Below is a statement from Mayor Gregor Robertson:

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Today’s closing of the Kitsilano Coast Guard station is a sad day for Vancouver, and this decision leaves our city and its harbour with significant unresolved safety concerns. It is tremendously disappointing that the Federal Government has chosen not to listen to a broad consensus of marine safety experts who consistently expressed their concerns about the clear dangers posed by this closure.

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Vancouver has been ranked the most most walkable city in all of Canada by Walkscore, a Seattle-based urban app company which compared over 300 Canadian cities and communities.

With a Walkscore of 78, Vancouver placed ahead of other leading cities including Toronto (71), Montreal (70), Mississauga (59), and Ottawa (54).  Vancouver’s best-scoring neighbourhoods for walkability were Downtown (96), the West End (94), Strathcona (93), Kitsilano (89) and Fairview (89).

“It’s great to see Vancouver recognized as the top walking city in Canada,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Making it easier and safer for people to walk is a key part of our greenest city and transportation goals. Being known as a great walking city is an economic boost as well, for tourism, for local businesses, and for savings in health care.”

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City crews and 20 trucks are out across the city this morning salting and sanding arterial roads, priority hospital and school routes, and major bus routes and hills, as changing temperatures are creating slick conditions in some locations. Four trucks are on 41st Avenue, between Main and Fraser, to add additional salt and sand in that very slippery area. The westbound lanes are expected to reopen shortly.

City crews were out throughout the night treating roads with a mix of salt and sand. A drop in temperature around 3:00 a.m. and the arrival of drizzle caused a rapid change in conditions and quick freezing on the ground.

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Statement from the Mayor – 9 January, 2013

The City of Vancouver remains very concerned about closure of the Kitsilano Coast Guard Base. Vancouver is one of the busiest harbours in North America and depends on robust search and rescue services that are professionally-trained and fully-resourced by the federal government.

Two thirds of all life-at-risk calls happen outside of the summer months, when the Coal Harbour in-shore rescue boat will not even be in operation. Response times from the nearest Coast Guard base on Sea Island could extend past 30 minutes, putting lives at risk when each and every minute counts.

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With temperatures dropping this week and snow falling in Vancouver, all four of the City’s emergency winter shelters are now at capacity, providing 160 people who would otherwise be sleeping outside with a warm place to sleep at night.

“These shelters are critical for making sure people are safe this winter and are connected with services that can help them into new homes,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “They are not a permanent solution, but the shelters can be the first step for getting people off the street and into a warm, safe place to sleep.

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Our thoughts and support today are first and foremost with the families of the 67 missing and murdered women from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside who lost their loved ones under extremely tragic circumstances.

We recognize the long and difficult road for the families, who will remember these women as daughters, sisters, and mothers. We also recognize the particular impact on our urban Aboriginal communities, given the significant proportion of Aboriginal women represented among the victims and those who remain missing.

The report released today by the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry is extensive and will take some time to fully review all of its recommendations. It is my hope that Inquiry recommendations are focussed on real and lasting change — systemic changes that need to happen to keep young girls and women safe, and prevent this tragedy from happening in the future — and that implementation of recommendations are timely. 

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