SkyTrain service could soon be impacted by transit strike

Good morning,

How’d everyone do without buses this week? Let me know by replying to this email and we may feature some responses. 

Today our biggest story is about the transit strike. We’ve tried to make it as comprehensive as possible since it’s the biggest story driving the news.

Let’s get to it.

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout editor

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WEATHER

Monday: 4 🌡️ 3 | 🌧️

Tuesday: 6 🌡️ 4 | 🌧️

Wednesday: 6 🌡️ 4 | 🌧️

TRANSIT

Transit strike escalation possible

What happened: The 48-hour strike by transit supervisors is now over, but that doesn’t mean it’s done. The union plans to escalate the job action in the coming days and has a date set with the BC Labour Relations Board to determine if they can picket outside SkyTrains stations, according to CTV. 

• The union representing SkyTrain employees has said their workers will respect any picket line, meaning the trains would not run. 

The hearing will take multiple days. Meanwhile, the union says they plan to escalate the job action. This would likely mean more strikes. 

Today: With that said, everything returns to normal today with Seabus and TransLink bus service back running, according to Urbanized. 

The province: On Monday the minister of labour did not answer whether they would legislate workers back to work, but did hint they were interested in appointing a special mediator, according to CTV, naming well-known mediator Vince Ready as a potential option. 

• The official opposition BC United party has called for the province to legislate the workers back to their job

Background: The 180 transit supervisors are negotiating with Coast Mountain Bus Company, a subsidiary of TransLink. The union is asking for a wage increase in line with other transit operators in the TransLink system, which would be a 20 to 25 percent wage increase over three years, while the company is offering a 13.5 percent increase over three years. 

How did we get here: TransLink CEO Kevin Quinlan says that if these 180 transit operators were to get a raise, it would mean higher wages for other workers at companies that operate with TransLink, dubbed a me-too clause. Quilan says this would result in spiralling costs of up to $250 million over ten years, which he says is a problem because of reduced revenue from COVID, according to The Tyee.

• Not so, says the union. CUPE national representative Liam O’Neill says that there is no informal me-too clause and the company’s response is part of a smear campaign against the workers.

Surge pricing yikes: If you thought Uber prices were bad before, the strike has caused prices to skyrocket, as well as making it difficult to get a ride, according to Global. In response, Uber has capped surge pricing, though the company noted it was not their responsibility to “fill in the massive gap left by a transit strike.” Fair enough.

Be kind: The union representing the 4,000 bus drivers and 1,100 Seabus workers noted that many workers were concerned about the potential for the public to take out their anger against transit operators, according to CTV, who are not the ones on strike. 

What’s next: Until a deal is reached, commuters should be prepared for travel disruptions. A mediator appointed by the province could help both sides reach a deal, by making recommendations that would be made public, with the goal of increasing pressure on both sides to come to a deal, according to the Tyee. With that said, the same mediator the province has expressed interest in offically appointing worked with both parties over the weekend in an unsuccessful effort to come to an agreement. 

• The last major transit strike in Metro Vancouver was in 2001 and it lasted 123 days before the province passed legislation to get everyone back to work, according to CBC. A driver's strike in the Fraser Valley resulted in a four-month strike last year. 

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

📈 $24,600: The increase in the amount of income you’ll need this year to purchase a home in Vancouver compared to last year, for a total of $237,400. [Urbanized]

❄️ 33.2 cm: The amount of snow Vancouver had between Jan 17 and 18. From November until now, Toronto had only 35 cm! [Curiocity]

🏘️ 283: The number of new rental homes that could be built near the future South Granville SkyTrain, as part of a redevelopment proposal. [Urbanized] 

🩺 167: The additional number of doctors who entered a medical residency program in Canada compared to 2014. In 2023 there were 3,422 doctors entering residency — the final step to obtain a medical licence — compared to 3,255 in 2014. There are an estimated 6.5 million people without a family doctor in the country. [CBC]

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DREAM HOME

I have a soft spot for Commercial Street. I’ve never lived there, but it’s always one of my favourite areas to visit.

This place nearby is a winner. At only 1,107 square feet, it’s not huge, but the layout is nice, with a big shared front porch and nice tall ceilings which if you’re tall like me is a real positive.

Of course, knowing what we know about Vancouver, the price seems a little high for a two-bedroom. 

House of The Week is a home selected by the Lookout team and is not a paid advertisement. All ads are labeled as such. If you’re a realtor who wishes to feature your home in our newsletter, please contact our sales team.

CITY HALL

Committee struck to review task force

Look, that above is not the most exciting headline I’ve ever written, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important.

What happened: The task force report outlining 17 different financial recommendations to improve the city's deteriorating budget outlook was presented to council yesterday, with all councillors approving a motion to create a new committee to review the recommendations, according to The Canadian Press. 

• The public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the ideas at a later date. 

One recommendation in the report is to sell the naming rights for city assets, with potentially millions in additional revenue for Vancouver. The report’s chair, Randy Pratt, noted that that could include hospitals and ice rinks, according to CTV.

• Of note: ABC Coun. Brian Montague spoke in favour of the idea.

Concerns raised: Couns. Adrienne Carr and Christine Boyle raised questions about the report’s recommendations, specifically around focusing on core priorities and not delivering services beyond that, such as housing childcare and climate change. 

• The report was commissioned by Mayor Ken Sim to find efficiencies within the budget to address two large problems, a growing infrastructure deficit and the larger increase in responsibilities by the city, all requiring escalating property tax increases. 

Why it matters: In order to prevent raising property taxes even higher, which the mayor has indicated he does not want to do, savings will need to be found somewhere. Though as I wrote about in a members-only story last week, the findings are not all that useful for specific line items budget savings. 

THE AGENDA

😮‍💨 That smell throughout Vancouver over the weekend from the Parkland refinery did not breach pollution standards for the region, though there was an elevated amount of sulphur dioxide in the air. The group monitors both sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the air. [Globe and Mail]

🔥 Over 30 people are testifying about the fire at the Winters Hotel in the Downtown Eastside, which killed two people. The door was chained shut at the time of the fire. The building was managed by Atira Property Management. The inquest will not uncover fault, but could lead to recommendations on ways to stop similar problems from happening again.

🏥 Health Minister Adrian Dix has responded to allegations that hospital staff are discharging patients in an unsafe manner, saying that patients who are abusive to workers will need to be escorted out from time to time, noting that hospitals are not shelter beds. [Global]

🚗 A woman has been providing free rides to strangers during the transit strike, as a way to do something nice for the community. She recently drove someone to the hospital, amongst other trips. She’s not asking for money for the service. [CBC]

🌧️ Goodbye cold weather hello almost-warm weather. Temperatures could get up to low double digits on Friday, but of course, that includes increased rainfall. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🏒 The Canucks are back at the number one spot in the league with a 2-0 win over the Blackhawks. [Daily Hive]

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Not to get all philosophical, but I do think there’s an increasing trend away from digital things to physical, tactile stuff. Like how records have become increasingly popular.

I was reminded about this after seeing these stunning film photographs on Reddit. This one above is my favourite. There’s just something about actual film that I love.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Garbage and green bin collection is back to normal this week. [City of Vancouver]

• This is the type of Evo dispersal you’d expect when buses aren’t running. [Reddit]

• Zipair’s flights to Tokyo from Vancouver are selling out fast, I wish I had this cheap of a flight when I flew there. [CBC]

• Yelp released their top 100 restaurants in Canada list and 17 restaurants from Vancouver made the list. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• A retired custodian in Vancouver has created a special snow shovel for seniors. [CBC]

• Why this pizza (but not a pizza) restaurant is worth a visit next time you’re in Chinatown. [Vancity Lookout]

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VANCOUVERGUESSER

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