Councillors Say Money In Suitcases, Shopping Bags Used To Pay Taxes At Vancouver City Hall

Citizens are bringing money in suitcases and in reusable shopping bags into city hall to pay taxes, according to accounts from two city councillors, including one who says she saw this happen “a few times” last year.

The accounts from NPA Coun. Melissa De Genova and Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr surfaced in debate Tuesday before council unanimously approved a lengthy motion from De Genova to have city staff work with police and government to prevent and deter money laundering in local businesses and in transactions at city hall.

bit.ly/2BG9nP6 via @VanCourierNews ‏

69-Year-Old Grandfather Gunned Down In East Vancouver

A 69-year-old man was shot dead on the doorstep of a home he shared with three generations of his family, including five children, one as young as two years old, neighbours say.

Zenen Cepeda Silva was killed just after midnight on Fraser Street just south of 51st Avenue Sunday. His horrified wife and some of his children stayed in the house next door while police combed the lawn for evidence and dusted for prints.

“They are scared, some of them were crying,” said one neighbour, Omar Mahdaoui. “It’s scary.”

bit.ly/2GWmyPv via @CTVVancouver

Canadian Man, 61, Arrested In China On Fraud Charges Local Media

A Canadian man has reportedly been detained in China on allegations of fraud.

The South China Morning Post, citing local media, says the 61-year-old Canadian is accused of trying to defraud an unnamed entertainment company out of C$375 million.

The newspaper says the man, whose full name is not given, allegedly tried to use fake papers to transfer the money from the company's account to an account in Hong Kong.

bit.ly/2T1QJuW via @CTVVancouver

3 Men Stabbed During Late-Night Fight In Yaletown

Police are asking witnesses to step forward after a fight in Vancouver's Yaletown neighbourhood that sent three to hospital.

Officers said the incident occurred Sunday morning at around 1:30 a.m. Two groups of people met while walking on Mainland Street near Nelson Street.

A fight broke out between the groups, and three men involved in the altercation were stabbed, Vancouver police said in a statement.

bit.ly/2CRK4JO via @CTVVancouver

Vancouver Art Gallery Welcomes $40-Million Chan Family Donation

'Unprecedented gift' to the proposed new gallery complex represents a 'profound investment in the future of the city and the province,' says VAG Director Kathleen Bartels.

If fundraising goes according to plan for the Vancouver Art Gallery, construction could start late this year or early 2020 on a brand new building.

A new gallery moved a step closer to reality Wednesday with the announcement of a $40-million donation from the Chan family, the same family that donated $10 million to the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC more than 20 years ago.

If everything goes according to plan and the VAG can raise another $165 million from private and public sources, the new gallery could be ready to show art by about 2023. That would mean being able to see art for free in two lower-level galleries, visit a dedicated area for the work of Emily Carr, and have a glass of wine in the restaurant overlooking the city.

VAG Director Kathleen Bartels said at a news conference that the donation was an “unprecedented gift” to the gallery and represented a “profound investment in the future of the city and the province.”

“We are overwhelmingly grateful,” Bartels said at the event at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver.

“This announcement, I think, shows that the Vancouver Art Gallery is so very fortunate to be supported by our community. This will be the most important project of a generation and a model of true civic leadership.”

Christian Chan said his family made a significant contribution to the city’s cultural heritage in 1997 with its donation to the Chan Centre at UBC.

He said his family has been talking with the VAG during the past year to take part in what he called an “exciting and pivotal milestone in the evolution of our great city and province.”

bit.ly/2DN0P9l via @VancouverSun ‏

Empty Homes Tax To Triple Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart Files Motion To ‘Improve’ Exaction

During the 2018 election campaign, then Vancouver mayoral aspirant Kennedy Stewart promised to triple the empty homes tax.

“Homes need to be used for housing people, not sitting empty as speculative investments,” Stewart declared in his platform.

The vacancy tax is currently one percent of the assessed value of property deemed empty.

Now city mayor, Stewart has filed a motion on notice asking council to direct staff to come up with a plan to “review and improve the fairness and effectiveness” of the levy.

bit.ly/2tsAkkL via @georgiastraight

If Plecas Report Leads To A Trial, Expect A Fierce, Costly Fight

Legislature Speaker Darryl Plecas’ report containing stunning allegations of excessive spending by two senior officials could lead to taxpayers footing an expensive legal bill, or it may not end up in court at all, experts say.

Clerk of the legislature Craig James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz were suspended with pay in November pending an RCMP investigation regarding their administrative duties, overseen by two special prosecutors. In a 76-page report released Monday, Plecas accused both of “flagrant overspending” and other misconduct.

James and Lenz have denied any wrongdoing and have not been charged with any crime.

Emma Cunliffe, an associate professor at the Allard School of Law at the University of B.C., said that if the Plecas report leads to criminal charges, there would be precedents in the cases of former Senator Mike Duffy and of two ex-Liberal aides Dave Basi and Bob Virk, cases that also involved allegations of malfeasance against politicians.

bit.ly/2V7YPQ2 via @VancouverSun

Mount Pleasant Coyote Seen Chasing Children Still On The Loose

Police and conservation officers are on the hunt for an unusually aggressive coyote that has been terrorizing families in the Mount Pleasant area in recent weeks.

The animal has made a number of brazen appearances, both at night and in broad daylight, skulking through yards, perching on doorsteps and, most alarmingly, reportedly chasing small children.

The most recent incident occurred on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., when a coyote was seen by community members chasing several kids before running into a yard in the neighbourhood. A police officer, who had spotted the coyote in the area, was flagged down and contacted the B.C. Conservation Service.

Conservation officer Lonnie Schoenthal responded to the call, but couldn’t locate the animal.

“I attempted to track down the coyote and was unsuccessful in doing so,” Schoenthal said. “I did continue to patrol the neighbourhood for another two hours, and there was no other coyote in sight or other followup report.”

bit.ly/2DUj5h7 via @VancouverSun

Work Begins On 200 New Units Of Social Housing In Vancouver’s DTES – BC

Crews broke ground Tuesday on a social housing project in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that will create 200 new affordable units.

The project includes the redevelopment of the Roddan Lodge and the Evelyne Saller Centre at 124 Dunlevy Ave.

It’s being built on City of Vancouver land and is being funded by the NDP government’s $6-billion housing plan and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

READ MORE: Nearly 1,000 new affordable housing units on the way for Vancouver

“This lodge will create new homes for hundreds of people living in the Downtown Eastside where housing is so needed,” said Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart.

“I’m especially happy to know that many of the units will be rented at shelter rate, ensuring the building is as affordable as possible for the people who need it most.”

bit.ly/2IkKmP8 via @globalnews

Judge Throws Out Police Seizure Of 27,000 Fentanyl Pills

A man has been acquitted after the police seizure of 27,500 fentanyl pills in a van was thrown out of court due a violation of the accused’s Charter rights.

Sandor Rigo was driving the van from Vancouver to Calgary when he was pulled over for speeding on Highway 1 near Chilliwack on April 4, 2017.

When an RCMP officer approached the accused’s vehicle, he noted a strong odour of either cologne or air freshener, which he believed was often used by drug traffickers and couriers to mask the odour of narcotics.

He observed several cellphones between the driver and the passenger seats, indicating a “red flag” for drug activity.

The officer noted that Rigo’s right hand and arm were shaking violently, which Rigo attributed to being low on sugar and needing to eat something.

bit.ly/2Ej4rRT via @VancouverSun

New Nature’s Path Head Office Wants To Be Neighbours With East Van Cross

A development application for a 10-storey office building with a distinct honeycomb-like exterior, which would be built just west of the iconic East Van cross, goes before the Development Permit Board today, Jan. 21. A portion of the building would serve as the new head office for Nature’s Path, an organic food company. Other space would be leased out. Nature’s Path is currently headquartered in Richmond and employs 150 people.

While the applicant has designed the project with the East Van cross in mind, the City of Vancouver is still considering whether it should be relocated and is assessing possible new sites for the landmark piece of public art.

bit.ly/2sEk1Rv via @westerninvestor

B.C. Teacher Reprimanded After Talking About Pickton, Prostitution And Murder With Grade 6/7 Class

A B.C. teacher told his Grade 6/7 music class about serial killer Robert Pickton, adding the details that Pickton lured prostitutes to his property, killed them and fed them to pigs.

According to the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Tracy Joseph Fairley went on to warn the students that if they hitchhiked there was a chance they would be killed by a serial killer, told them how he watched a teenager drown to death in Hawaii and explained how he had been scammed by a woman in a bar.

Fairley’s bizarre teaching practises have been revealed in a disciplinary ruling by the commissioner.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Fairley has been a teacher since 1984 and was working as a teacher-on-call in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school district when the incident occurred on Jan. 8, 2018.

Fairley had recounted a story of himself being in a bar when a “beautiful woman” asked him to buy her a drink. The drink turned out to be very expensive and when he said he wouldn’t pay he was not allowed to leave until he paid. He told the students, who were aged 11 and 12, that is was a common scam played on drunk male customers.

bit.ly/2X9itNn via @VancouverSun

Americans Face Deadline To File Paperwork For Huawei Executive Meng Wanzhou's Extradition

The U.S. has until Jan. 30 to submit the extradition request and Canada would then have a further 30 days to determine whether to issue an authority to proceed.

OTTAWA — American authorities are facing a key deadline at the end of the month to formally request the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou from Canada to the United States.

A spokesman for Canada’s Justice Department said on Friday the U.S. had yet to file the required paperwork in the Meng case and they have until Jan. 30 to do so. If the U.S. misses the deadline, lawyers with expertise in extradition cases say the door could open for Meng’s eventual release.

Canadian police arrested Meng at Vancouver’s airport Dec. 1 at the request of American authorities, who are seeking her extradition on fraud allegations. They say she lied to American banks as part of a scheme to get Huawei business around United States sanctions against Iran.

Her arrest has infuriated Beijing and the case is at the centre of an increasingly testy diplomatic dispute between Canada and China. The Chinese government says Meng has done nothing wrong and has demanded her release, warning Canada of severe consequences if it doesn’t free her.

Under Canada’s extradition law, the U.S. was given 60 days from the date of Meng’s arrest to make its formal extradition request.

bit.ly/2tt3Qqq via @VancouverSun ‏

Vancouver Council Given Expensive Scotch, Wine And Chocolate Houses

Question for city hall watchers: Have you ever heard of a Surrey realtor named Balpreet Bal, or a development company called Modern Green Canada?

Neither had I until I made my semi-regular trip to city hall to inspect a set of forms the mayor and councillors are required to fill out when they receive a “gift or personal benefit” worth $50 or more. The requirement is spelled out in the city’s code of conduct policy.

bit.ly/2IpB9oU via @VanCourierNews ‏

Vancouver Declares Climate Emergency In Unanimously Approved Motion

Vancouver city councillors have voted to join cities such as Los Angeles and London in declaring a climate emergency.

The city clerk's office says in a social media post that councillors voted unanimously to approve the motion.

Councillor Christine Boyle, who moved the resolution, says staff now have the mandate to “dramatically strengthen” Vancouver's climate action plan.

She says that could include new methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond the city's current climate targets and creating a special working group to support Vancouver's efforts to transition off of fossil fuels.

The resolution also calls for a framework to ensure communities most vulnerable to the impact of the changes are supported first.

Boyle says climate change is already affecting Vancouver residents and addressing the emergency won't be easy.

bit.ly/2FQ6kqk via @CTVVancouver

Vancouver Woman Says Used Truck She Bought On Craigslist Was Transferred To Someone Else

A Vancouver woman is warning others after a vehicle she purchased was transferred to someone else, without her knowledge or consent.

“It’s my truck, I paid for it, but it’s not my truck, it’s not in my name anymore,” Sandra Cherry said.
Cherry bought a 2000 Ford F-150 from a seller on Craigslist in December.

She paid $1,000 cash, met the seller at a broker, signed the transfer tax form and was given one key. But on Jan. 12, Cherry was surprised by something she saw on her home’s surveillance camera.

bit.ly/2APDao5 via @globalnews

Elizabeth Murphy Vision-Appointed Staff At Vancouver City Hall Blocking Change Voters Demanded

The new council approved initiating a citywide plan that was a central part of the election campaign as a move away from the Vision planning regime. However, it is looking like staff are leading this toward just a new way to implement current Vision policy.

Although the Vision Vancouver council majority was wiped out in the last civic election, their staff machine lives on. It is clear from staff’s actions over the last few months that the meaningful and substantial policy changes that the public voted for will not happen as long as current management is retained.

So far, except for minor tinkering, the Vision budget, zoning and policies all remain in place. The upcoming citywide plan looks increasingly like it will be implementing all the Vision policy that is still in effect.

One sure way to put a downer on a social gathering is to point that out. Most people voted for meaningful change, but that is not what we are getting and the public is baffled as to why. “Didn’t we finally vote out those people?” is a common response.

But as to be expected with a mostly new council, councillors are substantially dependent on advice from staff. That advice steers them to effectively the status quo.

Two examples are the approval of the 2019 budget and the motion to reconsider the last-minute RS zoning amendments of the last council during the election.

bit.ly/2ElBDZf via @VancouverSun ‏

Vancouver Police Release More Evidence On Anniversary Of Shooting That Killed Innocent Teen – BC

One year after a brazen shooting in Vancouver that claimed two lives, including an innocent teenage boy, Vancouver police are releasing new evidence in the hopes of catching the shooter.

Fifteen-year-old Alfred Wong was shot in the backseat of his parents’ car as it was driving down East Broadway near Ontario Street at the time of the shooting on Jan. 13, 2018. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition, but later died of his injuries.

READ MORE: Teen bystander dies from injuries following Vancouver shooting

“This reckless violence really shook our community and we have zero tolerance for it in our city,” Sgt. Mike Heard of VPD’s homicide unit and the leader of the investigative team said at an update Friday.

WATCH: New information in shooting that killed innocent teen

bit.ly/2sp4Ewi via @globalnews

El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel Made Nearly $3M A Day In Canada, Former DEA Agent Claims

As the trial for notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán continues in a New York courtroom, a former undercover agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) claims the Sinaloa cartel targeted Canada because of its weak national policing and was making almost $3 million a day from selling cocaine and heroin in major Canadian cities.

Former agent Andrew Hogan was part of a task force that spent seven years on the trail of El Chapo before capturing him in 2014. He said the DEA was shocked by the violent cartel leader’s “deep infiltration” in Canada.

“In terms of profit, Chapo was doing more cocaine business in Canada than in the United States,” according to Hogan’s book Hunting El Chapo, which he authored along with Canadian writer Douglas Century.

“It was a straightforward price-point issue: retail cocaine on the streets of Los Angeles or Chicago sold for $25,000 per kilo, while in major Canadian cities it sold for upwards of $35,000 per kilo.”

bit.ly/2sCrocf via @globalnews

Ken Clement Resigns From Vancouver School Board

The Vancouver Board of Education will be one trustee short in its final weeks ahead of this fall’s municipal election.

Vision Vancouver trustee Ken Clement has resigned his position for “personal reasons,” the board announced Monday.

Last week, Clement had withdrawn as a candidate for school board trustee in this fall’s election for health reasons; Sunday was the Vision Vancouver nomination meeting.

bit.ly/2Du1NrX via @VancouverSun

Global News Catches Person Climbing Into Donation Bin As Safety Concerns Rise

Global News catches person climbing into donation bin as safety concerns rise

As temperatures dip, there is growing concerns about the safety of donation bins. As Nadia Stewart reports more municipalities are voting to ban the bins until precautions are taken.

bit.ly/2GZU5cT via @globalnews

Hey Vancouver, Guess Who Just Received A 2.7 Per Cent Pay Increase

OK, I see a few people in the back of the room with their hands in the air.
Familiar faces, too.

In fact, I’m certain those faces are familiar to readers.

They should be because they’re your mayor and 10 councillors, the same crew who recently approved a 4.5 per cent property tax increase for this year.

After that revelation, I predict two Vancouver-style responses: Outrage, as in Grampa Simpson shaking his fist at the clouds type of outrage, and disassociated acceptance, as in what hundreds of thousands of Vancouverites practise each civic election when not bothering to cast a ballot.

Some might even think the increase is fair and warranted.

bit.ly/2LWIHgO via @VanCourierNews

'Safe Supply' Program Will Distribute Free Opioids To Entrenched Users

Carissa Sutherland's history with drugs is a lot like many others in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

The 29-year-old started about 10 years ago with morphine and hydromorphone pills marketed under the brand name Dilaudid or "Dilly" as it's known on the street.

"I kind of just progressed more and more, and then I couldn't get Dillies very much — or they were more expensive than heroin, so that I ended up just doing heroin," said Sutherland, who soon added methamphetamine to the mix.

bit.ly/2RlwrwB via @CBCNews

Thieves Captured Stealing Christmas Donations With Baby Stroller From East Vancouver Condo

Thieves captured stealing Christmas donations with baby stroller from East Vancouver condo

Security footage from a Vancouver condo shows thieves stealing donations meant for a Syrian family.

• Security video captures thieves stealing holiday hamper for Syrian refugees

bit.ly/2RCiLMH via @globalnews

Health Authority Denies Liability In East Vancouver Daycare Death Lawsuit

Vancouver Coastal Health says it did nothing to contribute to the death of a 16-month-old boy at an unlicensed daycare, calling what happened a “tragic incident” in its response to a civil lawsuit launched by the boy’s parents.

The health authority filed its response to the statement of claim in B.C. Supreme Court in early December.

Macallan (Mac) Saini, was found dead in the Olive Branch Daycare in East Vancouver on Jan. 18, 2017.

READ MORE: Parents of Baby Mac allege negligence in lawsuit after 2017 death of toddler in unlicensed daycare

bit.ly/2GV3zGm via @globalnews

Former DEA Agent Says They Were Caught Off Guard On Extent Of Mexican Cartel Drug Trafficking Operation In Canada

Andrew Hogan, a former agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), who, as part of a multi-agency task force that included Homeland Security Investigations, successfully hunted and located the most wanted cartel leader in the world, El Chapo Guzman, says that when monitoring the Sinaloa’s activities, they [the DEA] were most surprised by the extent of El Chapo’s operations in Canada.

El Chapo was the head of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico and the Sinaloa cartel was the most powerful drug cartel under his tenure.

bit.ly/2Av41Wd via @Duhaimes_AML