WEDNESDAY
July 8 2015 Vol. 106 No. 53
OPINION 10
Realtors need reassessing THEATRE 14
King Lear looms large SPORTS 20
World Cup runneth over There’s more online at
vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION
THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908
Street homelessness declines
Shelter population remains the same Mike Howell
mhowell@vancourier.com
ZIP IT First-time visitors to Queen Elizabeth Park Karen and Nate Whistler, with daughters Hazel and Fiona, wanted a family photograph taken in front of the park’s temporary zipline Saturday morning. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT
Locking up love locations Park board mulls over “love lock” sites Megan Stewart
mstewart@vancourier.com
Vancouver Park Board commissioners embraced public displays of affection on Monday but are still deciding which park will be the best place for “sweethearts” to lock up their love and throw away the key. Commissioners approved commissioning a “love lock” sculpture, but had reservations about installing it in one of the three high-traffic parks proposed by staff. In addition to English Bay, Kitsilano Beach Park and the plaza at Queen Elizabeth Park, commissioners are seeking suggestions for
more intimate, less-visited parks in order to spread the love — and tourist traffic — around the city. Commissioners were concerned about tarnishing views and worried about the environmental impact of a rise in visitors and if keys, which are thrown away after a padlock is snapped shut, would be tossed in the water at shoreline parks. Staff will suggest additional locations, and the public can weigh in later this summer to help decide which park will become a city love-in. Artists can submit proposals. Initially, staff recommended five locations. Prospect Point and the wooden wharf at Jericho were also on the list. By installing a designated place for “love locks” at one a high-traffic, high-tourist location in the city, the park board will join
cities such as Toronto, Seoul and Moscow in directing lovers to a made-to-order sculpture. The city doesn’t allow locking padlocks to random pieces of civic infrastructure, regardless of the site’s personal meaning, and has cut locks from the Burrard Bridge and from fencing near the Plaza of Nations. Many locks are painted with names, hearts, significant dates and promises of lasting love or hope for a lower divorce rate. In some cities, the padlocks are attached to sanctioned fixtures, such as the row of identical iron sculptures on Moscow’s Luzhkov Bridge. In Toronto, locks have been cut off the Humber Bridge about once a year since 2011, but the Ontario capital now has a designated place to lock down love in the Distillery District. Continued on page 9
Faith moves houses Faster and for More Money* *Based on 2014 VVW Detached + Condos + Townhouses sales, the average 2014 sale price in VVW was $1,229,955. The average sale price vs. list price of Faith Wilson Group’s 2014 VVW sales was 1.29% higher that the MLS® average. The MLS® 2014 Average Days on Market (Detached, Townhouses, Condos) was 46. The average D.O.M. of Faith Wilson Group’s 2014 VVW sales 86.6% less than the MLS® average.
The number of people counted over two days in March living on the street in Vancouver decreased slightly over a previous homeless count done in March 2014, the CEO of B.C. Housing said Monday. But Shayne Ramsay wouldn’t reveal statistics on the homeless population, saying he didn’t want to “steal the thunder” of the city’s chief housing director, Mukhtar Latif, who was to deliver a full report on this year’s count to city council Tuesday, after the Courier’s print deadline. “Sheltered homeless is about the same,” said Ramsay, referring to the number of people who have sought refuge in a shelter or a form of temporary accommodation until permanent housing is available. Statistics for 2014 showed Vancouver’s homeless population reached its highest overall level in history, with 1,267 people living in some form of shelter and 536 on the street for a grand total of 1,803 people. Ramsay made the comments after taking reporters on a tour of several B.C. Housing buildings in the Downtown Eastside, including some of the 13 singleroom-occupancy hotels under renovation, a 147-unit complex for women and families and an innovative project that turned the former remand centre on Cordova Street into a mix of affordable and supportive housing. Ramsay denied his unprecedented walkabout with reporters was tied to the release of this year’s homeless count statistics, which often end in Vancouver city council pointing the finger at the provincial and federal governments for not doing enough to address homelessness. Ramsay said he recently gave the same tour to Housing Minister Rich Coleman’s director of communications, who was impressed with the breadth of the investment in housing and programs in the Downtown Eastside, which is where the city’s homeless population is traditionally the largest. That tour triggered the walkabout, he added. Continued on page 7
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