Best of the quarter

Good morning,

As we get closer to the end of the quarter, I always look back and see all the different stories we’ve produced here at the Lookout. 

From food reviews to city hall analysis, event venue crackdown and the behind-the-scenes city hall negotiations, our team covers a lot. But there’s one thread that unites all these stories — a love for this city and the people in it, both to see it be the best it can be and shed a light on issues that don’t get the attention they deserve.

Thanks to everyone for continuing to stick with us, reading our stories and sticking by us when we make (unintentional) errors. 

Please enjoy our top stories of the year so far.

— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout founder and managing editor

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Wednesday: 9 🌡️ 9 | 🌧️

Thursday: 10 🌡️ 9 | 🌧️

Friday: 9 🌡️ 8 | 🌧️

TOP STORIES

The best stories we published this winter

At Mimi’s Focaccia, bread brings people together

This was a story I literally published yesterday, about a new focaccia shop in town. I leave the hard-hitting journalism stories to the rest of my team while I focus on a topic I care about – food, drinks and the community and people that surround it.

But in this case, Mimi’s Focaccia is about more than just excellent focaccia hot dogs (yes, that’s a thing). It’s a beautiful space for people to gather and meet. 

As owner Emily Jette told me over email, “The heart of the business is really about making something that brings people joy but also creating a space where people feel welcome and connect with each other. I want it to feel warm, approachable, fun, and like somewhere people genuinely want to come back to. Some of my favourite moments are when people stop by and stay longer than they planned, chat with each other, or bring a friend back the next week.”

If the crowds are any indication, people will be visiting often. 

Read the review

Will city council progressive parties split the vote?

With the mayor set to run this election again, it means that much of our coverage has focused on his competitors. While Vancouver tends to be a very progressive city, the biggest question mark is whether those parties can prevent vote splitting.

Nate broke down the negotiations taking place between each party and how some rifts are already beginning to open up in the public. 

A secondary piece tied to this issue is how vote splitting is playing out in other Canadian cities. I wrote a comparison between what’s happening in Vancouver and Ottawa, another city where the Lookout operates.

No fun city: Vancouver's crackdown on late-night venues

This was easily our most popular and impactful story of the year so far, with thousands of people sharing and reading Nate’s exclusive look at how smaller venue operators were being targeted by the city. If you want to understand why Vancouver has the label of a no-fun city, then this is a good starting point.

Read the story

St. Lawrence’s Cabane à Sucre is an exceptional affair — except for one missing thing

Much of the city’s food writing is cheerleading. There’s nothing wrong with supporting the industry. In fact, it’s necessary. But the point of a restaurant critic is not only to celebrate the good, but to point out the bad, or in the case of this story, when it feels like something is missing.

Cabane à Sucre is a yearly Quebecois meal focused on rustic cooking. This year, St. Lawrence decided to make the meal more fine-dining than the traditional long-table approach. You can read in my review about why, even though the meal was exceptional, the concept felt like it didn’t quite work.

Read the review

"Online is too crowded": Why postering still matters in Vancouver

I’m obsessed with the real world, and how even though we spend so much time online, physical spaces still play a critical role in our city. Grace Shutti happened to pitch us on a similar topic, and so this story was born.

The story illustrates how something you may take for granted, namely those posters you see across the city, still play an impactful role in event discovery, especially as it becomes harder and more expensive to reach people online.

Read the story

The city's plan to transform industrial land to housing may be harder than it looks

Turning industrial areas into another Olympic Village may sound like a great idea, right? I certainly thought so. 

But Nate’s deep dive into a city plan to transform industrial land into housing raised serious questions about the strategy and deeper questions about how feasible such a transformation actually is.

Read the story

Review: Riot Sketch Comedy is a riot, as long as you aren’t their target

Last but not least, I infrequently try my hand at arts writing. Frankly, I love doing it, but finding the time while running the Lookout is a real challenge. I also try to focus on writing about things readers can go and experience, rather than events that just happened. 

Picture Riot Sketch comedy as Vancouver’s answer to Saturday Night Live, a series of sketches, bits and a game, performed over slightly more than two hours, with a simple premise — the city we love deeply is, in fact, deeply flawed, and those flaws are worthy of recognition, ridicule and most importantly, a few laughs. The best part is they do a new show each month.

Read the entire review

THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

74%

The drop in international student arrivals in Canada over the past two years. In January 2026 alone, only 7,040 arrived compared to 11,215 in the same time in 2025. The decline in international students has resulted in a massive drop in University funding in Vancouver universities and across Canada, while others have argued it’s helped push down prices of rental housing due to decreased demand. Read more. [Urbanized]

THE AGENDA

🏊 Good luck when swimming? The City of Vancouver will be reducing the number of lifeguards from 10 to five at waterfront and beach locations, including Spanish West, Spanish East, Sunset, Third and Trout Lake, due to budget constraints. Locarno, Jericho, Kits, English Bay and Second Beach will be prioritized. Read more. [CTV]

⚽ FIFA fans rejoice — the city of Vancouver and the B.C. government have confirmed that the FIFA Fan Festival and viewing of games at the amphitheatre will be free. The amphitheatre area has a capacity of 2,600 seats per match. Read more.

🦀 A video circulating online purports to show Mandarin-speaking merchant sailors illegally catching crab, including both undersized and female crabs, with one person in the video claiming they caught 441 pounds. The limit per person is four. Fisheries and Oceans Canada says they are looking into it. Read more. [CTV]

🪧 Protests took place this week in Vancouver to call on the federal government to oppose Bill 11 in Alberta, which creates a two-tier public and private health care system in the province. Many worry this could lead to more two-tier systems across the country. Read more. [CTV]

🏢 A new proposed development at 5027-5053 Boundary Rd. could see social housing and a large childcare facility, and include a 22-storey building. Read more. [Urbanized]

❌ City council has requested that the developer of three rental housing towers on East Hastings Street, which include 924 units, make changes to the plan due to the size of the project and the lack of nearby amenities, with a request to look at adding more parking and a childcare space. Read more. [Business in Vancouver]

💸 The East Van cross isn’t going anywhere, after a staff report evaluated 12 different locations. The main reason? Cost, with estimates of moving artwork at $300,000 to $500,000. Read more ($). [Vancouver Sun]

📈 As of Monday, gas prices have risen 37 cents in Metro Vancouver and 20 cents since last week, for a price of $2.04 as of Monday morning. Sadly, prices are expected to continue rising. Read more. [Urbanized]

🐟 A new study out of UBC says that artificial turfs in Metro Vancouver are toxic to coho salmon. The chemicals leach into the municipal stormwater system due to the recycled tires used for the fields. Read more. [Campbell River Mirror]

HOME OF THE WEEK

We haven’t visited the West End in a while, so let’s see what’s available.

The area isn’t known for being cheap, for obvious reasons, given the area’s popularity. But this two-bedroom, two-bathroom is at least more affordable than normal. It’s in a great area, a corner unit with lots of windows, and, for all you exercise fans, a really solid gym. And even better? A shared sauna.

You’ll have to see how much it sets you back…

VANCOUVER ARTS GUIDE

Performance

The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light is coming to Firehall Arts Centre from Apr. 18-May 3, from award-winning Ojibway playwright, author, journalist, and filmmaker Drew Hayden Taylor, about counterfeiting art and Indigenous artists.

People, Places and Things is a theatre performance about acting and addiction, and how these shape stories and the life of the main character, Emma. On at the Cultch Historic Theatre until Mar. 27.

Vancouver’s newest ballet company, Ballet Vancouver, presents its first program, After the Rain & Other Works, which celebrates Vancouver’s global identity and features world-premiere works. On from Apr. 2-25 at the Vancouver Playhouse.

Saxophonist and electronic-centred musician Karen Ng will perform at Western Front on Mar. 26 at 7:30 p.m., a show that explores both acoustic and electronic sources.

From now until Mar. 21, you can catch Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, a thrilling dance interpretation of the classic at the Vancouver Playhouse.

Movies

Want to catch some of the Oscar movies? Rio is showcasing a bunch of them this week, including One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Sinners and Mr. Nobody Against Putin.

Until Apr. 1, the Cinematheque is showcasing the Vancouver Greek Film Festival. There’s also a series focusing on the French director Chantal Akerman. And as part of the Capture Photography Festival from Apr. 11-25, the theatre is showcasing films that have influenced three lens-based artists. 

I have a real soft spot for Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, which happens to be playing during the day this week, as part of their series Spielberg for Beginners. Another recommendation is Nickel Boys, a beautiful, powerful film about a fascist Florida reform school that was nominated for Best Picture in 2024.

Submit your event and it could appear here and reach 30,000+ Vancouver locals.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• This is a lovely story about how a popular Vancouver children’s graphic novel came to be. [Yahoo]

• Reviving urban creeks is having a major positive effect in Vancouver. [The Tyee]

• VIFF has announced a new hub for artists called the Institute for Moving Image.

• Vancouver was well represented at the Oscars this year. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

VANCOUVER WORDLE

Think you can guess today’s Vancouver Wordle? It has something to do with one of the agenda items. Play it here.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Here’s a moody photo of a walk in Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden.