Vancouver's controversial Broadway Plan approved by city council
After hours of chaotic Vancouver city council meetings spanning several weeks, a controversial plan to densify the Broadway corridor was passed Wednesday night.
The contentious proposal, named the Broadway Plan, aims to create high-density towers and homes for 50,000 more people along the new Broadway Subway line. More than two dozen amendments were made to the plan, and it passed with a 7-4 vote.
"I see nothing but positives here," Mayor Kennedy Stewart said after Wednesday's meeting. "We really listened, like we had many nights of public hearings, we had thousands of people inputting, we listened intently at councillors, what they heard, they reflected and amended the plan."
Coun. Colleen Hardwick, who is opposed to the plan, said the process was rushed.
"Boondoggle is the first word that springs to mind ," she said. "The way the whole process has been conducted, in my view, it's been substandard and certainly not up to the legacy of Vancouver as a liveable city."
The 30-year plan comes into effect at the start of September, before the next municipal election.
Renter protection was a significant concern for many locals, and some amendments to the plan aim to address the issue.
For example, staff is looking at the option of vacancy controls, so landlords can't drastically increase rents when tenants move out. As well, renter protections are in the plan to allow tenants displaced by demolition and construction to return to the new building at the same price.
More details on what the plan will look like are expected in the fall.
"It's just going to be a fantastic place, I think people from right across Canada are going to flock here," Stewart said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'