Speaker Series: Why Canada Matters - guest speaker journalist Frances Bula

Frances Bula covers Vancouver and the region for the Globe & Mail, and is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism. She has written about urban issues and city politics in B.C.’s Vancouver region since 1994, covering a broad range of issues in this endlessly changing city: drug policy, bike lanes, billion-dollar development projects, homelessness, garbage debates, and more. She holds a B.A. in French Literature from UBC and a Master’s in Communication from Simon Fraser University. Her reporting has won multiple journalism awards, including a National Magazine Award for best column and several Webster awards for breaking news and business stories.

Her talk focuses on How Vancouver Became a Global City.

Vancouver has transformed itself from a small , homogeneous city largely dependent on exports of timber, minerals and fish into a modern city with a diverse population and economy. From Expo 86 to the 2010 Olympics to the upcoming 2026 World Cup, Vancouver has been a success story in selling itself to the world. But the city faces enormous challenges dealing with the consequences of that success, including sky-high housing costs, crowded roads and crime.