Public Disorder & the Decline of Vancouver's Livability

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Where did you see me state my opinion about any of ABCs policies on 'Fun" (which seems to be mainly drinking so far)? I'm not the poster who said "all liquor stores should be shut down and liquor banned"!...

There was a school-marmish whiff of disapproval in your comments about their drinking.

Ironically, I tend to think ABC conflates alcohol with "fun" too readily. The Granville Strip is not the be all and end all, certainly not if you're over 29. I'd rather they look at activating and encouraging family-friendly events in places like the QE Theatre plaza or Library Square. And spaces like Rainbow Park bring a lot more animation and fun to the downtown core than binge drinking.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Changing City

They're closing the Larwill Park site in July, and not offering any alternate location for the buildings to be re-erected. The leases won't be renewed. Cllr Boyle proposed a motion that "asked city staff to look at how to extend the leases that are expiring between 2024 and 2028, while also looking into the possibility of moving existing projects to places where they have the option of remaining longer term."

The Larwill Park site is a bad example if you're trying to paint the ABC council as trying to tear down temporary housing. This site was always going to be developed for the new Vancouver Art Gallery and this was already in the plans long before Sim and Co. came into office.

I know you're unconditionally anti-ABC but I think this is a little too biased of a presentation.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by chowhou

The Larwill Park site is a bad example if you're trying to paint the ABC council as trying to tear down temporary housing. This site was always going to be developed for the new Vancouver Art Gallery and this was already in the plans long before Sim and Co. came into office.

I know you're unconditionally anti-ABC but I think this is a little too biased of a presentation.

I'm not pro, or anti ABC, but as I noted I'm not impressed with some of their decisions. The motion from Cllr Boyle wasn't suggesting the Larwill housing should stay, although the Art Gallery is being built on only part of the site, and the part with housing on doesn't have any current development proposal.

The point is that Council was not supportive of looking for another site to relocate the Larwill housing, and indicated they wouldn't support extending leases for any of the existing sites. They can change their minds on that, obviously, but at the moment they're sending a message that they're not supporting that sort of housing in future.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Vin

Mr foul-mouth is triggered yet again.

Sorry gotta call out your lies when they target me personally. I know you can't back anything up because all comes out of your ass.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Vin

Forget the Canucks ever winning the Stanley Park, when it comes to drug issues, we are no doubt the champion!

Day drinking again?

[whatnext]

You know things are bad when you start to lose dedicated urbanists like Adrian Crook:

Opinion: Vancouver has turned from love story to heartbreak
Guest Author
Jul 19 2023, 6:00 am

Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Adrian Crook, the author of the 5Kids1Condo.com blog, and a co-founder of the Abundant Housing Vancouver and Abundant Transit BC advocacy groups.

Over the years, I’ve been privileged to travel extensively, experiencing an array of cities worldwide. Yet, Vancouver has always remained a city that delivers an exceptional equilibrium of work and play, and an ideal environment for families. Its vibrant, diverse community, an ethos of social consciousness, and its captivating natural tableau have deeply endeared themselves to me. Beyond the majestic North Shore mountains and tranquil city parks and beaches, it’s the subtle nuances like the yearly burst of springtime daffodils and the practice of thanking bus drivers that truly stir my affection....

....The vibrant hues of my city life are now tinged with disconcerting shades. The city I adore seems to have strayed from its comforting rhythm. The pleasures of urban living are increasingly marred by unsettling incidents.

What used to be routine morning walks to the bus stop have assumed a chilling dimension. We walk past the site where a horrendous crime unfolded in broad daylight. A father, Paul Schmidt, met a fatal end merely for asking someone not to vape near his daughter. Having to explain such an appalling act to my children, while trying to reassure them that this is not the norm in the city they call home, is an overwhelming task...

....The city I deeply cherish is in a state of disarray, a direct fallout of policy inaction, fragmented efforts, and inadequate governance.

Despite it all, I continue to take pride in calling Vancouver my home. But the question that hangs heavy is – for how much longer?

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/opinion-adrian-crook-heartbreak-vancouver

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by whatnext

You know things are bad when you start to lose dedicated urbanists like Adrian Crook:

Opinion: Vancouver has turned from love story to heartbreak
Guest Author
Jul 19 2023, 6:00 am

Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Adrian Crook, the author of the 5Kids1Condo.com blog, and a co-founder of the Abundant Housing Vancouver and Abundant Transit BC advocacy groups.

Over the years, I’ve been privileged to travel extensively, experiencing an array of cities worldwide. Yet, Vancouver has always remained a city that delivers an exceptional equilibrium of work and play, and an ideal environment for families. Its vibrant, diverse community, an ethos of social consciousness, and its captivating natural tableau have deeply endeared themselves to me. Beyond the majestic North Shore mountains and tranquil city parks and beaches, it’s the subtle nuances like the yearly burst of springtime daffodils and the practice of thanking bus drivers that truly stir my affection....

....The vibrant hues of my city life are now tinged with disconcerting shades. The city I adore seems to have strayed from its comforting rhythm. The pleasures of urban living are increasingly marred by unsettling incidents.

What used to be routine morning walks to the bus stop have assumed a chilling dimension. We walk past the site where a horrendous crime unfolded in broad daylight. A father, Paul Schmidt, met a fatal end merely for asking someone not to vape near his daughter. Having to explain such an appalling act to my children, while trying to reassure them that this is not the norm in the city they call home, is an overwhelming task...

....The city I deeply cherish is in a state of disarray, a direct fallout of policy inaction, fragmented efforts, and inadequate governance.

Despite it all, I continue to take pride in calling Vancouver my home. But the question that hangs heavy is – for how much longer?

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/opinion-adrian-crook-heartbreak-vancouver

So this guy is gonna get tarred with the right-wing asshole label now?

[SpongeG]

I was listening to CKNW on my commute this morning re the temporary housing that is closing, the person talking said that all residents in the housing closing down have been rehoused and that is the goal of these sites and to remind people that all these sites are only temporary it's even in the name.

It's not ideal but they have a lot of issues to deal with, you have people who refuse housing cause they don't trust it or they like the community they have formed by living on the streets.

And Vancouver changing, it seems like it's happening in a lot of places, it doesn't make the news much but it's surprising how much has been happening in New York numerous cases of people being pushed onto the subway tracks by some disturbed person and random attacks it's something multiple cities are dealing with. Covid really opened a can of worms.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I was listening to CKNW on my commute this morning re the temporary housing that is closing, the person talking said that all residents in the housing closing down have been rehoused and that is the goal of these sites and to remind people that all these sites are only temporary it's even in the name.

It's not ideal but they have a lot of issues to deal with, you have people who refuse housing cause they don't trust it or they like the community they have formed by living on the streets.

And Vancouver changing, it seems like it's happening in a lot of places, it doesn't make the news much but it's surprising how much has been happening in New York numerous cases of people being pushed onto the subway tracks by some disturbed person and random attacks it's something multiple cities are dealing with. Covid really opened a can of worms.

Covid exacerbated and accelerated stuff that was already there. We could have been lucky and avoided the worst maybe, if only Covid had not happened.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Acajack

So this guy is gonna get tarred with the right-wing asshole label now?

He already ran on the NPA ticket five years ago. "Asshole" is subjective.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

You know things are bad when you start to lose dedicated urbanists like Adrian Crook:

It's obvious why Daily Hive would publish this - it's click bait.

It's less obvious (to me) why Adrian Crook should publish his musing there - he doesn't strike me as somebody who welcomed parenting advice in the past, and asking complete strangers on the internet seems like an odd choice.

We know it was a random and unusual circumstance - the murder rate this year is similar to previous years. We also know that someone was arrested, which has been the case with other recent cases (yet). If he's finding it constantly overwhelming to explain to his kids that this isn't the norm for the city, (which it isn't), maybe he should take a different route and pass Starbucks less often?

I'm more interested in why you would post it here? It was posted, and discussed, at the time it happened. Do you have something to add?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Changing City

It's obvious why Daily Hive would publish this - it's click bait.

It's less obvious (to me) why Adrian Crook should publish his musing there - he doesn't strike me as somebody who welcomed parenting advice in the past, and asking complete strangers on the internet seems like an odd choice.

We know it was a random and unusual circumstance - the murder rate this year is similar to previous years. We also know that someone was arrested, which has been the case with other recent cases (yet). If he's finding it constantly overwhelming to explain to his kids that this isn't the norm for the city, (which it isn't), maybe he should take a different route and pass Starbucks less often?

I'm more interested in why you would post it here? It was posted, and discussed, at the time it happened. Do you have something to add?

Just further illustrates how the ostriches here will go to any lengths to avoid admitting how the city is deteriorating.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

He already ran on the NPA ticket five years ago. "Asshole" is subjective.

B-b-but he lives downtown with five kids in a condo. An urbanists wet dream.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Just further illustrates how the ostriches here will go to any lengths to avoid admitting how the city is deteriorating.

Spare us the Chicken Little crap. Oh look, two boys were murdered in Stanley Park back in '53, and a photographer in '17 - guess nobody can go walking there anymore.

Originally Posted by whatnext

B-b-but he lives downtown with five kids in a condo. An urbanists wet dream.

Unlike NIMBYs, urbanists are not a one-track hive mind.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Just further illustrates how the ostriches here will go to any lengths to avoid admitting how the city is deteriorating.

Right. I forgot nobody ever got killed back in the day.

[whatnext]

A new slogan for Tourism Vancouver perhaps: "come for the scenery, stay for the stabbings".

‘Unprovoked stabbing’ in Vancouver sends New Zealand tourist to hospital
By Simon Little Global News
Posted July 13, 2023

A 28-year-old tourist from New Zealand is recovering from what Vancouver police have described as an “unprovoked stabbing.”

In a media release, police said the man was on the corner of Nelson and Granville streets around 8 p.m. Wednesday when a man stabbed him from behind....

....“From what we know so far, this attack appears to be completely random and unprovoked,” Const. Tania Visintin said in the release.

The victim was able to get to hospital on his own, and is expected to survive.

The suspect remains at large.

Vancouver police are looking for a man who is about five-feet-five-inches tall and was wearing a white T-shirt, dark jeans and a blue baseball cap.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Vancouver police at 604-717-4021.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9831407/vancouver-unprovoked-tourist-stabbing/

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

A new slogan for Tourism Vancouver perhaps: "come for the scenery, stay for the stabbings".

Sadly, Auckland already have that slogan, with a number of random stabbing incidents. Wellington claimed it too.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Changing City

It's obvious why Daily Hive would publish this - it's click bait.

It's less obvious (to me) why Adrian Crook should publish his musing there - he doesn't strike me as somebody who welcomed parenting advice in the past, and asking complete strangers on the internet seems like an odd choice.

We know it was a random and unusual circumstance - the murder rate this year is similar to previous years. We also know that someone was arrested, which has been the case with other recent cases (yet). If he's finding it constantly overwhelming to explain to his kids that this isn't the norm for the city, (which it isn't), maybe he should take a different route and pass Starbucks less often?

I was sorta thinking the same thing. The stabbing at Starbucks, while a tragic incident, was extraordinary. I am not sure how much we know about the perpetrator, but he didn't seem to fit into the unhoused, drug dependent, mentally unstable bucket that a lot of Vancouver's most prolific repeat offenders fall into.

But I want to give the author more credit. In the interest of keeping the op-ed short, I think he probably used that stabbing as just one example of a number of disturbing incidents downtown.

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Spare us the Chicken Little crap. Oh look, two boys were murdered in Stanley Park back in '53, and a photographer in '17 - guess nobody can go walking there anymore.

I had no clue about the Central Park murder when my wife and I were living in Burnaby. I regularly went running at night in the park and my wife and daughter went for walks almost daily. I honestly can't say if we would have used that park less if we knew about the violent and tragic incident that occurred there. I guess it is just human nature to be afraid of a repeat event, even if that fear is irrational from a probabilistic POV.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Sadly, Auckland already have that slogan, with a number of random stabbing incidents. Wellington claimed it too.

Sounds like you are interested to move to Auckland since you are so concerned and well-versed about the stabbing situation there.

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Spare us the Chicken Little crap. Oh look, two boys were murdered in Stanley Park back in '53, and a photographer in '17 - guess nobody can go walking there anymore.
Unlike NIMBYs, urbanists are not a one-track hive mind.

How do you know folks were NOT AFRAID to go walk there after the murder. Also, we don't live in 1953, so your point is moot. Let's focus on 2023 shall we?

Regarding crime situation in Vancouver, have you been living under a rock?

2022 saw a 12 per cent increase in violent crime in Vancouver compared to pre-pandemic levels: report
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/2022-saw-a-12-per-...compared%20to%20pre%2Dpandemic%20figures
VANCOUVER TAXPAYERS ALREADY PAYING THE MOST
The Vancouver Police Department enjoys the most per-capita spending of any civic law enforcement agency in Canada, with $458 per capita going to the force, compared to $441 per person for policing in Edmonton according to a recent report commissioned by the VPD.

So stop kidding yourself by burying your head in the sand.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Day drinking again?

Hey, at least I don't go break n enter after the indulgence.

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Sorry gotta call out your lies when they target me personally. I know you can't back anything up because all comes out of your ass.

Says someone who screams "Build a Mall" every opportunity he gets. Also, I don't lie: I say it like how it is. I'm sorry to divulge to you that you are just a sad blind man.