What’s the future of the Jericho Lands?

Good morning,

It’s a sad day for us BC Ferries travellers. Deep down we knew it was over, but we could never admit it…

I’m of course talking about the official announcement that BC Ferries is cancelling their * sob * all-you-can-eat buffet. For hungry lads like me, it’s a tough pill — or all-you-can-eat salmon — to swallow.

In today’s all-you-can-read newsletter, we’ve got:

• A deep dive into the future of the Jericho Lands 🏗️

• Health leaders responding to the safe supply controversy 🎤 

• And car ridership numbers in the city 🚘

Let’s get to it!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout newsletter writer

Editor’s note — A correction to Friday’s story, I included the wrong name for Shadow Bakery. Apologies to the fine folks who run that business! The Lookout regrets the error.

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

WEATHER

Wednesday: 31 🌡️ 16 | ☀️

Thursday: 28 🌡️ 15 | 🌤️

Friday: 19 🌡️ 13 | 🌧️

HOUSING

What’s the future of the Jericho Lands?

What’s happening: In nine days, we will know the future of Vancouver’s Jericho Lands, which are being called “one of the most desired locations on the planet” for development, according to the Vancouver Sun, as the city says they will announce the plan on June 16.

• The previous plan released in 2021 called for 15,000 to 18,000 new people in the area, with dozens of buildings varying in height from two to 32 storeys, according to CBC. Construction could begin as soon as 2025, but there are no set plans yet.

Background: The Jericho Lands comprises the former area owned by the Department of National Defence and the B.C. government, and is roughly three times the size of Granville Island. The land is owned by the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

• The plan is to build 10,000 new housing units in the area.

Concerns raised: Local residents opposed to the project have formed the Jericho Coalition, a group that says they aren’t opposed to development but oppose the size of the developments and want a cap of eight stories for the buildings. Sounds familiar…

Yes, but: Vancouver is facing a housing crisis and these developments represent a critical part of building more supply across the region, especially rental units.

State of play: First Nations groups are leading the charge to build more rental units in Vancouver, according to CoStar. As of February, there were 12,500 units potentially planned to build, representing 10 percent of the current rental housing supply in Vancouver.

• The development areas are Jericho Lands, Sen̓áḵw near Burrard Bridge, Heather Lands and Willingdon Lands. The groups acquired 175 acres in Metro Vancouver in the last eight years, according to the New York Times.

Go deeper: The Times breaks down the rise in power of Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, who collectively own large swaths of land in Vancouver, how they’re going about developing housing, and why Vancouver is so unique compared to other cities in terms of First Nations’ land ownership.

VANCOUVER BY THE NUMBERS

🏠 38: That’s the number of years a person making $300,000 a year would need to save to afford a non-condo home in Vancouver. [Urbanized]

🥵 31: That’s how hot it will be in degrees in inland Metro Vancouver today. Turns out it’s hotter than Las Vegas. [Urbanized]

HEALTH

Chief corner, other health professionals dispute safe supply allegations

What happened: Two weeks after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre introduced a motion to halt safe supply after a story in the National Post questioned who was using it, BC health leaders have launched a review of the safe supply program, according to CBC.

• The review is in response to a story by the National Post that alleges safe supply drugs are being redirected from the program to be sold to fund fentanyl addiction, and that children are overdosing on the drugs.

What they’re saying: Health professionals made it clear at the press conference that there is zero evidence safe supply is being diverted and causing increased deaths or an increase in children overdosing from safe supply, according to CTV. Health professionals called the allegations “anecdotal.”

The safe supply drug, hydromorphone, was not present in any significantly large numbers or within certain age cohorts of those who’ve died from overdoses.

• None of the health professionals directly cited Poilievre’s rhetoric and motion as the reason…

Thought-bubble: …But it’s clear the politicization and media attention on the issue has forced them to act. With drug deaths continuing to rise even with the rise in safe supply, it’s natural for politicians to point the finger at such a polarizing topic to score political points.

New polling: A new poll by Research Co. and Glacier Media suggested that residents ranked the opioid crisis as the fourth most important issue, after public safety (35 percent), housing, homelessness and poverty (33 percent) and the economy and jobs (17 percent) according to Business in Vancouver. Residents 55 and older ranked it as their least important issue.

HOUSING

In keeping with our earlier story about the Jericho Lands, today’s feature home is in the area.

With three bedrooms, five bathrooms and floor-to-ceiling windows, it sounds like a standard home. But you’d be wrong. It has 3,700 square feet of space, is immaculately designed with what I can assume are fancy European-designed appliances, a wine cellar, and an elevator. Oh and what a view from the patio…

This place will set you back a lot more than you think.

THE AGENDA

🚨 Sad news — 23-year-old Suleiman Khawar was found dead on Monday. He had been missing since May 25 after leaving a nightclub. [Vancouver Sun]

🔥 B.C.’s wildfire season is gearing up to be a bad one. The wildfire near Fort St. Jean is the second biggest in B.C.’s history, at 2,400 square kilometres. There are currently 43 wildfires considered out of control. [Global]

🙅 If you’re considering visiting Vancouver Island this weekend, you may want to avoid Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet, which are dealing with intermittent road closures due to the wildfire near Cameron Lake. [CTV]

💲 How hard is it to live on B.C.’s minimum wage? A new story illustrates the challenges of living in Vancouver while making so little money, as workers juggle multiple jobs to get by [Vancouver Sun]

🪧 Classes are stopped at Capilano University due to a strike after the union representing office workers announced job action…[Global]

🚢 …And terminal cargo workers plan to hold a strike vote on June 9 and 10. The 7,000 union members are a critical part of the supply chain in Vancouver and Canada. The first possible day of a strike would be June 24. Vancouver is, by far, the busiest port in the country. [Vancouver Sun]

🏊 Vancouver is facing a lifeguard shortage, with some popular beaches not having staff in attendance. The city says they have enough workers, but availability is the issue as workers juggle multiple commitments. [CBC]

TRANSPORTATION

Car ridership up in Vancouver since the pandemic

A new study shows the historic level of transit ridership Vancouver has declined as car usage rose from the beginning of the pandemic, according to Business in Vancouver.

Background: In 2019, 46 percent of people’s daily trips were by car. In 2022, the number was 50 percent. A steady shift occurred before the pandemic as the percentage of people biking, taking transit or walking steadily increased.

Yes, but: While car usage has risen, cycling in Vancouver has rebounded faster than other cities.

• And in other good news, traffic deaths have fallen from 18 in 2021 to 14 in 2022.

Looking ahead: The launch of the Broadway subway will likely mean more transit ridership in the future.

MEME OF THE DAY

VIDEO OF THE DAY

The outstanding local YouTuber Uytae Lee has a new video explaining what “missing middle” housing is.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Have you ever wondered what it’s like to take the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus? One local decided to try it. [Vancouver Sun]

• Italian Day is coming up, and here are all the different vendors you can expect on The Drive. [Daily Hive]

• Vancouver was ranked as the best city to live in your thirties. [Daily Hive]

• Pretty sure that’s not where couches go. On the brightside, it’ll make waiting at the bus easier. [Reddit]

• Apparently $1,200 gets you a window room. No literally, it’s just a room. In fact, it’s more like a solarium.

GAME TIME

Any guesses which SkyTrain station this is? The first five people to reply will be mentioned in the newsletter.