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The Jill Bennett Show · CKNW / Curiouscast

Downtown Vancouver has a long way to go...

April 7, 2026·31 min·3 clips
Downtown Vancouver's annual report reveals a 15% drop in storefront vacancies, but safety concerns and a 33% spike in open drug use persist.
Downtown Vancouver is under review. Bennett starts with the eighth annual state of downtown report, with Jane Talbot walking through what the findings show. The questions stay grounded: hotel occupancy, business openings and closures, median age, downtown work traffic, crime, and whether people feel safe in the core. It is civic radio with its feet on the sidewalk, more concerned with how downtown feels and functions than with turning it into a policy exercise. The hour gets lighter at Nat Bailey Stadium, where the Vancouver Canadiens are celebrating 75 years for the ballpark. The anniversary gets more than a quick mention. Fans get fireworks tonight, with six more dates ahead, and the conversation makes clear why the old park still matters. Nat Bailey is treated as a historic ballpark with a reputation beyond Vancouver, but baseball is still the point. The team also talks about its Toronto Blue Jays connection, with future Toronto Blue Jays coming through in Canadiens jerseys. Bennett asks the practical question: how does a 75-year-old building keep pulling in new fans without sanding off the charm? The answer is careful upkeep. The club wants the park to feel like itself while still working for today's crowds, including new facilities up the right field line and fan access to a rooftop terrace and patio starting June 9. A quick story about a raven mimicking a rescuer gives the episode a softer landing after the downtown and baseball talk.

As heard by us

A clear downtown Vancouver check-in with civic detail, local color, and a steady interview rhythm.

The episode opens with a practical look at the state of downtown Vancouver and keeps its focus on crime perceptions, hotel occupancy, business openings and closures, and how many people are still coming into the downtown core to work.

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Want a plainspoken read on downtown Vancouver right now?

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