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The Vancouver arts crisis
Why Vancouver’s arts community is in trouble. Plus a big housing decision.
Geoff Sharpe
April 19, 2023
Good morning,
Obviously, anytime the New York Times writes about Canada is a fun moment. Their new story about the Vancouver Canadians is a good read about the team's history and why it’s such a fun experience watching a game.
Here’s what we cover in today’s newsletter:
A crisis in Vancouver’s art scene
A big housing law targeting Vancouver
Transit safety updates
Enjoy!
— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity newsletter writer
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WEATHER
Monday: 9 🌡️ 4 | 🌧
Tuesday: 8 🌡️ 3 | 🌧
Wednesday: 9 🌡️ 4 | 🌧
VANCOUVER BY THE NUMBERS
🏠 $100,000: The average that the cost of a home in Vancouver has fallen. But don’t get too excited — higher interest rates means it actually costs more now to purchase a home. [CTV]
❄️ 80%: Metro Vancouver’s snowpack level. This is within the normal range and is generally considered good news. The bad weather lately has added to the snowpack. [North Shore News]
💉 596: The number of illicit drug deaths from January to March of this year. B.C.’s chief corner is calling it a “crisis of incomprehensible scale.” [CTV]
ARTS
Mayday, mayday, Vancouver arts community is crashing
Vancouver is facing a crisis in the art community as art spaces disappear amidst rising rental rates, which is putting the future of Vancouver’s art scene at risk, according to reporting by CBC.
The problem stems from the displacement of artists, with spaces disappearing as affordability worsens. A staff report in 2019 blamed real estate speculation as a prime cause of fewer art spaces, according to reporting by Urbanized.
Eastside Arts Society Rausenberg told the CBC: "A lot of the artist studio spaces are on commercial and industrial lands. A lot of these spaces are in two, three-storey kind of cinder block buildings, and those are coming down as we're seeing higher developments on those buildings."
Old warehouses and commercial buildings are critical spaces for artists.
Breaking it down: The Eastside Arts Society, which runs the popular Eastside Culture Crawl, produced a report that said in 2018 alone, 300 artists lost their studio space, according to CBC. In 2020, 63 percent of artists lived below the poverty line.
Zoom in: Beaumont Studio’s rent increased by 20 percent in three years, supports 100 full-time artists and is at risk of ending. The eatART Foundation, located on Great Northern Way, is also at risk of disappearing, according to Global.
Many places resort to crowdfunding to support their existence, including Beaumont and eatArt Foundation.
What government is doing: The provincial government says they provided $42 million for arts and culture in their last budget, according to Global. The city provided $4.3 million in funding for 208 cultural organizations in January.
In 2019 the city approved a plan to create 400 units of artist housing, as part of a 10-year arts and culture strategy, according to Urbanized. The goal was to have “no net loss” of studio and music spaces.
Potential solution: One solution would be to include density bonusing, which according to CBC, “allows for additional floor area in exchange for amenities, as well as community amenity contributions and tax relief.”
TLDR: Go out and support the arts!
QUOTE
“Artists don't live in those cities anymore or work there…. They have to work outside those cities because they can't afford to be there." Alix Sales, senior planner for the City of Vancouver, explaining the larger problem of artist displacement that’s taking place around the world, not just in Vancouver. [CBC]
PUBLIC SAFETY
Will the province do anything about transit violence?
A spate of violence on transit throughout Metro Vancouver has provincial opposition parties calling on the government to do more to make public transit safe, according to CTV.
What happened: In question period on Monday, the Premier hinted they’re ready to help communities address these issues, though they stopped short of a formal announcement or new specific policy.
They emphasized discussions with the federal government that’s planning more public safety measures this spring, one of which is to enact reverse onus for bail.
What’s reverse onus: It means an accused person needs to prove they should be released, rather than the reverse, and applies primarily to serious cases like murder.
Transit police are also expanding patrols throughout the system, according to CBC.
Zoom in: Criminology professor at Simon Fraser University Martin Andresen told CBC that while data shows increasing the presence of patrols at potential places of violence does reduce violence, crime spikes once the officers leave. Having more police presence could also lead to increased racial profiling.
Fact check: While violence may appear to be higher, according to data from the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, as reported by the CBC, transit violence is similar to previous years.
DREAM HOME
Realtor.ca
With summer inching closer and closer, I thought a visit to the West End was in order, given it’s a great summer spot. And this condo will certainly help you live your best summer life.
This two-bedroom spot not only faces south but has a north-facing view. With 92 feet of windows, you’ll see the entire city view. The layout of the living room and kitchen are perfect for entertaining guests and boasts some very stylish elements.
HOUSING
Province acts on housing development delay, more likely to come
What happened: In a rare move, but likely to be done more often, the provincial government will use its powers to force a housing development to be approved on Arbutus.
The supportive housing project faced a court challenge from Kitsilano Coalition, a local group opposed to the development, according to the Vancouver Sun.
Background: The project would house 129 people and was approved by the city on June 26. Kitsilano Coalition then sued the city in October, saying council failed at “transparency, fairness and disclosure of key information in its decision-making process on the rezoning application.” The legal challenge prevented the project from moving to the next step of approvals, according to Urbanized.
According to the Vancouver Sun, the NDP’s Bill 26 states that the zoning bylaws were “validly adopted by the Vancouver council… despite any decision of a court to the contrary made before or after this section comes into force.”
Zoom in: The group says no meaningful consultation was done. But the city hosted public hearings over six days, according to Urbanized.
The group also opposed the height of the project and the shadow it would cast, according to the Vancouver Sun.
Reality check: Organizations like Kitsilano Coalition tend to oppose public housing or really any housing development project. If the city cannot build these places, then places like the Downtown Eastside only grow bigger and the housing crisis worsens.
Big picture: The province is backing up its words with actions by intervening in city jurisdictions to get housing built. The Sen̓áḵw development may also be a candidate for this type of government intervention, said the Vancouver Sun, as it faces a lawsuit from the Kits Point Residents Association.
THE AGENDA
🧾 Business Improvement Groups in Vancouver are calling for an increase in property taxes on residents and a reduction in businesses. The city approved a 10.7 percent tax increase, but it's still unclear how it will break down between residents and businesses. [Urbanized[
🍽️ It’s a sad day as popular Vancouver spot Ubuntu Canteen served its last meal. [CBC]
👮 The family of Myles Gray, who was beaten to death during an altercation with police, is calling for the officers involved to be fired. It’s been seven years since his death. [Global]
✈️ YVR announced some big changes to improve airport operations after the disastrous winter. The $40-million plan will hire mean more staff, purchase new equipment and enact a new action plan for unpredictable weather events. [CityNews]
🥫 Some residents of Vancouver are forced to dumpster dive to deal with high food prices. Meanwhile, food giant Loblaws reported $529 million in profits last quarter. [Globe and Mail]
🔥 In response to two arson attacks on the Chinese Cultural Centre, the Vancouver Police Department installed a public safety trailer with surveillance cameras near the building. [Global]
🐕 Puppy alert. The BC SPCA needs people to adopt some German shepherd puppies that were abandoned. A warning — looking at the photo may induce an uncontrollable desire to adopt them. [CTV]
ARTS
Free art, theatre and a VSO performance
Cheap art: No, not bad art. The Vancouver Art Gallery has a new free admission program called First Friday, happening on the first Friday of every month. [Vancouver is Awesome]
Big winner: Congrats to Vancouver writer Will Richter. He won the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize for his story Just a Howl. [CBC]
Sharp takedown: Theatre production The Search Party's Stupid F*cking Bird has laughs and tragedy, and is playing until Apr. 23 at the Historic Theatre.
Lip-syncing drag: The Arts Club Theatre is hosting The Legend of Georgia McBride, a story about an Elvis impersonator drag queen, with “a whole lot of power” and soul. [Stir]
Team-up: The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Said the Whale are teaming up to perform tonight at the Orpheum Theatre. Tickets are still available. [Georgia Straight]
Month-long performance: Pre-professional students join together in the Expressions Theatre Festival to perform from May 12 to June 11, featuring two musicals and two plays. [Stir]
MEME OF THE DAY
Every time…
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
A Big Mac, slurpee and… weed? UberEats now provides cannabis delivery. Back in my day we had to walk to a store for munchies. [The Province]
Low-cost airline Lynx Air has a new route between Montreal and Vancouver this summer. [Daily Hive]
No, this isn’t Avatar. CTV news anchors appeared to be entirely blue last week after a technical glitch. [Yahoo News]
The founder of the beloved grocery store T&T was profiled in a new book, exploring how it was started in Richmond. [Richmond News]
If you love spot prawns as much as I do, you’ll love the return of Vancouver’s Spot Prawn Festival on May 28 on Granville Island. [Richmond News]
VANCOUVERGUESSER
Today’s VancouverGuesser is for all you transit fans. Can you name the SkyTrain station featured in this image? Reply with the correct answer and your name to be mentioned in the newsletter.
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