Vancouver council to vote on revitalizing Granville Strip into Times Square experience
See more sharing options
Send this page to someone via email
Share this item on Twitter
Share this item via WhatsApp
Share this item on Facebook
Vancouver city council is set to vote on Wednesday on a 20-year plan to revitalize the Granville Entertainment District.
The plan envisions the area as a leading cultural and tourist destination, providing a Times Square experience with large digital billboards at Robson Street.
It proposes gradually working towards a year-round pedestrian zone and also calls for more rental housing and hotel spaces, along with replacing aging SRO buildings with self-contained housing units.
It also proposes relocating bus service to Howe and Seymour streets and new residential uses will be restricted to minimize noise conflicts with expanded entertainment activities.
The vote comes as the neighbourhood struggles with public safety issues and a storefront vacancy rate of nearly 30 per cent.
2:39
B.C. government responds to claims Granville strip is in crisis
In March, bar owners on the Granville Strip claimed the province's decision to purchase a former Howard Johnson hotel to house the homeless changed Granville Street overnight.
Story continues below advertisement
In June 2020, the province bought the former 110-room hotel at 1176 Granville St. for $55 million to house people who'd been living in encampments, including individuals with serious substance use and mental health challenges.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Open drug use, street disorder and violence have ensued and according to the six operators of multiple nightclubs on or near the Granville Strip, hospitality traffic is down approximately 60 per cent.
B.C.'s housing minister maintains it was not a mistake to buy the Howard Johnson in Vancouver's entertainment district for individuals with complex needs because they were struggling to find housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
— with files from Kristen Robinson
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
It's time for regular updates on forest fire emergencies
Opinion Where there's smoke, the saying goes, there's fire. But there isn't necessarily information. Right now, we unfortunately have plenty of both smoke and fire — with the smoke obscuring the sky across Manitoba. It's not just smoke obscuring things. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Minister Ian Bushie It is the first major emergency Premier Wab Kinew government's has had to handle, but there have been real problems with that government when it comes to getting information out. In the past, for major emergencies like floods and COVID-19, regular government briefings provided daily information that the media could pass on Manitobans. With one of the largest emergencies in Manitoba's recent history and thousands evacuated, you'd think that the government would be ready and able to answer questions — in fact, you'd think it would be trying to use the media to get as much information out as possible. It hasn't been happening. That's a point aptly made outside the legislature by Opposition Leader Obby Khan earlier this week: 'We are in a state of emergency in this province. I would think that a daily news conference, a daily press conference, a daily update to Manitobans would be the appropriate thing … This is one of the largest evacuations in Manitoba history and there's lots of unknowns out there. Manitobans have a right to know.' Instead, the government has been less than available, and less than transparent, about the fire emergency. Since the government declared a provincewide state of emergency on May 28, there have been just two media briefings on the fire, with a weeklong gap in between. And it's been relying on issuing a single new release once a day. Dated, late-in-the-day briefing notes don't help to explain the full picture to Manitobans. The June 4 fire bulletin No. 24 runs an impressive 1,387 words. But there's little explanation of anything that's occurred at the fire scenes or how they are being dealt with. Of those 1,387 words, a total of 1,195 (86 per cent) are cut and pasted from fire bulletin No. 23 of the day before. In other words, an update that contains 192 new words of information — and the bulk of that new information has to do with how donations should be handled through the proper channels, and not be dropped off at evacuation centres. The two releases list 19 significant fires — but of those, the majority of which are out of control, only one has any updated information between fire bulletin No. 23 and fire bulletin No. 24. The June 4 bulletin says that fire NO002, near Lynn Lake, has grown from 67,000 hectares to 71,067 hectares. The rest of the fires, apparently, hadn't burned any additional land or increased in size at all in that time — which is obviously not the case. This isn't to say that the information provided isn't useful and necessary — it's just woefully incomplete. The paucity of up-to-date information in those releases wouldn't matter if the provincial government had officials available who could answer media questions about fire suppression and emergency services and evacuation programs — the problem is that they don't. The government finally held a news conference on Thursday, the first since May 28. It was held, in part, to announce an information portal for Manitobans affected by the wildfires. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. The news conference is available for all Manitobans online. It was the first opportunity in a week for the media to ask questions about the fires. Hopefully, the government will see the value in providing media with access to the most information possible. There's real value in having living, breathing humans who can give cogent answers to media questions to allow us to inform the public. Will that happen? Time will tell.
Toronto Star
6 hours ago
- Toronto Star
India will soon start its delayed census, including asking questions about caste
NEW DELHI (AP) — India will start counting its vast population in a mammoth exercise starting next year. The first census in 16 years will be conducted digitally and include controversial questions about caste for the first time since independence. The Home Ministry announced plans to conduct a two-stage count ending March 1, 2027, in a statement Wednesday night. India's last official census in 2011 counted 1.21 billion people. The country's population is now estimated to be well over 1.4 billion, making it the world's most populous country, according to the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The once-in-a-decade population survey was originally due in 2021 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical hurdles. Here's a look at what goes into India's census and why it matters. The census shapes welfare policies and representation The official count of the country's people is used to allocate many of India's welfare programs and other policies. It could also pave the way for redrawing the political landscape of India as seats are added to the lower house of Parliament and state legislatures to represent a larger population. Under the 2023 Women's Reservation Bill, a third of those seats will be set aside for women. A massive count The Indian census is said to be the largest peacetime mobilization in the world. Almost 2.7 million people were hired to implement the 2011 census, visiting more than 240 million households. The Home Ministry said the new census will be carried out in two phases and conclude by March 1, 2027. The government will spell out the details and schedule of the exercise later this month. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW They'll collect information about houses and their occupants, such as sex, age, marital status, religion, mother tongue, language, literacy and economic activity — as well as caste. New questions about caste are controversial The next census will be the first to consider the caste status of most Indians. Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy in India and is critical to Indian life and politics. There are hundreds of caste groups based on occupation and economic status across India, particularly among Hindus, but the country has limited, or outdated data on how many people belong to them. Since independent India's first census in 1951, it counted only Dalits and Adivasis, members of marginalized groups known as scheduled castes and tribes. But India also has quotas that reserve government jobs, college admissions and elected offices for a swathe of lower and intermediate castes that are recognized as Other Backward Classes. India's current policy caps quotas at 50%, with 27% reserved for OBCs. A count of these groups will likely lead to calls to raise the quotas. Successive Indian governments have resisted updating caste data, arguing that it could lead to social unrest. The announcement on the census comes months ahead of a crucial election in India's poorest state of Bihar, where caste is a key issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party runs a coalition government in Bihar.
Global News
7 hours ago
- Global News
BC Conservatives question $1M contract for B.C. drug and mental illness adviser
The BC Conservative opposition is raising concerns about the contract the NDP government has awarded to its top adviser on mental health and the drug crisis. It has been one year since the B.C. government appointed Dr. Daniel Vigo as its chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders. Vigo has been responsible for developing solutions for people suffering from mental health, addictions and brain injuries due to toxic drugs. According to his contract, Vigo is eligible to receive $250,000 each quarter he works, up to $1 million for the year. In addition, he is eligible to receive 12 per cent of his salary as administrative fees or expenses. 2:07 B.C. government opens more involuntary care beds 'It was very clear during the election that involuntary care was one of the pieces that was needed in this system. I think the government was already aware of that, and I think that because they knew they were facing some pushback from some of their more ideological supporters, they decided to spend a million dollars hiring a doctor as a consultant to tell us what we already knew so that they could fall back on, 'Well, this is the science behind it,'' said Claire Rattée, BC Conservative MLA for Skeena. Story continues below advertisement 'At the end of the day, it's a million dollars that could have been spent on treatment.' Rattée added she was concerned about a 'lack of deliverables' in the contract. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy She said that according to the document, Vigo should have already submitted three quarterly reports, none of which have been made public. 'We're talking about a government that has spent well over $1 billion on addictions and the overdose emergency that we have here, but where are the measurable outcomes? What are the outcomes of any of the things that they have done?' added BC Conservative public safety critic Elenore Sturko. 'We have seen some announcements, we've seen some piecemeal work, even the stuff that's been announced by Dr. Vigo over the last couple of months here — It looks like something is happening, but what's the outcome and where have we gone and what should British Columbians expect from this huge expenditure?' B.C.'s health minister says the BC Conservatives aren't telling the whole story. The $1 million is earmarked for Vigo to build out a team of four people and to cover the cost of data collection and legal advice, Health Minister Josie Osborne told Global News. 1:52 New involuntary care beds are opening in Maple Ridge She said Vigo was retained because the toxic drug crisis and the intersection of addicitons medicine and psychiatry are evolving quickly, and the province wants to be on the cutting edge. Story continues below advertisement 'This is a fresh, innovative look using the professional experience that they have to help us identify the people who need help the most to help us identify the solutions,' Osborne said. 'It is a very challenging situation to see people that are suffering, to see and know that people need treatment and care and that we need the very best clinical expertise, the very medical advice that we can and the appropriate settings and care and therapies for these people — we don't have experts in that inside the ministry.' In his year on the job, Vigo has provided significant advice to the province, including a determination that the B.C. Mental Health Act does not need to be amended to allow for involuntary treatment. He led the development of new guidance to B.C. doctors, laying out the scenarios under which someone can be treated involuntarily under the Mental Health Act, all of them involving mental impairment. 1:54 Success of forced addictions treatment lacks evidence, minister says And he has been involved in the rollout of B.C.'s first two involuntary treatment facilities, one in the South Fraser Pretrial Centre and one in the Alouette Homes in Maple Ridge for people who aren't in contact with the justice system. Story continues below advertisement He has also been made available to media to answer questions about the province's involuntary treatment policy. Rattée said the progress for the price tag simply isn't good value. 'So far, they've only moved on. You know, 18 beds at Alouette, I believe it is, and 10 at Surrey pre-trial, and nothing to do with voluntary treatment services,' she said. 'This is a drop in the bucket when it comes to actually addressing the issue that we are facing right now.' Last month, the province terminated the contract of another adviser halfway through the planned six-month term. Michael Bryant had been hired on a $150,000 contract to consult on the province's policies and service delivery in the Downtown Eastside.
