#WhatsTheLink is a series about all that TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s transportation authority, is responsible for in the region. Learn more at Translink.ca/WTL and join the #WhatsTheLink conversation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, The Buzzer Blog, and here of course!
TransLink Helps to Make our Regional Economy a Thriving One
Have you ever wondered about the journey the coffee you drink, the medication you take or the new speakers you bought have taken to get to you? If you’re like many in Metro Vancouver, you haven’t. That’s because the goods we use each day are usually readily available on the shelves, and we take it for granted. One of the reasons we don’t have to worry about finding fresh milk, fuel for our vehicles or materials to build our homes is because of the efficient movement of goods and people in our region.
One of the key reasons our region is efficient when it comes to goods and people is that TransLink helps to make this happen.
Vancouver, being a port city, ships goods from central Canada and the prairies to Asia and elsewhere as well as receives goods from Asia and beyond, which make their way to our region’s shelves and into the greater Canadian economy. What happens when these goods arrive in our region? Most goods are loaded onto trucks to be delivered to hospitals, shopping malls, construction sites, distribution centres, gas stations and pretty much anywhere goods and services are consumed.
Photo credit: Translink
As Sany Zein, Director of Infrastructure and Network Management for TransLink puts it, “While gateway-oriented goods movement is a very large part of our economy, most of the trucks we see on the roads are serving the local economy.” And in order to service the local economy, most trucks need to use TransLink’s Major Roads Network (MRN). In 2014, TransLink will provide $42 million dollars towards the MRN as part of the organization’s mandate to help facilitate the movement of goods in the region.
“The Major Roads Network is the distribution network for longer trips in the region. Almost everything we have in our homes and businesses is delivered by truck. Without an efficient Major Roads Network, we wouldn’t have a thriving economy,” says Zein.
TransLink also funds infrastructure projects, which help to move goods and people and avoid congestion. Examples of this are the Golden Ears Bridge and the Roberts Bank Rail Corridor, which is intended to alleviate congestion and bottlenecks on the roads network.
The third way TransLink helps to get us the things we need and take us to the places we want to go is by proving an efficient transit system. As Zein puts it, Transit removes trips away from the road network to rail and bus, freeing up congestion on the roads. If our service was inefficient, and we had more vehicles on the road, we would have huge congestion problems.”
So, the next time you’re craving that particular type of ice cream, think about how TransLink helps provide effective roads, major infrastructure management, and public transportation to make that happen.
This summer Robson Street restaurants will participate in Pop-Up Picnic, a way to take out dishes from your favourite area dining establishments and enjoy them in an urban setting outdoors.
Pop-Up Picnic on Robson
From July 1st until August 31st, 8 Robson Street restaurants will put together quick, tasty and well-priced menu options for people to choose from, including sushi, tacos, burgers, salads and more. Every picnic lunch includes a free Robson tumbler, while supplies last. Participating restaurants include ABODE, AllStar Wings & Ribs, Cactus Club, Café Crepe, Earls, Ebisu, Milestones and Steamrollers.
For your picnic, pause to enjoy your treats at Urban Pasture in front of Café Crepe, Urban Reef at 800 block Robson, or the dedicated Pop-Up Picnic area at 1100 Robson. You can also pick up your Pop-Up Picnic meal before heading into Stanley Park.
Find full menus online and follow Robson Street on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Bard on the Beach has been a highlight of summertime in Vancouver ever since its iconic red and white tents first set up in Vanier Park. This year’s lineup includes: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (June 11th to September 20th), The Tempest (June 12th to September 18th), Equivocation (July 2nd to September 19th), Cymbeline (July 4th to September 17th). There are also many special events at Bard on the Beach including the Bard-B-Q & Fireworks.
Bard on the Beach Fireworks
Enjoy one of this season’s four plays followed by a delicious salmon barbecue and scrumptious desserts, complimentary tea and coffee; then enjoy a private view of the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks at Bard on the Beach.
New this year, the pre-fireworks Village activities will also include a swashbuckling sword fighting demonstration by Academie Duello and improv antics from the cast of Will Shakespeare’s ImprovMusical. A cash bar will be open all evening.
Also, Bard is pleased to announce a new format for the evening, based on a programming agreement with our friends at SHOREFest and BrandLive. The agreement specifies that music from SHOREFest, on the north shore of False Creek, will not be amplified during our play performances. Our 4:30pm start time will accommodate a full play performance followed by dinner, dessert, Village entertainment and a premium view of the fireworks.
Fireworks nights in Vancouver are July 26th (USA), July 30th (France), and August 2nd (Japan). Early booking is recommended for best seat selection (all seats are reserved). Order by phone (604) 739-0559 or 1-877-739-0559, or online, and follow @BardontheBeach on Twitter for season updates.
Win Tickets
If you would like to win tickets to one of the Bard-B-Q & Fireworks nights, I have a pair of tickets to give away thanks to Bard on the Beach. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Must be 19+ to enter/win. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, July 9, 2014. Winner can select their Bard-B-Q Fireworks night, based on availability.
Update The winner is Michelle W!
Richmond Days of Summer include many free family events this summer starting with Ships to Shore Steveston, the Steveston Salmon Festival, and Richmond’s Canada Day celebrations.
Photo courtesy of Ships to Shore
Ships to Shore Steveston
Ships to Shore Steveston takes place Sunday, June 29, 2014 and Monday, June 30, 2014 from from 11:00am to 6:00pm and on Canada Day, July 1st, from 12:00pm to 6:00pm.
The Royal Canadian Navy will lead a flotilla of classic and working ships sailing and steaming their way to Richmond for Ships to Shore Steveston 2014 on the Canada Day weekend.
The colourful HMCS Oriole tall ship, the longest-serving commissioned vessel in the Royal Canadian Navy, will be joined by two of the Navy’s eight Orca-class patrol ships. Along for the ride will be the popular Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy, which will do a number of special performances on the Steveston waterfront.
The Oriole is a 31-metre (102-foot) ketch first launched in 1921, and used by the Navy as a sail training vessel. Contrasting that will be the modern, Orca-class patrollers, barely a decade-old and measuring in at 33 metres (108 ft), which provide search and rescue and security along our coastline.
Click to view boarding information [PDF].
The Navy vessels, along with a dozen other unique and historic ships, will be available for free viewing and boarding throughout Ships to Shore Steveston. This year, the festival will be capped off with a special Canada Day fireworks show along the Steveston waterfront.
The ships will be anchored at Steveston’s Imperial Landing and at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site. The Britannia Shipyards and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, will also be open throughout the Canada Day weekend. Drop by both to view great exhibits on the history of Canada’s west coast fishing industry and discover more local heritage.
