Easy Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup

“If homeowners can just hold off selling, the Canadian housing market will emerge fine from its current “deep freeze”. According to a recent TD Economics housing forecast update, the market is expected to gradually recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. After an anticipated “historic” plunge in sales in the month of April 2020, a “much stronger activity” is seen next year. A lot of that depends on whether homeowners can avoid distressed selling during this pandemic. “Absolutely key to our forecasts is the assumption that listings mirror sales by dropping substantially in the near-term and recovering gradually thereafter,” Rishi Sondhi, an economist with TD Economics, wrote. By holding off on selling, homeowners can do one thing for the market. “This puts a floor on prices and sustains relatively tight-supply demand balances across most markets, allowing for the resumption of positive price growth as provincial economies are re-opened,” Sondhi explained.” – excerpt from ‘Homeowners avoiding distressed selling key to Canadian housing market recovery: TD Economics’, Carlito Pablo, 1 May 2020, Georgia Straight No, folks, that ‘analysis’ is not from ‘The Onion’. Seems like the TD analysts have found a sure fire way of maintaining every bull market, forever… (it’s easy: just get sellers not to sell). It’s remarkable that this kind of ‘analysis’ can get parroted on & on without getting called out. Remember: Sellers aren’t competing with Buyers, they’re competing with other Sellers. How many Vancouver RE speculators (essentially each and every buyer for the last 10-15 years) are going to realize their thus-far-paper profits? We are already seeing many anecdotal examples of people who bought in 2016 or later taking losses on resales. – vreaa

Bubbles — like the current Vancouver housing bubble — are nothing new. Contrary to the views of some, markets are not efficient and are frequently irrational. Few understood this better than John Kenneth Galbraith. Over twenty years ago in, A Short History of Financial Euphoria, he gave an excellent summary of how they occur. And as the following section presciently concludes, “There will be occasion to see the operation of this rule frequently repeated.” Chapter 1 – The Speculative Episode That the free-enterprise economy is given to recurrent episodes of speculation will be agreed. These–great events and small, involving bank notes, securities, real estate, art and other assets or objects–are, over the years and centuries, part of history. What have not been sufficiently analyzed are the features common to these episodes, the things that signal their certain return and have thus the considerable practical value of aiding understanding and prediction. Regulation and more orthodox economic knowledge are not what protect the individual and the financial institution when euphoria returns, leading on as it does to wonder at the increase in values and wealth, to the rush to participate that drives up prices, and to the eventual crash and its sullen and painful aftermath. There is protection only in a clear perception of the characteristics common to these flights into what must conservatively be described as mass insanity. Only then is the investor warned and saved. There are, however, few matters on which such a warning is less welcomed. In the short run, it will be said to be an attack, motivated by either deficient understanding or uncontrolled envy, on the wonderful process of enrichment. More durably, it will be thought to demonstrate a lack of faith in the inherent wisdom of the market itself. The more obvious features of the speculative episode are manifestly clear to anyone open to understanding. Some artifact or some development, seemingly new and desirable–tulips in Holland, gold in Louisiana, real estate in Florida, the superb economic designs of Ronald Reagan–captures the financial mind or perhaps, more accurately, what so passes. The price of the object of speculation goes up. Securities, land, objets d’art, and other property, when bought today, are worth more tomorrow. This increase and the prospect attract new buyers; the new buyers assure a further increase. Yet more are attracted; yet more buy; the increase continues. The speculation building on itself provides its own momentum. This process, once it is recognized, is clearly evident, and especially so after the fact. So also, if more subjectively, are the basic attitudes of the participants. These take two forms. There are those who are persuaded that some new price-enhancing circumstance is in control, and they expect the market to stay up and go up, perhaps indefinitely. It is adjusting to a new situation, a new world of greatly, even infinitely increasing returns and resulting values. Then there are those, superficially more astute and generally fewer in number, who perceive or believe themselves to perceive the speculative mood of the moment. They are in to ride the upward wave; their particular genius, they are convinced, will allow them to get out before the speculation runs its course. They will get the maximum reward from the increase as it continues; they will be out before the eventual fall. For built into this situation is the eventual and inevitable fall. Built in also is the circumstance that it cannot come gently or gradually. When it comes, it bears the grim face of disaster. That is because both of the groups of participants in the speculative situation are programmed for sudden efforts at escape. Something, it matters little what–although it will always be much debated–triggers the ultimate reversal. Those who had been riding the upward wave decide now is the time to get out. Those who thought the increase would be forever find their illusion destroyed abruptly, and they, also, respond to the newly revealed reality by selling or trying to sell. Thus the collapse. And thus the rule, supported by the experience of centuries: the speculative episode always ends not with a whimper but with a bang. There will be occasion to see the operation of this rule frequently repeated.

Off topic. Have you heard the ads by the telecom giants, Bell, Rogers and Telus. They have some average employee who tells you that if the Government lets Verizon in to Canada then this unfortunate soul will lose their job and they and their family will be cast out to the wolves. Funny how they pick lower ranking employees, not someone from the executive suite. How about the CEO of Telus doing the ad and saying…” I made $11 Million last year and $10 Million the year before and if Verizon comes in, I may lose my bonus”. Or the Rogers CEO saying..”Next year I get a $18.5 Million retirement package and um…well good luck with that Verizon things”. In fact the three CEO’s earned $23 Big ones between the three of them. Enough to run a medium sized hospital or two High schools. That is our society folks. These companies who have shamelessly outsourced call and technical centres outside of Canada, are now waving the flag and asking for protection from that big hairy American company. We could be more sympathetic if you weren’t such greedy ba$tard$!!  My cousin who has ATT comes up here from the US and uses his phone without a second thought to call the US or anywhere worldwide for one fixed rate.  Whereas we make sure we have every button turned off to airplane mode or free wifi only to make sure we never inadvertently down-load a text or e-mail in Calgary, never mind the US. Last year I went to Europe and somehow my phone set itself free and downloaded two banal text messages and one e-mail. I heard the ping and my heart sank. Sure enough, when we went back home the bill from Fido (Roger’s pooch to make us feel like we have choice) was over $50! Welcome Verizon, who BTW can only have up to 10% of the market anyway! AND CEOs of Rogers, Telus and Bell, if you are so worried about your employees distribute some of your huge payments to them and let us have SOME choice as consumers.

The Vancouver Sandwich Challenge was a success featuring creations from restaurants around greater Vancouver. Each restaurant featured their sandwich creation from September 20 – October 13, 2024. Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance. The Winners are: 1st Place (TIE) : {108 points} Pizza Rubato Napoletana Panuozzo alla Mortadella Price $14 Created by: Duman and Ilaria Description:  Made with our “00” flour dough, this sandwich aims to bring back the classic mortadella sandwich and spice it up with some Rubato creation and trademarks. As always, we try to create something unique, where a mixture of flavors combine and explode in your mouth, while never compromising the quality of the ingredients we use. Despite the fact that mortadella has a strong, distinctive flavor, we balance it all out with the saltiness of pistachio and sea salt flakes, the creaminess and sweetness of stracciatella, and the spiciness of hot honey.  Ingredients:  Pistachio Pesto Sauce, Mortadella, Stracciatella, Crushed Pistachio, Chili Infused Honey, Sea Salt Flakes, Olive Oil. All wrapped in our fresh dough made with only the finest “00” flour from Italy. Available: all the time Offered: for dine-in, pick-up and delivery options are available besides dine-in.  Pizza Rubato Napoletana 561 W. Broadway, Vancouver Tel:(604) 909-0773 Web: https://www.pizzarubato.com/ Instagram @pizzarubato 1st Place (TIE) : {108 points} Food by Fanta My Favourite Sandwich  Price: $23 Created by: Chef Parinya and team Description: My Favourite Sandwich starts with a ciabatta bun spread with our zesty herbal pesto. We top it with smoked Montreal beef, Brie, mozzarella & Gruyère, red wine braised onions, drizzle of curry mango jam mixed with honey mustard and diced dill pickle. After a quick toast, we add sliced house pickled green beans and finish with crispy rice for the ultimate bite. Served with fries seasoned with Tom Yum seasoning and Sriracha mayo & honey mustard dipping sauce. Ingredients: herbal pesto (Thai basil, cilantro, thyme, Russian garlic, pine nuts, almonds, lime juice, lime zest, parmesan, Thai chili), Montreal Smoked Beef, Brie Cheese, mozzarella cheese, Gruyère cheese, curry mango jam, honey mustard, dill pickle, pickled green beans, and crispy rice. Available: Lunch and dinner Offered: dine-in, takeout and delivery Food by Fanta 20542 Fraser Hwy #107, Langley Tel: (604) 427-0166 Web: www.FoodbyFanta.com Instagram @foodbyfanta 2nd Place : {89 points} Stega Eatery Sandwich Al Pastor Price: $14.40 Created by: Mariia Minohina and Enrique Taracena Pacheco Description: Sandwich al Pastor opens with the exquisite scent of fresh ciabatta, enhanced by exotic notes of roasted pineapple. The fragrant annatto seeds of the Caribbean exude facets of earthy citrus, peppers, and sweet seduction for your palate and your palate only. Ingredients: House mayo, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, chicken al pastor, roasted pineapple, cheese on ciabatta. (Dairy Free, Gluten-Free alternative available) Available: All the time Offered: In-store and take-out Stega Eatery 301 W Cordova, Vancouver Tel: (778) 839-8088 & 1778 Colombia, Vancouver Tel: Web: https://www.stegaeatery.ca/ Instagram @stegaeatery 3rd Place: {76 points} Jamila’s Afghan Cuisine  Ugly Afghani Sandwich Price: $12.99 Created by: Malik Description: One of our carefully created menu item is ugly Afghani sandwich, we have taken it from different angle with crafted flavour of ground meat, marinated with Afghan spices and pan cooked with fresh little green peppers and onions, placed in homemade Afghani bread that will blow you away, Ugly Afghani Sandwich comes with choice of beef or chicken. Available: all the time Offered: dine and take out Jamila’s Afghan Cuisine  2586 Commercial Drive, Vancouver Tel:(604) 620-7686 Web:https://thejamilas.com/ Instagram @jamilas_afghan_cuisine_ In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the Sandwich creations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge. The Winners are: 1st Place People’s Choice: Food by Fanta My Favourite Sandwich  Price: $23 Created by: Chef Parinya and team Description: My Favourite Sandwich starts with a ciabatta bun spread with our zesty herbal pesto. We top it with smoked Montreal beef, Brie, mozzarella & Gruyère, red wine braised onions, drizzle of curry mango jam mixed with honey mustard and diced dill pickle. After a quick toast, we add sliced house pickled green beans and finish with crispy rice for the ultimate bite. Served with fries seasoned with Tom Yum seasoning and Sriracha mayo & honey mustard dipping sauce. Ingredients: herbal pesto (Thai basil, cilantro, thyme, Russian garlic, pine nuts, almonds, lime juice, lime zest, parmesan, Thai chili), Montreal Smoked Beef, Brie Cheese, mozzarella cheese, Gruyère cheese, curry mango jam, honey mustard, dill pickle, pickled green beans, and crispy rice. Available: Lunch and dinner Offered: dine-in, takeout and delivery Food by Fanta 20542 Fraser Hwy #107, Langley Tel: (604) 427-0166 Web: www.FoodbyFanta.com Instagram @foodbyfanta 2nd Place People’s Choice: Pizza Rubato Napoletana Panuozzo alla Mortadella Price $14 Created by: Duman and Ilaria Description:  Made with our “00” flour dough, this sandwich aims to bring back the classic mortadella sandwich and spice it up with some Rubato creation and trademarks. As always, we try to create something unique, where a mixture of flavors combine and explode in your mouth, while never compromising the quality of the ingredients we use. Despite the fact that mortadella has a strong, distinctive flavor, we balance it all out with the saltiness of pistachio and sea salt flakes, the creaminess and sweetness of stracciatella, and the spiciness of hot honey.  Ingredients:  Pistachio Pesto Sauce, Mortadella, Stracciatella, Crushed Pistachio, Chili Infused Honey, Sea Salt Flakes, Olive Oil. All

You may have heard that City Council is contemplating a planning process to revitalize Granville Street downtown. This idea was first floated a couple of years ago, and is a positive move. A draft Terms of Reference was discussed by Council on January 18 of this year, and there will be further debate coming up this week. While we’re generally supportive of the initiative, we feel that the scope of the proposed work could be bolder. From our perspective, the current approach is constrained by two key factors: an unnecessarily limited geographic scope and the need for a stronger, more comprehensive and unified focus on the role of the street as a central public space. With this in mind, we’re sharing seven key suggestions that we thing would improve the proposed Terms of Reference and result in an improved planning process for this important public space. (1) Expand the Granville Street study area so that it stretches “shore to shore” across the Downtown Peninsula As currently envisioned, the proposed planning area covers the five block stretch between Robson Street and Drake Street. This area coincides with policy geographies set out in the Downtown Official Development Plan (DODP) dating from 1975. Given the prominent role that Granville Street plays, the various urban design and transportation considerations at play, and the way visitors and residents actually use the street, we feel this insufficient. In our opinion, the current focus on the entertainment district would be better served were it to be part of a study area that spanned the full 12 blocks between Granville Square and the Granville Bridge. This would allow for a more integrated consideration of critical rapid transit connections, an assessment of the existing (2009) public realm treatment (which needs to be refreshed), the inclusion of other large rezonings (the Bay, Granville Loops), not to mention the broader public life opportunities that come with treating the street ‘as a whole.’ The street has a number of different character areas, but what makes it exciting is the opportunity to make them work together. We note that the original Council motion (referenced on page 2 of the report) directs staff to deliver “a scope of work and budget for a future planning program for Granville Street Downtown.” This pan-peninsula scope is important. (2) Bring special attention to key intersections While the idea of a promenade is important, one of the important features of Granville Street downtown is its centrality on the downtown peninsula. Intersections are key punctuation marks in the sequencing of the street – ones that invites a pause, curiosity, decision, transition and more. They are also, functionally, linkages to and from other key areas – such as Robson Square, the civic facilities of Georgia St, the Davie Street Village. A larger geography allows for more attention to be put on these core intersections, and suggests the possibility of developing more substantial connections (and related public realm connections) to nearby amenities. Public space is a network – so let’s ensure this program approaches Granville St. with this sort of ‘systems’ thinking. (3) Ensure laneways are included as part of the planning effort While the focus of the planning program will be on Granville Street, there is a further opportunity to bring additional focus and attention on improving laneways in the study area, turning these spaces into vibrant people places. Some important initial work has been undertaken by the DVBIA and others, but this planning program could accelerate this work in a more comprehensive fashion. How can these sizeable areas – often overlooked because of their secondary functions – be enhanced and better integrated into the fabric of the downtown? Done strategically, this could enable additional programming opportunities for restaurants and cultural spaces, or provide additional seating or gathering opportunities. The scale of these areas – often more intimate than the city’s main streets – makes them an important opportunity. (4) Consider Howe/Seymour transit opportunities An assessment of opportunities for Granville Street would be further strengthened by incorporating Howe and Seymour into the conversation. During the lengthy construction of the Canada Line, these streets effectively took over bus routing functions that were normally on Granville. As was noted during the Council discussion, there is only a limited right-of-way on the street. This brings a related challenge in establishing priorities – is the street a bus “mall” or a pedestrian promenade? A space for moving people, or a place for people to linger, gather, spill out of cultural facilities? It is difficult for the street to do both without needing to make compromises. Can we be bolder here? Perhaps it’s time to think about the role of Granville as part of a network of key pedestrian primary streets – in the same vein as current thinking about Water Street, Robson, and other key areas. (5) Ensure public space is the central focus of the Terms of Reference It was encouraging to hear staff recognize Granville Street’s long and storied role as a significant public space in the city. Looking forward, a focus on ensuring the highest quality public realm and a thoughtful activation of the street will be critically important. In our opinion, and given the array of tools that the City has at its disposal, there is a need to better centre the role of public space and public life in the present Terms of Reference. While public space functions are named in a number of

After a scenic ride through El Poblenou and along the Barcelona waterfront, we approached the Sant Antoni market from the south, via Carrer del Comte Borrell, stopping at the Superilla Peatonal Sant Antoni intersection. This spot mirrored Poblenou’s with its low-cost public interventions and small-scale changes. However, Sant Antoni Market played a more pivotal role, serving as both a conceptual and physical gateway. It marked where the Superilla experiment transitioned from its “tactical” phase to the more “structural” stage of its evolution. North of the beautiful building, the interventions along Carrer del Comte Borrell showed a greater degree of investment. Carrer de Tamarit, north of the Market was redesigned as a “car light” through with new paving and a pedestrian plaza at its intersection with Carrer del Comte Borrell . Street furniture and planting were carefully integrated as a part of the new design. As these changes unfolded, discussions arose about scaling the Superilla model to magnify its positive impacts. The nine-block cluster approach worked well as a pilot, but wasn’t practical on a city-wide scale—it would be impossible to transform streets in 3×3 clusters everywhere. In 2019, the visionary Eixample Green Axes map was introduced, shifting the focus from an “oasis” strategy to a city-wide network. This plan committed Barcelona to spread the benefits of the Superilla concept to all citizens by connecting the cities’ neighbourhoods with these new green axes. The “green axes” are streets redesigned to reduce or eliminate car traffic, replacing vehicle-heavy roads with green spaces, wider pedestrian paths, and bike lanes. These streets reconnect neighbourhoods by creating a network of pedestrian-friendly streets that encourage walking, cycling, and outdoor activities. Complementing the green axes are public squares at major intersections, providing residents with open spaces for leisure and socializing. Filled with trees, benches, playgrounds, and shaded areas, these squares are crucial for increasing green spaces and improving air quality. Given the people-first mentality, the social function of these intersections cannot be understated, transforming former car-dominated zones into vibrant community hubs. Together, the evolved Superilla expansion plans to create 21 green axes and 21 squares in the Eixample, greening over 33% of its streets and turning them into pedestrian corridors and green spaces. This new environmental infrastructure aims to ensure that every resident in the Eixample is within 200 meters of a green axis. Last year marked a key moment for the Superilla initiative, with the City defining new design criteria for the green axes and outlining five principles in their new guidelines, as shown within the cross-section in the headline image. This ambitious project is ongoing, with several sections already completed, the most notable being Carrer Consell de Cent. Spanning over three and a half kilometers, this street transformation covers nearly the full width of the Eixample. For context, the transformed section of Carrer Consell de Cent is about one-third longer than Vancouver’s downtown peninsula. It would be the local equivalent of converting a major thoroughfare like 12th Avenue from Main Street to Burrard Street. Since Barcelona’s Eixample has the same 66 ft. street widths as Vancouver, their template can easily be replicated locally.   The Carrer del Comte Borrell—the street that Honey-Roses , Martos, and Matilla guided us— holds special significance . Not only is it a green axis, but the stretch between Sant Antoni Market and Carrer Consell de Cent allowed us to experience the evolution of their urban transformation, step by step. As we walked, Matilla shared lessons learned from each iteration, block by block. For instance, the City experimented with various paving patterns to encourage people to walk in the middle of the street. Not all designs were successful—changing paving alone wasn’t enough. Subtle visual and texture cues were needed to subconsciously invite pedestrians to walk in the center of the street. Carrer del Comte Borrell demonstrated this clearly, allowing us to see behavioral shifts from one side of the street to the other. These detailed efforts were part of a broader evidence-based approach, where data was gathered and analyzed from both design-oriented observations and larger-scale metrics. For example, the City tracked the impact of street closures on city-wide traffic patterns. Initially, traffic on other streets increased, but after a year and a half, it declined, supporting the idea that pedestrian-focused interventions can change auto-based behaviours. Our journey through Barcelona’s street transformations culminated at Carrer Consell de Cent, where we walked its length, exploring several unique squares designed to foster community. Walking down the middle of the street, Matilla explained the decision-making process in detail. This included policies that might seem surprising, such as limiting the number of restaurants allowed on this pedestrian axis to preserve essential community services. People first. A Masterclass, indeed. The session concluded with a warm aperitif with our gracious hosts, where our local planners eagerly asked more questions. Looking ahead, Barcelona plans to complete the remaining green axes and squares, serving as a global model for cities aiming to prioritize people, community, and the environment over cars and congestion. At the core of this transformation is a simple yet powerful motive—one shared with affordability policies discussed earlier in the series and rooted in centuries of evolution: enhancing the quality of life for all residents. Throughout this process, citizens remain the focus, forming the foundation of every decision, from the abstract to the physical, from the small scale to the large. We have covered a lot of ground. Let’s