How Vancouver fits in BC’s new cabinet

Good morning! 

In this newsletter, there’s a mention of Vancouver potentially allowing bars to stay open till 3 am and allowing restaurants to serve alcohol till 2 am, and while I don’t have any problem with that, I do have two questions. For one, how are people getting home at that time?

Back in 2019, TransLink proposed a “shadow bus” system in lieu of 24-hour trains — we can’t have 24-hour trains because, unlike New York and other systems, we don’t have duplicate tracks to run trains on for maintenance purposes. The shadow buses would have effectively duplicated train routes with few stops to get people to the suburbs quickly late at night.

It has now been six years, and we still have no shadow bus system! Obviously funding issues that really accelerated in the pandemic have a role in this, but the system was only expected to cost $4 million — not a huge expense for something that could save people a ton of money on taxis/ridesharing services and potentially divert some people from drunk driving.

Our main story for this newsletter is about BC’s new cabinet, and particularly how Vancouver fits in there, including our new housing minister and a new parliamentary secretary role for the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown.

— Dustin Godfrey, freelancer

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WEATHER

Monday: 23 🌡️ 16 | 🌤️

Tuesday: 24 🌡️ 15 | ☀️

Wednesday: 24 🌡️ 16 | ☀️

THE LOOKOUT RECOMMENDS

A phenomenal book: I recently finished reading RF Kuang’s book Babel, and I cannot recommend it enough. I often struggle to stay with books, but this one gripped me like few other books have from start to finish. If you’re a fan of historical fiction or speculative fiction, this book offers a sharp look at the role of academia in 19th century colonialism through the lens of a young man who experiences it from both sides. 

Ask for help: This is a bit of a different recommendation, but an important one — particularly for men. A new report has found that men not seeking out help, contributing to missed or late diagnoses, is part of why they die before age 75 more often than women. One Vancouver man’s story, detailed in the Vancouver Sun, of discovering a lump in one of his testicles, highlights this importance.

— Recommendations by Dustin Godfrey

PROVINCIAL

How Vancouver fits in BC’s new cabinet

What happened: BC Premier David Eby announced late last week that just nine months into the new term, he was shuffling his cabinet — a move the province described as a “strategic shift to his cabinet in order to centre jobs, the economy and the needs of British Columbians in their communities.”

• The new cabinet has some interesting implications for Vancouver, both in terms of Vancouver politicians’ positions in cabinet and a new parliamentary secretary position for the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown.

What’s up with housing? The biggest position to be newly held by a Vancouver politician is certainly the housing portfolio, which is going to Christine Boyle, MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain. Housing has been one of the areas where the BC government has been willing to — to borrow a phrase — move fast and break things.

• Ravi Kahlon’s position as housing minister was characterized by fast, decisive moves, with proponents arguing they were bold solutions to the housing crisis and by opponents as either government overreach or an overreliance on the private sector.

In his time as housing minister, Kahlon gave directives to local governments to meet certain housing completion targets, under the threat of the province appointing an advisor or overriding that municipality’s land-use policy.

Many municipalities have failed to meet those targets, according to Storeys, while other municipalities have built well above their targets. Vancouver, in particular, was at just 31% of its year-one target by the halfway point of its first year, reaching 80% by the end of the year.

What Boyle brings: It’s not clear how Boyle will differ from Kahlon in this role. While Boyle was only first elected to the legislature in the fall, she has a term-and-a-half as a Vancouver city councillor to look to for what her approach may be.

Where she likely won’t depart from Kahlon is the push for densification. Boyle first ran for city council in 2018 under the OneCity banner, where its top platform piece on affordability was to change zoning in low-density neighbourhoods. After her first term, she ran again in 2022, when the party’s top housing policy piece was again about densification, or “ending the apartment ban.”

What about non-market housing? That’s where Boyle may depart from Kahlon. While Kahlon’s time as housing minister has included some direct investment in housing, it has often been far from affordable housing.

In particular, the province spent months talking up its middle-income housing program, only to define “middle” as the 75th percentile of BC incomes. The BC Builds program subsidizes the private market and in one case resulted in studios smaller than 400 square feet renting for $2,650 to $2,750, according to The Globe and Mail.

• Boyle, however, could lean harder into publicly built housing. While OneCity’s platforms have generally led with zoning reform, the party has also balanced it with big talk on social housing. Its 2018 platform included a pledge to build 5,000 non-market housing units per year, many of them on public lands, funded through a tax on residential properties valued over $4 million.

The party’s 2022 platform also included significant public housing construction pieces, including turning the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency from helping non-profits to get permits into a developer in its own right, along with a land value capture tax that could fund the construction of affordable housing.

• During her time at council, Boyle pushed for a motion to allow non-profit, co-op and social housing in every neighbourhood in Vancouver, according to Vancouver is Awesome.

Indigenous relations: Boyle is leaving behind the Indigenous relations and reconciliation portfolio, with another Vancouver MLA taking on that role — MLA for Vancouver West-End Spencer Chandra-Herbert, who is leaving behind the tourism, arts, culture and sport ministry.

• While it doesn’t point to much in the way of Indigenous-specific issues, the government’s profile of Chandra-Herbert describes him as a “passionate advocate for wild-salmon protection, environmental stewardship, human rights and the rights of renters.”

DTES and Chinatown get a spot: Eby’s latest cabinet sees George Chow getting a demotion from Minister of Citizen Services to parliamentary secretary for the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown. This is a new role in cabinet, but the province’s announcement offers no information about what Chow’s direction will be on this file.

The creation of this file follows some controversy over the province’s handling of the area, after the province hired, then fired, a consultant for the DTES. Michael Bryant, former Legal Aid BC CEO, was handed a $150,000 contract over six months, but the contract was never made public by the province. It only came to light through the media, with few details available, according to The Tyee.

The contract was terminated at around the three-month mark, with the government paying half the $150,000 value of the contract. BC Conservatives Leader John Rustad had criticized the hiring of a consultant for this issue, according to The Tyee, noting the issues in the DTES are clear: housing, mental health and substance use.

THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

9

The number of beaches in Metro Vancouver, including Wreck Beach, English Bay, Kitsilano Beach, Second Beach, Sunset Beach, Third Beach and Trout Lake, which are under no-swimming advisories due to high E. Coli levels. [CBC]

THE AGENDA

🚔 The Vancouver Police Department jail guards involved in an incident that ended with a drunk man’s skull fracture won’t be charged with assault causing bodily harm, after the Independent Investigations Office had recommended prosecutors consider charges. The man had fallen while being led to his cell and hit his head. Read more. [CTV]

👎️ Some Vancouver restaurants could be affected by FIFA rules during the 2026 World Cup that prevent restaurant advertising around the area. The head of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association says this could be a huge problem for local businesses. Read more. [CBC]

👮‍♂️ Vancouver Police Department officer Keiron McConnell has retired after he admitted, in an investigation into his behaviour, to sexually harassing five women. McConnell had been demoted, but current and former officers told the Vancouver Sun earlier this year that he never should have returned at all. Read more. [CBC]

🏈 The BC Lions found their footing a little too late on Saturday. They began their match with the Saskatchewan Roughriders at a 17-1 deficit after the first quarter, but they were eventually able to close most — but not all — of that gap to a 33-27 finish. Read more. [CBC]

EVENT GUIDE

Eastside Arts Festival | MacLean Park and Eastside Arts District | July 18–27 | Art workshops, live music, beer garden, and more | Tickets various prices

Summer Movie Nights | šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square | July 24 | Watch Scott Pilgrim vs. the World this Thursday at Summer Movie Nights, a free outdoor movie event in downtown Vancouver with activities starting at 5 PM | Learn more [Sponsored]

Celebration of Light | Concord Pacific Grandstands, 1700 Beach Ave | Wednesday & Saturday 6:30 pm | The world’s longest-running off-shore fireworks competition continues | Tickets $68

Vancouver Ice Cream Festival 2025 | Various locations | Until Aug. 4 | Turn down the heat and explore the many parlours, cafes and restaurants offering your favourite frozen dessert | Find participating vendors

Through A Film Darkly | Anvil Theatre, New Westminster | July 24-27 | An exploration of identity, belonging, and the lingering shadows of colonialism set in post-independence Ghana | Free

Thai Festival Vancouver | Vancouver Art Gallery | July 26, 11 am | Celebrate Thai culture and cuisine with music, food, dance and art | Free

Vancouver Hot Sauce Fest | 250 W 3rd Ave | Saturday, July 26, 2 pm | Turn up the heat with fellow spice enthusiasts, chefs, DJs, bartenders and more | Free before 6 pm

BACH & MOZART: In Endless Ascent | Various venues, Vancouver | July 26–Aug. 8 | Classical festival blending Bach, Mozart, and modern works | Various prices

Fitness is Such a Drag | šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza) | July 29, 6:30 pm | Get a lesson in fitness and raise funds for Vancouver Pride, with Kendall Gender and more | Tickets $33

Pleasant Day Festival | Mount Pleasant | Aug. 9, 12 pm | Live music, patios, beer gardens, food trucks | Free

Queers and Beers - Pride Block Party | The Birdhouse, 44 West Fourth Ave | Aug. 3, 1 pm | Queers and Beers is back for its August event, but this time it’s a block party | Tickets from $19

Whiskeyjacks' Wet & Wild Pride Party | 1125 Davie St | Aug. 2, 1 pm | Back for a second splashy year, the 2SLGBTQAI+ Whiskeyjacks Water Polo team is throwing another Pride street party | Tickets from $21

NEW VANCOUVER JOBS

Discover your dream job in Vancouver:

• Medical Lab Assistant, Harrison Healthcare

• Technical Writer, Samsung Electronics

• Laboratory Assistant, LifeLabs

• Trauma Counsellor (STV Program), Family Services of Greater Vancouver

• Photographer, Darby Photos

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Frank the person doesn't exist. But, blessedly, Frank’s Pizza does

If an influencer doesn’t post about a restaurant, does it even exist? Discovery is usually vertical video, where visuals, quick edits, and ear-pleasing chomping sounds are more important than the quality of the food. The PR agencies and the food video influencers, for most of them, quality is unfortunately an afterthought, as places, rightfully, mind you, try to stand out in a crowded food world.

Which is why when I bite into a massive slice of pizza, a beautifully adorned, delicately but crispy dough, salty pepperonis, with dollops of stracciatella and loosely laid basil leaves, I was annoyed, angry even, about why this pizza spot wasn’t getting more attention. 

Read the review

GOOD NEWS MONDAY

A new wave of tattoo artists in Vancouver are using their art form to honour and preserve their cultural heritage, including these five artists from First Nations, India the Philippines and more. [Daily Hive]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Big acts are skipping Vancouver on their tours. [CBC]

• Could this year be the last Celebration of Light? [Vancouver Sun]

• Vancouver bars could open till 3 am. [Vancouver Sun]

• Will there be a new kind of ride-share service in Vancouver? [CTV]

• A longtime Vancouver weather forecaster has died. [CBC]

VANCOUVER NEWS QUIZ

PHOTO OF THE DAY