BCB Weekly Roundup: Union dues (and don’ts)

The latest in what’s happening around the B.C. business community

Each week, BCBusiness gives you an update on some of the stories turning heads across the province.

Like the boost given to municipal politicians by union endorsements, here’s what got us going this week.

Labour likes

The Vancouver and District Labour Council made a pivotal move by naming its preferred candidates for the city’s mayoral and council seats.

The VDLC represents about 60,000 workers from more than 100 affiliated unions. In that pile is a cavalcade of industries, including education, health care and the performing arts.

Although the split of endorsements among Vancouver’s left-leaning parties isn’t entirely unexpected, the VDLC’s championing of Kennedy Stewart is a tad surprising.

Currently the NDP MP for Burnaby South, the independent candidate is seen as something of a progressive underdog because he’s fighting against the big green machine that is Vision Vancouver and its mayoral candidate, Ian Campbell.

This could be a massive boost for Stewart. Vancouver hasn’t elected an independent mayor since someone named Jack Volrich won the race in 1977.

Gord’s gamble

Speaking of former Vancouver mayors, another one was in the news this week as Gordon Campbell has joined forces with Ontario Premier Doug Ford in his cost-cutting crusade.

No wonder Ford has turned to Campbell, who gained a reputation for slashing taxes and delivering balanced budgets during his nearly 10 years as B.C. premier.

But this news also comes on the heels of the recent inquiry into money laundering in casinos when Campbell and his BC Liberals were in power. Authored by Peter German, a former deputy commissioner of the RCMP, the report makes it clear that provincial officials knew about the problem but didn’t act on it.

But it’s not like there’s solid evidence of any that.

In any case, Ol’ Gord could be out of his league: when it comes to slicing and dicing provincial funds, Ford brings to mind Uma Thurman in Kill Bill.

Setting records

While hockey continues to reign supreme in Vancouver—even when the Canucks are dismal—other recent sporting events have thrived in the city. 

In the last calendar year, Vancouver has hosted several professional competitions, many of which drew more fans than expected.

Some attendance numbers, courtesy of the City of Vancouver:

Canada vs. U.S. Women’s National Soccer match: 28,017 people (Canada Soccer exhibition record).

HSBC Canada Rugby Sevens tournament: 77,096 people (year-over-year increase).

Rugby Canada vs. Maori All-Blacks match: 29,480 people (Rugby Canada 15s exhibition record).

Canadian Tire National Skating Championships: 43,000 people (Skate Canada 15-year record high).

The city has won a number of other bids for sporting events, including the 2019 International Skating Union Grand Prix Final, the 2019 IIHF Junior World Championships (hockey) and the 2020 Gran Fondo World Championships (cycling).

Of course, there’s also this small tournament coming to Canada in 2026 that Vancouver won’t be a part of.

Sustainable structures

And finally, construction has begun on sustainable design beacon Terrace House in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour. Not to be confused with that polite Japanese alternative to American reality shows, the building is slated to be North America’s tallest hybrid timber structure once completed.

Designed by world-renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and developed by local company PortLiving, Terrace House uses sustainable and locally sourced Douglas fir from the Kootenays. It also includes features like glued laminate (known to reduce greenhouse gas emissions), museum-like temperature control glazing (with UV protection to protect against damage to art collections, furnishings and interior finishes) and an electric-car charging station.