New Topic: Affordability

(Cross posted from the previous topic)

Anonymous #1 said...According to Realtor.ca there are 279 detached houses for sale in the District and City of North Vancouver and only two are below 1.1 million? One is halfway up Indian Arm and is boat access only, and the other is for a million on a 4,500 sq ft infill lot on Lynn Valley Road. 

Oh and the median price of those listings is 1.79 million 

Anonymous #2 said...What's the discussion? We know what the prices are.

Anonymous #3 said...Since we are all anonymous here... I guess the big one is do we care enough about affordability to do something, or do prefer to just talk about it, and secretly enjoy parks and trails that aren't busy, low crime rates, educated wealthy neighbors, and none of the visible negatives associated with poverty which is more prevalent in other areas?

I never said it was going to be a nice topic.

Central to the whole discussion about housing has to be the seldom mentioned reality that there is a need for more than just detached single family homes and strata developments.

Decently priced rental accommodations need to be part of the mix, as does subsidized housing for those with low incomes - especially our growing senior population.

Even though the District has only about half the proportion of renters that is seen in the City, it's still something that can't be ignored.

District Councillor Jim Hanson expresses concerns about Animal shelter closure

Moving facility to private vet's clinic creates uncertainty.

City Mayor Advocating for Cigarette butt recycling

A deposit program similar to the kind we're used to for bottles and cans, is being pushed by City Mayor, Darrell Mussatto. Butts could be taken to a recycling depot to regain the deposit of 5 to 10 cents per cigarette paid at the purchase point. Cigarette butts are quite toxic and do pose a significant environmental hazard especially to fish in local streams when eventually flushed down storm drains when it rains. A Province wide program would obviously be most effective.

Viva Las... North Van?

It was reported last week that the Province, under the guise of the BC Lottery Commission, would like to plant a new casino on the North Shore.

They figure that the casino would bring in between $25 and 40 million a year, with the lucky municipality that hosts it being offered (in my opinion) a paltry $2+ million.

Am I alone in thinking this is a pretty far-fetched idea?

The question of location alone is interesting.

I can't see West Van ever going for this, and can't think of anywhere in the District that would make sense.  (OK, maybe as part of the Lynn Valley Center development.)

Would the City welcome a shiny new casino on the waterfront?  On Lonsdale?

Or would a location on the Tsleil-Waututh Nation lands make sense?  How much casino traffic could the Dollarton highway survive?

Mayors Musatto and Smith were "unavailable for comment," and Walton would "seek guidance from Council."  All of which suggests that they're trying to avoid actually saying anything.

The bigger question is why Victoria is floating this now, in the run-up to the election.  Is there a "surprise" in the works?

Liability for DNV recreational trails? Revisited...

"Ladies Only Trail" roller coaster jump ramp on Fromme Mtn. 
(DNV- approved?)

Back in June 26 2012, I wrote about this very topic: http://www.northvancouverpolitics.com/2012/06/liability-for-dnv-recreational-trails.html

It is a topic that needs to be revisited. The following verdict may become a game-changer for the District of North Vancouver and other municipalities:

County liable for man's catastrophic biking incident in Bruce Peninsula, court rules

Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, May 17, 2016

TORONTO -- A man rendered quadriplegic after a mountain biking accident won his battle Tuesday to hold the Ontario municipality that operated the adventure park fully liable for his injuries.

In its decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by the municipal County of Bruce that it was not at fault, and that the victim, Stephen Campbell, was at least partly responsible for his catastrophic injuries.

"The reality is that several riders had been injured, including seriously injured, on the wooden obstacles in the trials area before (Campbell's) accident," the Appeal Court said.
"Had the municipality adequately monitored previous accidents and been aware of the number of accidents at the park -- and on Free Fall in particular -- actions would have been taken that would have prevented (Campbell's) injuries."
Read more: http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/county-liable-for-man-s-catastrophic-biking-incident-in-bruce-peninsula-court-rules-1.2905967  

------------------------------ 

The District of North Vancouver also operates and funds a mountain biking "adventure park" of sorts on Fromme and portions of Seymour. They allow various "amusement park"-like structures to be built, along with putting various amenities in place for the mountain bikers.

There have been many injuries and even one death coming from those DNV-approved man-made MTB structures in the public forests. We know that mountain biking is already an inherently dangerous sport, without the added "liability" structures.

Those man-made mountain biking structures bring into the picture much bigger liability issues, I believe.

The District of North Vancouver lacks the pertinent parks staff, rangers, etc. to oversee the building and day to day activities. It's still very much a wild west in the woods. What happens if an injured mountain biker should sue DNV. someday?

What will this Ontario court decision mean for BC municipalities, especially the District of North Vancouver? Only time will tell. Thoughts?