Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Powell]

Originally Posted by The Blackbird

I have several relatives, deceased and living, who also fought in WWII. They fought for the free society we enjoy today. Today, here at home, we can enjoy that freedom or we can take advantage of it. We enjoy it when we use our freedom wisely and respect the right of others to do the same. My point is, when laws are broken - even laws which protect photos of a sidewalk from being used without permission - that freedom is slightly diminished.

May I suggest to everyone here that many photos by many photographers have a Creative Commons license attached to them. This means the photographer has given advance agreement for others to use, alter, sell their photos without having to ask permission from the creator. It's a good place for people like yourself who enjoy using photos but who don't want to buy a decent camera, learn how to use it, actually use it, do the post-processing, upload them to the Internet, etc.

You upload your photos to flickr, then complain when they are linked to a webpage? I've heard some stupid sh*t on this forum from a number of mindless idiots, but this takes the cake. You are beyond help my friend... and your photos 🞵🞵🞵🞵 too!

[quobobo]

Originally Posted by The Blackbird

I have several relatives, deceased and living, who also fought in WWII. They fought for the free society we enjoy today. Today, here at home, we can enjoy that freedom or we can take advantage of it. We enjoy it when we use our freedom wisely and respect the right of others to do the same. My point is, when laws are broken - even laws which protect photos of a sidewalk from being used without permission - that freedom is slightly diminished.

You're so right. Next time I see someone jaywalking I'll let them know how disrespectful that is to our veterans.

[leftside]

Nice pics Blackbird. Don't be offended they were posted on here. Look at it as free publicity.

Regarding "gentrification"... which you think is a bad thing... but, surely you must agree Carrall Street was one of the worst looking streets in Vancouver, and now it looks (or will look) awesome (well, apart from the 100's of crack addicts that litter the street and alley's...). Even Pigeon Park is getting a makeover so the crack addicts will have nicer surroundings for when they get high!

Have you seen how many new units of social housing have been developed and are being developed along Carrall Street? (way too many imo - the street should have a bigger mix of differrent types of housing)

[leftside]

Originally Posted by quobobo

You're so right. Next time I see someone jaywalking I'll let them know how disrespectful that is to our veterans.

Just remember though - you are not allowed to do that in the DTES. You will be infringing on a drug addicts "rights" and Pivot Legal society will come after you.

[The Blackbird]

Guys, maybe the reason I am a bit maniacal about it is because just last week, and it wasn't the first time this kind of thing has happened, I found someone who, as happened here, posted a shot that was linked back to my account and offered credit on the site, but who was using my shot to promote a pyramid scheme. It's something I'm against ,so I told him to remove it. He resisted. What other recourse is there. This kind of thing happens more than you'd care to know. It's really frustrating, especially given my desire to help bring about positive changes in the DTES. You assume too much when you say I'm against gentrification. It's happening and there's no stopping it but it should be handled in a way that isn't Godzilla like where the low income people who have traditionally inhabited the neighbourhood and who made a community of it are pushed out without somewhere to go. It's where our homeless population comes from. Government can act now if it wants to and start building the social housing that was promised in the bid book that won Vancouver the Games. Six years later and it's still just talk, talk, talk. I take my work seriously because the welfare of our most vulnerable citizens hangs in the balance. When I see people using my shots in a discussion about how the streets are looking great and how all streets should be so nice when what that beautification does is raise rents and push people out of their homes. It's a horrible reality about our city and it needs fixing urgently. I understand some of you may not care at all, or maybe haven't considered the impact at all. You're free to think however you want about it, of course. But, like the pyramid scheme, I felt an ethical divide between what I intend the photos be used to support and what I found here. You guys are one in a recent series where I found such a conflict for one reason or another. So, I apologize for being too strong, invoking the Charter and the memory of our fallen soldiers, but our freedom to protect our creations - and part of that involves guarding the contexts within which they are use - are saved by them. I take the health and welfare of all Canadians to heart. We do a great job in this country in so many ways but we could benefit so much by providing supports where they are necessary. There are serious human rights violations occurring.

So, if only to humour me, all I would like is for people to ask first. It would have spared us this entire unpleasantness.

Apologies.

[The Blackbird]

Originally Posted by leftside

Just remember though - you are not allowed to do that in the DTES. You will be infringing on a drug addicts "rights" and Pivot Legal society will come after you.

Pivot legal society is against the unfair targeting of the DTES for such by-law infractions. People jaywalk and ride their bikes on the sidewalk all over the city every day but the ticketing was focused on the DTES. Why? Because the world knows about it and a good number of the 10,000 journalists who visit Vancouver will want to have a look, run a story for their media outlets back home. The Olympic Family doesn't want them to see the day-to-day reality so Project Civil City is cleaning up the neighbourhood. Fine and dandy but a broken promise is a broken promise.

Oh, and all of the social housing construction that is going on in the area is only fixing up buildings that were previously low income. It's not new social housing. Last year, the CBC reported Canada has between 200,000 and 300,000 homeless citizens. Is that okay? These government reno jobs of single room occupancy hotels aren't enough.

But, now I have gone way off topic for this thread so, once again, apologies.

[Metro-One]

I am also a professional videographer and photographer and I would be flattered that someone is sharing my images. If they were making money of them or claiming them to be their own, then there is cause for concern.

And Quobobo, that was hilarious, because i can not tell you how many girls i knew in the past (and introduced them to photography) now think they are professional photographers.

[WarrenC12]

Hmm yes because people in the DTES never get away with anything that is against the Criminal Code of Canada.

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by The Blackbird

Pivot legal society is against the unfair targeting of the DTES for such by-law infractions. People jaywalk and ride their bikes on the sidewalk all over the city every day but the ticketing was focused on the DTES. Why? Because the world knows about it and a good number of the 10,000 journalists who visit Vancouver will want to have a look, run a story for their media outlets back home. The Olympic Family doesn't want them to see the day-to-day reality so Project Civil City is cleaning up the neighbourhood. Fine and dandy but a broken promise is a broken promise.

Oh, and all of the social housing construction that is going on in the area is only fixing up buildings that were previously low income. It's not new social housing. Last year, the CBC reported Canada has between 200,000 and 300,000 homeless citizens. Is that okay? These government reno jobs of single room occupancy hotels aren't enough.

But, now I have gone way off topic for this thread so, once again, apologies.

That seems too high to be true (roughly 1% of population). The government report puts it at 150,000... so it is probably somewhere in the middle.

Which is still fairly low to typical when it comes to developed Countries by percentage.

The renovations help in more than one way. The thing I would target if I were you would be the fact the government is spending absurd amounts of money on social housing at the Olympic Village, using the most expensive land, and the most expensive materials, coming in at an estimate of $595,000 per unit construction cost (double the standard cost). Had they built in a "normal" area, using "normal" materials they could have built, and benefited, MANY times more people and low income families. That would be the perfect example of unsustainable social housing, that even the likes of Europe wouldn't try to replicate. I suppose it scores them some brownie points in the International media, though.

[entheosfog]

Originally Posted by giallo

As someone who also makes his living almost exclusively from photography, I've gotta agree..... not with Blackbird.
Honestly man, you can claim copyright laws all you want, but it's not going to change much unless the person actually sells your photo or uses it to make money in a publication or gallery. You should feel flattered if anything.
I have countless people linking my photos, but rather than whine and complain, I put my name across it. This helps me in two ways; 1. The person who copied the image can't use it because my name is on it and 2. It gives others who come across the image online my name. A simple google will link them to hundreds of other photos mine via flickr, urbanphoto.net etc.

It's not the 20th century anymore. Embrace technology and the FREE website your pictures are being posted on.

That's why I've started putting my name on my photos I post, just because some people 'forget' to credit them and I have a big problem with that. But if someone wants to use it for viewing purposes, they'll know who took it at least, if it wasn't properly credited.
My photos are pretty standard and for the most part mediocre, but there is a lot of work that goes into them. But if someone posted my photo on another construction forum and linked it, pfft, whatever. I get more views on my flickr at least!

[martinishaker]

It is called O2 on davie near denman

http://www.6717000.com/zero2/

[The Blackbird]

Mayor Robertson stated publicly that the social housing originally planned for the Village might be built off site and I think we all pretty much know that's going to happen. But developing social housing is ultimately the responsibility of the provincial government and no new homes are being built.

I should mention that, in addition to my social justice photo work, I also focus on civil liberties. As you know, much of the Anti-Olympic protest community is rooted in the DTES and we have seen moves to curtail some of our freedoms in that regard. These freedoms - of assembly, association and expression - are recognized as those our soldiers fought to defend in Europe. The Olympic security apparatus is overstepping its bounds in places and it's important to document this.

Okay, it's too nice out.

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by The Blackbird

Mayor Robertson stated publicly that the social housing originally planned for the Village might be built off site and I think we all pretty much know that's going to happen. But developing social housing is ultimately the responsibility of the provincial government and no new homes are being built.

I should mention that, in addition to my social justice photo work, I also focus on civil liberties. As you know, much of the Anti-Olympic protest community is rooted in the DTES and we have seen moves to curtail some of our freedoms in that regard. These freedoms - of assembly, association and expression - are recognized as those our soldiers fought to defend in Europe. The Olympic security apparatus is overstepping its bounds in places and it's important to document this.

Okay, it's too nice out.

Hope he has a big truck to move that already existing $150 million building, then.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by flight_from_kamakura

wow, dude, this is approaching maniacal. your images were posted on a website for development enthusiasts ≠ theft. but then, if you're feeling so passionate about it (which, for some highly strange reason, you seem to be) why contact not the appropriate authorities?

VPD NON-EMERGENCY CALLS 604-717-3321

seriously, call the cops on this criminal enterprise! bring us before a judge! hahahaha.



nice pics, where is this one exactly?

it's on davie just east of denman - used to be where a mcdonalds was and than a pub after that

[ckkelley]

Originally Posted by The Blackbird

Mayor Robertson stated publicly that the social housing originally planned for the Village might be built off site and I think we all pretty much know that's going to happen. But developing social housing is ultimately the responsibility of the provincial government and no new homes are being built.I should mention that, in addition to my social justice photo work, I also focus on civil liberties. As you know, much of the Anti-Olympic protest community is rooted in the DTES and we have seen moves to curtail some of our freedoms in that regard. These freedoms - of assembly, association and expression - are recognized as those our soldiers fought to defend in Europe. The Olympic security apparatus is overstepping its bounds in places and it's important to document this.

Okay, it's too nice out.

Dude, that's 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵. There's at least 200 units of social housing at Woodwards.

Also, nobody has anything against protesting. Criminal protesting on the other hand.....

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by ckkelley

Dude, that's 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵. There's at least 200 units of social housing at Woodwards.

Also, nobody has anything against protesting. Criminal protesting on the other hand.....

125 singles non-market housing units to be operated by PHS Community Services, 75 family non-market housing units to be operated by Affordable Housing Society.

Add that to 252 units at the Olympic Village, and we have 452 of these non-existent social housing coming online soon.

Of course, it'll never be enough until the tax rate is 90%, and the homeless can live better than the rest of the populace

Even my building has 46 units that were opened last year... meaning... nearly 500 units at least in just three projects in about 2 years.

[SpongeG]

no shortage of drug dealers than

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

no shortage of drug dealers than

I have a theory, however wrong, that they are the cause of the fire alarm going off all of the time.

They have a separate entrance, and you never see them... though.

I'm glad Capitol agreed to renovate the Orpheum in lieu of having a social housing component.

Anyways, according to the city there are 21,000 occupied units of social housing and 3800 more units coming before 2010. Meaning 8.5% of units in the city are social housing.

It'll be a never ending problem, because if you build it they will come.

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by The Blackbird

I have several relatives, deceased and living, who also fought in WWII. They fought for the free society we enjoy today. Today, here at home, we can enjoy that freedom or we can take advantage of it. We enjoy it when we use our freedom wisely and respect the right of others to do the same. My point is, when laws are broken - even laws which protect photos of a sidewalk from being used without permission - that freedom is slightly diminished.

May I suggest to everyone here that many photos by many photographers have a Creative Commons license attached to them. This means the photographer has given advance agreement for others to use, alter, sell their photos without having to ask permission from the creator. It's a good place for people like yourself who enjoy using photos but who don't want to buy a decent camera, learn how to use it, actually use it, do the post-processing, upload them to the Internet, etc.

yawn

[hollywoodnorth]

lots of details on the Concord lands use during the 2010 games >> http://www.concordpacific.com/condos/commercial-retail.htm