Vancouver

Canadian Union of Public Employees 4500 (CUPE) appears to be following through with its original stated plan that the current shutdown of TransLink’s bus and SeaBus services across Metro Vancouver will last for 48 hours.

This means about 200 bus routes across the region and the SeaBus ferries between Lonsdale and downtown Vancouver could restart services on the morning of Wednesday, January 24.

But the restart of bus and SeaBus services could be temporary — a mere reprieve — if TransLink’s Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) and CUPE 4500 are unable to reach an agreement before another round of job escalation.

If services restart on Wednesday morning, the 180 bus operations supervisors currently on strike will revert to the “baseline” job action disruption of an overtime ban, which first began on January 6.

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With a highly disruptive and confusing public transit strike well underway, starting today, there is an air of uncertainty with getting around Metro Vancouver — especially if you don’t have access to a car.

But according to TransLink leadership, at this time, the job action shutdown of services will be limited to Coast Mountain Bus Company’s (CMBC) bus and SeaBus services, and it will not spread to all three SkyTrain lines and the West Coast Express commuter rail for at least the foreseeable future — today (later Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday).

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Expect very significant inconveniences with getting around Metro Vancouver on public transit starting today, Monday, January 22, as negotiations between TransLink subsidiary Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 4500 over the weekend have failed.

As a result, it has been confirmed that all TransLink bus and SeaBus services will not operate starting this morning, and this suspension of service due to strike escalation is expected to continue for at least 48 hours — at least until Wednesday morning.

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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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right by Siwash Rock

Fair wages, excessive workloads among main issues behind job action, says union president

Metro Vancouver transit workers represented by CUPE Local 4500 have begun job action on Saturday.

More than 180 transit supervisors overseeing everything from engineering to maintenance within the Metro Vancouver transit system have started refusing overtime as of 8 a.m. Saturday.

The union says the job action, which followed a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday, comes as a last resort as talks with their employer, the Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), broke down. The last collective agreement expired in October 2022.

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Picture taken October 2023.

Beginning today, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has deployed 85 officers with body cams.

The VPD has released more info on how the body cams will be used, including that the cams aren’t expected to be turned on at all times.

The six-month pilot will include officers from the VPD Traffic Section, the downtown core, and East Vancouver. The trial results will guide a broader potential deployment of body-worn cameras for all officers.

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There could be disruptions to Metro Vancouver’s bus services as early as the morning of Saturday, January 6.

The union representing 180 bus operations supervisors — employees of TransLink subsidiary Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) — has provided a 72-hour strike notice, effective 8 am on Wednesday.

The notice was served by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4500 late Tuesday evening after what the union describes was a “long day of mediation with no progress.” Veteran mediator Vince Ready is assisting with reaching an agreement between both sides.

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