https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/07/23/vancouver-beaches-swimming-e-coli-levels-raised/
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Vancouver mayor wants to unlock ‘exceptional’ industrial areas for housing
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/07/23/vancouver-mayor-industrial-lands-housing
"As of last July, Vancouver’s population was 756,008, after adding 23,790 people in 2023-24." https://vancouversun.com/news/population-booms-langford-surrey-metro-vancouver 2025
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/metro-vancouver-population-three-million-1.7449282
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-population-growth-three-million
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000901
Not so accurate.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/canadian-cities/vancouver Aproimatley 688,000 in 2025.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/massachusetts/boston 639,000
https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/california/san-francisco 767,968
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
City of Burnaby switches to height-based building policies, abandoning density limits
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/burnaby-height-based-development-framework
Fortunately, Vancouver can't stunt and stump Burnaby anymore than it could with Parramatta, NSW. Vancouver is trying its darndest to prevent any buildings from rising above 200 m. Unlike Vancouver, Burnaby doesn't try to look for any excuse to hold its city back.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=building+shadowing+policies
Kits Pool ruling leaves people frustrated
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/kits-pool-decision-vancouver
More overlapping rules, more permits required and more regulations to maintain and enforce the B$ bureaucracy of backwards Vancouver. Officially, Vancouver isn't supposed to be a NO FUN CITY. However, various people through the years like to perpetuate the NO FUN mentality.
Monday, July 21, 2025
Saturday, July 19, 2025
No-swimming advisories for 9 Metro Vancouver beaches likely to last all weekend
https://globalnews.ca/news/11294472/vancouver-e-coli-beaches/
https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/kitsilano-beach.aspx
So far there hasn't been any momentum to rename Kits Beach into $HIT$ Beach.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/video/2025/07/19/e-coli-halts-swimming-at-metro-vancouver-beaches/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/e-coli-vancouver-beaches-july-18-1.7589185
Fortunately, Australia, Hawaii, California & Florida realize that crappy beaches are bad for residents & tourism.
https://www.vch.ca/en/service/public-beach-water-quality#overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsilano_Beach
https://www.destinationvancouver.com/inspirations/beaches
It's so much easier for several other cities to do things better than backwards Vancouver.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Metro+Vancouver+beaches
Friday, July 18, 2025
The Waterfront SkyTrain Station stench
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/waterfront-station-vancouver-stench-smells
This, along with the E.coli beaches could be a part of a crappy Vancouver marketing opportunity.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Metro+Vancouver+beaches
Several Metro Vancouver beaches closed to swimming due to E. coli
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/metro-vancouver-beaches-e-coli-1.7588222
https://www.vch.ca/en/service/public-beach-water-quality
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset_Beach_(Vancouver)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Beach_(Vancouver)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Beach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsilano_Beach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_Beach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Banks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Bay,_Vancouver
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wreck_Beach , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wreck_Beach#Swimming_and_ocean_water_quality
Its imarapartive that an urban beach be reasonably clean, especially the water.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alki_Point,_Seattle , https://visitseattle.org/neighborhoods/west-seattle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondi_Beach
https://thecapetownblog.com/best-beaches , https://www.go2africa.com/african-travel-blog/cape-towns-best-beaches
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coney_Island , https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches/3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copacabana,_Rio_de_Janeiro
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-beaches-in-france , https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2016-07-27/the-best-beaches-in-france
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Mile,_Durban
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Beach,_Florida , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Beach_(Miami_Beach) , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_Isles_Beach,_Florida
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica_State_Beach , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica,_California#Climate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfers_Paradise,_Queensland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadbeach,_Queensland
Waikīkī beach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waik%C4%ABk%C4%AB ,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waik%C4%ABk%C4%AB#Water_quality ,
https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/25/us/hawaii-waikiki-beach-closed-sewage/index.html
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Metro+Vancouver+beaches
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Ice given access to Medicaid data in move critics call a privacy betrayal
Officials let Ice access health data to locate migrants, alarming experts who warn of civil rights and health risks https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/17/ice-access-medicaid-data-personal-information
No-swimming advisories at several Metro Vancouver beaches due to E. coli (WTH?)
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6835823
https://globalnews.ca/news/11293631/metro-vancouver-beaches-closed-ecoli/
https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/no-swimming-at-5-metro-vancouver-beaches-due-to-e-coli/
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-beaches-ecoli-advisories-july-2025
https://www.vch.ca/en/service/public-beach-water-quality
There really should be a concerted effort to clean this situation up. This isn't good for the residents or for the tourists.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Metro+Vancouver+beaches
ICE Is Moving Immigrants Arrested On The US Mainland To Honolulu
https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/07/ice-moving-immigrants-arrested-mainland-to-honolulu/
As the world becomes more digitized, various countries could take more of a rounding-up approach towards undocumented people & illegal residents and visitors. While wearable_technology could be useful to better identify and monitor the human herd, it could easily become like something out of a dystopian Sci-Fi story.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wearable_technology#Use_in_surveillance
A more interconnected world means that most people will be almost instantaneous trackable.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Monday, July 14, 2025
Anarchy in Europe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPqSFuz9HSo
The objective of any thriving nation or region is to mostly attract upper and middle income people who can bring more wealth and skills into a country. Unlike Australia & Canada, the US had a tremendous amount of immigration in the 1800s & 1900s to really grow their country. Today, Texas has more people than Australia & California has more people than Canada.
Today, if there are too many refugees and migrants and not more of a much higher percentage of upper & middle income people, there will be a tremendous strain & overload on the system. An effective formula needs to be established for each nation or region to accommodate refugees and migrants, vs. those in a higher income bracket.
Multiculturalism should be a blend of one being able to celebrate their culture within the larger context of diversity.
The situation at Kits Pool
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-kits-pool-covid-concerns
As a backwards city so full of its own multigenerational B$, red-tape & so many hoops & hurdles, Vancouver continues to crawl along.
Construction starts on new Listel Hotel and rental housing tower on Robson Street
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/listel-hotel-vancouver-robson-street-redevelopment-construction
As a small-minded city, Vancouver just hasn't had the same interest or motivation to encourage or allow big & tall hotels to be built.
https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/vancouver-needs-10k-more-hotel-rooms-says-report-10508458
Proper big cities that really want to capitalize on tourism will allow hotels with 1000, 2000 or even 4000 rooms.
https://vancouversun.com/news/vancouver-major-hotel-policy-overhaul-room-shortage
It's been very difficult for Vancouver to have a single tower hotel with at least 700 rooms.
https://storeys.com/vancouver-hotel-development-policy-changes/
Vancouver could become a better cycling city, but the metropolitan region lacks a proper network of bus and bike bridges
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-cycling-city
Removing traffic lanes from bridges doesn't improve things as much as constructing a series of bike, bus & HOV bridges would.
Skyline (Honolulu) Rapid Transit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu) Only 4 car trains? At least it's not a 2 - 2.5 car joke of a train that is the Canada embarrassment Line in backwards Vancouver.
Fortunately, it's a walkthrough train and with SDO, it could eventually become a 6 car train, if there is ever a need to increase capacity by 50%.
https://honolulutransit.org/about/route-map , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wq3THzQZr0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Rolling_stock
https://www.honolulu.gov/dts/skyline/home/
Hawaii's $10BN Railway Nightmare Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xnrhm1KcB4
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Selective+Door+Operation
Saturday, July 12, 2025
Vancouver's forgotten streetcars and interurban trams
Fortunately, Toronto, NO, SF and Melbourne never got rid of all their streetcar and tram lines.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/downtown-vancouver-false-creek-streetcar-route-map
While backwards Vancouver wanted to be among the first cities to get rid of them, Vancouver will likely be one of the last cities to bring them back.
https://viewpointvancouver.ca/2021/04/06/a-bump-in-the-road-kits-points-hidden-streetcar-line/
Atlanta, SD, LA, Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle & Portland brought back some of their trollies in the form of modern LRT or tram-trains.
https://montecristomagazine.com/community/vancouvers-forgotten-streetcars
The sad irony is that Vancouver, Burnaby & NW really could have benefitted from following the Toronto, SF and Melbourne examples.
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/history/last-ride-oak-streetcar-vancouver-1937040
https://www.facebook.com/groups/128486813979056/posts/1968090176685368
https://maps.nicholsonroad.com/bcer/
https://humantransit.org/2010/02/vancouver-the-almost-perfect-grid.html
There used too be a streetcar route along Robson St., Denman St. & Davie St. A revived version of this could provide a nice downtown transit loop. However, that would go against the backwards mentality of Vancouver. Fortunately, the Vancouver mentality never made it to Atlanta & Dallas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Streetcar#Downtown_Loop_route_funded
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_Streetcar
Unfortunatly, Vancouver & BC are all about congestive planning.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/2026-fifa-world-cup-vancouver-1.7559067
With less than a year to go, its impossible to revive any streetcar lines, because that can take 5-10 years. There isn't even a network of regional bus bridges. Such inept transportation planning means that busses have to squeeze onto bridges that are mostly just 2 lanes each way.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-rising-costs-fifa-2026-world-cup-1.7573669
Despite the first SkyTrain line opening in 1985, it took until 2025 to start having5 car trains. The 2nd & 3rd lines are still only running 2 car trains.
Of course the city is decades behind in keeping up with having enough hotel rooms.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-hotel-shortage-2026-world-cup-1.7117696
The best beaches in Vancouver, BC
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-beaches-vancouver
Summer is so damn short in Vancouver. Only June, July & August are usually the hottest months, because by the 2nd week of September things start to cool down.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/vancouver/v6c/june-weather/53286?year=2025 There were only 5 days in June that got above 25C.
https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/kitsilano-beach.aspx
https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/beaches.aspx
https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/parks-gardens-and-beaches.aspx
https://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/vancouver/v6c/july-weather/53286 Wow, there might actually be one day in July that could reach or exceed 30C.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/vancouver/v6c/august-weather/53286?year=2025 No 30C days in the August forecast.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/vancouver/v6c/september-weather/53286?year=2025 No 25C days are in the September forecast. Then, for the 2nd half of the month it will be tough enough just to reach 20C.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/vancouver/v6c/may-weather/53286?year=2025 Back in May, only one day got above 25C.
Hot weather kept bypassing Vancouver and went up to Alaska & Yukon.
Friday, July 11, 2025
How Bike Lanes have affected Vancouver's urban infrastructure
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvkifuIjq9I The BSB was a 6 lane crossing that even had a provision for a lower deck intended for streetcars. Eventually, 2 lanes were removed & the lower deck was never completed. However, Vancouver was unable to prevent Seattle & Portland from reviving some of their streetcar routes.
The problem isn't bike lanes, it's the lack of interest to build a proper regional network of bus & bike bridges. Thus, if a proper bike bridge was built next to the Burrard+Street+Bridge, then 2 of its 6 lanes could have been for buses or at least HOV lanes. The lower deck could have still been for streetcars or tram-trains going between Vancouver & Richmond. The irony of backwards Vancouver is that it was one of the first cities to get rid of its streetcars & will likely be one of the last to bring them back.
The Fraser River Tunnel Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWhHJWKa6CQ Unfortunatly, this will still be a chokepoint or congested crossing.
Of course the new Richmond-Delta+Tunnel wasn't designed to be part of a rail link between the airport and the ferry terminal. There should have been 2 HOV lanes, as well as 2 bus lanes, but that would be a big-city 10 lane crossing. Instead, just an 8 lane tunnel with no train component. Eventually, a train and HOV bridge or tunnel will have to be built next to it.
At least the first SkyTrain line can now have 5 car trains. However, the 2 car joke of a train still exists between Vancouver & Coquitlam, as well as between Vancouver & Richmond. The Montreal Metro can have 9 car trains and BART in SF can have 10 car trains. Such things are possible because they don't have a congestive BC panning mentality.
The Kitsilano Pool Is Nearing Its End. What Comes Next?
https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/07/11/Kitsilano-Pool-Nearing-End
It should be covered & heated so that people can enjoy it throughout the year.
https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/kits-pool-replacement
The Rise and Fall of an Awkward Dining Trend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgejGeLwrj4
The Space_Needle became an instant Seattle landmark since the early 1960s. The same for the Calgary_Tower by the late 1960s.
https://www.spaceneedle.com , https://www.calgarytower.com
Both were possible, because Seattle & Calgary aren't under anything like Vancouver's imposed restrictions.
The H._R._MacMillan_Space_Centre opened in October 1968, some 4 months after the Calgary Tower & 6.5 years after the Space Needle. Of course Vancouver was behind, as usual. The first thing that you notice is that there is no tower. It's a classic stump of a building.
https://thecdm.ca/partners/industry/the-hr-macmillan-space-centre
https://www.spacecentre.ca/celebrating-55-years
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/qhnz76/tbt_vancouver_planetarium_1968
The movie Final_Destination_Bloodlines provides a CGI depiction of what an actual tower, not a stump would look like. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Destination_Bloodlines#Plot
While Final_Destination_Bloodlines was filmed in Vancouver, it was set in New York State.
Something peculiar happened in Seattle in 2025.
https://people.com/space-needle-crack-glass-floor-absolutely-safe-11770526
https://wrif.com/2025/07/08/crack-space-needle-glass-floor/
https://cryptogmail.com/is-the-space-needles-glass-floor-cracking-heres-the-real-story/
Final Destination: Bloodlines Movie Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iQhOmebDqo
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Seattle
Thursday, July 10, 2025
SkyTrain enters its Mark V era with 5 car trains
With such a high capital construction cost, its foolish and very short sighted that Vancouver & BC never allowed for enough clearance to eventually have 10 car trains.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/mark-v-skytrain-train-enter-service-design-translink
At least the first 2 SkyTrain lines have stations that can accomodate a 5 car train. Unfortunatly, the joke that is the Canada embassament Line never allowed enough level clearance for 5 car trains, only a 2.5 car train. Combine short trains with mostly narrow bridges and no interest to build a series of bus-bridges and you have a fine example of congestive planning. Of course no one seems to know where the funds that should have gone towards big city infrastructure went.
Downtown Vancouver office space vacancy rate sees notable increase
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-downtown-office-market-q2-2025
Unlike Seattle and Calgary, Vancouver never permitted any 50 story office towers. Indeed, no office building in Vancouver is even allowed to have a 40th floor. However, BC still might eventually have a couple of office towers over 40 stories, just not in restrictive Vancouver.
The Milizie Bridge in Italy and the Windan Bridge in W, Australia and The Cushing Bridge in Calgary, Alberta
https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/fotografie/schede/IMM-5w050-0000107/
It used to be like a narrow 4 lane Vancouver bridge.
https://milanoneisecoli.blogspot.com/2014/10/lo-scomparso-torrione-fascista-di.html
Eventually, the Ponte+Delle+Milizie was rebuilt to have 2 bus lanes as well as 4 general lanes.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ponte+Delle+Milizie
Something like the 6 lane Windan_Bridge and the double track Goongoongup_Bridge, just aren't allowed in Vancouver. The city should do something similar like the Cushing+Bridge+in+Calgary.
Unfortunatly, the backwards Vancouver approach is to take lanes away, while pretending to be building an efficient regional rapid bus network.
The Arthur+Laing+Bridge, Oak+Street+Bridge and Knight+Street+Bridge only have 2 lanes each way in the middle and there was no provision to have 2 bus lanes. Thus, unless a 2 lane bus-bridge is built next to each of them, the regional express bus network will remain a sad BC joke.
There should also be a 6 lane Boundary+Road+Bridge crossing Burrard_Inlet and another one crossing the Fraser_River.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Redevelopment of McDonald's restaurant next to Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station approved by Vancouver City Council
The short buildings should have been designed to eventually have a 20-30 story addition.
TransLink buys Fraser River waterfront property for Vancouver bus depot use
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-vancouver-transit-centre-bus-depot-acquisition-expansion
Of course there still seems to be no plan to build a bus and bike bridge next to the Arthur+Laing+Bridge.
Unfortunatly, the embarrassment that is the Canada+Line wasn't designed to eventually have 10 car trains, not even 5. It's stations can only accommodate a ridiculous 2.5 car train, some day. Thus, any bridge to and near the airport should be augmented with a bus and bike bridge. Especially since the C Line isn't open 24 hours. Apparently, it's better to just cram everything into the ridiculously narrow 4 lane bridges.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Monday, July 7, 2025
Midweek showers sandwiched by sunny days in Metro Vancouver
Summer is only a 3 quick months in BC, so when crappy rainy fall like weather shows up, it shortens the number of summer days even more. At least half of the year is cold & damp in Vancouver. Yet once again, Vancouver is so far behind. There is the RESO or Underground_City in_Montreal and the Path_in Toronto. While Vancouver doesn't get as cold as Chicago during the winter, or as hot as Dallas and Houston during the summer, there still should have been a proper effort to have a key part of the downtown interconnected with tunnels. There is just something about Vancouver & BC that always opts to take a Half-A$$ED approach to things.
Sunday, July 6, 2025
SkyTrain's Rupert and Renfrew stations
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-neighbourhood-next-broadway-plan-treatment
Most of BC is wilderness and there are only a handful of potential big urban areas in BC.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/rupert-and-renfrew-station-area-plan-vancouver-final
The Greater Vancouver Region has been held back for several decades. Of course affordable housing should be part of the overall growth plan. All of BC still has less people than just the Greater Toronto Area & Canada has yet to have even just 1% of the world's population.
The 3 lane Lions+Gate+Bridge and the 2 car joke that is the Canada+Line are fine BC examples of the reluctance to build proper big city size infrastructure. There should have been at least 2 bus tunnels & 2 HOV tunnels near the LGB. If the C Line couldn't have 10 car trains, the stations should have at least been designed to accomodate 5 car trains, not an eventual 2.5 car joke of a train. There also should have been a train tunnel near the LGB by now, but that's what a proper big city would have done.
Friday, July 4, 2025
New Tall W Hotel And Tall JW Marriott In Calgary
https://storeys.com/truman-w-calgary-jw-marriott-hotels/
While its great for Calgary, Vancouver needs some tall hotels as well.
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Caps on salaries of Metro Vancouver politicians is ‘long overdue’ critics say
https://globalnews.ca/news/11272811/caps-salaries-metro-vancouver-politicians-long-overdue-critics
Why put more money towards transportation infrastructure when it can go to the politicians? Unfortunatly, the Greater Vancouver region is already so lacking in proper big city size infrastructure. Short, overloaded trains and most bridges are so narrow that its not proper to have an efficient rapid bus network.
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver is being Rebranded as Hyatt
https://storeys.com/shangri-la-vancouver-brookfield-westbank-peterson-hyatt
Still, the only 200 m building allowed in restrictive Vancouver. However, Vancouver can't stop Burnaby, Coquitlam and Surrey from growing taller.
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
What Canada Day looked like in Vancouver over 100 years ago
By the 1920s, Montreal, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney, SF & LA, all knew that they were going to be major cities. Unfortunatly in the 2020s, Vancouver is still stuck with a 3 lane Lion Bridge and a Canada embarrassment Line with only 50m stations. The Montreal Metro has 152.5m stations. Most real cities by now would have at least built a 4 lane bus & HOV tunnel & a commuter train tunnel near the LGB.
Despite being a cost cutting measure, the Canada embasement Line still should have had the provision to eventually have 10 car trains. Unfortunatly, the underbuilt line between Vancouver & Richmond wasn't even designed to have 5 car trains. Indeed, the joke that is the C Line has stations designed to only have 2.5 car trains, someday. The first 2 SkyTrain lines only have 80m stations, which can just barely accomodate a 5 car train.
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