BC Business
We assess how different people/things and, of course, businesses fared this week.
Surrey is on the top of our list after a rough ride last week
We’re sorry, Surrey.
Well, maybe that wouldn’t really fit our style.
Good for you, Surrey. That’s more appropriate, probably. After all, as far as we’re concerned, the city was able to recover from last week with a combination of hard work and timing. And that’s all it really takes, right?
Kids at home, if you’re reading (you aren’t), that’s how you bounce back!
Here’s what made the grade this week. And what didn’t.
Grade: A+
Becoming the first city in the province to hire an ethics commissioner is a massive step forward. And it’ll serve as an obvious note to other large cities in B.C. that this is something of a necessary move.
Very smart stuff.
Grade: A
Bitcoin is enjoying something of a mini-renaissance, having hit an annual high at the end of May. But is anything more validating than a blockchain training program for graduate students at UBC?
Well, maybe. But still, it’s something of a milestone for cryptoheads (sorry if that’s an offensive term—we figured it was better than cryptkeepers), as the UBC program is reportedly the first of its kind in the country.
Grade: A
In addition to Surrey, we were particularly hard on Victoria city council last week—in particular, Coun. Ben Isitt’s motion to get the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada to chip in for memorial events like Remembrance Day in the capital.
Turns out that upstanding corporate citizen London Drugs also saw Isitt’s motion. The company, which recently was dethroned from its top spot on our Most Loved Brands list (it came second this year), offered to fund Victoria Remembrance Day costs “for at least the next few years.”
Look at LDs, making a push to get that top spot back. Watch your back, BC Hydro!
Grade: C
Vancouver Coun. Jean Swanson’s motion to protect rental-housing stock along arterials (high-capacity urban roads) from renovictions narrowly failed, losing in a 6-5 vote.
It’s a tough blow for the city’s many renters and the dozens of tenants who showed up to speak before the vote. Four developers also attended, and while the city is one of the worst in terms of handing out permits, it also needs to do a much better job of protecting vulnerable tenants.
Which leads us to our final item.
Grade: F
Gone, but not forgotten.
Not that the former mayor of Vancouver likely cares anymore, but as far as political promises go, his 2008 pledge to end homelessness remains one of the worst calls in B.C. history.
The homeless rate went up once again this year, of course, with the city reporting an increase of 2 percent, bringing the number up to 2,223 people.
Hard to imagine why people think politicians will say just about anything to get elected.