Latest news with #COVID-era
The Province
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Province
'Outdated' Kits pool reservation system part of growing turf war between park board and mayor
Park board chairwoman declines to hear motion to end restrictive COVID-era reservation system as swimmers just want to see it gone Kits Pool in Vancouver on July 22. Photo by Arlen Redekop / PNG The battle over a reservation system that limits access to Kitsilano Pool has become part of the turf war between the Vancouver park board and Mayor Ken Sim. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors On Monday night, park board chairwoman Laura Christensen declined to hear a motion by ABC Vancouver park board commissioner Marie-Claire Howard to end the controversial reservation system that was launched in 2020 amid COVID-19 restrictions. The system includes reduced pool capacity, and holds 80 per cent of the slots for online reservations, with only 20 per cent reserved for two-hour drop-ins, and the pool shuts down for four, 30-minute COVID era cleaning breaks. Cancelled reservations are non-refundable and don't go back into the system if someone decides not to come. Sim, who had already publicly urged the park board to resolve the issue, fired back Tuesday with a statement saying there had been overwhelming public feedback asking that the 'outdated' booking system be scrapped. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Vancouver residents deserve better. They want a system that works,' said Sim. Christensen said she was disappointed by Sim's statement: 'He doesn't have the full picture. I've been getting feedback on both sides of this argument. Staff are planning to report back after the summer, they are collecting data and feedback.' Howard's motion was shut down, said Christensen, because it didn't meet the threshold of 'urgent business,' defined as being related to public health or safety, or a significant financial or legal matter. At the shaded entry gate to Kits Pool on Tuesday, first-timer Barbara Frosch, a senior, seemed perplexed by a white board propped up against the fence that outlined the slot system: 9 to 11:30 a.m., lane swimming only. Noon to 2:30 p.m., drop-ins available. Three to 5:30 p.m., drop-ins available. Six to 8:30 p.m., drop-ins available. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In between slots, users must leave and the pool is shut for the 30 minutes of COVID-era cleaning, while the next group of reserved-users queues outside. Kitsilano pool in Vancouver on July 22, 2025. Photo by Arlen Redekop / PNG Kenny Heintz, who was just arriving with a folded chair strapped to his back, was already counting the minutes he would be allowed to stay before he would be kicked out for the next time-slot — not enough. 'The system is failing people who want to use the pool,' he said. Dave Roberts said he used the pool without any issues for 30 years, until the pandemic restrictions that introduced the reservation system. 'It sucks,' said Roberts, who lane-swims once a week. 'The website is confusing, and it charges fees which make it $10 a swim.' Swimmer Wendy Lee called the system 'ridiculous.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The pool is half-empty. It already costs a fortune to come down here and park with kids. Parents are stressed out enough without having to book in advance and only get two hours,' said Lee. Broadcaster Jody Vance, who has been fiercely advocating for Kits Pool to scrap the system that leaves the pool empty for two hours out of every day, said a generation of young people is getting shut out. 'When I was a kid, going down to Kits Pool spontaneously was affordable, accessible, walkable and bus-able. We could make a day of it.' Once she had her son, Brady, now 17, it was home base: a place her parenting community could gather on a patchwork of towels at the shallow end, watching each other's kids as they took turns doing laps. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I'm fighting for a generation of kids that are not going to enjoy what we loved about our city,' said Vance. 'Where is the common sense?' Christensen said the two-hour time-slots are about increasing equity for people who want to enjoy the pool, and limiting long, hot waits in line. 'In the past someone would show up and stay there the entire day, that's why you would get these long lines, somebody could be at the pool for an hour or for six hours while others had to wait,' said Christensen. Christensen said the park board numbers show that drop-in times haven't been fully utilized this summer. 'We are not hitting capacity,' said Christensen, who added that staff are planning a public education campaign to help people better understand how to use the system, and take advantage of drop-in times. As for Sim's letter, Christensen was blunt: 'For Ken Sim to write a letter to demand we change a system when he doesn't have the full picture of all of the benefits of the reservation system, that there are drop-ins available and that they can be used, shows that he's doing this for the wrong reasons.' dryan@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Crime Sports Vancouver Canucks Sports
Vancouver Sun
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
'Outdated' Kits pool reservation system part of turf war between park board and mayor
The battle over a reservation system that limits access to Kitsilano Pool has become part of the turf war between the Vancouver park board and Mayor Ken Sim. On Monday night, park board chairwoman Laura Christensen declined to hear a motion by ABC Vancouver park board commissioner Marie-Claire Howard to end the controversial reservation system that was launched in 2020 amid COVID-19 restrictions. The system includes reduced pool capacity, and holds 80 per cent of the slots for online reservations, with only 20 per cent reserved for two-hour drop-ins, and the pool shuts down for four, 30-minute COVID era cleaning breaks. Cancelled reservations are non-refundable and don't go back into the system if someone decides not to come. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Sim, who had already publicly urged the park board to resolve the issue, fired back Tuesday with a statement saying there had been overwhelming public feedback asking that the 'outdated' booking system be scrapped. 'Vancouver residents deserve better. They want a system that works,' said Sim. Christensen said she was disappointed by Sim's statement: 'He doesn't have the full picture. I've been getting feedback on both sides of this argument. Staff are planning to report back after the summer, they are collecting data and feedback.' Howard's motion was shut down, said Christensen, because it didn't meet the threshold of 'urgent business,' defined as being related to public health or safety, or a significant financial or legal matter. At the shaded entry gate to Kits Pool on Tuesday, first-timer Barbara Frosch, a senior, seemed perplexed by a white board propped up against the fence that outlined the slot system: 9 to 11:30 a.m., lane swimming only. Noon to 2:30 p.m., drop-ins available. Three to 5:30 p.m., drop-ins available. Six to 8:30 p.m., drop-ins available. In between slots, users must leave and the pool is shut for the 30 minutes of COVID-era cleaning, while the next group of reserved-users queues outside. Kenny Heintz, who was just arriving with a folded chair strapped to his back, was already counting the minutes he would be allowed to stay before he would be kicked out for the next time-slot — not enough. 'The system is failing people who want to use the pool,' he said. Dave Roberts said he used the pool without any issues for 30 years, until the pandemic restrictions that introduced the reservation system. 'It sucks,' said Roberts, who lane-swims once a week. 'The website is confusing, and it charges fees which make it $10 a swim.' Swimmer Wendy Lee called the system 'ridiculous.' 'The pool is half-empty. It already costs a fortune to come down here and park with kids. Parents are stressed out enough without having to book in advance and only get two hours,' said Lee. Broadcaster Jody Vance, who has been fiercely advocating for Kits Pool to scrap the system that leaves the pool empty for two hours out of every day, said a generation of young people is getting shut out. 'When I was a kid, going down to Kits Pool spontaneously was affordable, accessible, walkable and bus-able. We could make a day of it.' Once she had her son, Brady, now 17, it was home base: a place her parenting community could gather on a patchwork of towels at the shallow end, watching each other's kids as they took turns doing laps. 'I'm fighting for a generation of kids that are not going to enjoy what we loved about our city,' said Vance. 'Where is the common sense?' Christensen said the two-hour time-slots are about increasing equity for people who want to enjoy the pool, and limiting long, hot waits in line. 'In the past someone would show up and stay there the entire day, that's why you would get these long lines, somebody could be at the pool for an hour or for six hours while others had to wait,' said Christensen. Christensen said the park board numbers show that drop-in times haven't been fully utilized this summer. 'We are not hitting capacity,' said Christensen, who added that staff are planning a public education campaign to help people better understand how to use the system, and take advantage of drop-in times. As for Sim's letter, Christensen was blunt: 'For Ken Sim to write a letter to demand we change a system when he doesn't have the full picture of all of the benefits of the reservation system, that there are drop-ins available and that they can be used, shows that he's doing this for the wrong reasons.' dryan@
San Francisco Chronicle
21 hours ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘We're not leaving': In-N-Out responds to rumors about California exit
In-N-Out Burger is staying put in California, despite CEO Lynsi Snyder's personal decision to relocate her family to Tennessee, the company said Tuesday. The popular fast food chain reaffirmed that its corporate headquarters will remain in the state, following a wave of speculation sparked by CEO Lynsi Snyder's announcement that she and her family are relocating to Tennessee. 'We're not moving In-N-Out Burger's corporate headquarters,' read a joint statement from Snyder and the company. 'We're not leaving California, or leaving our roots behind. Each one of our locations is here to stay.' The move to Tennessee, the company said, is part of a previously announced expansion that includes opening an 'Eastern Territory' office in Franklin, Tenn., by 2026. Snyder will reside there with her family, but the majority of the company's operations will remain in California. In-N-Out is consolidating its West Coast offices in Baldwin Park — home to the original 1948 location — and phasing out its Irvine office by 2030, a year later than initially planned. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office also pushed back against the rumors. 'For those interested in the facts, rather than fiction, In-N-Out is expanding East — creating a second HQ in Tennessee,' the office posted on X. 'In-N-Out continues to expand in California — adding more locations in the Golden State this year than any other state.' Speculation about the company's future in California intensified after Snyder appeared on conservative pundit Allie Beth Stuckey's 'Relatable' podcast last week, where she aired personal frustrations about life and business in the state. 'There's a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here,' Snyder said. 'Doing business is not easy here.' She also referenced a COVID-era clash with San Francisco officials, when one location was temporarily shut down for refusing to enforce vaccine mandates. 'We're not policing our customers,' Synder said. 'I'm very proud of where In-N-Out started,' she wrote. 'Anyone who knows me knows how often I talk about our beginnings and how our Customers here in California helped bring us to where we are today.'
New York Post
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
All about ‘yield curves' – and the big move for stocks they're pointing to in 2025
In my 50-plus years of running money, I've noticed that the biggest market moves come from factors that have gone unnoticed – and right now, there's a doozy lurking under the table. Amid all the tariff tumult of the past few months, the global yield curve has been quietly re-steepening. Also note that the previously long-watched US-based yield curve – which investors lately (and wrongly) have been ignoring – has been doing the same. So what's a yield curve, again? It's a graph showing government bond yields from 3-month to 10-year, left to right. When long-term rates top short rates, the curve slopes upward — and is deemed 'steep' and historically bullish. When short-term rates top long, it is 'inverted'— an historically fairly reliable though imperfect recession warning. Advertisement 4 The biggest market moves come from factors that have gone unnoticed – and right now, there's a doozy lurking under the table. AFP via Getty Images Why is that? Like a dashboard indicator, the yield curve usually predicts bank lending trends. Banks use short-term deposits to fund long-term loans — pocketing the spread. Borrow at one rate, lend at a higher rate. Steep curves mean bigger profits, so banks lend eagerly, spurring growth. Meanwhile, inverted curves — when short-term rates top long — shrink loan profitability. Banks lend less. Since economies rely hugely on loans to finance growth — from building inventory to funding expansion — GDP gets squashed. Advertisement For decades, the US yield curve rarely misfired, becoming a lodestar for investors. But like assuming a car's dash is reality, they ignored its 'under the hood' function — the lending. It worked until it didn't. After global stocks' 2022 decline, yield curves inverted globally. Recession fears surged. Investors gnashed. Yet lending grew. US, eurozone and global GDP expanded. Pockets of contraction like Germany arose but were rare. Stocks bulled upward. Investors were befuddled. The curve remained inverted in 2023 and through most of 2024, with stocks rising, GDP growing. Pundits scratched their heads, then got bored, ignoring and deeming it 'broken.' It seems they never asked: Why did it 'break'? 4 Amid all the tariff tumult of the past few months, the global yield curve has been quietly re-steepening. Advertisement Under the hood, banks held tons of ultra-low-rate, COVID-era deposits. In 2020, US bank deposits ballooned 20.8% from the year earlier and another 11.7% in 2021. They stayed elevated through 2022 and 2023, echoing global trends. In other words: Banks didn't need to borrow to lend. They needn't compete for deposits by raising deposit rates. That stash of low-cost deposits kept lending profitable even as the Fed hiked to highs of 5.5% alongside other central banks globally. Now, unseen, yield curves flipped positive, aiding global loan profits. This stems from short-term rate cuts (most heavily overseas – and rising long-term rates (which most wrongly fear, and which are also bullish). Money flows globally between most nations, so I always monitor a GDP-weighted global yield curve. Last July, it was down 0.55 percentage points — inverted. A few months before that it was down nearly a full point. Now? It has flipped to positive 0.50 points — a quiet, nearly 1.5-point lending boost in slightly over a year. It is both bullish and explains recent trends. Advertisement 4 A GDP-weighted global yield curve can explain recent trends. AP America's curve improved but remains basically flat – down 0.07 points. But Britain flipped from down 0.99 points a year ago to positive 0.35 points now. Continental Europe's shifted more — from down 0.47 to up 1.03! Stocks show it matters: Regionally the MSCI Europe clocked early new highs and sits up 22% year to date. The non-US trounces America this year. Steeper curves favor value stocks (like the eurozone and UK's) over growth stocks (which dominate the US). Eurozone and UK Financials—up 52% and 33%, respectively—quietly lead in 2025, trouncing US Tech's 10%. Why? A bank profit turbocharge! Europe's value-heavy Industrials lead, too. They need lending to finance growth. 4 America's curve improved but remains basically flat – down 0.07 points. That most observers still ignore the curve is vital. It means stocks haven't yet fully priced in this growing, bullish power. Expect it to help drive stocks higher here and to continue doing the same throughout Europe, the UK and most emerging markets. Ken Fisher is the founder and executive chairman of Fisher Investments, a four-time New York Times bestselling author, and regular columnist in 21 countries globally.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
In-N-Out billionaire Lynsi Snyder says her family will leave California along with the company's headquarters: 'Doing business is not easy here'
In-N-Out's billionaire owner, Lynsi Snyder, is done with California. Speaking on the "Relatable" podcast released Friday, Snyder said she's moving to Tennessee as the cult burger chain plans its southeastern expansion and establishes a new headquarters in the suburbs outside Nashville. "There's a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here," Snyder said. During the conversation with host Allie Beth Stuckey, Snyder cited COVID-era business restrictions, such as mask mandates and vaccine requirements, as particular elements of California policy that made it difficult to operate in the state. In 2021, health officials temporarily shut down several In-N-Out locations in California because the chain refused to require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations. Snyder didn't expand upon her current business challenges or the challenges she's faced raising her four children in the state. In-N-Out is consolidating its corporate presence in California, centralizing its West Coast operations out of offices in Baldwin Park, where the chain was founded by Snyder's grandparents, and phasing out its Irvine headquarters by 2030. Its new Franklin, Tennessee headquarters is set to open in 2026. Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role — it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you. By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising. By continuing you agree that you accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . "Now the bulk of our stores are still going to be here in California, but it will be wonderful having an office out there, growing out there, and being able to have the family and other people's families out there," Snyder said. While the chain is planning to expand in the Southeast with its operations in Tennessee, Snyder said she's "still saying no" to opening locations in Florida and other East Coast states. In-N-Out has over 400 locations across eight states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, and Idaho. Snyder said that the company will continue to grow, but she's prioritizing sustainable expansion that maintains the quality of its products and service. "Number one priority is really keeping the company the same company that my grandparents started," Snyder said. "We don't want to be in every state, and we don't want to ever compromise our values and standards and the cornerstones that my grandparents laid down, so it's really just keeping those priorities at the forefront when we make decisions."
