Local designers learn to compete with the growth of online fast fashion retailers. P4
City of Vancouver extends e-scooter pilot project for another four years. P3
Experts warn against booking flights with third-party sellers like Expedia and Flighthub. P11
New federal bill introduced last week raises concerns about who will benefit
By ANNABEL BESSEM and ALY GLENNAn international student from Nigeria who was evicted from his Vancouver home a few months ago is skeptical about the federal government’s proposal to tie credit scores to rent payments.
Both the federal and provincial governments recently announced plans to strengthen protections for renters. Among the proposed changes by the federal government which will be unveiled in its budget later this month, is a proposal to see credit scores improved by paying rent on time. The aim is to help young renters become eligible for mortgages and break into the housing market.
Zayyan Shaibu, an accounting student at Langara College, said
checking a credit score is no better than a college GPA score because “it doesn’t tell the full story.” He said it is “not a good idea to factor rent into credit score decision making.”
Peter Thanas, a Vancouver landlord, said the connection between rent and credit scores could be a “disaster for the lower end market tenants.”
“That someone can use their rental history as part of their credit score will help many people.”
He said marginalized renters need “real and true support, and they probably need additional subsidies that are realistic and that are sensible and relative to current market costs.”
— RAVI KAHLON, HOUSING MINISTER
However, he said tying credit
scores to rent could be beneficial to landlords dealing with difficult tenants. “If a tenant who becomes predatory towards their landlord and doesn't treat their landlord with an appropriate amount of etiquette or respect, then, yeah, as a landlord, I probably would report them [to the credit bureau],” said Thanas. Other measures introduced by the federal government last week included a $15 million fund for legal aid and tenants’ rights advocacy groups and creating a Canadian Renters’ Bill of Rights that would require landlords to be trans-
parent about past rental prices. The federal government also promised a national standard lease agreement and a crackdown on renovictions.
Provincial Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said in an email statement to the Voice that B.C. welcomed the initiatives by the federal government.
“The idea that someone can use their rental history as part of their credit score will help many people in our communities who have trouble getting their credit scores up, particularly new immigrants who arrive and have zero credit score.”
Shaibu said when he was evicted from his home, he “just pretty much got kicked out of the place.”
He said the landlord needed “to do some ‘air quotes’ renovations.” But he doubts that was the reason.
“You know, essentially, he wanted to get in fresh new students ... then he could now increase the pricing.”
The provincial government introduced yesterday changes to the Residential Tenancy Act it hopes will reduce evictions, speed up rental disputes and restrict rent increases if a tenant adds a child under 19 to the household.
Spencer Chandra Herbert, NDP MLA for Vancouver-West End, and the premier’s liaison for renters in the Vancouver area, said the legislation will benefit landlords as much as it helps renters.
“I do think the provincial legislation that we introduced today will actually help support landlords to rent out homes more than they are now, because it’ll give them greater certainty around dealing with things like late payments with tenants that are problematic, giving them greater security around those issues so they can feel confident renting their homes out,” Chandra Herbert said.
The debate about what kind of sports stadium will be built in Surrey comes down to affordable versus iconic.
Surrey Board of Trade, allying with global soccer investment group SixFive Sports and Entertainment, is pushing for affordable. But city council wants something more substantial as the debate in one of B.C.’s fastest growing cities continues.
SixFive Stadiums, a division of SixFive Sports and Entertainment, presented a proposal to the city in February to build a modular stadium at Tom Binnie Park.
The week before, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke had announced plans to build a 12,000seat stadium.
Adam Torpey, vice president of business development for SixFive Sports and Entertainment, said his company’s modular construction approach would allow Surrey to build a stadium at a fraction of the cost of a concrete stadium.
“The beauty of it is it's such a cost-effective solution and it offers the same base function of a stadium when done right,” said Torpey.
SixFive Stadium’s modular concept offers stadium sizing from 500 seat stadiums up to 25,000-seat stadiums, with the largest costing between $50 million to $80 million.
The company constructed Langley’s new 6,600-seat soccer stadium last year.
“I think public perception is a big, big thing,” said Torpey. “So, what people see at Langley, they think it's temporary, but it's a permanent stadium.”
Torpey said Langley is a good
phase one example and noted that cladding is an important consideration with panelling and fixtures used to customize the steel structure.
“It's night and day when you do the fine details,” said Torpey. “If you think of a car being made, it's kind of like the core of a car without your shell on.”
Surrey councillors debated whether the modular concept constitutes a long-term solution to the city’s stadium dreams.
“Certainly, everything should be on the table,” said Coun. Linda
Annis. “Modular stadiums are great, but I think we need to be looking at what will be best.”
Annis said she would like to see a stadium with 20,000-25,000 seats that could attract large trade shows and concerts.
“We need to be building an iconic stadium here in Surrey,” said Annis. “Because we soon will be the biggest city in the region and we need to be thinking that way and planning not just for our immediate needs, but for our longer-term needs.”
Coun. Mike Bose said he, too,
would like to see a “more permanent structure” built.
“Not that there's anything wrong with the SixFive concept,” said Bose. “It would be an adequate stopgap measure … to get the ball rolling.”
Torpey said expenses associated with the modular system don’t come close to the costs involved with conventional concrete stadiums.
“There's so much news out there about stadiums being just money pits,” said Torpey. “But they're talking about the big behemoths, you know … we don't want to be in that
The city is trying to reduce water consumption as a hot, dry summer looms. For
some, that will mean higher utility
bills
Burnaby is aiming to head off a crisis with a new water metering strategy that will cost residents more money in utility bills.
With provincial upzoning and drought conditions a new reality, the city is focusing on water conservation, leak detection and billing equity.
By July 1, water meters will be required for all new homes. Existing homes are not going to be affected until a full water metering strategy is completed by the city’s engineering department in the fall.
Nick Holmes, a Brentwood resident of seven years, fears water metering will significantly add to his monthly costs.
“With prices going up everywhere, even a one hundred dollar jump in what I pay for water will hurt,” said Holmes.
Though worried, he said he understands the need for the city to know how much water residents use.
“I’m not saying I’m against it — just sucks that everything else is going up also,” said Holmes.
Currently Burnaby charges a flat rate for residential water use. A single-family dwelling pays a flat annual fee of $652.33. By contrast, water metering would charge per cubic metre of water used.
According to Joe Keithley, Burnaby city councillor, the installation of water meters is a matter of “equity.”
“If you have a giant house, a swimming pool, and you're washing three cars, and you're watering a huge garden, you pay the same amount of money for your water that the senior citizen that lives in a small apartment does. Is that fair?” said Keithley.
Keithley said a cautious, yet proactive approach is the correct way to address water usage.
“The thing is the snowpack is not there this year, so we're not going to run out of water.
communities across B.C.
Vanessa Anthony, a program manager for the Metro Vancouver Water Services Department, said that it advocates for all municipalities to install water metering.
“If they don't have meters, they don't know how much they're using,” said Anthony.
“A typical household may start to use around 15 to 30 per cent less water once a meter is installed,”
—VANESSA ANTHONY, PROGRAM MANAGER, METRO VANCOUVER WATER SERVICES DEPARTMENT
But if we're not careful, we're gonna start running short,” said Keithley.
Burnaby is one of several cities in Metro Vancouver that has not adopted water metering.
In its recent budget, the provincial government included $50 million for water metering pilot programs in 21
Metro Vancouver provides regional utility services related to drinking water, liquid waste, and solid waste to its 21 municipalities and one treaty First Nation.
Anthony said a big culprit regarding water usage is lawn watering in the summer.
“It's close to 40 per cent of water usage,” said Anthony. This is why Anthony wants Burnaby to begin metering immediately.
ball game.”
Board of Trade president Anita Huberman said the modular concept aligns well with the city’s plans.
“You know, we can't afford a concrete stadium like BC Place. We need to be fiscally responsible,” said Huberman.
“[SixFive Stadium’s] solution is still elegant and is a small step towards being that destination asset that Surrey so desperately needs as we become the largest city in British Columbia by 2029.”
“A typical household may start to use around 15 to 30 per cent less water once a meter is installed,” said Anthony.
Hans Schreier, a professor in UBC’s land and food systems faculty, is worried about how Metro Vancouver will deal with water use this summer and in the future if changes don’t happen soon.
“I know it's politically undesirable, but let's just bite the bullet because if we don't do it, we're gonna be in trouble,” said Schreier.
He sees West Vancouver, a city that adopted water metering in 2007, as a model for how to price accordingly.
“They charge the very high users a very high amount,” said Schreier. Despite the additional costs for some, Schreier sees the benefit in driving down consumption.
“We use about 240 litres per person, per day. In Denmark, they pay about seven dollars per litre, and their consumption is around 140 litres per person. So we still have lots of room in between,” said Schreier.
Food delivery driver Pan Kaj can’t imagine how much more difficult it would be for him to do his job if he didn’t have his e-scooter.
His machine allows him to make more deliveries and get around to costumers more safely than using other kinds of transportation.
That’s why Kaj says he's happy the city has extended the use of e-scooters on Vancouver streets.
“E-scooters are faster,” he said.
“That’s why I think they should be on the road.”
The e-scooter pilot project has been extended for four more years beginning April 5 making it legal to use the wheeled transportation on city streets.
Kaj says it’s safer to be on the streets.
“For e-scooters there are more chances of them to fall or something, because their tires are sharp and small,” Kaj said. “Bicycles have bigger tires”
Vancouver city councillor Adriane Carr said allowing e-scooters on the road will make it safer for pedestrians.
“One of the concerns was scooters on sidewalks, which many people have said it’s very dangerous, especially for older people, people with
disabilities and children,” Carr said in an interview with the Voice on Tuesday.
Carr said safety for pedestrians is as important as safety for e-scooter users.
“Public safety and safety of the riders is the upmost important issue,” Carr said. “In my mind, many people drive cars at beyond the posted speed limit, and suppose the speed limit is 50 kilometres per hour on all of the minor streets in the city.
People should abide to it, they should be travelling at less. And that would be for e-scooters as well, they should be slowing things down.”
What makes e-scooters so appealing to food delivery drivers like Kaj is precisely why Carr said they don’t belong anywhere except on the road.
“E-scooters in particular can go pretty fast. So this will address that by putting them onto the roads and into bike lanes. Our hope is that they will stay off the sidewalks.”
E-scooters have become more popular in the last 10 years and often used by students and food delivery drivers.
Businessman Jay Im, owner of the electric scooter and ebike rental shop VanEcoRide, said that e-scooters are efficient because users can get to where they’re going faster than driving.
Im said he lives in Richmond
and it cuts his commute time to get to downtown Vancouver by a half when he uses his e-scooter.
“It took me like 23 minutes to get here. If I drive, it takes about 45 minutes to get here. So, there is a lot of time consumed,” he said.
But speed isn’t the only factor. Im adds e-scooter users should be experienced in order to be safe on the road.
“I think as long as you know the regulations, if you have been driving for long enough or you have at
least plus five years, then you kind of know what to do,” he said. “But if you let people like 15-year-olds ride on the road by themselves, they don’t know what’s going on.
"Then there’s a higher chance that they can get into an accident.”
By SIDDHARTH TEOTIA and YASHVIKA GROVERAlocal brewery is looking to tap into the non-alcoholic market by targeting vending machines
In a bid to capitalize on the booming market for non-alcoholic beverages, one Vancouver brewery is hoping to move into a new market –– vending machines in campuses across the province.
The idea came to Lane Matkovich, owner of Nonny Beer in Vancouver, who has seen the demand for non-alcoholic alternatives continue to rise, particularly among young adults seeking healthier lifestyle choices.
“We’re definitely interested in exploring vending machines. We’d love to keep the beer occasion alive,” he said. “We want people to start experiencing in different contexts. It doesn’t have to just be at your local pub, but it can be that refreshing beverage after you know class at college.”
According to a 2022 survey by Future Market Insights, “The global non-alcoholic beer market is
expected to surpass a valuation of US$43.6 billion by 2032, expanding at a 7.8 per cent CAGR.”
The idea of selling non-alcoholic beer and wine isn’t entirely new. Back in October, Guinness introduced its new non-alcoholic Guinness 0 in a handful of pop-up vending machines across the country, including at Waterfront Station in Vancouver.
Matkovich said it could help change attitudes toward non-alcoholic drinks.
“By putting these non-alcoholic options in vending machines, it … helps with breaking the stigma around people thoughtfully choosing,” he said.
Doug Stephen, owner of The Drive canteen in Vancouver, is planning to have his own non-alcoholic drink released in the coming weeks. While he says non-alcoholic drinks are often more healthy than soft drinks often offered in vending machines,
“I think if it’s in a space where kids are of the age that they’re going to be able to drink alcohol anyway, having the non-alcoholic options available closer isn’t a bad thing,” he said.
He said adult style kombuchas, kefir waters and lacto fermented non-alcoholic beers are healthier than many drinks offered in vending machines.
“You’re getting something that’s full flavor and that pack packs some flavor and is better than a soda pop,” he said.
That said, Stephen worries it could
be a slippery slope.
“There’s the potential for it to be a gateway product,” he said.
Alcoholic beverages are no longer available on campus at Langara. The vending machines offer CocaCola, Diet Coke, Canada Dry, Pepsi, Nestea, Starbucks coffee, Gatorade, Red Bull and Monster energy drinks, and even milk.
Manavi Duggal, a second-year health science student at Langara College, said it would be strange to have non-alcoholic beer and wine in the vending machines around campus.
“It would be just promoting the alcoholic drinks in some way or the other,” she said, adding that some of the drinks offered are unhealthy.
“We already have drinks like Monster, we already have drinks like Red Bull in college.”
Langara staff member Kim Rathbone, who works in the IT department, said it can be old-fashioned to judge a student for drinking a nonalcoholic beer on campus.
“It’s not going to have any impact on students’ impairment, so, from that perspective it’s no big deal,” Rathbone said. “There is the risk
that your instructors might judge you differently if they see you drinking a non-alcoholic beverage like that in the daytime.”
Angela Hansen, owner of Mocktails, was quick to jump on the idea.
“I think there’s so many different mocktails that I think would go over well in the vending machine,” she said.
“I think that the students at colleges would probably really appreciate having something other than pop and juice and the regular things that you’re used to getting out of vending machines.”
For Isabella Huang, a chance to improve her English skills has been an opportunity to learn about Canadian sustainability practices.
Huang was one of a group of students who organized and hosted the Sustainability Expo at Douglas College this week. A project by the English language learning and acquisition department, the expo featured students in the program hosting displays on sustainability.
The event was meant to help students practice their English, but Huang said she learned so much more. Before she came to the college, she said she didn’t take notice of sustainability.
“And I even didn’t care about this stuff,” she said. But now, she appreciates that items can be fixed or donated as opposed to wasted.
“I know we can do more to help us, help others,” said Huang.
Tina Fusco, an instructor and coordinator of the expo, said that students learned about wasteful practices in Canadian lifestyles.
“We studied how Canadians waste a lot of food and clothing. We only wear clothes on average seven times, and then we either donate them or throw them away.”
She said students involved in the event were learning about waste, giving away used clothing and focusing on borrowing laptops and electronic devices from the library.
Among the displays at the event was a booth dedicated to recycling food items from home for creating snacks.
Lydia Styschchuk, a Ukrainian student and a host of the booth, said that instead of spending money buying food outside of home, people should use ingredients found in their household to create healthy snacks.
“Instead they buy something, spend money, spend time and eat something when like [they could use] different ingredients we can do at home,” she said.
Paria Mehrabian, a student from Iran, said that she had never heard of sustainability before coming to Canada. “I heard it first in this college and it made me so interested about this topic.”
She said sewing and repairing clothing by hand could be used as a hobby and a way to relax and charge a person’s batteries. She called it a sustainable hobby.
“You don’t need to throw out your clothes, and you can extend the life of your clothing,” she said.
Local designers are struggling to fight against fast fashion online retailers.
The upcoming opening of a Shein pop-up store in Vancouver has become a trending topic in the fashion industry as many stores and young designers already face competition.
Vancouver design student Ava Gruft from Blanche Macdonald Centre said that companies using fast fashion is “shameful.”
She said designers work hard and put a lot of effort into making their products and fast fashion takes advantage of them.
“Young and upcoming designers can honestly feel a little bit discouraged,” Gruft said.
Fast fashion is defined as the mass production of trendy designs at a low cost. Online stores such as Shein or Temu have increased in popularity over the last few years with their ability to produce trendy clothes overnight and for having a large variety of products.
Emma Shepherd, a sustainable fashion instructor at Blanche MacDonald Centre, said while fast fashion is growing in popularity amongst the general population, as seen in the rapid growth of Shein, many up-and-coming designers are
working against that industry.
Shepherd said that one way to fight fast fashion is by finding companies that have the similar values to the designer.
She said consumers need to make sure that they are “affiliating [themselves] with people that are also having those sustainable practices.”
While many students come in with eco-friendly ideals, Shepherd said the limited job market forces many into corporate positions.
“Nobody goes to school dreaming that they’re going to be a fast fashion CEO, but a lot of people end up doing that because there’s just so many jobs in that kind of field, and we’re just going to have less and less high end jobs,” Shepherd said.
She said designers often try to find alternative methods to lower their material costs. She said she and many others source recycled fabrics.
Gruft also said it’s hard to be sustainable and affordable at the same time.
“I wrote down every cost from the photo shoots, all my material sampling, every single cost in total adds up to $5,000. So it’s really expensive."
Gruft and many other students of Shepherd said they struggle to source materials without compromising either their business or their ethics.
In Grufts’ experience, it may take up to a year to make a collection,
however, “fast fashion brands make it in like the week or days, so it can be discouraging,” she said.
It’s not just the designers that suffer. Customers of independent designers also bear the brunt of the high prices of material.
“If I were to sell my garments, like they would probably be pretty expensive, because they take a lot of work and the materials are costly,” Gruft said.
Wyatt Douglas, an aspiring stylist, said while he is adamantly against fast-fashion, he understands why some customers may be forced into buying it.
“I just think everyone kind of looks at fast fashion as the easy outlook into buying clothes, which there was a point in time where I was doing the same,” Douglas said.
He said that thrifting is also a sustainable and affordable way of shopping for students. Douglas said most people thrift when they’re looking for “certain things,” but other people go “to get clothes just for everyday wear.”
Gruft said that young people are getting more educated on fast fashion and its negative effects.
“It’s good that younger children are starting to shop more ethically and shop secondhand," she said. “They’ll also start to buy from more local designers, more small, independent fashion designers.”
PRICING SHEIN VS. OTHERS
» Joggers
Hernest Project: $140.00
Shein: $18.90
»Dress
Twothirds: $256.00
Shein: Around $20.00
»Gym shorts
Gymshark: $60.00
Shein: Around $13.00
»Boots
Filsen: $255
Shein: $38
»Tote bags
Marc Jacobs: $450.00
Shein: $50.00
»Toques
Arcteryx: $60.00
Shein: $4.70
»Denims
Stussy: $160.00
Shein: Around $30.00
When Vancouver artist Rynn Sparrow moved into a two-bedroom basement suite without a lease in February 2023, they immediately started having issues when their new roommate neglected to pay rent.
“He was a nightmare to deal with,” Sparrow told the Langara newspaper the Voice Sparrow was, by the Residential Tenancy Branch’s policy guideline, an occupant as they moved in as a roommate without a lease.
According to the guideline, an occupant has no rights or responsibilities under the lease, unless the landlord and the existing tenant agree to change the tenancy agreement.
“This guy would never pay rent on time, it was like two weeks late every time and whenever he’d pay, he’d miss it by like $200,” said Sparrow. “Being out like $200 to $500 a month for weeks at a time was really financially scary for us.”
Sparrow and their upstairs neighbours (who were on a lease) gave their roommate notice three months in advance that they wanted him out. “He was acting essentially as a squatter for a while because none of us wanted him here, but we didn’t know if we could kick him out.”
More protections are needed for roommates
Sparrow says it’s imperative for protections to be put in place for roommates.
“It’s so stressful because there’s a lot of abuse that happens in these situations,” they said.
“A lot of people have landlords who are very hands-off, or don’t necessarily care enough to provide those eviction notices to people.”
Sparrow said there should be legislation that allowed for situations like theirs “to be handled independently by the tenants.“
Warren Bowen, an advocate with the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, said that in 2023, the centre took more than 14,000 calls, many from renters seeking help over conflicts with roommates. But there was little that they could advise.
“Unfortunately, there’s no rules or guidance set by the province on what should happen between roommates. It’s kind of the wild west out there,” Bowen said.
According to Bowen, roommates or occupants can fall into various categories in the Residential Tenancy Act, depending on their tenancy status. In situations where they are all are under one tenancy agreement lease or where all roommates sign individual tenancy agreements with the landlord, they’re protected by the act.
However, he said that what have become increasingly common are situations where only one roommate — the “head tenant” — is on the agreement.
That means the other roommates pay rent to the head tenant, who in turn pays rent to the landlord.
“Those roommates are not covered under the Residential Tenancy Act, so they have no rights
against the landlord and the landlord has no responsibility to them,” said Bowen.
“If you don’t have your name on a tenancy agreement with the landlord, either as a co-tenancy or you don’t have your individual one, you’re just a roommate. You’re not considered a tenant under the act, and what we can do for you in that situation is very limited.”
The RTB doesn’t handle disputes between roommates as its sole purpose is hearing disputes between tenants and landlords.
According to Bowen, this makes these situations challenging. “They need to go to the civil resolution tribunal or small claims court, but there’s not a dedicated tribunal like the residential tenancy branch that will hear their case.”
They watched the roommate abuse those around them. “Seeing the way that this person would treat their neighbours and even treat their kid was really scary,” they said.
One of the ways that Bowen says roommates can protect themselves is by signing a roommate agreement, available on the TRAC website.
Kiana Laballe, whose chosen name is Canyon, is an Indigenous artist living in Vancouver. In March of 2022, Canyon moved into a new place as an occupant but things with their roommate, the leaseholder, went south fast.
“Unfortunately, there’s no rules or guidance set by the province on what should happen between roommates. It’s kind of the wild west out there”
— WARREN BOWEN ADVOCATE, TENANT RESOURCE & ADVISORY CENTRE
When the end of the first month came, Canyon’s roommate tried to increase the rent, and Canyon then learned that their roommate hadn’t even told the landlord they had moved in.
Canyon started making plans to move, but the situation exploded when they confronted their roommate about her behaviour. “I told her maybe a week or two before I was supposed to move that you know,
I just didn’t like the way she treated people,” Canyon said. “That was like when things just went completely downhill.” The roommate tried to lock Canyon out and said they would have to move out two weeks early, despite rent for the month being paid. There was nothing Canyon could do to fight the early eviction. “If you’re a roommate and your name isn’t legally on the lease, they can kick you out whenever you want, whether you paid rent or not for that month, which really sucked,” they said. With the housing prices in Vancouver rising, Canyon also thinks that protections for roommates are needed. “Rent is so high, it’s almost impossible to get a place on your own. Most people have to get roommates just to stay living out here,” they said.
Roommate rentals are increasing
According to Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, Roommate households are the fastest-growing housing arrangement for young people. In 2021,15 per cent of Canada’s population between the ages of 20 and 34 reported living in a roommate household, an increase from a reported 11
per cent in 2001. From 2001 to 2021, the number of roommate households across all age ranges increased by 54 per cent.
Census data also shows that more Canadians are living with roommates further into their 30s and 40s, and that, the growth in renter households was more than double that of owner households from 2011 to 2021.
In August of 2023, B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon told journalists that his government would be looking to add more protections for roommates on the same lease.
But just a few months later, ministry communications manager Liam Butler back pedaled in an email to the Voice
“The province is not considering occupant-related changes to the Residential Tenancy Act at this time,” Butler said. “The province is currently exploring potential improvements to make tenancies fairer for co-tenants, including improving education and awareness.”
Bowen doesn’t understand why B.C. government won’t prioritize legislation protecting roommates. “A lot of people live with roommates. A lot of tenants have roommates. A lot of homeowners have roommates,” said Bowen. “For a lot of people, the only way they can afford to live in Vancouver is with other people.”
Using just part of the Langara course could provide up to 3,900 units
By ELLIOT MOFFAT SHOJANIAGolfer Han Song says that when he first arrived in Vancouver two decades ago, the public golf courses were bad, but in recent years there have been improvements. Those upgrades have led to a surge in golfers.
“Now on the weekends, no chance. No chance to golf,” he told a Langara Voice reporter as he stood outside the Langara Golf Course clubhouse. “It’s 50 to 70 per cent busier than it was before the pandemic.”
Despite the surge, many Vancouver residents question whether the city-owned McCleery, Fraserview, and Langara golf courses should remain single use recreational facilities or become more accessible to an ever-growing population.
Currently these large green spaces can only be used by golfers like Song who pay between $20 and $62 a round. Some experts think the three courses could help solve the city’s current housing shortage.
According to a 2022 Vancouver report on housing needs, 77,000 city households “are living in unaffordable, unsuitable or inadequate housing.”
But despite the housing crisis, a Vancouver Park Board report from October 2023 stated, “The Golf Services Plan will not consider redeveloping golf lands for non-park use.”
When you think of golf, you may think of Tiger Woods, or The Masters, or Happy Gilmore. You likely wouldn’t gravitate to thoughts around urban planning and golf course design. But an increasing number of people are looking at how to make our cities better, more affordable, and more sustainable.
Urban designer thinks public courses should have housing
Take Scot Hein, who designed the Langara golf course clubhouse, situated in the heart of the Oakridge neighbourhood on the 120-acre public course. He has some innovative ideas that could revolutionize public greenspace use in the city.
“I like to use the Scrabble reference... is there a triple word score win in this conversation? Not to be punitive to the golfers, not to lose control and ownership as a city or taxpayers, but is there a way to think creatively about introducing, I would say, modestly, new housing opportunities on the edges.”
lack of affordable housing. Missing middle housing refers to the middle ground between single stand-alone houses and multi-level high rise apartments.
One of his proposals for Langara, outlined in a 2020 SFU presentation, is to use two greens, the clubhouse and parking area to build 3,900 units that could house approximately 10,500 people.
“So if you think about the golf course as a big field, and then if you only look at the edges as the frame to that field, then what’s interesting about that is… because you’re on the edge, you’re close to utilities already. You’re close to access for vehicles, emergency [services], pizza. It’s pretty easy to tag in with the municipal systems and so on.”
Hein believes there is a disconnect between the Vancouver Park Board and the needs of city residents.
“The park board has no interest, regulatory responsibility or societal responsibility to deliver housing. So there’s a huge disconnect between these lands and their potential.”
— SCOT HEIN, URBAN PLANNER
Hein suggested building the so-called ’missing middle’ style nonmarket housing on the edges of the golf course to address the city’s
“The park board has no interest, regulatory responsibility or societal responsibility to deliver housing. So there’s a huge disconnect between these lands and their potential…
The housing crisis, which, you know, has fallen a lot on municipal shoulders, but it obviously should be shared with provincial and federal contribution…ever since the federal contribution dried up, we’ve been struggling for affordable housing.”
In 2019, the Vancouver public
golf courses made a net profit of $3 million. By 2024, that had risen to $5 million. The Langara Golf Course, according to the B.C. Assessment Authority, is valued at $697,860,000. The course is so large it could fit eight Olympic villages inside of it or two Van Dusen Gardens.
In 2019, a park board report noted that in February of the same year Langara golfers played just 69 rounds in the entire month.
Courses part of park system; should be preserved
Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Laura Christensen said she believes there is other land the city should develop before it touches the golf courses.
“You’ve got a lot of industrial areas that I think would be more appropriate to be converting over to housing or densifying, you know, existing single family housing areas before we should start taking our parkland and developing it,” Christensen said in an interview.
She confirmed to the Voice that the possible development of golf courses had been discussed at the board level.
She does not believe converting the three courses to housing is a good idea.
“Once you’ve converted park space over to housing or some other use, you’re really never getting it back … and we’re so limited in our land area that getting green spaces is really challenging,” Christensen said.
There are ecological benefits to having golf courses. “It’s home to quite a lot of animals and insects more so than the sort of surrounding areas and does provide sort of a benefit to the ecosystem.”
Vedrana Tomic, president and founder of the Langara Geography & Urban Studies Club, said while having golf courses in the city is nice for some, it doesn’t meet the needs of most residents, including Langara College students.
Because the YMCA and Lang-
ara College are so close to the golf course it would be a great idea to have both a public plaza and student housing in the northernmost part of the golf course, Tomic said.
“Having student housing is such an issue that a lot of students brought up over the years…many students have said, ’Oh Langara is such a commuter school. I wish there were more options for student housing.’ And I always think back to the golf course. How could the golf course be revitalized into something that would be useful for the students?”
Club vice-president Brison Chursinoff said, “the golf course should be smaller, converted into more parkland and public housing… public access would probably be the best use of the area.”
Hein said he’s glad there is at least more public discussion now about the future of the public golf courses.
“I was simply trying to get both the park board and Vancouver City Council to at least think about it.”
As soon as summer comes around, Vancouver area beaches and pools are flooded with folks ready to dive in. Until an accident happens and somebody gets into trouble in the water.
Before 911 is called, a city lifeguard is usually there to make the rescue.
While the public sees firefighters, police and paramedics as first responders, lifeguards are often overlooked despite being on the front line at Vancouver beaches and outdoor pools.
Kimiko Hirakida, a current education manager at Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon and a previous lifeguard said without a doubt, lifeguards should be seen in the same light as other first responders.
“Lifeguards are there before firefighters, before paramedics and before the police are there. They are the first line of defence, and I think it is important for them to be considered first responders,” Hirakida said.
“I strongly believe that they are first responders. I’ve felt this way my whole career. I’ve responded to multiple emergencies and coordinated several emergencies and in my role as a lifeguard and lifeguard supervisor I think that there is a place where you have to think on a pool deck or at the beach,” said Hirakida.
B.C. — like other parts of Canada — has been plagued with a lifeguard shortage ever since the COVID pandemic took hold four years ago. And while Vancouver and other Lower Mainland cities have offered incentives to fill vacancies, shortages have led to reduced pool hours and parents struggling to find swimming lessons for their kids.
Hirakida said it is now much easier to get hired as a lifeguard than it used to be. And it requires less intensive training.
“I think the number one thing is community pools are shortening their hiring process. So, it’s not making it such a long hiring process and getting people hired. Five years ago, you used to have to go through quite an extensive tryout like physical tryout,” said Hirakida.
But she thinks many younger people don’t think being a lifeguard pays well enough.
“With the ongoing increase in prices of most things in Vancouver, students who would usually be of age to become a lifeguard working full time, don’t have to pay rent yet so therefore don’t have as much motivation to work as much,” Hirakida said.
According to Statistics Canada, lifeguard wages remain consistent in hourly pay. However 44 per cent of Canadians are worried about the increased costs of living. Lifeguards make considerably less than other first responders.
Hirakida also thinks attitudes among younger workers has shifted because of the pandemic.
“Right now, most people, they’re living with their parents longer so that they don’t have that extra, you know, outgoing money of rent or mortgage, so that they aren’t necessarily needing to make as much money, and they might only want to work one shift a week,” she said. “So, it’s really not necessarily a shortage, it’s just a change in availability.”
Hiring fairs and ads have been posted in the last year in British Columbia to try to increase and retain lifeguards. However, certain municipalities still struggle to hire lifeguards in its pre-COVID numbers.
Could fewer lifeguards mean more people are at risk of drowning?
According to Parachute, Canada’s national charity dedicated to injury prevention, drowning costs Canadians $191 million per year. This is based on 280 deaths, 217 hospitalizations, 1,700 emergency room visits and 18 disabilities. The cost breakdown for each incident by type in 2021 was: $623,226 per fatal drowning death; $27,981 per hospitalization; $4,019 per emergency room visit cost; and $115,825 for each drowning-related disability.
The majority of the lifeguard positions are casual, but there is no guarantee that shifts will be available.
Tony Syskakis, aquatic supervisor at the City of Vancouver, told the Voice that the city is doing what it can to fill guard vacancies.
“I think we have hired 140 indoor lifeguards and last summer we hired I believe was an additional, 35 or 40 outdoor lifeguards,” said Syskakis.
The more guards that can be hired, the more pool hours can be offered to the public.
“This year...we’re hoping for between 170 and 200. We’ve hired a lot more indoor. So, we are hoping that some of those transfers to an increase in the outdoor staff team as well,” said Syskakis.
On several occasions last summer, the historic Kitislano Outdoor Pool had to close early despite line-ups outside because of staff shortages, the Voice has learned.
The Vancouver Park Board rebranded its lifeguard school, the Vancouver Aquatics Academy, which offers lifeguard training programs for nine to 15-year-olds.
On its website, the academy says Vancouver guards are paid more than those in Toronto — between $25.21 to $29.63 per hour with an additional 12 percent in lieu of benefits. Outdoor guards start at $30.81 an hour.
“The lifeguard shortage over the
past few years has not only impacted access to safe swimming and program offerings but has put immense pressure on current lifeguards and swim instructors,” acccording to the website.
Higher wages should help alleviate the shortage this summer, Syskakis said.
Margery Duda, a current Facebook facilitator of Friends of Mount Pleasant Pool, said not only is Vancouver lacking lifeguards, but public pools as well. The outdoor pool at 16th Avenue and Ontario operated for 40 years before it was closed in 2009.
“The park board promised to replace the [Mount Pleasant] outdoor pool and included it in the park redevelopment plan in 2009,” said Duda.
But that never happened.
“If people aren’t even learning to swim in the first place, it’s going
to make that much harder for them to become a lifeguard?” Duda said.
“COVID is not the only reason why we don’t have enough lifeguards in Vancouver. And you know, New Westminster has lifeguards, Coquitlam has lifeguards and, you know, they also have swimming pools.”
Helen Fielding, an ex-lifeguard and member of Vancouver Society for Promotion of Outdoor Pools and Mount Pleasent pool, echoed Duda’s comments about shuttered pools not being replaced and the impact on children unable to get swimming lessons.
“Before the shortage of lifeguards, people would be able to be an instructor five to six mornings a week, and were not paid for the lessons they taught, they were taught for free, in the morning you taught swimming lessons for free,” Fielding said.
“That was part of the deal.”
Waiting lists are the only thing growingBy MARILYN
With increasing concern over rising food and housing costs, Surrey residents want access to community gardens. But there are few options in the city’s densest neighbourhood.
Kathie Handley spent four years growing food in the Chuck Bailey garden before it closed in spring 2023.
“Construction was supposed to have started before the new year... the rec centre doesn’t know when it’s going to start again,” Handley told the Voice
The garden was shut down for the planned expansion of the recreation centre. One growing season has been lost and there is still no sign of construction. Handley fears it will be a long time before her neighbourhood gets its garden back.
“I was looking for something outside my apartment, and there are a lot of apartment dwellers around here. I’ve always had a little garden of some sort, but last year nothing. Just my little balcony which is pretty small,” Handley said.
The estimated 2024 population of Surrey is 684,485, up from 659,126 in 2023. If the population projections are right, Surrey will surpass Vancouver in population in 2029, when Surrey’s estimated population will be 785,619. And much of that increase is in the city centre.
Yet, there have been few community gardens added to match the growth. The two existing city centre community gardens are not walking distance to many city centre residents.
Handley misses the benefits of walking to the garden each day, along with the fresh tomatoes, beans, beets and onions. There were always enough fruits of her labour to offset food insecurity issues. Each year she would freeze the excess vegetables and those would carry her through the winter into the next growing season.
Community gardens should be accessible, sizeable
Previous to gardening at Chuck Bailey, Handley had a plot in another community garden, but it was too far to walk. As she aged, she found it was too large to handle. She liked the Chuck Bailey garden because it was a close walk to her condo, had raised beds which were easier on her body and made getting to know her neighbours easy.
“I did phone around and try to apply for other gardens, but the waiting lists are very, very long so it could be years before I get into another garden.”
There are approximately 20 people on each waiting list for the two existing community gardens in North Surrey, which are not in Surrey Centre.
Dan Nielsen, Surrey’s Manager
of Landscape Operations and Park Partnership, receives community garden applications. Before the January 2024 deadline there were three requests, two of which are for the city centre area.
“We would endeavour to build one a year right now within our budget,” said Nielsen. This year’s budget is $80,000, enough to establish one community garden in the whole city.
zens’ names.
“I think community gardens are incredibly valuable. They give a person a sense of community.”
— DAWN CLIMIE, COMMUNITY GARDENER
“It’s when you get that community capacity and interest like residents saying, yeah, I want to be involved, and you find the appropriate space as well, then that’s where you think you’re lined up for success,” he said. Each application requires a list of 12 citi-
Once location is determined by Nielsen’s department working in partnership with city planners, the city builds the infrastructure for the garden. Nielsen’s department will oversee digging up the land, or placement of raised beds, measure off the garden plots and put dividing wood rails around each section, bring in appropriate growing soil, pipe the water from the street, install security fencing around the garden perimeter, and add a secured shed for storage.
The garden is expected to be run by the community, not the city.
“Our model is that it will operate independent. It is not city staffed. It
is the community coming together to manage it,” Nielsen said. “The city is not involved in the day-to-day operations. If they need something, like something fails with the irrigation system, we can assist.”
Gardens can improve physical and mental health
Dawn Climie lives on the eastern edge of Surrey’s city centre. Her plot in the Cedar Grove Organic Garden is a short walk from their home, but not for the residents in the core of the city. Climie discovered the garden while walking in the neighbourhood and has been growing vegetables and flowers there for 11 years.
Originally started in 1999, the garden’s vision had been to influence food accessibility for people near the city core. Although the garden works in partnership with Surrey, it is run solely by citizens.
“I think community gardens are incredibly valuable. They give a
person a sense of community,” said Climie. “For sure I would say the community garden has a significant impact on my family,” with the provision of fresh seasonal vegetables and the capacity to freeze the excess for use during winter months.
The size of the plots — almost five metres by five metres — is what attracted Climie to the garden. A previous plot in Guildford’s Holly Park community garden was much smaller and incapable of producing enough to address food insecurity.
“I think the city needs to realize that those dinky tiny plots are fine if you live a block or two away ... If a person is having to drive to get there, any environmental benefits have just been washed down the drain.”
Climie believes the success of her current garden, which has functioned for more than 20 years, is because “it is a good enough size that people are willing to stay around.”
Surrey City Counsellor Linda Annis loves to garden. “I wish I had more time because I love getting my fingers dirty and really getting into it,” she said.
“There should be a few more community gardens in our city centre area ... particularly as the city is building, and we’re densifying, a lot more people don’t have a place to garden any longer.”
Annis said community gardens improve the mental health of area residents.
“Community gardens bring community together, while it gives people an opportunity to grow their own food for food security, but more importantly, it provides the social interaction element.”
The increasingly dense city centre with more towers being constructed “needs community gardens the most,” Annis said.
“We know our city is growing between 1,200 to 1,500 people each and every month. We need to be keeping up with green space and specifically gardens for people to be able to enjoy the outdoors and some of the fruits from their labours.”
After the federal government cut the number of international student permits by more than a third, those arriving in Canada must come more prepared than ever.
In January, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a new annual cap of 360,000 permits in each of the next two years, a cut of 35 per cent.
And that comes after the country saw a record number of international students – more than a million – studying here in 2023.
Students and their advocates say they are being unfairly targeted for political reasons. And they feel like they are being treated as cash cows, paying more than five times as much in tuition as domestic students.
Gurleen Kaur, an international student at Langara College, says that in comparison to domestic students, her tuition fee is much higher.
“I mean there are many pressures on international students being away from your family,” she told the Voice Kaur said she has part-time jobs to cover her school fees.
“I think it should be [equal] for both the students because they are also studying the same thing we are studying,” Kaur said.
Currently an international student attending UBC pays $51,377 per 30 credits. Domestic students only pay $8,727 for the same 30 credits. At Langara, the international cost of 30 credits is $19,137 versus $3,228.60 for domestic students.
While some educational institutions offer financial aid to international students, it is much lower than the benefits domestic students are eligible to receive.
And there are more restrictions.
For example, international students who apply for financial aid must be full-time students. They are more likely to be redirected to scholarship or awards. In contrast, even part-time domestic students can access loans.
In addition to the stark differences in financial aid, international students are often excluded from other skill enhancement programs
Capping fee hikes is one easy fix, advocates say
available to domestic students. That has left many international students feeling exploited.
Federation urges limits on international student tuition fee hikes
Melissa Chirino, of the B.C. Federation of Students, said her organization wants the government to impose a two per cent limit on tuition fees for international students.
She said they lack safeguards, allowing post-secondary institutions to arbitrarily raise their fees when they need extra cash.
“We know that, leaving that up to institutions when they’re being underfunded doesn’t really help the case,” said Chirino.
She said the federation is also advocating for more funding for post-secondary education from the provincial government to prevent schools from having rely mainly on international student fees.
“We have to acknowledge that decades of systemic underfunding of the post-secondary sector has resulted in overreliance on international students,” Chirino said.
But immigration consultant Eddy Ramirez has a different perspective.
She said her Latino clients don’t feel exploited because they know before they come that colleges and universities here are costly.
“It’s not a secret for people to know that studying Canada is expensive. They apply for a visa and they should have had the financial capacity to cover for it.”
Ramirez said that most of her clients come to Canada for the security the country provides, but some are looking to gain a far better income than the one they would have in their home countries.
“If you want to come to Canada and make $100,000 a year, you have to understand that the money comes from somewhere,” Ramirez said.
Also in January, the B.C. government announced that new private post-secondary institutions would no longer be eligible to apply to enrol international students for two years.
Then post-secondary education minister Selina Robinson, who has since resigned, said some of the private schools had been offering
sub-standard programs just to get the tuition cash.
“That’s why we’re introducing more stringent requirements for institutions and robust safeguards to protect international students against bad actors, provide them with a better path to success, and make sure B.C. continues to attract the talented students we need to fill significant gaps in the labour market and drive our economy forward,” Robinson said.
Chirino said her organization welcomes the policy change.
“We really do commend the provincial government for taking the first steps to stop the exploitation faced by international events at private and public. And I think the one announcement that really speaks to the public sector is introducing a new requirement to provide fee transparency. It is an acknowledgement that more oversight is needed for international
students in B.C. and it’s actually the support that we’ve been asking for years.”
International applicants need more cash on hand in 2024
On top of the federal government’s international student cut is an increase in the amount each applicant has to have on hand in order to come to Canada.
The federal website says that starting this year, “a single applicant will need to show they have $20,635 … in addition to their first year of tuition and travel costs.” That’s up from just $10,000 in 2023. That means more international students need to work in Canada in order to live and pay tuition.
Langara student Gurkirat Singh is one of them. He said most “international students rely on jobs to make their living and pay their tuition.”
Garibul Singh, who also studies at Langara, said the large numbers of
international students in Vancouver has made it difficult to find a job. He thinks the new cap will help those already in B.C.
“I would say that gives out more and more opportunities to work because less immigrants coming in means people who are already in B.C. have open job opportunities.”
However, both think the new rules will impact students who had made plans to come to their families and relatives in Canada.
“Most of the students rely on their relatives to come to Canada, especially Punjabi students from India, they mostly rely on relatives to support them when they come to Canada so that is a no go for them,” said Gurkirat Singh.
Ramirez said despite the increased cash threshold, she has received more inquiries about study permits in Canada than she did last year.
“The harder it gets, the more, like, people want it,” Ramirez said.
Four years after COVID first struck, Seth Magdaong still struggles with his mental health and the impact of the pandemic.
“It was the uncertainty that scares you the most,” Magdaong told the Voice . “Even now, I may have manageable anxiety but at times when I can’t control it, I feel it worsens over time.”
Magdaong, 27, is one of an increasing number of B.C. residents still battling mental health issues in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The results of a national survey released by Statistics Canada in December 2023 said that while more Canadians said they were happier in 2023 than during the darkest days of COVID, one in four adults reported continuing moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder — the same number as in 2021.
Justine Blake, 31, was diagnosed with mild depression a year after the pandemic hit.
“I didn’t know it was depression until I saw a psychiatrist,” Blake said in an interview.
Blake still struggles to come to terms with the fate of her mother who died in 2021 because of complications from COVID.
“My mother was healthy, bubbly and joyful. She worked out. It was so sudden, and I never forgot about how she suffered,” Blake said.
After losing her mother, she spiraled downhill and lost his interest in life. She quit her job and sold her Lego collection.
And she started to isolate herself.
“I do not want to go out, meet my usuals, even go take a shower is a task for me,” Blake said.
Some still fear stigma of mental health diagnosis
Nicole Jenni, a PhD candidate in Behavioural Science at UBC, said many people coping with mental health struggles don’t seek help because they fear stigma or being admitted to hospital.
People need to invest resources into taking care of themselves, at least at a basic level, she said.
“You don’t get adequate amounts of sleep, you don’t keep up with your daily tasks and goals so you let your workload pile up, you miss deadlines your mental health can suffer,” Jenni said.
“I think people tend to think that
poor mental health is something we do or do not have, but in reality, we all have the capacity to develop mental health struggles if we don’t invest resources to protect this.”
After moving to Canada 11 years earlier, Magdaong had adapted well to his new home — he made friends and got involved with others who shared his interests.
However, when the pandemic hit, he regressed to being the scared 12-year-old child who had just moved to a new country.
“I felt alone even if I’m staying
with my mom. I felt sad. I felt like I needed to restart my life which I found so difficult when I first moved here,” Magdaong said. His mom Armida Tecson had immigrated a few years before him, hoping to give him a better life.
Being an only child, Magdaong had no one to speak to, didn’t know how to express what he was feeling and found it difficult to manage his emotions.
But his mom was always there for him.
“I always talk to mom, and she
gives me advice all the time. Heavy but easy conversation. It gets emotional at times,” Magdaong said. But the pandemic brought a more severe level of heightened anxiety.
“Talking to a psychiatrist was more triggering as she diagnosed me with severe anxiety,” he said. “She asked for more details about my pain and my triggers.”
Tecson said as she could see her son struggling and knew he needed help.
“We went through tough times during COVID,” she recalled.
Reaching out can bring relief
A few months after Blake’s mother died a concerned friend suggested she see her doctor.
“A friend of mine told me that I needed help, I was exhausted being alone each day and she somehow managed to convince me,” said Blake.
It was hard for Blake to see a doctor as being in a hospital or clinic as she is triggered by anything associated with a medical setting.
“I scheduled an appointment right away without realizing I was afraid of anything that is related to a hospital,” Blake said.
Though the first few sessions were online, the thought of speaking to a doctor was exhausting for her.
When Blake was scheduled to meet the psychiatrist in a hospital, “I was very nervous and shaking.”
“I wanted to disappear that time, but I just pushed myself and think this could help me get my life back.”
Blake is still taking a prescription for mild depression while Magdaong no longer needs any. Both now know how to access mental health services when they need them.
Mental health of kids and young adults impacted more by pandemic
According to an April 2021 article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, children and adolescents were expected to have more long-term mental health issues related to the pandemic.
“Children and adolescents are more likely to experience high rates of depression and anxiety during and after a pandemic,” said the article, co-authored by University of Alberta assistant professor Salima Meherali.
The recent data released by StatsCan indicated that the prevalence of mental health issues among young adults remained higher in 2023 than it was at the start of the pandemic.
A third of those aged 18 to 24 reported severe symptoms of depression – the same level as two years earlier.
The report said LGBTQ+ adults were most likely to report moderate to severe symptoms of mental health issues, with 45 per cent suffering from depression, 35 per cent struggling with anxiety and 19 per cent dealing with PTSD.
Blake said the most important thing people dealing with their mental health need to do is “overcome your fear of being judged by the public.”
“You must put your mental health as your priority if you want to take care of your family and the next generation,” she said. “You need to look out for yourself if you want to lookout for your loved ones.”
Travel experts warn of hidden fees, failed communication and other risks By MEHARWAAN MANAK
Travelling can be stressful at the best of times, but more so for those who get exploited by third party booking sites.
When Ryan Kalkat was 18, he and his family planned to go to India to see his critically ill grandmother.
“For the four of us to get there was nearing like six to $7,000 that our family just didn’t have,” Kalkat recalled in an interview with the Voice His parents decided to sell their house in order to buy their tickets, which were booked through the popular travel site, Expedia.
“When we got to the counter, we were told that Expedia never actually sent over our reservation and that we had to contact Expedia ... we tried calling, but we missed that flight,” said Kalkat.
With all that money gone to waste and no way to get it back, the Kalkats were not able to see their grandmother until her funeral the following week.
“Expedia has never covered anything back. They said that they did send it, but the airline said they didn’t ... So we’re kind of stuck in the middle,” he said.
Five years after the family tragedy, Kalkat is now in flight school training, aspiring to attain his private and commercial pilot licences.
Travel industry experts say his story illustrates just one of the problems consumers face when dealing with third-party booking through companies like Expedia, Booking. com, FlightHub and Kayak.
According to experts, the popularity of travel continues to grow,
especially now in the post-COVID world.
Third-party booking services are at an all-time high, but consumers must be aware of the potential risks and take steps to protect themselves from an array of risks. These include fraud and other forms of exploitation such as hidden fees, limited options, and a lack of transparency when it comes to their personal information.
Data collected by the online site Travelperk showed that the online travel industry generated revenue worth $667.55 billion in 2023.
With a projected growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.99 per cent between 2023 and 2030 and is expected to hit $1,569.25 billion.
Consumers complain about hidden fees, poor customer service Third-party booking services are advertised as convenient and sustainable.
But experts and travellers interviewed by the Voice said customer service is not a priority for airlines and other service providers when bookings are not made directly through them.
Cindy Ricketts, an airline customer service agent and trainer, has been working in the industry for over 25 years and describes her experiences with third- party bookings as “a lot of miscommunications.”
“A lot of things are not transferable to us,” Ricketts said, citing extra fees for baggage, fare bundles and seat assignments.
“This is how third parties make money.”
Consumers will pay upfront with the online booking service expecting for their check in service to go efficiently when in reality, Ricketts said “because funds were not transferred ... we can’t honour anything because there’s no proof on our side.”
How do these miscommunications happen?
Sean Samii, a travel agency owner for more than 20 years, said “if you buy a ticket from a travel agent, that ticket stock that airline sold belongs to that travel agency because it’s reported through International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Bank Settlement Plan (BSP) Canada.”
“BSP is the middleman between the travel agency and the airline.
Once you buy a ticket, it goes through the BSP and then to the airline,” said Samii.
This system handles all the transferring of the funds to the airline.
airline, hotel, or car rental company, consumers can communicate their specific needs and preferences directly to the provider and notifications will be sent out.
“We get trained, or we get updated on products on a daily basis or monthly basis. We go to trainings, we go to seminars, we go to trade shows,” Samii added.
Third party sites don’t always give airlines passenger details
The issue when booking through a third-party platform is that communication is often mediated by the platform itself, which may lead to miscommunication or misunderstandings between the consumer and the service provider.
“If you’re a good travel agent, you won’t bend the rules like that ... It’s problematic for the airline. It’s problematic for the guest.”
—SEAN SAMII, OWNER, TRAVEL AGENCY
Another risk of booking through a third-party platform is the lack of direct communication with the service provider.
“It’s better to buy from a travel agent than a third party because there are a lot of times that you know you don’t receive notifications,” Samii said.
When booking directly with an
Alice He, a Vancouver Airport coordinator of three years, compared the concept to subletting.
“Airlines contract out third parties and their agreements with a set number of tickets from an airline or reservations they can make with an airline,” He told the Voice From He’s experience, “a lot of times a lot of guests show us their itinerary and it shows payment for seat selection, but it’s not communicated with the airline therefore we don’t have any money.”
This is the easiest way for third parties to collect hidden fees and charges — at the consumers expense.
Airlines used to pay commissions. Now they don’t.
If third parties or travel agents are buying from a consolidator, they can mark it up to 22 per cent of the fare. However, this markup is usually done by not transferring funds to the service provider directly.
“If you’re a good travel agent, you won’t bend the rules like that. You won’t do it. It’s not legal ... It’s problematic for the airline. It’s problematic for the guest,” Samii said. However, “there are crooks everywhere.”
Another risk associated with thirdparty bookings is the potential for limited flexibility in terms of changing or cancelling bookings.
American Airlines is one of the many airlines that has cracked down on their eligible travel policies stating that rewards, airline miles, elite benefits, and customer service will only be provided to those who book directly through them starting May 1, 2024.
Rooven Maharaj, an airline agent, said “once those bookings are made through third party, you can only do so much.”
While service providers are subject to industry regulations and standards, third-party platforms may have their own terms and conditions that govern the booking process and the resolution of disputes.
“Unfortunately, you would not be able to change that ticket because it was issued by a third party.” Maharaj said. “So, all the changes are to go through them.”
Fresh off of a work shift and sitting in a Dairy Queen parking lot around 1 a.m., Vicki Santos talked about her employment situation.
“I work at 10 places, two of them are seasonal,” Santos said. She spends almost all her time at her various jobs.
Santos is part of an increasing number of people in Canada working in non-standard employment positions in Canada’s growing “gig economy.”
A March 2024 Statistics Canada report defined gig work as “paid work done on the basis of short-term tasks, projects, or jobs, which does not guarantee ongoing work, and where there is a need for the worker to play an active role in obtaining their next task, job or client.”
Gig jobs, but specifically food delivery and rideshare jobs such as DoorDash and Uber, have become increasingly common in recent years.
According to a December 2023 report from Statistics Canada, appbased ride service jobs have seen an increase of 48 per cent between 2022 and 2023. App-based delivery services have seen an almost 20 per cent increase in the same time frame.
Despite more people piecing together a living in the gig economy, workers have few protections.
There are no restrictions limiting the number of hours a gig worker can put in. For standard employment, anything over 40 hours a week is considered overtime with a cap of 48 hours weekly.
The lack of restrictions on nonstandard work, paired with the everincreasing cost of living, means there are many more people deciding to work long hours.
Santos, who is a stagehand or lighting technician for shows in most of her jobs, said her work hours tend to vary greatly.
Her seasonal jobs are “full days . . . about eight hours,” but the hours on her other jobs can be hard to keep track of, she told the Voice.
The most hours she’s worked in a week — split between three places — was 55. On one occasion, she was awake for 58 hours straight.
No protections for gig workers
Neither the Canadian Labour Code nor the B.C. Employment Standards Act safeguards for gig jobs, or anyone working in multiple
places.
Last November, an amendment to the provincial act was passed to include “online platform workers” under the title of “employees” to afford them more protections in their jobs.
Robert Russo, a UBC professor and an expert on labour and employment law, said he believes this change will affect around 40,000 B.C. workers.
“It will apply whether or not that gig worker is an employee under any other law,” Russo said.
He said more legislative changes are needed to accommodate the growing gig economy.
“The Employment Standards Act isn’t really designed for that,” he said. “It’s designed for the one kind of 40 hour a week job, you know, or maybe a part time job that’s not quite 40 hours.”
Russo said that while the amendment is an improvement for gig workers, there are some issues with it as well.
“One of the limits of it is it doesn’t, it doesn’t allow for sick leave, provisions for them [online platform workers],” he said. “So they’re not really the same employees as normal standard employees under the act.”
Santos said that while she usually can take time off when she’s sick, she decides on a “job-by-job basis.”
“When it’s like a smaller kind of ... show or like your role is very important or there’s nobody that can replace you, it’s kind of like a morality thing,” she said. ”When I was a stage manager, being sick was not really an option.”
Long hours can have health impacts
Lieke ten Brummelhuis, an academic director and associate professor at SFU who specializes in workaholism and work-life balance, said one of the main things long work hours impacts is health, both mental and physical.
“That is one of the first things that happened that people just feel down, depressed, sad, frustrated, maybe even angry,” she said.
Brummelhuis also said that if a person doesn’t give their body time to recover, they are more likely to get sick.
“You might develop some minor infections, or maybe some back complaints ... your body is just indicating ’I need a break’,” she said. “But at some point your body is going to say, ’it’s enough.’”
Santos said while she tries to keep track of her own health, it can be a struggle, especially when she’s regularly awake for 36 hours or more.
“Once you, like, stop working, you’re just like ’Oh no, my body gave up five hours ago’,” she said. “If you do push your body too far, I do find that [it’s] a lot easier to catch something.”
Santos said when her mind is kept preoccupied for extended periods, it’s even easy to forget essential things like food and water.
“There’s like, ’oh, it [the body] is just upset because I lifted up the heavy thing’, not ’oh, I haven’t eaten in like, 24 hours,’” she said.
Some gig workers feel they have few options
Brummelhuis said outside of the financial aspect of things, people may choose to work longer hours due to either internal or external pressures.
“They’ve gotten into a work style where they almost are addicted because they feel like there’s rush of energy and like adrenaline,” she said.
She said the more external aspect of the pressure can come from being constantly connected and reachable through devices.
Santos said there are multiple reasons why she does gig work, but the main one is the price of living in
“There’s been periods of time where I’m just, like, broke as s**t,” Santos said. “Especially when I was coming out of school . . . like, ’oh, all of my money has gone into paying for school, into paying for my gas [and] feeding me every once in a while.’”
Another reason Santos started working long hours was the social aspect of the job. “You spend time with people who have the same interests as you, who have the same job as you,” she said.
“You can talk about work, and they can also talk about other jobs you have going on too.”
