Photo Taken August 2023.

Could a full shutdown of Metro Vancouver’s bus and SeaBus services starting early Monday, January 22 morning be averted?

Both sides in the ongoing labour dispute appear to be giving negotiations one more attempt. In a bulletin Friday afternoon, TransLink’s Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) stated it has been invited back to the bargaining table by veteran mediator Vince Ready on Saturday, January 20, and they have accepted to re-engage in talks.

“We hope that an agreement can be made that would avoid disruptions for our customers,” reads the bulletin.

If the full walkout proceeds, it will begin at 3 am on Monday, January 22.

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Metro Vancouver’s public transit buses and SeaBus services could be severely disrupted starting Monday morning following a threat made by the union representing 180 bus operations supervisors this morning.

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4500 issued an ultimatum calling on Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), the TransLink division responsible for operating and maintaining the region’s bus and SeaBus network, to reach a “fair collective agreement” before the start of service on Monday, January 22.

If an agreement is not reached, the current job action of an overtime ban will significantly escalate into a complete walkout of the 180 supervisors who coordinate, lead, and oversee thousands of bus drivers, mechanics, engineers, and operations and maintenance workers.

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It’s been a wild weather week in BC, and it’s not over yet. Freezing rain is falling in parts of the south coast, and it’s expected to stay wet as the warm-up is not far behind it.

“A Pacific frontal system combined with lingering cold air under outflow conditions will produce an extended period of freezing rain,” the warning from Environment and Climate Change Canada reads in part.

“The freezing rain will persist through [Thursday night] over Surrey and Langley then transition to rain. Freezing rain will continue through Friday morning over Abbotsford and Friday afternoon over Chilliwack then change to rain,” it added.

I saw these installed on the Arbutus Greenway today. This doesn't look in any form wheelchair, stroller, one wheel, skate board or bike friendly to me at all.

Is there any practical reason to build those barriers to justify making life harder for above mentioned groups?

Photo taken September 2023. Early morning to catch the Amtrak Cascades... which as of the latest schedule change we don't have to get there as early anymore.

Heavy snow and freezing rain are apparently on the way for parts of BC’s South Coast, according to a new weather statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on Sunday.

In the statement, ECCC is warning parts of the Lower Mainland could be in for potentially heavy snow, starting on Tuesday evening.

The moisture in this system is expected to mix with the arctic air we’ve already been experiencing, which will bring “a messy mix of rain, freezing rain and snow.”

Original Joe's at Cambie and Broadway used to be great for this.

Trying to think of a bar with a window view of a busy street on a hill...

Photo taken July 2023. Some festival was happening on the other side of the lake.

There is no end in sight to the job action of bus operations supervisors for Metro Vancouver’s public transit system.

Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) says the union representing 180 bus operations supervisors is asking for a 25% wage increase for their members over three years.

During a press conference this morning, CMBC spokesperson Mike Killeen said the union’s expectations for the wage increase are “not realistic,” and that this is the “sticking point” in the negotiations.

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