The Courier’s most-read online story from the past week, by a landslide, was by freelancer Bob Mackin on Yaletown residents' successful court battle with the City of Vancouver over a land swap deal that would allow a 36-storey tower built beside Emery Barnes Park. B.C. Supreme Court judge Mark McEwan slammed the Vision Vancouver-led city council for greenlighting the rezoning application by Brenhill Developments and for not listening to Yaletown residents’ opposition to the project. “A public hearing is not just an occasion for the public to blow off steam: it is a chance for perspectives to be heard that have not been heard as the city’s focus has narrowed during the project negotiations,” McEwan wrote in his Jan. 27 ruling.
Coming in second was education reporter Cheryl Rossi’ story about an innovative new high school program offered by the Vancouver School Board that allowed 30 Grade 11 and 12 students from across the district to examine sustainability through case studies and a six-month-long self-directed action project. This year’s deadline to apply is Feb. 27.
Our third most popular post was by Sweet Spot columnist Eagranie Yuh on former graffiti artist Jason Pitschke, who swapped his spray-paint cans for a chef’s hat and has become a rising star on the city’s soufflé scene.
Motherhood is something all of us have first-hand experience with, either on the giving or receiving end, so it’s no surprise Rossi’s profile of an upcoming show at the Cultch featuring intimate stories about maternal matters brought plenty of eyes. Motherload, a kind of Mom’s the Word for a new generation, runs Feb. 3 to 21.
Last but not least, sports editor Megan Stewart’s profile of an expanding business specializing in Ballet Fit classes also deserves to take a bow. Or maybe a curtsey.
