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How often are buses and trains cleaned in Vancouver?

ByBeth Rochester

HOME BUYERS – To get the best exclusive listings visit www.vreg.ca and go to “EXCLUSIVE DEALS”

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Summer in Vancouver has brought sunshine, lively events, and fireworks to our lovely city. However, the warm weather also brought a sweaty stench to our crowded buses and SkyTrains.

The public transit in Vancouver turns into a sauna with the mass of bodies boarding the vehicles, and you can feel pretty gross once you finally arrive at your stop. That got us wondering: how often are buses and trains cleaned in Vancouver?

In an email to Daily Hive, TransLink shared that Coast Mountain Bus Company maintenance crews clean each of its buses daily. The daily cleaning schedule includes “sweeping, dusting, mopping, and sanitizing touch points, windows, seating areas, stanchions, and straps.”

If you’re worried that this daily cleaning may be just a surface-level cleanse, there’s good news: TransLink also deep cleans each of its buses bimonthly.

“Additionally, buses are deep-cleaned approximately every two months; this involves a four to five-hour (depending on the size of the bus) deep cleaning of every bus interior surface,” TransLink said.

In addition to the strict cleaning schedules followed by the maintenance crews, TransLink is constantly trying to improve the commuter experience.

Most recently, TransLink operators have released new PSAs on SkyTrains to encourage polite transit etiquette. One such PSA urges commuters to take off their backpacks, especially during peak travel hours.

In an earlier conversation with Daily Hive, TransLink shared that it launched a new etiquette campaign to improve people’s journeys on its transport system.

“This September, TransLink launched our newest etiquette campaign to spread awareness on our system. This year, we are focusing on educating customers about priority seating etiquette and reminding customers with backpacks to remove them while in vehicles. Customers can expect to hear the PSA on the system; there will also be posters and signage on the system, as well as posts on our social channels.”

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National housing market in holding pattern as buyers patient for lower rates: CREA

ByNews Staff

Posted September 16, 2024 6:54 am. The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold in August fell compared with a year ago as the market remained largely stuck in a holding pattern despite borrowing costs beginning to come down. The association says the number of homes sold in August fell 2.1 per cent compared with the same month last year. On a seasonally adjusted month-over-month basis, national home sales edged up 1.3 per cent from July. CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart says that with forecasts of lower interest rates throughout the rest of this year and into 2025, “it makes sense that prospective buyers might continue to hold off for improved affordability, especially since prices are still well behaved in most of the country.” The national average sale price for August amounted to $649,100, a 0.1 per cent increase compared with a year earlier. The number of newly listed properties was up 1.1 per cent month-over-month.

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Home prices decreasing in B.C.s ski regions

ByJami Makan

Interest rates, capital gains taxes and short-term rental measures are some factors in province’s recreational property transactions Prices of detached homes and condominiums have registered slight decreases in B.C.’s popular ski regions so far this year. However, they are expected to increase in 2025 as interest rates continue their expected decline. In the first nine months of the year, the median price of a single-family detached home in the province’s ski regions decreased 2.6 per cent year-over-year to $1,729,200, according to the 2024 Winter Recreational Property Report by Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. Meanwhile, the median price of a condominium also decreased 2.6 per cent to $477,500. Royal LePage examined several B.C. ski regions including Whistler, Invermere, Revelstoke, Mount Washington, Sun Peaks and Big White.  The Nov. 14 report noted that less snowfall has impacted some resort areas, although this is made up for during biking and golfing seasons. The report also noted that provincial measures regarding short-term rentals, which affect some ski regions, have resulted in more personal and family use of properties. The foreign-buyer ban similarly exempts some communities, also resulting in a varied impact. Interest rates and capital gains taxes have played a significant role in these markets, according to the report. Many buyers are waiting to jump in as they anticipate further reductions in the key interest rate, which has been reduced incrementally from five per cent in April to 3.75 per cent last month. Meanwhile, this year’s federal budget increased the basic inclusion rate for all capital gains and losses from one-half to two-thirds as of June 25, spurring a surge in transactions prior to the deadline. Some markets are attracting buyers from elsewhere in Western Canada, as they may be located closer to Alberta. Some had more inventory and transaction volume than others, while the accessibility of price points varied by market. In Whistler, for example, a house or condominium slope-side or at mountain base typically start at $3 million and $500,000, respectively. Among the report’s highlights: Whistler – The median price of a single-family detached home in Whistler’s recreational property market for the first nine months of the year decreased three per cent year-over-year to $3,569,100, while the median price of a condominium decreased 12.4 per cent to $583,600. Prices are expected to rise nine per cent over the next 12 months. Invermere – The median price of a single-family detached home in Invermere’s recreational property market for the first nine months of the year increased 13.5 per cent year-over-year to $749,000, while the median price of a condominium increased 11.4 per cent to $344,900. Prices are expected to rise 10 per cent over the next 12 months. Revelstoke – The median price of a single-family detached home in Revelstoke’s recreational property market for the first nine months of the year increased 4.9 per cent year-over-year to $862,500, while the median price of a condominium increased 14.3 per cent to $802,000. Prices are expected to rise five per cent over the next 12 months. Mount Washington – The median price of a single-family detached home in Mount Washington’s recreational property market for the first nine months of the year increased 29.4 per cent year-over-year to $1,100,000, while the median price of a condominium decreased 1.1 per cent to $455,000. Prices are expected to rise two per cent over the next 12 months. Sun Peaks – The median price of a single-family detached home in Sun Peaks’ recreational property market for the first nine months of the year decreased 30.1 per cent year-over-year to $1,337,500, while the median price of a condominium decreased 14.3 per cent to $360,000. Prices are expected to increase five per cent over the next 12 months. Big White – The median price of a single-family detached home in Big White’s recreational property market for the first nine months of the year decreased 13.7 per cent year-over-year to $1,510,000, while the median price of a condominium decreased 22.1 per cent to $413,000. Prices are expected to increase five per cent over the next 12 months. Royal LePage compiled insights, data and forecasts from 18 popular ski regions. Median price and sales data was compiled and analyzed by Royal LePage for the periods between Jan. 1, 2024 and Sept. 30, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2023. Data was sourced through local brokerages and boards in each of the surveyed regions. [email protected] @JamiMakan

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Understanding new constructions pre-sale purchases

Understanding new constructions pre-sale purchases

Bymichael

Sellers Knowing what your home is worth at the present market. Sign up for a Market Snapshot to see similar homes listed, recently sold, and expired in your neighborhood www.activeandsold.com  Buyers Create your own Personal MLS Listings Search, the same system that is available to Realtors. Visit www.yourownmls.ca MANY BRITISH COLUMBIANS are making the decision to purchase…

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Metro Vancouver eyes standardized six-storey wood apartments

ByJohn Mackie

The idea is to streamline design and draft common regulations to cut construction time by at least a third Published Nov 18, 2024  •  3 minute read Rendering of six storey design found in Metro Vancouver report on rental apartments made of wood. Credit: Iredale Architecture. Photo by Iredale Architecture When you think of new construction in Metro Vancouver, you think of concrete towers with glass facades. A Metro Vancouver report on rental housing is considering a different approach: Making it easier to build six-storey apartment buildings out of wood. The report’s name is a mouthful, “Streamlining the Delivery of Rental Housing Through Pre-Approved Plans and Off-Site Construction.” THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account or Article content But it has a simple goal: making rental housing cheaper to build. Concrete buildings typically cost 20 to 24 per cent more to build than wooden ones. So the report, which will probably go to Metro in January, calls for low-rise wood frame buildings. The report also wants to make it easier to build. “We’re collaborating with B.C. Housing on (ways) to essentially speed up the delivery of six-story rental wood frame apartments,” said Michael Epp, director of housing, planning and development at Metro Vancouver. “One of the key ones is trying to harmonize some of the regulatory approaches for that type of building.” Building regulations vary from city to city. Going through the bureaucratic process can be time consuming — Epp said it usually takes five years from “conception to occupancy” to build a wood-frame apartment building in Metro Vancouver. “Our short-term goal is to try to bring that time down by at least 30 per cent,” he said. “But I think it’s possible, in an ideal state, to cut 50 per cent of that delivery time. So going from five years from start to finish to a 2½-year start to finish.” By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Article content Article content The idea is to draft regulations for these buildings that essentially pre-approve them, cutting out the need for time-consuming rezoning applications, and to also allow for some prefabrication of the buildings in factories. “Time is a really substantial component of (building) cost, whether or not you’ve got land carrying costs during that entirety of that time,” Epp said. “You’re paying your professional consultants, you’ve got insurance costs, you’ve got (construction) escalation (costs). So the shorter you can make that time, the more you’re saving. “On some projects, this could be hundreds of thousands of dollars a month that can be saved when you’re shaving time off.” Only one rendering of what the six-storey buildings might look like has been released so far. The illustration by Iredale Architecture looks like something you’d see in Vancouver’s West End, a basic apartment block with balconies. 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Many low-rise market condo buildings are already built with a concrete base and foundation, with wood

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Is your mortgage more restrictive than you know?

ByBusiness in Vancouver

Collateral-charge mortgages might have a bad rep in some quarters but they are not inherently bad products. But many people aren’t aware of what they’ve signed up for. In today’s uncertain interest-rate environment, homeowners want the option to make a change to their mortgage and shop around for the best terms and rates, especially at renewal time. With economists expecting several more central bank rate cuts, and 60 per cent of all outstanding mortgages coming up for renewal over the next two years, mortgage pricing in Canada is poised to get even more competitive as banks look to lure clients from their existing lenders. But when shopping around, one product homeowners might want to steer clear of is a collateral-charge mortgage, which comes with restrictions around switching, whether at renewal or any other time. A collateral-charge mortgage, also known as a readvanceable mortgage, is a type of loan that essentially bundles together your mortgage and a line of credit, based on the amount of your home equity. When a lender registers this type of mortgage, they’ll do so for an amount up to 125 per cent of the home’s assessed value. That extra amount then gives the borrower the ability to tap into their home’s equity either right away, if they’ve made more than a 20 per cent down payment, or as it grows over time – without having to apply and take on a separate borrowing vehicle such as the popular home equity line of credit (HELOC). With a regular mortgage, the lender registers only the amount that the home is worth, minus the down payment made by the borrower. Collateral mortgages are offered by Canada’s biggest lenders. In fact, many Canadians may be surprised to learn that some big banks – such as TD and Tangerine – only offer collateral-charge mortgages. Based on TD’s enormous market share alone, with $266.4-billion in residential mortgages as of the second quarter of 2024, there’s a significant number of borrowers out there with one. But the big downside of a collateral-charge mortgage is that they can’t be transferred to a new lender like a conventional mortgage – the mortgage must be fully discharged first, meaning the current lender has legally taken it off its books. Most banks won’t do this unless the mortgage has been paid off in full, so the borrower will need a lawyer – and pay additional fees in the ballpark of $2,000 – to break the contract. Sometimes a new lender will cover these costs for the borrower, but that’s not guaranteed. Over all, it adds another layer of complexity and cost for someone looking to make a switch. The other risk that comes with a collateral-charge mortgage is that it can make it hard to access other types of financing, such as a second mortgage or HELOC, from other banks. This is because more than 100 per cent of the borrower’s home – typically their largest asset – is already tied up in their mortgage with no financial wiggle room. Not having these options can come as a shock for someone who didn’t realize they were in this type of mortgage to begin with. Collateral-charge mortgages might have a bad rep in some quarters but they are not inherently bad products. They provide borrowers who want to access their equity with a streamlined, cheaper way to do so. This money can be used for anything – renovations, buying a car or paying for school, for example. But borrowers should be aware and accept the associated risks and restrictions and too often, what we’ve experienced when working with brokerage clients is that they are not. Unfortunately, it’s the mortgage shoppers who are most motivated by the best rate or get a big bank mortgage that may unknowingly end up in a collateral mortgage and restricting their options. In today’s volatile rate environment, that’s an oversight few of us can afford. Penelope Graham is the director of content at Ratehub.ca .

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20 stunning Christmas lights events to see around Vancouver

ByDaniel Chai

The days are getting shorter, which means there’s so much more time to see all the bright and colourful Christmas lights around Vancouver! Pull on your warmest toque and grab the hot chocolate because there are a bunch of holiday light displays and stunning festivals that you won’t want to miss this year. The good news is that many are running throughout December, and some even last into January! So you’ll have plenty of time to catch as many of these magical events as possible. VanDusen Festival of Lights VanDusen Festival of Lights/Submitted What: Get ready for a walk in a winter wonderland because one of Vancouver’s largest holiday light displays is officially returning for the season. VanDusen Festival of Lights will be delighting visitors at the botanical garden from Friday, November 29, to Sunday, January 5, 2025. Discover over one million lights across 15 acres, with new displays and returning favourites for all ages. 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Pre-sale online Bright Nights at Stanley Park What: The Christmas Train tickets may be sold out for the season, but there is plenty of family fun and holiday cheer in Stanley Park throughout December. Guests will be treated to stunning light displays during their visit, including returning favourites like the giant red reindeer, a vintage fire truck, and the tunnel of lights in the plaza. The event is also in support of the Burn Fund. When: November 29, 2024, to January 4, 2025 (closed on December 25) Time: 4 to 10 pm Where: Pipeline Road in Stanley Park, via the West Georgia Street park entrance Admission: Train tickets are sold out. Free to visit the holiday lights display and festive activities in the plaza Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park What: Cross the world-famous bridge, lit end-to-end with a changing multi-colour display, and sway high above the illuminated Capilano River. Journey into a glittering rainforest and walk high above the forest floor on a transformed Treetops Adventure. Finally, walk along the sparkling cliffside pathway of Cliffwalk.  Don’t forget to snap an Instagram-worthy photo, sip a decadent hot chocolate to the sound of live festive tunes, and get in on all the festive fun of the many kid’s activities around the Park. Tickets are on sale now and must be purchased in advance online. There are limited tickets available during peak event times, and visits are scheduled in 30-minute arrival increments. When: November 22, 2024, until January 19, 2025 (closed on December 25) Time: 11 am to 9 pm daily. Guests are allowed to stay in the park up to an hour after closing. Where: Capilano Suspension Bridge Park – 3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver Tickets: Various prices, with annual passes (included with admission) available for BC residents. Purchase online St. Paul’s Hospital Lights of Hope kickoff and fireworks What: The holidays in Vancouver just wouldn’t be as bright without the Lights of Hope, and this year is kicking off with the return of the popular fireworks display. St. Paul’s Foundation’s massive light display outside of St. Paul’s Hospital has been an annual Christmastime tradition and fundraising campaign since 1998. More than 100,000 lights and hundreds of shining stars recognizing the support of generous donors will be officially switched on Wednesday, November 27. And fireworks will commemorate the occasion on opening night. When: November 27, 2024 (lights will be on display until January 3, 2025) Time: 6 to 8 pm for kickoff, nightly throughout the holiday season Where: St. Paul’s Hospital – 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver Squamish at Dusk What: Explore a winter wonderland of lights, art, magic, and stories. Squamish at Dusk is a stunning light experience at Rose Park with immersive installations for all ages to enjoy this holiday season. Bring the whole family and enjoy the mesmerizing tunnel of lights, a sparkling grotto, an enchanted forest, and more. When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday from November 28 until December 14, 2024 Time: 4:30 to 9:30 pm Where: Rose Park – 38550 Loggers Lane, Squamish Cost: $10-$15, plus fees; free for children four and under. Purchase online Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration Amacon What: One of the city’s most beloved holiday traditions, the free outdoor celebration will take place at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square on Friday, November 29. Guests will enjoy live entertainment, colourful photo opportunities, and free cocoa at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square. Santa Claus is even rumoured to be making an appearance. When: November 29, 2024 Time: 6 pm Where: šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square – 850 W Georgia Street, Vancouver Cost: Free PNE Winter Fair

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