April Fools' joke raises awareness about pedestrian safety in Vancouver

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Good morning,

I’m not going to lie — today’s newsletter was very hard to write. Not because of the stories, but because I’m fighting the flu. It’s a very bad sign when your Garmin watch says you got 1.5 hours of sleep the night before! Luckily I managed to take a big afternoon nap in between writing this. 

Also a huge thank you to everyone who joined up as a member during our recent membership drive. It’s the best way to support the Lookout and ensures I can keep writing this into the future.

Today we’re looking at a very effective April Fools joke about pedestrian safety, and some big housing news at multiple levels of government.

Let’s dive in!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout editor

Editor’s note: This is not technically an error, but I forgot to mention in Friday’s newsletter about the danger posed by ships to the Second Narrows, that any loaded tanker requires an assist tugboat to guide it through the area

WEATHER

Wednesday: 10 🌡️ 4 | 🌤️

Thursday: 13 🌡️ 5 | 🌤️

Friday: 13 🌡️ 6 | 🌤️

TRANSPORTATION

Now that’s an effective April Fool’s joke

What happened: A creative April Fool's joke on Monday was used to raise awareness about the dangers of Vancouver’s streets for pedestrians. Those walking along the Granville Island crosswalk, where the Seawall meets the busy street into the island, were presented with a (foam) brick they could pick up and wave as they crossed the street, designed to grab the attention of drivers. 

• Vision Vancouver was the group behind the prank. They exist to advocate for pedestrian safety in the city. They want the road to be narrowed to two lanes rather than the current four, according to Urbanized. 

The data: Cars are a real danger to pedestrians in the Lower Mainland. Around seven people are hit each day and 30 are killed every year by drivers.

Personal experience: Focusing on that walkway was a smart idea. I’ve almost been hit twice while both biking and walking on it, with the bridge pillars creating a blind spot with the four-lane highway. 

• Clearly, the video has hit a nerve. As of writing this newsletter it had almost one million views on Twitter.

Zoom out: As more and more people are biking and walking as a form of getting around, the chances for pedestrian injury is growing. Vision Zero, in an interview with CTV in March, noted that all these deaths are preventable with policy changes to roads and how vehicles get around. 

Controversy: Much of the debate around this issue is who shares the blame for pedestrian deaths. Are the pedestrians themselves responsible for not keeping an eye out while crossing the road, or distracted drivers going too fast? Last year Richmond RCMP released a video that was ridiculed for claiming that a pedestrian crossing the street wearing earbuds had the same culpability as a driver illegally using their phone blowing through a pedestrian crosswalk, according to the Vancouver Sun.

In Vancouver: How seriously the city is taking pedestrian safety is a real question. Back in November, a motion introduced by Coun. Christine Boyle to install red light cameras at the most dangerous city intersections. This was heavily altered by the ABC-majority council, to instead request the city to work with stakeholders on the issue, according to CBC. 

• Studies show that red light cameras reduce crashes by as much as 20 percent. 

What it means: The brick stunt, the tone-deaf video from the RCMP last year and the lack of action by the city on pedestrian safety, raise questions about how seriously those in power, be it the police or elected officials, take the issue of pedestrian safety. 

SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN VAN

Downtown Van releases 2024 State of Downtown Report

Downtown Van (BIA) has released the sixth edition of their highly anticipated State of Downtown report.

As Downtown Van’s signature research publication, this report highlights downtown Vancouver’s economic and social state supported by leading-edge data.

The 2024 edition provides a thorough analysis of key sectors such as visits, commercial real estate, consumer spending, and tourism and hospitality.

Dive into the report here.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🏒 $484.62: The price of an upper bowl Canucks playoff game. Expect those prices to increase! [CityNews]

⛽ 82 cents: The amount of taxes that are in the price per litre of fuel. The city has the most expensive gas prices in North America. [Global News]

#️⃣ 40,000: The number of Palestinian flags placed in Devonian Park in the West End, to symbolize the number of people killed in the current conflict. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🍎 $1 billion: The amount of money the federal government committed to a new national school food program, with the goal of feeding about 400,000 children a year, starting next year. [CBC]

HOUSING

Housing money and renters’ rights changes incoming

What happened: The federal government announced a $6-billion infrastructure fund to spur the construction of more homes across the country, CBC reported. The first $1 billion of that money will go directly to cities with critical, shovel-ready infrastructure projects.

The catch: The remaining $5 billion will be given to the provinces, but only if they meet certain conditions. The money will be earmarked for the installation and upgrading of infrastructure like water mains and sewers. The feds want the provinces to allow four-unit buildings as a right, freeze development charges for three years,

• Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser said it comes down to a binary choice, “Do you want support to expand infrastructure and make the decisions that will make it easier to build homes? Or do you want to go it alone and adopt measures that restrict housing supply, knowing that a consequence will be a lack of federal infrastructure funding?” he said according to CBC.

Reaction: Provincial governments aren’t always keen on the federal government entering their areas of jurisdiction. Ontario Premier Doug Ford previously rejected the idea of allowing fourplexes to be built on any lot, one of the federal requirements for the money. In BC, Premier David Eby was more welcoming of the money, saying provinces that build housing should be prioritized for the cash, and those unwilling to play ball should be left out.

Timeline: Provinces will have until Jan. 1 to come to an agreement with the federal government for their share of the money. After that point, the feds said they’d give the money directly to cities. The timeline for handing out the final $5 billion has not been set, and it’s not clear how much each province would get.

Rental protections improving: The BC government also announced a slew of new policies yesterday designed to better protect renters in BC. Landlords will be required to occupy a unit for 12 months instead of the current six when evicting a tenant, increase the notice that landlords give tenants for evicting them and make it illegal to raise rents when a child arrives, according to CBC. 

What it means: Much of the announcements by the federal government take inspiration from what our premier is already doing. It’s in direct contrast to Premier Ford’s comments on people not wanting fourplexes in their neighbourhoods. It’s Premier David Eby’s housing world and we’re just all living in it!

THE AGENDA

👮 A brazen shooting that failed to kill a Brothers Keepers gang leader in Downtown Vancouver on Saturday is raising concerns that there will be retaliatory violence. Former police chief Kash Heed says that the multiple police forces throughout the region make coordinating cross jurisdictional issues like this difficult.  [CTV]

🍺 Sit back, relax and enjoy a cold one outside because patio season has officially begun. From now until Oct. 31, curbside and sidewalk patios will be back, with an additional 200 expected to be added. The program is undergoing a review and changes are expected in 2025. [City of Vancouver]

🐺 Good boys? Not so much… In the coming weeks coyotes in Stanley Park will be mating, which makes them more defensive. Be warned that some trails may have restricted access in the coming weeks to avoid the animals. [CTV]

👎 The African Descent Advisory Committee is no longer working with the Vancouver Police Department. The group says there wasn’t one specific action, but a lack of respect towards them as well as the decision by the police board to bring back school liaison programs, which critics say creates an unsafe environment for minorities. [CBC]

⛷️ Well, that was a disappointing ski season. Cypress has ended its night skiing and will close to daytime activities on April 14. Seymour still has night skiing on weekdays but also will likely close on the 14th, the same as Blackcomb. Whistler will stay open until May 20. [Urbanized]

👮 Forensic units were set up Saturday at Kingsway and Victoria to investigate the death of a 37-year-old woman. She was treated by first responders at the scene but died. The police did not provide details on how she was killed. [Vancouver Sun]

⚖️ The Supreme Court will decide whether to hear an appeal from the City of Vancouver on a BC Court of Appeal ruling that ended the city’s vacancy control bylaws for SROs, to regulate rent increases after a tenant leaves, due to rates dramatically rising. [City of Vancouver]

🏒 Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko is practicing on the ice, meaning his return could come soon. The team has only won four of their last eight since he was injured. [Sportsnet]

ARTS

Movies

VIFF is featuring a number of movies from Jonathan Glazer, the Oscar-winning director of Zone of Interest. There’s also some movies on outdoor events and if you enjoy food, The Taste of Things from France is a must-see.

Cinematheque is featuring a number of movies from directors Jean Luc Godard and Edward Yang. I would also highly recommend the Red Ballon on April 21, widely considered the greatest short movie ever made. It’s an experience that sticks with you long after you watch it.

The Skoden Indigenous Film Festival is happening this weekend at the Djavid Mowafaghian Cinema. If features films from Canadian-based Indigenous filmmakers.

Music

South Asian music festival 5X Fest returns June 14 at the Surrey Civic Plaza, with live music, food and art. [Straight]

Theatre

Zombies, Mannequins, and Talking Heads at the Roundhouse Community and Arts Centre is a new play showing in May. It’s from Realwheels, a theatre company that focuses on sharing works from those who identify as disabled. [Straight]

There are still tickets available for the ever-popular Broadway musical Hairspray playing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from now until Sunday, with showings in the afternoon as well as evenings on the weekend.

It’s the seventh annual Femme Festival celebrating female, trans and non-binary people, with numerous shows throughout the city until May 12.

Art

Capture Photography Festival is Western Canada’s largest lens-based art festival, with shows at dozens of galleries throughout the city showcasing Vancouver to the world. Art publication Stir has five shows you should check out.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Those sunsets are really something…

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Popular Chinese fashion brand company Shein is opening up a pop-up store at 804 Granville St. in Vancouver for four days, from April 11-14. [Vancouver Sun].

• Stay ahead of the NHL action with Hockey Recap's newsletter! Get game highlights and expert insights delivered to your inbox. Sign up for free today.

• Snoop Dogg will be making a stop in Vancouver on his Cali to Canada Tour, on June 24

• Popular beer bar Sing Sing on Main is opening up a new location at 1191 Commercial Dr. [Business in Vancouver]

• You definitely are not allowed to stop here, even if you want to see the Cherry Blossoms. [Reddit]

• There are many service changes taking place in April, so be sure to check out all the updates from TransLink. [TransLink]

• Someone managed to capture a video of the Northern lights over Burnaby mountain recently. [Reddit]

GAME TIME

Congrats to everyone who guessed last week’s Vancouver Wordle, the answer was BRIDGE. As a few people noted, it was a bit too easy. I’ll try to make the next one harder!

Today’s Vancouver Guesser is an intersection in Kitsilano. Can you name it? Reply with the correct answer and your name to be featured in the newsletter.