More housing supply doesn’t mean lower prices. If policy-makers want to make homes more affordable, they must tackle developers who drive up prices and consider taxing capital gains on homes.
As we push for a real solution — an increase in housing supply and related supports — the encampment evictions must stop. We need to make encampments unnecessary.
Cities in Eastern Canada, like Montréal, are at risk of damage from earthquakes.
(Life-of-Pix/Pixabay)
Some of the worst risks of earthquakes are in a zone running from the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence River that includes major cities like Toronto, Ottawa and Québec City.
People are shoulder to shoulder inside a city bus while commuting at rush hour during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Increasing even part-time remote work disrupts public transit revenue. Agencies need to adapt fare structures and business models to meet the changing work market.
Police clear a homeless camp in Montréal’s east end May 3, 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
A key component in any planning around encampments is the voice of people with lived experience. It is clear the go-to response of policing is not working.
Artist Steven Shearer’s untitled billboard images of reclining and sleeping people were displayed as part of Capture Photography Festival in Vancouver but were soon removed due to complaints.
(Dennis Ha)
Examining parallels between Steven Shearer’s billboard images and religious figures of 17th century baroque art allow a consideration of how context is everything when it comes to reading images.
The Northern Bruce Peninsula in Ontario has been a popular domestic tourism destination during COVID-19.
Luke Smith/Unsplash
Large Canadian cities, usually major tourist destinations, have have experienced drastic declines in tourists and tourism spending while some regional hotspots have been overwhelmed with visitors.
After an extensive renovation, an old house in a laneway in Toronto became a new two-bedroom home.
(LGA Architectural Partners, Ben Rahn/A Frame)
Laneway suites could increase rental stock in established neighbourhoods without affecting their character. Toronto has lagged behind other cities in Canada and North America.
DUDES Club members and research team at a retreat in northern British Columbia.
(Jeff Topham)
DUDES Club, with a little help from Movember, has shown how a grassroots health and mental health initiative could be mobilized to work by, for and with Indigenous men.
COVID-19 restrictions like physical distancing and cashless payment are making life more difficult for those already vulnerable.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed gaps in the health-care system that leave those without identification documents vulnerable.
When it comes to online dating, writing something short but funny on your profile will help you stay in the game.
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Yue Qian, University of British Columbia and Siqi Xiao, University of British Columbia
People looking for a potential partners online highly value a sense of humour but immigrants struggle with local jokes.
A homeless woman sits outside a fenced-off camp in Vancouver after a 12 p.m. deadline for the park to be vacated in Vancouver on May 9, 2020. The province relocated hundreds of people from tent encampments in Vancouver and Victoria to hotel and community centre accommodations.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Without sufficient safe shelter space and universal testing, cities are forcing homeless people into encampments, limiting their ability to stay safe and violating international human rights laws.
Rather than blank boarded-up storefronts, artists in Vancouver have created murals to offer inspiration, public health messaging and beauty during the coronavirus pandemic. This one is by Will Phillips.
(Eugene McCann)
During COVID-19, boarded-up storefronts host various new types of inspirational, informational and decorative murals that should be read critically as representing political agendas for the future.
Vancouver has become a money-laundering haven. Can a public inquiry find solutions?
Mike Benna/Unsplash
It’s time to tackle the shortage of public housing head-on, rather than skirt around the problem. Public housing is the single most cost-effective way to turn around the rise in homelessness.
A new mural depicts Indigenous paddlers taking food to passengers on the legendary ship Komagata Maru that was denied entry to Vancouver in 1914. Federal official Harry Stevens, with white hat, led the campaign to keep the ship from docking.
(Library and Archives Canada)
In 1914, a ship carrying more than 300 immigrants from India wasn’t allowed to dock in Vancouver. A new mural tells an unverified story about Indigenous paddlers bringing food to the stranded ship.
As bike sharing and other forms of micromobility become more common in global transportation systems, who benefits?
Ben Mater/unsplash
Combining big data sources about bike-share trips with anonymized data from traditional survey research can best capture who is using bike-share programs.
With the luxury of time and good light, summer is perfect for a good solid beach read.
Dan Dumitriu /Unsplash
A literary scholar from British Columbia offers some of her favourite “left coast” summer reads.
Many places overseas require developers to build a certain proportion of affordable housing, but Victoria has opted for a voluntary negotiated approach.
Lichtwolke/Shutterstock
People on the minimum wage can afford only 2% of private rentals and only 1% if on the pension. Affordable housing requirements are often mandatory overseas, but Victoria is relying on negotiation.
Assistant Professor, Dept of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Research Scientist with the BC Centre on Substance Use, University of British Columbia
Professor, David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education, Faculty of Education, cross-appointed to the Social Justice Institute, Faculty of Arts, University of British Columbia