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The NDP is denying they made an informal deal with marijuana activist Marc Emery.

Emery alleges he and NDP Leader Jack Layton had an agreement to bring Marijuana Party members to the New Democrats. In exchange, Emery claims the NDP said they would continue efforts to decriminalize pot.

Emery told CTV.ca in a phone interview from Vancouver he told Layton in 2003 that he and his supporters would bring thousands of new people to the NDP, offer up qualified candidates, and get voters excited about the party.

“We did all that. We fulfilled every obligation we had,” he said Saturday.

“I think it’s disingenuous to invite us, and then have a candidate acceptable all the way through the process … and at the last minute they’re unacceptable because they associated with me or have smoked pot.”

News of the alleged deal came as two B.C. NDP candidates, Kirk Tousaw and Dana Larsen, resigned after separate videos emerged that allegedly showed the pair smoking marijuana. Both were formerly active members of the B.C. Marijuana Party.

The NDP flatly denied they made a deal with Emery.

“This is pure fantasy,” campaign spokesman Brad Lavigne said. “The New Democratic Party has made no such deal with any other party or with any individual … This is nonsense, absolute nonsense.”

The NDP said Tousaw and Larsen resigned because they were a distraction from the NDP’s focus on issues like the economy.

In a release, Tousaw attributed the move to the likelihood that his past involvement in drug policy reform work might serve to continue to take the focus away from the issues that matter most to Canadians.

“I became involved in the New Democratic Party because I believe that our party has the right ideas and policies on the environment, health care, the economy and ending Canadian involvement in the war in Afghanistan,” he said. “I still believe that.”

The NDP said on Saturday that retired school counsellor Bill Forst will replace Larsen in the riding of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country. Forst will challenge incumbent Blair Wilson, a former Liberal MP who is now running for the Green Party.

With files from The Canadian Press

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouvergo/2452987303

An “extreme shortage” of studio and one-bedroom apartments in Vancouver is driving parents, students and pet owners out of the rental market and leading to lineups for the city’s few vacant suites.

The vacancy rate for bachelor suites has plummeted to 0.3 per cent, compared to the national average of four per cent for major Canadian cities, according to the most recent data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Vacancy rates for studio and one-bedroom apartments have been below one per cent in Vancouver since 2006.

“The market is astoundingly tight; 30, 40, 50 people are lining up trying to get into one apartment,” said David Goodman, a Vancouver-based rental housing expert. “It’s reached extreme levels of shortages.”

The city’s rental shortage is now a chronic condition, according to Kennedy Stewart, a researcher at Simon Fraser University who is authoring a study of rental affordability in B.C. municipalities.

“It comes with urbanization,” he said.

“A chronically low vacancy rate is the sign of a city that has to adjust its expectations of lifestyle,” he said, adding that people who want to live in high-density areas of “a teenage city” like Vancouver may have to sacrifice living space, vehicles and even furry friends until the new buildings age and owners aren’t as concerned about maintaining their pristine condition.

“Older cities have a much more flexible housing stock … we still haven’t developed that yet,” Stewart said.

The situation for tenants is the worst it has been in almost a quarter of a decade, said Martha Lewis, executive director of the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre.

“The last year and a half it’s gotten especially bad,” Lewis said, adding that more than half the homes in Vancouver are rental units.

Pet owners are in an especially tough spot.

Before 2006, there were no provincial regulations that addressed landlords, tenants and pets, but changes now allow property owners to “choose to not have pets” or charge a deposit, said Marg Gordon, CEO of the B.C. Apartment Owner’s Management Association.

“Before landlords were at the mercy of tenants; it’s now very clear that they can choose,” she said.

Read more http://www.canada.com

Jayne Seagrave and Andrew Dewberry display the letter they received from the city. The tree fort they built for their boys rises above them at back.
Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun

Vancouver Architect Andrew Dewberry lost a two-year court battle to save a tree house he built for his two sons from being removed after a British Columbia court upheld a Vancouver city order to have the tree house torn down. He was given 90 days by the judge to remove the pirate-themed tree house.

Instead of dismantling the tree house, Dewberry said that he will auction the tree house to the highest bidder. He said that several people have expressed interested in buying the tree house, and he plans to give the proceeds of the auction to a children’s charity.

Dewberry constructed the tree house in a cedar tree in his home’s front yard in Kerrisdale for his sons Jack and Sam. He spent $2,500 in building the tree house.

A neighbor complained with city authorities as it blocked the view. It was only then that Dewberry realized that he has to have a permit in constructing a tree house of that size. He applied after the fact, only to be turned by city authorities.

Last year, the city’s board of variance ordered that the tree house demolished and gave Dewberry 30 days to do so. Dewberry said that was he “blindsided” by the order, so he filed a case against the city.

From http://www.allheadlinenews.com

Some areas of Vancouver downtown are experiencing power outage since yesterday. They said fire at the underground of Richard street that caused the problem. This picture was taken at 7-Eleven store in the area — From http://flickr.com/photos/antonypranata/2671979512/

Unprecedented outage caused by circuit failure keeps more than 1,000 stores, businesses and buildings in the dark

B.C. Hydro blamed a continuing blackout affecting more than 1,000 clients in downtown Vancouver on a circuit failure in an underground cable splice, but yesterday’s answer did little to help some businesses expecting to be left in the dark for a third day as work continued to try to fix the problem.

Stores and businesses remained locked. Some posted handwritten signs saying they wouldn’t be opening again until power returned.

“There will be some negative net impact on a number of service businesses. It’s revenue they won’t be able to recoup over the balance of the year. It’s gone,” said Jock Finlayson, executive vice-president of policy for the Business Council of British Columbia.

Some council members dropped by the organization’s downtown office, where the lights were on, to ask to use computers and other equipment. Other companies told workers to stay home.

… sabotage probably wasn’t the cause.

Yesterday, B.C. Hydro showed reporters one of the 14 splices that had burned. It was a blackened, twisted series of metal wires, bound together in insulated tubes. Photos from the burned-out vault showed a contorted mess of cables, fraying and melted into one another.

B.C. Hydro was able to restore power to some buildings by switching to alternate circuits, but workers are now pulling out burned cables and replacing them with up to four kilometres of new cables.

The area’s sheer density means the impact of the outage is heightened, and convoluted circuitry means some buildings have power while their neighbours do not.

Vancouver police promised to keep officers in the area as required until power returned, but said there had been no problems with looting or other issues.

Yesterday’s continuing problems in Vancouver coincided with a 90-minute blackout in Kamloops linked to an explosion in a substation blamed on a failed circuit breaker.

B.C. Energy Minister Richard Neufeld said he was not going to draw any early conclusions on the Vancouver situation before reading a full analysis by Hydro.

Read more http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/

Power back in downtown Vancouver

After working around the clock since Monday, BC Hydro crews have restored power to all customers after Monday’s underground fire in downtown Vancouver.

According to a news release, BC Hydro restored power to approximately 100 customers during the day on Wednesday, with another 100 customers re-energized overnight, bringing all affected customers back into service.

“It should be full business as usual for downtown Vancouver this morning,” said Gary Rodford, senior vice president of field operations. “I can’t say enough about our crews that worked many long hours to get the job done.”

Americans cherish their constitutional right to keep and bear arms, even when they come to Canada, documents show.

Intelligence summaries compiled by Canada Border Services Agency show that while the agency’s officers discover smuggled guns destined for the Canadian criminal underworld, most firearms they turn up belong to law-abiding Americans.

“Most of the firearms seized by CBSA at the land ports of entry are the personal firearms of legitimate U.S. travellers who neglected — intentionally or not — to declare their personal firearms,” says the agency’s strategic intelligence analysis division in an undated report covering the period 2004-2006.

The report, along with other previously classified monthly intelligence summaries dating back to January 2007, were obtained by the Canadian Press under the federal Access to Information Act.

Crossings into British Columbia account for the largest percentage of all gun seizures and about a third of all handguns, the agency says. A high percentage is in transit to Alaska and not intended for the illicit firearms market, the report says.

Americans travelling through Canada between Alaska and the lower 48 states, often doing seasonal work, can take their guns if they declare them.

“I can tell you right now that many people that go to Alaska and legally declare their guns declare as many as 10 or more guns,” says Dan Liebel, who speaks for the Customs and Excise Union. “Now, how many don’t declare them?”

Liebel, who works at a small B.C. Interior border crossing, says no records are kept on whether declared guns that arrive in Canada are actually taken out of the country again.

Border services officials declined to be interviewed by the Canadian Press.

Read more http://www.cbc.ca

Not only is Sunday Father’s Day, it’s also Car-Free Vancouver Day.

Promoters of the event say as gas prices soar, urban congestion increases, and air quality declines it’s time for Vancouver to move away from car-dependency.

Four simultaneous community festivals get underway at noon in Kits, the West End, on Commercial Drive, as well on Main Street.

The events are free of charge, and free of cars.

Day. For more info, get in touch now! As urban congestion increases and air quality declines, smart cities around the world are beginning to move away from car-dependency. Because we know that that less cars means more community, and more community means less cars. And less cars means a healthier and happier city.

Car-Free Vancouver Day features four simultaneous Car-Free Community Festivals, each with its own unique flavour and style. This massive event is 100% volunteer produced and organized. It’s YOUR party. So get involved! Let’s reclaim our city by dancing in the streets. Community Festival Sites: Commercial Drive , Kitsilano, Main Street, and in the West End.

More Info: http://carfreevancouver.org/

If you’re looking to find good deals or just want to have a good time, the Richmond Night Market is the place for you. With over 300 booths to pick from, chances are you won’t leave empty-handed. They have hats, clocks, T-shirts, cell-phones, video games, CD’s, toys, even underwear.

From http://www.flickr.com/photos/tourismrichmond/2109237104/

A Richmond tradition makes its return. After months of complications and preparations, the Summer Night Market will open for the season tonight.

Those hoping to visit the multicultural food court will be disappointed. Due to a plumbing problem, the food court won’t open for a few weeks, but self contained vendors will be selling snacks to help stave off hunger.

Aside from the food, over 120 vendors will be offering a wide variety of goods, and admission is free. Director of operations Paul Chueng says it’s been tough, but he’s been able to overcome obstacles and the controversy surrounding the switch to a new operator.

“It’s about not giving up and just continuing on and doing all that we can to meet all the requirements from the city to the health board and even to fulfill our commitments to our contractors and our staff.”

A few weeks ago, the site’s main power pole was vandalized, but Cheung says his electrical contractors were able to repair the damage to allow the market to open on schedule.

The market will be open every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holiday Monday from 7pm to midnight, until October 5th.

From http://www.news1130.com

Paintings by several renowned Canadian artists sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars Thursday at the Heffel spring auction in Vancouver, trouncing previous records set by the painters’ work.

Works by Group of Seven artists Frederick Horsman Varley and A.Y. Jackson sold for more than half-a-million dollars each.

“Norma,” one of the largest works on sale at 101 by 83 centimetres, sold for $600,000, beating a previous Varley record of $550,000.

“A painting of this quality doesn’t come up very often,” said Robert Heffel, who runs Heffel Fine Art Auction house with his brother, David.

The double-sided oil on canvas, circa 1929, depicts Norma Park, a student of Varley’s during his time spent in Vancouver. Varley, along with Lawren Harris, was one of two members of the Group of Seven to paint portraits.

A.Y. Jackson’s “Winter Afternoon Near Baie Saint Paul, Quebec,” a 1924 oil on canvas showing a horse and sleigh cutting a path through fresh snow, reached $525,000. That bested a previous record by about $50,000.

Many of the bids came from absentee buyers who dialled in by telephone and watched the auction live on the Internet from Europe, Asia and across North America.

“Tamarack Swamp (Sketch 5)” by the pre-Group of Seven artist Tom Thomson drew the highest bidding for the night and sold for $1 million, just shy of a previous record for the his work.

It’s the sixth Thomson painting to sell for more than $1 million, the auction house said.

The small oil on panel painting, approximately 21 by 26 centimetres, depicts a rich landscape of rowed tamarack trees on the far side of a swamp, beneath a turbulent sky and foreboding hillside.

While the numbers may seem astonishing, Heffel said a booming market for art has made it a wise choice for those looking to invest their money.

“Art has become another asset class in which to put your money, like real estate,” Heffel said.

“The art market worldwide is very strong, and the Canadian art market is very strong.”

The auction house sold $50 million of art in 2007, $43 million of it in Canada, Heffel said. Thursday’s auction totalled about $10 million.

“Watching the Boat,” a signed oil and canvas by impressionist painter Helen Galloway McNicoll, was one of the big surprises of the night, selling for a record $525,000.

The previous record for the artist’s work was $280,000, Heffel said.

The painting, circa 1912, shows children at play beside a lush stream bed.

Along with Ritchies/Sotheby’s of Toronto and Joyder Waddington’s, Heffel’s is one of three Canadian auction houses.

From http://canadianpress.google.com

Yep - couple of rather large grizzly bears to be precise; they were in an enclosure on the top of Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, but still - amazing to see up close.

From http://www.flickr.com/photos/raindog/50039627/

Metro Vancouver Regional Parks has issued a guide on how to live safely with bears–in parks and in residential areas.

The brochure “What about Bears?” includes information on bear behavior, tips on avoiding bear run-ins and how to keep them away from your yard.

You can bear-proof your home by securing garbage, removing bird feeders in the warmer months and sprinkling compost with lime. Another good idea is washing out pop and beer containers so the smell won’t attract a curious bear.

The brochure is available at regional park info booths and also on the Metro Vancouver website at http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/

From http://www.news1130.com/news/local

Vancouver’s downtown east side a disaster area ?

A lot of people would say YES. Crime is the one of the biggest reasons. There are drug deals in the DTES and many drug users. The users have to commit crime to support their drugs habits. A lot of the users are either homeless or living in affordable housing, main rundown east side hotels and apartments.

First of all the hotels they live in are disgusting, infested by insects and rodents. They are also in disrepair having owners that don’t seem to care. The Sahota family is one of the owners , owning a number of hotels and apartments. The Cobalt Motor Hotel on the 900-block Main Street is one of the hotels that is owned by Sahota.

A 21-storey condo/townhouse complex across the lane has just been finished and is ready for occupancy. Security guards are stationed at the back of the building, the fifth tower of the City Gate development at the end of False Creek, and a fence has been erected.

The Regent and the Balmoral Hotels are another two run down hotels, with many other DTES hotels in the same condition.

Drug Users

Just today I observed two females on the Hastings Street side walk right near Insite the supervised injection site, which is funded by the government. One girl was laying down and the other was sitting up preparing to shoot up. Inject herself with drugs. This is not a unusual thing to see on east Hastings Street. Illegal drug use is right in the open on the street. Drug dealers are everywhere.

A lot of the homeless sleep outside on the sidewalks. There is 6000 homeless people in the DTES and the lucky ones have a place to sleep at night, it’s called a shelter. It is not housing. The don’t live there.

The governments answer for the homeless seems to be “ we’ll add more shelter “. This is not the answer. More affordable housing is needed. More programs for the drug addicts is needed. The laws concerning illegal drug sale need to be made a lot tougher, which will mean more jails are needed to house convicted pushers. It is not happening !

The Winter Olympics will here in 2010 and you can bet that a lot of this terrible situation will somehow be made to disappear. Laws will have to be enforced and the homeless people living on the street will have to somehow disappear. You can be sure plans are being made right now after all Vancouver can’t show it’s shame to the world.

Violence is what the Vancouver City Police try to control. With stabbings, beatings and murders the DTES is not a safe place to be. Very recently six people where killed in Surrey, four of which are known to police. Gang war is suspected. Dealers fighting for control of the drug trade.

From http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluegoose9999/1770171792/