Between The Bridges – February 21

Most of us are now well aware of the proposed U.S. economic warfare against Canada. Because we all have to eat, what will likely affect us daily in this U.S-Canada-integrated economy is food. Whatever is to come, here are some actions to consider:

1. Grow as much food as you can. All of us in this community live in an apartment or a townhouse, most with balconies or patios. A lot of food can be grown in containers and the air above them takes no further space. Staked and climbing plants like tomatoes, peas, beans, and cucumbers are prime candidates for vertical gardening. And enclaves with courtyards could use some of their land for growing food crops to be shared among those who live there.

2. Buy locally. We live very close to Sole Foods where we can buy shares in their food crops and/or buy produce weekly from spring to fall (See Urban Farm Close to Home in this issue). A summer seasonal farmers’ market in Olympic Village is a walk or a ferry ride away. And Granville Island vendors are now more prominently displaying country of origin signs on their produce. 

3. Buy BC. In addition to fruits and veggies, BC-produced dairy, grains, eggs, fish, and meat are all readily available, much of it locally sourced. Winter Farmer’s Markets sell these and more at Riley Park on Saturdays until March 29 and on West Broadway until April 27, both from 10 am to 2 pm. A list of vendors is available online for Riley Park and West Broadway.

4. Buy Canadian. We need to support tax-paying Canadian businesses that provide goods and services and, not incidentally, jobs. We can’t substitute ourselves for the huge American market but we can independently feed ourselves and our families. Check out the Facebook group Made In Canada where hundreds of people regularly identify Canadian versions of virtually all consumer products. You can also download the app Buy Beaver on your phone. When shopping, a scan of an item will identify if it’s a product of Canada (rated 5 of 5) or partially so or not at all.

5. Buy International. When what you need isn’t available locally, provincially, or nationally, remember we are not in a trade war with the entire world. Only one country is threatening us.

Bon appetit! 

Many people respond to Trump’s threat of crippling tariffs by refusing to support U.S. companies. That includes the American corporation, Costco. 

But others equally concerned who shop at Costco – an easy drive from False Creek South -- will continue to do so because it sells a considerable amount of Made In Canada products. They argue that many a small Canadian business became substantially bigger and much more viable after Costco contracted with them.

What complicates things more is the question of competing values. For some, an important factor is how Costco employees fare in the workplace. Costco is thought to be a decent employer as illustrated in its much lower rate of staff turnover than in comparable chains. That might not be saying much, but to those who value it,  it's something. To others, not so much.

What may be more significant to those considering values is Costco’s refusal to get on board with the current Trump attack on staffing policies that promote DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). Other corporations, including Walmart, McDonald's, Starbucks, etc. etc, obediently fell in line and deleted DEI, but Costco shareholders voted 98% to continue. In these dark times, some say a shareholders' vote can be an act of courage and should be supported. 

So: what about Costco?

YOU’RE INVITED: COMMUNITY TOWN HALL

Join RePlan for a Community Town Hall on Tuesday, February 25 from 7:00-8:30 pm. RePlan leadership will be providing an update, including information about:

The landowner’s plan represents the next major step in determining the future of False Creek South. This first phase in the City’s process will be an in-depth technical study of False Creek South, including sea level rise, infrastructure, engineering, street connectivity, etc., as well as long-term scenarios for density and housing mix. 

We look forward to sharing what we know and our ongoing outreach to the City of Vancouver, and discussing how community members can stay involved through this process.

Following the presentations, there will be time for a Q&A.
 
This meeting will be hybrid. To RSVP, please choose one of the options below:
1) In person at Sitka Square: click here
2) Online via Zoom: click here
 
Everyone in False Creek South is welcome to attend. You can also submit questions in advance to Robyn, RePlan Project Manager, at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*. We look forward to seeing you there!

FALSE CREEK SOUTH IN THE NEWS

Tuesday’s Globe and Mail featured an article on the potential of community land trusts to build and steward affordable housing across Canada. It featured the False Creek South Community Housing Trust as an example of a neighbourhood working together on a community-centered approach to housing: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-are-land-trusts-the-future-of-canadian-housing/

Keith Jones, a member of the False Creek South Community Housing Trust Board of Directors had an op ed published in the Vancouver Sun this week:
https://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/keith-jones-toronto-rental-affordability-but-not-vancouver

The False Creek Community Association (FCCA) is looking for community members of all backgrounds and skills to join our 2025/26 board of directors and help us shape our community. 

Our volunteer board of directors, jointly operating in partnership with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, provides recreational, educational, and social activities and services to residents and visitors of the False Creek Community. The FCCA Board helps to ensure the Centre remains focused on delivering a safe, healthy, and dynamic environment for all patrons.

Board meetings take place once a month for approximately two hours. It is recommended that members also sit on one other committee dealing with specific matters like our program or finance committees. 

For more information about joining our board of directors or one of our volunteer committees, please email *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*" target="_blank" style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #007C89;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">*email is hidden, JavaScript is required*.

The City of Vancouver has chosen as its projected consultancy team Arup, an international firm with a long history of engineering and sustainable development, to lead the process for a new landowner’s plan for False Creek South.

Many residents will recall the events of October 2021, when the City revealed a landowner’s plan for the future of False Creek South. That plan, proposed by the City’s Real Estate Department, would have seen the demolition and relocation of most of the co-op and non-profit housing at lease end and a dramatic increase in the percentage of market-rate housing. However, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of community members and supporters, that plan was overturned.

Then, in March 2024, Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung kickstarted a new process with a motion that directed staff to start a new landowner’s plan, leading to Arup’s hiring.

Arup, working with a team of subcontractors, will put forward several scenarios that will include:

• Density and land use mix scenarios
• Redevelopment scenarios for existing housing
• Sea level rise and soil remediation
• Engineering and infrastructure needs

RePlan and City staff have been meeting regularly to discuss the process, including when and how RePlan will be involved. RePlan continues to advocate for meaningful input into the plan, including the continuation of the mixed-income and housing types that have made False Creek South such a successful community, and long-term lease extensions for co-op and non-profit housing.

Arup’s work is expected to be complete in early 2026 and will then go to City Council for approval, after which the community planning process would resume.

The landowner’s plan represents the next major step in determining the future of False Creek South. While the work is underway, we are asking all community members to stay up-to-date and reach out to their neighbours and friends to make sure they know what is happening. RePlan will continue to share information through Between The Bridges and at community meetings, so please stay tuned!

You can join RePlan at a Community Town Hall on Tuesday, February 25, at 7:00 pm. Look for “RePlan Report” elsewhere in this issue for sign-up information.

Last issue Between The Bridges reported on a new False Creek South Zero Waste Club in the works via the Association’s Sustainability and Resilience Committee. With its kickoff meeting on February 10, that Club is now up and running and open for new members. If you’d like to join, connect with committee chair Yael Stav at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*.

Not to be outdone, the City of Vancouver is about to provide training for its new Zero Waste Ambassadors Program. Details on the poster below.

About the Pledge For Canada, Marta Goodwin (False Creek Co-op) writes:

I found it inspiring and encouraging just to read the message of this pledge and its list of sponsors, every one of them a truly admirable person and supporter of Canadian democracy.
Hope you do too and will feel motivated to add your name. 

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pledge-for-canada-petition

Co-ops in False Creek have developed principles for planning and co-op lease extension to guide them into the next stage of City Planning for False Creek South. The Joint Co-op Board Committee adopted these principles for discussion by all co-op members. 

Summary version of the Principles:

A. New development and re-development must be used for income-based affordable housing with a range of non-market tenures including co-ops, other non-profit housing, and a diversity of residents.

B. Existing co-op housing must be continued for the life of viable buildings.

C. Urgent lease extensions are needed to ensure appropriate fiscal management of the current buildings with future discussion about mutually approved long-term redevelopment plans for co-op sites.

D. We support the Co-op Housing Federation of BC position that additional units resulting from re-development of existing co-op sites must exclusively be co-op units.

E. Co-ops must have mutual agency as housing providers, in re-development and future management.

F. Co-ops and the City should affirm the importance of developing co-ops through a community land trust model, such as the CHFBC model or the False Creek South Community Housing Trust.  Any new development should be by the non-profit community housing sector including community land trusts.

G. Before re-development takes place, new non-profit housing must be built first on the empty lands identified in the 2018 False Creek South Planning process ("Edge Lands”)

H. Future planning should be based on the 2018 False Creek South Planning process and the October 2021 Council’s amended motion regarding False Creek. Discussions between the City and the community will be open, transparent, and involve community engagement and collaboration.

I. False Creek South is a world-class example of successful urban design. Future planning should continue the key features of mixed, income, missed tenure, and physical design that enhance community building and inclusion.

J. Inclusion of Campus of Care housing, along with senior-appropriate housing and the inter-generational hub concept.

K. Existing Resident Protection and Retention Plans (RPRP) must be strengthened as in neighbouring areas (e.g. Broadway Plan).

Sole Food is your local urban farm at 299 West 1st in Olympic Village. This season, we are excited to celebrate our 16th year of growing food in the city and our fifth season at our current site (with hopes for many more to come!). 

As we begin seeding and preparing our soil for the season ahead, we’re spreading the word about how the community can enjoy and support local food while contributing to our social enterprise.

Registration is now open for our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program! We're committed to making local food more accessible through tiered pricing, payment plans, and three different share options. Full details on our CSA offerings are available here.

We are also looking forward to our weekly farmer's markets and this year will be hosting one at our farm gate every Wednesday afternoon from late May through October. We’d love our neighbors to stop by. 

Additional details on our markets can be found at: https://solefoodfarms.com/markets/.

Hello all! We’re Charisse, Ross and Min, environmental science students at the University of British Columbia, partnering with False Creek Friends – a non-profit organization that advocates for the ecological health of False Creek – to address sewage overflows due to heavy rainfall events. 

Sewage overflows are decreasing the water quality of False Creek, and our project proposes green infrastructure as a solution to this issue. 

Instead of relying on pipes and sewers to handle stormwater, green infrastructure uses plants and soil to allow rainwater to infiltrate the ground naturally, thereby preventing the sewage system from flooding into the Creek. Additionally, green infrastructure offers secondary benefits such as increasing biodiversity, cooling in urban contexts, improving air quality, and more. 

As well, we wish to know if there are certain areas that maximize the secondary benefits more than others. That’s where we need your help! 

Join us on Zoom on March 4th from 6-7 pm for a short presentation and survey about green infrastructure on the Willow Street corridor. Hope to see you there!

ED NOTE: False Creek South co-ops working together seems commonplace today, but that was not at all the case a decade ago. Nancy Hannum, chair of RePlan’s co-op subcommittee, the All Working Group, explains how JCBC –  the Joint Co-op Board Committee – came to be.

In 2015, at a time when we needed a common decision in our discussions with the City, the Co-op Working Group created the JCBC as a formal decision-making body to represent all the FCS leasehold co-ops. Each co-op has one vote but can send three board members and/or observers to the meetings. 

JCBC representatives became most active when City Council reviewed and voted on the model lease renewal structure and lease renewal plans in 2017 and again in 2021. They met in 2024 to approve the Co-op guiding principles in anticipation of our next round of discussions with the City.  

In March JCBC will celebrate its 10th anniversary – a timeline not anticipated back in 2015!

GET INVOLVED

Looking for ways to get involved or keep up-to-date with what's going on in our community? The groups below are always open to new members:

Strata residents group: Email *email is hidden, JavaScript is required* to get updates. If you'd like to join the organizing committee, please let us know.

Zero Waste Club: Email committee chair Yael Stav at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required* to join.

False Creek South Community Housing Trust: Email Robyn Chan at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required* to get updates.

Between The Bridges welcomes readers’ contributions of story ideas, events of interest, original photographs, and completed articles relevant to the False Creek South Neighbourhood Association’s goal to “promote an economically, social and culturally diverse neighbourhood with a friendly, positive and vibrant sense of community”. Signed articles reflect the views of their authors. For details go to: