3 vaguely cheerful thoughts on Metro Vancouver’s transit vote

July 8, 2015 By in Metro Vancouver, Transit, Skytrain, LRT Tags: , , 1 Comment
Slide from 2010 planning presentation (South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority)

Slide from 2010 planning presentation (South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority)

Elections BC advised us on July 2 that Metro Vancouver residents have rejected a 10-year transit plan, which was to have been funded from a sales tax hike. The political gridlock around transit funding, already 17 years old, will continue.

It’s sad for most of us that Western Canada’s largest urban area can’t figure out how to run a bus service. Most of us — because a minority, I’m guessing 15 per cent, would prefer to see public transit privatized or abolished. Continue reading →

A sort of urban village at Coquitlam City Centre

June 23, 2015 By in Tricities, Urban Villages Project Tags: , Leave a comment
Lafarge Lake, at the edge of the new Coquitlam downtown

Lafarge Lake, at the edge of the new Coquitlam downtown

The walkable urban village at Coquitlam City Centre has emerged recently, with a new area of residential towers, neighbourhood offices and cafes, bridging Douglas College and an area of older housing to the vehicle-dominated Coquitlam Centre megamall.

The Regional City Centre precinct is projected to reach a population of something around 50,000 by 2041, forming a commercial and cultural hub for the northeast part of Metro Vancouver. Continue reading →

At Crescent Beach

June 18, 2015 By in Days Out, Surrey Langley White Rock Tags: 1 Comment

Beach 1

The historic heart of Crescent Beach is partly screened from the rest of the city of Surrey, British Columbia by a railway line — operated today by Burlington Northern and Santa Fe, a 32,500-mile network controlled by Warren Buffett with all of 30 track miles in Canada.

Two and three generations ago, the railway line brought people out from Vancouver to enjoy days along the shore. Some built modest cottages and stayed for a few weeks during the summer, and a few of the old cottages still stand. On a clear morning, the promenade along the dyke from Blackie Spit park around the corner to the seafront cafes is one of the finest short walks in the region. Continue reading →

MoneySense.ca “best places to live” rankings, 2015

June 9, 2015 By in Crime, Housing, Real Estate and Property Taxes, Urban Life and Local Government Tags: , , 2 Comments
Oceanfront houses, Delta

Oceanfront houses, Delta

[This post refers to the MoneySense.ca community rankings for 2015. We posted a link to the updated rankings in July, 2017.]

MoneySense.ca, “Canada’s top personal finance magazine,” has posted a list of the “Best Places to Live” in Canada, ranking 209 cities and towns on a 103-point scale.

Top marks for 2015 go to Boucherville, Quebec, a south-shore suburb of Montreal, while New Glasgow in Nova Scotia comes last, making it either the 209th-Best or the Worst Place to Live in Canada. Continue reading →