This is Vancouver

Vancouver Police say District 5 is coming to the Downtown Eastside. Stephen Quinn speaks with Superintendent Gary Hiar about what this change means as a major crime-reduction project comes to an end.

The Stanley Park miniature train is shut down this year and the Bright Nights fundraiser won’t be returning. Instead, the Park Board has approved a Harry Potter–themed trail walk. But not everyone is happy about it. We look at what the event means for the park, the fundraiser, and the community.

As more than 600,000 students return to class in B.C., teachers face fresh challenges. From managing cell phones to navigating new AI tools like ChatGPT, they share how they’re preparing for the year ahead.

Surrey schools are packed with more than 83,000 students enrolled this fall. The district is testing hybrid learning and staggered schedules to manage the crowding, but parents and teachers have questions about how it will affect students. 

Nearly 10 million sockeye are returning to the Fraser River this year — the biggest run since 2018. But while anglers celebrate expanded openings, commercial and Indigenous fishers say low quotas are hurting their livelihoods. Gloria Macarenko hears from voices on all sides of the debate.

Two Vancouver drop-in centres that supported sex workers have shut their doors, leaving people without 24-hour help. We hear from sex workers about what these closures mean, and from community advocates on why funding has fallen short despite earlier promises.

The federal government has promised 500,000 new homes a year, led by former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson. But will more supply actually make housing affordable? Stephen Quinn and Gurpreet Kambo dig into the debate with renters, experts, and developers.

The B.C. Supreme Court has ruled that the Quw'utsun Nation has Aboriginal title to a stretch of land in Richmond as well as the right to fish in the south arm of the Fraser River. The province of B.C. has said they will be appealing that decision. We speak with B.C.’s Attorney General, a Richmond City Councillor, the Cowichan Tribes, the Musqueum Indian Band and a former B.C. Green Party MLA who served as the lead negotiator for a First Nation in B.C.

Developers are pushing to loosen Canada’s foreign buyer restrictions - but the province says it’s not going to happen. Meanwhile, a new supportive housing project in Nanaimo could become a sober facility, sparking debate over how recovery housing should work. 

Delta’s ER shut down again this week - the third closure this year - and Mission’s followed soon after. Stephen Quinn talks with Delta’s mayor and Fraser Health about why these closures keep happening and what’s being done to prevent future shutdowns.