Original report: Financial trouble for WISE community hall

Good morning,

Nate here. I’ve got some thoughts on the hockey off the top: 

The Canucks have not played their best this series. The fact that they’re leading a powerhouse team like Edmonton is a testament to their coaching and goaltending, along with their resiliency and opportunism. But last night was a reminder they too can be dominant and take the game to their opponent.

The Canucks have been training for years in how to beat the division rival Oilers. Yes, Connor McDavid, the best player in the world, has feasted against bad Canuck teams of years gone by (he had 22 points in 10 games against VAN in 2020-21). But if anyone has the experience and the calluses to go toe-to-toe with McDavid and the Oilers, it’s the Canucks. 

The ultra-tight, every-battle-matters nature of the series so far has been proof positive of that. 

Whatever happens on Saturday, it’s undeniable that this playoff run has meant a lot to Vancouverites, both to long-suffering Canucks fans and folks hoping back on the bandwagon for the first time since 2011. There’s a magic to this team right now that’s making even the most cynical fans dare to believe.

You’re hearing enough about that though… let’s get to some original reporting about an imperilled community hall and other news and events to get you set for the weekend. 

– Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout 

Note: We’re taking a much-needed break for the long weekend so there will be no newsletter next Monday. 

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WEATHER

Friday: 17 🌡️ 9 | 🌤️

Saturday: 14 🌡️ 8 | 🌧️

Sunday: 17 🌡️ 8 | 🌤️

Monday: 17 🌡️ 9 | 🌤️

ORIGINAL REPORT

A community arts venue in a bad financial spot

What happened: The Welsh, Irish, Scottish and English community hall (known simply as the WISE to most) is at risk of closing, and they’re asking for urgent support in the form of donations and memberships. 

The problem: The Lookout spoke with board member and director-at-large Vanessa Violini, who said the folks at the WISE find themselves in “immediate financial stress,” and need to raise $200,000 in the next one to two months to repay their debts, or be forced to close.  

• Adding to the stress is that summer is usually quiet season for the dim lounge and hall, which doesn’t enjoy the alluring benefit of an outdoor patio space. 

A Vancouver institution: The WISE Hall, located just off Adanac Street and Victoria Drive, has a long history (long by Vancouver standards at least) in the Commercial Drive community. The hall was built as a gymnasium and kindergarten in 1925 by the Grandview Methodist Church across the alley, which is now home to the Cultch. 

• The UK-expats’ social and athletic society purchased the building in 1963, with a focus on team sports and athletics, picnics, and family activities, as well as arts. Over time, the society gradually transitioned into the neighbourhood arts and culture venue it is today.      

Dive deeper: Like many arts and culture venues, the WISE had to get loans to survive business closures during the pandemic. Some of these loans, like the federal government’s Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), are coming due and the WISE doesn’t currently have the financial breathing room to pay them back. They’re certainly not alone in this predicament, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

• The WISE’s not-for-profit status – which they could lose if they aren’t able to repay their CEBA loan – means they’ve often run tight margins that can be impacted by something as relatively minor as an artist canceling a show. 

The WISE had to significantly alter their programs, events, and offerings over the past four years due to the pandemic, but Violini also points to general financial stress amongst their patrons, supporters, and performing artists, as a contributing factor to the venue’s current precarity. 

• “People have less time and less disposable income to get out and participate in their community,” Violini said.  

As part of a new board of directors at the WISE, Violini is optimistic about the society’s direction but said the board recognizes they need to shift their business model to one that is financially sustainable. 

Community support: Since going public with their fundraiser a week ago, the WISE has received an outpouring of community support; over 700 people became new members and over $20,000 has been donated to the society that runs the hall. 

• “We’re beyond stoked,” media and communications coordinator, and bartender, Megan Giunta told the Lookout, adding how heartwarming, humbling, and inspiring the support has been. 

“People love this place. They meet new friends. It’s a real hub of community” Guinta said, adding that she’s still good friends with three people she met at the WISE ten years ago, when she first moved to Vancouver. 

“A rec centre for adults”: With their events, Guinta said they try to offer a variety of experiences, many of which are not focused on drinking in a nightclub atmosphere. While they do have nights like that, they also host live music, poetry slams, book readings, educational panels, wrestling (!!), and an ever-popular square dancing night complete with a live band. They also offer pool, darts and a rotating art gallery in their lounge downstairs.

• “We want to keep being able to offer that to people in an affordable, accessible way,” Guinta said.  

For Violini, this campaign is about saving a safe space that supports a broad range of artistic and cultural activities, because these mediums are “where the seeds of conversation and social change happen,” she said. 

You can find donation and membership information here.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

⚽ $483-$581 million: The projected cost for Vancouver to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Mayor Ken Sim said the event would be the “equivalent of 30 to 40 Super Bowls,” and increase tourism in the region for years to come. Sim said he’s basing that analysis on his professional background in investing and private equity and “how I feel.” 

⛴️ 7: The average number of sailings cancelled per day by BC Ferries in 2023. The corporation says they are increasing staffing and service to meet an expected influx of passengers this summer. [CBC]

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HOUSING

Small signs of improvement for housing affordability in Vancouver

What happened: A new National Bank of Canada (NBC) report found a noticeable increase in housing affordability in the first quarter of 2024. It’s the biggest improvement since 2019, with Vancouver showing the most relative progress among the ten Canadian cities analyzed.

Trends: The report identified a “trifecta” of trends – falling interest rates, rising incomes, and softer house prices –  that contributed to a lower percentage of income being spent on mortgage payments across Canada. 

Yes, but: The bank measures housing affordability as the percentage of household income needed to pay a median mortgage payment. 

• While improved affordability on this measure could indirectly benefit renters (if a landlord decides to pass along their relatively lower costs in the form of a rent freeze or reduction), there’s little in this report that indicates non-homeowners are paying less for their housing.  

A different report focused on the rental market found asking rents for a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver have decreased about 5 percent since April 2023. However, asking rents across Canada are up nearly 10 percent from this time last year, according to City News.

National picture: Affordability improved across all Canadian ten markets, with the biggest relative gains coming in the three least affordable markets: Vancouver, Toronto, and Victoria. 

While the situation has improved nationally, that’s because it’s relative to quite an expensive starting point. The mortgage payment on a median home still accounts for nearly 60 percent of a median-income household’s earnings.

• World-wide: Globally, Canada ranks eighth-highest for home price inflation, while Vancouver and Toronto rank 11th and 12th-highest amongst cities for the price of a downtown apartment. 

Grain(s) of salt: The overall affordability improvement is encouraging, but Vancouverites who aren’t rich and/or don’t own a home already are still in a very tough spot.

At a savings rate of 10 percent per month, it would take the average earner 449 months (37+ years) to save enough for a down payment on a detached home in Vancouver, according to NBC’s report. That’s compared to 296 months in Toronto and just 48 months in Montreal. 

• The annual household income needed to purchase a median-priced home in Vancouver is nearly $350,000.

Long-term warning: The report also found that, Canada-wide, the ratio of working-age population to housing starts “has never been worse” in the past 40+ years. This means prices for purchases and rents will skew high given the continued shortage of housing. (Ooof 🙁)

THE AGENDA

🏒They did it! J.T. Miller scored with 33 seconds remaining in game five, with the Canucks winning against Edmonton 3-2. The series is now also 3-2 and the next game is scheduled for Saturday in Edmonton. [Sportsnet]

🥕 Kingsgate Mall’s grocery store and feature business, Buy-Low Foods, has been replaced by Save-On-Foods, as of Thursday morning. Both grocery chains are owned by Pattison Food Group. Employees – including the store manager – will remain the same through the transition, according to a press release. [Pattison Food Group] 

🧑‍⚕ The B.C. Supreme Court upheld a requirement for B.C. healthcare workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the judgment, around 1,800 workers lost their jobs for failing to adhere to the requirement. [CBC]

🔥 The Canucks jersey adorning the laughing men sculptures in English Bay’s Morton Park – which we highlighted in a previous edition – have been vandalized with fire, with all of the jerseys bearing holes and burn marks to different degrees. Police are investigating the incident. [Vancouver Is Awesome]

😔 SFU has laid off around 85 staff members – including instructors, admin staff, and custodians – due to budget-related restructuring. Union leaders say the process lacked empathy and transparency, and that the actual number of unionized staff who lost their jobs was closer to 100 people. [CBC] 

🌉 Vancouver lit up City Hall and the Burrard Street Bridge in Israeli colours for the country’s 76th Independence Day, or Nakba Day to Palestinians. In a statement, Mayor Ken Sim noted this act does not imply or express support for the politics of any country. Protestors gathered outside City Hall on Tuesday, chanting “turn off the lights,” while they projected their own message on trees below the building. [City of Vancouver, Palestine Solidarity Network] 

🙅 It looks like the push to “unite the right” in B.C. politics won’t come to fruition this election cycle. BC Conservative Leader John Rustad said a merger with BC United (formerly the BC Liberals) is “not going to happen,” adding he was told to “f*** off” after bringing the idea to the BCU. [City News]

⚖️ One of the four men accused of killing Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last summer was known to police. The man was arrested for dangerous driving and fleeing RCMP in a separate incident in Surrey, and had a court date two days before the attack. [Global]

📱The B.C. government and five major social media companies announced they will be collaborating on online youth safety, through the creation of “direct escalation channels” to report the sharing of non-consensual intimate images. [BC Gov News]

🏗️ Tenants in Burnaby who were forced to leave their Metrotown apartments four years ago are now returning to live in the new building — and they get to pay their old rents. It’s part of a policy called “right to return” that has been included to varying degrees in recent Vancouver community plans, like the Broadway Plan. Burnaby has some of the best tenant assistance policies in Canada, according to politicians and advocates. [The Tyee]

📅 Wondering what’s open and closed in Vancouver this long weekend? Check out this handy guide.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

One of the many stunning photos from last week’s aurora borealis show, this one taken in Burnaby Mountain Park.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Local bike-building legend Paul Brodie will be showing off his collection of hand-built bikes to the public in June. [Georgia Straight]

• Surrey’s Canada Day celebrations are set to return this summer, featuring food, fireworks and music. [Daily Hive]

• DOXA documentary film fest announced their festival winners in five categories. [Georgia Straight]

• Speaking of fireworks, there was a surprise show on Tuesday night, coming from Burrard Inlet [Daily Hive]

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GAME TIME

Congrats to Duke, Rob, Carrie, Heather, Cheryl, Paul and many others who correctly guessed the Vancouver Guesser was NW Marine Drive near Spanish Banks!

For today’s game we’ve got a Vancouver Wordle. Can you guess what it is based on today’s stories?