Housing action and inaction in a West Coast suburb

1970s-vintage housing, central Maple Ridge

Late in its 2011-2014 term, City Council in the British Columbia suburb of Maple Ridge ratified a housing action plan intended to promote housing choice and affordability.

The issue matters because quality housing is a key determinant of population health. At the dawn of the welfare state, as Canadian troops returned from World War Two, the federal government promoted affordable housing investment from the private and public sectors. By the 1980s, Ottawa and the provinces had turned their backs on this effort. The cost of this rollback has fallen mostly on renters, with an increasingly creaky and leaky stock of dedicated rental housing from sea to sea.

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Talking Population Forecasting Blues

October 19, 2014 By imcleod in Planning and Development Tags: Metro Vancouver population Leave a comment

Our friend Morgan Jensen, a candidate for city council in Maple Ridge, recently shared a chart that lays out growth forecasts for municipalities in Metro Vancouver. It comes from a planning presentation at the Township of Langley.

The chart shows more than a doubling of population in the Township, putting roughly 225,000 people in that area in 2041. The City of Vancouver would acquire the same number of people as the Township, but grow much more slowly in percentage terms, reaching a population of 765,000. Surrey would become the region’s largest city, with about 880,000 people. Continue reading →

The village at Harrison Lake

October 15, 2014 By imcleod in Days Out, Fraser Valley Region Tags: Harrison Hot Springs Leave a comment

For the visitor to Harrison Lake, the impressive view of the lake and surrounding mountains is a big part of the experience — and a dip in the hot pools, of course.

Residents get access to the same views and a climate cycle that is on the soggy side*– 69 inches (175 cm.) of annual precipitation through the late 20th century, including the occasional dramatic snow event. There’s also the opportunity for regular visits to Agassiz, a larger hamlet about 10 minutes away in the District of Kent, since Harrison has no supermarket, drug store or bank. The BC Transit bus runs to Agassiz nine times per day. [13 times per day as of 2019.] Continue reading →

Traffic off the North Shore

September 21, 2014 By imcleod in North Shore, Roads, Bridges and Traffic Tags: North Shore bridges, North Shore traffic, North Vancouver commuting 3 Comments

Lions Gate Bridge, Saturday morning

If North Vancouver continues to grow at the current rate, the bridges into the City of Vancouver will lock up altogether and people will have to SWIM to work, navigating the oil tankers and seaplanes….

At least, this is what “Ed” suggested recently in an anonymous note to Fraseropolis. Whether Ed is real or not, the idea that the North Shore of the Burrard Inlet has reached capacity recurs in debates over the pace of development in the Central and Lower Lonsdale communities. “There’s no room for more people on the North Shore: the bridges are already jammed!” Continue reading →