For 30 years, the development industry in Vancouver was so flush with profit and momentum that government planners seemed to assume that it would be willing to pay for whatever the city asked for.

New parks. Daycares and school sites. Restoration of heritage buildings. More stringent building-code requirements. More energy efficiency. Public art. More room in underground garages for bike parking and car shares.

British Columbia Premier David Eby lashed out at the judiciary on Wednesday, saying two recent decisions on Indigenous rights and title jeopardize the provincial economy and threaten progress on reconciliation that has paved the way for $100-billion worth of resource projects.

Speaking at a business luncheon with the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Eby took aim at a provincial Supreme Court decision that awarded Aboriginal title in a developed part of Metro Vancouver that includes private lands, as well as last Friday’s B.C. Court of Appeal decision that set a binding obligation on government to abide by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in existing legislation.

Vancouver organizers for the FIFA World Cup gathered media on Monday to show off a new field in southeast Vancouver that will be one of the two practice pitches for the games.

At a cost of $24-million, which included the price of digging up and replacing boggy peat under the existing surface, the field will eventually be carpeted in a special grass now being grown in the Fraser Valley.

With less than a year to go before a civic election, Vancouver’s governing party has passed what it calls a zero-per-cent tax increase.

But that’s going to mean cutting millions from arts and culture programming, planning, parks and more, while giving an extra $46-million to police and $12-million for fire protection.

With less than 200 days before the first World Cup soccer game in Vancouver on June 13, 2026, the city is seeking to temporarily change some of its bylaws to meet FIFA’s rigorous requirements for security and “brand protection.”

The city’s move is the latest among many preparations and surprise changes as it braces for the impact of the games. Those have ranged from soaring costs associated with some World Cup activities to the displacement of the BC Lions to calls from Airbnb to loosen up the licensing system and create more spaces for tourists.

Nearly two decades ago, a cave regarded as a sacred site by the Songhees Nation was destroyed to make way for the Bear Mountain resort development near Victoria.

There were no tangible Indigenous artifacts at the site, in an area called Spaet by the Songhees, so the provincial archeologists involved said there was no obligation to preserve it under B.C.’s existing Heritage Conservation Act of 1996.

A Vancouver hotel designed to showcase Indigenous art and that garnered international praise is ceasing operations so it can be completely converted to supportive housing.

The 18 hotel rooms in the Skwachàys Lodge, which had been decorated in Indigenous themes by local artists, along with another 24 rooms in the same building that had been rented for low rates to others working in the arts, will be completely repurposed for people needing supports. The B.C. Indigenous Housing Society, which operates the building with funding from the province, says the building would be better used for vulnerable people on its waiting list.