I can’t recall when I’ve heard a high-level bureaucrat sound so upset. At first, when I heard about Energy Minister Rich Coleman’s comments about the Surrey decision, I thought it was the usual strong words from our very expressive MLA from Langley. But a lengthy interview with BCLC CEO Michael Graydon made it clear there’s […]

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To some, Vancouver many historic schools are among the few remaining artifacts of the early city, visible and valuable mementoes that should be saved. To others, they are death-traps, likely to crumble instantly on top of the heads of students the next time there is even a mild earthquake here. The Vancouver school board has […]

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Sorry, I know some of you are sick of this, but I’m fascinated by this train wreck. Here’s the latest.    

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Hard to keep up with this story, I know, what with new revelations every day that the Waldorf Productions partners weren’t the flushest, or perhaps savviest, of business people (as per Charlie Smith’s story that I tweeted yesterday). Then there’s the whole “Hastings is being turned over to condo developers” meme to contend with. Helping […]

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Every couple of years, it seems there’s a new high tide of businesses that flow into Chinatown from elsewhere or nowhere. The Fortune Sound Club, Blim. Bombast and Peking Lounge. Bob Rennie’s real estate business and art gallery. Bao Bei and the Keefer. This time, it’s been clusters of small businesses run by 20-something entrepreneurs, […]

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This just out from the city, along with a link here to the story Rod and I did for today’s Globe, which hinted this was coming. Motion, report coming forward to protect Waldorf   Vancouver – Mayor Robertson has directed the City Manager to bring forward a report to the next Council meeting on protecting […]

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There are still lots of twists and turns in this story of the current operators of the Waldorf Hotel announcing they are no longer in business as of Jan. 20. I captured a small part of it in the Globe final story today. But there’s much more and more to come. While the meme has […]

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Statement from Mayor Gregor Robertson: The Waldorf closing is a big loss to Vancouver’s growing creative community. They built a great culture hub, and it’s my hope that they’ll be able to re-launch and return in some form in the near future. Supporting Vancouver’s dynamic arts and culture sector is a top priority of our […]

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This was sent out by the hotel’s young developers, who made it into a real cultural hub the last two years. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 9, 2013, Vancouver, British Columbia: East Vancouver’s cultural institution the Waldorf Hotel has been sold to real estate development company forcing imminent closure. The Waldorf Hotel re-opened its doors on October […]

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The gossip phone tree informed me recently that Vancouver city manager Penny Ballem had a serious ski accident over Christmas. I checked, wondering if this might mean she was sidelined for a while. But no. Dr. Ballem, as she has shown in the past, has proven to be unsquelchable. In the time I’ve writing about […]

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