Stanley Park finally, maybe, gets a bus

Good morning,

Nate with you today. I had a scary moment recently in the woods where I regularly take my dog Sola for walks. There’s a section of the trail near some steep cliffs over a river, and while Sola is generally a very good girl off-leash she does have a penchant for chasing squirrels.

On this occasion, Sola took off after a fluffy tail near the cliffs and I lost sight of her for about 30 seconds. I was frantically calling her name with my heart in the pit of my stomach, terrified at what felt like the very real possibility that my beloved companion had just fallen to her certain death.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. She reappeared a few moments later, happy as could be and expecting a treat. But I was extremely shaken by the horrifying thoughts that had crossed my mind in that instant. I took it as a reminder to cherish the beings you love, and a lesson to take extra precautions in dicey situations.

On that note of relief, let’s get to today’s stories!

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

As always, you can send your tips, leads, and story ideas to Nate at [email protected].

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Wednesday: 21 🌡️ 14 | ☀️ 

Thursday: 18 🌡️ 13 | ☀️

Friday: 21 🌡️ 13 | 🌤️

TRANSPORTATION

Stanley Park finally, maybe, gets a bus

In a move that could change how people get around the city’s biggest park, the park board approved a new public bus route along Stanley Park Drive and a permanent separated bike lane for the west side of the park. 

The bus route is the first recommendation from the Stanley Park Mobility Study — a new 100+ page report on transportation and mobility planning in Stanley Park. The study is meant to provide a long-term plan to manage how the millions of annual visitors get around and enjoy the park.

Establishing a public bus route around the peninsula was the most popular of the many study options. It’s also, frankly, the most obvious move to improve transportation in Stanley Park, and addresses a gap for park users who don’t have or can’t use a car or bike. 

The immediate price tag to plan the bus route ranges from $30,000 to $50,000, with costs for infrastructure like bus stops still to be determined. Staff are aiming for service on the new route to start in 2027. 

However, as is usually the case with big (and even medium-sized) park board projects, many things are out of the board’s control.

The park board engaged with TransLink as part of the study, but ultimately the transit provider will need to budget for and deliver the new bus service. It bodes well that TransLink has already publicly proposed a new Stanley Park route, which would start and end at Waterfront Station, as part of its broader 2026 transit plan. 

The same lack of full control applies to the partial bike lane. Green commissioner Tom Digby’s amendment directs staff to come up with an updated cost and design for a separated permanent bike lane for the west side of the park. However, city council will have the final say on whether it would actually get funded as part of the 2027-2030 Capital Plan. 

Putting aside that significant caveat, three independent park board commissioners — Laura Christensen, Scott Jensen, and Brennan Bastyovanszky — pivoted, voting to reinstall a portion of the bike lane they removed two years ago. 

As most readers will surely remember, the installation and removal of a temporary bike lane between 2021 and 2023 became a hot-button issue for businesses in the park and some park users due to reduced parking, traffic, and the off-putting look of traffic cones. 

The bike lane was almost immediately scrapped by the then-ABC park board majority upon taking office in late 2022, with the unrealistic promise of building a new one the following year. 

Through that process it became abundantly clear that – given archeological, ecological, and financial concerns – it wasn’t feasible to expand the road around the park.  

It’s a decision that then-ABC, now-independent Park Board Chair Christensen called “one of the biggest mistakes” she’s made as a commissioner. 

“I made a really foolish mistake, which was to listen to the Mayor… Ken [Sim] promised that he would personally make a permanent bike lane happen through Stanley Park. I can see now that that was a very empty promise,” Christensen said at Monday’s meeting. 

“I see supporting this amendment as a way to correct that vote,” Christensen said, joining her two other former ABC colleagues in voting for Digby’s plan. 

In addition to the bus route and partial bike lane, Digby and the independent commissioners approved the Mobility Study more broadly as a new park board policy. 

The report focuses on the long-term use of Stanley Park Drive, the primary road used for sightseeing, tours, and recreational cycling, and provides vehicle access to various park attractions and for Indigenous cultural practices. The 100+ page report is complex, with six options for how to reorient the park’s main road over the next 20 years.

The biggest potential changes? By 2028 and 2039, the park board will need to decide whether to adopt time-based restrictions for vehicles, dedicate one lane for transit or bikes, or phase out private car access.

The bus lane is one of 47 specific options included in the study, some of which could be mixed and matched over the next 15 years depending on board priorities.

ABC commissioner Angela Haer supported the idea of a bus service but ultimately voted against adopting the study, calling it a waste of money, and saying the study ignored the needs of the elderly, disabled, and very young.    

The study took three and a half years to complete and cost almost $1 million, including $600,000 in consulting fees. 

The study detailed how it took the varied interests of different groups into account through engagement with over 100 organizations and businesses, about 10,000 public survey responses, and feedback from the Stanley Park Intergovernmental Committee, made up of the representatives from the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Nations and the park board.  

Peter Brown with the city’s Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee (PDAC) supported the idea of a bus route but said the park board should continually involve PDAC throughout the implementation process “in order to ensure that we don't miss anything and that our current level of accessibility remains.”

One study option even included two sites to build multi-storey parkades, which got significant negative attention from public speakers. Commissioners singled out and rejected that specific option in an effort to assuage those public concerns.  

While the complexity and scope of the study can be daunting, adopting it as a policy puts the park board on a solid footing for future road use decisions in the park, which, if history is a good judge, will be contentious. 

More importantly for right now, there will likely be bus access around Vancouver’s crown jewel coming in a few short years. If that comes to pass, it will be a straightforward win and something seemingly everyone can agree is a good idea.

SPONSORED BY VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Watch films from BC at the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival

Celebrate local talent with films from some of BC's best and brightest filmmakers in BC Spotlight. Discover diasporic stories in Mayumi Yoshida's Akashi, Kent Donguine's Treasure of the Rice Terraces and Jennifer Chiu's Clan of the Painted Lady. Uncover the life of local legends in Jenn Strom's The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes or immerse yourself in a heartwarming story of determination in Ryan Sidhoo's The Track. Explore the full program, tickets on sale now.

THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

$15 million

The cost for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank to purchase a long-term space. The facility is 16,000 square feet at 3545 Lougheed Highway in East Vancouver, and comes after the group was forced to relocate six times in four years. A permanent home will allow the organization to better plan for the future, streamline logistics and improve relations with clients. Read more. [Urbanized]

THE AGENDA

🌎 Metro Vancouver probably won’t hit its 2030 emissions targets, according to a new report by district staff. Read more. [CBC]

🏠 The city is seeking public feedback on changing the zoning bylaw for temporary modular housing, to allow units to remain in the same place for 20 years, up from 10 years. Read more. [BIV]

📉 Metro Vancouver’s slower-than-expected population growth could help make rent and housing more affordable, but high transportation costs could prevent households from feeling the impact of those savings. Read more. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🧾 The city lost its bid in court against the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), over its claim that the federal entity that owns and manages Granville Island had shortchanged the city by nearly $4 million in taxes. Read more. [BIV]

🚒 A fire started by an e-bike battery has displaced 11 people in the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood. Read more. [Global BC]

💾 Simon Fraser upgraded its academic supercomputer, making it once again the fastest in the country. Read more. [SFU]

🎤 A Vancouver comedian is getting paid $165/hour on contract as a speechwriter with the B.C. Premier’s office. Comedian Charles Demers is one of the Premier’s five speechwriters, and so far, he has made $14,000 off his two-year contract of up to $150,000. Read more. [City News]

🛤️ The B.C. Professional Firefighters Burn Fund’s Bright Nights fundraiser has moved to Surrey after spending 27 years in Vancouver, due to the Stanley Park Miniature Train facing chronic safety and maintenance issues. [Global News]

😬 Park board commissioners referred the complaint over Marie-Claire Howard’s frequent absences to a public hearing, despite the protests of Howard’s ABC colleagues on the board. [Vancity Lookout]

HOME OF THE WEEK

While this may not be the biggest house, it’s one of the more affordable options in Kitsilano with two bedrooms.

The unit has been fully renovated with $80,000 in upgrades. With new flooring, a spa-style bathroom and a new exterior patio, this place comes ready with no updates required, including a parking stall. And who wouldn’t love the walk to Kits Beach?

Of course, affordable for Kitsilano means something entirely different… 

VANCOUVER ARTS GUIDE

Four Vancouver art events this October

1. I know reading is so passé, but many others and I still love it! If you count yourself as a book lover, then the Vancouver Writers Fest from Oct. 20-26 should be on your list. There are still many tickets available for teaching events, workshops, speaker panels, and more. Check out the schedule. 

2. Technically starting in September, but going on until mid-October, Culture Days is an opportunity to try new events, arts and culture throughout the province. Vancouver has a bunch of events, including pop-up festivals, community music, teachings, art symposiums… You get the idea. Full schedule here. 

3. You know me, I can’t get enough of movies. So I obviously have to include the Vancouver International Film Festival. Tickets are on sale, and from my perspective, the movie lineup is exceptional. 

4. The newest exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery, starting Oct. 4, is Enemy Alien by documentary photographer Tamio Wakayama. It features striking photos from the Civil Rights Movement in the southern U.S. and his work documenting Indigenous communities in Canada. Show details here.

– Written by Geoff Sharpe

CITY HALL

The benefits and drawbacks of rezoning 4,000+ properties at once

What happened: Vancouver city council held a public hearing on a proposed plan to rezone more than four thousand parcels of land in neighbourhoods like Mount Pleasant, Kitsilano, Fairview, and Oakridge. A final decision on the plan was deferred until next month. 

• The move is intended to reduce costs and time for the city and developers, but staff also note that it could reduce revenue for public benefits like recreation centres, childcare facilites, and public art. Critics say it will increase the speed and intensity of displacement for working-class renters and reduce opportunities for public engagement on development. 

The details: Most of the 4,294 sites up for rezoning fall between Broadway and 16th Ave, with other notable areas south of Great Northern Way in Mount Pleasant, around Oakridge, and between Broadway and 1st Ave in Kits. 

• If approved, those properties would be zoned for low, mid, and high-rise buildings – new types of zoning for the city introduced by this plan – depending on proximity to main streets, transit, and other considerations.  

Low-rise buildings can be up to eight storeys tall but staff expect most new buildings to be between four and six. The mid-rise guidelines are for 12-storey buildings, while the highrise zoning generally allows for towers between 15 and 22 storeys, and no higher than 26 storeys. The majority of the rezonings fall into the low-rise category. 

The benefits: The proposal is based on saving time and money. “The fastest rezoning is one that does not need to occur,” Josh White, the city’s head planner, said in his comments to council. Rezoning can take a year or more to process, adding “uncertainty and risk for applicants” while taking up city resources, according to the report. 

Allowing these developments to bypass the rezoning process would be an “impactful measure” to streamline the delivery of housing and simplify building rules, staff said. If approved next month, it would mean building proposals at these sites that fit the new zoning can proceed directly to apply for a development permit. 

• Public support for the plan was generally for more housing, increased density near transit, and reducing permitting times. 

The drawbacks: The Vancouver Tenants Union, which frequently helps residents organize against rezonings and unfair treatment, said the move would intensify and accelerate displacement, particularly of working-class people. The changes also include a reduction for social housing in the Cambie Corridor Plan from 30 per cent to 20 per cent. 

The report also noted that by “significantly reducing” site-specific rezonings, the plan “may lead to a reduction in provision of public benefits,” usually cash or space contributions negotiated between the city and the developer during rezoning. Vancouver currently has a $500 million annual infrastructure deficit, including a $33 million annual shortfall to maintain and replace recreation facilities. 

In terms of public feedback on the plan, opposition included concern over building heights impacting neighbourhood character, the impact of construction, and the reduction in public engagement. By bypassing the need for rezonings at these sites, the city would be eliminating public hearings in these cases, which are the most direct opportunity for public feedback. 

While some public hearings get a lot of participation, it’s a less effective way to successfully influence a project because the engagement happens so late in the process, White, the city’s head planner, told Vancity Lookout back in June. Bigger planning processes, like area plans or this city-led rezoning, are “a very productive time to have your say and shape every application or every project that ends up coming through,” White said. 

About 75 speakers showed up for Tuesday’s public hearing, while the rezoning plan generated over 200 letters of opposition and about 60 in support ahead of the hearing. 

What’s next: Council will now debate, possibly amend, and make a decision on the proposal at a meeting on October 7. 

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• If you’re looking to visit a pumpkin patch, look no further. [Vancouver Sun]

• Flights out of YVR are on sale. [Castanet]

• Vietnamese restaurant Lunch Lady was briefly the funniest place, per capita, in Vancouver. [Vancouver Sun]

• A new Japanese snack bar is opening on Commercial Ave. today. [Vancouver Magazine]

• Kitsilano thrift store Rummage is moving to a temporary location on West 4th Avenue. [Daily Hive]

• Redditors have compiled the most absurd cases of NIMBYism in Vancouver’s history, and some of them are wild. [Reddit]

• One Vancouver TikToker is drawing attention to the closure of the Vancouver Renter’s Office. [Tiktok]

GAME TIME

Today’s Wordle has a seasonal feel but it really should be a year-round thing. Can you work out what it is?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Speaking of Stanley Park, here’s a tranquil pic of the seawall near Brockton Point to get you in the mood for those misty solo runs.