Why you could soon have a beer with your haircut in Vancouver

Good morning,

I visited more than nine different restaurants this weekend to build a new list of restaurant reviews. To say I’m full would be an understatement!

It’s always a real treat to visit different spots around town, especially those that normally don’t get enough attention. Stay tuned for some big reviews in the coming months.

Today we’ve got a breakdown of new liquor regulations and an update on the park board.

Let’s get to it!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout editor

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WEATHER

Monday: 10 🌡️ 6 | 🌧️

Tuesday: 7 🌡️ 7 | 🌧️

Wednesday: 8 🌡️ 6 | 🌧️ 

CITY HALL

Why you could soon have a beer with your haircut

What happened: New changes passed last week will see Vancouver loosen its liquor laws, allowing more variety of businesses to serve your favourite drinks, as well as expand the number of bars and clubs on Granville, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

Background: Mayor Ken Sim has made turning Vancouver into a more fun city a central piece of his vision, attempting to shed the label of Vancouver as a no-fun town. Many of the existing laws put restrictions on the number of new liquor places that could open, in an attempt to promote public health goals, according to CBC.

The changes are numerous, according to the Vancouver Sun, but a few of the big ones include:

• Ending a limit on new liquor establishments and increasing the number of seats in Gastown, Chinatown, Victory Square and Thornton Park;

• Expanding seating of businesses providing alcohol in residential areas;

• Ending a ban on new liquor establishments;

• Allow non-traditional places to serve liquor, like spas and barbershops.

The big change will be allowing liquor establishments to be next to each other. Before there were distance requirements for each place. 

• Vancouver Coastal Health opposed the move because of the potential long-term health impacts. 

What it could look like: According to Urbanized, Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung believes this could enable clusters of businesses serving liquor in Vancouver, similar to Port Moody’s brewery row, a popular spot especially in the summer (your newsletter writer has been known to visit it in the warmer season). 

Lookout ahead: The Granville Entertainment District is undergoing a massive change, with an 18-month planning program to revitalize the area, according to Business in Vancouver. These changes are just one part of how the area could undergo changes in the coming years.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

👍️ 40,000: The number of new homes that the federal government says will be built in Vancouver over the next 10 years, as a result of $115 million from their Housing Accelerator program which was announced Friday. [Global]

📈 6%: Rents are around six to 10 percent higher than last year, up to $2,866 for a one-bedroom unit compared to $2,730 last year. [Urbanized]

⛽️ $1.62: The price for gas that was reported on Friday, the lowest it’s been in 2023. [CTV]

🏠️ 3%: The expected increase in prices for Vancouver homes, according to Royal LePage. Condos could rise by four percent while detached homes will rise by 2.5 percent. [Vancouver Sun]

PARK BOARD

Future of park board a little more clear as province details next steps

You might be saying, oh no Geoff, not another park board story! For the few of you tired of this issue, I’m sorry to report there’s even more news about the potentially soon-to-be-finished board. Let’s break it down.

What happened: Mayor Ken Sim’s decision to end the park board took one big important step forward last week, with the provincial government agreeing, in principle, to amend the Vancouver Charter to remove the board. But that’s not without some conditions, according to Global.

Responding to the city on Thursday, the provincial government said a number of issues still needed to be dealt with, including land ownership, park board workers and consulting First Nations, through the creation of a transition plan. 

• The mayor said they had been in discussions with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and more formal discussions would now move forward. 

As noted by Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer, ABC has defeated a motion by Coun. Christine Boyle that would’ve called on the city to consult with the First Nations, with one ABC councillor calling it “frivolous.”

• You can read the full letter from the province to the city here. 

Addressing concerns: One big point of controversy was whether ABC planned to sell off some of the parks, with those opposed to ending the park board raising concern over the definition of which parks would be protected. Sim has responded by saying they would move to designate non-permanent park areas as permanent, and stated, according to City News, “I want to be very clear: as long as I’m mayor, parks will always be parks in the City of Vancouver.”

What it means: The mayor’s clear language on selling the parks is meant to counter a narrative that was growing that certain parks could be sold off. It would appear, based on how the mayor has framed the language, that he wants to end any of these rumours as soon as possible. 

DREAM JOB

1. Vancouver and Lower Mainland resource centre director at Huntington Society of Canada

2. Operations manager at Legends Haul

3. Operations director at Vancouver Community Health

4. Executive officer at Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025

5. Global vice president of marketing at Copperleaf

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

THE AGENDA

🔥 A fire was intentionally set, according to the fire department, at the outpatient Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre on Friday. The facility said they plan on reopening today. An investigation is ongoing. [CBC]

💰️ Should taxpayer money be used for Twitter? That’s the question after it was revealed that Vanouver city councillors are charging the public for their verified Twitter accounts. [CBC]

🪧 There’s nothing sweet about this story — Rogers Sugar has ended negotiations with the union for the time being, after the union rejected their latest offer. The company wants the refinery to operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The company says sugar shortages shouldn’t be an issue. [CityNews]

🏢 The issue of shadow casting by buildings is being re-evaluated in Vancouver as we deal with a housing crisis. The city has more restrictions than other neighbouring jurisdictions. Staff is currently looking at changing the policy. [BC Business]

🧒 Children’s winter gear is in high demand this season, with new arrivals in Canada seeking the right clothing for the winter. The charity BabyGoRound is helping distribute the items to those who need them. [CBC]

EVENTS GUIDE

Zakk Sabbath | Commodore | Dec. 20, 6:30pm | Like Black Sabbath? Well, here’s the next best thing | Tickets $62

The Parlour Magic Holiday Show | The Park Pub | Dec. 21 | Hilarious and mystifying magic show | Tickets $22

Lebanese Feast Nights — North Vancouver | Jamjar Canteen North Vancouver | Dec. 23 | An all you can eat Lebanese feast | Tickets $42

Hilton’s New Year’s Dinner and Dance | Hilton Vancouver Airport | Dec 31. 7 pm | Dancing buffet and snack bar, what else could you want? | Tickets $55

Sinbad! | Metro Theatre | Until Jan. 1 | A fantastically funny show written by the queen of Pantomime | Tickets $40

Just For Laughs Vancouver | Various locations | Feb. 15-24 | This isn’t for a couple months, but tickets are on sale today at 10am! | Tickets

Damian + Stephen Marley: Traffic Jam Tour | Queen Elizabeth Theatre | Feb. 27, 8pm | Tickets for this also go on sale at 10am today! | Tickets

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Did you catch the latest amazing sunset?

GOOD NEWS

Here’s some good news to start your Monday:

Community members joined together to help raise enough money to reopen the Ovaltine Cafe, a popular local business in the Downtown Eastside, that was closed due to suspected arson. The place is a local institution in the area. [CBC]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• In a unique twist, the Vancouver Art Gallery is featuring a collection of fake paintings, and how they discovered they were fake. [CTV]

• Vancouver announced the new music task force that will help provide advice to improve the sector. [Straight]

• Check out this video of the Port Mann Bridge demolition time-lapse video. [YouTube]

• The Vancouver Warriors lacrosse team beat the Georgia Swarm 15-17 on Saturday. [The Province] 

• The Cancuks won yesterday 4-3 against the Blackhawks. The team is now 21-9-2 and second in the Pacific Division.

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

GAME TIME