Why the province is setting housing targets for Vancouver

Good morning,

A hospital crisis is how some are describing healthcare in B.C. right now. We’ve got all the details, and why it won’t get better anytime soon.

Plus the province released its list of municipalities that need to get better at housing. Was Vancouver on the list? You’ll have to read on to find out.

We’ve got all that, plus some weekend events and restaurants to check out in today’s newsletter.

Let’s get to it!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout newsletter writer

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WEATHER

Friday: 22 🌡️ 11 | 🌤

Saturday: 22 🌡️ 11 | ☀️

Sunday: 21 🌡️ 11 | ☀️

Monday: 23 🌡️ 12 | ☀️

HEALTH

The crisis facing hospitals

From massive wait times, to overcrowded hospitals, B.C.’s healthcare system is buckingly under pressure, as multiple systemic problems flare up.

What’s happening: Where to even start… Hospital resources are being stretched thin at some of B.C.’s biggest hospitals, with shortage of staff and resources to deal with urgent medical issues, according to CityNews.

• Surrey Memorial Hospital, the epicenter of many of these issues, has enacted an Emergency Operations Centre, which helps team members hire staff and reallocate resources to deal with the health crisis. Staff at the hospital sent a letter to the minister of health about concerns about preventable deaths, and worsening conditions, according to Global.

Background: A brutal respiratory season, a massive shortage of critical health workers, and a decline in general practice doctors are all part of the problem. More specifically, family physicians may be shifting from part-time hospital work back to family practices, meaning fewer hospital workers, in part due to the new physician funding model from the B.C. government. Hospital shifts are also increasingly being unfilled.

Zoom in: Nurses took to the streets in Vancouver this week to protest the broken healthcare system and call on improved nurse-to-patient ratios be implemented immediately to help increase patients’ access to care and reduce their overburdened workload, according to CityNews.

• One harrowing story has emerged about a mother at Surrey Memorial hospital who almost lost her child due to inadequate care in November. [CTV]

Fraser Health announced they are making ER wait times public, so patients can see which hospitals will treat them faster, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Zoom out: It’s not just B.C. facing a huge hospital crisis. Ontario is dealing with its own shortage of workers, and the province has addressed this by expanding the use of privatized health services. Underpaying nurses is a huge reason why staffing is a challenge.

What it means: There is no quick, short-term solution to fix this. Training new healthcare workers takes time. Lack of capacity has forced the government to outsource cancer care to Bellingham, according to Global. Wages need to be raised to encourage more health workers. For example, care homes in B.C. are losing nurses to private agencies that can pay their employees much better, according to Vancouver is Awesome.

Changing frontline access: Fixing capacity issues can also be done by shifting around which healthcare providers deal with different ailments. Starting yesterday, for example, B.C. pharmacists will be able to diagnose and prescribe medication for 21 health problems, such as acne or shingles, according to CTV. This will mean less pressure on doctors and nurses.

VANCOUVER BY THE NUMBERS

🚎 88%: The percentage of ridership on TransLink compared to pre-pandemic levels. [Urbanized]

🚨 3: The number of times CityLux Boutique, a downtown Vancouver business, has been broken into since last August. [CTV]

🏘 60%: The number of cities in Metro Vancouver the provincial government will set housing targets for. [CBC]

HOUSING

Who’s on the naughty list for housing in B.C.?

If Santa made a naughty or nice list for building homes, you’d say Vancouver is on track to get one big piece of coal.

What happened: In an effort to pressure local governments to build more housing, the B.C. government released their list of 10 municipalities that will have housing targets under the Housing Supply Act. In a surprise to literally no one, Vancouver was on the list, according to Global.

• The places selected were done so based on a combination of expert analysis and data points, such as housing supply, the type of housing, land use and expected population growth.

The plan: The targets are meant to encourage development, by addressing construction barriers, zoning bylaws and processes, and will be created in consultation with each local government.

• Other Metro Vancouver cities included were West Vancouver, Port Moody, North Vancouver, Delta and Abbotsford.

First the carrot…: The province struck a conciliatory note, and the program includes consultations with each city, giving them broad leeway to reach those targets.

…Then the stick: If cities do not make progress on their targets, then the provincial government can get involved and override the city plans, according to Daily Hive.

What it means: The province is getting serious about dealing with the housing crisis, by getting more directly involved in municipal affairs. It reflects a basic reality — municipalities have utterly failed to address the housing crisis.

What we’re watching: The program itself is structured to be consultative with the cities. The real test won't be the policy itself, but what the province will do if cities fail to reach their targets, which based on history, is very likely. Is the province actually willing to override local decision-making?

• Dig deeper: In a bit of good news, the minister of housing said as part of their $4 billion plan to build tens of thousands of new homes, they’re looking at examples of popular social housing programs like in Vienna, that is not just for low-income people, but for the middle class. [Daily Hive]

THE AGENDA

🚓 There was a string of serious assaults in the Downtown Eastside near East Hastings and Columbia yesterday afternoon. [CBC]

🔥 A motion to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings failed at council, but the language was changed to match Vancouver’s bylaws with the province’s construction policies. [CityNews]

🎉 The future of Granville Street is just starting as the city just launched public consultations. It’s part of an 18-month planning process to revitalize the area, which could include banning vehicles and adding hotels, amongst other ideas. [Urbanized]

🔥 This year's fire season could be very bad. The summer forecast says it will be warmer than normal in the West. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🏒 The Canucks have signed defenceman Jett Woo to a one-year deal. He previously played for the Abbotsford Canucks and had 14 assists and 96 penalty minutes during his 68 games. [Canadian Press]

🚬 City council has passed a motion to allow indoor smoking at safe consumption sites, due to the lack of outdoor options. This means the city can install inhalation booths at the sites, as part of a trial. Health professionals had supported the motion. [Vancouver Sun]

📷 That photo you took of a park may soon cost you. The city plans to charge commercial photographers $400 to take photos in Metro Vancouver parks in January 2024. [CBC]

🥖 Congrats to local Vancouver business Purebread who were acquired by Coho Collective. They don’t plan to change anything with Purebread, but do plan to expand the business into more places in Canada. [Dished]

CRIME (SORT OF)

Bakery break-in ends with apology

What happened: A break-in at local bakery Sweet Something has resulted in the man coming forward, apologizing and offering to pay for the cleanup according to CBC. It’s all part of what can only be described as the oddest break-in this year.

Background: The man who broke in was caught on camera hanging out in the store for 30 minutes, cleaning up the broken glass and taking six cupcakes.

• The bakery owner accepted the apology, and subsequently created a cupcake with an image of the man’s glasses called “Crime of Passion.”

Contrast: The issue around the break-in raises some interesting questions around the ongoing problem of break-ins in Vancouver, how the police get involved, and why this one was treated differently.

Yes, but: It’s okay to treat an instance like this as a mistake and move on! The business owner said she did not want to press charges, and even said “he profusely apologized, he was really sincere.”

EVENTS

Vancouver Canadians | Roger’s Stadium | All weekend | The Canadians face off against the Eugene Emeralds three times this weekend | Tickets $20

Vancouver Children’s Festival | Granville Island | Now until June 4 | Childrens programming both in-person and online, a ton of events and performances for your kids | Tickets $12.50

Halal Ribfest | Holland Park, Surrey | Friday-Sunday, 4 pm | Family fun and entertainment with halal meat, carnivals, games and live performances | Tickets $9

BC Cider Fest | The Pipe Shop | Saturday, 2 pm | A tasting event with 30 cideries to try from around BC and the Pacific Northwest | Tickets $75

Kawaii fest | Helena Gutteridge Plaza | Saturday, 11 am | Japanese shopping for all budgets, along with musical performances | Free

Spring Mushroom Show | VanDusen Botanical Garden | Sunday, 10 am | Learn about mushrooms, including eating them, art, crafts and so much more | Tickets $5 

Playland | PNE | Multiple dates, mostly weekends | It’s Playland time! Deep fried food, events, rides, you know the drill | Starting $38

Vancouver Short Film Festival | VIFF, multiple locations | Friday to Sunday in person | Come watch outstanding Canadian short films, including documentaries and animation | Tickets $15

The Crossword Show with Zach Sherwin | Rio Theatre | Saturday, 7 pm | A truly unique comedy show where people play crosswords and Zach riffs on answers. A truly unique show | Tickets $30

49th North Shore Folk Fest | Saturday, 7 pm | Multiple multicultural dance groups perform all night | Learn more

FOOD

New openings

Tayybeh, a popular Syrian catering company, is opening up a restaurant in Kitsilano at 2836 W 4th Ave., as a cafe and marketplace. [Vancouver is Awesome]

The Shadow Bakery, a popular vendor at local farmers markets, is opening up a cafe at 2474 East Hastings St. Items include pop-tarts, pizza pockets and other creative concoctions. [Scout Magazine]

Beest, a ramen shop specializing in meatless ramen, is opening up at 770 Bute.

New Brazilian snack spot WhataFood is opening up 255 800-Carnarvon St., and specializes in grab-and-go fried pastries. [Dished]

Scout Magazine did a tour of Please! Beverage Co., a new tasting room spot in Mount Pleasant specializing in bottled cocktails, will open soon. The space is stunning and the drinks are described as creative. [Scout Magazine]

News you can use

If you’re looking for food events in Vancouver, this guide has everything you need. [Daily Hive]

Vancouver Foodie Tours has a new food tour called Gastronomic Gastown, and stops at Kozak Ukrainian, Monarca Cucina Mexicana and Gastronomy. [Dished]

Tacofino and Juke Fried Chicken are teaming up for a “Fried Chicken Torta” collab to create a tasty chicken sandwich with Baja influences, available from June 15-30 at Juke’s. [Scout]

The Brewyard is a pop-up venue in Lonsdale Quay that will showcase the area’s best beers, from Friday-Sunday throughout the summer. [Vancouver is Awesome]

HISTORY

This is what Trolleybuses looked like back in 1966.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• What’s your favourite park in Metro Vancouver? Here’s the list of the most popular spots based on the number of visitors in 2022. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Apparently, this is the most dangerous intersection in Vancouver. [Urbanized]

• The Congregation Beth Israel synagogue has opened up a community garden, with most of the products grown being provided to those in need. [CBC]

• E-bike rebates are now available, and you could get this much back from the government. [CBC]

• It’s official — Nat Bailey Stadium is now officially Rogers Stadium. [Vancouver is Awesome]

GAME TIME

Congrats to Sarah and Alberta, who knew the VancouverGuesser location was the PNE. The giveaway? You can see the rollercoaster in the top left of the photo.

Today’s Wordle is a sweet one. Can you guess the answer? Play it now.