Community
Riverlands Redevelopment
Hey everyone,
I know it is still a decade or two from realization but I am seriously excited about the Riverlands redevelopment! I have to say thank you to all the urban planners and to our city council for putting together such a wonderful vision of this part of our downtown. The new redevelopment plan for this area was recently approved and I just finished reading through it. I am very impressed!
Few communities ever get a chance to fully redevelop ? of their downtown. This is an amazing opportunity. I think about where we came from and how it wasn’t that long ago when the train tracks came down Taylor Drive to where McDonalds is today. Then I think about where we are going and how this area will be a shining example of sustainable urban development which will balance environmental integration, human scale density and mobility optimization into a world class urban district. There are too many exciting things to share in one post but let me name a few.
The intersection of 48th St (Alexander Way) and Taylor Drive fully opens up the Riverlands and does so in a way that balances all mobility options from biking, walking and public transit to driving. Alexander Way is well on its way to becoming a complete street, meaning it will enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel for all users regardless of their mode of transportation. In the future this street will become a landmark of our city which will have exciting culture and substantial economic output.
There will be many 4-6 story buildings in this area and potentially there will be 12 story buildings along the Taylor Drive boundary. One of the larger buildings could be a premier hotel conference centre and performing arts venue. This shift in planning and design will set a new precedent and start a trend of urban renewal for the rest of our downtown and our city as a whole. As our city grows it will be an option for more people to choose to live downtown and enjoy amenities that are within walking distance.
Then there is the plan for a Riverwalk and a pedestrian bridge to Bower Ponds. This will be the crown jewel of the Riverlands. There will be patios and park benches, walking paths and unique storefronts. From the Taylor bridge southwards there will be a world class pedestrian walkway that will be the pride of our city. Sporting and cultural events at Bower Ponds will be easily accessed from the Riverlands thereby creating a valuable synergy between the two spaces.
There are many other things that impress me, such as:
-Parking requirements that include provision for bicycle storage.
-Pedestrian walkways that are required “to connect all adjacent buildings, trails, walkways” etc.
-“Underground parking strongly encouraged”.
-“Drive thrus are not allowed”.
-Live/Work developments; a business owner can work on the main floor & live on the 2nd floor.
-Rooftop terraces and green roofs that can be used for active of passive recreation.
-Minimizing blank walls and encouraging public art.
-Encouraging the use of crime prevention through environmental design principles (CPTED).
With all this said, I am a bit disappointed that the plans to fully build the riverwalk and the pedestrian bridge are still more than a decade off in the horizon. I understand why and I commend our city for not loading up on debt and for not pushing through just another a cookie cutter business as usual design for this unique area. But I also know that when the bridge is eventually built it will stimulate a virtuous cycle of investment and growth. In the meantime, I’m not sure if the area will attract the caliber of private development that is desired before the city fully invested in this plan. What do you think?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on all this. I am on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Cheers,
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Have you walked down Alexander Way lately? A lot has changed since I made a video about it but it is still quite relevant.
Did you know that there is a really cool building that has a rooftop terrace in our downtown? Check out this video tour I recently made of it called Green Roof.
From the Fraser Institute
By Jake Fuss and Grady Munro
There would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior
According to recent polling, approximately one in five Canadians have skipped paying a bill over the past year so they can buy groceries. As families are increasingly hard-pressed to make ends meet, this undoubtedly means more and more people must seek out food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations to meet their basic necessities.
And each year, Canadians across the country donate their time and money to charities to help those in need—particularly around the holiday season. Yet at a time when the relatively high cost of living means these organizations need more resources, new data published by the Fraser Institute shows that the level of charitable giving in Canada is actually falling.
Specifically, over the last 10 years (2013 to 2023, the latest year of available data) the share of tax-filers who reported donating to charity fell from 21.9 per cent to 16.8 per cent. And while fewer Canadians are donating to charity, they’re also donating a smaller share of their income—during the same 10-year period, the share of aggregate income donated to charity fell from 0.55 per cent to 0.52 per cent.
To put this decline into perspective, consider this: there would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior. Simply put, this long-standing decline in charitable giving in Canada ultimately limits the resources available for charities to help those in need.
On the bright side, despite the worrying long-term trends, the share of aggregate income donated to charity recently increased from 0.50 per cent in 2022 to 0.52 per cent in 2023. While this may seem like a marginal improvement, 0.02 per cent of aggregate income for all Canadians in 2023 was $255.7 million.
The provinces also reflect the national trends. From 2013 to 2023, every province saw a decline in the share of tax-filers donating to charity. These declines ranged from 15.4 per cent in Quebec to 31.4 per cent in Prince Edward Island.
Similarly, almost every province recorded a drop in the share of aggregate income donated to charity, with the largest being the 24.7 per cent decline seen in P.E.I. The only province to buck this trend was Alberta, which saw a 3.9 per cent increase in the share of aggregate income donated over the decade.
Just as Canada as a whole saw a recent improvement in the share of aggregate income donated, so too did many of the provinces. Indeed, seven provinces (except Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador) saw an increase in the share of aggregate income donated to charity from 2022 to 2023, with the largest increases occurring in Saskatchewan (7.9 per cent) and Alberta (6.7 per cent).
Canadians also volunteer their time to help those in need, yet the latest data show that volunteerism is also on the wane. According to Statistics Canada, the share of Canadians who volunteered (both formally and informally) fell by 8 per cent from 2018 to 2023. And the total numbers of hours volunteered (again, both formal and informal) fell by 18 per cent over that same period.
With many Canadians struggling to make ends meet, food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations play a critical role in providing basic necessities to those in need. Yet charitable giving—which provides resources for these charities—has long been on the decline. Hopefully, we’ll see this trend turn around swiftly.
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