Vancouver General Discussion Thread

[WarrenC12]

Has this guy been outside of his YouTube studio at all?

[GenWhy?]

Most of the things this dude brings up sounds like a good thing for the city's affordability. People not required to live in Vancouver or commute downtown.

We're looking at 2-bedrooms to rent right now (we were going to grab one years ago, but we decided to save a bit more and hold off), and we noticed rents have cooled a bit. We can easily buy outright a detached in Edmonton or Calgary and have likely 1-2 cars (as I used to have to drive most places - especially for work when I lived in Alberta), but our costs overall would not be too different.

Yesterday we went for a walk around the seawall and hung out with our friend's 4 year old and his two dogs at Kits Beach (a friend from Calgary who used to have a detached), and I agree it's not for everyone... both Vancouver or Calgary. Having choice is a great thing. Having GOOD choices is even better.

I have friends that own a home in Crescent Heights in Calgary (a bit pricey) and it's a great neighbourhood. Also have a buddy that lives in Strathern in Edmonton which is also a great neighbourhood and they bought a house that needed a bit of DIY and TLC (as they make average salaries), but well worth the costs and work. Neither of these areas have what I have here, and what I enjoy here does not exist in those cities. And that's okay.

Biggest difference... that people who make less than us can make ends meet and save and do well in Alberta's biggest cities. Hence (IMO) the poverty issues we see. The drug use around Edmonton's LRT stops and subway entrances has gotten out of hand tho

[jollyburger]

For anyone that wants to look up property records:

The Land Owner Transparency Registry, maintained by the Land Title and Survey Authority (LTSA), launched in November 2020 before then becoming public in April 2021, but it took some time for land owners to come into compliance and for the registry to mature. The LOTR is now substantially more useful, and particularly so after the Province dropped the $5.25 per search fee beginning in April 2024.

Since then, STOREYS has regularly incorporated the LOTR in our reporting, whether it be to identify the real owners behind a rezoning application or to confirm whether a property has quietly changed hands. Below is our guide on how to use the LOTR and some tips and tricks we've picked up along the way.

https://storeys.com/bc-land-owner-transparency-registry-guide/

[SpongeG]

this is a nice project in Melbourne. In the video they say they pay an annual rent to the traditional land owners, do any places in Canada do anything like that?

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[jollyburger]

I've never heard of an off reserve land owner giving money directly to First Nations for that reason on an annual basis.

[officedweller]

Sounds like a variation on leasehold ownership.

[SpongeG]

i was looking it up, they call it Pay the Rent, and it seems entirely voluntary, there was a lot of backlash about it.

This land was never empty; the sovereignty of First Nations people was never ceded. Despite centuries of attempted genocide that continues to this day, Indigenous people have managed to hold onto and nurture culture and connections with country. At the same time, Indigenous health and wellbeing have been devastated; Aboriginal people are significantly more likely to be incarcerated, over-policed, to die in custody, for children to be separated from their family, and are more likely to die prematurely from preventable illnesses or to die by suicide. While governments and individuals have said Sorry to the Stolen Generations, they have taken no meaningful action towards making right, nor towards preventing further harm.

Paying the Rent is a step towards acknowledging these facts. It is part of a process that all non-Indigenous people – individually and collectively – need to enter into if we are to move towards justice, truth, equality and liberation for First Nations people.

https://paytherent.net.au/whypay/

[whatnext]

RIP to a figure who had a big role in Vancouver development:

Influential Vancouver developer Peter Wall passes away
Kenneth Chan
Mar 5 2025, 9:39 pm

Peter Wall, the influential Vancouver real estate developer known for shaping the city’s skyline through Wall Financial Corporation, has passed away.

Today, his namesake development firm announced the death of their founder earlier this week.

“Peter Wall’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of Vancouver. His bold vision, boundless generosity, and unwavering commitment to excellence have left an indelible mark on the city he so dearly loved. His deep love and admiration for Vancouver went far beyond its breathtaking scenery, it was the city that captured his heart and inspired his soul,” reads a statement....

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/peter-wall-financial-corporation-vancouver

[MIPS]

Looks like the last good rainfall was finally too much for the McBarge and it took on water.

https://globalnews.ca/news/11099736/mcbarge-former-floating-mcdonalds-sinking/

I was not aware it's been nearly a decade since it was relocated and then the latest plans for it fell apart, again.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by MIPS

Looks like the last good rainfall was finally too much for the McBarge and it took on water.

https://globalnews.ca/news/11099736/mcbarge-former-floating-mcdonalds-sinking/

I was not aware it's been nearly a decade since it was relocated and then the latest plans for it fell apart, again.

Maybe the Vancouver Parks Board can repurpose it as an indoor pool and save a few bucks.

[jollyburger]

The owner of the barge said a few years ago when it got added to the abandoned vessel list it was in sound shape and would last 100 years.

[MIPS]

I strongly suspect that what happened was either from incomplete work or people looking for things to steal as it's been gutted to the skeleton since 2021 when they were remediating the mold and other hazardous materials, one or more of the pontoon inspection hatches were opened and rainwater has been allowed to accumulate. The reason it has not completely sunk is one or more remaining pontoons are still sealed.
Because it's not entirely flipped, if you were to close the hatch and pump the pontoon out in theory it will float back to the surface.

[jollyburger]

I doubt they ever did that restoration work beyond painting it. I just watched a 2021 video and the corrugated steel roof has holes in it with standing water inside.

2025 drone footage of the barge

• Video Link

[jollyburger]

Even back in 2023 unless it's just waves or something doesn't one side of the barge look a lot higher out of the water?



https://x.com/Malyk_Collie/status/1665393799697412096



https://x.com/dr_kai_phd/status/1636056067623845897

This YouTube video from seven years ago shows the same list

• Video Link

EDIT: the video said it had a list in 2013 so it seems more likely this is something ongoing below the water that finally failed.

And someone posted a photo of it from November 2024 on Reddit. There is zero chance they didn't know it was sinking.

https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comme...xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[SpongeG]

i never got to go to it as I never got to go to Expo

• Video Link

[cganuelas1995]

Is it true that construction is slowing down?

[SpongeG]

• Video Link

[Changing City]

/\

In case anyone is thinking of watching this long (German produced) documentary, it includes a section on Sole Food Street Farm in Vancouver. The filming was carried out about 10 years ago when the farm was on land leased from Concord Pacificic, but they moved off there some years ago. For the time being they're on City owned land to the west of the Olympic Village, (but that's obviously temporary too). Once that site is required for development, it's difficult to think of a large area that could be available for temporary agriculture in raised beds.

In the meantime the produce is supplied to a number of the City's restaurants, and can also be bought from their stall at thir farm on West 1st on on Wednesdays, the False Creek farmer's market in the Olympic Village, and the West End farmer's market on Saturdays.

[jollyburger]

“One of the things that has changed from 2009 to 2024 is that there is less vacant urban space,” Kulatilake explains. As various leases expired in 2019 and 2020, Sole Food brought together four disparate sites to create a single consolidated one. Under Sole Food’s tenancy, these vacant city lots flourished, producing more than a million pounds of fresh food.

The current site, a three-acre farm in Olympic Village at West 1st and Crowe Street, sits on land owned by the City of Vancouver. Sole Food leases it for a nominal fee, and while its tenancy is confirmed for next season, Kulatilake says Sole Food is working “closely with the city” on “a long-term, stable farming site,” adding, “We really hope that one day we’re baked into a zoning plan or something.” Despite all the moves, she is proud that Sole Food has achieved its “goal of long-term stable employment.”

https://montecristomagazine.com/impact/a...munities-through-urban-farming#gsc.tab=0

[Doodler]

Not sure this is the right place to post this, but I wanted to acknowledge the sudden passing of Tom Bell, former principal of GBL Architects. Tom was a wonderful human and talented architect. His joy for life will always be remembered.