Note - GGLAVE - excellent pix, stayed at the Westin on the waterfront back in 1986 & everytime we go back, Stanley Park bring back old memories ...

Unsmiley, assumption is that your inbound AC flight lands on time and you deplane quickly, being a 763 at the busy airport - join the line for CBSA immigration & custom inspection to exit, with your checked luggage & carryons. Then make your way quickly into downtown/waterfront, etc.

You need to allow time to return to the airport, go thru airport security screening - then proceed to pre-clear US CBP & custom, and re-check your luggage & proceed to the gate with your carryons. I'm thinking is 80 minutes adequate with check-in & BP for the continuation/connecting flight already issued?

So, flights land late but sometimes, they land early and you could get lucky with extra time, but it's anybody's guess until that day. You could have 2+ hours to see the city or might be left with 45 minutes or 1 hour to go outside the terminal building - barely enough time to catch a quick taxi ride to nearby Richmond for some hot dim sum (come from PVG ... maybe, after a 12+ hours flight, and maybe not.) For "laowai" - some consider it a nice treat while transiting thru YVR, others not so much so YMMV.

We last flew out of YVR in 2011 to ORD for our connections, and we left for the airport 3 hours early - just to play it safe - to drop off the rental car & to clear security, then US CBP & customs, luggage drops & the lines were pretty long and bad (the Alaska cruise ship season hasn't even started yet.) That was our experience, YMMV - keep an open mind & have your options available - as you might have also have to skip it and just stay inside the airport and explore whatever is there - YVR has changed a lot and expanded in the past 15-20 years.