Winters in Vancouver can be dark

Rain, Commercial Drive, VancouverAbout 10 per cent of visitors to this site come from outside Canada.  Some must wonder at all the photos showing dull or threatening skies.  Why don’t I just wait for a sunny day?

We can go for a month or more in this region without sunny days; Wikipedia, the summit of human intelligence, allows that “Winters in Vancouver can be dark.”  The Government of Canada’s long-term climate records indicate that wherever you go in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, it rains or snows one day in every two; what varies is the intensity of the rain or snow. Continue reading

The subtle charms of downtown Maple Ridge

Metro Vancouver’s 1996 Livable Region Strategic Plan tagged the Maple Ridge Town  Centre as one of eight regional hot spots for commercial and employment growth, alongside Metrotown, central Coquitlam and downtown Richmond.

Local government invested $100 million in new civic buildings to fulfill the dream, but the private sector money never followed.  Even on a municipal scale, many residents  judge that the current retail opportunities in Maple Ridge are second-rate; they drive to Pitt Meadows, Langley or Port Coquitlam to shop. Continue reading