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A tough year for Vancouver’s Non-Partisan Association, as election approaches

May 10th, 2011 · 63 Comments

Why is the NPA having so much trouble attracting strong candidates? It’s conventional wisdom that the party is bound to attract more votes this year than in 2008, as people look for alternatives to Vision Vancouver. The reasons coming from people with the NPA now or in the past: Too many other elections, perhaps still […]

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Christy Clark: The very warm, very strategic communicator

May 7th, 2011 · 21 Comments

The byelection to give B.C.’s new premier a seat is this week and I see that Christy Clark’s efforts to bypass the media and speak only to “regular citizens” are becoming a bit of a story. No surprise to me. At Vancouver magazine, we decided to do a profile of Ms. Clark, this perpetual firecracker […]

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Where is the Non-Partisan Association?

May 4th, 2011 · 73 Comments

Today is the final day for the NPA to receive applications from those wanting to run as candidates under the party’s banner. I’ve run a list before of the candidates who appear to be in the race so far, though I had to glean it from various bits of gossip. (So, sorry, Jason Lamarche, that […]

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Bulletin from Chicago, home of key Vancouverites

May 2nd, 2011 · 16 Comments

Kathleen Bartels, Vancouver Art Gallery director. Sadhu Johnston, deputy city manager. Mike Shiffer, senior TransLink planner. Chicagoans (is that the right word?) all. So I finally decided to come here and see what inspired them. What do I see? – A city hall that looks like the world’s biggest secure bank, a massive building with […]

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Vision hands over one of its spots on council to COPE for coming election

April 29th, 2011 · 36 Comments

Waiting to hear an explanation for this news release which has Vision and COPE agreeing that they will split the council slate 7-3. Of course, no guarantees who will be elected but, still, it means Vision is not going to go past the seven spots it has now. In 2008, you’ll recall, they had eight […]

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City of Vancouver vows to fight condo owners who are suing

April 27th, 2011 · 19 Comments

Unhappy condo owners at the Olympic village filed their lawsuit last month. Now the city’s fighting back. Maybe they should just do best out of seven games.

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NPA drops acclaimed candidate, some bow out, but others revving up to run

April 26th, 2011 · 43 Comments

Jesse Johl, we hardly knew you. For those who don’t recall, Johl was acclaimed as one of two NPA candidates acclaimed to run in the November election last fall, as a way of giving some support to lone councillor Suzanne Anton. Bill McCreery, the other acclaimed candidate, has been busy peppering blogs, emails and live […]

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PSA 2: Read Vancouver history’s online now with digitized copy of Harland Bartholomew’s book on his plan for the city

April 24th, 2011 · 17 Comments

I’ve been longing to get my own copy of Harland Bartholomew’s 1928 plan for Vancouver ever since I saw it in Andy Yan’s hands. But Yan and his boss, Bing Thom, have done all of us a favour by digitizing this book for the Vancouver Archives as a birthday present for the city. The link […]

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PSA: First meeting of Vancouver Society for Promotion of Outdoor Pools May 7

April 24th, 2011 · 8 Comments

From the group that tried valiantly to save the Mount Pleasant pool: The first Annual General Meeting of the Vancouver Society for Promotion of Outdoor Pools is scheduled for Saturday, May 7th , from 2PM – 4PM. Meeting location: Mount Pleasant Community Centre, #1 Kingsway, Multipurpose Room 3 on the second Floor. Everyone is welcome, […]

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Council turns down expanded casino, passes moratorium ’til BCLC improves practices

April 19th, 2011 · 78 Comments

My story in the Globe here and the full motion here. More to come. A. THAT the application by BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo) to rezone the following: a portion of 777 Pacific Boulevard (PID: 008-332-614, Lot 153 False Creek Plan 20421 (“BC Place Site”); a portion of Terry Fox Way to be closed and conveyed […]

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