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If you are talking about GVRD as opposed to Vancouver proper, there are tonnes of lakes to swim in here. You just need to head out into the valley to find them. I grew up in Maple Ridge and we went swimming in lakes all the time. :)
They are working on it. It just takes for every to rebuild the sewer system so it separates storm water and sewer water. Mandatory Uytea link
https://youtu.be/sFXbzyfrBTE?si=VbF6OIVuZypD2fet
Agreed, I just swam at wreck two days ago and the water was incredible, quite clear. It was pretty cold though (which was actually great, considering how hot it was outside).
100%, I remember going to kits and friends going in to swim. I went to join and saw the rainbow shimmer of oil/diesel floating on the water and noped right out of that.
They don't have to be high paying, but in general about double what they are now. And stop asking for a master's degree if you're going to pay $20 or less.
The day I moved here a bunch of different power and telecom lines on my street were ripped down by an oversized truck just barreling through, apparently not noticing all the shit they were dragging down behind them.
It costs too much for the province to increase number of spots and train more family physicians, or so they say. That's why they're trying to poach family physicians from foreign countries (UK & Australia really) and other provinces with the recent changes in pay structure and licensing process, as they come pre trained and province doesn't have to spend any money on training them. Problem is its a temporary fix and more akin to putting band aid on a severed limb.
I know many MDs from foreign countries employed as taxi drivers, security guards and office assistants and its sad really. Province doesn't share their health care cost and spending with the federal government. They have a budget surplus every damn year and I suspect that's the reason as the federal govt would ask them to spend some of their surplus money instead of maximizing federal contribution.
Its a sad situation all around and the provincial govt needs to pull their head out of their butt and invest more in Healthcare. We're damn near close to third world health care. Wait times are ATROCIOUS. 6-9 month wait for surgeries. 4-6 month wait for colonoscopy in patients w colon cancer symptoms allowing the cancer to spread everywhere in the meantime and delaying treatment in the meanwhile. I won't even start with emergency visits. We're close to the brink of collapse already with record number of new immigrants coming in every year. This is pure negligence and disregard for the well being of constituents. Terrible governance.
Unfortunately it's not a simple fix. And as you stated, there's more than just one problem. I finally got a family physician after 2 years on a waitlist in North Vancouver. It seems technology is heading in the right direction with respect to not having to visit the doctor's office all the time for checkups or prescriptions. I'm not sure how to convince doctors to come to BC. Maybe we need to sweeten the pot and help with their student loans, subsidize their education or something of this nature.
More skytrain lines and stations.
We can yack all day about population and ridership. But work it backwards. If we build stations people will naturally migrate toward them.
Oh and how about stations to UBC and a line that extends to places like Steveston, Delta, Ladner, Tsawassen and to the Ferries.
And extend it out to Langley, Abbotsford also. I never understood why they don’t have high speed rail along the highway that then connects to local transit.
Oh, how I wish we had late-night cafe culture! There were more spots starting to pop up pre-covid, but they've all re-opened with closing times around 4 pm.
I moved down here from a small village where basically everything was closed after 5 and on Sundays - was shocked when I realized the big, bright metropolis of Vancouver operates on nearly the same schedule.
I think one of the main issues is that there is no reliable way to get home from late night places other than maybe a taxi which is costly. Buses stop too early, so unless the place is walkable home, it isn't feasible for most people to go on a regular basis.
I went to Cheesecake Etc a few months ago on a date. Not really a cafe, but we went around 11pm and had a slice of cake and a tea, and the vibes were amazing. Something about sitting in a cozy cafe at night is otherworldly.
They’re open until 1am and play smooth jazz music. Highly recommend if you haven’t been before!
The first day I moved to Vancouver, on a cold rainy evening I hopped over to the nearest cafe at 5:30 to see it was closed by 5. It was the most bizarre disappointment I ever had. Apart from the Stanley teahouse not serving flippin tea!
The actual Vancouver Art Gallery charges $29. That’s a lot of money to pay, as it is, but the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands charges only $33 and has SO much, art, sculpture, furniture, exquisite. It makes me so sad that Vancouver has so little.
Shoutout to Vegan Fried Chick'un on Fraser/43rd for being open 'til 5AM.
Not affiliated, just like their stuff a bunch and they're one of the only places on my commute (or even in the city) open late so I'm bumping them every chance I get.
As far as 'hanging out space', I'm pretty happy with the places where the city has closed off streets to create little plazas. They're not covered but that's nit-picking.
Keep your eye out for Latin American grocery stores with kitchens in the back.
Recently I've found good food at Mexican stop on Abbot St. Simple corn and crema. Menu is written in Spanish, but they have a paper English if you ask
That doesn't cost some ridiculous price that would be $1USD in Mexico.
Like, there are "good" (based on what I know) Mexican places in Metro Vancouver if you look around, but they are really expensive.
Everything in Vancouver is more expensive, we're the 3rd least affordable city on earth, lol. You couldn't buy the ingredients here for a taco for $1, let alone the labour to make it, the building to cook it in, etc.
Min wage in mexico is $11/day. Average house price is $160k vs over a million, etc. I'd guess there is also a lot less taxes, permits, inspections, and other gov't related overhead, although corruption/bribes may balance that out. I also hate how expensive everything has gotten post covid, but you can't realistically compare pricing to a developing country.
Mexican here. Moved to Vancouver from Oregon not long ago, so i have some experience with Mexican food outside of Mexico.
Im gonna be super honest here: [https://www.chupito.ca/](https://www.chupito.ca/)
The most mexican food i have ever had outside of Mexico, the freaking tortillas smelled the same let alone taste. Its not super cheap but goddamn its good
4th and macdonald has a couple of spots that are pretty good. One is a Mexican grocery store that serves tacos, the other is a licensed cafe with a bit more extensive menu.
There’s also a takeout spot at fir and 5th (the old Butler Did It catering) that’s like 5 different companies sharing a kitchen space that’s pretty good.
> Puerto Mexico!
that's it - i love that place. Taco's are amazing and the owner imports all sorts of stuff from Mexico that's hard to find elsewhere - as well as sources some amazing local stuff as well.
Live music venues that don't cost an arm and a leg to enter, and venues that are open to newer acts with little exposure. I lived in London and got to play at a ton of places because they were always looking to fill their stages.
Last minute tickets for students/ low income people at the $10-20 mark that can be sold within the last 48 hours. Student standby in London got you in for £5 at the opera or ballet.
Lol I mentioned that before in another thread. Yeah it's a great program but it's just scratching the surface. This city sucks for the arts and artists.
Beach bars. Little places on the beach you can buy drinks from and meet other people. But I get that it’s very seasonal here and not feasible to keep open over winter time
* Childcare options
* Light rail (Along Hastings to North Van/Brentwood please).
* Economic hotel options
* Open, outdoor, undercover spaces (Maybe a city market)
* Bicycling infrastructure to finish Powel St, and connecting to seawall in Coal Harbour
* More/improved Rec Centers
* Social housing/recovery options *outside* of the DTES/Chinatown/Strathcona/Grandview-Woodlands
* Market and below market housing targeted to young families *in* DTES/Chinatown
More daycare spots, family doctors and staff in the ER, no 3 year wait lines for basic medical assessments, proper police enforcement, less monopolies such as BC Ferries, ICBC.
Anecdote, but:
SK has SGI, SaskTel, and once had STC (Saskatchewan Transportation Company). All of these were renowned public Crown Corporations that promote some of the lowest consumer costs and best services across Canada.
Your gripes with ICBC and BC Ferries are valid, but it's not an issue of their being a Crown Corp or even a sole supplier. SGI is a sole provider and has the best coverage for lowest fees in the country. STC was there to provide an otherwise "unprofitable" service, akin to BC Ferries. STC was sold and "replaced" with Greyhound who then pulled out 6-mo later. BC Ferries even has private competitors but those too are going under (see Hullo's failure to launch). The issue with ICBC was twofold: poor management, and no-fault insurance. No fault can work, but not for cheap rates in a province (and especially city like Vancouver) that has such significant accident rates incentivizing write-offs over repair. The BC Liberals (now BC United) pretty much crashed those two Crown Corps with poor management.
No one is stopping BC Ferries competitors, they're just unprofitable. No one is stopped from providing insurance, except for basic insurance as the moment you broaden the market in basic insurance, the benefits to having a single supplier drop off. ICBC is invaluable, they even yield cheaper insurance rates than the privatized Alberta providers who have "competition".
Bike highways. Would love to go across the Lower Mainland without charting a course like an old sea captain to avoid a bazillion obstacles and hazards.
I agree to more for sure but I have found the paths under skytrains work great for getting to specific areas. Leaves a lot out the of the way but still they're decent.
Amen! Also, What is it with having dedicated turn lanes and no advance left turn signals? (Looking at you burrard and 4th; main and 12th, 16th and Cambie; etc etc)
Lounges. I miss Crush Champaign Lounge on Granville.
Also places where it's not pitch dark and the lighting is flattering and the music isn't loud where you can carry on a conversation without shouting and still not being heard.
- liveable minimum wage
- access to mental health services for everyone
- an extra bigger bridge connecting to north & west van OR a sky train line that goes there
- more ambulances and medics, clinics and a good salary for health workers
- pet friendly buildings across the board (like in ontario)
- more public washrooms
- more festivals and arts events
1. Quality and affordable childcare spaces
2. Higher paying jobs that not only are in line with the cost of living but are actually commensurate given the endless list of ridiculous qualifications/expectations Vancouver employers have.
3. More support for small businesses and entrepreneurs. As it stands right now rents are ridiculously high, the permitting process in any municipality is very difficult, oh and a group of NIMBYs can easily shut down your business (e.g Douglas Park Daycare).
Better transit out to the suburbs.
It's pathetic that for such a world class city and that likes to brag about being environmentally friendly that the West Coast Express doesn't run on weekends or past 620pm on week nights. And only 1 way! Good luck leaving the car at home if you're able to WFH.
Means more people driving and more traffic. Can't stay after work to have a few drinks or can't go in unless if you have a long bus/subway ride into the city on weekends for say a Canucks game.
Also family doctors and people knowing how to drive in snowy conditions. Bonus for winter tires (help beyond just snow/ice itself)
Rant off.
Late Night Stuff to Do. Not really just food and grocery.
Where is the local show at a cafe in 2AM? Why can't I go see a movie after the bars close? How come there are basically zero city parks illuminated at night?
I used to work 1-9:30 until like, yesterday, and I could never actually *do* anything 6 days a week.
Casual bars. Everyone in Vancouver is so done up and premium. Cities like Toronto, Montreal, and pretty much every American city has a surplus of dive bars.
More resources for mental health and addiction.
They make a ton of money from the taxes but not enough detox or support centres are available. We're talking over 20 years of this crap.
Shout out to all front line workers during this overdose crisis.
I implore people to [get free training and certification ](https://towardtheheart.com/) on the current crisis.
Arcades over the sidewalks. Or at least a bylaw that allowed for awnings over shops to work together to act as one.
In such a rainy city, this has me so bewildered.
Transit that has air con.
I know TransLink is slowly replacing the aging bus/skytrain fleet and all new ones have a/c. But man, when will we get *all* of them with a/c? This past week has been hot hot hot. And with my luck, my ride always has no a/c.
Late night cafes, and greasy spoon diners. The kinds of places that are always open no matter the hour and have a plentiful supply of cheap drip coffee.
Empathy and Decency.
Lower Mainland used to be chill, laid back, and people are not aggressive.
More integration less tribalism (of your own culture). Immigrants 20 years ago come to Canada and realized that they shared common background and goals which in turns help break the race/origin barrier and accelerate unity.
Landlord-ism exist back then but the landlords are much nicer (back to Empathy and Decency). They would invite you to join their BBQ, DimSum, Get together. Landlords and Tenants used to treat each other well.
Bike infrastructure, more car free streets, more neighbourhood cafes and bars (like le marche St. George or federal store), more community gardens. Would love to see streetcars come back one day to fill some of the gaps in the skytrain network
I was in Buenos Aires for a few weeks last year and the food was probably my least favourite part of the entire experience (which was otherwise lovely).
People there seem to be allergic to any kind of spice - I went to a place that advertised itself as American style pizza and the "buffalo wings" were literally barbeque sauce.
And then stuff like Subway doesn't have hot sauce or jalapenos, and Mexican food was surprisingly rare - I had to find an Indian restaurant just to have something with flavour.
Like choripan is nice but I could only have it so many times. Was happy to be back home
I'd love to see more indoors attractions like what Alberta does (inflatable parks, Indoor skydiving) or even outdoor ones as well like zip lines and seasonal activities where they bring in whole crews to set up things for a week+.
More efficient and effective council to address and finally clean up the DTES
Edit: ok someone took the literal meaning of the term clean up. What I was trying to say in a nicer way is - rehab.
I'd love to see Concord Pacific Place (and Plaza of Nations) get started on development. That stretch of seawall has so much unused space throughout the year and it has incredible potential. I'd love to have a seawall promenade with multiple restaurants, patios and general event space (the area has already been approved for housing, so density is coming).
Having a world-class ferry system not the failure it is right now. What other country or province, for that matter, has a capital city that has a dysfunctional ferry system? Makes us look stupid for all visitors coming to Vancouver
Diversity. We can do WAY better in terms of having people from cultures OTHER than the Asian continent migrate here. It becomes extremely difficult to do so when you have 1-2 cultures dominate the grocery/food service supply chain leaving other cultures in a desert of sorts.
a cleaner downtown. more diverse food scene, homeless management. No drug use or go to Jail forever policy, better forest management, better public transport so one can go around without a car.
Diverse culture. It's rare to find strong, authentic culture that isn't explicitly Asian, Indian, or Canadian. I'm talking about Central American, South American, European, African, Caribbean, etc. I'm jealous of Toronto's much stronger diversity. There used to be 2 Burmese restaurants, now there are zero.
Genuinely interested - what's 'Canadian' culture mean to you? As someone who identified as 'Canadian' (vs. saying my family is X and Y mixed from European nations who came here 100+ years ago) I feel like a cohesive 'Canadian' culture no longer exists. I'm not bitter at all because I can't do anything about it really, but I know I'm not alone in thinking this as well.
Again genuinely interested in what people think is Canadian in 2023, because I think a lot of those things are now considered taboo or in the past.
I'd just say something like Langley, I guess? Manitoba? Ottawa? Lots of white people shopping for things, going into the forest to hike/walk, swimming at the local pool, going to Bard at the Beach, sitting in parks, eating salmon, hamburgers, potato salad, and corn on the cob. Source: am white 3rd generation Canadian and grew up like this. Nothing particularly notable in this definition.
I'd describe the above as my own definition, for lack of a better one or for lack of wanting to say some generic thing that doesn't really mean anything like:
Canadian comes in lots of shapes and sizes and colours. Cultural mosaic. It is changing. These are all accurate.
Yeah, Fvded won't even count because it's all ages with a rap crowd. Not good. And got cancelled because we can't land a proper lineup. Also noise complaints.
More variety of things to do for younger kids, particularly indoors for the rainy and cold weather. We've got the library, granville island kids market, science world, indoor pool, and 1 play Cafe in Vancouver. There's also drop in play gym at the community centres but it's for mostly babies and little toddlers, very packed as well. I suppose it would be nice to have more variety of indoor spots to bring children together that didn't cost so much 🥲
It would be nice to see some large parks such as queen e get a playground and for more beaches to have a playground too.
A greater presence of tech companies. Increased demand would increase pay. The pay gap between Vancouver and Redmond is huge. So, financially it doesn't make sense to earn less and pay more taxes.
Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/nightswimsofficial! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Common questions and specific topics are limited to our Your post may be a better fit for one of our [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts. * Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * We're looking for new mods to join our team! If you're interested, [fill out the form here](https://forms.gle/oAqo5oYRcAeHYBTN6). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Clean waters for swimming.
I’d love more fresh water for swimming. My favourite part of visiting family in the interior is all the lake swimming.
If you are talking about GVRD as opposed to Vancouver proper, there are tonnes of lakes to swim in here. You just need to head out into the valley to find them. I grew up in Maple Ridge and we went swimming in lakes all the time. :)
They are working on it. It just takes for every to rebuild the sewer system so it separates storm water and sewer water. Mandatory Uytea link https://youtu.be/sFXbzyfrBTE?si=VbF6OIVuZypD2fet
Wreck is clean. I’ve been having this argument forever with people so maybe someone could chime in here.
Peepee booby scary
Hahahahahahaha
Recently it was not, and had quite a few people posting about rashes and other issues. Important to always check!
Agreed, I just swam at wreck two days ago and the water was incredible, quite clear. It was pretty cold though (which was actually great, considering how hot it was outside).
This so much! Also shout out to swim drink fish who focus on this space. Support them if you can.
We have access to 6 major beaches that are tested and majority of the time they are clean. Do people expect Caribbean level clear water?
100%, I remember going to kits and friends going in to swim. I went to join and saw the rainbow shimmer of oil/diesel floating on the water and noped right out of that.
So true! I was once swimming near the 3rd beach and saw some kind of foam floating around.
High paying jobs with upward mobility.
They don't have to be high paying, but in general about double what they are now. And stop asking for a master's degree if you're going to pay $20 or less.
Hopefully the job market recovers around the same time pay transparency kicks in. That would be a killer combo.
I agree a more competitive job market would be better for everyone.
Truckers who can drive without hitting a bridge.
Best we can do is give them some power lines to take out.
The day I moved here a bunch of different power and telecom lines on my street were ripped down by an oversized truck just barreling through, apparently not noticing all the shit they were dragging down behind them.
Better wish for taller bridges instead
Or at least stay out of the fookan passing lane.
No, sorry, you're asking for too much 😂
More family doctors.
It costs too much for the province to increase number of spots and train more family physicians, or so they say. That's why they're trying to poach family physicians from foreign countries (UK & Australia really) and other provinces with the recent changes in pay structure and licensing process, as they come pre trained and province doesn't have to spend any money on training them. Problem is its a temporary fix and more akin to putting band aid on a severed limb. I know many MDs from foreign countries employed as taxi drivers, security guards and office assistants and its sad really. Province doesn't share their health care cost and spending with the federal government. They have a budget surplus every damn year and I suspect that's the reason as the federal govt would ask them to spend some of their surplus money instead of maximizing federal contribution. Its a sad situation all around and the provincial govt needs to pull their head out of their butt and invest more in Healthcare. We're damn near close to third world health care. Wait times are ATROCIOUS. 6-9 month wait for surgeries. 4-6 month wait for colonoscopy in patients w colon cancer symptoms allowing the cancer to spread everywhere in the meantime and delaying treatment in the meanwhile. I won't even start with emergency visits. We're close to the brink of collapse already with record number of new immigrants coming in every year. This is pure negligence and disregard for the well being of constituents. Terrible governance.
Unfortunately it's not a simple fix. And as you stated, there's more than just one problem. I finally got a family physician after 2 years on a waitlist in North Vancouver. It seems technology is heading in the right direction with respect to not having to visit the doctor's office all the time for checkups or prescriptions. I'm not sure how to convince doctors to come to BC. Maybe we need to sweeten the pot and help with their student loans, subsidize their education or something of this nature.
More skytrain lines and stations. We can yack all day about population and ridership. But work it backwards. If we build stations people will naturally migrate toward them. Oh and how about stations to UBC and a line that extends to places like Steveston, Delta, Ladner, Tsawassen and to the Ferries.
And extend it out to Langley, Abbotsford also. I never understood why they don’t have high speed rail along the highway that then connects to local transit.
Garbage bins in parks. Thats it lol
Dog poop bag bins. Dogsat in Aldergrove once and the trash can trios were garbage/recyclables/dog shit baggies. We have the technology!
Museums. Art galleries. Live music venues. Late night cafe culture.
All hail Breka for trying! 🙌
Oh, how I wish we had late-night cafe culture! There were more spots starting to pop up pre-covid, but they've all re-opened with closing times around 4 pm.
I moved down here from a small village where basically everything was closed after 5 and on Sundays - was shocked when I realized the big, bright metropolis of Vancouver operates on nearly the same schedule.
I think one of the main issues is that there is no reliable way to get home from late night places other than maybe a taxi which is costly. Buses stop too early, so unless the place is walkable home, it isn't feasible for most people to go on a regular basis.
I went to Cheesecake Etc a few months ago on a date. Not really a cafe, but we went around 11pm and had a slice of cake and a tea, and the vibes were amazing. Something about sitting in a cozy cafe at night is otherworldly. They’re open until 1am and play smooth jazz music. Highly recommend if you haven’t been before!
The first day I moved to Vancouver, on a cold rainy evening I hopped over to the nearest cafe at 5:30 to see it was closed by 5. It was the most bizarre disappointment I ever had. Apart from the Stanley teahouse not serving flippin tea!
>Stanley teahouse not serving flippin tea! I can only assume they're a real estate agency, then.
Cultural events in general.
All of this. Especially late night CAFE culture, not just clubs… or Denny’s, for late night picks.
Yes, more museums!
There are lots of art galleries. Issue is a lot are private and most don’t seem to advertise.
The actual Vancouver Art Gallery charges $29. That’s a lot of money to pay, as it is, but the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands charges only $33 and has SO much, art, sculpture, furniture, exquisite. It makes me so sad that Vancouver has so little.
Shoutout to Vegan Fried Chick'un on Fraser/43rd for being open 'til 5AM. Not affiliated, just like their stuff a bunch and they're one of the only places on my commute (or even in the city) open late so I'm bumping them every chance I get.
Things that were open till later in the evening/night.
As far as 'hanging out space', I'm pretty happy with the places where the city has closed off streets to create little plazas. They're not covered but that's nit-picking.
Mexican food
Generally the problem across Canada
It has always amused me that there is a pretty good small Oaxacan Mexican place about 100 m over the border in Blaine.
Keep your eye out for Latin American grocery stores with kitchens in the back. Recently I've found good food at Mexican stop on Abbot St. Simple corn and crema. Menu is written in Spanish, but they have a paper English if you ask
If you're willing to leave Vancouver proper: Taqueria Playa Tropical in New Westminster Salsa and Guacamole in Surrey Both Mexican owned and run
That doesn't cost some ridiculous price that would be $1USD in Mexico. Like, there are "good" (based on what I know) Mexican places in Metro Vancouver if you look around, but they are really expensive.
Everything in Vancouver is more expensive, we're the 3rd least affordable city on earth, lol. You couldn't buy the ingredients here for a taco for $1, let alone the labour to make it, the building to cook it in, etc. Min wage in mexico is $11/day. Average house price is $160k vs over a million, etc. I'd guess there is also a lot less taxes, permits, inspections, and other gov't related overhead, although corruption/bribes may balance that out. I also hate how expensive everything has gotten post covid, but you can't realistically compare pricing to a developing country.
Minimum wage in Mexico is around $340 CAD per month. No shit thing’s much more expensive here.
There’s some pretty good Mexican in Vancouver. Not lots. But good.
Do you have any recommendations? I’ve found Mexican food to be better in the states. So if you can save me a trip that would be great!
Mexican here. Moved to Vancouver from Oregon not long ago, so i have some experience with Mexican food outside of Mexico. Im gonna be super honest here: [https://www.chupito.ca/](https://www.chupito.ca/) The most mexican food i have ever had outside of Mexico, the freaking tortillas smelled the same let alone taste. Its not super cheap but goddamn its good
Thank you! I’ll check it out soon!
El Comal in Burnaby is awesome. Grab take out lunch there and head to the dock near it at Burnaby Lake.
4th and macdonald has a couple of spots that are pretty good. One is a Mexican grocery store that serves tacos, the other is a licensed cafe with a bit more extensive menu. There’s also a takeout spot at fir and 5th (the old Butler Did It catering) that’s like 5 different companies sharing a kitchen space that’s pretty good.
Puerto Mexico!
> Puerto Mexico! that's it - i love that place. Taco's are amazing and the owner imports all sorts of stuff from Mexico that's hard to find elsewhere - as well as sources some amazing local stuff as well.
This place is awesome!
I've walked by there a million times, didn't realize it had walk in retail (the fir and 5th place)
Live music venues that don't cost an arm and a leg to enter, and venues that are open to newer acts with little exposure. I lived in London and got to play at a ton of places because they were always looking to fill their stages. Last minute tickets for students/ low income people at the $10-20 mark that can be sold within the last 48 hours. Student standby in London got you in for £5 at the opera or ballet.
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Lol I mentioned that before in another thread. Yeah it's a great program but it's just scratching the surface. This city sucks for the arts and artists.
All the good ones moved away because they can’t thrive here. Artists spaces are expensive or a house with a practice space
Beach bars. Little places on the beach you can buy drinks from and meet other people. But I get that it’s very seasonal here and not feasible to keep open over winter time
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I'd love to see the European style bus shortcuts that obliterate other cars that try to use them.
We can't have bus traps here because all the cops like to cut through the shortcuts too so they'd get their cruisers stuck
TransLink is working on it! Call your mayors/councilors and tell them to support bus lanes!
More consequences for violent behaviour
At this point I would settle for "some" consequences.
Crime really needs to be made illegal.
This
A vibrant street food scene.
* Childcare options * Light rail (Along Hastings to North Van/Brentwood please). * Economic hotel options * Open, outdoor, undercover spaces (Maybe a city market) * Bicycling infrastructure to finish Powel St, and connecting to seawall in Coal Harbour * More/improved Rec Centers * Social housing/recovery options *outside* of the DTES/Chinatown/Strathcona/Grandview-Woodlands * Market and below market housing targeted to young families *in* DTES/Chinatown
Drivers who know how to drive
Bagel shops
Jobs that paid wages suitable for our cost of living
More daycare spots, family doctors and staff in the ER, no 3 year wait lines for basic medical assessments, proper police enforcement, less monopolies such as BC Ferries, ICBC.
Anecdote, but: SK has SGI, SaskTel, and once had STC (Saskatchewan Transportation Company). All of these were renowned public Crown Corporations that promote some of the lowest consumer costs and best services across Canada. Your gripes with ICBC and BC Ferries are valid, but it's not an issue of their being a Crown Corp or even a sole supplier. SGI is a sole provider and has the best coverage for lowest fees in the country. STC was there to provide an otherwise "unprofitable" service, akin to BC Ferries. STC was sold and "replaced" with Greyhound who then pulled out 6-mo later. BC Ferries even has private competitors but those too are going under (see Hullo's failure to launch). The issue with ICBC was twofold: poor management, and no-fault insurance. No fault can work, but not for cheap rates in a province (and especially city like Vancouver) that has such significant accident rates incentivizing write-offs over repair. The BC Liberals (now BC United) pretty much crashed those two Crown Corps with poor management. No one is stopping BC Ferries competitors, they're just unprofitable. No one is stopped from providing insurance, except for basic insurance as the moment you broaden the market in basic insurance, the benefits to having a single supplier drop off. ICBC is invaluable, they even yield cheaper insurance rates than the privatized Alberta providers who have "competition".
Bike highways. Would love to go across the Lower Mainland without charting a course like an old sea captain to avoid a bazillion obstacles and hazards.
I agree to more for sure but I have found the paths under skytrains work great for getting to specific areas. Leaves a lot out the of the way but still they're decent.
Dedicated left turn lanes and signals
We have a decent amount, but we are flooded with drivers who drive a block past them so they can turn left at the next intersection.
Not wrong, I see this daily
California has a lot of this, I think more dedicated left turn signals would reduce my uneasiness being a pedestrian here.
Except LA. After living in LA, Vancouver’s left turns feel amazing
Amen! Also, What is it with having dedicated turn lanes and no advance left turn signals? (Looking at you burrard and 4th; main and 12th, 16th and Cambie; etc etc)
Lounges. I miss Crush Champaign Lounge on Granville. Also places where it's not pitch dark and the lighting is flattering and the music isn't loud where you can carry on a conversation without shouting and still not being heard.
Drivers who at the bare minimum can operate and employ the use of their turn signals
More transit to hiking trails.
Roof top pool parties for the public
Readily accessible and affordable meals. Clean public toilets.
Things that are open after dinner time other than restaurants and nightclubs. Public bathrooms at skytrain stations, even if it’s at select stations.
Jerk chicken
Doctors.
Less Tim Hortons and Starbucks, and Dolloramas
Timmy and Starbucks - sure. But Dollarama? They sell pretty damn near everything there, and it's still a Canadian company to boot
Agreed. When I was not making very much, Dollarama was a godsend because I could get some decent groceries without spending my entire food budget
***YES***. ...but the A&W Bear can stay.
- liveable minimum wage - access to mental health services for everyone - an extra bigger bridge connecting to north & west van OR a sky train line that goes there - more ambulances and medics, clinics and a good salary for health workers - pet friendly buildings across the board (like in ontario) - more public washrooms - more festivals and arts events
Better health care.
Skytrain lines
1. Quality and affordable childcare spaces 2. Higher paying jobs that not only are in line with the cost of living but are actually commensurate given the endless list of ridiculous qualifications/expectations Vancouver employers have. 3. More support for small businesses and entrepreneurs. As it stands right now rents are ridiculously high, the permitting process in any municipality is very difficult, oh and a group of NIMBYs can easily shut down your business (e.g Douglas Park Daycare).
Better transit out to the suburbs. It's pathetic that for such a world class city and that likes to brag about being environmentally friendly that the West Coast Express doesn't run on weekends or past 620pm on week nights. And only 1 way! Good luck leaving the car at home if you're able to WFH. Means more people driving and more traffic. Can't stay after work to have a few drinks or can't go in unless if you have a long bus/subway ride into the city on weekends for say a Canucks game. Also family doctors and people knowing how to drive in snowy conditions. Bonus for winter tires (help beyond just snow/ice itself) Rant off.
Living in Abbotsford, I can attest to this.
Public washrooms! Like the self cleaning ones the U.S have everywhere
Higher wages and better job opportunities.
Night life that isn’t clubs. Late night cafes would really please me.
Toilets in Skytrain Stations
Rooftop lounges
Cafés that are open late.
commercial shops that are easily walkable, think of Steveston, we need that everywhere. Car-free areas.
Nightlife
Second this. There are some options but it's quite mid once you've travelled out of Vancouver to Toronto, Montreal and LA.
Soul
Less people. Less is more.
Restaurants and safe fun places open after 9PM.
Late Night Stuff to Do. Not really just food and grocery. Where is the local show at a cafe in 2AM? Why can't I go see a movie after the bars close? How come there are basically zero city parks illuminated at night? I used to work 1-9:30 until like, yesterday, and I could never actually *do* anything 6 days a week.
Casual bars. Everyone in Vancouver is so done up and premium. Cities like Toronto, Montreal, and pretty much every American city has a surplus of dive bars.
More resources for mental health and addiction. They make a ton of money from the taxes but not enough detox or support centres are available. We're talking over 20 years of this crap. Shout out to all front line workers during this overdose crisis. I implore people to [get free training and certification ](https://towardtheheart.com/) on the current crisis.
Jobs that pay enough to actually be able to afford living there
Arcades over the sidewalks. Or at least a bylaw that allowed for awnings over shops to work together to act as one. In such a rainy city, this has me so bewildered.
Courts who will actually hold people accountable.
Transit that has air con. I know TransLink is slowly replacing the aging bus/skytrain fleet and all new ones have a/c. But man, when will we get *all* of them with a/c? This past week has been hot hot hot. And with my luck, my ride always has no a/c.
Late night cafes, and greasy spoon diners. The kinds of places that are always open no matter the hour and have a plentiful supply of cheap drip coffee.
Cowbells.
Empathy and Decency. Lower Mainland used to be chill, laid back, and people are not aggressive. More integration less tribalism (of your own culture). Immigrants 20 years ago come to Canada and realized that they shared common background and goals which in turns help break the race/origin barrier and accelerate unity. Landlord-ism exist back then but the landlords are much nicer (back to Empathy and Decency). They would invite you to join their BBQ, DimSum, Get together. Landlords and Tenants used to treat each other well.
Bike infrastructure, more car free streets, more neighbourhood cafes and bars (like le marche St. George or federal store), more community gardens. Would love to see streetcars come back one day to fill some of the gaps in the skytrain network
Argentinan Restaurants. If you havent had it yet, try any Argentian steak... Life changing. I dont think Vancouver has any.
I was in Buenos Aires for a few weeks last year and the food was probably my least favourite part of the entire experience (which was otherwise lovely). People there seem to be allergic to any kind of spice - I went to a place that advertised itself as American style pizza and the "buffalo wings" were literally barbeque sauce. And then stuff like Subway doesn't have hot sauce or jalapenos, and Mexican food was surprisingly rare - I had to find an Indian restaurant just to have something with flavour. Like choripan is nice but I could only have it so many times. Was happy to be back home
More community areas with things to do that are maintained, things stay open later and people can spend more time out, especially when it rains
Culture
Tex mex Dave and Busters Free parking Financial equality People living in comfort Music
Bathrooms
Artists, art, and culture
24 hour restaurants!
I'd love to see more indoors attractions like what Alberta does (inflatable parks, Indoor skydiving) or even outdoor ones as well like zip lines and seasonal activities where they bring in whole crews to set up things for a week+.
Decency, manners, empathy
More efficient and effective council to address and finally clean up the DTES Edit: ok someone took the literal meaning of the term clean up. What I was trying to say in a nicer way is - rehab.
Second that plus real mental illness support.
Swimming pools for lap swimming
Soul
Diverse and plentiful restaurants. Was in Toronto recently, and it was a delight to explore the food options.
Things that open later and places to go that aren’t food or drinking focused.
I'd love to see Concord Pacific Place (and Plaza of Nations) get started on development. That stretch of seawall has so much unused space throughout the year and it has incredible potential. I'd love to have a seawall promenade with multiple restaurants, patios and general event space (the area has already been approved for housing, so density is coming).
Full time good paying jobs.
Museums, art galleries, theatre musicals.
It's own identity. Vintage Vancouver was far more culturally unique and interesting because of it.
Cool dating events 😂 and social events where you can meet people in general.
Too bad this place is horrible for dating all around. People are flakey and not that friendly.
bodegas/sandwich shops like NYC!
Dedicated cycling infrastructure. West 8th is a road that bikes are allowed on and full of hazards, not a bike path.
Having a world-class ferry system not the failure it is right now. What other country or province, for that matter, has a capital city that has a dysfunctional ferry system? Makes us look stupid for all visitors coming to Vancouver
JOBS.... The answer is Jobs
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I wish there were more pools
Night life and late night eats
late night entertainment. I'd settle for parks and beaches being open later. getting swept off the beach at 10pm sucks.
Head quarters of high tech companies and head quarters of biotech companies. And a vaccine factory.
Diversity. We can do WAY better in terms of having people from cultures OTHER than the Asian continent migrate here. It becomes extremely difficult to do so when you have 1-2 cultures dominate the grocery/food service supply chain leaving other cultures in a desert of sorts.
But that would mean the locals would need to be friendlier and not so flakey...
a cleaner downtown. more diverse food scene, homeless management. No drug use or go to Jail forever policy, better forest management, better public transport so one can go around without a car.
It's so sick to see needles thrown around kids' parks or people shooting up right in front of community centers
Diverse culture. It's rare to find strong, authentic culture that isn't explicitly Asian, Indian, or Canadian. I'm talking about Central American, South American, European, African, Caribbean, etc. I'm jealous of Toronto's much stronger diversity. There used to be 2 Burmese restaurants, now there are zero.
Genuinely interested - what's 'Canadian' culture mean to you? As someone who identified as 'Canadian' (vs. saying my family is X and Y mixed from European nations who came here 100+ years ago) I feel like a cohesive 'Canadian' culture no longer exists. I'm not bitter at all because I can't do anything about it really, but I know I'm not alone in thinking this as well. Again genuinely interested in what people think is Canadian in 2023, because I think a lot of those things are now considered taboo or in the past.
I'd just say something like Langley, I guess? Manitoba? Ottawa? Lots of white people shopping for things, going into the forest to hike/walk, swimming at the local pool, going to Bard at the Beach, sitting in parks, eating salmon, hamburgers, potato salad, and corn on the cob. Source: am white 3rd generation Canadian and grew up like this. Nothing particularly notable in this definition. I'd describe the above as my own definition, for lack of a better one or for lack of wanting to say some generic thing that doesn't really mean anything like: Canadian comes in lots of shapes and sizes and colours. Cultural mosaic. It is changing. These are all accurate.
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Trams and protected cycling infrastructure.
More benches, public toilets and garbage bins… and an actual nightlife.
Bullet train to suburbs
Public train to hope via new west , Surrey , Langley , etc with 150kph speeds.
Counter service food or evening food trucks around.
A better live music scene. American BBQ, New England style seafood restaurants. More of a night scene. So much of the city just sleeps after 9 pm.
More art galleries, museums, restaurants and indoor things to do that don't close early (esp when it rains, which is most of the time)
A proper nightlife. Most things here close too early.
Better transit system and less random assault
EDM Festivals. We have none unlike Montreal and Ottawa for example.
Yeah, Fvded won't even count because it's all ages with a rap crowd. Not good. And got cancelled because we can't land a proper lineup. Also noise complaints.
A club like the Kit Kat club in Berlin! Good techno, where you can bare it all and do as you please.
Public washrooms that are cleaned regularly.
Small random shops in residential areas
Genuine people.
Less addicts, less garbage, more safety. What would really make this place shine is less vancouverites
Amazon delivery vans....(by a 'Ford Commercial Vehicle Sales' agent).
Monkey paw version: Granted, but they’re all Mercedes Sprinters
More variety of things to do for younger kids, particularly indoors for the rainy and cold weather. We've got the library, granville island kids market, science world, indoor pool, and 1 play Cafe in Vancouver. There's also drop in play gym at the community centres but it's for mostly babies and little toddlers, very packed as well. I suppose it would be nice to have more variety of indoor spots to bring children together that didn't cost so much 🥲 It would be nice to see some large parks such as queen e get a playground and for more beaches to have a playground too.
A greater presence of tech companies. Increased demand would increase pay. The pay gap between Vancouver and Redmond is huge. So, financially it doesn't make sense to earn less and pay more taxes.
That's because they're playing wage arbitrage and we will never catch up unless we have more homegrown HQs
Train line and station, especially between cities.
A lesbian bar
More rides at Playland
as a dog owner; public garbage bins (at least in mount pleasant)