Cascadia Report

Category: Cascadia not cities

  • B.C.’s sports projects may be on chopping block

    Federal pork in the form of sports facilities in British Columbia may be cut as Canada’s ruling party tries to roll back some political favors.

    The C$70 million cuts threaten at least four major sports complexes now planned or under construction, plus several smaller ones, that were kicked off by Premier Gordon Campbell’s 2005 election pledges to ensure a legacy after the 2010 Olympics, according to the Vancouver Sun. The projects received funding but are under scrutiny after a change in ruling party earlier this year.

    Projects include a speed-skating track in Fort St. John, an indoor-outdoor track and field complex in Prince George and projects at universities in Vancouver and Victoria. Defenders say the projects will help enrollment at the schools and boost sports-related visits to the region.

  • Northern Cascadia wants its say on finances

    The interior and northern sections of British Columbia need more control over the billions of dollars they generate for the province in order to build more sustainable communities, according to an editorial today in Opinion 250.

    Unlike rural Oregon and Washington, which get more state funding than they contribute in taxes, the B.C. regions have little sway over the revenue they generate, which keeps the province afloat, according to the article. The forestry industry alone contributes C$5.4 billion a year to the provincial government, it says. The province has funds for the 2010 Olympics, new ferries and other programs but needed to privatitze the extensive B.C. Rail operation and hasn’t paid enough attention to stabilizing rural communities.

  • The connection between transit and wealth

    In a season when the gulf between the haves and have-nots is more noticed than usual, the News Tribune has a report showing rising inequality in one of Pierce County’s most desirable areas. It highlights the role of sprawl and ineffective transit.

    The paper found the percentage of Gig Harbor-area households earning less than $25,000 remained flat at 10 to 14 percent during the last 15 years, while the percentage earning more than $100,000 has risen to 28 percent from 16 percent. Meanwhile the middle has shrunk to 60 percent, a trend it says is similar across the county and state.

    The have-nots stay in Gig Harbor area for many reasons, including for quality schools. The story notes that housing is expensive and a toll on the new Narrows bridge will hit poor residents especially hard. It also notes that there are few social services in the area and cars are necessary to get to jobs or appointments across the water in Tacoma.

  • More on why Gov’s viaduct punt was wrong

    Seattle Times Columnist Danny Westneat gets it right in Sunday’s paper: Gov. Chris Gregoire copped out by punting a decision on the viaduct back to voters.

    He nails Gregoire for simply proposing a vote between a rebuild, which isn’t popular, and an expensive tunnel supported by Mayor Greg Nickels. Instead of asking for yet another vote, elected leaders should lead.

    We barely have a representative democracy anymore. The representative part has checked out. The democracy part may look like it’s in full swing — there’s certainly a lot of voting going on — but it isn’t leading anywhere.

    Why aren’t other options — such as a surface alternative — on the table? What will one more advisory public vote on transportation solve?

  • Storm pushes newspaper readers online

    Circulation of Seattle’s two major daily newspapers, in general decline for years, took another hit Friday when it dropped to nearly zero.

    A Thursday-night windstorm knocked out power to the papers’ printing plant after only 13,000 copies of the Seattle Times and no copies of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer had been printed. The papers’ Web sites directed readers to electronic versions online. The News Tribune of Tacoma was able to publish and at Sea-Tac Airport there was no noticeable shortage of New York Times, Wall Street Journal or other publications with alternate production.

    It’s hard to overstate the significance of a daily paper not publishing — an event that is supposed to happen no matter what. For example, many in the Northeast managed to print despite the 2003 blackout. In Seattle, the lapse seems sure to push more readers to the Internet, at the expense of the dead-tree versions that still carry most newspaper advertising.

  • Governor decides to punt on plan for road fixes

    Gov. Chris Gregoire’s lack of a decision on what to do about Seattle’s critical state-funded road projects will be remembered as a major lack of leadership.

    After months of saying she would decide how the state should spend its money to fix Seattle’s waterfront viaduct freeway, in a press release today she punted the decision to city voters. She said both a new overhead freeway and a tunnel would be obstructed by opponents. She called for “a path forward” to break the stalemate but unfortunately didn’t deliver.

    On replacing the 520 floating bridge, she seemed to endorse the six-lane transit-friendly replacement option, but noted that the financing plan isn’t sufficient. Yet she didn’t suggest a better alternative.

    With a difficult 2008 election ahead, she no doubt wants to avoid appearing to favor pricey Seattle projects at the expense of suburban and rural voters. Considering that options to rebuild the viaduct depend on shaky finances and will take years, she should have recommended a package of improved streets and transit, worked to build consensus with warring local politicians and then explained why the fixes matter to the whole state. This is a case where failing to take a stand is worse than making the wrong call.

  • More support for rail in Portland, Seattle

    There are signs of increasing support for light rail in both the Portland and Seattle areas, likely thanks to familiarity with the technology and mounting frustration over congestion.

    light rail taking shape in Seattle; photo by pcl.comIn the Portland area, two out of three people polled support extending light rail across the Columbia River into Clark County, Wash. That’s a reversal of the 2-to-1 opposition in a similar poll a decade ago. Plans call for a new I-5 freeway bridge with space for rail to connect with Portland’s growing system.

    In the Seattle area, preliminary route plans for rail to the Eastside were approved this week. It’s notable that all the small cities in the area support the light rail plan, a major change from substantial opposition to plans in the 1990s. What’s changed is that the first segment of Seattle’s light rail is about half finished and area traffic is worse than ever.

    None of this suggests that transit agencies should get a blank check. Details of financing need to be worked out any additional rail lines need to be coordinated with buses, congestion pricing and land-use changes to optimize demand for the new services.

  • Seattle still losing from cruise business

    Six years after the first cruise line decided to make Seattle a summer home for its ships, the Port of Seattle is nowhere close to breaking even on its investment in the industry, according to a report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

    The paper says the reason is sweetheart deals with vendors and terminal operators, where they take more financial risk and also gain more potential gain. Defenders of the arrangements say the true economic benefit to the region is from the 350,000 passengers who visit the city each year, though that number is likely to fall.

  • B.C. film industry may set record

    British Columbia’s film industry may be on track for its best year ever, defying the effects of a stronger Canadian dollar and competition from U.S. states.

    With 33 productions this year, the industry is already on par with 2005, when it contributed C$1.2 billion to the provincial economy, according to the Vancouver Sun. That economic impact is about 50 percent more than in 2003, when a rising Canadian dollar lessened B.C.’s cost advantage. Credit for the rebound comes from diversification of the industry, with a steady flow of made-for-TV movies, small-budget productions and animation.

    In Cascadia, Washington and Oregon are both trying to attract film production also, but the remaining currency edge, tax breaks and existing industry give B.C. critical mass. The Tyee recently reported that California’s renewed incentives to keep Hollywood working closer to home may mean that B.C. increasingly turns to Europe to supply its film industry.

  • County collecting get-well notes for its leader

    King County Executive Ron Sims, the top elected official in the Seattle area, was recuperating from gallbladder surgery Monday. His office said he will recover at home for a week with a “light work schedule” and thoughtfully sent the following note:

    Dear King County Employee,

    Below is a copy of a press release that is being sent out today. Please know that Executive Sims’ surgery went well and he is resting at home. If you would like to send the Executive good wishes, please direct e-mails to [email protected] or simply click reply to this e-mail. All messages will be compiled for him. We ask that you please do not direct such e-mails to his personal e-mail as he may not be able to get messages for some time.

    Thank you.

    Office of the King County Executive