The Globe and Mail mourns the impending loss of a Vancouver “institution” – Bert’s Restaurant, serving inexpensive breakfasts in Mount Pleasant since 1948, is finally closing its doors. Reasons, according to owner Gerry de Kova, include a $6,000 increase in property taxes, and “the HST”.

Surrey’s Tiffany Baldwin rang in the New Year while giving birth at Peace Arch Hospital, and her daughter, Ryan Allegra Grace Baldwin, is officially the first lower mainland baby of 2012.

The Vancouver Province reports the entirely unsurprising news that housing prices will continue to rise in metro Vancouver in 2012, with property assessments in Vancouver and Richmond expected to increase by between 10 and 30%. However, elsewhere in the province, including Whistler, overall values have decreased.