RENTAL MARKET ay 4 The Voice investigates Vancouver’s cutthroat rental market ay, i YR ) a —* \-4 ™~ \A NEWSPAPER \\ A THEYEAR \S Vv, 2015 J ‘ 2ND PLACE , eta J ) b ee a , A el POP Shoppers bypass Stores for online sales Cyber Monday sales have increased online traffic as shoppers prefer clicks over line-ups By LAUREN BOOTHBY n increasing number of Vancou- Ae residents are forgoing busy shopping malls in favour of a more relaxed shopping experience. Previously only an American phe- nomenon, Black Friday has become more popular in Canada. Recently, those searching for sales look to find an online equivalent on the following Monday, being called Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is has become in- creasingly popular in recent years with more people opting to shop online rath- er than standing in long line-ups at stores. Andrew Feig, manager at the Gran- ville Island Toy Company said business has been picking up at his store since the weekend.“With the whole Black Friday rush, people were definitely out-and-about shopping,” he said. Feig said that a notable change this year has been an increase traffic for the online store. “We are seeing a pretty steady in- crease in sales on our website. The sales had been picking up pretty gradually, and then all of the sud- ANDREW FEIG den it’s become really busy,” he Manager of the said Main Street “y Granville Island We have to Toy Company staff for [online orders] in particular now.” Shivany Shivany, a computer science student at Langara, said that she pre- fers buying some products online. “You don’t have to go out, and you can have some free time at home,” she said. “I can read the reviews online.” But not everyone is comfortable with online shopping. Alexandra Polo, a po- litical science student at Langara, does not feel safe using her credit card on- line. “I don’t really trust online shop- ping,” she said. “I’m from Italy so it’s not really safe to shop online. It’s be- cause sometimes they will steal your money, or the things you buy are not really high quality, so that’s why I don’t shop online.” Polo prefers to shop in person with cash or debit. “T [can] see the product as well, and I see the quality of the product and the material,” she said. “Sometimes when you buy online the size may not be right or the quality may not be good.” i) CONSULTANT: Johnston Davids Architecture + P| Herold Engineeril Flow Consulting Roy Campbell Ltd MN) CONTRACTOR \ Mierau Contractor \ 5OR MORE INFORMA‘ "CHELSEA POWRIE photo Mayor Gregor Robertson says the city is starting a trend to pair public spaces with housing. Shelter above fire hall City builds affordable homes for single mothers 66 Tama liv- ing exam- ple of their passion and the commit- ment they have putin KAVITHA CARIAPPA MOTHER By CHELSEA POWRIE neouver Mayor Gregor Robert- son hosted a press conference on Monday to officially announce 31 units of YWCA affordable hous- ing to be built above Fire Hall No. 5, currently under construction in South Vancouver. The YWCA Pacific Spirit Terrace, will focus on providing places for moth- er-led families in need. Prior to this project, Vancouver has seen other YWCA projects partner with public buildings, including the new Strathco- na library. The units in this latest build- ing will cost between $500-980 per month. The YWCA has currently raised 63 per cent of its $3.75 million contribu- tion. One of the main donors to the pro- gram is the Pacific Spirit Foundation, whose director Peter Muench was also at the press conference. He said the foundation was drawn to the project for its dedication to empow- ering and helping women. “It’s no secret that Vancouver is one of the best places on earth. But it’s also no secret that it can be tough to build a life here, specifically for those coming from a mother-led household,” Muench said. Kavitha Cariappa was one such mother. She used YWCA affordable housing facilities as a young single mother of two, and said that knowing she could provide a safe home for her children gave her the confidence to go back to school and start a new career. “The YWCA has given me hope. They have built my life,” Cariappa said. “T am a living example of their pas- sion and the commitment they have put in.” Robertson said Vancouver’s ap- proach to pairing affordable housing with public spaces has garnered inter- national attention. “T have had calls from other mayors from around the world asking about Vancouver’s new approach,” Robert- son said. “Tt’s a trend that we are starting, and we are having an uptick in lots of ques- tions from leaders around the world.” The YWCA Pacific Spirit Terrace is expected to be completed in the sum- mer of 2018. B.C. only for rich: BCFED Labour chief warns that the divide is widening be- tween the rich and poor By CAITLIN O’FLANAGAN of Labour delivered a passionate speech about the future of the province at the opening of their 57th convention. Irene Lanzinger’s opening address, which drew a standing ovation, kicked off a week of forums, workshops and speeches about labour in the province. Founded in 1910, the BCFED is respon- sible for organized labour, with over 500,000 members and 1,200 local unions. She is concerned that B.C. is steadily becoming a province where only the wealthy will be able to live. She is also adamant the government needs to make working-class families a priority and raise the minimum wage. “We have a government in B.C. that’s not on our side, a government that doesn’t care about working people. We have a premier who puts the interests of the rich and powerful first and the needs of ordinary people last.” Sherry Parkin, who works in occupa- tional health and safety, attended her first convention in the early 70s. Re- cently “dumped” by her union, Unifor, Parkin has felt huge support from Lanzinger and others on the picket line. “I actually came here to offer up solidarity and thank you to the various places that have supported us and to hear Irene,” Parkin said. There was an overall sense of unity amongst the union members in atten- dance, who were all loud and support- ive throughout Lanzinger’s speech. “We must respond to this kind of politics and our response has to be to build a movement that fights for every single member of the working class and the poor,” Lanzinger said. “A move- ment that vigorously engages in the battle against racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia and xeno- phobia.” The conference takes place at the Vancouver Convention Centre West from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. BCFED facts Ms The BCFED repre- sents over 500,000 members from unions throughout MMs The second one took the name in 1956, by the two main labour groups at the time. T: president of the B.C. Federation seek change in pron- vincial legislature British Columbia MM There have been two organization's under the same name. The first one was founded in 1910 to Source: http://bcfed.ca