Childcare expansion rejection sparks outrage

Good morning,

A huge thank you to the 600 of you who completed our readership survey. I’ve summarized the results later in the newsletter.

Now let’s get to the newsletter.

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout newsletter writer

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WEATHER

Friday: 22 🌡️ 14 | ☀️

Saturday: 26 🌡️ 16 | ☀️

Sunday: 28 🌡️ 16 | ☀️

Monday: 26 🌡️ 15 | ⛅

CITY

Childcare expansion rejection sparks outrage

Sometimes some stories take on a life of their own, epitomizing the biggest problems facing a city. That’s certainly the case with a story this week on a proposed daycare site.

What happened: As reported by Vancouver Sun columnist Dan Fumano, a proposed expansion of eight additional spaces for children at a daycare across from Douglas Park was rejected, after vehement opposition by locals. City hall’s licensing department rejected the proposal, along with the board of variance, after eight people showed up to the meeting to oppose it, according to the Province.

Those opposed: Locals cited lack of parking and increased noise from the children as reasons. Also the “unique charm, character and vitality” of the neighbourhood. One resident promised legal action if it was approved, calling it a childcare space for 16 children a “major commercial enterprise.” You can listen to an interview with one of the locals, who happens to be an old city planner, here.

• Ironically, Mark Goodman, one of the neighbours opposed to it, is a real estate developer who advocates for increasing housing density in the city.

Arguments in favour: The city faces a shortfall of 14,911 licenced childcare spaces, according to the Province. City staff and elected officials say it’s a priority. If daycare can’t be built in communities where people live, where can it be built? How can a family raise a child without adequate childcare spaces?

• Zoom in: As pointed out by Grids Vancouver, part of the problem is that childcare spaces require an enormous amount of parking. This kind of bylaw doesn’t make much sense in a city where parking is increasingly rare.

Zoom out: As the columnist notes in his story, this is just one meeting that he attended. With many more happening all the time, this issue may be more widespread than anyone realizes.

What it means: The overwhelming response from politicians, local leaders and stakeholders will make the decision hard to ignore. It also raises attention to byzantine laws which stop the development of much-needed infrastructure. As one Twitter user pointed out in the screenshot below, it’s easy to blame staff when it’s our elected officials who create the laws, which is important to keep in mind.

• Deep-dive: One online user did a comparison of provincial and city regulations for childcare spaces. Not surprisingly, the city’s rules tend to micromanage far more. You can read the breakdown here.

What’s next: Unclear! But city councillors have taken to social media to denounce the decision, including ABC councillors Lenny Zhou, and Mike Klassen, along with Lisa Dominato, who have asked city hall for ways to review the decision. Coun. Pete Fry also denounced the decision, and Christine Boyle retweeted posts that opposed the decision. Maybe something good will come out of this story….

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🏠 16: How many years Keir Nicoll, who is disabled, has lived in his rental apartment. He now faces eviction. Meanwhile, tenants rights groups say the landlord could be planning to use it for short-term rental. [Global]

📚 85: The number of years a book was late being returned to a Vancouver library. The fines are less than you’d think! [Vancouver is Awesome]

🏫 $48 million: The amount the B.C. government is giving Capilano University to purchase Quest University’s old campus, to open up a campus in Squamish. The total cost is $63.2 million. [CBC]

📈 $668,754: The average price of a home in Canada in July. That’s up 6.3 percent since July 2022. B.C. was up almost six percent. [Urbanized]

SURVEY

What Lookout readers want

More than 600 people completed our community survey. Not bad for a publication that’s only six months old!

After spending Thursday reviewing the data, here’s what you said:

• People overwhelming want us to stay focused on breaking down the big stories, providing context and helping you understand what they mean;

• Readers want thought-provoking ideas on improving our city, drawn from world-class cities around the world;

• Surprisingly, people seem to be tired of listicle-style food content — point taken, we’ll stay away from that!

• Finally, rather than review expensive restaurants, you want reviews of cheap eats and affordable spots, as well as hidden gems in the city.

You also shared many ideas on new things we should cover. Here are just a few:

“Profiles of the nonprofits that make people's lives better in Vancouver — not just the social justice agencies, but also the arts, religious organizations, and the like.”

“Arts and culture, particularly what's being done at city hall to improve the presence of local artists, and how community members can support or get involved.”

“History! It would be so cool to have a monthly feature on the history of different buildings/shops/streets. You could ask readers what historical questions they have about the city and then report back on it.”

“Pet friendly events, locations, hikes.”

“Which city councillors are voting for which outcomes. I want to be prepared to vote intelligently.”

All of these are excellent ideas. I’m already preparing some stories based on this!

THE AGENDA

🏠 In another truly depressing story about Vancouver’s rental market, a TikTok video is raising the ire of residents as it advertised a $2,000 a month 200 square foot bachelor pad apartment. The problem? It used to be an affordable SRO that was bought by a Toronto development company. And unfortunately, Coun. Pete Fry said there’s not much the city could do. [Global]

💰 The federal government has given Vancouver developers $500 million in low-interest loans to build 1,100 rental units. The housing minister would not say where those sites would be located. [Richmond News]

🚙 A woman who crashed her car, killing two people and injuring nine at a wedding, has been charged with driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention. [Global]

🏗️ Residents of CRAB Park encampment have launched a petition calling for the creation of a tiny home village in the parking lot next to the park. Unlike the other encampments, a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled that the city did not have the jurisdiction to evict people from the park. [CBC]

👍 Some good news — UBC researchers have developed a material that traps 95 percent of microplastics in places like homes and water treatment plants. [CityNews]

🇨🇳 It soon be a tougher market for tourism in B.C. and Canada. The Chinese government left Canada off the list of approved tour group countries. The country accounts for the second largest number of tourists to B.C. [CBC]

📉 Vancouver’s billion-dollar strategy to improve SROs is languishing, with only $2 million secured for the plan for the next several decades. The plan was to renovate 2,500 rooms and purchase another 105 SROs. [Business in Vancouver]

GOOD NEWS

Food bank receives $2 million in donations

One thing readers asked more frequently is good news, so I’ll do my best to highlight some more good news stories, without taking away from the more important stories that deserve attention.

What happened: The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is doing a little better this week after the Stanley Park Malkin Bowl on Aug. 12 which raised $2 million for the charity.

Why it matters: Times have been tough for the food bank as usage has sharply risen, so this is a much-needed infusion of money.

WEEKEND GUIDE

Vancouver Queer Film Festival | Throughout Vancouver | Aug 10-20 | Celebrate 35 years of queer film with a massive festival of movies at location and streaming | Various prices

Irish Fusion Festival | Pacific Boulevard and Carrall Street | Saturday and Sunday | Celebrate Irish community and culture with musical performances, dance, good drinks and Irish good times | Tickets $27

Meowfest 2023 Vancouver | Rocky Mountain Station | Saturday, 10 am-5 pm | Cat festival is a thing and it’s the largest in Canada, featuring the perfect place to shop for your pet, and it features cats! | Tickets $45

Vancouver Chinese Film Festival | Annex, 823 Seymour Street | Saturday 2 pm-5 pm | Experience Chinese storytelling from seven documentaries from Canadian directors | Tickets $22

VIFF 80s Movies | VIFF | All weekend | Robocop, Midnight Run, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Bill Durham round out an outstanding weekend of movies. And it has AC! | Tickets $15

Ambleside Music Festival | Ambleside Park | Saturday and Sunday, 3 pm-10 pm | Weezer, Said the Whale and other bands bring you two days of great music this weekend | Tickets $159

Asian Summer Market | Raddison Hotel Vancouver Airport | Saturday and Sunday, 6 pm | Artists, crafts and other small businesses showcase their products and services | Free

West End Community Clean-up Day | Gordon Neighbourhood House | Saturday, 10 am | An event that brings together people who care about the community to clean up the streets in the area | Free

Field Day Fest | Fieldhouse Brewing | Saturday, 11:30 am-11 pm Enjoy some sour, learn about beer vendors, along with music, and be sure to dress up in western attire | Tickets $45

Granville Flea Vintage Expo 2023 | The Beaumont Studies | Sunday, 11 am-7 pm | Vintage products, music, since cream, food and good times, plus a mobile barber shop | Tickets $8.79

Mt. Pleasant Street Art and Mural Tour | Sunday, 11 am | Free public tour of mural art throughout the neighbourhood, including the different types of art like abstract, surrealism and more | Free

Railtown Tailgate Barbecue | Railtown Cafe | Sunday, 5 pm | BBQ tailgating with beef brisket, sausage, pork shoulder and more | Tickets $27.96

Pacific Arts Market Pop-Up at Jim Deva Plaza | August 26, 1 pm-5 pm | Live painting, local arts and crafts, music and stuff for kids| Free

FOOD

This Vancouver couple is reviewing every single pizza place in Vancouver. So far their top choice is Did’s Pizza over on Dunsmuir. [Curiocity]

The popular The Greek by Anatoli restaurant is opening up in Vancouver at 382 W Broadway, with a restaurant in the day and a more speak-easy feel at night. [Vancouver is Awesome]

If you thought Vancouver had enough Japanese restaurants, think again. Tekkeba will be opening on 62 E Cordova St. Offering traditional izakaya-style and omakase menus. [Vancouver is Awesome]

If Japanese vegan curry and wine sound like your dream combination, then you’ll like Coffee Roasters Modus’ latest pop-up event on Aug. 32. Tickets are $36. [Scout]

When you think vegan in Vancouver, you probably think of Kitsilano (it’s got the vibes). The two are coming together for the Vancouver Vegan Festival on Sept. 9. All proceeds will go towards the Little Oink Bank Sanctuary. [Dished]

Over 25 breweries have been nominated for the Best Brewery in BC Awards from BC Ale Trail. You can vote for your favourite here. [Vancouver is Awesome]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Good news for all you ski bums (myself included) — Whistler Blackcomb announced the ski season will begin on Nov. 23. Get your pass before Sept. 4 before prices rise. See you on the slopes! [CTV]

• The Yew Street pedestrian walkway pilot may be dead, but the pavement blocks that separated the pedestrian road live on. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Struggling to get a good sleep in the heat? Here are some helpful tips. [CBC]

GAME TIME

Today’s Vancouver Wordle is based on a big story this week. Can you guess it? Play here.