industries

Trump brand doesn’t belong in Vancouver, says former city planner

By Felicity Stone /

THE#BCBIZDAILY
Plus, government offers money for tech and BC Assessment warns of increases

Take it off
Former Vancouver city planner Brent Toderian is calling on the developers of the Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver to remove the Trump name from the building. On Monday Toderian tweeted, “As ‪#Trump calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S, I seriously suggest that Vancouverites call on ‪@TrumpVancouver to remove his name.” When the 63-storey Trump-branded hotel-and-condominium development was announced in 2013—when the concerns over his brand had more to do with gaudiness than racism—Toderian told BCBusiness that while Trump’s brand might not seem a natural fit with Vancouver, the project itself is important for the city.

Tech support
Premier Christy Clark has announced a new $100-million venture capital fund to help promising B.C. tech companies by creating an avenue for capital funding. The BC Tech Fund is the first of three economy-building pillars in the B.C. government’s multi-year #BCTECH Strategy that will drive growth and job creation in the multi-billion-dollar tech sector. The first pillar also includes continuing to support B.C.’s competitive tax system and research environment. The complete #BCTECH Strategy will be announced in January.

Early warning system
So the property tax bill won’t come as a complete shock, BC Assessment sends early notification letters to owners who can expect an assessment increase of at least 15 per cent above the average increase in their local taxing jurisdiction. This year, about 37,000 property owners across the province are being alerted in advance, almost two-thirds of them in Greater Vancouver.  “We want to ensure impacted property owners are aware of the significant increases and we welcome them to contact us if they have any questions or concerns,” assessor Jason Grant in a release.

Increases of 15 to 25 per cent will be typical for single-family homes in Vancouver, the North Shore, Burnaby, Tri-Cities, New Westminster, Richmond and Surrey. Typical increases will be in the range of five to 10 per cent for strata residential properties and 10 to 25 per cent for commercial and industrial properties close to Vancouver. Commercial properties being purchased for eventual redevelopment will often exceed these ranges.