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Bob Mackin

When the NDP government backed Capilano University’s purchase of the former Quest University campus in Squamish, the $63.2 million deal did not include the four student dormitory buildings. 

But, a week later, the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills says it is eyeing them.

Student housing at ex-Quest University (NAI)

NDP Minister Selina Robinson was non-committal when she and Capilano University president Paul Dangerfield announced the acquisition of the 18-acre campus from Primacorp Ventures on Aug. 16.

“Having a campus here means that people can stay in their existing housing and go to school,” Robinson said. “We recognize that housing is really challenging right across the province and so that’s why Capilano University is exploring housing options, and we’re in ongoing discussions about how to address additional housing needs that the university might need to pay.”

Capilano University plans next year to reopen the former private university, which suspended operations in April. 

The 55-acres of land, which includes the campus, its buildings and surrounding lands, were valued at almost $89 million, and listed for sale by NAI Commercial earlier this year. Primacorp paid $43 million for the land and university buildings to rescue Quest out of court protection from creditors in December 2020. Quest’s biggest lender, the Vanchorverve Foundation, had demanded repayment of $23.4 million at the start of 2020. 

After the province’s purchase was announced, the same NAI real estate agent listed the four dormitory buildings for sale. The offering price was not disclosed, but B.C. Assessment Authority shows each was valued at $10.724 million last year. The residences total 145,928 square feet in gross built area.

A spokesperson for Robinson said the ministry and Capilano University undertook due diligence before making the campus deal with Primacorp “and any future potential purchase would have to undergo similar processes.” Before the province committed $48 million toward the purchase, Capilano University had been developing a business case for a new campus elsewhere in Squamish. 

“There is an opportunity in the future to acquire the student housing buildings that would provide approximately 450 beds,” said a statement from the ministry. “Further feasibility analysis about this potential acquisition will be required.”

While Primacorp owns the land under the four vacant buildings, the buildings that contain 416 student residential units belong to the company that built them, Southern Star Developments. 

In an affidavit in November 2020, Southern Star president Michael Hutchison said his company spent $41.7 million to build the residences specifically for student use, with financing from a Bank of Montreal mortgage.

Near its main North Vancouver campus, Capilano University operates residences in three buildings on Dollarton Highway. The campus of a former International boarding school has space for 290 students in shared and single configurations. 

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Bob Mackin When the NDP government backed Capilano

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The CEO of Concord Pacific Group has lost his bid to thwart the petition by condo owners at a tower near Yaletown who are seeking access to a 6,000-square foot amenity space. 

In oral reasons on Aug. 11, released Aug. 22 in written form, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lauren Blake rejected Terry Hui’s application to throw out the petition from strata owners at The Erickson, the 17-storey, False Creek North condo building where Hui owns the penthouse and claims the second-floor amenity space for himself.

Concord Pacific’s The Erickson in Vancouver (Chambers Electric)

“In addition to the fee simple land making up lot 60, Mr. Hui says that the owner of lot 60 is entitled to additional amenities and privileges consistent with the ownership of a luxury penthouse condominium,” Blake wrote. 

That includes a private elevator linking private parking with a private lobby. But, when the city issued the development permit in November 2005, it stipulated that access to all amenities be made available to all residents. 

The strata’s petition said there was an inconsistency between the development permit and disclosure statement, both of which said the amenity space was for all residents, and the 2010-filed strata plan, which errantly shows the amenity space as limited common property for strata lot 60. 

In August 2021, a city inspector found the restricted second floor amenity area was in contravention of the development permit and city zoning bylaws. Concord unsuccessfully applied for an amendment.

The strata failed to convince the Registrar of Land Titles to correct the error and filed the court petition last November instead of appealing the registrar’s decision. 

Hui argued that the petition should be dismissed on the grounds that it is an abuse of process, not a reasonable claim, and is unnecessary, scandalous, frivolous or vexatious. 

The judge rejected all three.

Blake made a key determination that the strata owners seek rectification of the filed strata plan, not expropriation. If the petition is successful, it would lead to a ruling that the space was never supposed to be for Hui’s benefit.

“The legal basis of the petition makes clear that the strata’s position is that Mr. Hui, as president of Concord, ‘knew or ought to have known that Concord had submitted a development permit application to the city requesting that the L-2 amenity space be excluded from the computation of [floor space ratio] on the basis that it would be used as an amenity space for the benefit of all the residents of The Erickson’,” Blake wrote. “The developer ultimately received a development permit with the ‘express condition that the amenity spaces, including the L-2 amenity space, had to be permanently maintained for the exclusive use of the residents and occupants of The Erickson’.”

B.C. Assessment Authority’s website shows the penthouse at The Erickson was valued last year at $18.98 million. 

Blake awarded costs to the strata owners.

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Bob Mackin The CEO of Concord Pacific Group

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Bob Mackin 

What: 

A map of 214 fire calls to single-room occupancy buildings in Vancouver, from Jan. 1, 2022 to Dec. 8, 2022. The log, obtained via freedom of information from Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS), lists the calls by date, cause, location, number of deaths or injuries and approximate cost of damage. 

Human cost: 

During the period, there were 10 fire-related injuries and four fire-related fatalities. 

Two injuries were reported in a Feb. 17, 2022 fire at the Astoria Hotel, 769 E. Hastings, when a battery rectifier ignited due to ignorance of hazard. A similar incident happened June 11, 2022 at the Hotel Empress, 235 E. Hastings, but one person died. 

Two deaths resulted from the April 11, 2022 Winters Hotel blaze on 203 Abbott in Gastown. 

The other death was May 5, 2022 at the Patricia Hotel, 403 E. Hastings, which originated in a portable cooking unit. 

Deadliest blaze: 

The four-alarm fire at the 115-year-old Winters Hotel was the worst of 2022’s SRO fires.

The bodies of residents Mary Ann Garlow and Dennis Guay were discovered more than a week-and-a-half after the inferno. The building was demolished and the disaster now the subject of an application for a class-action lawsuit against city hall and B.C. Housing-funded property manager Atira. 

It was a tragedy waiting to happen. On April 8, 2022, after a minor fire, VFRS had ordered Winters Hotel management to immediately hire a qualified technician to service the fire alarm and sprinkler and provide 24-hour fire watch until the system could be reset and fully functional. 

In the months that followed the tragedy, the Downtown Eastside went from bad to worse. Sidewalks on both sides of East Hastings filled with tents containing 200 people, many with addictions and/or mental illness. Many of them refused to live inside buildings similar to the Winters Hotel, even if rooms were available. 

On July 24, 2022, fire chief Karen Fry issued an extraordinary order to remove tents and structures from congested sidewalks, so that firefighters could access buildings in case of emergency. Full enforcement did not happen until April 5 of this year, when Vancouver Police officers and civic crews removed tents and belongings.

Most-expensive damage:

A total $90.34 million in estimated fire losses during the year. Most of that from two devastating blazes. 

The Winters Hotel disaster estimate was $68.7 million. That was due to an open flame.

The Powell and Princess fire, at 568 Powell, on Aug. 22, 2022, was $20 million. That was blamed on smoker’s material. 

A July 17, 2022 fire caused $350,000 damage to 566 Powell, due to smoker’s material. The June 11, 2022 fire at 235 E. Hastings caused $240,000 damage. 

There were three fires worth $100,000: 431 E. Pender on Jan. 3, 2022 (open flame); 936 Granville on Aug. 6, 2022 (incendiary fire); and 143 Dunlevy on Sept. 24, 2022 (cannot be determined).  

Igniting objects:

Leading causes were open flame (41) and smoker’s material, which includes matches, lighters, torches, candles, cigarettes and drug-related materials (19).

Acts or omissions: 

In 48 cases, suspected impairment, use of alcohol, drugs or medication was involved. Followed by ignorance of hazard (21) and incendiary (or intentionally lit) fire (14). 

Most fire calls: 

There were 15 addresses with four or more fire calls. 

The Lookout Housing and Health Society-managed Tamura House at 225 Dunlevy topped the list at 16. 

Atira’s Sereena’s Housing for Women at 143 Dunlevy and Hotel Canada at 518 Richards had seven fire calls each. There were six each at the PHS flagship Portland Hotel (20 W. Hastings) and Tellier Tower (16 E. Hastings), Brandiz Hotel (122 E. Hastings) and the Colonial Hotel (122 Water). 

Lookout director of development Megan Kriger said the 52-year-old charity has met with the VFRS and City of Vancouver to discuss ways to reduce the fire risk. Kriger said Lookout conducts regular site inspections to ensure hallways are clear and that there are “more than the required number of fire extinguishers.” Blow torch lighters and lithium battery chargers are no longer allowed inside units. 

“Lookout sites have fire warden programs where residents are trained and certified by the Vancouver fire department,” Kriger said. “Increased education has been provided around safer smoking options, including how to properly put out and dispose of cigarettes, eliminating dry grass and flammables during heat season.” 

Kriger said kitchen fires are caused by residents “not watching food while it’s being cooked” and the society is also providing education around cooking safety and healthier options to reduce fats or oils. 

“Lookout also promotes the use of community kitchens onsite where residents can support each other and share the responsibility of cooking together,” she said. 

Records falling: 

VFRS revealed Aug. 8 that the first half of 2023 was a record-setter. Fire responses are up 31% year-over-year and more than a quarter of fires were deliberately lit. The leading cause of fires (57%) is carelessly discarded smokers’ materials. 

Four people died in fires from January to June. Three involved smokers’ materials and two of the victims were suspected to be impaired. 

–with technical assistance from Stephen Bohus

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Bob Mackin  What:  A map of 214 fire calls

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Bob Mackin 

The office of B.C.’s conflict of interest commissioner Victoria Gray confirmed it has received a complaint from an Ontario watchdog about ex-Premier John Horgan’s pending directorship of a steelmaking coal company. 

The day after Horgan formally resigned as the Langford-Juan de Fuca NDP MLA on March 31, he announced he would join the board of Teck Resources spinoff Elk Valley Resources. Glencore’s hostile takeover attempt has delayed the votes by Teck shareholders on splitting the company and appointing Horgan to the Elk Valley board.

Jonathan Wilkinson (left) and John Horgan in Victoria on March 15, 2019 (BC Gov/Flickr)

Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher formally complained Aug. 17 to Gray, alleging that Horgan was in conflict of interest for participating in or attempting to influence government decisions about whether the International Joint Commission should investigate Teck for contaminated runoff from its mines.

Gray’s office acknowledged receipt of the complaint, but would not comment on next steps. 

Horgan met with Teck executives on Oct. 11, more than a month before David Eby succeeded him as premier on Nov. 18. Horgan claimed that he did not discuss the board opportunity until December. 

In the Legislature on April 20, Environment Minister George Heyman said “to the best of my recollection, I never had a discussion about the IJC with the former premier.”

Conacher said the only way to determine whether Horgan and Heyman’s statements are true is by Gray launching an investigation. 

Conacher’s letter said that “Horgan clearly had a conflict of interest or apparent conflict of interest” as defined by the law, “given that he was negotiating a position with Teck that would provide him with financial benefits.”

B.C. Greens leader Sonia Furstenau unsuccessfully tabled a private member’s bill to amend the Members Conflict of Interest Act. Furstenau proposed a two-year, post-employment ban on cabinet members from accepting a board appointment with any entity that they had direct and significant dealings.

When Horgan revealed his new job in the Globe and Mail on April 1, he said: “I don’t have a lot of time any more, none in fact, for public comment on my world view, or what I am doing with my time.”

Teck has not responded for comment. 

In another letter dated Aug. 17, Conacher filed a similar complaint to the office of the federal Ethics Commissioner about Liberal Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson. 

Wilkinson is one of the senior ministers from B.C. in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, the government and cabinet are considering whether to request an investigation by the IJC and Teck has lobbied Wilkinson directly six times in the last year, said Conacher’s letter.

“His spouse has investments in financial institutions that are among the top 25 largest institutional investors in Teck Resources and he was CEO of BioteQ when it had a contract with Teck to clean up selenium contamination caused by Teck’s mines,” Conacher’s complaint said.

A statement from Sabrina Kim, the director of communications for Wilkinson, said: “Minister Wilkinson takes his obligations as a public office holder seriously. The Minister has fully and consistently adhered to all of the requirements under the Conflict of Interest Act and the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of Parliament.”

The Democracy Watch complaint noted Wilkinson’s current portfolio and past roles as minister and parliamentary secretary since December 2015, “always in the areas of natural resources and the environment.”

The government has been without an ethics commissioner for six months. If an interim or full-time commissioner is appointed by the Trudeau cabinet, Conacher said that person should recuse themself from investigating Wilkinson. 

“This complaint letter is about one of ministers in the Trudeau cabinet,” the letter said. 

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Bob Mackin  The office of B.C.’s conflict of

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For the week of Aug. 20, 2023: 

The PNE Fair is back at full-strength, after three years of reduced capacity due to the pandemic. The 113th edition of the summertime tradition runs through Labour Day. Mir Huculak, Ukraine’s honorary consul in Vancouver, is one of the biggest fans of the fair. He has seen 74 of them and joins host Bob Mackin on this week’s podcast. 

Plus, hear from Premier David Eby and Emergencies Minister Bowinn Ma on the Kelowna wildfires. 

Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines. 

CLICK BELOW to listen or go to TuneIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

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Anne Kang, the NDP minister in charge of B.C.’s economic immigration program, announced Aug. 16 that the government had opened an account on Weibo, a Chinese language social media service sometimes compared to Twitter. 

But Charles Burton, a former diplomat at Canada’s embassy in Beijing, called it “irresponsible to the extreme.”

NDP MLAs Henry Yao (left), George Chow and Anne Kang (CCSA/Lahoo)

“Serving Canadians in their native languages should be through Canadian social media with the data derived stored securely on servers in Canada,” said Burton, a China analyst with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute think tank, pointing to privacy and national security concerns.  

By the the time it announced the verified account, the B.C. government had 1,100 followers and 47 posts about public safety, emergency preparedness, cost of living, housing, education, health care and justice services. The move comes almost six months after B.C. followed Ottawa’s lead and banned the TikTok video app from government devices for security reasons.

“Weibo is not being downloaded to or used from any government assets such as computers or cell phones,” said a statement from Kang’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs. “A third-party contractor is responsible for day-to-day account administration – at arm’s length from government.” Vancouver-based marketing agency Catalyst Agents, a Weibo, WeChat and TikTok specialist, is the contractor, with a maximum $42,000 value. 

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs estimates 11% of B.C.’s population counts Chinese as the first written language and Weibo has an estimated 800,000 users in Canada, out of 600 million worldwide every month. An account is not needed to view the content, but the government recommended account-holders review and understand Weibo’s privacy conditions. 

“But we know thousands of people in B.C. do use Weibo to stay up to date on current events and news, and it’s critical that we reach people with information that’s accessible to them in their preferred language – for example about things like health care or wildfires,” the ministry said. 

A leader of the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement, which advocates for democracy and human rights in China, called it disturbing. 

“In the name of ‘providing service’, this would be another opportunity for agents of the [Chinese Communist Party] to infiltrate Canadian society, and to try to influence the views of overseas British Columbian-Chinese,” said Mabel Tung.

It is not the NDP government’s first foray into Chinese social media. During former Premier John Horgan’s 2018 China trade mission, he visited with executives from Tencent, owner of WeChat, to sign a tourism promotion agreement for the Destination B.C. Crown corporation.  

“It will give B.C. a preferred marketing platform on the messaging social media app, which attracts over 900 million daily active users — making it one of the largest in the world,” the government boasted in 2018.

A professor at McGill University’s School of Information Studies said it is understandable why the B.C. government is on Weibo and WeChat, but there are potential negative consequences. 

Benjamin Fung, the Canada research chair in datamining for cybersecurity, said the Chinese government can use algorithms to restrict the reach of B.C. government posts.

B.C. government Weibo account (BC Gov/Weibo)

“Instead of recommending a post to 10,000 people, they can just show it to 100 people. If they do not want you to see something, it will not appear on your list while you are browsing,” Fung said.

Weibo is also useful in tailoring a foreign interference strategy, he said. “The participation of the B.C. government on these platforms provides a wrong signal to the general public that these platforms are safe to use.”

More than two years before China’s foreign interference in Canadian elections and intimidation of politicians became one of the biggest national news stories, the Liberal Public Safety minister at the time told a House of Commons committee that Canadians should be wary of using China-based social media apps. 

“I would say yes, there is a legitimate concern that sometimes the information that’s publicly available on those platforms can be used by the hostile activities of state actors, and some caution should be exercised,” Bill Blair testified at the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations in February 2021. 

In the June 2021 “Buying Silence: The Price of Internet Censorship in China” report, the Washington, D.C.-based Jamestown Foundation estimated China budgeted US$6.6 billion in 2020 to govern online public opinion and dispose what it deemed “harmful” online opinion through its Cyberspace Affairs Commissions.

“To do so, they monitor posts on platforms such as WeChat and Weibo, as well as foreign social media, including Facebook and Twitter. CACs also employ teams of network commentators—internet trolls collectively referred to as the ’50 Cent Party,’ to ‘guide the trend of public opinion’ inside and outside the country,” the report said.

In 2012, then-Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson became one of the first western politicians with an account on Weibo, which became a key strategy in marketing Vancouver as a destination for tourists and real estate investors. 

Robertson’s office hired a consultant from a Beijing company called Flow Creative to prepare content and identify and contract key influencers to promote the Mayor’s account. 

Kang, who was first elected in 2017 to represent Burnaby-Deer Lake, is originally from Taiwan. She raised eyebrows in January as the senior B.C. government official at the pro-Beijing Canadian Community Service Association Lunar New Year banquet in Richmond’s River Rock Show Theatre. Kang and fellow NDP MLAs George Chow and Henry Yao were seated at the head table with local Chinese diplomats, across from Rongxiang “Tiger” Yuan, the president of the Canada-China Friendship Promotion Association who had a career in China’s People’s Liberation Army.

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Vancouver East NDP MP Jenny Kwan, one of the targets of China’s foreign interference campaign, is sponsoring a new online petition to the House of Commons aimed at passing a foreign influence and transparency registry. 

E-petition e-4534, initiated by Winnie Ng of Toronto, calls upon the House of Commons to pass such a law expeditiously during the fall session, develop a strategy to eradicate systemic racism and develop a public education strategy to promote civil engagement and democratic participation.

Jenny Kwan in the House of Commons (ParlVu)

In a June interview, Kwan said that the Liberal government was not moving fast enough. 

“The more you send the message that the government is not taking this in the way it needs to, that doesn’t do Canada any good,” said Kwan, who has represented the federal riding since 2015. “The whole thing about foreign interference, of course, is that they want to undermine our democratic process, and to create chaos in our system. If we allow for this to continue, then they win.”

The new e-petition is the response to an earlier campaign that opposed a foreign agents registry, which was launched by a purported anti-racism activist, sponsored by a Liberal MP from Ontario and backed by pro-China Senators Yuen Pau Woo and Victor Oh. 

Critics of that petition, which drew 2,450 supporters, said it conflated the centennial of the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, a law that excluded nearly all categories of Chinese from moving to Canada until 1947, with calls in 2023 for a foreign agents registry to reduce the risk of any country seeking to intimidate or coerce Canadians. 

“As an ‘evergreen’ target of foreign interference, it is critical that every effort is made to uncover the extent to which foreign interference has impacted Canada’s political processes and electoral system,” Kwan said. “The threat of foreign interference is real and safeguarding the Charter rights of every Canadian is paramount.”

The earlier petition exceeded the minimum 500 supporters needed for tabling in the House of Commons. It was spearheaded by Ally Wang of Coquitlam, who co-founded the Stop Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Advocacy Group Association of Canada (SAAHCAG) and the Chinese Canadians Goto Vote Association (CCGVA). Wang appeared at a June 24 rally on Parliament Hill with Oh and Woo, where organizers bused-in hundreds of people and told them not to wave Chinese flags or sing patriotic Chinese songs. 

While Wang and co-founder Ivan Pak claimed CCGVA is non-partisan, some of its sign-waving, T-shirt wearing supporters gathered with Liberal Parm Bains before election day in 2021 and displayed Bains’ campaign signs in Steveston. 

Bains upset Kenny Chiu, the Conservative incumbent in Steveston-Richmond East who originally proposed the foreign agents registry and voted to condemn China for committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims. Chiu was the subject of a disinformation campaign on Chinese language social media that wrongly said his private member’s bill seeking a foreign agents registry would make Chinese second class citizens in Canada. A leaked report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service indicated Chinese diplomat Tong Xiaoling boasted of helping defeat Chiu. 

The new petition went live on Aug. 16 with a deadline of Oct. 16. 

Supporters of the new e-petition, from the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement and Toronto Association for Democracy in China, officially launched their campaign Aug. 18 in Toronto. 

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Two stars from Canada’s Qatar 2022 World Cup team could debut with the Vancouver Whitecaps when the club returns to Major League Soccer play on Sunday at home. 

The Ryan Gauld-captained, Vanni Sartini-coached roster is arguably the most-exciting version fielded in B.C. Place Stadium over the last dozen years. But attendance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, which peaked at 25,832 for a Sept. 15, 2018 visit by the Seattle Sounders.

Sam Adekugbe (left), Richie Laryea and Axel Schuster (Whitecaps FC)

Newly acquired Richie Laryea and Sam Adekugbe could fix that and help the club clinch a home playoff date this fall. 

According to actual attendance data obtained under freedom of information from B.C. Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), the Whitecaps averaged just 12,687 fans during 13 league and tournament matches through the June 10 visit by FC Cincinnati. That is less than the 15,780 average of what the club has announced publicly, the amount of tickets allotted or distributed. Three matches — two of which in CONCACAF Champions League — drew just under 10,000 (March 8 vs. Real CD Espana, April 5 vs. L.A. FC, and May 31 vs. Houston Dynamo).

The biggest announced attendance for the period was 20,072, when when the Whitecaps defeated CF Montreal on June 7 for the Canadian Championship. But the actual figure, as reported by PavCo, was 16,735. 

Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster said Laryea and Adekugbe broaden the team’s audience and have already sparked enthusiasm among unnamed commercial partners. The pair helped Canada qualify for its first men’s World Cup in 36 years and Canada is already guaranteed a spot in the next tournament, co-hosted by Vancouver and Toronto in 2026. 

Off the pitch, Schuster hired former Ticketmaster vice-president Aditi Bhatt in March as chief commercial officer. She was not made available for an interview. But, when Schuster addressed the attendance issue in May, he said the club wanted to be the “most affordable professional sport in this town for families.” Initiatives so far have focused on free tickets to Whitecaps MLS Next Pro and League1 BC matches at Swangard Stadium for anyone under 18, but Schuster hinted at more to come.

“We have to understand our market, we have to understand what has changed since COVID, this is also reality, habits have changed, needs have changed,” Schuster said. “People feel challenged also by the rise of costs. Everyone knows that who is living here. So, for that reason, we will continue to work on that.”

Landlord PavCo has promoted a limited $5 food and drink menu and offers other time-restricted promotions at matches. Whitecaps and the Crown corporation held a 24-hour “save the fees day” on May 15 for discounted purchases of all remaining MLS match tickets. 

It all comes down to time and money, according to an instructor with the Langara College School of Management. Aziz Rajwani said that while there are many things to see and do in the region during summer months, consumers are also wrestling with a triple-whammy of high inflation, high interest rates and high gas prices.

B.C. Lions president Duane Vienneau (BC Lions)

“When there’s less disposable income, the industries that are going to hurt are going to be things like: restaurants, instead of getting take out you might cook at home; instead of going to a Lions game, you might watch it at home; instead of going to a Whitecaps game, you might watch it at home,” Rajwani said.

The B.C. Lions, who are vying for top spot in western conference standings this season, were struggling at the gate before the pandemic, which forced cancellation of the 2020 season. During four dates in 2019, from late July to late September, the average for Canadian Football League games at B.C. Place was just 11,767, well below the 17,560 average of the announced crowds. The meeting with the Saskatchewan Roughriders was the best of the bunch, announced in-stadium as 20,950, but actually 16,233.

Building products tycoon Amar Doman bought the club from the estate of the late David Braley in summer 2021 and kicked-off 2022 with a bang. The home opener against the Edmonton Elks, featuring the pre-game OneRepublic concert, drew 25,279. The Lions fared even better with 25,821 for the home playoff game against the Calgary Stampeders. 

This year’s kickoff extravaganza featured LL Cool J and an actual 26,814 was counted, according to PavCo.

Duane Vienneau joined last season as chief operating officer and became president this season. The CFL’s former Chief Grey Cup and Events Officer is focused on turning each game day into an event of its own, on the road to the biggest CFL event of 2024: the 111th Grey Cup at B.C. Place.

So far, the Lions also held a family festival, dual tailgate party with Roughriders fans, and inducted ex-coach Wally Buono and the Bob Ackles-inspired Water Boys business support club to to the Wall of Fame. Coming up Aug. 26 is the Superhero night tribute to military and first responders, followed by Orange Shirt Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Gravy Bowl on Thanksgiving Weekend and the Halloween-themed Blackout Night. 

“We really use those themes to to attract new fan bases and try to, over the season, if not have two or three or four games that will appeal to somebody, maybe they’ll appeal to all of them,” Vienneau said. “Trying to make sure that something in our product mix that a non-traditional football fan will intrigue them to come.”

Keys to Vienneau’s marketing strategy include six kickoffs at 4 p.m., entry-level adult tickets at $25 (plus the $6 Ticketmaster order processing fee) and a $10, London Drugs-sponsored kids club for children 6-12 that includes a free game ticket. The late afternoon time works for eastern zone audiences on TSN and for those who commute to games from Vancouver Island, Fraser Valley and the Interior. 

“We’re really trying to do our best to be cost effective as possible, and we don’t want price to be a barrier,” Vienneau said.

“So basically, you can come in and out of the game on one day, you don’t have to stay overnight, it solves that affordability piece and it really is an outreach into into the community.”

Inside B.C. Place Stadium (Mackin)

Rajwani said the provincially focused Lions are outpacing the Whitecaps in the affordability race. An end zone ticket to Sunday’s Whitecaps’ match with a $31.75 face value via Ticketmaster totals $48.50, after the $10.75 service fee and $6 order processing fee.

It also matters that Doman is visible at Lions games and in the media, but Whitecaps’ owner Greg Kerfoot is not. An owner should stand behind the product and realize that his fandom can be contagious. 

“I need to know and sense your passion for winning,” Rajwani said. 

Rajwani said other factors are challenging the Whitecaps and Lions at the gate, such as a hesitancy to visit downtown due to well-publicized public safety concerns. The University of Toronto School of Cities’ ongoing “Downtown Recovery” rankings project, based on mobile phone device activity detected in a downtown core, shows Vancouver lagged at 54th place between March and May, comparable with Philadelphia and Seattle.

“If you don’t feel safe, if you don’t feel you could actually go down there and just have fun, like you did, for example, during the Olympics [in 2010],” Rajwani said.

It is a whole different story for concerts at B.C. Place. Unlike sports, they are not televised live. According to PavCo stats, the stadium drew a dotal 231,986 to six dates featuring five acts since last year. 

Luke Combs in May 2023 (42,208), The Weeknd in August 2022 (40,873) and Elton John’s second show in October last year (39,673) were the top draws. 

Five big dates with big audiences are coming: Ed Sheeran (Sept. 2), Beyonce (Sept. 11), Coldplay (Sept. 22-23) and Guns ’n Roses (Oct. 16). 

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Bob Mackin Two stars from Canada’s Qatar 2022

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Bob Mackin 

A Surrey Police Service officer will not be charged after a dispute last week at a store in the 80th and 128th area of Newton. 

A shopkeeper complained to Surrey RCMP after an incident in late morning Aug. 11 about a customer who allegedly sought an excessive discount. The customer’s relative, an SPS officer, allegedly intervened in support of the customer.

Payal Business Centre in Newton (Payal)

“We are aware of a report to police made by a local business owner, but are unable to confirm any specifics,” said Sgt. Tammy Lobb of the Surrey RCMP. “No charges have been recommended in relation to the file you referenced.”  

SPS media liaison Ian MacDonald said there was no action taken against the officer because no wrongdoing occurred. 

“They determined in the initial investigation that the allegations made by the shopkeeper were not founded,” MacDonald said. “The event was concluded, determined no criminality from any party involved, and that the SPS officer — off-duty — that officer’s role was peripheral.”

MacDonald said a copy of the file was forwarded to the human resources department as a formality, “if we ever need to reference it or review it further.” He said he became aware of the details on Aug. 15 from the human resources officer. 

The previous day, MacDonald had denied allegations circulating online that an SPS officer had been under investigation for shoplifting. He told a reporter the SPS had no plans to set the record straight. 

“We have been trolled online for two-and-a-half years, if we responded to every rock thrown we’d waste a lot of time and embolden the posters who undoubtedly would enjoy continue wasting it and forcing us to respond,” MacDonald said.

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Bob Mackin  A Surrey Police Service officer will

Business, News

Bob Mackin

Desperate, 11th hour pleas to the NDP government from a Quest University graduate and a researcher failed to delay the province’s acquisition of the Squamish campus.

Selina Robinson, the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, and Paul Dangerfield, the president of Capilano University, announced the $63.2 million purchase from Primacorp Ventures on Wednesday. Capilano University plans next year to reopen the former private university, which suspended operations in April.

“They obviously, totally ignored everything and went ahead,” researcher Vivian Krause said after the announcement. “Why did they go ahead, why couldn’t they have postponed the press conference? That’s what they should’ve done.”

Jake Henderson, a member of the class of 2014, unsuccessfully appealed to Robinson and Premier David Eby in an open letter, urging them to reconsider the decision. He said it is “ill-considered,” because the campus was designed for Quest’s unique, student-led research curriculum. 

Henderson said Quest owes property owner Primacorp $20 million and that Peter Chung, Primacorp’s chairman, notionally agreed to forgive the debit if Quest did not oppose the land sale. But, “bad actors prejudiced the financial interests of the institution to enrich themselves” and Henderson said he is concerned that 2016-deceased founder Dr. David Strangway’s vision “will die because of greed and government apathy.” 

Henderson, founder of the Save Quest campaign, was a member of Quest’s third graduating class, worked as facilities manager from 2014 to 2019 and lived on campus. He left to study law at the University of Victoria and now practices criminal law in Vancouver. Quest “made a below average high school student into a lawyer,” he wrote.

Henderson suggested the provincial government should have leased land back to Quest at a reasonable rate, with payments directed to Capilano University, while offering the Quest curriculum through Capilano.

Quest University Canada in Squamish, B.C. (Quest)

“I have concerns that the provincial government has not had sufficient time to consider whether these previously allocated funds will cover the actual costs of Capilano University’s prospective transition,” he wrote. “I have concerns that the public has not had an opportunity to provide comment on this intended use of public funds.”

Meanwhile, Krause wrote to Eby, calling the deal a “grave mistake” and urging him to “hit pause,” because she had complained to the RCMP, which is considering an investigation.

In her letter, Krause said multiple audits by the Canada Revenue Agency “reveal gross malfeasance involving tens of millions of dollars” after pieces of the original 240-acre property were carved up and transferred to charitable foundations set-up by Vancouver charity law specialist Blake Bromley. One of the land owners, the Eden Glen Foundation, lost its CRA charitable status earlier this summer over a nearly $5 million gift to a numbered company when it sold one of Quest’s original land parcels in 2018.

“If the tax-receipted donations and the land that was Quest’s birthright had actually been received by the university, I believe that it would not have ended up in creditor protection and been sold under [the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act],” Krause said.

“No government should purchase ill-gotten goods, least of all a government that has promised to tackle corruption.”

Robinson said Primacorp was invited to the announcement, but no representative attended. She did not indicate whether anyone from the Quest board had been invited. 

Robinson was asked why the government gave Capilano University $48 million toward the purchase, despite the concerns.

“Government always does due diligence in any any purchase, and so due diligence was, in fact done,” Robinson said. “So we’ve worked together with Capilano University, the challenges that Quest has had over over several years, you’ll have to ask Quest, these were their dealings. They were a private institution.”

The 55-acre campus, its buildings and surrounding lands, were valued at almost $89 million, and listed for sale by NAI Commercial earlier this year. 

Primacorp paid $43 million for the land and university buildings to rescue Quest out of court protection from creditors in December 2020. Quest’s biggest lender, the Vanchorverve Foundation, demanded repayment of $23.4 million at the start of 2020. 

Chung is a constituent of Eby, who reportedly paid $42 million in July 2021 for the Northwest Point Grey mansion formerly owned by philanthropists Joe and Rosalie Segal.

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Bob Mackin Desperate, 11th hour pleas to the

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