by Sean Orr | It’s not about power, it’s about power: BC sitting on enough geothermal to power whole province: New maps. Um, yeah…but that doesn’t make our donors any money and we probably don’t get to flood any First Nations land. Plus we don’t get to sell it at a discount rate to LNG plants, so…

It’s almost like there’s some sort of problem that arises when we try to commodify things like energy and housing: Why Vancouver rents spiked in 2016. Wow, a realtor thinks we should build more rental supply. Not mentioned: Airbnb, renovictions, and fixed term tenancies. But it did mention something called “the multi-family asset class”, and it sounds terrifying.

Exhibit A: Notorious serial renovictor Steven Lippman has purchased the old Georgia Hotel (aka Bad Manors). Now renting “microsuites” at $1100/month. The craigslist listing was immediately flagged for removal? Now that’s bad manners. Here is the listing on the Living Balance’s website, but it still doesn’t mention how much rent the bed bugs have to pay.

Concord Pacific sues city of Vancouver over False Creek land development. Welcome to Bizarro Vancouver, where the biggest real estate developer in the city has to sue the city for breaking its promise to build social housing.

In Bizarro Vancouver, we go after the people who leak about tax cheats, not…you know…the tax cheats.

In Bizarro Vancouver, we hate iconic buildings and love the humdrum: Bold house design in Vancouver draws ire while blandness runs amok.

Scout has a Lexicon entry for that, too.

In Bizarro Vancouver, we wonder how a Vancouver lawyer stretches her $110,000 income. Ah, I see: “My mom owns it. I just pay the strata, property tax, insurance, etc.” Nicely played, VanMag.

NIMBY of the day: Noise complaints increase as train whistles warn homeless near Newton tracks.

Speaking of Surrey: ‘This is the saddest photo I have ever taken,’ B.C. woman says of grandparents forced to live apart. Yeah, but the sponsored BC Liberal ad on my Facebook says we are the best province and have tons of job, so…

As overdose deaths surge in B.C., Ottawa to leave injection-site law as is. I had completely forgot that the legislation the Liberals are now disgustingly refusing to overturn is called The Respect for Communities Act. Say what you will about the (just resigned) Harper, but he could always name a fucking bill!

Bro Fun City: Nonsensical Vancouver beach rules ruin the fun. Totally, but so do hordes of football-hucking chongos wearing raybans, backwards hats and board shorts. But yeah, the official reason for the inflatable ban is that they would float away into the ocean? Ha! Like that would ever happen.

It happened: Fifteen hundred possibly drunk Americans successfully invade Canada via the St. Clair River. Call it a test run.

Road trip! How gay can a gay bar be in the heart of BC’s Bible Belt? Turns out, pretty gay.

“Hi, where can I find all the Mexican shit”? Food, race and the ethnic aisle. Sean, do not point out that there is a British section at Nesters. This is an amazing article that really made me think about a subject I’d never thought about:

“The sociological issue with the ‘ethnic aisle’ is that it reinforces the ‘othering’ of people of colour and ‘diverse’ communities. The ethnic aisle is a physical manifestation of the fact that we live in a (white) colonial society where people of colour and Indigenous communities are still regarded as ‘others’.”

‘My customers, they are crying’: After 44 years, iconic East Van restaurant Tops gets set to serve its final meals. Holy shit, Gord McIntyre. How do you butcher a story so badly in only the first paragraph?

She’s confused.

“I couldn’t understand how a restaurant was going to come out of this hole,” Helen Taraviras Zambus says 44 years later.

Come out a restaurant did — and Tops became an East Van fixture.

All good things and all that, however.

Er…what?

The Legend of New Brighton Park:

“It’s the people,” she says. “I love the people. I’ve served some of them for 40 years. They love my fish ‘n’ chips. Some families are onto their third generation coming down here, but it’s not as busy as it once was. People can’t afford to live in Vancouver anymore.”

Sean of the day: Megaphone Magazine lead moves on to new job with Vancity Community Foundation. Why are all Seans so creative and talented and hard working?

Bonus: How a TV Sitcom Triggered the Downfall of Western Civilization.