirecting more traffic to SeaBus, etc.), then current bridge capacity will handle transport trucks and those travelling to/from “lands beyond.” To imagine that increasing bridge capacity for single-occupancy vehicles is a realistic, cost-effective solution to traffic congestion is 1950s thinking, and look where that’s got us.

Merwinn (at nsnews.com): There is no point in building a 10-lane bridge without increasing the number of routes feeding into it. Think about it: when you get to the other side you would have to bottleneck down to four or six lanes all over again. The Port Mann bridge had years of additional construction on the Surrey and Coquitlam sides in order to maximize the capacity of the new bridge lanes. With land going for $1 million per lot, how many will be needed to accommodate the additional feeder routes coming into a 10-lane bridge?

Paul Hutcheson (on Facebook): Watch the coverage each morning from the Global TV Bring in this ad and with helicopter. Headlights to the horizon, people barely moving. Now try to imagine what $ it would be like if a really good rapid transit system were built. Spacious, comfortable aminimum purchase of 18 coaches, good scheduling, all of those commuters arriving in jig time and ready to work. No receiveaFREE parking lots, reduced pollution, fewer squandered resources. It will take time, imagination and money, but most of all it will require a change in attitude, from “me in my car” to “let’s boxof6chocolates share.” value of $7.95* VALIDUNTIL DECEMBER 31,2017 Follow us and have your say: Facebook: North Shore News, Twitter: @NorthShoreNews North Vancouver location only | *One per customer

Will you donate to charity this DANIEL CHOCOLATE CAFÉ holiday season? 1667 Lonsdale Avenue Q Yes, I feel fortunate for all No, money’s tight at the North Vancouver (at 17th Street) I have and want to help moment. others. • Amazing Chocolates • Delicious Icecream HAVE YOUR SAY by taking part in our web poll at • Tasty Pastries nsnews.com. Check back next Wednesday for the results. • SavourySandwiches LAST WEEK 83% 17% • Organic Italian Coffee WE ASKED YOU: Will you buy local Yes, it’s great to support No, online shopping is easy www.danielchocolates.com this holiday season? (based local businesses. and convenient. 604.983.3138 on 109 votes) Seymour residents decry B.C. Parks for tree loss

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 30, 2017 03:50 PM

A massive stump awaits removal from a parking lot off Mount Seymour Road as nearby residents speak with a B.C. Parks staffer. The neighbourhood is incensed at the loss of trees to expand the parking lot for visitors to the mountain. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

A group of Seymour residents are dismayed to see life imitating some famous Joni Mitchell lyrics outside their backyards.

“They’re tearing down paradise and putting up a parking lot,” said Nicholas Nagy, a Jubilee Court resident who found B.C. Parks cut down a swath of trees outside his home. related

 Province looks to solve Mount Seymour Park access problems  EDITORIAL: Don’t pave paradise

The trees surrounded a small gravel parking lot off Mount Seymour Road between Hamber Place and Indian River Drive that spends much of the year chained off. Occasionally, parks staff open it up as overflow parking for Mount Seymour during the ski season or for use by film crews. Two weeks ago, a park ranger went door-to-door on Jubilee and Hamber courts, which both back onto the lot, letting residents know they may hear some noise and that staff would be “clearing some brush,” neighbours said.

“It certainly is far more extensive than anyone would have anticipated. They cleared a bunch of healthy trees, almost right to Mount Seymour Road, apparently to expand the parking lot,” Nagy said. “You look out the windows and you now see the parking lot or you see the road so there’s a great loss of privacy. There’s far more road noise and you see all the cars driving by.”

Neighbour Phil Bradshaw said area residents could have worked with B.C. Parks to suggest alternatives, like expanding the parking lot at the old ranger house to the north, or at least replanting to mitigate the impact the residents would feel.

“I’m just really disappointed. There was no consultation. No consideration for how these changes would look on the landscape,” he said.

District of North Vancouver staff and council were also caught unaware and should have been included, Nagy said. At the very least, that should be the standard going forward, he added.

“There should be some consultation or some regulations so the district is involved so there’s something for the future, so this doesn’t happen at the decision of someone at B.C. Parks and away you go, cutting down trees,” he said.

In a letter to North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite, Forests Minister Doug Donaldson and Environment Minister George Heyman, Hamber Court resident Doug Fisher called B.C. Parks’ actions “incredibly callous and unbelievable.”

The lot was already being used for après-ski tailgating, he added.

“Now the party will be right behind the fence. The rest of the year the lot is sporadically rented out by the Province to movie production. Again all day and night, generators and engine noise that will now have no filter by the greenbelt,” he wrote.

B.C. Parks did not provide an interview or comment by deadline.

B.C. Parks has been looking for solutions to cope with heavy demand for the road up Mount Seymour and the parking lot at the top.

Last winter, parks staff surveyed visitors, asking them for their thoughts on increasing shuttle service, creating a reservation system, charging for vehicle access, building more parking lots, building a gondola to the base, and setting up a ride-share program.

LETTER: Switch off CNN and click on CNV.org for politics in action

North Shore News

November 15, 2017 07:30 AM

file photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News

Dear Editor:

Are you finding Monday night TV dull? Might I suggest tuning in to City of North Vancouver council meetings at 6 p.m. via the city website. It’s akin to watching CNN but these politics are happening right here in our little city and are affecting our quality of life – every one of us, present and future.

It doesn’t take long to realize that members of our elected council don’t get along well; in my opinion, it soon becomes obvious that there is a concerted effort to prevent the public’s voice from being heard; you’ll get frustrated with the highfalutin’ language used to discuss issues; you may get angry with the constant 4-3 votes in favour of serious changes within our home territory, in spite of public opposition, and you may want to “boo” loud and clear when the mayor congratulates himself on speeding through another meeting.

City council watching is certainly not dull. You’re either with the powers-that-be or against them but either way, next October it’s our turn to take control and have our way with them: election 2018.

So for good entertainment, on-the-spot education, watch your city council in action on Monday nights, form an opinion and, for heaven’s sake, vote next October.

Joan Peters North Vancouver

This November tied for ‘rainiest’ Pineapple Express brought us 27 days of rain

Jane Seyd / North Shore News

December 1, 2017 04:45 PM

Rain, rain go away. Suffering from umbrella fatigue? After 27 days of rain last month, you’re likely not alone. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

You’re not imagining the relentless rain that’s been bucketing down on the North Shore for the past month.

November tied a weather record set in 1953 for the rainiest month. It rained for 27 out of 30 days last month – eight more than it does in an average Lower Mainland November.

And those weren’t days with just a light shower or drizzle.

The West Vancouver weather station recorded 325 millimetres of rain last month, compared to the North Shore average of 285 mm in November, said Armel Castellan, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

The rainiest day of the month, Nov. 19, produced a downpour of 78 mm that resulted when one of several “atmospheric rivers” bringing warm bands of moisture from the sub-tropics hit the North Shore mountains.

Statistically, November is usually the wettest month (followed by January and February), said Castellan.

The only days it didn’t rain last month were near the beginning of November, during an unseasonably early Arctic outbreak that allowed Cypress and Grouse resorts to fire up their snow guns and open for skiing ahead of schedule.

But the sodden weather pattern is about to change, said Castellan.

Starting early next week, a strong ridge of high pressure will build over the south coast, resulting in clearer, brighter days.

The one catch: it’s possible the pattern could also result in an “inversion”, bringing cloud and fog down into areas of low elevation while mountain tops remain in the sunshine.

By January, effects of a weak La Nina weather pattern should be more apparent, resulting in colder than normal temperatures, said Castellan.

He added it’s difficult to say whether that will mean more snow, as La Nina years in the past have resulted in both above-average and below-average snowfall amounts.

Local ski hills are definitely hoping for the more-snow option. Mt. Seymour opened for skiing on Friday. Grouse and Cypress opened on Nov. 10. Tim Berners-Lee on the future of the web: 'The system is failing'

The inventor of the world wide web remains an optimist but sees a ‘nasty wind’ blowing amid concerns over advertising, net neutrality and fake news

Thursday 16 November 2017 01.23 GMT Last modified on Thursday 16 November 2017 01.28 GMT

Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s optimism about the future of the web is starting to wane in the face of a “nasty storm” of issues including the rollback of net neutrality protections, the proliferation of fake news, propaganda and the web’s increasing polarisation.

The inventor of the world wide web always maintained his creation was a reflection of humanity – the good, the bad and the ugly. But Berners-Lee’s vision for an “open platform that allows anyone to share information, access opportunities and collaborate across geographical boundaries” has been challenged by increasingly powerful digital gatekeepers whose algorithms can be weaponised by master manipulators. “I’m still an optimist, but an optimist standing at the top of the hill with a nasty storm blowing in my face, hanging on to a fence,” said the British computer scientist.

“We have to grit our teeth and hang on to the fence and not take it for granted that the web will lead us to wonderful things,” he said.

The spread of misinformation and propaganda online has exploded partly because of the way the advertising systems of large digital platforms such as Google or Facebook have been designed to hold people’s attention.

“People are being distorted by very finely trained AIs that figure out how to distract them,” said Berners-Lee.

In some cases, these platforms offer users who create content a cut of advertising revenue. The financial incentive drove Macedonian teenagers with “no political skin in the game” to generate political clickbait fake news that was distributed on Facebook and funded by revenue from Google’s automated advertising engine AdSense.

“The system is failing. The way ad revenue works with clickbait is not fulfilling the goal of helping humanity promote truth and democracy. So I am concerned,” said Berners-Lee, who in March called for the regulation of online political advertising to prevent it from being used in “unethical ways”.

Since then, it has been revealed that Russian operatives bought micro-targeted political ads aimed at US voters on Facebook, Google and Twitter. Data analytics firms such as Cambridge Analytica, which builds personality profiles of millions of individuals so they can be manipulated through “behavioural micro-targeting”, have also been criticised for creating “weaponised AI propaganda”.

“We have these dark ads that target and manipulate me and then vanish because I can’t bookmark them. This is not democracy – this is putting who gets selected into the hands of the most manipulative companies out there,” said Berners-Lee.

It is not too late to turn things around, he said, provided people challenge the status quo.

“We are so used to these systems being manipulated that people just think that’s how the internet works. We need to think about what it should be like,” he said.

“One of the problems with climate change is getting people to realise it was anthropogenic – created by people. It’s the same problem with social networks – they are manmade. If they are not serving humanity, they can and should be changed,” he said.

Will the situation get worse before it gets better? “It already has got worse,” he said, referencing the rollback of Obama-era rules to protect net neutrality. Net neutrality, which some have described as the “first amendment of the internet”, is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) should treat everyone’s data equally – whether that data consists of an email from your grandmother, an episode of Stranger Things on Netflix or a bank transfer. It ensures that the large cable ISPs, including Comcast, AT&T and Verizon, don’t get to choose which data is sent more quickly and which sites get blocked or throttled depending on which content providers pay a premium.

In February 2015, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to more strictly regulate ISPs as utilities and enshrine in law the principles of net neutrality. Trump’s FCC, headed by the former Verizon employee Ajit Pai, wants to kill the rules, arguing that “nothing is broken” and that the rules were established over “hypothetical harms and hysterical prophecies of doom”.

Berners-Lee, who is in Washington urging lawmakers to reconsider the rollback, disagrees and cites problematic examples in which ISPs have violated net neutrality principles. For example, AT&T blocked Skype and other similar services on the iPhone so it would make more money from regular phone calls. Verizon blocked Google Wallet from smartphones when it was developing a competing mobile payment service.

“When I invented the web, I didn’t have to ask Vint Cerf [the ‘father of the internet’] for permission to use the internet,” said Berners-Lee, who previously stated that the internet should remain a “permissionless space for creativity, innovation and free expression”.

These powerful gatekeepers, Berners-Lee said, control access to the internet and pose a threat to innovation if they are allowed to pick winners and losers by throttling or blocking services. It makes sense, therefore, that ISPs should be treated more like utilities.

“Gas is a utility, so is clean water, and connectivity should be too,” said Berners-Lee. “It’s part of life and shouldn’t have an attitude about what you use it for – just like water.”

Traffic gridlock top topic at business breakfast with North Vancouver MLAs

Jane Seyd / North Shore News

November 17, 2017 10:09 AM

North Shore MLAs Ralph Sultan, Bowinn Ma and Jane Thornthwaite discuss issues at a North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting moderated by Capilano University president Paul Dangerfield. photo Jane Seyd

Traffic gridlock was the number one topic on the minds of North Vancouver’s business community as three local MLAs – Bowinn Ma, Jane Thornthwaite and Ralph Sultan – sat down to debate local issues at a chamber of commerce breakfast meeting Thursday.

Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale and parliamentary secretary for TransLink in the NDP government, said housing affordability is a key factor in traffic congestion. If housing was more affordable on the North Shore and jobs were available that paid enough for people to live here, far fewer people would be clogging the roads in vehicles, she said. Currently, “We actually have more traffic coming on the North Shore in the morning and out of the North Shore in the evening than we do the other way around” – a change from five to seven years ago, she said.

While traffic crossing the Ironworkers bridge is only up by about 3,000 vehicle trips a day in the past decade to about 130,000 vehicle trips a day, “it certainly doesn’t feel that way,” she said. “It feels a lot worse. Once you’ve hit capacity, everything starts backing up.”

But Ma said building more lanes won’t fix the problem.

“You cannot build your way out of traffic congestion with more lanes and more bridges, more cars,” she said. “The only real long-term solution is public transit.”

Thornthwaite, Liberal MLA for North Vancouver- Seymour, said the new Mountain Highway interchange under construction that will separate bridge traffic from local North Vancouver traffic will help. Thornthwaite also pointed to the idea she recently made public of bringing SkyTrain to the North Shore. But part of the problem is “There is no way anyone wants to pay for anything,” she said. “They want everything for free.”

Thornthwaite said she supports the mayors’ council idea of looking at mobility pricing for the Lower Mainland, which she has seen in other countries.

There should be incentives for people to get out of their cars, said Thornthwaite, but added, “we cannot demand people get out of their cars and go on transit when the transit system is not prepared to take them where they want to go in a timely manner. When we have to wait an hour for a bus from Deep Cove to go somewhere, nobody’s taking the bus.”

Thornthwaite agreed housing is part of the solution for both residents and businesses. “Obviously if you can’t afford to live here you have to be able to get back and forth,” she said. “It’s tough to get staff if they aren’t physically living here. . . Do we really want our snow removal guys coming from Chilliwack?”

Thornthwaite said many residents equate more development on the North Shore with more traffic, but said “even if we did put a stop to all development the traffic is not going away.”

Thornthwaite said increased density is needed. “We have to have a grown-up conversation about what we want our communities to look like. West Vancouver is going to be a ghost town if it continues on the way it is.”

Sultan, longtime Liberal MLA for West Vancouver- Capilano, pointed to the previous government’s introduction of a 15 per cent foreign buyers tax as one step that’s been taken to address “this surge of foreign capital which has swamped the real estate market, particularly in certain municipalities in Vancouver”

Sultan added solving that issue will also take federal action. He said municipalities also need to step up approvals of development applications. “That’s a very local solution we have to addresss.”

Ma said those opposed to increased density are often homeowners who already own their houses outright. But affordability still affects those people, said Ma, because “the services that they rely on are staffed with people who can’t afford to live here.”

Other topics of debate Thursday morning included raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and bringing in a universal child care program.

Sultan and Thornthwaite questioned the impact raising the minimum wage might have on small business owners and jobs.

Thornthwaite added there’s no money in the current budget to pay for the NDP’s promised child-care program.

“It’s very expensive and an example of over-reach on the part of our government,” said Sultan, who nevertheless gave the NDP credit for putting the issue on the public agenda.

Ma acknowledged creating $10-a-day child-care program was a key campaign promise, but added, “It’s not going to be overnight.” Ma said the NDP has a 10-year plan to put a universal child-care program in place. “It is a massive undertaking. It will be expensive,” she said.

She compared that to the universal health care program, which currently consumes half of the provincial operating budget.

“How many of you would rather not have universal health care today?” she asked. TransLink fare change could mean cheaper SeaBus rides

Brent Richter / North Shore News

November 21, 2017 05:02 PM

The SeaBus makes a crossing from North Vancouver to downtown. That trip could become a lot cheaper if TransLink follows through on a plan to change its fare structure. file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

TransLink is looking at making changes to its fare system that could make a trip on the SeaBus much cheaper but taking a bus downtown from the outer reaches of the North Shore more pricey.

The transit authority is seeking public feedback on two rough options currently on the table.

Under the first option, trips on rapid transit including the SeaBus and SkyTrain would start at $2.20 for the first five kilometres and then add up incrementally to a maximum of $4.30, while the adult bus fares would still work on a flat rate of $2.20 across the whole system. Because the SeaBus route is a three-kilometre straight shot to downtown, that would make a Lonsdale Quay to Waterfront Station trip $2.20 compared to the current $4.10.

The second option would put a per-kilometre cost on both buses and rapid transit, starting at $2.10 for the first five km and adding up incrementally. Under that system, riding 17.5 kilometres on the 211 or the 212 bus from Deep Cove to downtown would cost $3.55 to $4.05. Riding the 250 from Horseshoe Bay to Granville Street is roughly 23.8 kilometres and would likely top out at the maximum fare of $4.30.

The goal of the changes is to make the system more equitable for transit riders while still keeping prices attractive enough to woo people out of their cars.

“We want to ensure that we’re pricing the longest trips in a way that’s going to keep them affordable and keep transit a reasonable option for people travelling long distances,” said Andrew Devlin, TransLink’s manager of policy development.

The numbers are subject to change based on the feedback received.

TransLink is also asking for feedback on what discounts could be made available beyond the current lower rates for children and seniors.

Both of North Vancouver’s MLAs welcomed the thought of a cheaper SeaBus ride.

“That’s one of the major disadvantages with the current system. If you’re just taking the SeaBus with a two-zone fare, which I think is unfair,” said Jane Thornthwaite, Liberal MLA for North Vancouver Seymour.

North Vancouver-Lonsdale’s NDP MLA Bowinn Ma agreed, but added it’s important for her constituents to make that known to TransLink.

“I really, really hope a lot of folks who use transit on the North Shore are able to fill out the survey and put in their two cents,” she said.

The survey is at TransLink's website.

EDITORIAL: What goes up...

North Shore News

November 21, 2017 04:22 PM

file photo Paul McGrath, North Shore News Sasquatch, the Loch Ness Monster and the relationship between housing supply and affordability. It’s an unlikely trio that belongs to the realm of the mythical – at least, that’s the contention of a Kwantlen Polytechnic University professor who crunched 15 years of housing numbers and concluded Metro Vancouver has produced more than enough supply to meet demand. For every 100 new households, Metro Vancouver has built 119 new housing units, John Rose contends. There will doubtless be sufferers of tower fatigue who will use the study as grounds for opposing every construction project. And it’s true supply has utterly failed to exert any gravity on the North Shore’s astronomical housing market. Over the past decade, benchmark home prices in North Vancouver and West Vancouver have risen 98 and 106 per cent. But even if Rose’s conclusions are correct and we do have enough physical houses, that still doesn’t mean we have an adequate housing supply. That’s largely because we’re burdened with a more than adequate supply of Airbnbs, empty homes, and speculators. While the foreign buyers tax has helped, we still need senior levels of government to make a simple declaration: if you’re not going to live here then your money’s no good here. We also need our municipal governments to keep a closer eye on developers who walk in the front door preaching affordability and walk out the back door hawking luxury living. Rose is slated to release his report this Friday. We hope all levels of government will examine it closely because for far too many trades workers, nurses, and teachers, the real myth is an affordable place to live on the North Shore.