Written by Sheena Koo 1950s Vancouver was an idyllic time for many. The city had just a few skyscrapers, with the Hotel Vancouver and the Marine Building standing as the city’s tallest; most of the growing communities retained their neighbourhood charm and quaint customs; while wholesome family ideals remained paramount in ads from Canadian companies like Woodward’s and The Bay. Downtown Vancouver in 1956. The two tallest buildings, The Marine Building and the Hotel Vancouver

Photo by Esteban Lopez Written by Matteo Miceli Last month, the Canadian Government legalized cannabis. For many activists, the road to legalization was a hard-fought, decades-long battle. The legalization movement in Canada gained momentum in the 1960s and 1970s with the emergence of the hippie counterculture. Then, for over 50 years, people protested cannabis laws, some even being beaten and jailed for the cause. But now, the drug is legal and, as the dust settles on ninety

VPM Archival Photo P00832 Accidents happen. Accidents involving motor vehicles happen all the time. By all accounts, vehicle collisions have been around as long as vehicles have, and they can be a constant source of mystery to police and the public alike. Were they caused by driver error? Weather conditions? Mechanical failures? All of the above? Luckily for all of us,  the VPD has a high-octane team of forensic thoroughbreds under the hood of their Collision Investigation Un

Written by Matteo Miceli Vancouver in the late 1960s was going through a dramatic social change. There was a growing rift between the city’s youth and those in power. The hippie counterculture had migrated north over the border and become a prominent lifestyle choice among many of the city’s youth. The yippies (or Youth International Party), a political group based on hippie ideals, was becoming popular among well educated Vancouver youth. Disillusioned by the state of the ci