Vancouver's $1 billion budget

[WBC]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Of course. The Visionistas largely live with the 2km bubble zone radiating from downtown Vancouver. They have little interest or understanding of what happens outside of that.

They've done jack squat to preserve affordable houses for the middle class in Vancouver, and then get all pissy when the families forced out to the burbs dare to want to drive downtown.

I am a contrarian...The more they discourage people from driving, the more encouraged to drive I get...I had the best time driving to work during the Olympics while lemmings were waiting 1 hour for Sky Train being good citizens and all...Hastings was beautifully deserted (even the hobos were sent packing for the event I guess). It was awesome...

And besides why would you even want to come downtown with family? Once they close the sad aquarium there will be absolutely nothing a family cannot do elsewhere without the hassle and expense of coming downtown. Want a petting zoo? Try New West it's free...Want to ride mini trains, try confederation park in Burnaby (far, far better plus no lineups). Want beaches? West Van, Boundary Bay. Shopping (if you call that family activity) - Metrotown...There are far more interesting coffee shops and restaurants on Main street then downtown...Downtown is basically for vanilla tourists, 20 year old wannabe yuppies (or whatever is the current equivalent) and barren singles in their late 30s and 40s clutching their little precious doggies ...Chain restaurants galore serving Sysco food and same old retail you can find anywhere else...oh, yes, and now featuring food trucks...yum...They have even taken the good old seedy Granville street, chased out a bit of unique retail and character it had and turned it into Payless Shoes strip mall...

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by WBC

I am a contrarian...The more they discourage people from driving, the more encouraged to drive I get...I had the best time driving to work during the Olympics while lemmings were waiting 1 hour for Sky Train being good citizens and all...Hastings was beautifully deserted (even the hobos were sent packing for the event I guess). It was awesome...

And besides why would you even want to come downtown with family? Once they close the sad aquarium there will be absolutely nothing a family cannot do elsewhere without the hassle and expense of coming downtown. Want a petting zoo? Try New West it's free...Want to ride mini trains, try confederation park in Burnaby (far, far better plus no lineups). Want beaches? West Van, Boundary Bay. Shopping (if you call that family activity) - Metrotown...There are far more interesting coffee shops and restaurants on Main street then downtown...Downtown is basically for vanilla tourists, 20 year old wannabe yuppies (or whatever is the current equivalent) and barren singles in their late 30s and 40s clutching their little precious doggies ...Chain restaurants galore serving Sysco food and same old retail you can find anywhere else...oh, yes, and now featuring food trucks...yum...They have even taken the good old seedy Granville street, chased out a bit of unique retail and character it had and turned it into Payless Shoes strip mall...

I extremely doubt they will close the aquarium.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

So the number of children in the city is decreasing, but money spent on children is greatly increasing.

Source?

[Joat]

Originally Posted by spm2013

• Transportation: $150 million for renewal of sidewalks, roads and traffic signals, new bike lane and pedestrian-related improvements, including “temporary” bike and walking lanes on Granville and Cambie Bridges, and repairing railings and lights on Burrard Bridge, including making the bike lane permanent

The bike and walking lane on the Granville St. Bridge is the one that appears in the 1400 Howe st. development models? What do they mean "temporary"?

[whatnext]

This is a huge increase (+35%) over the 2011 capital plan of $702 million. No wonder staff is worried about the debt servicing costs. But nobody ever organizes opposition to these and they always pass.

[theKB]

Originally Posted by whatnext

This is a huge increase (+35%) over the 2011 capital plan of $702 million. No wonder staff is worried about the debt servicing costs. But nobody ever organizes opposition to these and they always pass.

so we should expect a hefty property tax increase to cover those costs? Gotta love the NDP way of government. Spend now... figure out how to pay for it later!

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by theKB

so we should expect a hefty property tax increase to cover those costs? Gotta love the NDP way of government. Spend now... figure out how to pay for it later!

If you guys bothered to read you'd see it's for 4 years and not 3.

[spm2013]

...

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by WBC

I am a contrarian...The more they discourage people from driving, the more encouraged to drive I get...

Yah, you're a real rebel.

[theKB]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

If you guys bothered to read you'd see it's for 4 years and not 3.

Still is a 15% increase...

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by theKB

Still is a 15% increase...

As an independent retailer you should understand the time value of money.

The 2011 capital budget was $702M. According to the BoC that's $733M in 2014 dollars. Add 1 more year and we're at $973M. Pretty damn close.

[Metro-One]

I really wish they would stop calling these new bike lanes as "temporary trials."

We all know that there is 0% chance that any bike lane after being implemented would be cancelled by this city government.

This is why I find Vision so disingenuous. Just be straight and say it will be a permanent retrofit.

They did the same thing with the entire viaducts process, even though no one who supports Vision has had the balls yet to admit it was just a dog and pony show. (looking at several options, ending them at main, taking down only one viaduct, possible time frames up to 30 years, oh my goodness, guess what was picked, tearing both of them down completely ASAP! Then all the contests with all the suggestions on how to build around them, retain them as parks, and other very interesting suggestions, guess what, the winner was the pre-decided choice!).

[Tetsuo]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Source?

http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-re...CSD&GC=5915022

And look at declining enrollment at the VSB

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

Yah, you're a real rebel.

Some of us resist social engineering. Others apparently blindly accept it.

[spm2013]

...

[theKB]

because i don't know where to post this... VV must be salivating at these hefty assessment increases. I fully expect some pretty nasty tax bills especially for the business community in vancouver.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by theKB

because i don't know where to post this... VV must be salivating at these hefty assessment increases. I fully expect some pretty nasty tax bills especially for the business community in vancouver.

Do you have any idea how municipal taxes work?

[Caliplanner]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Some of us resist social engineering. Others apparently blindly accept it.

The field of urban planning (to which this thread is devoted) does involve/constitute "social engineering"!!

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by Caliplanner

The field of urban planning (to which this thread is devoted) does involve/constitute "social engineering"!!

You can do it with a carrot or a stick though. Currently Vancouver uses the stick - ie making the driving experience artificially worse until it's less desirable than public transit, which is also awful for most of the lower mainland.

Hopefully the transit tax passes and we can get a little nibble of that carrot.

[theKB]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Do you have any idea how municipal taxes work?

I'll just leave this here then...

http://www.vancourier.com/opinion/bl...hike-1.1690291