Owen
@oweninvan.bsky.social
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men gang aft agley, an' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, for promis'd joy!
Vancouver, BC
Vancouver, BC
Reposted by Owen
The federal government has the power of the purse. They just tried to use it to push cities into rezoning, a powerful strategy, and then caved at the first sign of pushback.
Lots of blame to go around.
Lots of blame to go around.
February 7, 2026 at 3:09 PM
The federal government has the power of the purse. They just tried to use it to push cities into rezoning, a powerful strategy, and then caved at the first sign of pushback.
Lots of blame to go around.
Lots of blame to go around.
My bad, CIBC is launching Avantis ETFs, which is same same but different. Not sure what the value/profitability/small-cap tilts will be compared to these funds; we'll see!
cibc.mediaroom.com/2025-11-26-C...
cibc.mediaroom.com/2025-11-26-C...
February 8, 2026 at 12:57 AM
My bad, CIBC is launching Avantis ETFs, which is same same but different. Not sure what the value/profitability/small-cap tilts will be compared to these funds; we'll see!
cibc.mediaroom.com/2025-11-26-C...
cibc.mediaroom.com/2025-11-26-C...
Note for index investors: VTI is about 2% Tesla shares. (That's VUN in Canada)
Dimensional's US Core Equity 2 ETF is only 0.32% Tesla. Their US Vector ETF doesn't appear to hold Tesla at all.
CIBC is launching CAD Dimensional ETFs soon, IIUC.
www.dimensional.com/us-en/funds/...
Dimensional's US Core Equity 2 ETF is only 0.32% Tesla. Their US Vector ETF doesn't appear to hold Tesla at all.
CIBC is launching CAD Dimensional ETFs soon, IIUC.
www.dimensional.com/us-en/funds/...
February 7, 2026 at 11:25 PM
Note for index investors: VTI is about 2% Tesla shares. (That's VUN in Canada)
Dimensional's US Core Equity 2 ETF is only 0.32% Tesla. Their US Vector ETF doesn't appear to hold Tesla at all.
CIBC is launching CAD Dimensional ETFs soon, IIUC.
www.dimensional.com/us-en/funds/...
Dimensional's US Core Equity 2 ETF is only 0.32% Tesla. Their US Vector ETF doesn't appear to hold Tesla at all.
CIBC is launching CAD Dimensional ETFs soon, IIUC.
www.dimensional.com/us-en/funds/...
Yes! Why is the army not of laying railroad track?
I don't exactly mean this literally, but why do govs talk about existential threats & react with policy tweaks?
I don't exactly mean this literally, but why do govs talk about existential threats & react with policy tweaks?
One issue with our ability to adapt to crisis that Paul Wells recently noted is that we are intensely reluctant to consider physical solutions to urgent problems.
Everything happens within a comfort zone of legislation, litigation, and negotiation.
Everything happens within a comfort zone of legislation, litigation, and negotiation.
Even if we were to grade them on trade (easily their proudest accomplishments), a bunch of signatures on paper isn’t enough. We need more ports and more rail lines, if we want to orient our economy towards the oceans, and we need them now.
February 7, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Yes! Why is the army not of laying railroad track?
I don't exactly mean this literally, but why do govs talk about existential threats & react with policy tweaks?
I don't exactly mean this literally, but why do govs talk about existential threats & react with policy tweaks?
Reposted by Owen
There are only 2 real responses to housing scarcity. You can either build enough homes to accommodate everyone or start drawing up a list of “undesirable demographics” to exclude. I know which side I’m on.
February 7, 2026 at 6:41 PM
There are only 2 real responses to housing scarcity. You can either build enough homes to accommodate everyone or start drawing up a list of “undesirable demographics” to exclude. I know which side I’m on.
Reposted by Owen
Looks even worse in this framing.
February 6, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Looks even worse in this framing.
"Practical PHDs" is an interesting idea, Canadian universities should look at that! Not sure I'm 100% on board with it TBH, but if the person already did well in a masters program then maybe it makes sense?
First ‘practical PhDs’ awarded in China — for products rather than papers
Nature - The programme is designed to train more elite engineers who can help to boost the country’s innovation.
www.nature.com
February 7, 2026 at 1:45 AM
"Practical PHDs" is an interesting idea, Canadian universities should look at that! Not sure I'm 100% on board with it TBH, but if the person already did well in a masters program then maybe it makes sense?
Reposted by Owen
To put that in perspective, Vancouver had only 13,205 gross completions from July '21 to June '24, maybe ~10,500 net of demolitions, so roughly 6 people per new home.
In a good speech just now at a public hearing, Mayor Sim said Vancouver's population went up by 94k from 2021-2024. I'm pretty sure that's from mixing the 2021 Census count with an adjusted 2024 estimate; the comparable change is only 63,000, which still appears the fastest growth in >70 years.
February 6, 2026 at 5:41 AM
To put that in perspective, Vancouver had only 13,205 gross completions from July '21 to June '24, maybe ~10,500 net of demolitions, so roughly 6 people per new home.
In a good speech just now at a public hearing, Mayor Sim said Vancouver's population went up by 94k from 2021-2024. I'm pretty sure that's from mixing the 2021 Census count with an adjusted 2024 estimate; the comparable change is only 63,000, which still appears the fastest growth in >70 years.
February 6, 2026 at 3:55 AM
In a good speech just now at a public hearing, Mayor Sim said Vancouver's population went up by 94k from 2021-2024. I'm pretty sure that's from mixing the 2021 Census count with an adjusted 2024 estimate; the comparable change is only 63,000, which still appears the fastest growth in >70 years.
Pop quiz: which country has the lowest government bond rates: The UK, the US, France, or Greece?
Time to update some priors!
Time to update some priors!
Who are you calling PIGS now?
... but already it was impossible to say which was which
www.ft.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Pop quiz: which country has the lowest government bond rates: The UK, the US, France, or Greece?
Time to update some priors!
Time to update some priors!
Reposted by Owen
Every few months we get someone new to the housing discourse misinterpret some statistics and get mislead into believing it's not a housing shortage.
Fortunately that idea falls apart simply by asking why some markets seem to be immune to financialization.
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
Fortunately that idea falls apart simply by asking why some markets seem to be immune to financialization.
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
February 5, 2026 at 3:21 AM
Every few months we get someone new to the housing discourse misinterpret some statistics and get mislead into believing it's not a housing shortage.
Fortunately that idea falls apart simply by asking why some markets seem to be immune to financialization.
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
Fortunately that idea falls apart simply by asking why some markets seem to be immune to financialization.
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
It's pretty tough for any province to cut spending when healthcare is half the budget & growing at 8%, with a senior population that is only growing & aging, & the expectation that every election brings tax cuts & giveaways. What's the solution? The article doesn't mention...
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February 5, 2026 at 1:06 AM
It's pretty tough for any province to cut spending when healthcare is half the budget & growing at 8%, with a senior population that is only growing & aging, & the expectation that every election brings tax cuts & giveaways. What's the solution? The article doesn't mention...
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Reposted by Owen
The way to increase construction productivity is to have a long pipeline of small, repetitive projects where crews become efficient by constructing the same building over and over and over. This requires by-right approval and small scopes. The canonical example: Houston townhouses.
February 4, 2026 at 10:35 PM
The way to increase construction productivity is to have a long pipeline of small, repetitive projects where crews become efficient by constructing the same building over and over and over. This requires by-right approval and small scopes. The canonical example: Houston townhouses.
I think this op-ed mostly misses some big points: Vancouver is a medium-sized city where lots of companies want to be but it's difficult to grow, both because there's no housing for employees & it takes a long time to get office/industrial space built.
www.theglobeandmail....
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www.theglobeandmail....
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Opinion: What Vancouver can teach us about why Canada has too few big companies
A nuanced navigation of local-autonomy implications would seem to be a central Canadian policy challenge across key sectors
www.theglobeandmail.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:01 PM
I think this op-ed mostly misses some big points: Vancouver is a medium-sized city where lots of companies want to be but it's difficult to grow, both because there's no housing for employees & it takes a long time to get office/industrial space built.
www.theglobeandmail....
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www.theglobeandmail....
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Are there any sports bars in town that will be playing the debate tonight?
It seems registration for OneCity's online mayoral debate tomorrow is totally open. Even your cat can watch from the comfort of your lap.
Mayoral Debate
OneCity is fighting for the services that Vancouver families need: affordable housing, climate action, and community safety.
www.onecityvancouver.ca
February 3, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Are there any sports bars in town that will be playing the debate tonight?
Reposted by Owen
My column today: City of Winnipeg increased housing construction last year by twice the national average. The result of dedicated policy and culture change at City Hall. Reevaluating our Parking and Density policies could help keep the momentum going. www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/anal...
Opinion: More needs to be done to attract housing
The City of Winnipeg recently celebrated that 4,993 new homes started construction in 2025. This number represents a 12.3 per cent increase over the previous year and was more than double the Canadian...
www.winnipegfreepress.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:19 PM
My column today: City of Winnipeg increased housing construction last year by twice the national average. The result of dedicated policy and culture change at City Hall. Reevaluating our Parking and Density policies could help keep the momentum going. www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/anal...
It seems registration for OneCity's online mayoral debate tomorrow is totally open. Even your cat can watch from the comfort of your lap.
Mayoral Debate
OneCity is fighting for the services that Vancouver families need: affordable housing, climate action, and community safety.
www.onecityvancouver.ca
February 3, 2026 at 12:56 AM
It seems registration for OneCity's online mayoral debate tomorrow is totally open. Even your cat can watch from the comfort of your lap.
It's funny for a developer to say that they will be a big fish in Vancouver but would be a small player in NYC. New York MSA only started ~2x as many homes in 2024, and that was a good year for them. I guess total building permit value would be a much bigger gap.
February 2, 2026 at 10:24 PM
It's funny for a developer to say that they will be a big fish in Vancouver but would be a small player in NYC. New York MSA only started ~2x as many homes in 2024, and that was a good year for them. I guess total building permit value would be a much bigger gap.
Reposted by Owen
I humbly request that people stop assuming "urban planning professor" means "someone who understands housing markets"
Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say the amount of available housing contributes “a great deal” to the cost of housing, a survey found.
But supply skeptics like Michael Storper, an urban planning professor, argue that enough homes are already being built.
But supply skeptics like Michael Storper, an urban planning professor, argue that enough homes are already being built.
Are YIMBYs winning the housing wars? Not so fast, these people say.
Though the “build more” movement is chalking up wins, supply skeptics contend housing affordability calls for government policies, not just market forces.
wapo.st
February 1, 2026 at 8:35 PM
I humbly request that people stop assuming "urban planning professor" means "someone who understands housing markets"
Reposted by Owen
B.C. government says there's no plan to make the 8th Avenue detour bus-only during the 4-month Broadway road closure for subway construction.
At times, there's bumper-to-bumper congestion spanning blocks, with #TransLink buses bunching. #vanpoli #vanre
dailyhive.com/vancouver/ea...
At times, there's bumper-to-bumper congestion spanning blocks, with #TransLink buses bunching. #vanpoli #vanre
dailyhive.com/vancouver/ea...
No plan to make 8th Avenue detour bus-only during Broadway road closure | Urbanized
There is apparent traffic congestion on the East 8th Avenue detour for the Broadway road closure, but there are no plans to make it bus-only.
dailyhive.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:56 AM
B.C. government says there's no plan to make the 8th Avenue detour bus-only during the 4-month Broadway road closure for subway construction.
At times, there's bumper-to-bumper congestion spanning blocks, with #TransLink buses bunching. #vanpoli #vanre
dailyhive.com/vancouver/ea...
At times, there's bumper-to-bumper congestion spanning blocks, with #TransLink buses bunching. #vanpoli #vanre
dailyhive.com/vancouver/ea...
If the suburbs are building >75% of homes as apartments, Vancouver should be at ~100%. This is just how cities naturally grow, including Metro Vancouver.
January 29, 2026 at 11:53 PM
If the suburbs are building >75% of homes as apartments, Vancouver should be at ~100%. This is just how cities naturally grow, including Metro Vancouver.
Reposted by Owen
we must resist the tyranny of cranks
B.C. ostrich cull saga cost nearly $7-million, gov figures show
www.ourcommons.ca/written-ques...
www.ourcommons.ca/written-ques...
January 29, 2026 at 9:25 PM
we must resist the tyranny of cranks
Reposted by Owen
...and we've already built the first one.
• 3 Stories
• 4 Bedrooms / 2.5 Bathrooms
• 8 Weeks Manufacturing
• 3 Weeks Install
• 2 Weeks Finish Out
• 3 Stories
• 4 Bedrooms / 2.5 Bathrooms
• 8 Weeks Manufacturing
• 3 Weeks Install
• 2 Weeks Finish Out
January 28, 2026 at 4:00 PM
...and we've already built the first one.
• 3 Stories
• 4 Bedrooms / 2.5 Bathrooms
• 8 Weeks Manufacturing
• 3 Weeks Install
• 2 Weeks Finish Out
• 3 Stories
• 4 Bedrooms / 2.5 Bathrooms
• 8 Weeks Manufacturing
• 3 Weeks Install
• 2 Weeks Finish Out