Welcome to swagger city

Good morning!

The new mayor knows what Vancouver wants, and that’s a city with swagger. The Canucks, on the other hand, have no idea what fans want. I guess swagger city doesn’t apply to our struggling hockey team…

Today’s newsletter breaks down some big announcements from Mayor Ken Sim, details from the coroner’s inquest into the death of Vancouver police officer and includes a list of more than 10 different restaurants and bars our food editor recommends you visit.

Onwards!

— Geoff Sharpe

PS: Apparently a link to the Chinatown politician photo-op in yesterday’s newsletter didn’t work. Here’s the working link.

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 8 🌡️ 3 | ⛅

Thursday: 6 🌡️ 4 | 🌧

Friday: 8 🌡️ 3 | 🌧

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

20%: Drop in business break-ins in 2022 since 2019, down to 1,961 from 2,446. [Vancouver Is Awesome]

$0.25: The current cost of the disposable cup fee, which is expected to be zero by the summer if Ken Sims has his way. [Twitter]

CITY HALL

Welcome to swagger city

If Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has his way, Vancouver could soon be strutting down the street like Tobey Maguire in Spiderman 3.

What happened: The Mayor spoke at the Board of Trade State of the City event to outline his vision, with a focus on bringing back the energy and spirit he says the city is missing, according to CBC.

While full of optimism about the future, he also acknowledged that the city faces daunting challenges, including the housing crisis, homelessness and transportation.

• On housing: Mayor Sim promised a pro-supply approach, and said Vancouver “should be home to the tallest and densest development projects in the region” according to CBC.

The speech set the stage for a gradual four-year approach to becoming a different, more fun city, according to Urbanized. Some of the key policies outlined, according to Global News, included:

• Reducing obstacles to make it easier to host events.

• Focus on reducing permit wait times to spur new buildings.

• Work to secure funding for the Broadway subway line to UBC.

• Revitalize places such the Punjab Market, Gastown and Granville.

• Expand pedestrian car-free days.

Dig deeper: Sim took time in his speech to thank Premier David Eby for taking on provincial responsibility to fix the Downtown Eastside. It’s fair to say both politicians are not necessarily politically aligned, but when it comes to issues as housing, there may be opportunities to work together.

Analysis: With a majority on council, the Mayor’s team of councillours has the power to accomplish all the goals he laid out. A big question is whether they’re willing to ruffle the feathers of property owners who are inclined to oppose his signature policies, namely expanding desperately needed new housing.

• Urbanized outlined 26 things that they could like to see city council accomplish, including legalizing drinking, rethinking International Village mall and pedestrianize Water Street in Gastown.

QUOTE

“I can give you colour, but I can’t wave a magic wand and say by Oct. 15 of this year, everything is going to be fine… We have set in motion the foundation for change.” Mayor Ken Sim said about his timeline for progress, according to Global News.

POLICE

Harrowing details shared at corner’s inquest into the death of Const. Nicole Chan

A coroners' inquest has uncovered more details and allegations surrounding the Vancouver Police Department in the leadup and suicide of Const. Nicole Chan.

What happened: Chan’s sister Jennifer told the inquest that the mental health problems her sister experienced stemmed from “sexual assault and extortion by her co-worker, Sgt. David Van Patten”, according to reporting by CTV.

• Nicole Chan was brought to the hospital under the Mental Health Act, where she later committed suicide.

Chan told Supt. Shelley Horne she was being “manipulated or coerced” into having sex with officer Dave Van Patten and that she worried it would affect her career if she broke the relationship off. Her sister explained that Chan was worried other officers may not have wanted to work with her if she complained to the department.

• Her sister told the court Jennifer felt she was blackmailed into having sex with an officer from HR.

Background: Chan took her own life after struggling with mental health issues, which were alleged to have been compounded by her relationships with other officers, and the handling of the investigation.

• The inquest comes after Chan’s family filed a civil lawsuit against multiple levels of government, including the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Police Board and the police department.

How an inquest works: The chief corner is the one who initiates the inquest if they believe “the public has an interest in being informed of the circumstances surrounding the death,” according to CTV.

• Witnesses present evidence to the jury, and then can make recommendations to prevent similar issues from happening again.

DREAM HOME

What you can buy in Olympic Village

Vancouver-affordable

Affordable for Vancouver, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom is…adequate. Sadly it has those dreaded sliding doors because developers can’t be bothered to build walls anymore? But the location can’t be beat and is close to the Skytrain and Chinatown.

See how much the cheapest place in Olympic village costs.

Not affordable

Great views and a gourmet kitchen with a lovely countertop will set you back a cool $1 million. And since you have no money, you’ll enjoy staring at your empty bank account in the solarium or attending the building’s free gym.

The “only in your dreams” home

Penthouse living in the Olympic Village comes with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a massive deck and a full-sized chef’s kitchen with fancy-sounding cabinets. See how much penthouse living will set you back.

LOOKOUT EATS

An insider’s perspective on Vancouver’s food scene

It’s been more than a week since our food editor Jamie started sharing his thoughts on food, restaurants and culture in Vancouver. In that time he’s shared a number of recommendations of bars and restaurants he recommends, from his years in the food and beverage industry.

Here are just a couple worth visiting, taken from each newsletter. Stay tuned every Tuesday and Thursday for these stories and more recommendations:

1. Breakfast worth your time

Hunnybee Bruncheonette is the spot. Located at the corner of Union and Gore, this quaint gem has given immense life to this brightly lit corner. Hailing from the awesome team from Gastown’s Bird & the Beets, breakfast here is top flight. If you can get your hands on the Shakshuka before it sells out, do it!

2. A bar with an angelic attitude

“One of the things I adore most Hail Mary’s this spot is their identity, in that they actually have one. As you can see from the photo above and from their website and Instagram feed, the good lord and his mother service and adorn every facet of this quaint jewel. “

3. Three places for soup

Fat Mao: Now serving with two locations (Chinatown and Downtown) your hearty Thai-style noodle soup cravings will be satisfied and then some.

• Pro tip: Get their Wing bean and/or Thai fried egg salads. Not to be missed.

Ramen Danbo: The broth is what gets me. Rich and hearty. Always add egg.

Au Comptoir: This french bistro kills with their daily soup game. Definitely a hidden gem.

4. Skip the list and try these Dine Out restaurants

• The Acorn: The best vegetarian restaurant going. A vegan’s dream

• Pepino’s Spaghetti House: Think Goodfellas with charm. Those Cherry Coke Baby Back Ribs are heaven.

• The Mackenzie Room: A beautiful room for a perfect date. The Chicken of the Sea is a must!!

• Burdock & co.: Andrea Carlson kills everything she touches.

• Autostrada: Fun fact, owner Lucais and I went to the same University at the same time. We both played Varcity. I love his cooking style and attitude. Simple and delicious Italian fare.

• Bufala: Order a bottle of Lambrusco and get the Calabria. You can thank me later.

5. Discover new food

The room at Suyo Modern Peruvian is small, warm and inviting. The food is much better than I expected, with their octopus being some of the best I’ve ever had. At first when they opened I was pessimistic and wasn’t sure what to expect. But I’ve been three times now and after each I’ve walked away extremely happy.

The room is lively too, with excellent theatre. It’s a fantastic addition to Main Street, just down from Published. Give it a go.

QUICK HITS

🔋 Charging up your car just got easier. Vancouver will get 75 new charging stations courtesy of the federal government. [Vancouver Sun]

🚗 Automobile and business break ins fell dramatically since 2019 according to an analysis by Glacier Media. [Vancouver Is Awesome]

👍 After a spate of stories about the problems of doing business in Chinatown, the neighbhourhood businesses say they’re cautiously optimistic after the recent Lunar New Year parade. [Global News]

🎤 Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was in Vancouver Tuesday announcing his plan to give First Nations more control of their own revenue streams. [Global News]

🏒 Whatever happens to the Canucks, J.T. Miller is expected to play a huge role in the hoped-for rebuild. [Sportsnet]

HISTORY

The Dolphin Theatre

Located on Alpha and Hastings Street (and technically in Burnaby, but who’s measuring) Reddit user vitalitron shared this memory about the Dolphin Theatre, which closed in 2014:

“I’ll start: Toonie Tuesdays, the last time I went there I saw Django Unchained. Projector was out of focus. Old guy in front of me was day drinking and yelling at the screen. He kept yelling ‘That’s racist!’ whenever something racist would happen. Which in Django was a lot. Miss that place.”

A movie for $2… Can you even imagine?

NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS

It’s about to get more costly to be a UBC student, with on-campus residence rental costs set to increase between 3.5 percent and eight percent. [Daily Hive]

Local Kitsilano business The Boardroom was robbed last week, resulting in $250,000 worth of gear stolen. [CityNews]

Advocates are worried a heritage home listed in Kitsilano will be renovated or demolished. Most potential buyers say they would redevelop it in some way but not tear it down. [Storeys]

Owners of Strathcona bar The Heatley are launching a new music bar on 2884 West Broadway in Kitsilano, replacing Yagger’s Sports Bar. [Scout Magazine]

Police are investigating a crash that killed a 65-year old man on Sunday in East Van. The man veered off the road and struck a pole. [Vancouver Is Awesome]

Last week staff removed a number of tents and other structures along sidewalks on East Hastings and Main Street, citing a bylaw banning structures and accumulation of personal belongings on sidewalks. [CityNews]

A petition was launched to restart the North Shore to UBCbus that was cancelled during the pandemic. It now takes students an hour and a half instead of 40 minutes to get to campus. [CityNews]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• A print by Famous Joe Average was returned after it was reported stolen. [Global News]

• Nick from iconic Nick’s Spagetti House has passed away. [Twitter]

• Hopefully you weren’t planning to fly Air Transat because they are no longer flying planes out of Vancouver. [CTV]

• Have a bad experience at YVR? They want to hear from you about the December and January air disruption. That doesn’t include getting a refund from Air Canada or WestJet.

• Who’s got the best breakfast sandwich in Vancouver? Reddit weights in.

• Vancouver may be about to get a Taco Bell. [Daily Hive]

GAME TIME

Melania has been on an absolute roll with games this week. She was the only one to guess the year the last Lunar New Year parade was held, in 2020.

Can you guess which beach is featured above? Reply with the correct answer and you name and we’ll include it in the next edition.