#SurreyBC mayoral candidate Linda Annis and two other Metro #Vancouver city councillors are slamming #BCPremier #DavidEby for "quietly abandoning" a review related to the North Shore #WastewaterTreatment Plant Project and its billions of dollars in cost overruns.

Councillors Annis, Daniel Fontaine (New Westminster) and Kash Heed (Richmond) issued a joint press release Sept. 9 expressing "outrage" after receiving a letter Sept. 5 from Assistant Deputy Minister Tara Faganello they say indicates the provincial government won't pursue an inquiry or review and "expects the matter to resume only after litigation between Metro Vancouver and Acciona concludes—a trial that is not expected to begin for years and may never occur if an out-of-court settlement is reached."

“We’ve now seen the letter, and it confirms what we feared—Premier Eby has quietly backed away from his commitment to transparency,” Annis said. “This project is over $3 billion off the rails, and instead of taking action, the Province is washing its hands of responsibility. That’s just not acceptable.”

https://www.surreynowleader.com/local-news/annis-slams-eby-for-abandoning-water-treatment-plant-review-8240255

#BCpoli #BCNDP #PublicTransparency #PublicAccountability #PublicScrutiny #YVRPoli

From STAND.earth

In a shocking last-minute move, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim cast a tie-breaking vote to reverse one of the city’s flagship climate policies – and allow polluting fossil gas heating in new buildings.

it’s not a done deal – the final decision is set for a vote on November 26th. If thousands of us flood City Council’s inboxes and phone lines calling on them to reverse this short-sighted decision,

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#fossilfuels #climatecrisis #Vancouver #BC #yvrpoli

The union for employees of #BritishColumbia's #HandyDART #transit service says it's suspending all job action pending a vote on a final contract offer from employer #TransdevCanada.

There had been the possibility of strike action on the door-to-door service on Monday if a deal wasn't struck.

Joe McCann, president of #Local1724 of the #AmalgamatedTransitUnion, says the vote will happen soon after information meetings being held Sunday and Monday for members.

TransLink, Metro #Vancouver's regional transit provider, warned that the service could be disrupted next week as the deadline for contract negotiations was set to expire Sunday evening.

#TransLink said that even if the strike went ahead, service would continue for those needing rides to medical treatments for cancer and other illnesses.

https://www.richmond-news.com/health/union-for-handydart-workers-suspends-job-action-pending-votes-on-new-contract-9405083

#YVR #DisabledTransportation #PeopleWithDisabilities #AccessibleTransit #YVRpoli #PublicTransit

As the struggle to put food on the table or gas in the car persists due to growing inflation, many Metro #Vancouver residents are turning to food banks and other non-profit organizations to bridge their widening financial gap.

Murray Baker, financial empowerment manager of Family Services of Greater Vancouver, says demand for the non-profit’s free financial planning services has risen nearly 50 per cent this fiscal quarter compared to last year.

#GroceryCosts stood out as a growing concern, the #Canadian Social Survey found. Twenty-three per cent of Canadians reported they were “somewhat” or “very likely” to get food or meals from community organizations over the next six months.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/rising-prices-causing-growing-number-of-metro-vancouver-families-to-turn-to-food-banks/ar-AA1p4oGu

#BCpoli #CDNpoli #YVRpoli #YYJpoli #FoodInsecurity #FoodCosts #FoodBanks

#Vancouver has some of the lowest taxes by most measures you can dream up.

This is a very basic municipal responsibility. They should be able to fund it themselves.

#yvr #yvrpoli #vanpoli

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-asking-province-for-funding-to-keep-public-washrooms-open-in-the-downtown-eastside-1.6607758