“Urgent need” for safer streets in Vancouver

Good morning, 

Nate here. It’s Friday and for me (and maybe for you), that means the end of a gruelling week. 

I’m not sure why this week was particularly hard but, if I’m being honest, I found it difficult to just get the basics done. 

I’m hanging in there, and hopefully you are too. But there’s no shame in struggling, whether it’s with your mental or physical health, in your relationships, or your work life. 

Often, whatever the issues we struggle with will get better over time. It can just be hard to see when you’re right in the thick of things. 

Today may be a turning point, and with that in mind…

Let’s get to the news and events updates for your weekend 🙂

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

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

WEATHER

Friday: 20 🌡️ 12 | 🌤️

Saturday: 16 🌡️ 12 | 🌧️

Sunday: 14 🌡️ 11 | 🌧️

Monday: 16 🌡️ 9  | 🌧️

CITY STREETS

“Urgent need” for safer streets in Vancouver

What happened: On Wednesday, Vancouver City Council passed a motion to improve road safety in Vancouver, that “addresses the urgent need to add pedestrian safety measures across the city.” 

• The guts of the motion includes immediate funding for pedestrian-controlled signals, leading pedestrian interval crossings (LPIs), flashing beacons, and crosswalks. 

These safety measures will primarily be deployed near schools, community centres, and parks. 

Context: This comes in the wake of several high-profile incidents in the region:

A 15-year-old student was seriously injured by a car when crossing West 16th Avenue near Lord Byng Secondary in late January, according to CTV. In March, a young man died after he was hit by a taxi “at or near a pedestrian crosswalk,” according to North Shore News. 

More recently, a cyclist was killed in April after being struck by a truck at Clark Drive and 11th Avenue, according to CTV. Last week, a pedestrian was hit and seriously injured by a VPD vehicle on East Hastings, following a very similar incident in 2022, according to CBC. 

Supporters: Vision Zero Vancouver’s Lucy Maloney — who was involved in consultations for the motion with ABC Couns. Lisa Dominato and Lenny Zhou — told Vancity Lookout this is a “step in the right direction.” 

• “The ABC supermajority on Council is clearly reacting to the huge groundswell of public pressure demanding action to make our streets safer for people outside cars,” Maloney said. 

A group advocating for traffic calming measures around schools in the Point Grey neighbourhood was formed in response to the incident outside Lord Byng. 

Maloney added that Vision Zero is hoping to see “a lot more investment and a lot more Council decisions to install traffic calming infrastructure,” including speed and red light cameras. 

Officially, the city is aligned with the volunteer advocacy group in their goal to have zero traffic related fatalities and injuries. 

Politics of it all: Late last year, OneCity councillor (and now BC NDP candidate) Christine Boyle brought a motion asking the province for additional speed and red light cameras, also known as automated enforcement infrastructure, at Vancouver intersections with the highest rates of death and injury. 

• Technically, it’s the province’s role to install and manage existing red light and speed cameras. Boyle’s motion, similar to one passed in Victoria in 2023, asked the province to install cameras at intersections with high levels of injury or death, and allow local governments to install and manage their own cameras. 

Previously, Boyle’s colleagues passed the motion but only after it was heavily amended by ABC Couns. Brian Montague and Mike Klassen to prioritize further study of the issue. 

Maloney told Vancity Lookout she wants council to revisit the issue, focusing on installing these cameras around school, parks, and community centres. 

• “Hopefully this… is the harbinger of better decisions on traffic calming and active transport infrastructure rather than a one-off attempt to appease voters,” Maloney said, citing five decisions by ABC, including “watering down” Boyle’s traffic camera, that have cause a “loud backlash.”

What it means: By reallocating money from the city’s three year capital plan to make road safety improvements in 2024, the tone of councillors discussing the problem, and the ruling political party’s public communications, city council is signalling they are taking the issue seriously.

However, as Maloney notes, there’s precedent for concern on the street safety file with this council. Therefore, the roll out of these measures, and the political appetite for further safety upgrades like speed and red light cameras, bears watching.

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VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🚘 48,000: The number of cars Nissan Canada is saying not to drive over concerns of defective airbags. [Vancouver Is Awesome]

🫒 140%: The increase in the cost of olive oil in Canada over the past three years, which is bad news for Vancouver-area businesses and consumers alike. [CBC]

😪 200: The number of arts events per year that will be impacted by SFU’s announcement that, given “financial realities,” the Woodward’s Cultural Program in downtown Vancouver will no longer program, commission, or present new works. [Simon Fraser University]

LABOUR

B.C. minimum wage increase aligned with inflation

What happened: B.C. is increasing the general minimum wage to $17.40 as of June 1. It’s a 65 cent, or 3.9%, increase from the previous minimum wage, tied to inflation.

Increasing wages for low-income earners is a way to “provide certainty for workers and predictability for businesses,” according to the province. 

The numbers: Roughly 240,000 workers in B.C. make minimum wage, with some categories of workers excluded from that baseline. 

The rates of inflation in B.C. and in Canada, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), have remained relatively close over the past 10 years. Rates jumped considerably in 2022 and 2023 (as you may have heard 🥱), and B.C.’s minimum wage requirements followed suit. 

• The percentage increase also applies to certain live-in care positions that are excluded from B.C.’s general minimum wage legislation. 

Policy change: In February, the NDP government adopted changes to the Employment Standards Act that would automatically increase the minimum wage rate, based on the inflation rate of the previous year. 

Hypothetically, this means that any future government would need to pass legislation to overturn that standard, rather than simply choosing not to update the rate. 

• This policy change also means that, if annual inflation changes ever registered in the negatives (which has only happened once since they began tracking it provincially in 1980), there could be a scenario where the minimum wage was decreased by the annual adjustment. 

Provincial comps: British Columbia has the highest minimum wage amongst Canadian provinces, and third highest amongst provinces and territories. Nunavut ($19) and the Yukon ($17.59) are the only governments that have set higher wage minimums, reflecting the high costs of living in the north. 

• There are at least eight other Canadian jurisdictions that base their minimum wage increases on CPI-based inflation changes, according to the province. 

Yes, but: Some business owners are unhappy with the increased labour costs, while economists take a variety of stances on the effectiveness of the policy, according to the Vancouver Sun.

THE AGENDA

🌧️ A major storm system is brewing, forecasted to bring lots of rain to the Lower Mainland this weekend and early next week. [Vancouver Is Awesome]

🚓 One UBC alumni was arrested on Wednesday at UBC, after a group of about 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked the intersection of University Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall. The RCMP’s newly-renamed Critical Response Unit cleared the intersection, while the VPD was asked to go on “standby.” [CBC]

🧴 While the sun won’t be shining this weekend, it’s important to take ‘sun smart’ precautions seriously, experts say. The Canadian Cancer Society is raising the alarm about rising rates of skin cancer, specifically melanoma. [City News]

🏗️ Vancouver City Council voted to move ahead with a pilot project to convert office spaces into pod hotels in anticipation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. City staff now need to review existing building regulations and report their findings back to council. [Vancouver Sun]

😬 Premier David Eby is facing accusations of political interference in the case of a proposed overdose prevention site in Richmond. Documents obtained through an FOI show Eby’s office directed Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to issue a statement that they would not move forward with the proposal, prior to a contentious vote on the matter at Richmond City Council. Eby said VCH had already decided not to go ahead with the site, and was merely encouraging them to make a public statement. [Richmond News, City News]

🍻 Vancouver’s alcohol on beaches pilot program is back for a second year, featuring seven beaches around the city where you can (legally) crack a cold one. Drinking is still not allowed along the English Bay and Stanley Park waterfront (with the exception of Second Beach). [Park Board]

🌊 A class-action lawsuit against the City of Abbotsford is moving ahead in the B.C. Supreme Court, regarding the city’s actions during the 2021 Sumas Prairie flood. Residents are claiming the city failed to close floodgates at a critical moment in the disaster, while the city says it was the overflow of the Nooksack River in Washington State that was to blame. [Vancouver Sun]

🪧 A drug policy event scheduled to take place in downtown Vancouver was unceremoniously moved to Richmond “due to safety reasons,” according to organizers. Those reasons allegedly included a recording of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users detailing how the event would be “disrupted.” [Vancouver is Awesome]

🌳 Some park board staff have been offered job assurances if the city is successful in their bid to eliminate the independent board. As part of bargaining a new collective agreement, Vancouver City Manager Paul Mochrie indicated to unionized members of the park board that the city is “prepared to commit” to retaining their jobs. If park board responsibilities were absorbed into city services, “any amalgamation of services will not result in layoff(s) or a reduction in regular hours,” reads a letter obtained by Vancity Lookout. 

EVENT GUIDE

ACCESSFest 2024 | May 31, 4:30 pm | The Gathering Place | This “Clay Play” workshop is part of the annual festival celebrating BC Access Awareness Day and the disability community | Free with registration 

Vancouver Canadians | May 31 - June 2, various times | Nat Bailey Stadium | Watch Vancouver’s best baseball team at the iconic ‘Nat’ | Tickets $22

A Case For The Existence Of God | May 31 - June 9, various showtimes | Pacific Theatre | Catch this play about two young fathers grappling with the realities of adulthood | Tickets $15

Vancouver Whitecaps | June 1, 7 pm | BC Place | A week after the Messi calamity, VWFC gets back to their much cheaper regular programming against the Colorado Rapids | Tickets $30

Afro World Expo | June 1-2, 10 am | Vancouver Convention Centre | Western Canada's largest expo of Caribbean and African products and culture | Tickets $5

Vancouver Short Film Festival | June 2-4, 6 pm | VIFF Centre | Catch as many as nine short films this weekend at the VSFF | Tickets $25

World Ocean Day | June 8, 10 am | Vancouver Maritime Museum | Celebrate our oceans and Indigenous cultures with a special event by Canoe Cultures | Free

Basho: Amateur Sumo Exhibition | June 9, 1 pm | Templeton Secondary School | This inaugural family-friendly event takes place ahead of the annual tournament at Powell Street Festival | Tickets $15

Art of Code: Micro:bit Virtual Pets | June 9, 10:30 am | Center of International and Contemporary Art | Learn about the fundamentals of coding and program your own virtual pet | Registration $45

Bard on the Beach | Starting June 11, various showtimes | Sen̓áḵw / Vanier Park | The much-loved annual Shakespeare fest kicks off later this month, featuring adaptations of Twelfth Night and Hamlet, among others. | Tickets $30

IMAGE OF THE DAY

The new mega development at Oakridge is making its presence felt on the South Vancouver skyline.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Sad news in Hastings-Sunrise as a long-time sushi spot is shutting down. [Vancouver Is Awesome]

• Subscribe to The Starglow Weekly to get the TLDR on all things purposeful parenting, help lessen screentime, and find that balance we're all seeking. [Sponsored]

• Heading to the Richmond Night Market this weekend? Here’s our free guide on what (and what not) to order. [Vancity Lookout]

• The good news though is that you may have another chance to see the Northern Lights tonight [CTV News] 

• How will you know which flavour to choose out of 238 options if you can’t have a taster sample? [Reddit] 

• The Vancouver Folk Fest has released their 2024 schedule. Who are you planning to see? [Georgia Straight] 

• Hummingbirds have a special place in the hearts of many British Columbians, but a new study finds they could help us medically too. [Vancouver Is Awesome] 

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

GAME TIME

Congrats to Matt, Bonnie, Marina and Jim who all correctly guessed the Vancouver Guesser location was Renfrew and E Hastings.

Today’s Vancouver Wordle is a certain Argentinian who didn’t want to make the flight to Vancouver last week. I’ll bet you can guess who it is.