More than 70 people displaced by apartment fire

Good morning,

New water restrictions are incoming this Friday for Vancouver. And given the fires faced by people across BC, especially in Osoyoos, the restrictions are a small price locals will have to deal with. Though if you don’t have a lawn, nothing really changes…

Today we’ve also got a breakdown of the breakup of the Beach Avenue bike lane and the affect of a fire last week.

Let’s get to it.

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout writer

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WEATHER

Monday: 24 🌡️ 14 | ⛅

Tuesday: 25 🌡️ 14 | ⛅

Wednesday: 26 🌡️ 16 | ⛅

HOUSING

Mount Pleasant apartment fire leaves many without homes

What happened: A massive fire at an apartment building at 414 East 10 Ave. in Mount Pleasant on Thursday evening forced more than 70 people from their homes. According to CBC, it was so bad people had to be rescued from the third floor of the building after the fire spread throughout.

• It was so big more than 70 firefighters had to be called in to deal with the blaze.

Worst-case scenario: While only five people were sent to the hospital, and no one lost their life, the building is expected to be deemed uninhabitable and residents will not be able to return to their homes.

• Among those who were displaced included temporary workers from Mexico, as well as many owners with pets as the building was pet friendly, according to the Vancouver Sun.

A bright spot: Sometimes tragedies bring out the best in people. The Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association set up a spot over the weekend to collect donations for those affected by the fire, according to the Vancouver Sun. More than 100 people visited and there was a “flood” of donations, with so many items they needed a bigger storage area. A big thanks to any readers who stopped by.

• You can check out how widespread the fire was in these photos compiled by Vancouver is Awesome.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🚌 23: The number of days for free transit in the Fraser Valley, after transit workers went on strike for 124 days. [Daily Hive]

🚙 27.3: The number of minutes the average Vancouver resident spends commuting for work. Hopefully, they’ve got some good podcasts. [Vancouver is Aweasome]

😷 39 million: The number of COVID rapid tests the federal government has in stockpiles, without the demand from the provinces to get rid of them. [The Canadian Press]

TRANSPORTATION

A new war on bikes?

So the rumours we wrote about on Friday about the future of the Beach Avenue bike lane appear to be true, with Global reporting that city staff are looking at reversing the expanded bike lane and returning the roadway to a two-way street.

Background: The street along Beach Avenue used to be a two-way vehicle lane, allowing cars to exit and enter the park. During the pandemic, the eastbound lane was removed and replaced with a two-way bike path, and the old bike lane that was off-street was set aside for pedestrians, according to Urbanized.

Why? Why indeed… The problem stems from ABC’s concerns that traffic in Stanley Park is really bad for drivers. They removed the bike lanes in Stanley Park, but that didn’t help. Now they appear poised to roll back the bike lane on Beach Avenue as well.

Driving the agenda: Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung has been driving — pardon the pun — the agenda on this issue. She issued a tweet on Friday saying “The Beach Avenue bike lane is a popular part of Vancouver’s active transportation network and cycling infrastructure and it’s not going anywhere.”

• Yes, but: You have to read between the lines, but that’s not a definitive statement about the current infrastructure design. And as many pointed out, her two ABC colleagues seemed adamant last year that the original bike lane, without the two-way lane on the street, would return.

The Lookout’s view: We were not convinced that ABC would move this quickly or aggressively against the new biking infrastructure, but it appears they’re committed to making parts of the city more vehicle friendly. The data is clear increasing road access in cities doesn’t improve congestion, but ABC didn’t seem to get the memo. You’ll forgive us for being a little concerned about future and current bike infrastructure given their recent history with bike lines.

• Dig deeper: The city is developing a master plan for the West End, according to Urbanized. Let’s hope it actually includes biking infrastructure.

NEW JOBS

Discover your dream job in Vancouver:

1. Marketing specialist at BC Children’s Hospital Foundation

2. Employer relations manager at Immigrant Employment Council of BC

3. Director of advancement at Emily Carr University

4. Manager, events at BCAA

5. Vice president of marketing, Oakridge Park at QuadReal

6. Director of sales and marketing at Hyatt Regency Vancouver

THE AGENDA

👷 With port workers rejecting the proposed contract from their employer, the federal government is indicating they may force workers back to their jobs. [CityNews]

🚆 But over at the transit lines, workers went the opposite direction. Unionized workers on the Expo and Millennium Lines approved a new contract, with a wage increase of 6.75 percent over five years, plus future wages pegged to inflation. [Urbanized]

⛴️ You’re going to want to avoid any travel this and next weekend, with BC Ferries saying they expect peak foot-passenger travel. The company says they’re ready and expect all ferries to be in operation, but the results lately have not been promising… [Times Colonist]

🚕 The B.C. government is planning a review of ride-hailing services in the province, along with taxi companies, and a partial focus on how these services could be done in smaller communities. [Urbanized]

ENVIRONMENT

Stage 2 restrictions have arrived — here’s what you need to know

Better get used to brown lawns because Stage 2 water restrictions are coming into effect on Friday, and that means no lawn watering among other things, according to CTV.

What’s happening: In the midst of persistent drought conditions, Metro Vancouver is bringing in expanded water restrictions. You cannot water your lawn, but you can water trees, shrubs and flowers from 5 am-9 am. That water fountain you love to fill up? Nope. Filling up aesthetic water features like that are banned.

• Zoom in: On average Metro Vancouver uses one billion litres of drinking water a day, but this peaked on July 5 at 1.56 billion. Some people don’t seem to be following the rules! The last time Stage 2 was brought in was in 2015.

More stages: Stage 3 would mean no washing vehicles, while Stage 4 would add watering trees, shrubs and other plants to the list of banned activities. The full stage breakdown from one to four can be found here.

Looking ahead: The chair of Metro Vancouver’s water committee Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie indicated this could be a common thing going forward. So plan your garden accordingly!

EVENTS

Million Dollar Quartet | Granville Island Stage | Now until Aug. 6 | A musical that takes you back to Memphis, with rock and roll legends liek Elvis, Cash, and famous songs like “The Folsom Prison Blues,” “Great Balls of Fire” and more | Tickets $39

Supernatural TV Show Tour in Vancouver | Waterfront Station | Aug. 1, 7:30 pm | Discover all the places the popular TV series was filmed in this two-hour tour | Tickets $49

MV Summer Festival | Goldcorp Centre for the Arts | Today to Aug. 5 | Operatic performances, 60 performances from around the globe of opera music | Varied ticket prices

Lost in America | VIFF | Thursday, 4:50 pm Albert Brooks’ 1980s masterpiece about a couple who buys a Winnebago and travels America | Tickets $15

Vegan Market | Waldorf Hotel | Aug. 3, 6 pm | A plant-based night you won’t soon forget with food trucks, drinks, and art (and it’s dog friendly) | Admission $4 donation

CNH x Fresh Roots Summer Market! | Collingwood Neighbourhood House | Aug. 4, 4 pm | Explore locally grown produce, local musicians and build connections with the community | Free

Harmony Arts Fest | Throughout West Vancouver | Aug. 4-13 | A celebration of music and visual arts, with kids' art workshops and family-friendly activities | Free

Vancouver Mural Festival | Throughout Metro Vancouver | Aug. 4-13 | Explore the outdoors with beautiful artistic murals, with artists, performers and tours throughout the city | Free and paid

Mountain Music Series | Sea to Sky Gondola | Every summer Friday, 5 pm | Visit every Friday for different musical performances, bbq and scenery that can’t be beat | Free with lift pass

Live Painting At Vancouver Fine Art Gallery | Vancouver Fine Art Gallery | Aug. 5, 1 pm | Watch professional artists and sculpturists make art in real time | Free

Powell Street Festival | Oppenheimer Park | Aug. 5-6, 11:30 am | One of my favourite events of the summer, come down to the park and celebrate Japanese culture, food, music, art, you name it. It’s worth a visit | Free

Vancouver Pride Festival | Concord Pacific Place | Aug. 5-6 | A two-day outdoor festival with DJs, drag performances and so much more, along with the ever-popular Pride Parade | Free

Powell Street Festival | Oppenheimer Park | Aug. 5-6 | Celebrate Japanese art and culture at the popular festival this summer, with music, food, crafts and more | Free

White Rock Craft Beer Festival | Memorial Park, White Rock | Sept. 23, 1 pm | Details soon

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Struggling to meet people in Vancouver? This Reddit thread has some helpful ideas. [Reddit]

• A new book explores the city through its unique architecture. Well it’s almost 50 years old, but they’re releasing a new addition. [CityNews]

• Uhhh, those Whitespot burgers are a little pricey… [Reddit]

• Here’s how the Philippines’ Honda Celebration of Lights turned out. [Daily Hive]

• Meet the Ong Squad, a famous Tik Tok family right here in Vancouver.

TWEET OF THE DAY

Thoughts?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

This isn’t strictly Vancouver, but I’m sure many Vancouver residents used it. The guide is from 1964-65. The photos are strikingly familiar to those who love the outdoors.

GAME TIME

Congrats to everyone who guessed Friday’s Wordle. The answer was BIKE.

For today’s Vancouver news quiz - how many people were displaced from their apartment from their Mount Pleasant apartment? Reply with the correct answer and your name to be featured in the newsletter.