THE TALK OF THE TOWN

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What Do We Have For You This Month?

Welcome to “The Talk of The Town” for December, 2023. Scroll through the following features to find:

  • Our Lead Story: Community expresses concerns about plans for the Stanley Park water tunnel and the consultative process.

  • West End News & Notes: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) is coming to St. Paul’s Hospital, The Stanley Park bike lane will not be back next year,

  • Developing Stories: Plans for 1511 Barclay

Our Lead Story

THE STANLEY PARK WATER TUNNEL
Residents and Businesses Concerned About Impact

by Nate Lewis
(click images to enlarge)

West End business owners are concerned about increased truck traffic on Denman and Davie Streets, caused by the upcoming Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel project.

Right now, Metro Vancouver’s (MV) five-year project is scheduled to begin in late 2024. The current traffic management plan would send some of their trucks up and down Denman and Davie. These two West End high streets are scheduled to be used as a “secondary” or “alternative” route for trucks and other construction vehicles leaving all three shaft excavation sites.

MAP OF CHILCO Shaft Site and designated West END truck routes (Metro Vancouver).

“We need the water. We understand that right. It's not about not doing the project. It's about minimizing the impact to the residents and businesses,” said Jill Davies.

Davies, who owns the Sylvia Hotel, is part of a group of West End business owners and residents who are asking MV and the City of Vancouver (COV) to mitigate the impact of the water tunnel project.

At a meeting attended by MV’s Community Liaison Shana Hugh and the COV’s Director of Transportation Paul Storer, the group expressed their concerns about transit delays due to congestion, pedestrian safety concerns, and the intersecting impact of other unrelated construction projects on or near Denman.

“They need serious consideration from this project team, both Metro and the City,” Davies said.

Metro Vancouver – the regional federation with a mandate to deliver these sorts of collectivist projects – has said they are committed to mitigating noise and traffic disruptions, among other localized impacts of the project.

For example, in response to concerns of traffic-related impacts for local businesses on Denman, the federation said trucks will not be allowed to “stage,” meaning stop, on the street. 

“Metro Vancouver is expecting approximately five to 30 trucks per day [along Denman], depending on the activities taking place on site… Some periods of the project — such as excavation, material deliveries, and concrete work — will require more truck traffic while some periods may require little to none,” MV told The West End Journal (TWEJ).

“If they're using Denman, and going up Davie, the congestion that is already on Denman will be added to further with construction trucks coming and going,” said Teri Smith, executive director of the West End Business Improvement Association.

City staff said the anticipated number of trucks, even on those busier days, are not expected to impact traffic or bus routes in the West End.

West End Business Improvement Association executive Director Teri Smith.

Smith is quick to acknowledge that the water supply project is “a critical thing that needs to happen.” For Smith, the question is, “how do you move forward with this project and meet the needs of the region in terms of drinking water supply, [while] meeting the needs of businesses and residents that are going to be impacted by the project?

“I definitely think that communication moving forward needs to be key, and hearing from businesses and residents about their thoughts around this too… obviously the Chilco site has many residents around it. So what can we do to mitigate that? I think there are some ideas being floated around reopening Gilford so as to minimize that impact,” Smith said. 

While Metro Vancouver is responsible for creating and executing the traffic management plan, they must consult with the City. As this project’s plan is still being revised, the City said they are reviewing the possibility of using Gilford Street as an alternative exit point for the Chilco shaft site. 

As for concerns about construction noise in the dense urban area surrounding the Chilco shaft site, MV said they will be conducting “continuous noise monitoring to measure noise levels and ensure bylaw compliance.” The COV’s noise bylaw sets 85 decibels as the mark not to be exceeded for noise lasting three minutes or longer.

“Metro Vancouver’s consultant estimates that noise from the project will remain below that level. If [it was] exceeded, the activity causing the excess noise would be interrupted so Metro Vancouver could assess how to reduce noise impacts,” they said.

Typical construction hours are 7:30 a.m to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays. However, MV said “actual intended work hours” won’t be set until a contractor is hired. At this point, they aren’t planning for excavation work to be done at the Chilco site on Saturdays and no work is planned for Sundays or holidays. If MV decides work is required outside of typical hours they would need to apply for a bylaw variance with the City.

In addition, MV is planning to use noise mitigation techniques, such as a noise barrier at the Chilco site.

There have also been suggestions from Davies’ group, among others, to open the bottom of Chilco street for quick truck access from Georgia Street. However, a “high value” stand of trees and the lack of an existing road make this route “unlikely,” if there are other routes with fewer impacts, City staff told TWEJ. 

OPEN HOUSE CONSULTATION

Over 100 people attended an open house event about the water project in early November at the Vancouver Rowing Club, just inside Stanley Park. Metro Vancouver said many of the attendees who showed up for the 4:30 p.m. mid-week event lived either in close proximity to the Chilco shaft site or elsewhere west of Denman.

Jill Taylor (left), seen here at the November Open House, is a Chilco street resident concerned about the project. (Nate Lewis photo)

In response to questions from TWEJ about the suitability of the event’s timing and location, MV said neither local community centres or the high school were available  within “the time period in which we promised the community we would return for further dialogue.” The Rowing Club – 10 minutes from the Chilco project site – was the best option available, they added.  

The event featured more than 30 poster boards detailing specific aspects of the project and was attended by various Metro Vancouver staff, including planners, engineers, and other subject matter experts.

“I think it was good to see all that information out there,” said Smith, who attended the open house. “But I would have appreciated a bit more of a presentation, Q & A, hearing solutions from the community, or a specific concern, things like that. I know they have their survey… but it’s always better when you can hear it in person I think,” the BIA director added.

Dr. Wendy Sarkissian.

The number one rule of this kind of engagement is “you do it in the community, in the community style,” Dr. Wendy Sarkissian explained. “So the core organizations would be the West End Seniors Network and the West End Community Centre. So you do it their way, in their locations.” 

Sarkissian is a West End resident who has spent over 50 years as a university professor and award-winning academic author. She holds an MA and PhD in community planning and environmental ethics and is an expert in community engagement.

“The problem with the open house [model] is that there's no accountability. It looks like it's consultation but actually [it’s not] because there is no systematic recording of the residents’ responses to the displays,” Sarkissian explained.

“The boards are never designed to really elicit a conversation. They just show and tell… It’s never designed collaboratively, it's never analyzed collaboratively… it’s the worst model,” Sarkissian said. 

For their part, Metro Vancouver said they’ve also engaged business owners and residents through community meetings, online public comment periods, “as well as direct communications with dedicated community liaisons.” In addition, MV said they’ve kept the community updated with project newsletters and fact sheets, as well as social media and email updates, which you can sign up for here.

As of late November, Metro Vancouver said they will have a construction contractor on board by summer 2024. They say this timeline is within their plan and is not the result of any unexpected delays. In August 2023, TWEJ reported there had been delays in “finalizing designs and approvals in preparation for hiring a construction contractor,” according to MV.

MV’s publicly accessible “Bids and Tenders” website portal currently shows the window for contractors to submit their project bids will close on January 31, 2024. Seven construction companies have registered as plan takers for the bid. 

Construction on the project is currently scheduled to commence in late 2024, though the start date has already been pushed back twice, once in October 2022 and again in May of this year.

West End News & Notes

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING
St. Paul’s Hospital Reaches Compromise

The lack of access to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) at St. Paul’s Hospital was reported in October in The West End Journal by “A Closer Look” columnist John Streit. This arrangement is due to an undertaking between the provincial government and Providence Health Care — the Roman Catholic organization that runs St. Paul’s. In Streit’s report, West End - Coal Harbour MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert was quoted as saying that he had long felt St. Paul’s Hospital should offer what other hospitals offer in terms of things like MAiD and abortion services.

“I understand the desire to have a religious exemption” said Chandra Herbert, “but I think there certainly should be in the new hospital an accommodation. Maybe a certain wing is run by Vancouver Coastal Health as opposed to Providence. Certainly, what we’ve seen with folks having to go through a transfer out of the hospital at their most vulnerable time - I don't think anyone should want that to happen.”

The West End’s 129-year-old St. Paul’s Hospital.

On November 29, the BC government announced that MAiD services will soon be available for people within a Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) clinical space adjacent to St. Paul’s. This means patients will no longer need to transfer to another health-care facility for this specialized end-of-life care.

“MAiD is a legal end-of-life choice, and we’re ensuring it is accessible in a way that supports and respects patients, their loved ones and health-care providers,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “I have directed VCH to take space next to the hospital and establish a clinical space and care setting for VCH use. This new dedicated clinical space will be established for patients at St. Paul’s Hospital to access compassionate and dignified MAiD services.”

The clinical space will be staffed by Vancouver Coastal Health's health-care professionals and will be connected by a corridor to St. Paul’s Hospital. Patients from St. Paul's Hospital accessing MAiD will be discharged by Providence Health and transferred to the care of Vancouver Coastal Health in this new clinical space, which is expected to be completed in August 2024.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Health has directed Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health to implement a patient-centred approach for patients at St. Paul’s Hospital who wish to access MAiD. This includes arranging transport for MAiD patients if required, and overseeing care and communication with families throughout the process. The health authorities will collaborate to make the transfer process and the patient’s subsequent care as seamless and comfortable as possible.

While faith-based organizations may still choose not to offer MAiD services at their facilities, they are expected to work with regional health authorities to ensure the option is available to patients who choose it. Doctors and nurse practitioners in B.C. follow the federal legislation for MAiD and may only provide MAiD when specific eligibility criteria are met and safeguards are followed. Oversight of MAiD in B.C. is provided by the Ministry of Health’s MAiD Oversight Unit.

The government announcement did not clarify whether the “adjacent space” to be used for MAiD will be a part of a current structure or a purpose-built structure nearby, or what arrangements were planned for the new St. Paul’s Hospital, now under construction at the east end of False Creek. There was also no mention in the announcement about changing restrictions on abortion services at St. Paul’s.

The Buchan Hotel.

BUCHAN HOTEL UPDATE

The Buchan Hotel on Haro Street has stood vacant for more than two years following its use, during the COVID pandemic, as a supportive shelter for women, run by Atira Women’s Society.

The women who stayed there for less than a year were originally from Atira’s Bridge Housing facility in Gastown, while that venue was undergoing renovations. The women were returned to their former homes once that work was completed.

Last spring The West End Journal (TWEJ) inquired of Atira, BC Housing, and our local MLA’s office as to what the plans for the building and learned that MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert and other government offices were unaware that the building had been vacant for so long.

Follow-up inquiries forwarded to BC Housing by Chandra Herbert’s office resulted in a communication from BC Housing to the effect that Atira no longer holds the management contract for the Buchan (which ended in December 2021), that renovations are scheduled to begin “before fall 2023”, and that no decisions has been made as to future use of the building or the management arrangement.

In August 2023, TWEJ received subsequent communications from BC Housing advising that renovations had been delayed to the spring of 2024. Their response read as follows: “Health and safety renovations are being planned to improve the overall condition of the building, including fire safety and cooling system upgrades, new hot water utilities systems for units, and exterior improvements. Units at the Buchan Hotel are not self-contained, but shared washrooms and shower rooms are available on every floor and a common kitchen is accessible as part of the common area on the ground floor.”

The email went on to state: “… these renovations are being planned to be undertaken in a manner which will take care to maintain the building’s current exterior facade. It is currently anticipated that renovations will be complete in 2025.”

Emails from BC Housing also indicated that when renovations are completed the hotel will once again serve as supportive women’s housing.

In the meantime, the restaurant in the basement of the hotel, Robba Da Matti, continues to operate as usual. The restaurant itself is a contentious presence for many neighbours, especially during summer months when the outdoor patio is expanded and noise levels rise.

NO RETURN OF STANLEY PARK BIKE LANE

At the Park Board’s meeting on November 27, it became clear that a permanent bike lane in Stanley Park was a pipe dream, not a plan. Members of ABC Vancouver, who have a majority on City Council and Park Board, are walking back their promises to build a new permanent bike lane in the park after they used their majority to remove the temporary lane earlier this year. Park Board staff said, due to “significant challenges,” they are not planning to build a bike lane for the summer of 2024.

The implementation of a bike lane on Stanley Park Drive would require the road to be widened, if the Park Board wishes to retain the two traffic lanes. This would entail an estimated cost of $30-50 million dollars and take four years. There is currently no funding in the Park Board and City budget for such an undertaking.

“A bike lane proposal could be considered after the Stanley Park Mobility Study is complete [expected April 2024] and [when] funds and staff are more available,” the report said.

Since the temporary lane was removed Park Board staff found a 40% increase in the number of vehicles driving over 50 km per hour (the speed limit is 30 km per hour on Stanley Park Drive) and no change in parking revenue (parking was open when the latest iteration of the lane was installed, they note).

You can read the report for yourself here.

Developing Stories

1511 Barclay.

1511 BARCLAY

by Jake McGrail
(click images to enlarge)

Back in May, the City of Vancouver approved a development permit for the property at 1511 Barclay Street. The site currently holds an old, single-family home that’s now over a century old, having originally been built in 1922.

Despite that, the house does not have heritage status, which gives more freedom when it comes to making changes to the property. Currently, the approved plan would see a three-story single detached home added to the site along with a two-car garage.

It’s a little unclear whether or not the existing house will stay under the current plan. News articles from 2018 state that the property’s zoning means the original house would need to stay should a new development be built on the back of the property. As well, the approval letter from the City of Vancouver for the project says that a separate permit would be required to demolish the existing structure. 

At the same time, that is the only time in the letter that the existing property is mentioned, and the actual development application submitted back in the fall of 2022 is not available online. So, it’s currently unclear what exactly the intentions of the development are.

Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that the current owners want to sell the property, despite (or perhaps because) the development application was approved. Realtor Jay Coupar is one of the names attached to the listing and he said in a YouTube video in May that the owners have moved away and so are looking to sell the place as the rundown nature of the existing building (both the roof and basement need major reworking) means they aren’t interested in renting it out.

The property has already changed hands twice within the last decade – according to realtor.ca it was sold for $2.8 million in 2015 and again for $3.185 million in 2021. The current asking price is listed at $3.2 million and any new ownership would presumably have free rein to use the approved development application to rework the site. Given that the house sat on the market for nearly three years before its last sale, it could end up sitting for a while longer this time around.

So, it appears that, despite the development signs out front, action at 1511 Barclay may not be imminent. At least not until the current owners find a buyer for the property or change their minds and decide they would like to develop it themselves.

The West End - Coal Harbour In The News