It's a reputation that has dogged Vancouver for years. How can a "No Fun City" host a party as big as the Olympics?
Well, there's a plan in the works to bring back the fun -- and many hope it lasts well beyond the games.
The City Council will consider a series of bylaw changes that would literally turn Vancouver into a city that never sleeps.
Patios that normally close at 11 p.m. would stay open until 1 a.m. And the noise control bylaw that usually kicks in at 10 p.m. would get pushed to after midnight.
Garbage pickup would start an hour early -- 5 a.m. in downtown and 6 a.m. in the rest of the city. And trucks would be allowed to make downtown deliveries 24 hours a day.
"I think the fun has arrived in Vancouver," said Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant Association. "As we develop into more of an international city -- if you look at places like Rome -- it's quite common for people to be in a restaurant 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning,"
"So I think as we grow up and mature we have to make something permanent for sure," he added.
Another proposal would bend the rules for taxi companies, allowing them to get temporary licenses.
And to keep the city looking its best, shopkeepers would be required to clean up graffiti even if they just rent the space in a building.
"We want them to clean up faster. We're not going to wait until after the games to clean it up, We want it done right away," said Councillor Geoff Meggs.
If adopted, the bylaw changes would take effect Jan. 1, but expire at the end of March.
"We're not going to continue any of them, even if they seem like good ideas, without further debate," Meggs said.
That's a debate that will likely rage on -- long after the party is over.
With files from CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson.
