City wants public’s opinion on liquor policies
The City of Vancouver is asking the public to weigh in on how liquor is served, produced and sold. The City has launched an online questionnaire at vancouver.ca/liquor-review to gather public input for a review of Vancouver’s liquor policy.
“The City is reviewing municipal liquor regulations so that enjoying beer, wine and spirits is well-balanced with health, safety and community fit,” stated a City of Vancouver press release. “The Province of BC recently made changes to provincial liquor policies. The City is now looking at its policies too.”
Among the policies under review will be where and when liquor is sold, made or served; the size and type of venues that serve liquor; rules for liquor on patios; and possible no- or low-liquor entertainment options.
Following the initial consultations with the public and stakeholders this spring, staff will evaluate feedback and develop draft liquor policy options. After further consultation on the draft policy, final recommendations will be presented to Vancouver City Council for consideration.
The survey will be open until May 15, 2016.
–Westender staff
Real estate prices are not pushing millennials out of Vancouver: BCREA
Millennials—defined as those between the ages of 20 and 34—are not abandoning Vancouver in droves due to the high cost of housing, according to the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA).
The population of millennials in the City of Vancouver grew by 15,800 individuals, or 9.5 per cent, between 2005 and 2015.
“An examination of population estimates for the region reveals that millennials are, in fact, not retreating from Vancouver and that the population aged 20-34 years old has increased significantly,” the BCREA said in a report released April 22.
“In addition, home ownership rates for the millennial age group were significantly higher during the most recent census than in the previous decades.”
In Metro Vancouver, there was an increase of 86,000 individuals, or 18 per cent, between 2005 and 2015. The percentage increase is almost twice as high as the increase in the City of Vancouver alone.
“The narrative that there is an exodus of millennial from Vancouver is not based in fact, but rather, supposition,” the report said.
“Unaffordability, or the inability to own housing, has been the key driver of the retreating millennial hypothesis.”
As of last year, there were approximately 569,000 millennials living in Metro Vancouver.
–Emma Crawford Hampel, Business in Vancouver
