Vancouver city council has approved a new flat rate of two dollars per hour for parking meters throughout the Chinatown neighbourhood.
Mayor Ken Sim says the community has called the cost of parking a barrier to visiting and doing business in Chinatown.
The new flat rate will take effect June 1st and run from 9 a-m to 10 p-m, seven days a week.
The pilot program will be in place until the end of 2024.
The board warned such conditions could persist as inflation remains stubbornly high and further interest rates are expected, encouraging people to forego home purchases over the holidays.
Their meeting came just a few days after B.C.'s coroner released the overdose death toll for October of 179 people, saying the illicit drug supply has created an environment where everyone who uses substances is at risk.
20 year old Kartik Saini was killed when his cycle was hit by a pick-up truck and dragged at the intersection of Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue in midtown Toronto. The driver was charged on Thursday with careless driving and violating traffic signs.
A dusting of snow, no more than five centimetres, is expected in Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Sunshine Coast, southern Gulf Islands and Metro Vancouver., potentially creating challenges for the afternoon commute, but Environment Canada predicts "significantly less" impact than Tuesday night's storm.
The LifePlus program charges clients an annual fee of $4,650 in the first year and $3,650 in subsequent years, promising 24-7 physician care as well as services like dietitians and chiropractors.
In the course of the probe, they say they confiscated 22 firearms and more than 13 kilograms of illegal drugs, while also making several arrests. Police say on Wednesday, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada approved 41 charges against four men.