FRIDAY
June 5 2015 Vol. 106 No. 44
SENIORS WEEK 18
Why Dal does well MUSIC 24
Levitation fest’s witchy ways SPORTS 29
FIFA World Cup schedule There’s more online at
vancourier.com WEEKEND EDITION
THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908
No feds at pot talk
Harper government says dispensaries are illegal Mike Howell
mhowell@vancourier.com
At least 65 people have signed up to speak at a public hearing next Wednesday to weigh in on whether the city should regulate the growing number of marijuana dispensaries in Vancouver. More speakers are expected to register as the hearing nears, but the biggest critic of the city’s proposal — the federal government of Stephen Harper — has not committed to send any representatives to city hall and likely won’t participate. In an email exchange this week with Health Minister Rona Ambrose’s office, the minister’s press secretary Michael Bolkenius told the Courier that Ambrose already outlined the government’s opposition in a letter sent in April to Mayor Gregor Robertson. Bolkenius reiterated Ambrose’s position that dispensaries, of which there are more than 80 at the city’s last count, are illegal and will remain illegal under the Conservatives. Bolkenius urged the public to attend the hearings to voice their views on the proposal. “These stores have absolutely no regard for the rule of law and have been caught selling marijuana to kids — they represent part of [Liberal leader] Justin Trudeau’s plan to legalize marijuana and make it available just like alcohol and cigarettes,” he wrote. Joyce Murray, the Liberal MP for Vancouver-Quadra, said the partisan shot at Trudeau amounts to “political trash talk” by the Conservatives, whom she blamed for allowing dispensaries and marijuana use among young people to flourish. “The reason that the city is having to regulate the dispensaries is because of this government’s policies and failure of leadership on the issue of marijuana,” said Murray, noting she supports the city’s move to regulate the pot shops. The federal Liberals, she said, want to see a national policy shift where marijuana is “properly regulated and controlled” to address Canadians’ health needs and curb organized crime’s involvement in the marijuana trade. Continued on page 8
HEADS UP Technologist and blogger John Biehler will demonstrate the power of 3D printing at Vancouver Mini Maker Faire June 6 and 7 at the PNE Forum. He says the technology is already changing everything from manufacturing to medicine. See story page 6. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
Restless youth in a divided city Housing a flashpoint between haves and have-nots Jen St. Denis
jstdenis@biv.com
Brandon Williams is doing just as Vancouver real-estate industry insiders suggest. He lives and works in Vancouver but soon he, his wife and his baby will move to Maple Ridge to pursue the dream of owning a house with a yard. Only, in his family’s case, it will be half a yard because the Williamses are planning on teaming up with another couple to buy a house with two suites. It’s the only way they’ll be able to afford a house, even in the lower-priced suburbs.
He admits he’s not thrilled about the move. When his wife returns to work from parental leave, they’ll make what he thinks should be “more than enough money to afford a place.” “I’m pretty excited about our future,” Williams said, “but I wish our future could be in Vancouver.” Housing in Vancouver has become a symbol of a growing divide among the generations and among the rich, poor and middle classes. But beyond the hot-button issue, measures of income disparity show that British Columbia also has the highest level of income inequality
Thinking oƒ SELLING your Vancouver home?
in Canada — and that could put future economic growth at risk. Over the past 30 years, inequality has grown throughout the developed world, including in Canada. By measures of both income inequality and wealth inequality, B.C. is the most unequal province in Canada, according to analyses of Statistics Canada data by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Broadbent Institute. Real estate is a big part of the reason wealth is more concentrated in B.C., according to the Broadbent Institute. Continued on page 12 $
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