Are other regions pulling their weight when it comes to homelessness?

Good morning,

Do you hear that sound? It’s the collective scream of anguish from people in eastern Canada once again being subjected to all the good weather beach photos from Vancouver. I’m not saying Vancouver is the best city in the world, but it was a tough weekend for naysayers when you can hit up the beach in early March.

Today, we’ve got a story on whether other Metro Vancouver cities are doing their part to address homelessness and some data on the mayor’s attendance at council meetings. 

Let’s get to it!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout editor

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WEATHER

Monday: 14 🌡️ 8 | ☀️

Tuesday: 13 🌡️ 6 | 🌤️

Wednesday: 8 🌡️ 5 | ☁️

HOUSING

Are other regions pulling their weight when it comes to homelessness?

It’s time to play fair share, a fun game where different levels of government point the finger at who’s not paying their fair share for existing problems. I mostly kid, but here in Vancouver, the city has decided to explicitly call out discrepancies when it comes to how cities across Metro Vancouver fund solutions to homelessness.

What happened: In a presentation on the clean-up of CRAB Park, deputy city manager Sandra Singh pointed out the major discrepancies in how other cities in the region support their homeless population compared to Vancouver, according to CBC. The numbers are, well, pretty clear in the story it tells. 

• Key numbers: The city says they provide 75 percent of the region’s operating shelter spaces and 77 percent of the supportive housing units, with only 25 percent of the population. 

Yes, but: The yearly Homeless Count of Greater Vancouver study is one popular measurement to understand how homelessness is dispersed across the region, though it does undercount the total number. The last count in 2023 showed that Vancouver accounted for 50 percent of the homeless population, along with 41 percent of the total unselected population, or those without places to stay. Looking at this data, Vancouver is dealing with 41 percent of the unhoused population, but providing 75 percent of the shelter spaces.

Regions: In the past, the mayor of Port Coquitlam, Brad West, has trumpeted his approach to keeping his municipality’s taxes low, according to CBC. Yet, the Tri-Cities region in total is under-providing shelter spaces versus what an even distribution based on overall population would look like. 

• Thought-bubble: One could argue that a place like Port Coquitlam is able to keep taxes low because of the indirect offloading of services to other municipalities like Vancouver.

Trend: We’re seeing a trend in other cities, though with a slightly different focus. Victoria plans to send a bill to the province, worth $100,000, to help pay for the operations and other expenses for a homeless community centre, according to the Times Colonist. The province is under no obligation to pay for it, but it has had the intended effect of garnering media attention shifting perceived blame. 

• Out east, Toronto’s escalation of a funding dispute for asylum seekers, to the point where they promised to raise city taxes by six percent and put the blame for the tax increase explicitly on the federal government, resulted in the feds offering $143 million in extra funds, according to Global. 

There are a few potential takeaways from this data presented by the city.

• The problem of multiple governments: Regional authorities like TransLink help coordinate and solve problems that require multiple levels of government working together, specifically transit. But a larger, well-funded and powerful organization like TransLink doesn’t exist when it comes to providing and servicing housing. So many levels of government can create the problem Vancouver is dealing with.  

• Downloading of problems to cities: Cities do not have the fiscal capacity to raise money the way the province or federal government does. As more services are downloaded to cities, they face greater challenges in addressing these complex issues. It’s something the Mayor’s Budget Task Force identified as a major problem in terms of issues driving fiscal pressures. 

A caveat: It’s worth mentioning that Vancouver has the second-lowest property tax rate in the province… 

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VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🏢 180: The number of units approved for a 32-storey rental housing tower at 1065 Pacific St. [Urbanized]

⛴️ $49: The lowest potential price you could pay on BC Ferries with a vehicle, now that they’ve introduced cheaper fares on less busy sailings. [Urbanized]

📈 82%: The percentage increase in housing starts in Vancouver, the number of units starting to be built, because of a rise in multi-unit buildings. [Global News]

CITY HALL

Does the mayor’s high absence at council meetings mean anything?

What happened: A new analysis of city hall meeting attendance shows that the mayor has been absent 222 times since being sworn in, for a total of 30 percent of meetings missed, according to CTV.

Historical comparison: Before you jump to any conclusions about how he’s doing compared to other mayors, CTV shared that former mayor Kennedy Stewart missed 15 percent of his meetings.

• Yes, but: To be fair, there were key differences in council makeup for both mayors. Stewart faced a divided council, and did not have his own party to rely on, meaning it was less easyr for him to miss meetings. Sim on the other hand controls a conformable majority on council and votes in favour of his preferred policies are all but assured.

The mayor had this to say about his absences:

• “As mayor, my priority is to serve the best interests of our city and its residents. While voting is an important aspect of governance, it's equally important to balance my duty as mayor with my responsibilities beyond the chamber… I will continue to serve Vancouverites faithfully in my role and I will always prioritize attracting talent, investment, and opportunities for Vancouver alongside that of my governance obligations.”

What it means: It could mean something, or it may mean nothing! But it does raise questions about what the mayor chooses to focus his time on. As numerous outlets have chronicled, the mayor has pushed an agenda of “vibes” and making Vancouver fun again. When public policy issues get more challenging, there may be further questions about how the mayor spends his time…

NEW JOBS

Discover your new dream job in Vancouver:

• Manager, communications and community relations at the PNE

• Executive director of marketing and communications at Chemistry Consulting Group

• Director of finance at 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters

• VP of revenue at MEDA

• Chair, community housing action committee at North Shore Community Resources Society

Local jobs are selected by the Lookout team and are not paid ads, unless specifically noted.

THE AGENDA

🖼️ Construction at the new Vancouver Art Gallery has started, with the goal of completion in 2028. The total cost of construction will be $350 million, with VAG having raised $353 million, meaning construction costs are fully covered. [Urbanized]

⚽️ The public will soon have more details on the expected cost of the FIFA 2026 World Cup costs in Vancouver. The price tag has continued to rise, while some details have been shrouded in secrecy due to the contract signed with FIFA. The original cost was set at $230 million a year ago. Costs in Toronto rose from $300 to $380 million because of the city getting an additional match. Given that Vancouver also received an additional match, the city could expect similar cost increases. [CBC]

📱 It’s schrodingers cat, but as text messages. Group texts surfaced from a park board comissioner in regards to ending the park board, but an FOI has turned up nothing. The park board commissioner in question, Marie-Claire Howard, noted that someone took a photo of her phone and circulated the image, and the messages were on her personal phone and not related to city business. No independent review of the messages was undertaken. [Vancouver Sun]

👮 A man who impersonated a police officer and killed a Vancouver senior was sentenced to seven years in prison for manslaughter in the 2021 home invasion after pleading guilty. [CTV]

📽️ After a tumultuous few years, including the actors and writers strike, the film industry in Vancouver will likely see an increase in production this year as things return to normal. About 60,000 people work in the industry. [CityNews]

🪧 YVR food service workers have voted in favour of strike action, with 85 percent of members supporting it. Over 200 people work at the jobs, and in a recent survey, 89 percent said they were struggling to keep up with bills. A strike notice has not yet been issued and it would take 72 hours before they could then go on strike. [CityNews]

🏗️ A rally was held Friday at the site where a mother of two from Mexico was killed in a crane accident. WorkSafeBC is continuing with its investigation to understand what happened. [CTV]

🛴 In what could be a sign for Vancouver, Coquitlam’s e-scooter pilot is proving to be popular, with 55,000 trips recorded over six months. So far no injuries have been reported. Changes to the program include expanding the service area, and adding more e-scooter dockless stations. Vancouver’s upcoming pilot will require e-scooters to be docked. [Urbanized]

💯 The Whitecaps beat FC Dallas over the weekend. The team is now second in the Western Conference with a record of 2-1-0. Unfortunately, the Canucks weren’t as lucky, losing the Washington Capitals 1-2 on Saturday.

EVENTS

Monsters of the Abyss | Vancouver Aquarium | Now until September | An interactive exhibit to learn about the most feared aquatic predators | Tickets $40 and up

Spring Break Craft Workshop Series | Kids Mart | Multiple days in March | Multiple types of crafting opportunities for kids | Free

Spring Break at VIFF | VIFF | March 18-30, multiple times | An eight-part film series celebrating anime that’s come from Japan in recent years | Tickets starting at $8

Chocolate Egg Painting Workshop | Drunken Chocolatier | March 21, 5 :30 pm | Come handprint a 15 cm tall Easter egg, make rolled truffles and box it up | Tickets $107

Dim Sum Diaries: Second Helping | 168 East Pender St. | March 22, 6 pm | Gala premier of the original short-play exploring anti-Asian sentiments during COVID-19, with food, silent auction and opportunities to meet the team | Tickets $60

PLR Vancouver Presents: Running Bodies | Honeybee Bruncheonette | March 24, 8:30 pm | Learn about research on running for women, as much research is centred on men | Tickets $33

Andrew McDermott - One Day Pastel Workshop | 2408 W 41st Ave | March 31, 10 am | Come learn pastel with renowned artist Andrew McDermott in his first pastel workshop | Tickets $135

Comedian Matt Wright and Friends | North Point Brewing | April 25, 6:30 and 9:15 pm | He’s appeared on Just For Laughs, CBC, opened for Jerry Seinfeld and wrote for This Hour Has 22 Minutes | Tickets $27

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The decline in Vancouver breweries isn’t stopping CowDog Brew company. They’re a new brewery opening up at the former Callister Brewery, at 1338 Franklin St. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Tired of clickbait food stories? Want to discover new places to eat, reviewed by a team you trust? Try Vancity Lookout Eats, it’s our free food newsletter.

• This is a lovely profile of retired Vancouver Sun columnist Malcolm Parry. [Vancouver Sun]

• There almost was an amusement park, island and golf course at the site of the Jericho Beach Park. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• It looks like the cherry blossoms are beginning to sprout! [Reddit]

GAME TIME