Tsawwassen First Nation Updates

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by NewfBC

Bass Pro has a large sign at the checkouts 'For tax exempt purchases proceed to Customer Service'

Ron.

I tried to use my tax exempt status at a store (saks outlet) and was told that the mall doesn't do that as the first nation collects the taxes for themselves, she said she knows other reserves will do it but they do not due to the agreement, she seemed to be first nations member herself

The treaty brought with it significant changes that have helped TFN develop new economic development opportunities. Specifically:

It abolished TFN’s reserve status and made it no longer subject to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and the Indian Act.

TFN members can now own land as individuals and communally with other members in a modified form of fee simple, a form of freehold ownership. Under the Indian Act, members could not own their land or sell it, and could only lease it under strict guidelines. Now, TFN members can sell their land to other members or lease it for up to 99 years to non-members individuals and businesses.

TFN is now a member of Metro Vancouver, the political and corporate body that operates as a regional district and delivers regional services to Lower Mainland municipalities. As a member, TFN is now entitled to the same regional services and utilities other Lower Mainland municipalities. One of the benefits is that TFN now has bus service to its community. TFN also joined the Board of Metro Vancouver and TransLink’s Mayors’ Council.

From a revenue point of view, the treaty provided TFN with payments, settlements and other funds to help build Tsawwassen’s future, including a capital transfer and other one-time cash payments of $33.6 million and self-government funding of $2.9 million annually over the first five years of the treaty. It also gave TFN the power to levy direct taxes on its members within TFN lands, providing future revenue capacity. As a result, the community’s Indian Act tax exemption will be phased out after eight years for transaction taxes (GST and PST) and 12 years for other taxes, including income tax.

full info: http://www.bcabic.ca/success-stories/tsawwassen-first-nation/

[dleung]

I think it's disgusting that something like this can open in Metro Vancouver in 2016, but I've said that before.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Haha hell yeah. Bass pro is the main draw for me! Got some nice hunting boots you normally wouldn't be able to find anywhere

Yeah there definitely are a lot of temporary looking stores with t-bar ceilings without the panels in etc. and another weird thing was the big main unit at the main entrance had an art gallery. Seemed like they need some anchors in that section

looks big enough to house a nordstrom rack

i also wondered how a store selling something like bamboo pillows could survive long term lol

i think one of the spaces was selling BBQ sauces

I was surprised how small and plain the lululemon store was

[giallo]

Originally Posted by dleung

I think it's disgusting that something like this can open in Metro Vancouver in 2016, but I've said that before.

Yeah, it's pretty bizarre. I'm used to it though. One only needs to drive through West Kelowna to see that 1950s - 1980s-type developments are alive and well in BC in the 21st century.

[Millennium2002]

I found the mall to be rather interesting in two areas:
- the corridors, which looked really thought out with some cool First Nations touches
- the food court, which looked rather impressive and voluminous with the wood beams, giant ceiling fans, high roofline and all.

I will have to agree with the others that many of the stores looked somewhat rushed for opening (unpolished concrete floors, spartan finishings, etc.) and I hope that they fix that in the next month or two.

[ryanmaccdn]

Are people saying it looks unfinished/spartan because they can compare it to other Mills outlet malls? Or are they unaware Mills malls usually have tenants who bare bones it, with open ceilings, lackluster finishing touches, and a cheap overall feel?

[ryanmaccdn]

Originally Posted by dleung

I think it's disgusting that something like this can open in Metro Vancouver in 2016, but I've said that before.

Glad you left your downtown Vancouver bubble and saw what 90% of North America is like. Remember developments like that, are what drive the economy and allow us to build "micro heaven" type environments like Vancity.

[officedweller]

Went today - comments:

- I won a $100 Ivanhoe Cambridge gift card. Good at any IC mall - i.e. Oakridge or Metropolis, too.

- The Accents furniture place isn't full depth - so I think it's temporary - Nordstrom Rack could go there close to Saks Off 5th.

- Winners is probably the smallest Winners I have ever seen. The Marshalls is also small.

- Saks Off 5th is also small compared to recent US stores, but much bigger than Winners.

- Harry Rosen Outlet is still very expensive.

- Corridors are a bit nicer than typical outlet mall corridors but similar with exposed steel trusses (i.e. former Auburn SuperMall)

- The hot sauce store was busy!

- The Deltaport Way access worked great! Thanks!

The dichroic glass fish sculpture looks great in person.
Still don't know why the fish don't have heads, though.
Pic by me yesterday.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by ryanmaccdn

Are people saying it looks unfinished/spartan because they can compare it to other Mills outlet malls? Or are they unaware Mills malls usually have tenants who bare bones it, with open ceilings, lackluster finishing touches, and a cheap overall feel?

i think its that there are some obvious space fillers as they are store brands i've never heard of or they are selling one kind of product like you would find on a mall kiosk but in its own store space

but if they can make a store survive selling nothing but one basic thing they must get a good rent deal

[officedweller]

... and on the flip side, those space fillers would be local entrepreneurs / small business owners starting out, maybe testing a concept.
That's really local representation in a mall that would otherwise be dominated by multi-nationals.

This place looked like a "pop-up" store:

http://threadandcopper.com/

but Googling it shows they have 3 Lower Mainland stores.
They had 50% off the whole store yesterday.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

for myself other than saks and harry rosen i wouldn't feel any need to go there and even them i can't afford to shop at either place lol but it was fun to look

For Saks Off 5th - it's a bit bizarre, but the e-mail deals they send out are not applicable at the Canadian stores.
i.e. 2 for 1 suits, etc.

Harry Rosen was still stupidly expensive - especially since there are located close to Saks Off 5th.

**************

PS - another observation was that there were a lot of East Indians shopping there
- whole families (maybe because it was Thanksgiving Monday?) - moreso than the Chinese bargain hunters!
So this may be the "go-to" mall for Surrey and South Surrey.

[SpongeG]

it also makes me wonder if you can afford to pay $3000 for a designer handbag, like they had prada bags at saks outlet, would you not just buy them at the prada store? the tag says the discount was around 25% i think it was.

i could have spent hours in bass pro even though it is completely unappealing to me lol it was just interesting to see it

also filling the spaces with pop ups or temporary ones is better than seeing the empty spaces, the airport outlet has way too many empty spaces making it seem like a failure even though its not

[dleung]

Originally Posted by ryanmaccdn

Glad you left your downtown Vancouver bubble and saw what 90% of North America is like. Remember developments like that, are what drive the economy and allow us to build "micro heaven" type environments like Vancity.

Of course most of North America is a shit hole. It's supposed to be better here.

I'm totally fine with big box stores - economy of scale is the way of the future. There are Costcos, Home Depots, Save on Foods, etc located in downtown Vancouver in the podiums of high-density projects.

Sticking this in the middle of nowhere doesn't "drive the economy"; it just forces people to drive and get diabetes, forces infrastructure money to go to roads instead of transit, thus disincentivizing urban living, in a vicious cycle.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

it also makes me wonder if you can afford to pay $3000 for a designer handbag, like they had prada bags at saks outlet, would you not just buy them at the prada store? the tag says the discount was around 25% i think it was.

i could have spent hours in bass pro even though it is completely unappealing to me lol it was just interesting to see it

also filling the spaces with pop ups or temporary ones is better than seeing the empty spaces, the airport outlet has way too many empty spaces making it seem like a failure even though its not

Some people/cultures have to feel like they're getting a deal even if they have money. A lot of Vancouverites come from places where you haggle the price on everything.

[NewfBC]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

it also makes me wonder if you can afford to pay $3000 for a designer handbag, like they had prada bags at saks outlet, would you not just buy them at the prada store? the tag says the discount was around 25% i think it was.

i could have spent hours in bass pro even though it is completely unappealing to me lol it was just interesting to see it

also filling the spaces with pop ups or temporary ones is better than seeing the empty spaces, the airport outlet has way too many empty spaces making it seem like a failure even though its not

Winners in Park Royal often has $3000+ handbags.

Ron.

[giallo]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

it also makes me wonder if you can afford to pay $3000 for a designer handbag, like they had prada bags at saks outlet, would you not just buy them at the prada store? the tag says the discount was around 25% i think it was.

i could have spent hours in bass pro even though it is completely unappealing to me lol it was just interesting to see it

also filling the spaces with pop ups or temporary ones is better than seeing the empty spaces, the airport outlet has way too many empty spaces making it seem like a failure even though its not

My wife works in the luxury brand market, and you'd be surprised at the sheer amount of expensive, useless (my opinion, of course) crap people will buy.

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by dleung

Of course most of North America is a shit hole. It's supposed to be better here.

I'm totally fine with big box stores - economy of scale is the way of the future. There are Costcos, Home Depots, Save on Foods, etc located in downtown Vancouver in the podiums of high-density projects.

Sticking this in the middle of nowhere doesn't "drive the economy"; it just forces people to drive and get diabetes, forces infrastructure money to go to roads instead of transit, thus disincentivizing urban living, in a vicious cycle.

North America is a shit hole? Where are you from again?

I shop maybe twice a year (big trips) to get everything I need. The last thing I want to do is run around a congested city, looking for stores, getting my car broken into and wasting my precious time. What I want to do is get in my car, drive for 20 short min, park at a large mall that has everything, get out do all my shopping in one go, get back in my car and go home. I want to do this twice a year at most. Through out the year if I need something I google it and get it where ever is closer.

I can care less about someones grand social engineering plan and desire to cram millions of people from the rest of the world into the city and make us all ration everything. I want convenience. This mall brings precisely that, google maps says its 22min away from my house. That works for me.

I would have to be bat shit crazy to drive in to downtown or into the urban core into the mayhem to search for stores to do my shopping twice a year, hopping around. Oh and this mall is closer to me then downtown Vancouver (and I live in Vancouver).

[mezzanine]

Here's the big question - for those that already visited, and not interested in the bass pro niche, would you go there again?

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

Here's the big question - for those that already visited, and not interested in the bass pro niche, would you go there again?

Once the phase 2 (Tsawwassen Commons) is complete with Walmart, Canadian Tire, Rona, Petsmart, Dollarama, Homesense, Marks Work, and nearly 100 more other stores, YES. http://tsawwassencommons.ca/availability/ It will have everything you need to do all your shopping in one go. The mall so far is only phase 1. Phase 2 is still u/c. Lots more to come. http://tsawwassencommons.ca/

[NewfBC]

Originally Posted by cornholio

Once the phase 2 (Tsawwassen Commons) is complete with Walmart, Canadian Tire, Rona and 100 more stores, YES. It will have everything you need to do all your shopping in one go. The mall so far is only phase 1. Phase 2 is still u/c. Lots more to come.

Commons is not 'phase 2'. It's an entirely separate development.

Ron.