Downtown Vancouver Updates

[SpongeG]

they want something unique thats how i read it - its not saying vancouver is bad they are saying we want something that hasn't been done

[djmk]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Well, unless the government is going to give people 7% of the value of their existing home when they go to buy a new home... they shouldn't be charging it on new homes.

The HST credit is the provincial portion of the HST. It applies to the cost new homes (and significantly renovated homes) up to 525,000. the provincial potion is 7% and the credit is 71.43% up to $26,250.

There is no federal G/HST rebate on new homes more than $450,000

therefore, if your new home costs $700,000, you pay (700,000 x .12 - 26,250) $57,750 in HST. Before, you would of paid $35,000. All this will be on the statement of adjustments when you complete

There are transitions rules which can get complicated especially if the building is still being built at July 1 2010.

[djmk]

Originally Posted by Delirium

The Rolston on granville launched their website: www.therolston.com


interesting that they are calling the area "midtown"

the Globe and Mail did a piece on the project; http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-esta...makes-way-for-a-new-hood/article1498725/

i have not been to the Cecil in years, but i'm going to miss it nonetheless.

the one thing i really dislike about this city is that all the cool gritty things this city had to give it character and history is being bulldozed for condos. And i'm going to miss those orcas as i enter the city over granville bridge.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

The source of the criticism, or the motives of the critic, is irrelevant. The only relevant issue, rationally speaking, is whether the criticism is true.

The evidence before our eyes shows us that the criticism is largely true, and thus we are not doing something right if a varied and dynamic skyline is the best goal.

That's a good point, and I think it's partially true. Indeed, the buildings along False Creek North (Concord lands) are quite uniform and dare I say it, boring. But I find the city architecture elsewhere (Gastown, heritage district, Coal Harbour, Crossroads area) to be quite compelling. I think this planner is painting the entire city with a False Creek brush, and that's not quite fair.

Anyways, we shouldn't be too hung up on his comments. As a city, San Francisco jumped the shark about 12 years ago.

[itinerant]

Originally Posted by djmk

i have not been to the Cecil in years, but i'm going to miss it nonetheless.

the one thing i really dislike about this city is that all the cool gritty things this city had to give it character and history is being bulldozed for condos. And i'm going to miss those orcas as i enter the city over Granville bridge.

Wyland's orca mural is one block before the Cecil, painted on the side of the Old Continental Residence in the centre of the circular off-ramp going down to Pacific. Here's a look on Google Maps:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?oe=utf-8&clie...9NZa2Vfi-ikQgvRf7jg&cbp=12,71.59,,0,4.44

[flight_from_kamakura]

san francisco "jumped the shark" 12 years ago? what does that even mean in this context? 12 years ago would be about the time the city adopted the mission bay plan, which is vancouverism writ large.

i think the sf head planner was probably alluding to three phenomena:

first, treasure island is practically terra nullius, and this massive island site has unique issues (wind, water, transportation) that need to be addressed in a strong master plan. in this context, the planner's saying that vancouver's downtown in not an appropriate path can be understood as site specific.

second, in the context of san francisco and its planning history, the vancouver model as we've seen it unfold in mission bay hasn't been enormously popular or successful. people find the area staid and bland, and it hasn't really come into its own, despite benefiting from a brand new street car line, lots of retail, pacbell park, and almost zero vagrants. granted, the area is still many years away from being fully built out, but it just doesn't feel like san francisco. so you can see his comments as illustrating a certain awareness of the failings of mission bay.

finally, there are significant aesthetic issues that the planning dept, at the direction of the mayor (who is much more powerful here than up in vancouver) has made clear he want to address. the city is making a strong push for architecturally forward design, as we can see in the insane and awesome octavia neighborhood plan, or the original renzo piano transbay terminal towers plan, or the embarcadero vision document, or the lennar hunter's point project (which reminds me a little of the olympics village). these skinny towers are limiting in that regard - adopting a plan with limited flexibility on mass and height constrains the developer's options on the design side, and limits the tools the planning department has down the line to push for design changes. plus the massing program we've seen in the vanistan so proscriptive, on the density side that i'm not even sure that they can make the development work out there going that route (the land ran the city 250 million clams, with profit sharing to follow).

so you have the site, the alien-to-sf distribution of density (which makes it unpopular and tough to move), and the desire to move forward on the design side (which brings character to the hoods, and makes it easier to move).

[vancityrox]

can anyone suggest a good medical clinic downtown that doesnt have long waiting times?

ever since i moved to vancouver from quebec, i havent found a good clinic to use.

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by vancityrox

can anyone suggest a good medical clinic downtown that doesnt have long waiting times?

ever since i moved to vancouver from quebec, i havent found a good clinic to use.

Right.

The couple of times I have needed a doctor, a journey to the North Shore was worth it.

Though to be fair I'm not really too familiar with healthcare in BC, yet. Hope it stays that way.

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by vancityrox

can anyone suggest a good medical clinic downtown that doesnt have long waiting times?

ever since i moved to vancouver from quebec, i havent found a good clinic to use.

Just don't get sick

[Delirium]

Originally Posted by vancityrox

can anyone suggest a good medical clinic downtown that doesnt have long waiting times?

ever since i moved to vancouver from quebec, i havent found a good clinic to use.

there's a walk-in clinic right at the corner of Pacific & Drake (Yaletown Medical). It's nice and definitely not as busy as other clinics downtown. Mostly yoga moms.

[vancityrox]

Originally Posted by Delirium

there's a walk-in clinic right at the corner of Pacific & Drake (Yaletown Medical). It's nice and definitely not as busy as other clinics downtown. Mostly yoga moms.

Do you have to pay in walk in clinics in Vancouver? In Quebec we dont. So im not sure how it works in BC. I still have my Quebec medicare card.

[SpongeG]

no you don't pay

you get a bill in the mail every month from BC medical

not sure what they do with out of province cards though

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

no you don't pay

you get a bill in the mail every month from BC medical

not sure what they do with out of province cards though

They take them and just bill the other province

(is BC the only province now that makes us pay premiums every month)

[djmk]

Originally Posted by vancityrox

Do you have to pay in walk in clinics in Vancouver? In Quebec we dont. So im not sure how it works in BC. I still have my Quebec medicare card.

i believe if you do not have a BC medical card you might have troubles.

Permanent residents should have BC cards and if you have not lived in BC for longer than 3 months, i believe you are charged $300.00

but do not take my word for it

[osirisboy]

I used my OHIP (Ontario) card for years with no problem at all

[osirisboy]

I was just watching global news and they had a story on Cactus Club building a new restaurant in English Bay. I only caught the last few seconds of it, anyone know when they expect to start construction.

[jlousa]

I posted the details in the retail thread. It's the parks board english bay bistro site that is being redone.

[entheosfog]

Originally Posted by vancityrox

Do you have to pay in walk in clinics in Vancouver? In Quebec we dont. So im not sure how it works in BC. I still have my Quebec medicare card.

I have coverage through my employer but I didn't have my BC care card yet so I had to pay like $65, but I could get that reimbursed.
I walked into a clinic on Commercial Drive and I didn't even have a chance to sit down, the doctor saw me instantly. Of course, he spent about 30 seconds with me

[vancityrox]

Thanks everyone for the help.

I had to call my Quebec medicare and they just switched my medicare insurance to BC for a couple months..i can extend it whenever i want. She said i wont have to pay anything. It will be as if im in Montreal. Yay!

I guess ill try the clinic in Yaletown tmr. Hopefully the doctors know there stuff!

[MistyMountainHop]

Originally Posted by vancityrox

I had to call my Quebec medicare and they just switched my medicare insurance to BC for a couple months..i can extend it whenever i want. She said i wont have to pay anything. It will be as if im in Montreal. Yay!

Isn't Canada awesome?