Morning Buzz: Remember You Live Downtown & Is Vancouver Becoming a Cultural Wasteland?

Dealing with NIMBY’s is part of life for developers, city hall and other stakeholders. Sometimes, rarely, but sometimes the NIMBY’s have a valid point. The huge over-sized, bright, billboards (not the stadium lighting) is an example of a valid complaint. This (see video below), however is not one of those valid complaints. 

I guess this person never saw the front page news stories that covered this project. Perhaps he failed to see the numerous development boards plastered for months on site. Maybe, he doesn’t watch t.v., read the news or read Vancity Buzz (we don’t blame him for that one). In all seriousness, how can one not know that Telus plans to move its head office to Vancouver and build a residential condo. It’s only a $750 million project that encompasses an entire city block.

You live downtown in a city that is growing. Construction will happen, deal with it. Cry me a river.

The cultural scene in Vancouver definitely took a hit the past few days. The Ridge Theatre will be closing. The Playhouse Theatre Company has shut down as it never really got into the mainstream consciousness. This beckons the question is Vancouver becoming a cultural wasteland or is it simply the case of bitch less, do more?

One thing is for certain, the city needs to stop the bleeding of creative talent heading eastwards. Vancouver’s loss is Toronto’s gain.

Remember to sign the petition to save the East is East signage and the laughing statues at English Bay.