Elizabeth Murphy
Elizabeth Murphy: Systemic issues in civic elections continue
The 2022 Vancouver election was clearly a vote for change but whether there will be any meaningful change is uncertain
Census data should inform Vancouver planning
The 2021 Census confirms Vancouver is building more new units than required for population growth
Vancouver’s new citywide plan is more of the same flawed process
The City of Vancouver council just passed the staff report on the process for a citywide planning program. Although there were plenty of well-intended comments by many of the new councillors to do...
A Broadway subway line to UBC is not a regional priority
Although the TransLink Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation endorsed further study on a SkyTrain Millennium Line extension to the University of British Columbia (UBC), its recently released...
Municipal taxes in Vancouver: the good, the bad and the ugly
The October 2018 election in the city of Vancouver resulted in a decisive vote for change that ended Vision Vancouver’s decade-long majority as the party was entirely eliminated from council. One...
B.C. property surtax undermines municipal tax base
The B.C. provincial government’s proposed property tax surcharge encroaches onto the municipal tax base. The B.C. take of 40% will increase to 70% and more as it escalates on higher-value...
City of Vancouver needs treatment for its overbuilding addiction
The City of Vancouver has finally admitted that it has an addiction problem. The addiction is increasing density through rezoning that has been inflating land values. Along with large speculative...
Saving character houses needs incentives and zoning
The City of Vancouver is undertaking a character-house zoning review to consider saving character houses through incentives such as increased size, number of units, and infill. This retains character...
Victoria’s civic tax grab a threat to local land-use authority
The province is about to impinge on the civic tax base, land-use authority and democracy by using development fees to fund transit and by making increased density zoning a requirement of transit...