“It’s difficult not to have respect for Bob Rennie’s accomplishments, what with his notches-on-the-bedpost reputation as Vancouver’s king of condominium marketing and his international renown as an avid arts patron.

But Rennie has some ’splaining to do after a recent visit to New Westminster, where he regaled us small-town bumpkins with some city-slicker advice about how to sell our little burg to those who have yet to discover our charms.

Speaking at a New Westminster economic forum, Rennie suggested that our quaint settlement on the Fraser needs to develop its own “brand,” and one way to do that is to ditch our antiquated Royal City moniker.

According to a story in the New Westminster News Leader, Rennie thinks that retiring our historical link to the British monarchy will immediately make us a more palatable place to live for all those 30-somethings heading eastward and seeking shelter for their mountain bikes and smartphones. If only we embraced our hipster side, he posited, they’d be streaming toward our tax rolls on their Vespas faster than you can say “the Olympic Village was a real estate bust.”

Gee, Bob, thanks for the tip, but here’s a news flash.”
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Shelley+Fralic+Keep+your+mitts+Royal+City/7706823/story.html#ixzz2FNk2yrGm