Housing starts are down big in Vancouver

Good morning,

Number two is usually a good thing, right? Not when it comes to this ranking — Vancouver is ranked the second most expensive city in the world in a new survey.

You know what’s not expensive? This newsletter! Today we’ve got:

• An expansion of opioid treatment coverage 💉

• A slowdown in housing construction 🏗

• Police and body cameras 🎥

• Plus food and events to check out this weekend 🎉

Let’s get to it.

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout newsletter writer

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WEATHER

Friday: 19 🌡️ 12 | 🌧

Saturday: 18 🌡️ 10 | 🌧

Sunday: 14 🌡️ 9 | 🌧

Monday: 16 🌡️ 11 | 🌧

HEALTH

B.C. expands coverage of opioid agonist treatment

What happened: The province will now offer universal coverage of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) costs, making it the first province in Canada to do so, according to Global News.

The numbers: 32,882 people were receiving that treatment covered under PharmaCare, which helps pay for prescription drugs. A total of 1,638 were paying out of pocket, according to CBC.

• OAT is a treatment program to help people work towards recovery through preventing withdrawals and reducing cravings. Safe supply is meant to provide people with access to non-toxic drugs, according to CBC.

Background: The province has been slow to ramp up new treatment beds for those on the streets. Of 123 new youth beds the province announced in 2020, only 32 are operational, according to the Prince George Citizen.

What it means: The province is dealing with multiple opioid-related issues — criticism about how safe supply drugs are being used, the rising death toll from the toxic drug supply and that they aren’t building enough supportive housing. While this is a good step towards helping people, it does little to address those bigger concerns.

VANCOUVER BY THE NUMBERS

$3,666: The average monthly rental price for a two-bedroom Vancouver home in May, up 9.7 percent from last year. [Vancouver Sun]

47,000: The number of square kilometres that have burned so far this year, which the Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair say is the worst fire season of the 21st century. [Global]

9.4 million: The number of vehicles that rode B.C. Ferries last year, a record, and up from 8.4 million the previous year. People love travelling! [Vancouver is Awesome]

EDUCATION

Housing starts aren't starting

What happened: The number of housing starts in Vancouver — housing where construction is beginning construction — fell by 45 percent compared to the previous month, according to Business in Vancouver. Across Canada, the number fell by 23 percent, from an annual run rate of 261,357 in April to 202,494 in May.

• Vancouver had the biggest drop, with a 45 percent fall compared to Toronto at 28 percent and Montreal at 35 percent.

Zoom in: Southeast Vancouver saw the largest number of housing starts last month with 492 in total, followed by East Vancouver with 280 and Mount Pleasant/Renfrew Heights with 104, according to CMHC data.

• Southeast Vancouver also had the second most rental units under construction in the entire Metro Vancouver area with 431, compared to Tri-Cities with 528. Southeast Vancouver also, unfortunately, had the most single-family homes, with 47.

Background: Industry experts and stakeholders say one key challenge to building homes quickly is rising costs, especially due to rising interest rates, and an increasingly tight labour market, which means fewer people are able to work on building new homes, according to Business in Vancouver.

• Yikes: In order to get back to housing affordability in Vancouver, CMCH estimates that 570,000 new homes need to be built. No that’s not total, that’s on top of the yearly amount that normally needs to be built. Yikes.

Another problem is the length of time it takes to actually get housing approved, according to Urbanized. The provincial government has undertaken an effort to streamline approvals processes for developers.

What it means: The decline in home building does change month-to-month. April saw a 36 percent increase in housing starts, according to Business in Vancouver. But current trends indicate we are barely chipping away at our current problem, much less adding new capacity that’s needed.

THE AGENDA

🚉 TransLink is looking into adding screen doors next to tracks to prevent track intrusions. These barriers are common in Asian rail systems. It’s part of a broader study to understand how other systems deal with track intrusions. [Urbanized]

❌ Bell announced layoffs across the country and Vancouver wasn’t immune. Funny 1040 and Bloomberg BNN 1410 are no longer operational. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🚔 A body washed ashore near Northeast False Creek on Wednesday. Police are investigating and have not released any information. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🎉 Fewer cars, more fun! Yet Street in Kitsilano will test out a pilot “pedestrian-friendly” road at the end of June. This would mean Yew from Cornwall to W 1st Ave. would be closed to cars from 4 pm to midnight on weekdays and 10 am to midnight on weekends. [CityNews]

🏫 The Vancouver School Board is deciding whether to subdivide part of the field at Graham D. Bruce Elementary School to help generate more revenue. Many parents say they are opposed to the move. [CBC]

⚖️ The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has cleared a police officer of any wrongdoing after the officer shot a suspect. The case involved a man who crashed his car fleeing police and then opened fire on the officers. [CTV]

👮 A board member of the Vancouver Police Board has resigned over the new police school liaison program, due to the lack of consultation with radicalized community members. The program puts police officers in schools to act as a liaison between police and the school. [Global]

POLICE

Smile (or don’t), you’re on camera

What’s happening: This fall, expect to see some police wearing something new, as the Vancouver Police Department rolls out a program testing body cameras for 100 officers, according to Global.

• The program is a pilot project whose goal is to have all officers equipped with them by 2025.

Background: The body cameras were originally slated to be tested later, but as part of the inquest into the death of Myles Gray, it was recommended they be brought in sooner, according to CBC.

• Gray’s death was ruled a homicide after this violent arrest by police officers. The lack of witnesses to the arrest was a key concern and formed part of why the inquest recommended moving up the timeline for body camera adoption.

Those opposed: Police unions have generally opposed the use of body cams. The BC Civil Liberties Association expressed opposition to the policy, saying it’s unclear how people will give consent to being filmed, according to Global.

• The organization also argues the videos should be under the oversight of an independent third party rather than the police.

Those in favour: The Independent Investigations Office chief civilian director Ronald MacDonald says his organization, which provides oversight of, and conducts investigations into police deaths or serious harm potentially caused by officers, supports the move, saying it will help in their investigations.

• According to NPR, a study of the use of body cameras worn by police reduced the number of complaints against the police and use of force by 17 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

WEEKEND GUIDE

Food + Drink

Beer by the Pier 2023 | Nat Bailey Stadium | Features dozens of breweries and distilleries, with ticket says going to Family Services of the North Shore | Tickets $20

Food Stock | Swanguard Stadium | Sunday, 12 pm | Come enjoy live music, beer, food trucks, yard games and more, all proceeds go to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank | Tickets $33

Flavours of Hope | Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House | Friday 5:30 pm | Explore different food from immigrant and refugee food entrepreneurs, with food from Mexico, India and more | Tickets by donation

Music

Truck Stop Concert Series | Red Truck Brewery | Saturday, 4 pm | Great food and obviously great beer, it’s a favourite summer time activity for liv music | Tickets $57

Black Culture Celebration Festival | 1204 Beach Ave | Saturday, 11 am | Join artists Kadrinal Offishal, Rascalz, and many artists, plus a beer garden and food trucks | Tickets $50

Cambie Stampede | The Cambie | Friday, 4:30 pm | Unleash your inner cowboy with live country music, a wild west carnival, BBQ and more. Make sure to wear your best Western outfit | Tickets $10

Vancouver Battle Rap Championship | The Astoria | Saturday, 7 pm | Vancouver’s top freestyle rappers face off against each other | Tickets $22

Family

100 Days of Summer | Throughout South Broadway | Food truck fiestas, crafts, markets and music, come celebrate the summer | Free

Movies

Dazed and Confused (30th Aniversary Screening) | Rio Theatre | Tonight, 11:30 pm | The cult classic 70s movie from director Richard Linklater | Tickets $11.42

The Royal Tenenbaums | Rio Theatre | Sunday, 7 pm | In celebration of West Anderson’s upcoming movie, revisit his classic look at a dysfunctional family reunion | Tickets $11.42

Other

Bird Walk | Maplewood Flats | Sunday, 8 am | Come explore birds in the area with ornithologist Joshua Brown | Tickets by donation

2023 East Vancouver Garden Tour | A self guided tour of the best gardens in East Van, you grab a map and check out the 13 spots | Tickets $21

FOOD

Reviews

Reddit says you can find incredible Korean toast at Oh My Toast at 3343 Kingsway. Reviewers raved about how affordable it was. [Reddit]

If you’re looking for great cheap eats, Tik Tok user kokujinda created a helpful Google Map. [Tik Tok]

Authentic Caribbean food at Calabash Bistro on Carrall is a must-visit. They’ve expanded their “foodprint” by partnering with North Point Brewing, focusing on jerk-seasoned food and plantains. [Vancouver is Awesome]

Openings

Mexican? Sports bar? Hot dogs? If you like any of these, you’ll want to check out Baja Racing at 3364 Cambie St. They focus on seafood, tacos and other foods you’d expect at a sports bar. [Vancouver is Awesome]

The Cordova opened up at 136 W Cordova (that’s a lot of Cordova). They’ll be open till 2 am so that you can get your late-night food fix. They’re partnering with local favourite burger joint BRGR BRGR, so you know it’ll be good. [Vancouver is Awesome]

New Fuji is a new restaurant at W 1st Ave. If you like retro Japanese robots, sushi, and creative Japanese dishes like shellfish kimchi, wagyu carpaccio and chicken dashi karaage, you should visit. [Food Gressing]

News you can use

Asian grocery stores are expanding thanks to a demand for authentic local food. [Vancouver Sun]

Here’s how popular cocktail bar The Keefer makes its extravagant cocktails. I’ve been a few times, and it’s hands down one of the best cocktail experiences in the city. [Scout Magazine]

Hawksworth Restaurant has a new seasonal tasting menu that’s not to be missed. [Dished]

Come by Railtown Cafe on June 25, July 23 and August 20 for their Tailgate BBQ series from 3 pm-5 pm. Pork shoulder, brisket, cornbread and more will be available. [Scout Magazine]

HISTORY

This was before my time but does anyone else remember this?

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Air Canada has a new non-stop flight from YVR to Singapore, in case you want to go somewhere even warmer this summer.

• Council voted unanimously in favour of building a new Filipino Cultural Centre. There is no confirmed location yet. [CityNews]

• If you’re in the mood for art, here are some lesser-known exhibits to check out this weekend.

• Is Granville Street a disaster? One Reddit user thinks so and it’s started a big discussion. [Reddit]

TWEET OF THE DAY

POLL

On Monday we asked how worried you were about drought conditions in B.C. Here are the poll results:

• 72 percent were very concerned

• 21 percent were somewhat concerned

• 6 percent were not concerned

• And 1 percent were illegally watering your lawn right now 😂

Here’s what some readers said:

“We need to focus on the reality of drought, both prevention and preparation.”

“I see blatant frivolous water usage all over metro Canada .. so many businesses are washing sidewalks just to clean up a few leaves or garbage.. what a waste.”

GAME TIME

Congrats to Bhargav, Tyler, Myra and Anoushka who all correctly guessed the SkyTrain station was Olympic Village.

Here’s today’s Wordle based on a story in the newsletter. Can you guess the answer?