Andrea Reimer At Large

Vancouver Open Data - new site launched

Very pleased to share the launch of Vancouver's much expanded open data site. Check it out at data.vancouver.ca

It continues to be amazing to see how fast the open 3 initiative is moving. Many thanks owed to city staff for building the site, and the systems that feed it, in the six months since Council approved the initiative.

Some fast facts on the new things you'll find at the site:

• You now have access to the most current data the city has. Routines have been set up so most of the data is extracted for the Open Data website on a weekly basis (noting that some of it never or rarely changes).
  
• Significantly more data is available, approximately 100 layers of data in all (plus several packages of data). Almost all of the data is already available for viewing in VanMap
• The data is now available in more formats. Almost all of the GIS data is available in three formats (DWG, SHP, KML), while some is available in CSV and XLS.
• Much of the data can be displayed in Google Maps or Bing Map with a single mouse click.
• The site is now easier to use and data can be downloaded with fewer clicks.
• The City's RSS and GeoRSS feeds are now easier to find.
• In support of the the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICIS), as requested in Council's Open3 motion, two data packages have been created specifically for ICIS to meet their specifications. This will make it much easier for them to accept and further distribute our data.

GREAT NEWS: Seafield Tenants Win at Supreme Court

This just in from Christine Ackermann with renters at risk. Fantastic news for Seafield tenants who have been heroes in a long and tough fight for their homes. And big news for renters as Christine outlines below.

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Today, Madame Justice Loo released her Decision in the Judicial Review of the Seafield rent increase hearing at the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB).

In April 2009, Gordon Nelson Investments were awarded 38% rent increases from their West End tenants in the Seafield. Today however, the Dispute Resolution Officer, K. Millar, was found to have erred in law, erred in fact, and made patently unreasonable judgements when she found in favour of the landlord. BC Supreme Court Justice Loo has denied the rent increases, and returned the hearing to the RTB. The tenants are to be refunded the increases they have already paid.

This is a huge victory and the first bright light for BC renters since the Berry Decision in 2007! It means a landlord doesn't just get a free ride to use the "Geographic Area Increase" clause for easily obtained and exorbitant rent increases. Tenants will now have a leg to stand on when they fight their cases at the RTB.

We owe a large debt to the Seafielders, who have toiled and lived with this stressful situation for almost a year, and yet had the courage, determination and support, to see their case through to the Supreme Court of BC. Congratulations Seafielders!

Let greedy landlords beware: BC renters fight back!