A weekly roundup of British Columbia news: how maps are helping cities plant trees to cool urban areas, humpback whales put on a show off Vancouver, and a court invalidated $30.5 million in real estate deals over a developer’s violations.
A New Tool for Greening Canadian Cities: How Maps Can Help Lower Temperatures
In the Canadian province of British Columbia, where summer heat is becoming an increasingly serious problem, an unusual approach to urban greening has emerged. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed CanopyFit, a tool that helps municipal authorities make more informed decisions about exactly where to plant trees. The project, which began as a pilot in Kelowna, is now expanding to Vancouver—a development that could change urban planning across the province.
The innovation is designed to make the most effective use of every tree planted by taking into account not only the visible parts of a city, but also what lies underground. Melissa McHale, a forestry professor and the project’s lead, explains that trees face numerous invisible obstacles, including underground utilities, cables and other infrastructure that can impede their growth. People often fail to notice these barriers because they walk over them every day, she says, but tree roots interact with them directly. Taking these factors into account allows trees to live longer, grow larger and, consequently, provide more shade.
The project’s social dimension is particularly noteworthy. CanopyFit combines air-temperature data with demographic information, making it possible to identify the areas most in need of cooling. In Kelowna, for example, Rutland was identified as a priority neighbourhood because it experiences particularly intense heat. Researchers found that increasing tree canopy cover by 10% lowers perceived temperatures by approximately one degree, which could significantly improve quality of life if implemented on a large scale.
Jennifer Miles, a planning specialist from Kelowna, says the tool makes it possible to challenge established approaches to assessing urban-greening targets. In the city’s hot, dry climate, ensuring that new trees survive has always been a major challenge, and CanopyFit helps address it more effectively. Interestingly, the project, launched in 2022 as a collaboration between the university, the city and consulting firm Diamond Head Consulting, has already attracted the attention of other municipalities. The company, which previously developed Kelowna’s sustainable urban forest strategy, will now use the tool for Vancouver as well.
Amelia Nidoba, a senior urban forester at Diamond Head Consulting, emphasizes that the project is a successful example of synergy between science and practice. She notes that the research methods and the problems cities are trying to solve have come together. This is especially relevant amid discussions in Vancouver about the need to increase tree canopy cover in poorer, densely built neighbourhoods to protect residents from extreme heat. Full details of the project are available in the CBC News article.
For readers unfamiliar with the terminology, “tree canopy” refers to the layer formed by tree crowns that provides shade, while the “tree equity index” measures how evenly green space is distributed among different social groups and neighbourhoods. Using data such as solar radiation and this index, CanopyFit creates priority maps showing where tree planting would deliver the greatest benefits. Expanding the project to other cities could be an important step in helping Canadian communities adapt to climate change, making them not only greener but also more comfortable to live in as global temperatures rise.
Humpback Whale Puts on a Show in Vancouver Waters: Photos of Giants Migrating Thousands of Kilometres
August 2026 was a real gift for Vancouver residents and visitors: humpback whales were spotted dozens of times in local waters. These giants, the sixth-largest whales on the planet, attracted not only casual observers but also dedicated photographers, who filled social media with extraordinarily beautiful images. According to Vancouver Is Awesome, the whales had been feeding in the area for about a month, but the final week was particularly spectacular. Witnesses captured feeding, dramatic breaches and powerful blasts from the whales’ blowholes.
Some of the most impressive images were taken on August 23 in Burrard Inlet and published by Janine O’Hara, who photographed the whales from Vancouver’s North Shore around seven in the evening. The images show the enormous animals filtering water for plankton and small fish, displaying truly majestic grace. Another photographer, Daniel Aldrete, called one of the whales “wild beauty” and posted a series of images on Instagram. Raquel Gallego captured a unique moment when a humpback breached directly in front of a BC Ferries vessel; she photographed it from Whytecliff Park. Goda Vaitkunaite went even further: at seven in the morning near the Lighthouse Park lighthouse, she filmed two whales blowing simultaneously, creating what looked like a synchronized performance.
Humpback whales are true migration record-holders in the animal kingdom. They spend the winter in warm tropical waters, including around Hawaii and off the coast of Mexico, where they give birth to their calves. When spring arrives, they begin the long journey to the shores of British Columbia and Alaska. There, they find abundant feeding grounds, making the region critically important to their survival. Adults can reach 15 to 25 metres (50–80 feet) in length, and the easiest way to distinguish them from other species is by their distinctive tail flukes. The pattern of black-and-white markings and scars on each tail is unique, much like a human fingerprint.
Whale expert Oscar Guzon, who works at the National Whale Museum in the Mexican city of Mazatlán, told the publication that researchers use the flukes to identify individual whales. He has studied these animals for 20 years and can recognize several whales that regularly travel from Mexico to the waters of British Columbia. This highlights how closely the ecosystems of different countries are connected: whales born in warm lagoons return to northern waters, where they spend the summer.
However, the whales’ popularity among tourists and photographers also carries certain risks. Whales are an important part of the food chain in Vancouver waters, and people are strongly urged to keep their distance. In May this year, a personal watercraft collided with a gray whale in the city’s harbour. Concerned residents subsequently launched a petition calling for restrictions on personal watercraft in the harbour to protect marine giants from dangerous encounters. Given that humpback whales are prone to dramatic breaches and quick manoeuvres, such regulation is particularly important—for the safety of the animals themselves and to prevent accidents involving people. For now, August 2026 will remain in Vancouverites’ memories as the month when the city became a true viewing platform for some of the ocean’s most impressive creatures.
British Columbia: Court Invalidates $30.5 Million in Pre-Sale Condo Agreements
At the end of August 2026, the Supreme Court of British Columbia issued a ruling that could have far-reaching consequences for Vancouver’s real estate market. Justice David Masuhara ruled that pre-sale purchase agreements for 39 units in the 34-storey Lumina Eclipse tower in Burnaby’s Brentwood neighbourhood could not be specifically enforced. The contracts were worth approximately $30.5 million in total, and the decision calls into question the fate of buyers’ deposits, which collectively amounted to $3.6 million.
The story began between 2021 and 2023, when the condo market in Metro Vancouver was booming: mortgage rates were low, demand was high and financing conditions were favourable for buyers. During that period, 39 people—including a hairstylist, a massage therapist and the owner of a small office-ergonomics startup—paid deposits ranging from $35,000 to $205,000, hoping to purchase homes in a new project by developer Thind Properties.
By 2023, however, conditions had begun to deteriorate. The developer fell significantly behind schedule and needed additional funds to complete construction. Problems soon multiplied. The Canada Revenue Agency obtained a $12 million judgment against the developer, while in October 2024 the new-home warranty insurance was suspended, followed a month later by the suspension of the municipal building permit. Construction stopped completely. By January 2025, KingSett, the primary secured creditor, to which more than $225 million was owed, had successfully applied for protection for the developer from creditors under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.
In his decision, Justice Masuhara noted that the case was being considered “against the backdrop of significant changes in the Metro Vancouver condominium market and financial distress in the real estate development sector.” The key issue was that the developer had breached the province’s consumer-protection legislation, the Real Estate Development Marketing Act (REDMA). The judge found that Thind Properties had failed to disclose important information to buyers about the suspension of permits and the project’s financial difficulties, with the violations continuing even after the pre-sale agreements had been signed.
An additional legal complication was that the REDMA violations occurred before the federal insolvency proceedings began. This meant that federal restructuring legislation could not take precedence over provincial law, and the agreements were therefore found to be legally unenforceable. Notably, the judge did not rescind or cancel the agreements; he ruled only that the court could not compel the parties to perform them. The fate of the deposits, most of which had already been used to finance construction, remains unresolved and will be decided at future hearings.
It is worth noting that by the time of the hearings in June 2026, the tower was 95% complete, and the City of Burnaby had already issued occupancy permits in April 2026. Of the building’s 329 units, 232 had been sold to third parties, and approximately 70% of the pre-sale agreements had successfully closed. However, restructuring monitor AlixPartners concluded that Burnaby’s current real estate market could not absorb a significant number of additional units at the prices agreed upon with these buyers.
The ruling sets a precedent that could affect many buyers and developers in the region. On the one hand, it protects purchasers from opaque developer practices; on the other, it leaves them uncertain about whether their deposits will be returned. For developers, it is a warning that failing to disclose financial problems can have legal consequences. According to Business in Vancouver, the region is seeing numerous cases related to real estate insolvencies, and this matter could serve as a guide for similar disputes. In essence, the court reminded everyone in the market that transparency in disclosure is not merely a formality, but a fundamental legal requirement—one whose violation can turn even the most valuable contracts into worthless pieces of paper.
