Side StreetVancouver

A closer look at Vancouver.

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  1. Preliminary provincial riding leads: Conservatives 63, NDP 28, Greens 2, out of 93 ridings. Each bar starts at zero; the dashed line marks 47 for a majority. Final counting: November 6–10.
    Preliminary October 26 results, checked October 27. Source: Elections BC. Source 1
    Vancouver and Metro Vancouver

    B.C. turns Conservative. What happens to homes and transit in Vancouver?

    B.C.'s preliminary election result, Vancouver's riding leads and what the incoming government could change for housing and transit.News and analysis · 6 min read
  2. Illustrative ground-floor layout between West 9th, West 10th, Tolmie and Sasamat. Homes line West 9th and the northern walking route. The grocery and smaller shops face West 10th and the plaza. A path connects the plaza north to the pocket park, with a branch west to Tolmie. Existing buildings remain at the southwest and southeast corners.
    Illustrative. View larger
    Point Grey

    Point Grey’s former Safeway site: 563 rentals and a grocery store

    The proposal brings rental homes, groceries and a route through the block. We’d like the quieter side to have a few more places to stop.On the Block · 6 min read
  3. Vancouver council result: four Green, four COPE, one OneCity and one ABC councillor. Green mayor Pete Fry is shown separately.
    Side Street graphic. Original election-night seat graphic. The October 21 official declaration confirmed these seat totals.
    Vancouver

    Pete Fry wins Vancouver as Greens and COPE take eight council seats

    Vancouver has a new mayor and a very different council. Three incoming councillors told us they support more apartments, neighbourhood shops and bus lanes. We'd like to see those answers turn into something we can use.News report · 4 min read
  4. Campaign commitments to follow: Burnaby BCA school routes and paths; New Westminster Progressives crossings and a bike-lane review; Safe Surrey Coalition Newton rapid transit and a four-year property-tax freeze.
    Side Street graphic. Campaign commitments and municipal results. Subject to change.
    Metro Vancouver

    What the regional election results could mean for our neighbourhoods

    We want more homes near transit, safer trips to school and room for a small shop around the corner. Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey have elected councils with quite different ideas about getting there.Analysis · 6 min read
  5. Advance-voting comparison: 65,127 ballots in 2022 and more than 103,000 advance voters in the preliminary 2026 count. The current bar is a lower bound.
    Vancouver has passed its 2022 advance count. The 2026 figure is preliminary and does not include mail-package requests. Graphic: Side Street Vancouver, from the City’s October 15 update.
    Vancouver

    Vancouver's election so far: early votes and harder choices

    Record advance voting, specific choices from three municipal debates, and what candidates told Side Street before Saturday’s vote.Election report · 7 min read
  6. A crowded outdoor patio beside Kitsilano Beach at dusk, with string lights, barrel planters and the North Shore mountains across the water
    Batch at the Kitsilano Pool concession, Saturday, September 19, 2026, about 7:30 p.m. Photo: Konrad / Side Street Vancouver.
    Kitsilano Beach

    Batch is packed. Vancouver’s waterfront needs more places like it

    Reported gross sales at the Kitsilano Pool concession topped $320,000 in eight weeks in 2024. What does a busier waterfront return to the public?Analysis · 6 min read
  7. A two-storey shingled corner building with dark trim and bay windows, with people at patio tables under a canvas awning
    Le Marché St. George at St. George Street and East 28th Avenue, Saturday, September 19, 2026. Photo: Konrad / Side Street Vancouver.
    St. George & E 28th

    Why Vancouver’s corner cafés run into a 16-seat rule

    Nomad Coffee's expansion permit capped it at 16 seats. The same grocery-store rule shapes some of Vancouver's favourite corner cafés.Analysis · 7 min read
  8. Graphic showing the local offices and ballot questions Vancouver voters will choose on October 17, 2026
    The Vancouver local ballot. Side Street graphic based on the City’s election information. The compass compares local policy views with available party and candidate positions.
    Vancouver

    How to use our Vancouver election compass

    Advance voting has begun. Start with your own views, compare the replies, and follow the questions that matter to you through our profiles and election coverage.Practical guide · 3 min read
  9. Map of Vancouver with a dot for each multiplex project, mid-rise permit and highrise permit since June 2024. Rust multiplex dots cover most neighbourhoods, especially Hastings-Sunrise, Kerrisdale and the west side. Large navy highrise circles cluster downtown, near Broadway and along the Canada Line.
    Every multiplex project, mid-rise and highrise permit since June 2024. Explore it block by block on our multiplex map.
    Citywide

    Vancouver now issues more permits for multiplexes than for new houses

    592 multiplex permits since June 2024, with Hastings-Sunrise out front and the west side close behind. Here’s where they are, why they’re getting slower, and why I think they’re worth it.Analysis · 7 min read
  10. Four small line charts of median days to a building permit from 2017 to 2026. Simple renovations fall from 51 days in 2022 to 23 in 2026, against a 3-day target. New houses fall from 249 to 142, against a 3-week target. Laneway houses fall from 230.5 to 98. Multiplexes rise from 108.5 days in 2024 to 188 in 2026.
    Median days to a building permit, by year issued. Each chart has its own scale.
    Citywide

    How long does a Vancouver building permit take? I checked 52,000 of them

    Home permits are much faster than in 2022. They are still nowhere near the three-day and three-week targets, and multiplex permits are getting slower.Data analysis · 5 min read
  11. Map of Vancouver with a dot for each of the 59 advance voting places and the SkyTrain lines. 52 navy dots, spread across the city, have frequent transit every advance day. 7 rust dots, scattered from Kitsilano to Hastings-Sunrise, take more planning.
    Advance voting places and frequent transit. Buses every 15 minutes or better within 400 metres, or SkyTrain within 800 metres, on every advance day.
    Citywide

    Can you get to your voting place without a car? Almost always

    52 of Vancouver’s 59 advance voting places have a bus every 15 minutes or SkyTrain nearby on every advance day. Here are the seven that take more planning.Practical guide · 4 min read
  12. Vancouver local election day is October 17; the B.C. provincial election's final voting day is October 24. October 17 is also a provincial advance voting day.
    Two election calendars in Vancouver. Side Street graphic based on the City of Vancouver and Elections BC, checked September 28, 2026.
    Vancouver

    Vancouver has two October elections. Don't let the local one disappear.

    The snap B.C. vote falls one week after Vancouver chooses its local government. Both matter, and October 17 has an easy-to-miss overlap.Analysis · 4 min read
  13. Davie Street at Bute Street, with rainbow crosswalks, sidewalks, shops and traffic on a sunny day
    Davie Street at Bute Street, July 27, 2018, before the current street work. Context photograph. Photo: Jeff Hitchcock / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0. Resized for web.
    Davie Village

    Davie Village is getting wider sidewalks. The shops have to get through the work first.

    Street upgrades are underway between Jervis and Thurlow. The question now is how people will reach the shops during construction.News brief · 3 min read
  14. A large crowd on Granville Street near Smithe Street during the 2026 World Cup
    Granville Street at Smithe during the World Cup on June 18, 2026, before the later seven-week pedestrian programme. Archive photograph. Photo: Northwest / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0. Resized for web.
    Granville Street

    Granville's pedestrian summer is over. What worked beyond the busiest blocks?

    Downtown Van says the early response was encouraging, but results varied by block and business. A fuller assessment is due by winter.News brief · 2 min read
  15. Density by Decree, an SFU City Program talk on October 14, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Harbour Centre and online
    Event information graphic: Side Street Vancouver, based on the linked event listing. Check the registration page for current details.
    515 W Hastings

    Free SFU talk looks at the future of Vancouver's neighbourhoods

    Michael Geller, Ann McAfee and Larry Beasley discuss Vancouver's neighbourhoods at a free SFU event on October 14, in person and online.Event · 1 min read
  16. Nine reviewed ABC promises: one kept, one kept but redefined, four behind target, one not done and two without a clear target
    Our verdicts on nine of ABC Vancouver’s 93 promises from 2022. Side Street graphic based on the table below and Daily Hive’s September 16 review. These are nine selected items, not a score for the full platform.
    City Hall

    Ken Sim made 93 campaign promises in 2022. Here’s a scorecard on nine of them

    Daily Hive checked nine of ABC’s 2022 pledges against the record. One is done, one is done as redefined, and the tax freeze didn’t survive the first budget.Election explainer · 5 min read
  17. The 2026 Vancouver ballot includes one mayor, ten councillors, seven Park Board commissioners, nine school trustees, three capital borrowing questions and two non-binding plebiscites
    What Vancouver voters will choose on October 17, 2026. Side Street graphic based on the City of Vancouver election information; check the City for current voting details.
    Citywide

    Vancouver's 2026 election: a guide to the choices

    Who is running, what the parties are proposing, and what your ballot can change.Analysis · 8 min read
  18. The Vancouver Aquatic Centre’s sloping roof beside Sunset Beach, with West End towers behind it
    The Aquatic Centre seen from Burrard Bridge on July 6, 2013. Archive photograph. Photo: Another Believer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 1.0. Image unchanged.
    Sunset Beach

    The Aquatic Centre is heading for demolition. What comes next for swimmers?

    Demolition is expected in early October. Here’s what’s planned for the replacement, and where swimmers go from here.News brief · 2 min read
  19. Lap lanes and diving platforms inside the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, seen from the spectator seating
    The Vancouver Aquatic Centre in 2026, before its closure. Archive photograph of the old facility. Photo: Canmenwalker / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0. Image unchanged.
    Citywide

    Where to swim while the Vancouver Aquatic Centre is rebuilt

    Hillcrest’s 50-metre days, three other pools to try, and where to look for lessons.Practical guide · 3 min read
  20. Lap lanes and diving platforms inside the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, seen from the spectator seating
    The Vancouver Aquatic Centre in 2026, before its closure. Archive photograph of the old facility. Photo: Canmenwalker / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0. Image unchanged.
    Citywide

    What Vancouver’s mayoral campaigns are promising on pools

    A 50-metre pool, free lessons and more pool time: what the mayoral campaigns have put on the table.Election explainer · 4 min read

What I’m looking into

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My reporting plans for the next few weeks. If you know something about one of these, tell me.

  • Homes · Coverage planned

    What is it like to live in a Vancouver multiplex?

    Find a completed, occupied building and ask residents how the homes and shared space work day to day.

    Explore the permit map
  • Shops · Coverage planned

    What keeps a farmers market in its neighbourhood?

    Follow the sites, permits and costs behind a regular market, and what makes it easy to reach.

    Share a market lead
  • Shops · Coverage planned

    How does a shop survive on a residential corner?

    Look into Le Marché St. George’s permit history and the people who keep a neighbourhood shop going.

    Read the sixteen-seat story
  • City Hall · Coverage planned

    What happens after a Council promise?

    Follow a specific commitment through a motion, a budget and a change people can see on their block.

    Read the commitments on record
  • Homes · Coverage planned

    What happens next at the former Point Grey Safeway?

    Follow the permit process and material changes to the proposed homes, grocery space and walking connections.

    Read the proposal explained
  • Streets · Coverage planned

    Can you reach Davie shops during construction?

    Walk the detours, check accessible routes and ask shops what customers need to know.

    Read the existing Davie brief
  • Streets · Coverage planned

    Which missing bike connection comes next?

    Follow one useful route through its design, funding and construction decisions.

    Suggest a missing connection
  • Parks · Coverage planned

    How much swimming access survives the Aquatic Centre closure?

    Follow lessons, clubs and public swimming access as replacement plans develop.

    Read the swimming guide