BC Business
Pretty (but) boring In case you haven’t heard yet, the Economist thinks Vancouver is “mind-numbingly boring.” Livable, yes, but that’s precisely the problem: livability indexes that measure “things such as crime levels, transport efficiency and housing stock, meant that the most anodyne cities inevitably rose to the top,” says the Gulliver business travel column “Torporville.” Gulliver prefers edgier places because “where is the fun in nice?”
In a response to the Globe and Mail’s take on the city’s reputation as boring, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson retorted that “Adventure is in our DNA. People come here from all over the world because we crave and create a spirited life. But Vancouver is not for those who seek a rush from violent crime or need their culture spoon-fed.”
Valley of the dammed Another day, another challenge to BC Hydro’s mega-project: on Tuesday the Peace Valley Landowners Association (PVLA) called on Premier Christy Clark to delay construction on the Site C Dam pending an independent review of its business case. At a PVLA press conference in Vancouver, U.S. energy economist Robert McCullough claimed that Site C is probably twice as expensive as other energy options, ignores province’s for potential geothermal energy and is not green as advertised—plus a two-year delay in construction would save ratepayers $200 million. You can read the group’s case against Site C here.
Call them mellow yellow? Iconic B.C. publications Western Living and Vancouver magazine have been purchased by Yellow Pages Homes Limited. The acquisitions will allow Yellow Pages NextHome, which produces real estate publications like New Home Guide and New Condo Guide, to move into the restaurant, homes and lifestyle markest, and boost the company’s audience, according to industry watcher Masthead. Last November, Vancouver magazine’s former owner Transcontinental sold 15 magazines including Canadian Living and the Hockey News to Quebecor’s TVA Group.