Archive for January, 2010

Quick hits

Posted by Jonathan Ross

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Housing prices in Vancouver set to rise 7.2 per cent in 2010

Posted by Jonathan Ross

I just saw this.  Once again, a good time to be a seller in Vancouver.

Vancouver real estate is completely out of whack

Posted by Jonathan Ross

This kind of a space for $750 seems ridiculous to me, even if it is located downtown.

I watched Councillor Raymond Louie on the news a couple of nights back speaking about the upcoming microlofts that Council gave the go ahead to in 2008.  He spoke about how this was the direction that the city was heading in and that creating new rental housing in the downtown core was a positive thing.

And, I suppose I cannot argue with that.  Just like I believe that communities that have a publicly funded component to them must have social housing in the mix, I also feel that downtown – particularly one that is as residential as Vancouver’s – must have a range of living options.

Additionally, it seems as though groups like the Tenant Resource and Advisory Council have been swept along with the paradigm shift that has occurred in Vancouver over the past decades.  Namely, that new rentals properties of any size are a welcome phenomenon amongst the Vancouver real estate landscape, and that density within the city is positive and on the cutting edge of innovation (microlofts, laneway housing, etc.).

But for the life of me, I cannot fathom how a space smaller than two parking spots is worth $750 per month.

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Olympic ticket facts from the road

Posted by Jonathan Ross

By now, most people have seen the $377,000 headline – http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/story.html?id=2483927 – from today’s Vancouver Sun.

But here are some other facts to consider.

Unlike the federal or the provincial governments, the City has clear, publicly accessible guidelines – http://vancouver.ca/policy_pdf/AG02301.pdf – on who gets tickets, how they get distributed, and a firm date for a public release of the names in attendance(March 21st, 2010).

It’s ridiculous that the province is spending almost 3 times as much ($940,680) as the city.

The Host city…and I repeat – the Host city – has in fact bought less tickets than: BC Hydro ($616,000), ICBC ($405,000), and BC Lotteries ($396,000).

Sat Sep 04, 2010

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FACT OF THE DAY

More than 221,000 people have taken the second Amtrak evening train to Vancouver since the service began last August. It had a record month in July with nearly 25,000 passengers. Ridership on the morning train has also increased 21% in the past year.

Quote OF THE DAY

“Economic power is [dependent] on how fast you move people and goods around. You see China growing right now very rapidly in this direction. This is the direction North America must go.” – California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

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