With the Globe 2016 conference happening in Vancouver, politicians and leaders from some of the world’s biggest businesses are coming together to try and address “sustainable business” — in other words, how to continue to grow their businesses and the economy while doing so in an environmentally sustainable way. The implied goal — indefinite, continued…
Category: Vancouver
Death Penalty in the US: Implications for Canada and Canadians (March 24)
As a lawyer, I know first-hand and from bitter experience that the justice system does not always get it right. When one takes a moment to reflect, this is not surprising. No system is ever going to be right all the time. South of the border, a wrong decision can have catastrophic consequences for the…
My two bits’ worth on housing matters
This week I’ve literally got two bits for you on our BC housing situation. Here’s the first bit: There’s been lots in the news lately about making housing more affordable but, I’m sad to say, very little about this news is of substance. At the end of the day, the crisis of homelessness will be…
Vancouver-Mount Pleasant voters are a bellwether
Byelections are never easy for whatever party holds power at the time, and Feb. 2 was no exception. The incumbent BC Liberals lost both byelections — Vancouver-Mount Pleasant and Coquitlam-Burke Mountain. The interesting takeaway for me was not the fact that the Liberals lost. I say this in spite of the fact that one of…
Time to “tap out” TransLink’s senior managers
Most folks are surprised when I tell them that TransLink spends 10 cents of every farebox dollar on the process of actually collecting that dollar. Economists refer to this as the “friction cost.” By comparison, the collection of income tax is incredibly efficient, with a friction cost so small that it amounts to a rounding…
Let’s put HandyDART users back in the driver’s seat
As co-chair of the HandyDART Riders’ Alliance, I was scheduled to speak at the public session of the TransLink Board of Directors’ meeting in New Westminster on Wednesday. (Check out CBC Radio’s coverage of some of the points raised by my co-chair, Beth McKellar, here as well as a video clip of some of the…
Check out the new DTES markets
Many of you may be aware of the street vending that used to happen along the 000-block of East Hastings Street between Columbia and Carrall streets. For a large number of people living in the Downtown Eastside this was a desperately needed opportunity to earn income by selling things such as used clothing and dishes…