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- Metro Vancouver residents may get some tax relief
Metro Vancouver residents may get some tax relief
Plus, what's going on since the encampment was cleared
Geoff Sharpe
April 26, 2023
Good morning,
Sorry everyone, it looks like Surrey is one of the next food capital cities. What do you think of that?
I can’t promise a tasty newsletter today (food news is in Friday’s edition), but I can promise it’s informative. Today we cover:
Tax relief for Metro Vancouver residents 🧾
An encampment update ⛺
And testimony from firefighters at the Myles Gray coroner’s inquest. ⚖️
Let’s go!
— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout newsletter writer
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WEATHER
Wednesday: 15 🌡️ 7 | 🌧
Thursday: 18 🌡️ 9 | 🌤
Friday: 24 🌡️ 14 | ☀️
WEEKLY LOOKOUT
👮 10-point drop: The percentage points street level assaults have fallen in the Downtown Eastside since the encampment was evicted. Robberies and assaults have also fallen. [Global]
🏫 $4.5 million: The Vancouver School Board’s deficit from last year. [The Tyee]
TAXES
Pay up developers?
Metro Vancouver residents are about to get some tax relief, according to the Western Investor.
What’s happening: Metro Vancouver has told staff to rework the 2024 budget so that fees for households are lowered. On the flip side, developers could deal with higher fees in development cost charges when building new houses, apartments or commercial projects.
The plan would lower fees for residents by 16 percent between 2022-2025.
Breaking it down: Development cost charges are costs related to expanding sewer, water, drainage and other infrastructure provided by the city. Rather than the current 82.5 percent, developers would have to pay 100 percent.
The decision will be made on April 28 at the next Metro board meeting.
Yes, but: While residents will get a break, developers say the cost to build housing could rise, according to interviews by Western Investor.
Zoom out: The entire region is undergoing massive infrastructure investment, including wastewater treatment and water mains. Those upgrades ain’t cheap!
HOUSING
An update on the encampment evictions
What happened: Weeks after the encampment in the Downtown Eastside was cleared, police say there’s been a noticeable decrease in crime and violence, according to CityNews.
What the police are saying:
“There has been just one reported robbery and one stabbing, with a 10-point drop in street-level assaults compared to the month before the decampment process started. Additional VPD officers working in the area have supported the community by responding to 24 medical calls, including overdoses, between April 5 and April 20,” the police said in a press release.
The number of fires in the area, the main reason cited by police and the city for removing the tents, has also fallen according to the Vancouver Sun. Fires were down 43 percent last week compared to the previous week.
Yes, but: While violence and fires are down, Overdose Prevention Society spokeswoman Sarah Blyth told the Vancouver Sun that they expect overdoses to rise, which she says the relocation is partly responsible for.
Ongoing removal of tents in the area is continuing to take place even as people continue to set them up.
Other numbers: Ninety-seven people have been moved from tents to indoor spaces, according to CTV. Since the encampment was cleared, three people have been housed and nine have moved to shelter spaces. But not everyone who was moved from the encampment has found indoor shelter.
What’s next: Currently, BC Housing is allocating space at a number of SROs. The 115-unit building at 1450 West 12th Ave., which was bought by the government, is being converted into an SRO and will be open in June, according to CTV.
DREAM HOME
Today we’re scoping out another favourite summer spot, Commercial Drive.
This property will not leave you disappointed. Instead of one unit, this place comes with four, including a main four-bedroom suite. It’s got a lovely backyard with a hot tub and a landscaped backyard. The inside has all the modern design elements you’d expect for a place that costs this much. Plus these bathrooms are quite lovely.
THE AGENDA
🪧 Cascadian Terminal was picketed by 100 striking federal workers as they begin escalating their job action. [Global]
🚴♀️ Portside Greenway could see major bike lane improvements, with a focus on the Powell Street Overpass [Urbanized]
🏊♀️ Vancouver’s Parks Board has approved a new dress code policy at public pools. Don’t be caught wearing intimate apparel or baggy loose fitting clothes! [The Province]
☀️ Slap on those swim trunks because it’s expected to get as high as 27 degrees in some parts of the Lower Mainland. June and July are expected to be even hotter than normal. [Vancouver is Awesome]
🖼️ Vancouver Art Gallery has raised 80 percent of its $400-million fundraising goal. Construction of the new art gallery at the Larwill Place city block is set to start in the fall. [Urbanized]
🏫 A Vancouver School Board trustee is raising concerns that schools could be closed due to the district’s projected deficit, saying it could happen at any time. The school board chair posted on Twitter a week ago denying any plans to close schools. School districts are required to have balanced budgets. [The Tyee]
POLICE
Police alleged to have delayed first responders
What happened: The coroner’s inquest into the death of Myles Gray heard testimony from first responders who arrived at the scene. Firefighters said that police told them that Myles Gray was still combative, which caused them to be delayed in assessing him, according to CBC.
What they said:
“So, we were told to not assess the patient ... we pretty much sat at the top of the stairs while the officers and the patient were on the ground, and there was a struggle going on,” said firefighter Lt. Young Lee, as reported by CBC.
Lee said he could see officers on top of Gray, holding him down. He also stated he was worried that Gray could not breathe due to how they were positioned on top of him.
Contradiction: Two firefighters said they saw “visible bruising and blood on [Gray’s] face.” This contradicts testimony by police officers who said they did not see any blood or injuries.
Background: The coroner’s inquest is interviewing multiple groups and people to understand the arrest and situation that led to Gray’s death. The results of the inquiry will not lead to any criminal charges.
What comes next: CBC says a medical expert, paramedics and a person from B.C.’s police watchdog will all speak at the inquest.
ARTS
Theatre
Cohost of HGTV’s Love it or List it Vancouver stars in the musical Crazy for You, performing at Massey Theatre from April 27 to May 14. [Stir]
A youth-made production, The Identity Bureau, explores disrespected identities and is performing at the Roundhouse Performance Centre this week. [Stir]
Music
Local artists Bella Bébé and Megan Magdalena have come together to release their first studio album Bratworld. [Georgia Straight]
Vancouver Opera has released their 2023-24 season, including works by Mozart and Georges Bizet’s Carmen. [Stir]
The second show curated by Vancouver Symphony Orchestra members is on May 3 and 5, and includes works by Shaw, Beethoven, Mozart & Debussy.
Movies
Western Canada’s largest documentary film festival, DOXA, returns at movie theatres throughout Vancouver from May 15-24, with 39 features and 25 short films. [Stir]
VIFF continues its series on the beloved Studio Ghibli from April 28 to July 17, featuring classics such as Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Castle in the Sky.
Art
Art Vancouver is back from May 4-7. It’s Western Canada’s largest international art fair, with artists from Ukraine, Georgia, Syria and many other places. Tickets are $20. [Daily Hive]
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Did any of you see the aurora over Vancouver? Reddit user vrif captured this amazing shot.
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
Here’s a list of parks and beaches you can drink at this summer. [Vancouver Magazine]
Battery-powered planes are a real thing — Harbour Air just tested one over the weekend, flying from the Fraser River terminal to Coal Harbour. [Urbanized]
Watch this amazing time-lapse of the aurora over Vancouver. [Instagram]
Fireworks teams from Australia, Mexico and the Philippines will compete at this year’s Honda Celebration of Light, on July 22, 26 and 29 at English Bay. [Global]
Reddit users shared their favourite fine dining spots with a view, including Miku, Salmon House, Seasons in the Park and Sandbar. [Reddit]
Granville Island and Stanley Park made the list of the most Instagrammable places in Canada, coming in at number six and seven respectively. [CTV]
VANCOUVER VIDEO
What is it: CBC video journalist Uytae Lee did a deep dive into stopping sewage spilling into Vancouver’s waterways.
Background: Beaches and lakes across Canada are often closed due to E. coli, which comes from wastewater released into the water from cities. And by wastewater, we mean poop.
The problem: Water from the city is typically treated before it is dumped into waterways. But massive rainfalls cause these systems to overflow directly into open water.
The solution: There are two potential solutions — gray infrastructure, such as storing excess stormwater, and green infrastructure where water is absorbed back into the system.
Watch the entire video here.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Let us know what you think by replying to this email — should Vancouver build more mixed-use neighbourhoods rather than only building homes?
It is astounding that in Vancouver's new "corridor of urbanism," with thousands of condos, there is just ONE storefront business.
How many residents at 33rd and Cambie actually walk to shopping or services?
This lack of complexity leads to car dependency.
— Charles Montgomery (@charlesincities)
4:46 PM • Apr 24, 2023
GAME TIME
I know lots of people who will be going here this summer. Can you name this beach? Reply with your answer and we’ll share your name in the next newsletter.
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