Patio changes mean Vancouver’s summers will be even more fun

Good morning,

I’m not a big afternoon nap fan. But I’ll make an exception when I’m feeling this sick. Luckily it’s not COVID, but that’s not stopping me from sleeping extra today.

In today’s edition, we’ve got good news about Vancouver patios, why CRAB Park tents aren’t going anywhere and what $500,000 buys you for a home in Hastings-Sunrise.

Let’s get to it.

— Geoff Sharpe

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WEATHER

Wednesday: 10 🌡️ 2 | 🌧

Thursday: 11 🌡️ 4 | ⛅

Friday: 6 🌡️ 3 | 🌧

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🏢 11.6%: Projections for downtown Vancouver’s office vacancy rate in 2023, up from 9.8 percent in 2022. [Daily Hive]

📈 7 a day: The average number of toxic drug deaths in B.C. in January, for a total of 211. It’s the second-highest number ever recorded. [CBC]

🏠 47.2%: The percent decrease in home sales compared to February 2022. A total of 1,808 places were sold. It’s a 77 percent drop from home sales in January. [Urbanized]

HOUSING

CRAB Park not moving anytime soon

What happened: New funding from the provincial and federal government is raising questions about how long the CRAB Park tent encampment may continue to exist, according to Global News, with the federal and provincial governments contributing $715,000 in funding to support the area.

Background: The encampment has been around for more than two years. The City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Parks Board continue to provide services, including power. This comes as the city says they plan to eventually clear the encampment, according to CTV.

The big picture: The lack of available housing is posing problems for the removal of tents at CRAB Park, according to Global. Without proper housing, residents have nowhere to go.

• Premier Eby announced in December a plan to build 90 modular housing units to help with the homeless crisis, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Yes, but: Modular housing sounds good in principle, allowing for the quick building of homes, but those tasked with managing them say there aren’t enough resources to properly service them, according to the Vancouver Sun. Mayors have also spoken out, including Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog who said that while the modular housing in his city was supposed to be temporary, they are still there three years later, according to the Vancouver Sun. The province also ordered a review of a temporary housing complex in Maple Ridge.

The bottom line: People blame mental illness and other issues for chronic homelessness. But research by professor Gregg Colburn policy analyst Clayton Page Aldern shows that, at least in the U.S., the key driver of homelessness is housing affordability and availability of rental units. With Vancouver being the most expensive city to rent, and fewer houses being built, it’s no wonder homelessness is such an issue.

QUOTE

“Delay remains concentrated in the Vancouver-UBC sub-region, but we have seen that the share of bus delay is growing fastest in the southeast and northeast sub-regions, followed by Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows in the southwest sub-region.” Stephen Newhouse, the lead planner for TransLink’s bus speed and reliability program, explaining where most of the bus delays occur. Hastings ranks first in bus delay per kilometre. [Business in Vancouver]

CITY

It’s patio party time

It may not be summer yet, but this new bit of news should have everyone excited.

What happened: City council voted to make the patio bylaw permanent, according to CityNews. Previously brought on as a temporary measure to help restaurants during COVID cope with limited indoor seating, the program proved exceedingly popular — duh! — and council has now made outdoor summer patios a permanent feature of Vancouver’s summers.

• The program was already set up, but the zoning regulations were set to expire on March 31, according to Urbanized.

Background: Businesses that are included as part of the amendment that will allow patios include cabarets, retail stores, restaurants, neighbourhood grocery stores and others. There are two types of permits according to the city — year-round and summer permits.

Controversy: Back in March 2022 the city released new guidelines for the summer that included additional fees that could cost up to $5,000 for a six square-metre patio, according to Global, and would require architectural drawings…. Yes, drawings for a patio. The city eventually discarded those requirements after public backlash.

Thought-bubble: Having lived in Toronto, patio culture is a critical part of the vibrancy and liveability of the city. Making this program permanent is a huge step forward for shedding Vancouver’s deserved and not-so-deserved reputation as a no-fun city.

DREAM HOME

Hastings-Sunrise

Today we’re venturing out of the downtown core to explore some homes in Hastings-Sunrise.

Vancouver-affordable

What is this? A place under $500,000? And a den that can be used as a second bedroom? Dare we say, this could be one of the best deals in Vancouver. Did we mention it has in-suite laundry and underground parking? Check it out before it’s gone.

Not affordable

At this price, it’s certainly not affordable. But what it loses in price it makes up for in liveability. A split duplex, this three-bedroom includes 1,105 square feet, a detached garage and high ceilings. The open-concept living room is also pretty darn nice.

The “only in your dreams” home

As is often the case in Vancouver, this home is positioned chiefly as an investment property. With a home, laneway home, legal suite and in-law suite, this place comes with a total of 10 (yes, 10!) bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The main home is nothing to scoff at, with a lovely redesigned layout. See how much it will set you back.

THE AGENDA

🚲 A cyclist was killed in North Vancouver after a collision with a dump truck. The police are investigating and are asking for any dash-cam footage or witnesses. [Vancouver Sun]

🏒 Are we seeing a Canucks turnaround? A change in player ice-time to focus on those actually getting results means more ice time for players who perform. T.J. Miller says the changes under Tocchet are “going in the right direction” as the team won in overtime against the Nashville Predators 4-3. [CityNews]

🛏️ If your friends ever visited Vancouver, you’ll know how hard it is to find accommodation, especially in the summer. A new report from Destination Vancouver says the city is losing billions because of a lack of hotel capacity and about 20,000 new units are needed by 2050. [Global News]

🚆 Rail fans rejoice. Amtrak’s route from Vancouver to Portland has resumed its pre-pandemic cancellation. No word on whether the train is as weird as Portland. [Vancouver Sun]

💰 B.C has introduced new legislation to increase transparency when it comes to wages. Employers will be required to post salary ranges, banning employers from asking about pay history and a staged rollout, based on company size, requiring businesses to report gender pay gaps. [Global News]

🏢 Yaletown is about to look a little different, as 62 power poles will be removed along Hamilton and Mainland. It’s part of a plan to modernize downtown infrastructure. Yaletown has an underground distribution system that was built in 2021. [Urbanized]

🔌 You may want to run your laundry in the evening. BC Hydro has applied to the British Columbia Utilities Commission for time-use-rate billing. On-peak times from 4 pm-9 pm will incur an additional cost, with savings on energy use overnight. [BC Hydro]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Eagle versus cat, who will win? Apparently neither, as a tense standoff resulted in no injuries for either animal at a Vancouver park. [CBC]

• Is Vancouver’s airport one of the best in the world? Yes, according to Morning Live! Co-host Kelly Rippa. [CTV]

• It could be a lot easier to travel between Bowen Island and Vancouver with a potential new battery-powered passenger ferry service. [Urbanized]

• Vancouver’s civic agencies made up of boards, committees and other groups are looking for applicants. Consider applying today.

• A fence couldn’t stop people from walking on the Stanley Park seawall. [Vancouver is Awesome]

VANCOUVER FAVOURITES

On Monday we asked readers about their favourite local bakeries. A few popular places ran away with voting. Here they are in order of preference:

1. Beaucoup Bakery

2. Purebread

3. Bâtard Bakery

4. Small Victory

5. Livia

Readers shared some of their favourite treats:

• “Tropical scone at Beaucoup and the Buckwheat scone at Pure Bread are my favourite morning treats!”

• Reader Yari said “Thomas Haas has wonderful pastries. Cherry turnover and pain au chocolate are divine.”

I’ve happened to visit some of these and have my own suggestions:

• Beaucoup Bakery’s croissants are some of the most creative I’ve ever tried. They’re constantly trying new combinations.

• Purebread twists with cheese and ham are a great breakfast to start the day.

You can’t go wrong with Small Victory’s bread.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Reddit user S-Kiraly captured this shot at the 18th floor of the Fairmont Waterfront. Clearly, the bird is jealous of the great hotel room.

GAME TIME

Can you guess today’s VancouverGuesser? This one is probably too easy…