Do the feds have a role to play in Vancouver’s housing crisis?

Good morning,

If you care about news and our city — which, if you’re reading this, it means you do — you know local news is struggling.

Local publications are shutting down and journalists are getting laid off. It makes it harder for you to know the important local stories, hold your local elected officials accountable, and discover things to eat and do in Vancouver.

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WEATHER

Friday: 28 🌡️ 17 | ☀️ 

Saturday: 28 🌡️ 18 | 🌤️

Sunday: 27 🌡️ 17 | 🌤️

Monday: 26 🌡️ 17 | 🌤️

HOUSING

Is the federal government taking the housing crisis seriously?

The housing crisis is reshaping cities across Canada. The challenge is getting governments to address it with the level of urgency that’s needed. But is the richest and most important level of government in Canada actually treating it with the level of concern that’s needed? What role does the federal government have to play?

What happened: Two big news items illustrate the challenge the federal government faces in dealing with housing. The first was Trudeau’s statement at a press conference on Wednesday that housing is not a federal responsibility and not something he said “that we have direct carriage of,” according to CBC.

The second was here in Vancouver, with the federal government yesterday announcing $208 million to build new rental homes in Vancouver, including 422 new purpose-built rentals.

Looking back: The federal government has historically played a large role in housing. As outlined by the Tyee, there were 205,000 public housing units built between 1964 and 1978 (14,643 per year). Compare that to the promise by the Liberals to build 16,300 units in the next five years (3,260 per year).

• Many incentive programs to build rental apartments also existed, helping create another 382,000 units from 1975-84.

The chart below shows just how far the federal government has gotten away from that.

How it changed: The government of Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney shifted from mixed-income projects to focusing entirely on low-income people. And then the banks, real estate and governments in the 90s shifted to focus on cheaper mortgages and home ownership.

• Oh, and: Back in 1990, the Liberals themselves believed the federal government had a role to play.

Investment, but results? An interview by The Peak’s Free Lunch podcast with Jacob Gorenkoff and Marika Albert outlines how even though the federal government is investing billions into housing, it’s not producing actual housing, nor is there actually a way to measure outcomes. Clearly, something needs to change.

Opposition: The Conservative's plan is to require cities to give out housing permits, build more housing by transit and sell federal buildings. You can read the plan here.

• Yes, but: The details on how much housing could actually be built is sparse. According to a review by Storeys, one big part is that Poilievre would withhold federal infrastructure funds if housing isn’t built. The Liberals also promised to do this during the last election according to the Globe and Mail, but the results have been mixed, to put it lightly.

Thought bubble: Now this isn’t meant to pick on the Liberals. It is true local governments, and provincial governments, have the primary policy mechanisms to create more housing. But with the housing crisis spiralling out of control, the federal government should prioritize getting more involved in housing, otherwise, this issue will stick.

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]

EVENTS

Get ready for Pride!

It’s Pride weekend which means lots of events, fun and of course road closures. It’s one of the bigger events in the city, so we’re breaking it down for you.

Parade route: The parade starts at Davie and Denman, according to CTV, going down Pacific Street to the boulevard and will finish at Concord Pacific Place. It should allow more people to see the parade than in previous years. This will take place on Sunday.

Besides those streets, expect closures from Denman to Jarvis as well. Traffic will be disrupted from 5 am to 4 pm. You can see all the road closures with this map.

• The entire event is now more accessible since it’s closer to SkyTrain stations. That’s the problem with having events in the West End, it’s really hard to get to.

It’s a jam-packed weekend with tons of events for the whole family. Visit the Pride Society’s website for all the event listings.

Looking ahead: Vancouver will host Canada Pride next year, so expect an even bigger event.

THE AGENDA

🚗 The man who died in a crash involving seven people was the sole income earner for his family. Dilpreet Singh Grewal was 26 years old, and moved to Canada in 2015. A GoFundMe has been setup to pay for funeral costs. [Vancouver Sun

⛴️ You know that feeling of worry before you write a big test? That has to be how BC Ferries is this weekend. The corporation is under pressure to ensure a smooth long weekend sailing for everyone…[Business in Vancouver]

😬 …And it’s already going bad with Global Report Jack Armstrong tweeting last night that the Queen of Surrey was dealing with mechanical issues and was pulled from service last night. According to his tweet, BC Ferries expects to have it ready for today. [Twitter]

💰️ A Toronto-based real estate investment firm has been contacting residents of an SRO in the Downtown Eastside asking them to leave their properties for a payout. The company has renovated some suites and jacked up the rental prices. Good ol’ Vancouver housing market… [Vancouver is Awesome]

👮 A former CBC producer in their Vancouver office has been arrested and charged with sex offences involving a minor. He will appear in court in September. [Global]

⚽️ The Vancouver Whitecaps have acquired Richie Laryea on loan from the Nottingham Forest of the English Premier League. [Whitecaps FC]

🍽️ It’s now easier than ever to skip lines at beach stalls and city-run theatres like the Orpheum, with the new VanEats, allowing you to order ahead of time. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🪧 Support workers at Capilano University have ratified a new collective agreement, which includes wage hikes and cost of living adjustments. [Global News]

CITY HALL

Water and mini-hotels

It was another busy week when it comes to local city politics and municipal issues. Here are some of the latest stories:

Water limits in place

What happened: Metro Vancouver has brought in Stage 2 water restrictions according to Urbanized, to deal with persistent over usage of water in the region. As of this morning, you can no longer water your lawn. And for those without lawns, not much else changes!

• Fountains? Those are also banned.

Luckily your tomato garden is safe, with no restrictions on trees, flowers and other non-grass-related plants.

Zoom out: The Lower Mainland is at Level 4 drought conditions. No, a higher number is not good. Level 5 is the highest, with regions like Lower and North Thompson, West and East Vancouver Island and Fort Nelson all at that level. You can see the entire list here. 

• You can read the full list of Stage 2 restrictions here.

Mini hotels?

What happened: The scope of the Airbnb problem is only getting worse. According to the Vancouver Sun, two out of every five Airbnb listings in the city are unauthorized, for a total of 2,500.

• The publication interviewed an anonymous housing advocate, Mortimer Duke, who has compiled info on the number of illegal units. He is calling on the provincial government to act to stop what he says are essentially mini-hotels, with people illegally renting out multiple suites, then making tens of thousands of dollars renting them out on the app.

Some solutions: Mortimer advocates banning short-term rentals for five years and increasing minimum fines to $25,000, up from $1,000.

What it means: The trend of uncovering illegal Airbnb operations is growing rapidly, with many other stories coming out of places like Montreal, where the outlet Ricochet is running a deep-dive series on short-term rentals. This issue isn’t going away any time soon — expect the province and the city to make it a bigger focus this year, with the province saying they are working on legislation to address these concerns.

Breaking: As of around 9pm last night, Coun. Lenny Zhou released this statement about cracking down on Airbnb usage, with a more robus plan coming in September.

In other news…

Yew out: Not really sure what to do except shake my head… Prolific city hall Twitter user Peter Waldkirch says that the city plans to end the Yew Street pedestrian plaza next week. I guess Mayor Ken Sim’s plan to make Vancouver a fun city doesn’t include pedestrian streets.

West side doldrums: Waldkirch also pointed out that Vancouver’s lead planner noted that Vancouver’s new missing middle strategy — touted as a way to increase housing — will do nothing to actually increase housing in the west side of the city, which is dominated by single-family homes.

FOOD

Check out Steel & Oak Brewery for a DL Chicken and Juke Fried Chicken collab of chicken-fried goodness. It’s happening Aug. 12 from 11 am-7 pm. [Scout]

The one, the only, Chef Ramsay is making his debut in Vancouver, with Gordan Ramsay Burger opening at the Hard Rock Casino and Gordon Ramsay Steak opening up at River Rock Casino in Richmond. Here’s hoping it’s not an episode of Kitchen Nightmares… [Vancouver Sun]

Everyone loves a local celebrity sighting, especially someone like Seth Rogan, who happens to make what I believe are some of the best shows on TV. Rogan appeared at Damso Modern Korean Cuisine which is known for its Korean Fried Chicken. [Dished]

Vancouver is about to get an Australian “Milk Bar” which is a coffee shop that also serves as a place to grab groceries and acts as a community hub. It’s like a bodega, but with cooler branding. And one called Mah Milk Bar is opening up at 1502 Victoria Dr.

Two BC wineries are joining together to create the “The Riesling Project” which you can get at Maenam for $13 per glass. [Scout]

Vancouver Magazine has released its summer guide to patios with Maxine’s Café & Bar, Mount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions, Social and more making the list.

EVENTS

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

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

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• NBA fans rejoice — Vancouver is hosting two pre-season games in October. [CTV]

• There’s a new street art display over in Yaletown and it looks pretty good! [Urbanized]

• TransLink is selling vending machine sushi and plans to buy more. I personally have two rules in life — be nice and don’t eat sushi that isn’t fresh! [CTV]

• If you want to find New York bagels in Vancouver, then this thread is for you. Actually, I’ll save you the click — there are basically none 😞. [Reddit]

GAME TIME

We had some guesses for VancouverGuesser yesterday, including Clinton Park. The correct answer was Strathcona with Nick guessing the correct location.

Today’s Vancouver Worldle is not a hard one if you read the newsletter. Play now.