Wreck Beach

photo credit: sarahfelicity

Vancouver’s famous Wreck Beach is going through some challenges.

Thanks to Craigslist, public displays (more intimate than below) are now becoming more common on wreck beach.

According to an article in the Straight:

“Judy Williams thinks public sex could ultimately ruin the beach. For 27 years, she’s been at the helm of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society, defending Canada’s first clothing-optional beach against a “never-ending and ceaseless onslaught” of attacks. After as many as 80 years as a tacit clothing-optional zone, and drawing as many as 12,000 users in a day, Wreck has no legal protection and no real representative government.

If the cruisers take over, she fears, the heat will come down on everyone. With 2010 on the horizon, she’s afraid that the same folks who brought us Project Civil City will crack down on Vancouver’s “green-light” district—where just about everything goes, but not quite”

Wreck Beach is one of the largest clothing-optional beaches in the world, located next to the University of British Columbia campus. The near location to the campus guarantees a few hotties each weekend…

James Loewen photo

Don’t Miss:

Wreck Beach Bare Buns Run, soon! The event this year is August 17th, 2008. Low tide on the sand flats will allow us to begin this year’s Run/Walk at 12:00 noon! Registration will open at 9:30 am.

Register online HERE. Registering early means you’ll get a T-Shirt or tank top reserved for you!

They’re expecting hundreds this year, so don’t miss out! The cost of  registration helps cover your T-shirts and the gas to bring the run suppliles to the beach; the rest is a donation to the Wreck Beach Preservation Society – helping keep Wreck Beach beautiful, for all, for ever.

Happy sun tanning…

Vancouver’s New Justice System

Whistler Is Now 8 Hours Away

photo credit: Adrian Lee

Please Come Visit Vancouver…

photo credit: frielp

Vancouver has seen a decline of six per cent in American tourists this year compared to last. You can see it on the roads with the absence of American license plates.

Stretched over the course of the year, that number is significant, said Walt Judas of Tourism Vancouver.

“We’re talking between 150,000 to 200,000 overnight visitors from the U.S., which is a substantial number,” he said.

Usual numbers are 8.7 million tourists a year and $3.7 billion in visitor spending. A drop of 6% equals 220 million dollars.

Victoria isn’t taking things lying down.. with a huge ferry price increase on the way (as much as 18 per cent on August 1st),  Tourism Victoria is partnering with BC Ferries to offer a one-time promotion for August travel — book two nights accommodation in Greater Victoria and Tourism Victoria will pay your way there.

Maybe dropping the ridiculously high gas and sales taxes for August might help?

Bringing prices in line would make a big difference. After the uproar when the Canadian dollar hit parity with the US, I’ve yet to see prices come down. The indifference shown by the retail industry when it comes to fair pricing is going to cost them dearly in the long run.

Tourism is one of the largest industries here… time to treat it as a business facing challenges.

A Hell Of A Party For The Angels

photo credit: Stuart R Brown

The Hells Angels, the largest outlaw motorcycle gang in the Canada, celebrate their 25th anniversary in BC. Helping to promote the event, the RCMP posted a press release to let everyone in on the time and place.

To celebrate the anniversary, they’re throwing a party in Langley. Bikers from as far away as Sherbrooke, Quebec are dropping by it. Good food, music and a throng of police. Visitors are each greeted by the province’s Integrated Gang Task Force.

It should be a great event with the three chapters - White Rock, Vancouver and Nanaimo - all pitching in. They seem to make a pretty good living off of the drug trade, prostitution, fraud and extortion, so party favors, entertainment and lawyer fees shouldn’t be much of an issue.

There are more Hells Angels per capita in Canada than anywhere else. They even a have a pretty good website - showing that technology hasn’t passed them by. With six chapter sites under construction, they seem to be growing their business despite high gas prices and the slowdown in the economy.

Seems they also make good neighbors:

Kim Paar, who lives nearby, said “I’m sure you don’t hear that very often but this is probably the safest place in Langley to live,” she said.

Another resident, Lisa Pick, agreed.

“We’ve never had any problems with them. I feel so safe living here.”

HELLS ANGELS IN B.C.:

The RCMP estimate that there are 111 members of the gang in the BC, including full-patch members, hangarounds and prospects.

Mayor Young Gets Off Easy

photo credit: Icky Pic

Port Coquitlam Mayor Young was given 12-month conditional sentence and also sentenced to 18-months probation for 2007 assault.

Young must stay inside his residence between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. with an exception that allows him to attend Monday evening city council meetings when he will be allowed to stay out until 10:30 p.m.

After he and Ms. Preston broke up, Ms. Preston filed a complaint against him, resulting in a court order preventing him from approaching her.

On April 4, 2007, Mr. Young left his office at city hall around 11 p.m., and went to Ms. Preston’s house with two pieces of rope in his pockets. He entered and attacked Ms. Preston’s boyfriend, Glen Shaw. Police who arrived at the scene said they had to physically separate the two men, and said they smelled alcohol on Mr. Young’s breath.

For some strange reason there are no restrictions preventing someone with a criminal record or serving a conditional sentence from running for mayor in Port Coquitlam.

I’d suggest they move the council meetings till Tuesday.

Where The Hell Is Pemberton?

photo credit: peter.macdonald

The biggest concert in years should have been close to Vancouver… but if you can find your way to Pemberton somewhere north of Whistler, you’ll be in BC’s hot spot this weekend.

Once you get over your lost luggage, long hikes and general transportation confusion (did the folk festival organizers help out here?), it’s the concert of the year.

Concert promoters Live Nation Canada suffered from first year pains - but booking Nine Inch Nails, the Tragically Hip, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Coldplay will make it memorable.

Why Jay-Z was invited is unclear… not too many hip hop fans there, or wanted.

The 40,000 fans arrived in potato land where the concert aims to become mostly sustainable in the years ahead - if it’s a success. The plan is to have all produce and meat is coming from Pemberton farmers. By the sounds of it, the pot industry should also find new opportunities.

Three-day passes are $259.50, single-day tickets are $149.50 plus service charges at pembertonfestival.com

if you can find a way to get there.

Coquitlam - What you need to know

photo credit: black_wave

Now that we’ve been in Port Moody / Coquitlam for two months now, we’ve really started to discover a lot of the areas hidden attractions.

The best part of Coquitlam is north of the mall (you can’t miss it) - everything north of the Lougheed Highway.

Here’s our list of the top 5 things to know about living in Coquitlam:

1) Finding a rental in Coquitlam isn’t easy - but there are lots. Web searches yield poor results and crappy sites. Drive the area and talk to a realtor… failing that Craigs list works well.

2) The great restaurants are a bit hidden - don’t miss Rosa’s Cucina Italiana. It’s is a small, family-owned and operated Italian restaurant in downtown Port Moody. The mom and pop-type eatery is popular for its homemade pastas and large portions and as such draws a regular crowd. Arrive early or later (open from 4-10PM - no reservations often mean there are lines at the door once the place fills up.
Address: 2301 Clarke St. Port Moody

3) Nature is everywhere. Bike paths hiking, lakes and the list goes on. There is a road at the back of Coquitlam that takes you on a nature drive that is second to none… go north on Coast Meridan Road - you’ll end up in Pinecone Lake / Burke Mountain Park (motorbike is even better).

4) It snows on the Westwood Plateau / Heritage Mountain… and the best homes are just above the snowline. The sacrifice for the view is well worth it.

5) The Coquitlam schools and Port Moody ones are overloaded.. we had to go to three to find a spot for our 13-year old. Happy, but no bus for us.

Last thing.. no Coquitlam hotels to speak of… make sure to rent a car when traveling to Vancouver.

Rogers Tennis Tournament Can’t Move Rotting Carcasses

photo credit: iGrrl

There are at least three hanging carcasses of dead blue herons in the trees above the Rogers tennis tournament… and despite complaints about the smell and worries the dead bird might fall on a passersby, the Vancouver Parks Board won’t move them.

This, they say, is due to concerns that removing it could endanger the entire colony of protected birds.

One of the dead heron is dangling in a tree above a path between tennis courts at Stanley Park. Monday brought a pungent odor, which drew even more attention to it.

It’s not clear just how long the heron has been there, but the city’s parks board says the young bird likely fell out of the tree and died - not uncommon for the large colony, which has lost about 40 fledglings this year.

Because the great blue heron is a protected species in B.C., they even extend that protection to dead ones I guess.

Towed In Vancouver? Blame The Folk Festival.

photo credit: dan taylor

From Now Public…

“Several irate American tourists with whom I spoke with, were waiting to be shuttled to the Busters Towing yard under the Granville Street Bridge for over an hour; most of them had a wonderful day at the festivities only to be dumbfounded later finding out their vehicles had been towed, and no arrangements had been made to communicate with the Folk Festival organizers on behalf of the city that such a vast number of cars were to be towed, nor were any announcements made inside the festival to alert those parked there!”

The worst part is that they were ok’d to park on the lawns of the Jericho Hill Community Centre. If you’ve been to the area, there isn’t enough parking for residents let alone a festival. Maybe they could have talked to transit and asked them to keep the buses running for an extra hour?

If you were on of the unlucky ones, you can apply to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society for your money back at http://thefestival.bc.ca/

I wouldn’t hold my breath on a refund for the City of Vancouver traffic violation ticket.

The Okanagan - Vancouver’s Playground

photo credit: palestrina55

We haven’t been to the Okanagan for a long time and decided to visit this weekend. Went to the in-laws in Penticton. Great drive from Vancouver (once you get out of the city..).

The area is as beautiful as ever, and I was really surprised by the growth of the wine country there. The mountains are desert-like and you’ll see strips of grapes everywhere.

The wines coming from the area rival California now. The wineries have great restaurants and I can see spending a week there exploring.

Here’s a couple of reasons for you to getaway to the Okanagon area:

1) Mission Hill Family Estate - Summer Concert & Movie Series - Jul 25, 2008

Beautiful spot at the Mission Hill Family Estate’s Outdoor Amphitheatre. You’ll enjoy wine, food and great entertainment all in one of the most stunning settings high atop Mission Hill overlooking Lake Okanagan.

2) South Okanagan Winery Tour with Lunch - Aug 31, 2008

Great value, and you get to eat and drink. It begins in Penticton heading south to four wineries in Okanagan Falls; Wild Goose Vineyards, Stag’s Hollow Winery, Blue Mountain Vineyards and Hawthorne Mountain Estate Winery. From there, meander along the east shore of Okanagan Lake and discover 18 more wineries operating along or just off the Naramata Road. Remember Naramata Road- you cover as many wineries with as little time spent driving.

3) Penticton Peach Festival - August 5th - August 10th

Music, The Canadian Snowbird Air Show, parades, music and all the other things you’d expect. Kid friendly.

Enjoy the are if you can.

photo credit: palestrina55

photo credit: jconybeer

photo credit: kelownabc

There’s Bears In Them Hills

photo credit: wildphotons

For two weeks in a row our neighbor has put out his garbage the night before. Seems the bears notice this and invite themselves to a free snack.

It’s probably against the law to put out garbage at night, but I can’t seem to tell him this. He doesn’t speak english.

Other than having our dog eaten, the thing that gets me is that the bear chooses to take the trash down a hill next door and enjoy his feast. I can live with that.

But the people who own the yard are probably scared sh*tless… they have left the garbage there for 8 days now.

This would be OK in Sunnyvale trailer park. But it isn’t in the type of area we live in.

I’m not one to call the city… I’ll count the days and see how long it takes for them to clean it up.

Oh yeah, Vancouver has big black flies too.

Bad Way To Get Lucky In Vancouver

photo credit: vern.

From the Vancouver Sun:
Metro Vancouver police issue date-rape drug warning
Tim Lai, Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER - Vancouver Police are issuing a warning to women about date-rape drugs and to use extra caution at bars after 11 women reported sexual assaults in the Downtown Eastside and Surrey.

Const. Tim Fanning said that a man who works in the Downtown Eastside came forward last week to report these incidents after 11 women shared their stories of meeting a man in a bar and then getting raped.

“We can’t confirm at this whether it’s one suspect or a number of suspects because we have second-hand information,” said Fanning.

Fanning noted that the VPD gets a report of a sexual assault of this nature about once per week, but proving the use of date-rate drugs has been very difficult.

“By the time they report to us, if they do report to us, it’s often too late to see if drugs have been used in the sexual assault because it leaves the system fairly quickly,” he said.

Fanning wants to remind women to watch their drinks at the bar and to watch out for each other. If a sexual assault of this nature occurs, report it immediately, so the police can starting piecing the case together by reviewing security footage from the bar or talking to other patrons.

Be careful out there… Vancouver’s drugs have hit a new low.

Beat The Heat In Vancouver

Summer in Vancouver is worth waiting 9 months for. When we get to 90 degrees (I think that’s 30 something Celsius)…

… the lack of air conditioning becomes a sore point on those hot nights.

Being that I am slowly becoming carbon neutered, this video helped me beat the heat.

Enjoy…

Don’t Buy A Strata In Vancouver

photo credit: penmachine

If you decide to buy (?) think twice of the property is a strata. A strata is basically a political board - and we all know how politics work in BC.

Some of the fun things you’ll get if you do buy a strata include:

* There’s no source of legislation interpretation to let you in on the operation of strata corporations according to law (search Google and let me know if you find anything),
* They do not need to inform owners and purchasers of the financial implications of the condition of common property,
* No need for an audit of strata finances even where the strata corporation has hundreds of thousands of dollars in a reserve fund, and
* The lack of prosecution of developers operating contrary to strata legislation.

In other words, the strata typically becomes a group of self-serving busy bodies, with the ability to harass, ignoring problems with common areas, and getting away with it.

The lack of audited financial leaves the system wide open for misappropriation of funds.

A neighbor of mine has been fighting with his strata for over a year, as they will not fix the exterior of his condo. They won’t let him do it himself and have made his life hell. His property has taken a hit and he has nowhere to turn.

His only option is to sue, and the cost is very high. And the strata board knows it.

Look out for buildings where there are foreign investors also. They won’t vote or participate in the strata’s decisions. This can create a lot of problems.

The “leaky condos” mess should have brought radical changes to stratas, but I guess legislators were too busy passing lifestyle laws and finding new sneaky ways to tax us, to really care about condo owners financial security.

What Would You Do With $170,000 Worth of Butter?

photo credit: sugarfreak

Police puzzled by $170,000 Vancouver butter theft
Mary Frances Hill, Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER — A theft of a semi-trailer carrying $170,000 worth of butter has Vancouver and Delta police baffled.

The semi-trailer truck was found in the 8200-block of River Road in Delta, near an industrial park. It had been emptied of its contents.

The truck was stolen Monday around 9 a.m. from the 300-block of Southeast Marine Drive in Vancouver.

“Semi-trailers do go missing on a regular basis, but butter’s not a typical product that’s stolen,” said Const. Paul Eisenzimmer of the Delta Police Department.

“The average corner store that might be interested in buying stolen cigarettes wouldn’t likely be interested in butter. Getting rid of $170,000 worth of butter would be pretty hard.”

Crime is getting out of hand…

How A Politician Can Help Bring Down A Bank

From the Wall Street Journal:

The director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, John Reich, blamed IndyMac’s failure on comments made in late June by Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), who sent a letter to the regulator raising concerns about the bank’s solvency. In the following 11 days, spooked depositors withdrew a total of $1.3 billion.

Mr. Reich said Sen. Schumer gave the bank a “heart attack.”

“Would the institution have failed without the deposit run?” Mr. Reich asked reporters. “We’ll never know the answer to that question.”

photo credit: yanec

This demonstrates how one voice, or dumb politician, can start a stampede when it comes to banking or real estate. IndyMac Bank suffered one of the biggest bank closures in US history.

In Vancouver the media works in harmony to turn bad news into good. Especially when it comes to real estate. As they get a lot of their profit from real estate ads, so don’t hold your breath you’ll get any warning until after the spiral begins.

The announcement of a tightening on 40 year mortgages is a good sign there is trouble ahead. The Bank of Montreal said on Friday that it will stop offering 40-year mortgages… 3 months ahead of the rule change. Considering that 63% of home buyers take these mortgages, just to be able to afford the payments, it will have an immediate impact on home sales and prices.

Say good-bye to liar loans (no proof of a borrower’s ability to repay) and hello to a max of 45% for a borrower’s debt-service ratio.

This is not good news in Vancouver, where people fork over 70% of their income for the privilege of living in a “hot” housing market.

Take a Hike

photo credit: LabGP & SigOther

We lucked out when we moved to Port Moody.

We have 3 lakes within 5 minutes and they all have great hiking paths, as well as beaches.

You need to arrive early if you want a parking spot, as the weekends bring a lt f people from the area.

Here are some more pictures of the lakes:

photo credit: iwona_kellie

photo credit: LabGP & SigOther

photo credit: fwb

photo credit: Mussels

Tony Snow Passes away

photo credit: fotodesign-luetke“.

A lot of Canadians may not know who Tony Snow is.. as Fox News channel is only allowed if you pay for it. Lesser watched (left wing and radical) news is only allowed.

From Wikipedia:

Tony was an American political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and Deputy Assistant of Media Affairs. Snow served as White House Press Secretary from May 2006 until his resignation effective September 2007.

Between his two White House stints, Snow was a broadcaster and newspaper columnist. After years of regular guest-hosting for The Rush Limbaugh Show and providing news commentary for National Public Radio, he launched his own talk radio program, The Tony Snow Show, which went on to become nationally syndicated. He was also a regular personality on Fox News Channel since 1996, hosting Fox News Sunday, Weekend Live, and often substituting as host of The O’Reilly Factor. In April 2008, Snow briefly joined CNN as a commentator.

Snow died at Georgetown University Hospital as a result of colon cancer that had spread to his liver. Reacting to Snow’s death, President Bush said: “America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character… It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day. He brought wit, grace, and a great love of country to his work.”

Tony wrote a great piece on called “cancer’s unexpected blessings“….

It sums up the man better than I ever could. Rest in peace Tony

The Homeless and East Hastings…

My commute means driving completely down East Hastings each day. After the first few months of shock at what goes on down there, I now marvel at how the “homeless” have managed to take control of the area and turn it into a lawless area.

There is a solution… if anyone really wants one.

Stop tolerating this behavior.

When I worked in New York, I got to witness how Rudy the solved the crime and drug problem.

He posed the question…

… Why do the homeless and drug addicts have more rights than the people working and paying taxes do?

He then started by cleaning up areas and painting over graffiti. Fixing windows and changing the way police dealt with the problems areas…

The results are legendary.

Vancouver’s permissive society is at the root of the problem.

As I drive down East Hastings  - I have yet to see a cop do anything about the crack whore jumping into a car next to them, the group of guys openly selling pot and crack, or actually doing anything to preemptively stop crime.

It’s like they are part of the gang. The only time I see them act is when someone is run over, starts a fire, or is beating on someone.

The Police Department should be charged with dereliction of duty.

The first step in demonstrating that bad behavior is no longer tolerated is to clean up the street, paint over graffiti every day, focusing on crime before it happens, and arresting anyone whoring, dealing or public intoxication. The presence of authority in the area would change thing immediately.

Show that the city cares about the mess by cleaning it up. Every day. Even if it takes a dedicated sanitation unit.

Every time I suggest they should arrest people for using drugs in public, I hear the answer - the courts won’t do anything, we don’t have enough jails…

It’s a cop-out.  Get a warehouse and convert it to an overnight jail. Arrest and hold overnight.

Disrupt the party. Catch and release…

Feed the hungry, house the poor - with conditions.

Quit using money as the excuse… it isn’t the problem. They’re spending a ton down there.

Ending the tolerance is the first step in really helping the addicts and homeless.

Start now and you won’t have to hide this embarrassment when the Olympics arrive.

…

Vancouver’s Property Tax Windfall…

Is About To End.

photo credit: SqueakyMarmot

This year, with the rise of Vancouver property values, property taxes should ONLY increase by only 14.2% (that’s inflation x 700%).

Vancouver budget director Annette Klein said the 1.23-per-cent tax increase approved by city council was not reflected for single-family dwellings because their assessed values shot up 30 per cent.

Don’t you think they should have been able to drop taxes with assessments going up by an average of 30%?

I’d like to share the lesson I learned in Florida - because it parallels Vancouver’s situation…

In Florida, the the property tax rates never really went up, but our assessments rose an average 25-35% each year, for 4 years. In my case, that translated taxes going from $3,500 to $10,000 in 3 years.

This windfall gave Ft Lauderdale county approx. 1 billion more in revenue each year, without having to raise taxes.

When house prices dropped (crashed), I expected to see my taxes go down. They dropped $150.

The reason is, like gas, they rise fast on the upside… and drop painfully slow on the downside.

The reason I was given was that although prices went down by 25%, the cut-off for setting the assessments is 12 months before the tax bill is set, so the lower assessments would take a year to hit my tax bill.

Now it’s been almost 2 years since my Florida home price has spiraled down, I am hoping (not holding my breath) that my taxes will come back to where they started off.

Well run cities (i.e Calgary) determine property taxes by the cities operating costs. Once the budget is set, they add up all the assessed property values and divide the budget into the gross. This results in everyone paying their fair share based on property value, and the city becomes accountable to budgeting…

… Not by counting on a windfall gained from raising property taxes.

There’s a lesson (or warning) to be learned. Cities quickly get addicted to increasing revenues, and lose all accountability. Can you  notice any difference in Vancouver after all these years of property tax increases many times greater than inflation??

When the revenues go down, all hell will break loose…

We’ll hear about the drastic cuts to police, parks, libraries, health, teachers, etc. It will sound like an Armageddon.

(Remember how many cops, teachers, etc. they have actually added…)

It’s all BS, and a great cover to keep blowing your money… money they shouldn’t have received in the first place.

With property prices now set to fall significantly in Vancouver, don’t say I didn’t warn you…

…

Killing The Weeds In Vancouver

photo credit: Artiii

For some reason Vancouver has a lot of weeds…

So I decided to take matters into my own hands and went to the #1 source of weed control, Home Depot.

After a look around, it appeared that the weed control section now has taken on the status of cigarettes in Vancouver - nowhere to be found.

After a while, I caved and asked a clerk where I could find Roundup.

First came the look - then the surprise that I didn’t know…

Roundup is banned in Vancouver.

No good reason given nor science to back it up. The lady heard a baby drank it and died.. so they decided the rest of us can’t have it.

Got over it in a few minutes, and decided to buy the “natural” weed killer. Price was reasonable… so goodbye Roundup.

(Before you come down on me, I am not planning on spraying it anywhere kids, dogs, or animals tread. It’s for my driveway)

Surprise #2:

They decided banning common herbicides wasn’t enough, that people like me should pay an environmental fee for the privilege of keeping my yard tidy. That was $1.20 - best of all, no one knows where this money goes.

After searching the web, I can’t seem to find any list of all these enviro fees I keep getting stuck with.

It seems to be either a dirty secret, or a way the cities raise money.

Can anyone enlighten me where I can find the list? Or Where the money actually goes?

Getting Ready For The Olympics

photo credit: Thomas Hawk

Beijing Bans Hairless Cab Drivers During Olympics

Beijing’s long-suffering taxi-drivers are in the cross-hairs once again — with shaved heads to be banned from the driving seat ahead of next year’s Beijing Olympics, a report said Thursday.

Just two months after the city’s transport department banned women taxi drivers from wearing “too-fancy” hairstyles, new rules will outlaw beards and shaved heads for the men, according to Beijing’s The First newspaper.

The regulations proposed by the Beijing city government’s bureau on quality standards were aimed at “giving a good impression” to customers, the paper said. They go into effect in mid-July.

Beijing’s 70,000 taxi drivers work long hours for low pay and often sleep and eat in their vehicles, leading to complaints about dirty and smelly cabs.

In April, cabbies were ordered not to eat, spit or smoke in their cars while female drivers were told to keep their hair neat, dress smartly and not wear earrings.

from wierd asian news

Best View of Vancouver From A Window

Amazing video of the beauty of Vancouver… ’nuff said.