Boulevard Magazine - January 2014 Issue

blvdmag.ca JANUARY 2014

N // GIVE W O T A IN H C PRESERVE RING // GO E E T N U L O V BACK BY DELVE INTO // R A B E H A BEHIND T SE WITH TE U F IN // E D M E SA V E R

advertising feature boulevard business

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ANADA’S RENO REBATE INC. continues to spread the word about government rebates for new-home purchases, owner-built homes and substantial renovations to existing homes during the tenure of the HST throughout the province. Happy clients are receiving up to $42,500, which is the upper limit a homeowner can receive for a project.

Together with the Ontario-based company Rebate4U, Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. has already helped homeowners apply for rebates totaling over $8 million.

“There is a misconception that if your home is worth more than $450,000, you are not entitled to any government rebates, but this is just not true — you are entitled to a portion of the PST embedded within the HST,” says Sean Leitenberg, manager of the Victoria office of Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. “‘Do I qualify?’ has to be the most frequently-asked question my staff get,” says Sean. “Each renovation or new build is not exactly the same, so we have to determine that the best we can on a case-by-case basis.”

There are definitely some clear-cut rules, though. There is a deadline of two years to apply from the time you completed your major renovation or new build, though there are a couple of exceptions to that rule, too.

To qualify for a major renovation, you must do substantial work to the majority of the inside of your home. If your work was limited to a small portion of your home, such as a bathroom or kitchen, or if you just painted and put down new floors, you would not qualify. The end result of your renovation should be substantial enough that your home or condo is like a new home.

The money spent on the exterior qualifies for the rebate, but only if you have done enough work to the inside of the home first to qualify. A new roof or landscaping is not enough on its own, but would be included in the rebate if the inside of the home qualifies.

If you purchased a new home from a builder, the builder may have claimed the rebate and credited it back to you by lowering

Found money is what clients like to call it. the price. In this case, the rebate has already been claimed.

If your home is worth more than $450,000, you are not entitled to a federal rebate, but you may be entitled to a provincial rebate if a portion of the construction took place while the HST was in effect. If your home is worth less than $450,000, you are entitled to both a federal rebate and a provincial rebate for the portion spent during the HST period.

A new home built or renovated for yourself or for a family member’s primary place of residence qualifies if it was completed within the last two years. If the home’s value is more than $450,000, then the homeowner is only entitled to a rebate for money spent between July 1, 2010 and March 31, 2013.

Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. currently has representatives throughout the province who are happy to help clients with the forms that need to be signed and the brief questionnaire that needs to be filled out. If you live in an area where the company does not have a representative, or if you would prefer to download the forms from the comfort of your home, you can find everything on their website and use their courier service at no charge. The time involved is minimal and your rebate could be huge.

Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. also has a brief questionnaire on their website that allows you

to see if you qualify for the rebate and only takes 60 seconds. Or, give them a call and in just a few minutes, they can determine if you qualify.

Everyone seems to know someone who has built a home or done a renovation, so if you know homeowners who might qualify for this rebate, make sure to let them know before they miss their deadline.

Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. handles all the paperwork and follows through with the government until you receive your cheque.

Because Sean and his staff know the forms, the processes, and who to call, they efficiently and quickly collect the information and submit exactly what the government agencies need. The company charges no upfront fee and if you don’t receive a rebate, the application costs you nothing. “So give us a call or check out our website,” Sean says.

“What have you got to lose?”

CANADA’S RENO REBATE INC.

778-433-7494 1-877-724-4624

1267 Fairfield Road, Victoria Web: renorebate.ca Email: info@renorebate.ca

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

$42,500:

profiles

CONTENTS January 2014 Issue 01, Volume XXIlI

JANUARY

18 27

31 36

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

16 VOLUNTEER

VICTORIA OFFERS

A HIGH RETURN

ON GIVING

By Jessica Natale Woollard

7

CONTRIBUTORS

8

EDITOR’S LETTER

27

A CLOSER LOOK AT CHINATOWN

By Jack Hoskins

COLUMNS 10 HAWTHORN

Sports writing 2.0

at UVic

By Tom Hawthorn 12

STATE OF THE ARTS Everyone benefits when we volunteer for the arts

By Alisa Gordaneer

9 YOUR LETTERS 15 FASHION FAVES

Jennifer Wilkinson, tastemaker

By Lia Crowe 18

HOT PROPERTIES Building dreams together doesn’t always bring happy endings

By Carolyn Heiman

31

FOOD & DRINK Tea is steeped in our culture — and our food

By Cinda Chavich

35

36

FOOD & DRINK: BEHIND THE BAR The “Pekoe-Bou” at Little Jumbo

40

HEALTH & WELLNESS Talking detox dangers

By Kristi Meredith

52

TRAVEL FAR A Swedish connection in Colorado

By Bruce Sach

54 SECRETS & LIVES

Taylor Conroy, Change Heroes

By Kate Lautens

45 FRONT ROW

Ignorance; Victoria

Baroque Players; Cabaret; and more

By Robert Moyes 50 FINANCE

Talking with Tess:

Connie Fair

By Tess van Straaten

WRY EYE Volunteer, and everything else is gravy

By Gwen Hill

r on ou

co

ve r

:

Chinatown's bright buildings stand out on dreary January days. Photo by Don Denton.

5

Group Publisher Editor Design & Production Coordinator

Penny Sakamoto Kate Lautens Pip Knott

Advertising

Pat Brindle Janet Gairdner

Advertising Director

Oliver Sommer

Advertising Manager

Janet Gairdner

Editorial Director Circulation Director Contributing Writers

Contributing Photographers

Kevin Laird Bruce Hogarth Cinda Chavich, Lia Crowe, Alisa Gordaneer, Tom Hawthorn, Carolyn Heiman, Gwen Hill, Jack Hoskins, Kristi Meredith, Robert Moyes, Jessica Natale Woollard, Bruce Sach, Tess van Straaten Don Denton, Carole Jobin, Arnold Lim

ADVERTISE Boulevard Magazine is Victoria’s leading lifestyle magazine, celebrating 23 years of publishing in Greater Victoria.

To advertise or to learn more about advertising opportunities please send us an email at info@blvdmag.ca

Mailing Address: 818 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1E4 Tel: 250.381.3484 Fax: 250.386.2624 info@blvdmag.ca blvdmag.ca Victoria Boulevard ÂŽ is a registered trademark of Black Press Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher's written permission.

Ideas and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Black Press Group Ltd. or its affiliates; no official endorsement should be inferred.

The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents, both implied or assumed, of any advertisement in this publication.

Printed in Canada.

Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #42109519.

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OUR CONTRIBUTORS THIS MONTH WE ASKED:

What New Year’s resolution have you made — and achieved?

I wanted to strengthen the connection I have with my grandmothers, both widows who live in Ontario, so I committed to sending them a hand-written letter every month. I got such pleasure imagining them checking the mail and smiling when they’d recognize my handwriting. It was an easy and rewarding resolution to stick to.

JESSICA WOOLLARD, Lead by Doing, page 16 I don’t consider this so much a New Year’s resolution, but a vow I make each year at this time: read all the books I’ve bought. I fail every year, buying more than I read. I have stacks of unread books like stalagmites on my office floor.

This year I’m not making that vow. Instead, I want to learn all the states of Mexico. At least that one’s doable.

TOM HAWTHORN, Hawthorn, page 10 Every year I make a resolution to learn a new skill. From rock climbing and racquetball to kayaking and gardening, I’ve had lots of fun achieving these goals. But the best resolution I ever made was to go for more massages. Talk about easy to keep!

TESS VAN STRAATEN, Finance, page 50 I have — several times, as a matter of fact — resolved to live “in the moment.” I can say confidently that I have achieved that resolution many times over: I sometimes lived in a past moment and sometimes in a future moment that I envisioned with great clarity. I now realize that some refinement is in order, so this year I resolve to live in the present moment.

CAROLYN HEIMAN, Hot Properties, page 18 I decided to spend as little time as possible sitting, hoping to remain more active. More skiing, walking, skating. Less computer, TV and tobogganing. Heck, I even started reading standing up. But, let me tell you, it ain’t easy writing and typing standing up!

BRUCE SACH, Travel Far, page 36 My annual resolutions have been hit and miss, ranging from promising increased exercise to memorizing all chords, to all songs, from my favourite band. There is, however, one resolution that I have kept. No matter the cost in time or finances, I invest in myself, taking some class or course every year no matter what — and unlike when I was in high school, I love it.

ARNOLD LIM, photographer for Hot Properties, page 18

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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YOU MIGHT NOT know it exists, but Volunteer Victoria has a huge impact on all kinds of organizations you encounter around town: arts groups, festivals, sporting events, and foundations of all kinds that benefit those needing support in some aspect of their lives.

Volunteer Victoria helps match those groups with eager volunteers from all demographics. If it wasn’t for volunteers, many of these organizations couldn’t survive. Volunteer Victoria reaches its 40th anniversary this year, and I’m thrilled we can help them celebrate with our feature story in this month’s issue.

Full disclosure: I volunteered with Volunteer Victoria for two years before working at Boulevard. I gave up my role, which involved writing content for their media column and blog, when I took this job, assuming I would no longer have time to volunteer.

And while I have been busy, I miss volunteering. It always feels different to give your time to something when you don’t have to — it’s proof that you enjoy the work and believe in the cause, for why else would you be there otherwise?

Gwen Hill (full disclosure number two: we met at Volunteer Victoria), who wrote this month’s Wry Eye about volunteering and what it means to her (mostly cats, and lots of gravy), reminded me that volunteering should fit your life as it evolves and changes. My New Year’s resolution is to find a volunteer role that fits my life right now. I’m sure there’s the perfect one out there just for me.

And I think I know just where to look for it.

After you’ve had your share of stories about giving back, be sure to read about the resilient neighbourhood of Chinatown and those who have kept it strong throughout the years. We also explore teainfused foods, take a trip to Colorado’s Mesa Verde, and discover what happens when building a home breaks a relationship.

And 2014 brings a new cocktails column featuring drinks crafted by local bartenders keen to share their creations. This month, Nate Caudle of Little Jumbo presents us with a cocktail that embodies the spirit of Boulevard.

Here at Boulevard, we get many requests from readers interested in contributing travel articles to become bona fide travel writers. That’s why we hosted a travel writing seminar last year, publishing many resulting stories in our pages. Next month, we’re offering another chance to learn about that world. Join us on February 22nd for this event, led by former Boulevard editor Anne Mullens. In addition to the all-day seminar, participants receive individual coaching to create a polished, publishable travel story for our magazine. For information, please visit blvdmag.ca and click on Travel Writing Seminar, or call 250-480-3254.

Kate Lautens, Editor

YOUR LETTERS BRINGING BACK SWEET SWISS MEMORIES I thoroughly enjoyed Merna Forster’s article about the wonderful trip she took with her son (Travel Far, December 2013). It was beautifully written. I had been there in the Swiss Alps in the mid-’60s while travelling with three other girlfriends, so it brought back many memories of climbing the mountains.

The photos were just great as I do remember the wonderful flower boxes outside the tiny homes on the mountains. Forster certainly captured the sights and beauty of the Swiss Alps. I want to send my thanks to her for sharing her memories and bringing back mine.

Joan Murphy

HIGHLIGHTING SKILLS AT YYJ AIRPORT Thank you for printing the “F for Freddie: The Wooden Wonder” article (November 2013) on the restoration of that beautiful de Havilland Mosquito. Victoria Airport houses so many restoration projects and incredibly skilled craftspeople, so it was lovely to see a few of them in the spotlight last fall!

G. Thompson Readers Weigh in Online

Najoie Cover looks great! [December 2013 issue] Saanich Peninsula Love this issue [December 2013 issue] @VIBJS @BoulevardMag Love it! Always most interested in #yyj #local [new Buzz page] @MealshareTeam Hey #YYJ have u seen this month’s edition of @ BoulevardMag? Not only r we in it but there is so much great #Vic info. [Buzz page] @treve_ring Terrif job @urban_vines - #Champagne feature in the Dec @BoulevardMag!! Cheers Sherish [“All that bubbles is not Champagne,” December 2013]

WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU

We welcome your letters: editor@blvdmag.ca or visit us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and links to featured stories and local events.

BoulevardMagazine @BoulevardMag

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PHOTO BY VINCE KLASSEN

 BY TOM HAWTHORN

Hawthorn brings his

A-GAME TO UVIC

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10

A CHILLY LATE FALL EVENING, the wind hinting at colder days ahead. We’re walking along a leafy street when we spot a crowd gathered on the sidewalk on either side of a gate in a fence. We too wait. Soon, a chugging noise grows louder until an explosion of pumping legs and huffing men blows through the opening, racing across the street and onto the sports grounds on the other side.

They wore purple and gold, royal colours, the kind a priest wears on holy days. I am just a boy, having just started school myself, but I know already these are players from Loyola College, dashing from the locker room to the football field, streetlights reflecting off shiny helmets. I want only to stay and watch, to enjoy the pageantry.

Two years later, in a car in an unfamiliar neighbourhood, it is a warm spring day and a stream of happy people pours past us on the sidewalk. “Where are they going, dad?” I ask. “Jarry Park,” he replies. The baseball stadium for the new team. I had seen it on television, a fiddler playing atop the dugout and the ushers in miniskirts. A swimming pool is just beyond the outfield fence. In a few years, I will take on morning and afternoon paper routes to earn money to go to as many Montreal Expos games as I can.

With bleacher tickets costing just $1, I’ll attend enough to know Bombo Rivera will not last as an outfielder in the big leagues.

Living a life immersed in sport Among my earliest memories is a building across the street from the bus exchange we frequent. On a child’s map of the city, the Forum looms as large as St. Joseph’s Oratory. One night, I swear I spot the familiar crooked, hooked nose of John Ferguson, the toughest man on the Canadiens roster, a figure from our shadowy black-and-white television in the flesh.

I cannot remember a time when sport has not been in my life, from endless games of road hockey in winter to sandlot baseball in spring and summer to those giddy, exhausting and muddy fall afternoons of football and soccer. My childhood allowance was squandered entirely on hockey and baseball cards, and later earnings went to sporting equipment, though now, in middle age, I spend more time with the television remote than I do committing errors for the Legal Beagles slo-pitch softball squad.

Along the way, I’ve spent time as a sports reporter, covering hockey and baseball, the Indianapolis 500 and the Grey Cup. My first story was about university women’s ice hockey in the 1970s, a novelty then but an Olympic sport now. We moved to Victoria 16 years ago so I could work for an expanded sports section at a local paper, chronicling the city’s unique I cannot seasonal sports menu, which includes remember a more lacrosse, rugby and triathlon than elsewhere. This is also a rare city in time when which spectator sports take a back seat sport has not to participatory sports, a blessing of our been in my life. temperate climate. We don’t just watch.

We do things here.

The new world of sports writing My childhood obsessions, and later livelihood, have led me to a great opportunity. This month I begin teaching a course at the University of Victoria as this year’s Harvey S. Southam Lecturer in journalism and nonfiction in the department of writing. The topic: Sports Writing 2.0. We’ll examine the Olympic movement as athletes from around the world compete at Sochi, Russia.

We’ll study gold, silver, bronze and all the other colours in the rainbow as the athletes and spectators grapple with the host country’s odious anti-gay laws.

The lectureship is a legacy of the Southam family, a name long synonymous with quality newspapers in this country, in memory of Harvey Southam, a journalist who died too young.

The family’s generous donation permits a working journalist to spend three months on campus exploring a contentious topic in contemporary journalism. It is a post that lured CBC Radio host Jo-Ann Roberts from the broadcast booth last year and earlier brought local author Terry Glavin, the dirt of Kandahar still on his boots, into the classroom to share his remarkable experiences in Afghanistan. The job also includes an evening lecture open to the public. Glavin’s was notably raucous, as the audience did not hold a consensus of opinion on the merits of Canadian involvement.

I cannot promise such fireworks, though sports generates rivalries as heated as anything in politics. I’ll be talking about athletes and our relationship with them. Some we worship and some we make rich; some we ignore; a few we come to hate. As of this writing, the scheduled date for the talk is Jan. 29 (please check the UVic website for confirmation), days before the Super Bowl and a week before the opening of the Olympics. Hope to see you then. I’ll try to stay within myself and to give 110 per cent.

fabulous fashions for all occasions

W

HETHER YOUR WINTER plans include a season of entertaining or an escape to somewhere sunny, a visit to Sidney and three of the region’s favourite sources for fun, quality fashions is a must.

Baden-Baden Boutique, Barbara’s Boutique and Barbara’s Showroom together offer an astonishing selection of interesting fashions for women of all ages.

Known for their chic, highquality, fun fashions, the stores offer a mixture of European and North American designers, with outfits to take you out exploring or for a night on the town.

Offering exceptional service to match their fine fashions, the stores’ friendly, knowledgeable and highly trained staff is onhand to provide expert advice if needed.

Those planning a cruise or tropical escape to avoid the winter doldrums will enjoy exploring the Showroom’s Travel Section for an extensive selection of summer wear.

“And for those planning for special events such as a

wedding or office gathering, discover a wonderful selection of dresses, suits, blouses and more – also in our Showroom where you can browse on your own and get inspired,” says owner Barbara Hubbard.

“Come to Sidney-by-the-Sea, spend some time and delight in our wonderful choice of fashions for all occasions!”

Barbara’s Boutique 2392 Beacon Ave. 250 655 0372 Baden-Baden Boutique 2384 Beacon Ave. 250 655 7118 Barbara’s Showroom 104-9840 5th St. Sidney, BC www.badenbadenboutiques.com 11

STATE of the ARTS

 BY ALISA GORDANEER

When we give the gift of self,

EVERYONE BENEFITS HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY FOR A CHANCE to meet new and interesting people, develop your career, learn about opera, get behind the scenes at local theatres and art galleries, meet famous and not-so-famous artists, musicians and actors, and maybe even get to wear a zebra suit?

All of these fantabulous experiences might sound priceless, and they are — because you can have any (or, potentially, all) of them for the simple cost of your time.

That’s because Victoria’s arts organizations, large and small, would pretty much grind to a halt without the help of thousands of dedicated volunteers. It’s a kind of gift economy, all around: volunteers give their time, arts organizations give them recognition for their efforts, and together, they give our community the gift of arts and culture that we could never imagine otherwise.

Take Intrepid Theatre, for example, which produces the annual Uno Festival of solo performances (coming up this May), as well as the Fringe Festival every August. Each of these multi-day, multi-venue events represents a massive undertaking for a single production company.

According to producer Janet Munsil, these festivals just wouldn’t be possible without the more than 300 people who sell tickets, set up venues, offer couch space to visiting performers and do everything else it takes to get the festivals off the ground — including dressing as a top hat–wearing zebra, as some intrepid (pun intended) volunteers did to promote the festival at public events a couple of years ago.

It’s not just the festivals, though. Intrepid relies on volunteers year round to help with office tasks, organizing festivals, running fundraisers, and even operating Intrepid’s theatre spaces. In exchange, volunteers get tickets to shows, a chance to see behind the scenes, and opportunities to learn and practise a range of skills, from event organizing to English speaking — as Munsil 12

explains, the Fringe Kids event is popular with language students who are practising their conversation skills.

“We always have a place for people, whether they know what they want to do or not,” says Munsil, who estimates that Intrepid relies on more than 3,000 volunteer hours every year. “We never turn a volunteer away.”

Amassing volunteer hours Meanwhile, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria relies on more than 300 volunteers every year for its own signature event, the Moss Street Paint-In, as well as for a huge range of tasks — everything from running the gallery’s gift shop and monthly family events to giving gallery tours and taking artwork to showand-tell at public schools.

“We are so very fortunate to have people volunteer with such diverse backgrounds, amazing experience and education,” says Mary-ellen Threadkell, the gallery’s assistant director of advancement. “Each and every one of them enhances the gallery and the visitor experience.”

Threadkell adds that the value of these volunteers’ time is “difficult to estimate!” Volunteers provide about 18,000 hours of time to the gallery each year. If they were paid just at the minimum wage of $10 per hour, it would cost the gallery at least $180,000 annually.

So, not only are volunteers providing the energy to make things happen, they’re saving arts organizations tons of money. And, they’re also making great things happen. Just ask Patrick Corrigan, executive director for Pacific Opera Victoria, who says that without volunteers, we wouldn’t even have an opera company in Victoria.

Corrigan tells the story of when the organization was first getting started, back in the 1970s. The Canada Council told POV founders that it didn’t want to fund a new opera company in Victoria; since one opera company already existed in Vancouver, the funding body claimed that was plenty for all of British Columbia. The group had no choice but to get it up and running on their own. Without an army of committed volunteers led by founder Jane Heffelfinger, says Corrigan, POV might never have become the vibrant and renowned company it is today — and might not have more than 250 volunteers helping out every year with everything from fundraisers to coat checking to legal advice.

“That volunteer ethos of rolling up your sleeves to do something to make the world better is essential to the culture of POV,” says Corrigan. “People marvel at the fact that we are able to do so much in a small community. The only reason we can do that is there are so many people pulling together. This is their project, too.”

According to a German study about happiness, people who volunteer report a greater sense of satisfaction with their lives.

So, this year, why not resolve to volunteer with your favourite arts group? For the cost of a few hours of your time, you might just get to make your own life, as well as this city’s arts community, even better.

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FASHION FAVES

with

Jennifer Wilkinson Tastemaker and cultivator of leading edge creators  BY LIA CROWE EVEN A STEP AHEAD of the early adopters, Jennifer Wilkinson’s taste is well in the camp of the visionaries and leaders, which inevitably ripples out to all who orbit her. With deep family roots in Vancouver spanning more than 100 years, the 57-year-old moved her family to Victoria 17 years ago for the lifestyle.

I met the sharply dressed woman at her bright, Oak Bay home, its white walls covered in contemporary, original art that she treasures for the immense pleasure it gives her. In both art and style, Jennifer chooses things that she connects with, cultivating relationships with their creators. “I love to hear people’s stories and understand their creative process,” she says.

Going against the grain of her peers, she chose the career of parent and head of a household, confidently deciding that her investment would be in her family. Having lived her life exercising the value “to want for less,” Jennifer says, “I’m not interested in having a purely material life and yet I love beautiful things, so I have to be very selective of what I consume.”

She tells me, “I don’t follow trends.” But after our three-hour chat on life, art and style, I’m thinking, “right, but one would be wise to follow you.”

 Fashion Go-to item: Sofie D’Hoore Cashmere Coat (top), but coveting Vivienne Westwood’s Propaganda coat (bottom).

All-time favourite: The brand Comrags, including this coat (on model) from the Fall/Winter 2013/14 collection. “There’s a theme here … I kinda like coats.”

Credit: Mary Ann Buis CostenCatbalue.com

 Accessories Must-have: a great pair of boots.

Her favourite are these Fiorentini + Baker Eternity Ella boots that have taken her many places.

Accessory: jewelry.

She is wearing pearl earrings by goldsmith Marianne Brown, but almost all of her other jewelry comes from artist Mary Ann Buis at Costen Catbalue Goldsmiths and Design.

 Style inspirations Artist: Jennifer’s grandparents had a study of a Bess Harris painting; when she saw the original at the Vancouver Art Gallery, she began to weep. For colour inspirations, she follows colourist Donald Kaufman.

Simplicity: She loves the Scandinavian esthetic of pared down simplicity, and was delighted when she scored a set of Royal Copenhagen Tranquebar here in Victoria.

Designer: On a trip to London, she discovered Margaret Howell and fell in love with her “pared down classics with a twist using superb fabrics and finishes.”

PHOTO BY LIA CROWE

 Beauty Style: She barely wears makeup and didn’t discover mani/pedis until age 50. Her current nail colours of choice are OPI’s Muir Muir On the Wall and Skyfall from the James Bond collection.

Beauty secret: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer.

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VOLUNTEERS CAN FIND THE PERFECT ROLE THROUGH VOLUNTEER VICTORIA  BY JESSICA NATALE WOOLLARD

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

R

16

EBECCA KENNEL WAS LOOKING TO volunteer in the area of mental health when she came across a request for a creative writing volunteer in Volunteer Victoria’s online database. Leah Luckhurst, who lives with schizophrenia, wanted help with writing a stand-up comedy routine.

Though Kennel had never written stand-up, she felt her experience in writing could help Luckhurst with her goals. She was right. Within a few years, Luckhurst was performing with Stand Up for Mental Health, and Kennel was in the audience, cheering her on.

“To see her take that material and stand up on the stage and deliver it — I was proud that I had a little part in it,” Kennel says.

“She has become very special to me. I didn’t realize how special she would become when I first met her.”

Kennel and Luckhurst changed each other’s lives thanks to the opportunity presented by Volunteer Victoria, an organization that aids in the recruitment and management of

volunteers. This year, the organization celebrates 40 years of enriching the Victoria community through volunteerism.

“It’s virtually impossible to not volunteer,” says Lisa MortPutland, executive director of Volunteer Victoria since 2011. “Did you drive another child home from school? Did you bake cookies for someone? Did you help a neighbour remove a fallen tree?

That’s volunteerism.”

Volunteer Victoria facilitates and formalizes the process of volunteering, although Mort-Putland says volunteering isn’t about the form you fill in — it’s the act of doing good.

The organization’s online database presents hundreds of opportunities on behalf of its 300-plus member organizations.

Last year, the database was searched over 264,000 times and assisted in the placement of over 16,500 volunteers.

The options for volunteering are as broad as the organizations are varied, says Mort-Putland. “There are opportunities with small organizations like Growing Young Farmers, [which] teaches about food sustainability, and Passion for Tango that’s all about dance and building festivals. Then there are large groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boys and Girls Club that use hundreds of volunteers to mentor children.”

A NETWORK OF HELPERS

Over 50 volunteers support the small staff at Volunteer Victoria’s downtown office. Sooke resident Thom Klos, owner of Madison Joans Creative, lends his graphic design skills “to help maintain and build [the organization’s] brand.”

Sylvia Bachop of Esquimalt is one of Volunteer Victoria’s longest-standing volunteers; she connected with the organization when she moved to Victoria in the early 1980s and has been helping in the office ever since. “I looked to volunteer in order to get acquainted with the community … I got to know Victoria and people a lot faster,” she says, listing organizations with which she volunteered — Meals on Wheels, Royal BC Museum, the cancer clinic, Red Cross and Volunteer Victoria.

At 83, Bachop has no plans to retire. “I don’t want to give it up.

You can learn a lot from volunteering, from giving your time.”

A common perception is that volunteering is all about the person receiving the support. Volunteers disagree — it’s also about what the volunteer gets out of the experience.

“Volunteering is one of the few things that we do in addition to education that is all about us,” says Mort-Putland, who volunteers with Point Ellice House Historical Society, Arbutus Singers Music Education Society and the City of Victoria Spirit Committee. “It’s a way to explore our passions and interests, to build experiences and make connections to help with employment, and to reduce isolation and contribute to the community. The return on giving is about building confidence, being a part of something, and making change happen in positive ways.”

SHARING THE GIFT OF TIME

Chantal Brodeur, project coordinator with the BC Francophone Affairs Program, believes everyone has a gift to give. “Some people have the gift of making children laugh, designing a website, making the best pies. Volunteering allows you to match your gift to the needs of the community.”

Brodeur’s gift is her skills as a coach. Through Volunteer Victoria, she became a softball coach with Special Olympics Victoria. Now, she is president of the board.

Over the last decade, Volunteer Victoria has expanded its commitment to supporting the not-for-profit sector by offering professional development opportunities, including fundraising workshops and media training. In 2013, the organization launched a certification program for volunteer managers.

“Volunteer Victoria brings together people who work in notfor-profits and volunteer resources to promote networking, education and best practices,” says Nancy Martens, who was the volunteer coordinator at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health from 1986 until her retirement last summer.

Martens connected with Volunteer Victoria in 1984; since 2012, she has been chair of the board of directors.

People volunteer for different reasons, Mort-Putland says, but one thing volunteers have in common is that they believe the gift of time — and the gift of self — makes a difference. MortPutland remembers when she truly understood the importance of volunteering. A woman she met many years ago asked her what she did, so she described her career. “[The woman] said, ‘No, what do you do.’ That question resonated with me. What do you do to make a difference?”

Find an opportunity in Volunteer Victoria’s online database:  volunteervictoria.bc.ca/opportunities  Can’t decide what suits you? Make an appointment with a volunteer advisor: 250-386-2269

National Volunteer Week  To recognize the efforts of volunteers and recruit new ones, Volunteer Victoria is planning some great activities during National Volunteer Week, April 6–12

Keep up to date:  Sign up for the E-Link newsletter at volunteervictoria.bc.ca  Call 250-386-2269  Follow @volvicbc on Twitter

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ďƒ¤ A magnificent slab of Calcutta marble is the kitchen centrepiece.

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HOT PROPERTIES

GROUND When building together loses its lustre  BY CAROLYN HEIMAN  PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARNOLD LIM

B

OTH JENNY MARTIN AND MARCELLO ALONSO can sit back and admire the home they built and designed together. “I like the openness of it,” says Alonso.

Meanwhile, Martin really likes the kitchen, which is functional, with well-planned storage and work surfaces. A hidden, walk-in pantry is an added bonus.

But there was no-happily-ever-after for the couple, who have separated since completing the construction. They remain friends, but Martin, owner of Jenny Martin Design, says there is no doubt that the yearlong project and associated money stress was a contributor — although not the only factor — to the relationship’s demise.

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Not unlike the post-Christmas bills that diminish joyful memories of the holiday season, building and/or renovating a property puts extraordinary stresses on relationships, says Martin, who knows it firsthand and witnesses it when working with clients. Both she and Alonso agree that often, couples do not have an appreciation of the significant time and money necessary to complete a project.

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Alonso always wanted to build his own home, including taking on much of the labour himself. He enjoys woodworking, evident from the numerous pieces of furniture he has constructed over the years. Moreover, as an airline pilot, he works compressed hours, leaving him with stretches of time on his hands.

Using Martin’s design experience and access to products, and Alonso’s willingness to be the project manager, the couple knew they could find effective ways to keep the costs from going off the rails. “We did a lot of legwork ourselves,” Martin says.

Meanwhile, Alonso did a lot of the actual work, including the

finishing carpentry, which can be a costly task. “But you do have to decide where you will spend the time and where you will hire trades” to keep the project moving, says Alonso, adding that they hired trades to do the drywall, electrical, insulation, painting, siding and roofing.

While that may have saved time, Alonso is quick to note that coordinating the tradespeople is challenging, even for people who do it for a living. It can be exceptionally frustrating for a homeowner doing his or her own general contracting. Alonso remembers the excavation for the basement filling with water, which was nothing a sump pump couldn’t fix, but the event definitely slowed progress. There is always the worry when one contractor finishes late, the one scheduled to come in behind will move on to another job in the meantime. This can add weeks or months to the timeline.

“To be able to take on a big project like this, you need to handle change and stress. The biggest risk is time delays that end up costing money [and] add to the stress,” Alonso says.

They decided ahead of time they would splurge on high-end appliances and an automation system, from Colorado vNet, that 21

 The furnishings throughout the house include many pieces Alonso made himself.

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controls the lighting and other systems. They settled on a design style that leaned mostly towards classic Cape Cod with a bit of country and traditional flare, which qualifies it for the moniker “transitional.”

From the start, Alonso wanted to use insulated concrete forms in the construction and, in particular, for building the home’s foundation. These prefabricated forms have high energy efficiency values and come in set sizes. The manufacturer provides a lot of online support, including how-to videos, which Alonso appreciated.

IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE!

“To be able to take on a big project like this, you need to handle change and stress. The biggest risk is time delays.”

“They’re a bit like building a house out of giant Lego blocks,” says Martin, adding their only minor disadvantage is that they come in pre-set sizes, meaning that the overall home design has to fit within the parameters of the available forms. But using the forms made the completion of the foundation a reasonably easy job for Alonso to do on his own, with the assistance of just one other person.

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areas. A catwalk opens the second floor to the main floor below. The risk of this design approach is that the spaces can become uncomfortably cavernous. But Martin employs pillars, half walls, and a classy, coffered ceiling in the dining room to create a visual definition of the purpose of each area. The layout of the travertine tiles has been meticulously considered — both to create a sense of flowing traffic patterns and also to help define each space.

Living in the country, the couple wanted a wood-burning fireplace, but chose one that was efficient and capable of distributing heat to the other parts of the home. The travertine fireplace is the living room centrepiece — its raised hearth creates ideal proportions with the vaulted ceiling.

The country setting and many of the enduring classical design features in the 3,400-square-foot home have created a strong backdrop for many of Alonso’s beefy, richly dark furnishings that he has created over the years and which reflect his Argentinian roots. The collection of furnishings looks made-to-order for the space, especially when capped off with dramatic chandeliers and a tiled grotto area for the cooktop.

Carolyn Heiman explores beautiful Island homes each month for Boulevard. If you know of a gorgeous home you’d like to see profiled she can be contacted at cheiman@shaw.ca.

Supply List Contractor/Builder: Marcelo Alonso Interior Designers: Jenny Martin Design Exterior/Interior Painting: Amira’s Painting Ltd. Cabinetry: Swiftsure Woodworkers Counters: Stone Age Marble and Granite Flooring: Frontier Stone

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T THE CORNER OF FISGARD and Government streets, a golden gate beckons, two lions at its feet. Beyond it, Fisgard is lined with elaborate signs, claustrophobic alleyways and deceptively labyrinthine grocery stores.

Mahjong tiles pass across tables and paper lanterns hang from power lines. Buddha statues smile at passersby from storefronts.

Cherry trees with marvelous pink blossoms brightly embellish the sidewalks.

Here in Victoria’s Chinatown, these relics remain from a past that many members of the Chinese community fear is disappearing. But recent efforts have proven that Chinatown is alive and well: this colourful district has more than a few tricks up its sleeve.

Formed in 1858, Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest Chinese community in Canada, created when Chinese-American miners came to British Columbia from California for a gold rush in the interior. Discriminated against and subjected to racial prejudice, the miners banded together and built a safe, Chinese neighbourhood where they could live free from persecution.

“Chinatown was created for mutual safety,” Victoria city councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe says. “It was about safety in numbers.”

In 1885, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) was formed to help protect the Chinese-Canadian community from hostile legislation, such as the head tax and segregated schooling. The association, still in existence, functioned as a government of sorts for Chinatown, settling disputes within the community and providing financial support to the poorer community members. It even created a free school, the Chinese Public School, that continues teaching children in Chinatown today. “The CCBA regulates Chinatown,” says Kileasa Wong, secretary of the CCBA from 1997 to 2013. “If there is a problem, for example, with garbage overflow, the CCBA will meet and find a way to deal with it.”

The first international Chinese political organization, the Emperor Reform Association, was also founded in Chinatown in 1911 to push for governmental reform in late Qing China. It eventually set up more than 100 branches all over the world.

Zhongping Chen, a history professor at the University of Victoria, explains that at that time, “Chinatown was really the political core of the global Chinese diaspora.”

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DECLINE AND REVIVAL The decades between the 1930s and 1970s proved to be a time of great decline for Chinatown, as many families moved away, shrinking the community. But in the late 1970s, thanks to UVic geography professor David Chuenyan Lai, Chinatown finally began to improve again. Lai started an extensive urban renewal project with the help of the city government that restored much of Chinatown’s architecture and created recognizable monuments like the Gate of Harmonious Interest. “Shopkeepers, residents [and] frequent visitors responded unanimously in favour of a rejuvenation project, and the mayor made me chair of the Chinatown Rehabilitation program,” says Lai, who retired from UVic in 2003 after 35 years of teaching.

After many years of hardship, the community has survived, maintained its culture and gained acceptance in Victoria. It now has political influence, as well, via the descendants of Chinatown families. Former Victoria mayor Alan Lowe, city councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe and Liberal MLA Ida Chong all come from families that once lived in Chinatown.

Today, Chinatown is an important and enduring monument to Canada’s Chinese heritage. “Victoria’s Chinatown is unique among other Canadian Chinatowns in that it still retains most of its original, 19th century architecture,” Lai says. “Immigration to Chinatown declined in the 1940s and investment, with it. As a result, little renovation was done. The original Chinatown 29

architecture and townscape remain largely intact.”

Many people have been enchanted by Chinatown, including Victoria artist Robert Amos. “When I started painting Victoria, I found Chinatown inspiring because it was very colourful, with its neon signs and fruit stands. It was a vivid place,” he says.

When Thornton-Joe describes her memories of spending time in Chinatown as a child, she also draws on the neighbourhood’s sensory appeal. “I remember the nice smells and the colours of Chinatown more than anything else,” she says, “and people playing mahjong every day.”

FORGING AHEAD In addition to preserving Chinatown’s architecture, UVic also works to preserve Chinatown’s past. A new website, courtesy of the university, documents the neighbourhood’s history. “We have an obligation to preserve the community’s story,” Chen, one of the site’s creators, says. “Most people don’t know much about our Chinatown’s history and our site is intended to change that.”

Amos also works to document the history of Chinatown, but he does so from a different perspective. “I’m trying to document the history of now — a street-level view of modern Chinatown,” he says. “I want to capture Chinatown in its current incarnation.”

Amos has extensively painted and photographed both interiors and exteriors in Chinatown, publishing some of his photographs in the book Inside Chinatown (Touchwood Editions, 2010).

“Most people don’t know much about our Chinatown’s history and our site is intended to change that.”

Many agree that the drive to preserve Chinatown’s history is becoming increasingly important as community participation decreases. Youth membership in the CCBA, for example, is low.

“Most of the members are seniors,” Chen says. He suggests that the lack of a cultural centre in Chinatown may play a role. “There aren’t any recreational centres in Chinatown,” he says. “There are no gyms and no sports that unite everyone.” Participation in Chinatown is largely left to older residents. The mahjong players that Thornton-Joe remembers from her youth are now seniors, playing only once a week.

However, this is not the death knell of Chinatown. “It’s a changing community,” Amos says. “Today’s Chinatown isn’t the same one as the Chinatown of 20 years ago. It evolves. There are a lot of people from diverse backgrounds moving into the area now and they will, no doubt, change its cultural makeup. The Filipino community, for example, is growing steadily.”

Thornton-Joe has a similar view: “There are a lot of new arrivals in Chinatown now, many of them from Hong Kong.

They’re bringing a new kind of vibrancy to the neighbourhood. I think they’re going to take it in a new and interesting direction.”

Visit “Victoria’s Chinatown” at chinatown.library.uvic.ca.

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FOOD & DRINK

TEA-INFUSED FOODS ADD LAYERS OF FLAVOUR If there’s one ingredient that encompasses all things Victoria, it’s tea.  BY CINDA CHAVICH 31

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ROM POSH HIGH TEA AT the Fairmont Empress Hotel to cozy neighbourhood tearooms to the sleek tea bar at Silk Road Tea, Victoria is a city of tea lovers and tea drinkers.

Not that we’re all teetotalers. Here, where both fine tea and artisan cocktails vie for our thirst, even our weekend imbibing includes tea. Ask one of Victoria’s trend-setting bartenders for a locally inspired cocktail, and you may get a drink made with their pekoe-infused bourbon, chai tea bitters or Earl Grey tea syrup.

Chefs in Victoria turn to tea, too — for tea-smoked scallops or rubs for salmon and duck infused with smoky black tea.

Herbal teas — or tisanes — are popular with those avoiding caffeine, but true tea comes from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Steeped to release its natural bitter and astringent character — along with a hit of caffeine — tea is the most popular beverage in the world. The unique flavour profiles of different teas, from delicate green teas to mellow oolong or bold black teas, come not from the plant, but from the growing region and the processing.

Green teas are simply plucked and dried to preserve their colour, while oolong and black teas are fermented, toasted and even smoked over wood fires. The oxidation that occurs releases tannins and enhances flavours. Lapsang souchong has a distinctive, smoky character, while Earl Grey is infused with bergamot. Japanese genmaicha gets its tasty, toasty notes from the addition of roasted rice.

Which makes tea an intriguing ingredient for your pantry.

CREAMY TEA TREATS Tea can be a versatile ingredient — think of blends as spice mixes — but it can be tricky to balance tea’s subtle flavours and tannins. Daniela Cubelic, owner of Victoria’s Silk Road Tea, is a master blender of tea and an expert at cooking with tea.

After years of experimenting and working with local chefs, Cubelic has learned some tricks, using tea in everything from chocolates and slushies to soups and creamy desserts.

Like tea pairs with milk, creamy concoctions work well when you’re cooking with tea — think cream sauces, teainfused crème brûlée or tea-flavoured ice cream. Finely ground green matcha tea, mixed with a little powdered sugar, adds flavour and colour to buttery shortbread cookies. Herbal teas, especially those with hibiscus, make a great base for berry smoothies. And, like bacon, lapsang souchong tea adds a smoky note to poaching broths for fish or barbecue rubs and sauces.

Cubelic says water is the best medium to extract a tea’s flavor; the fats in milk and cream actually inhibit flavour transfer, so she created a “workaround” for creamy recipes with tea. She starts by making a tea concentrate — using four times more tea than usual and steeping for the usual time (oversteeping leaches bitter flavours) — then strains the concentrate and adds sugar.

“In my quest to make tea ice cream, I came up with the idea

of creating tea-flavoured sugar syrups,” she says, pointing to teas like Earl Grey, chai tea or Japanese sour cherry green tea for flavouring ice cream and frozen yogurt.

“I also make tea sorbet and popsicles, sometimes with a little added fruit juice,” she says.

Cubelic says several local bartenders use her tea blends in cocktails, many infusing tea into a simple syrup (equal parts boiling water and sugar) to create tea-flavoured sweeteners.

“It’s easy to make tea-infused spirits at home,” she says. “Just add six tablespoons of dry tea to two cups of alcohol, wait 20 minutes and strain.”

TEA-LICIOUS STOCK For soups, Cubelic says strong tea works well as a base for brothy Asian noodles and veggies or a harvest squash soup.

“Instead of chicken or vegetable broth, use a chai tea as the soup base,” she says, noting Silk Road has three chai teas, including an herbal chai made with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and other spices.

“For a ‘chai broth,’ use two tablespoons of loose herbal chai tea, steep for seven to 10 minutes, and season with salt,” she says.

Other aromatics, like onions, garlic, carrots and celery, can also be included.

Cubelic recommends her citrusy Philosopher’s Brew to replace the liquid when cooking rice, or use roasted Japanese hojicha with wild mushrooms in risotto.

Cubelic also suggests soaking dry tea in rum or whisky for truffles, or infusing smoky tea into melted butter for popcorn.

“I just think of tea as another ingredient that creates layers of flavour,” she says.

Tea is loaded with flavonoids, also known as antioxidants, which can protect your body from the damage of aging and disease. Add it to your diet when you can — drinking by the steamy cup is only the beginning.

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That’s still the best advice. Here’s the drill to brew hot tea.  PREHEAT the pot with hot water.  BRING WATER to a full boil for herbal, black and oolong teas; for green and white teas, water should be just below boiling or even cooler for the most delicate leaves.  POUR 2 cups (500 ml) water over 1 tsp (5 ml) of loose tea and steep: 7–10 minutes for herbal teas; 5–7 minutes for oolong; 3–5 minutes for white tea; 2–5 minutes for black tea; and 1–3 minutes for green tea. You can even get a special kettle with adjustable temperature controls to ensure you have the right water temperature for each tea.

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PAN FRIED DRAGON WELL TEA CURED SALMON with kaffir lime dashi and kumquat preserve PREP 2 hrs 30 mins COOK 30 mins SERVES 4

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Chef Rick Choy of the Hotel Grand Pacific often serves this dish for Chinese New Year dinners at the hotel. You can substitute kumquat garnish with minced preserved lemon, available at Middle Eastern grocers.

TEA-CURED SALMON: 5 tsp (25 ml) sugar 2 tsp (10 ml) salt 1 tsp (5 ml) ground black pepper 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely chopped Silk Road Dragon Well tea leaves 4 pieces (6 oz or 170 g each) salmon fillet 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil GARNISH: Minced preserved kumquat or preserved lemon, and chopped tea leaves.

COMBINE the sugar, salt, pepper and tea leaves. Pat mixture over the flesh side of the salmon. Set the salmon in a dish, cover with plastic and cure in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Before cooking, brush off the tea leaf mixture.

HEAT olive oil in a pan until hot. Add the fish, skin-side down, and pan fry until fish flakes.

KAFFIR LIME–INFUSED DASHI SAUCE: 1 cup (250 ml) dashi broth (find in Asian foods aisle) 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce 1 dried kaffir lime leaf 2 tsp (10 ml) sugar ½ tsp (2 ml) cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp (15 ml) water COMBINE first four ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Season to taste. Whisk in the cornstarch solution, cooking until the sauce is clear and thickened. Keep warm.

SMEAR dashi sauce across each plate and place the salmon on top. Garnish with minced preserved kumquat or preserved lemon, and sprinkle with chopped tea.

FOOD & DRINK

behind t he bar

SPICY MANDARIN The Hotel Grand Pacific offers several tea cocktails, from the Silent Night Cap, made with Jewel of India black tea–infused sambuca and steamed milk, to the Sunday Breakfast cocktail, made with smoky lapsang souchong tea.

The Spicy Mandarin is another creation.

Glass: rock glass 1.5 oz (45 ml) Silk Road Spicy Mandarin Tea–infused bourbon 0.5 oz (15 ml) elderflower liqueur (St. Germain) 0.5 oz (15 ml) agave syrup 2 drops walnut bitters Shake with ice and serve over ice, garnished with a slice or twist of orange.

SPICY MANDARIN POTS DE CRÈME PREP 35 mins COOK 1–1.5 hrs YIELD 5 (4-oz) ramekins Pastry chef Cathryn Kissinger of thelittlecakery.ca used Silk Road Spicy Mandarin tea for this recipe. Cubelic also suggests substituting her Westcoast Peppermint or Japanese Sour Cherry.

2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream 6 egg yolks ½ cup (125 ml) sugar 2 tbsp (30 ml) Silk Road Spicy Mandarin tea 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract PREHEAT oven to 325˚F (165˚C) and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

BRING the cream and vanilla extract barely to the boil in a heavy bottomed pot. Remove from heat; transfer to a bowl.

STIR in the tea, cover with plastic wrap and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain the tea-infused cream.

WHISK the egg yolks and sugar in another bowl. Add the strained cream in a steady stream, while whisking. Cool.

ARRANGE ramekins in a baking pan. Divide the mixture evenly between the ramekins. Pull the oven rack halfway out, set the baking pan on the rack, and fill with 2 inches of hot water. Water should come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

BAKE just until the custards are set, about 1–1.5 hours — they should be a little wobbly in the centre. Transfer to a rack to cool fully and refrigerate, uncovered.

JANUARYʼS LIBATION

THE “PEKOE-BOU” DIFFICULTY LEVEL

    

We asked Little Jumbo’s Nate Caudle to create a drink inspired by Boulevard. Without further ado, we present — the Pekoe-Bou! how-to INGREDIENTS 1½ oz (45 ml) Orange Pekoe–infused Maker’s Mark (*see below) ¾ oz (25 ml) Campari ¾ oz (25 ml) Martini Rosso sweet vermouth ASSEMBLY Stir in a mixing glass over ice. Strain into a small coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist. *Pekoe Bourbon Place 4 tsp (20 ml) of a good orange pekoe tea into a 1-quart (1-l) mason jar filled with a bottle of Maker’s Mark bourbon. Let infuse for 3 hours, and then drain through a fine TIP: mesh strainer.

Infusing takes a while, but yields a large batch to keep the drinks flowing.

How does this drink define Boulevard?

“The boulevardier is a great classic cocktail, and also a term for someone who enjoys the finer things in life. Given that the name of the magazine is Boulevard, and Victoria [has] its quaint, little Britain culture of high tea ... I felt this was suitable.”

What’s your favourite ingredient right now?

“Calvados, a beautiful apple brandy from Normandy, France.”

Ask for the Pekoe-Bou at Little Jumbo (down the hall at 506 Fort Street) throughout the month of January.

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TRAVEL FAR

ďƒĄ The majesty of Mesa Verde is best experienced at the Long House (left) and Cliff Palace (right) sites.

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EXPLORING A LOST CIVILIZ ATION IN MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK  TEXT BY BRUCE SACH  PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLE JOBIN

I

T IS EASY TO ROMANTICIZE ABOUT what life must have been like at the end of the 13th century at Mesa Verde National Park, overlooking Montezuma Valley, Colorado. Mornings come softly, even tenderly, and full of light. Gentle winds blow the fendlerbush, golden aster and scarlet globemallow as songbirds awaken us. The sky appears endless.

We are perched atop a high plateau at the only lodge here, above the valley. At this vantage point we can easily peek at Shiprock, New Mexico and Four Corners junction, where the New Mexico, Arizona and Utah borders all meet Colorado.

We are just few minutes away by car from arguably the most important existing cliff dwellings of the Anasazi people (or Ancient Puebloan). Mesa Verde National Park, founded on their ancestral home, is the only American National Park devoted to the remembrance and preservation of human endeavours.

Buck deer and cottontail rabbits frolic here on the edge of a huge ghost town — the remnants of an entire civilization that appears to have voluntarily disappeared from this area 850 years ago. But did they really leave voluntarily? For the last century, theorists have tried to explain why such an advanced civilization, living in permanent, sophisticated, apartment-style cliff dwellings, would suddenly abandon their settlements.

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Space is limited. Register early. Please visit blvdmag.ca and click on Travel Writing Seminar or call 250.480.3254.

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Standing on this sacred ground, we are spellbound by the beauty and artistry of the Long House, part of 4,500 distinct archeological sites (of which 600 are cliff dwellings) spread over 54,000 acres (22,000 hectares) that prospered without the use of modern tools well into the 13th century. Strangely, a neatly written, very out of place, “No. 15” is chiselled into the sandstone.

It is generally believed that fear of enemies led the Anasazi to construct the well-ensconced cliff dwellings in areas with natural alcoves near water supplies. They lived in ingeniously crafted communal apartments linked by corn granaries and ladders. The granaries were built in high, nearly inaccessible areas above the living space — well protected from animals, spoilage and enemies. The apartments centred around hollows called Kivas, thought to have served both a religious and social purpose. From the cliffs, the Anasazi could continue trading their pottery for cotton, ocean shells, salt, turquoise and argillite with trading partners from as far away as northern Mexico and the Pacific coast.

From the precariously located Balcony House to the homey Spruce Tree House, each series of dwellings housed up to 100 people, with between 40 and 100 rooms, respectively. Forty five thousand people lived in this region, more than today’s population. Suddenly, around 1250, the entire population disappeared, leaving their homes intact and completely supplied, as though they fully planned to return.

An archaeological pioneer A Swede, Gustaf Nordenskiöld, is given both credit and scorn for his involvement in the early excavation and exploration of the area. An aristocrat whose father was a famous Swedish Arctic explorer, he came to the area hoping to be cured of his tuberculosis, only to be caught up in the excitement of the era, pioneering archaeological techniques that are still used and admired today. (He is the man who reputedly carved “No. 15” into the rock, as a way of identifying the different sites.)

Two cowboys, the Wetherill brothers, had only discovered the

area three years earlier. Nordenskiöld taught them how to carefully extract artifacts. He pilfered countless pieces, leading to his confinement for a month in 1891 at the nearby Strater Hotel in Durango, Colorado as local sheriffs searched for a law or regulation that would prevent him from returning with his treasures to Sweden. Local lawmen failed to stop Nordenskiöld and his loot, but heritage preservers lobbied the federal government in Washington, DC to eventually pass the Antiquities Act as a means of protecting American heritage.

Nordenskiöld’s collection made its way legally to Sweden and is now housed at the National Museum of Finland in Helsinki, thereby allowing Europeans to become more easily acquainted with Anasazi history. Locals in the Mesa Verde area begrudgingly accept Nordenskiöld’s early efforts to scientifically catalogue the area and that a larger audience is able to learn about their centuries-old culture.

Beyond the park Today, the town of Durango is well known for its connection to the mining days of the 1890s, and celebrates this connection to those days and to Nordenskiöld. Interestingly, at the same time that Nordenskiöld was removing artifacts, the infamous Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank at nearby Telluride.

You can still take the original coal-burning steam locomotive used during the gold rush (and later in the classic Hollywood movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). The cars billow black smoke as the train chugs up a steep canyon and through the dense forest of the San Juan Valley, steam whistle a-blowin’.

From the local landmark Strater Hotel in Durango, you can hear that whistle blowing daily. Every room at the hotel is named after a notable local, usually someone with a “western” connection. Contemporary western writer Louis L’Amour has a room, and I stayed in room 400, named for a local bank manager fondly remembered for installing a shooting gallery on the top floor of his bank. Had I known my history better at the time, I would have asked for room 323, the Nordenskiöld suite, where the European aristocrat was “invited” to stay for over a month.

Now that would have been a part of living history.

If You Go Plan to visit in spring or fall; summer temperatures soar past 40o C. Allow for at least two full days at Mesa Verde. If you have a chance, visit one of the Mesa Verde sites twice — once in early morning and once in the evening for better natural lighting for photography. In the evening, there will be fewer visitors.

If you stay in Durango, allow three hours to take the old steam train to Silverton. Durango can be reached easily by plane from Denver, but you will need a car at Durango to reach Mesa Verde, 90 minutes away. nps.gov/meve/index.htm visitmesaverde.com durango.org 39

HEALTH & WELLNESS

de-toxic trend FOR THOSE HOLIDAY POUNDS, IS DETOXING A QUICK FIX OR A HARMFUL FAD?  BY KRISTI MEREDITH

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FTER SPENDING THE holidays indulging in sweet treats, traditional eats and excessive lounging, most people are keen to shed those extra pounds — and fast — come January. Detox diets may offer that quick fix, but they are neither necessary nor scientifically proven. In fact, they can be downright dangerous and harmful to the body. “Extremes with fasting, laxatives, diuretics, and even exercise [can cause the body] to lose essential nutrients [and] can cause protein or vitamin deficiencies,” says Dr. Elson M. Haas, founder and director of Haas Health Online and the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, Calif.

Detox diets claim to flush toxins and chemicals from the body while promoting extreme weight loss.

However, most popular detox diets, such as the Master Cleanse and the Candida Diet, involve low-calorie fasting with consumption of small amounts of raw fruits, vegetables and assorted supplements. What detox diets don’t

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market is what happens after quick weight loss.

STARVED FOR NUTRIENTS Quick-fix detox diets are a form of starvation that has become accepted as a social norm. In fact, some people boast about the latest detox they did.

Starvation, although commonly defined as the act of not eating or extreme hunger, can also be defined as the deprivation of essential nutrients over an extended period of time — that’s detox 101.

“When you dramatically reduce your calorie intake, you will lose weight. But when you start fasting, your body goes into conservation mode, burning calories more slowly,” says registered dietician Kathleen M. Zelman, who serves as director of nutrition for WebMD. The body adapts to this, so as soon as the detox is complete and a normal diet regime is resumed, the dieter not only gains back the weight, but also a few additional pounds — not to mention common side effects like nausea, dizziness, low blood sugar and fatigue.

Claims of toxin and chemical flushing are redundant and unnecessary. The body is designed to detoxify itself naturally; the internal organs and immune system excrete toxins on their own. Each detoxifying organ specializes in excreting specific toxins: the liver eliminates toxins in the blood; the kidney flushes digestive byproducts; the lungs filter the air breathed in, excreting toxins through mucus and coughing; the skin eliminates toxins as sweat through pores; and the colon contains colonies of bacteria that neutralize toxic substances before elimination.

“There is no basis in human biology that indicates we need fasting or any other detox formula to detoxify the body because we have our own internal organs

that can promote water retention if consumed frequently.

There are countless weight loss methods to drop those last few unwanted holiday pounds, so be selective in which method you choose. View detoxification as a way of clean eating. Instead of quick-fix detox diets or elimination diets, opt for a healthy diet plan that you can stick with for the long term. “I often recommend my patients try to eliminate common food sensitivities or allergens,” says Marita Schauch, a naturopathic doctor at the Peninsula Naturopathic Clinic in Sidney. “These foods may include dairy, gluten, eggs, soy or even peanuts. Food sensitivities or allergies tend to slow down a healthy metabolism, cause digestive issues [and] contribute to chronic inflammation, amongst other health concerns.”

Talk to your doctor, nutritionist, dietitian or naturopath to determine a healthy diet plan specific to your nutritional needs. Elimination of processed foods and empty calories — which have no nutritional value — is the key to maintaining metabolic balance.

and immune system that take care of excreting toxins,” says Dr. Frank Sacks, from the Harvard School of Public Health.

LOSING WEIGHT, NATURALLY Without quick-fix detox diets, how do you rid yourself of that unwanted holiday weight naturally?

Increased salt and sugar consumption over the holidays can cause water retention and bloating. The body relies on a constant concentration of electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, to function properly. To make up for the abnormal boost of electrolytes, salts, and sugars, the body retains water; this is what causes that bloated or puffy feeling. Similarly, by not drinking enough water, the body retains any water that enters the body — like storing water in a drought.

Typically, the first five pounds are lost quickly by drinking more water, decreasing sodium consumption by eliminating highly salted processed foods, and keeping a light hand on the salt shaker. Some vegetables act as a natural diuretic and promote increased water excretion. Try cucumber, asparagus, leafy greens, green beans and artichokes. Be sure to conduct these methods with caution, as dehydration can occur — regulating electrolyte consumption and drinking lots of water can combat this effect. It is a common misconception that all fluids quench thirst; actually, most sports drinks and carbonated beverages contain high amounts of electrolytes

AT T H E

Kristi Meredith is an aspiring naturopathic doctor currently studying at the University of Victoria. Her passions for nutrition and preventative medicine are rooted in her own challenges dealing with gluten and dairy intolerance, food sensitivities, and in caring for diabetic children.

ANNOUNCING...

THE RETURN

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THE JUDY GARLAND STORY

by Paul Ledoux Starring Sara-Jeanne Hosie

P R E S E N T E R’ S S E R I E S

P R O D U C E R’ S S E R I E S

IGNORANCE

GLASS MENAGERIE

by Old Trout Puppet Workshop January 7 - January 19, 2014

by Tennessee Williams February 11 – February 23, 2014

THE FLICK

CRUEL TEARS/ LÁGRIMAS CRUELES

by Annie Baker March 18 - March 30, 2014

by Ken Mitchell | Adapted by Mercedes Bátiz-Benét April 29 – May 11, 2014

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$19,995,000 Lisa Williams 250-514-1966 lisawilliams.ca

Boulevard magazine supports Southern Vancouver Island's top Realtors representing the region's finest real estate. In our pages, we hope you will find your next home, whether it is in the listings of the Great Homes/Great Realtors or here in the Boulevard Luxury Real Estate listings. Both of these monthly advertising features bring you the finest selection of homes and condominiums Victoria has to offer.

$2,998,000 Lisa Williams 250-514-1966 lisawilliams.ca

$1,795,000 Lynne Sager 250-744-3301 lynnesager.com Camosun

THIS SPECTACULAR UPLANDS property is truly in a league of its own; elegant & impressive 15,000 sq. ft. residence and 1,000 ft. of ocean frontage! Over 2.5 acres of manicured grounds extend to the ocean’s edge and provide the setting for this world-class gated estate. Incredible panoramic views are showcased from nearly every room, with dramatic architecture, custom detailing and sophisticated high-tech systems throughout. The property enjoys an abundance of sunshine and access to a secluded and quiet sandy beach with 5 car garage parking, gorgeous landscaping, seaside gazebo, de-salination system & much more!

SPECTACULAR OAK BAY custom home nestled in an exclusive & private enclave of multi-million dollar homes!

Incredible design with 5 bdrms/ 5 baths, incorporates cedar, stone, oversized windows, 9’-20’ ceilings, indoor/outdoor fireplace, walnut HW floors, amazing gourmet kitchen, sumptuous main floor master suite with spa ensuite bath & private office, and so much more! Enjoy the deluxe media room, games & recreation area, fitness studio, wine cellar and private guest suite with outside access ... a world-class home!

SUPERB PARKER AVE. WATERFRONT. Recently refurbished Pamela Charlesworth home will impress even the most discerning buyer. Gleaming Brazilian hardwood floors, soaring vaulted ceilings, & sweeping views of the Ocean to San Juan Island and Mt. Baker’s glowing glacier beyond. Fabulous new kitchen. 4 bedroom, master with commanding views.

Private .33 acre lot with patio hot tub, to enjoy the views.

Dbl car garage. 5255 Parker Ave., Cordova Bay

BOULEVARD LUXURY REAL ESTATE

$1,699,000

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Robert Young 250-385-6900 robertyoung.ca Celebrating 30 years of award winning real estate service

$999,500 Margaret Leck 250-413-7171 margaretleck.com

$759,000 Margaret Leck 250-413-7171 margaretleck.com

WATERFRONT RESIDENCE – MEDITERRANEAN DESIGN Beautifully positioned this stunning residence offers the highest level of craftsmanship & state of the arts technology. Grand entry with coffered ceilings & wainscoting, living room with fireplace & dining room with vaulted ceilings.

Gourmet kitchen with island & breakfast nook. Family room has access to large deck. Upper level has master bdrm. with private deck, ensuite & walk-in closet, two additional bdrms., main bath plus laundry. Lower level offers media room plus a 1 bdrm. den suite.

A must see for the discerning purchaser. MLS #329293

CHARMING BEACH STYLE home in a natural setting.

Short stroll to Caddy Bay & the Village. Main floor living offers glassed-in dining room with heated floors, large country kitchen with fir floors, warm & cozy living room with new gas fireplace, family room with sliders to a patio plus the master suite & bath. The lot has been $695,000 artfully landscaped with native plants, expansive patios and Sharen Warde & Larry Sims easy care. The detached garage offers a workshop/studio area 250-592-4422 and lots of extra parking. This wardesims.com home is for the buyer looking for something special.

SHOAL POINT a place you would be proud to call home!

Spectacular harbour front residence with 9’ ceilings.

Floor to ceiling windows capturing a panoramic inner harbour view. Covered 240 s.f. balcony to enjoy outdoor living all year. Gourmet kitchen for the chef in the family. 2 master suites for optimum privacy. Separate room with a view for a library, office, TV/family room or dining room.Exterior is surrounded by mature landscaping, waterfalls and a putting green.

A bright home not to be missed near the Cook Street Village! Abstract Development conversion in 2002 – modern colour scheme, wide plank flooring, 9 ft. ceilings, very well maintained move-in condition. Nice layout with open plan offering two bedrooms plus den. Terrific $529,000 location to the Cook Street Village, Dallas oceanfront Sharen Warde & Larry Sims walkway. Park your car and walk into the City. Low 250-592-4422 monthly maintenance fees. wardesims.com Welcome home!

SPECTACULAR VIEWS of Mt. Baker, Saanich Inlet and beyond. This home is walking distance to Mill Bay Centre and Brentwood College and is ideal for Victoria commuters.

Easy care .43 acre private yard. Entry level rancher with walk out basement features 2 bedrooms on main both with walk in closets and ensuite baths. Lower level offers two bedrooms, media & games room with pool table.

Energy efficient heat pump.

MLS#329158

$499,900 Dallas Chapple PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION

250-744-3301 dallaschapple.com Camosun

ONLY 110 STEPS TO THE WATERFRONT in this heritage half duplex. This is the back half which includes the back yard, a separate studio, and a recently built lower level bleached solid cedar laundry room (or office). $120,000 spent by the current owner.

Updated insulation, wiring, plumbing and painting.

Kitchen opens to living room and dining area, 1 bedrm and bath on this level. Master bedrm & bath up. Walk along the seawall and watch the cruise ships come in!

NORTH COAST AND WEST COAST Vancouver Vancouver Island Island

Offered for sale are five substantial waterfront properties totaling 522.9 acres throughout the central west coast and northern regions of Vancouver Island. Titles are offered individually and consideration will be given for multiple property offers.

Rupert Inlet, Kenny Point: $460,000

Rupert Inlet, Section 16: $450,000

Quatsino Sound, Sec 26: $249,999

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60.9 acres encompasses the Waukwaas Creek estuary

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38 acres 426.7m / 1400ft low-bank oceanfront estimated 9,000 cubic metres of mature timber

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99 acres 1500m / 4921ft diverse oceanfront approx. 10,000 cubic metres of mature timber

Quatsino Sound, Sec 10 Klootchlimmis River: $222,999

Alice Lake, DL202: $1,450,000

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105 acres approx. 487.8m / 1600ft of the Klootchlimmis River 701m / 2300ft of estuary and oceanfront

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220 acres approximately 1219m / 4000ft of shoreline on Alice Lake 17 lakefront titles ranging in size from 4 to 6.67 hectares

Muchalat Channel, Kleeptee Creek: $415,000 n n

478 acres encompasses Kleeptee Creek substantial estuary and ocean frontage on Muchalat inlet

ED HANDJA Personal Real Estate Corporation & SHELLEY MCKAY Your BC Oceanfront Team

Specializing in Unique Coastal Real Estate in British Columbia Ed 250.287.0011 • Shelley 250.830.4435 Toll Free 800.563.7322 edhandja@bcoceanfront.com shelleymckay@bcoceanfront.com

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F O O IES I L T FO ER T R OP PO PR TE AL VA ST I PR OA C

FRONT ROW  BY ROBERT MOYES

IGNORANCE SHOULD BE BLISS

Anyone lucky enough to have seen Famous Puppet Death Scenes at UVic several years ago is doubtless eager to check out the newest play by Old Trout Puppet Workshop. These crazy-smart puppeteers, who got their start on a commune outside of Calgary a few decades ago, have gone on to earn an international reputation for their creative and edgy presentations. “I booked them again because I loved Death Scenes so much,” says Brian Richmond, artistic producing director of Blue Bridge Theatre. (Richmond, currently on sabbatical from UVic’s theatre department, hired the Trouts for that long-ago show at the Phoenix Theatre.) “What I loved was the sense of humour — the show was hysterically funny,” he says.

Their current production, Ignorance, charts the evolution of happiness, from darkest pre-history to a hopefully ethereal future. The Trouts, who use everything from hand-held characters to full-body puppets, favour storylines with a surface slapstick absurdity underpinned by serious ideas. It’s that tension between silly and profound that provides much of the charm of their inventive, very physical performances. Ignorance starts out like a wacky parody of those Disney nature cartoons from the 1950s, then flips back and forth between prehistoric times and the present day, complete with elaborate projections and characters ranging from the biblical Adam to a suicidal man on a window ledge. “Puppetry is a wonderful and delightful form of theatre,” adds Richmond slyly.

“Not least because puppets don’t talk back.”

Running from January 7–19 at Blue Bridge at the Roxy Theatre, 2657 Quadra. For tickets, call 250590-6291 or see ticketrocket.org.

 Old Trout Puppet Workshop brings a variety of characters to life in Ignorance, at Blue Bridge at the Roxy Theatre this month.

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HOMEGROWN BAROQUE

It is usually the fate of a city the size of Victoria to see its most talented classical musicians head off to bigger centres. How gratifying, then, that the Victoria Baroque Players (VBP) is undertaking its third season here, buoyed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience base. Led by renowned flautist Soile Stratkauskas, a Finnish-born virtuoso and Baroque specialist who moved here to be with her husband, the VBP has six core members but includes up to 14 musicians for certain performances. Their upcoming Festival of Concertos focuses on concerti for winds and strings by Vivaldi, Telemann and Graupner. The VBP has a returning special guest for the performance: British violin virtuoso Kati Debretzeni, acclaimed leader of the English Baroque Soloists, who performed with the VBP a year ago. “She is an imaginative and energetic musician,” says Stratkauskas. “When she was last here she electrified the audience and her fellow players.” The busy Debretzeni elects to perform here because two of her childhood friends from a small village in England — bassoonist Katrina Russell and natural horn player Andrew Clark — are members of the VBP. Aside from their four annual performances, the VBP also play with everyone from Early Music Vancouver to Eine Kleine Summer Music and the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra. And after they finish their Island-based mini-tour of Concertos, they are heading into the recording studio to make their first CD. “Things are going well,” says a happy Stratkauskas.

Performing January 11, 7:30 pm, at St. John the Divine, 1611 Quadra Street. Tickets available at the door.

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 The Victoria Baroque Players welcome British violin virtuoso Kati Debretzeni for their January 11 performance.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL GLENDALE

 History in art undergraduate students work on “the world’s biggest button blanket” at UVic’s First Peoples House.

BENEATH THE BUTTONS

Button blankets — so-called because they are ornamented with abalone-shell buttons — are made by Northwest Coastal tribes and are a cherished form of regalia. They can also, it seems, be an excellent teaching tool. That’s why Peter Morin, an award-winning artist and independent curator of the Tahltan Nation, joined forces with Dr. Caroline ButlerPalmer from UVic’s history in art department to design and make the world’s largest button blanket. A cross-cultural mixture of 28 elders and students created the piece last fall at UVic’s First Peoples House. “The blanket is like a historical document — it names your family’s connection to the land and the community,” explains Morin. Measuring 8 m sq., the blanket features approximately 20,000 buttons. Alongside the traditional abalone ones are others collected locally. “One volunteer brought an ancient cloth button from her 90-yearold mother, and another student made her own buttons out of deer antler,” Morin says. The blanket will be “danced” in a special inauguration ceremony at the Atrium building and then walked down to Legacy Gallery, to be the centrepiece of a big exhibition. “There will be films, historic blankets from artists in the local community, photographs … and a few surprises,” promises Morin.

Running from January 16–April 12 at 630 Yates Street. For information, see uvac.uvic.ca.

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COME TO THE CABARET!

Based on a book by Christopher Isherwood that became a play and soon thereafter a musical, Cabaret is one of the most gripping stage productions of the last half-century. Those familiar with either the movie or stage version of Cabaret will enjoy revisiting the seedy Kit Kat Klub, where the decadence of 1930s Berlin plays out against a menacing backdrop of swastikas and anti-Semitism.

“I like plays with a bit of gravitas,” says director Roger Carr, whose recent productions of The Drowsy Chaperone and Miss Saigon, both dazzling sellouts, bode well for this production. “The songs are great fun, but it’s the message that is incredibly powerful.” Much of the action centres on the club’s lewd emcee and the 19-year-old cabaret performer, Sally Bowles, who belt out such memorable songs as Willkommen, Money, Maybe this Time and Two Ladies. While the Kit Kat Klub functions as a metaphor for the increasingly degenerate Weimar Republic, the moral drama of the play is captured in a subplot about a German woman, the owner of a boarding house, who is being courted by an older Jewish fruit vendor. According to Carr, this doomed romance is a small tragedy foreshadowing the great nightmare soon to engulf Europe. Firmly ensconced in the top echelon of musicals, Cabaret has been revived several times on Broadway and in London. Gutsy, sexy and bold, it can grab your heart and squeeze — hard. “Let’s just say it ain’t The Sound of Music,” chuckles Carr.

Running from January 15–February 1 at Langham Court Theatre, 805 Langham Court. For tickets, call 250-384-2142.

 Cabaret, based on a book by Christopher Isherwood, comes to Langham Court Theatre for several shows this month.

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WE ALSO

recommend:

SONG OF THE EARTH: The School of Music pays tribute to celebrated late-Romantic composer Gustav Mahler with Song of the Earth: A Week with Mahler. The event features a performance of Das Lied von der Erde on January 11, as well as special lectures, masterclass and more! January 6–11, MacLaurin Building, B-wing, University of Victoria, 250.721.8634, finearts.uvic.ca/music/ events/2014/mahler/.

HOME IS A BEAUTIFUL WORD: Playwright/journalist Joel Bernbaum spent over a year interviewing hundreds of people in Victoria about homelessness. Conversations were transcribed and edited into a fascinating play: a portrait of homelessness in our community. January 7–19, Belfry Theatre, 250.385.6815, belfry.bc.ca.

GILLIAN JEROME: Open Space, in partnership with the University of Victoria Department of Writing, will host Gillian Jerome as part of its literary series Open Word: Readings and Ideas. January 22, 9:30 am, UVic Fine Arts Building, Room 209. and January 22, at 7:30 pm, Open Space, openspace.ca/upcoming.

THE ROYAL THEATRE AT 100: Victoria Historical Society presents Ken Johnson, president of Hallmark Heritage Society and a heritage masonry conservation consultant. January 23, 7:30 pm, James Bay New Horizons Centre, victoriahistoricalsociety.bc.ca.

DANCE DAYS: This festival celebrates its fifth year in 2014. Two dozen local dance studios offer free classes to all, plus discussions and performances. January 23–February 8 at various venues. Program guides available at all Serious Coffee outlets or at dancevictoria.com.

YOUNG DRUNK PUNK: Comedian, writer, director and legendary Kid in the Hall Bruce McCulloch combines stand-up, live music and assorted autobiographical insights. Adult: $35; Student/ Senior: $28. January 24, 8 pm, University Centre Farquhar Auditorium, University of Victoria, 250.721.8480, tickets.uvic.ca.

My goal is to help you reach yours.

THE HOCKEY SWEATER: Roch Carrier narrates his beloved story of a boy who had to wear a Maple Leafs sweater in the small, hockey-mad Québec town where he grew up. The tale is set to music

by Abigail Richardson-Schulte. January 26, 2:30 pm, Royal Theatre, 250.386.6121, rmts.bc.ca.

Looking for timely market insights?

Consider a complimentary subscription to my monthly Letter to Clients.

MATT ANDERSEN: New Brunswick’s Matt Andersen’s sprawling blues, roots and rock musical hybrid with his soulful voice and astonishing guitar playing has sparked a phenomenal buzz across Canada and around the world. January 31, 7:30 pm, Alix Goolden Hall, jazzvictoria.ca/other-events.

ROCK THIS TOWN!: Victoria’s 75-voice Starlight Pops, directed

by Sue Doman, present their winter concert featuring favourites from Van Halen, Adele, Fleetwood Mac, the Beach Boys and many others. $20 at the door or online. Jan 31 at 7:30 pm; Feb 2 at 2:30 pm, St. Aidan's United Church, starlightpops.com.

Visit our website, blvdmag.ca, to submit arts and culture event details online. Listings for the February issue must be received by January 8 to be considered for inclusion.

Roderick MacMillan, B.Comm (Hons) FSCI, CSWP Investment Advisor TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice 1070 Douglas Street, 5th Floor Victoria, B.C. 250-356-4148 rod.macmillan@td.com www.rodmacmillan.com TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc., a subsidiary of The Toronto Dominion Bank. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. – Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. The TD logo and other trademarks are the property of the Toronto Dominion Bank, as a wholly-owned subsidiary in Canada and/or other countries.

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PHOTO BY DON DENTON

FINANCE

Talking with Tess ď § BY TESS VAN STRAATEN

featuring Connie Fair

THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO MILLION PROPERTIES in British Columbia and assessing their value brings in billions of dollars in tax revenue to government coffers. But making sure properties are assigned the right value is no easy task. For Connie Fair, president and CEO of BC Assessment, the solution is a high-tech one that relies on partnerships. With assessments being mailed out this month, Tess van Straaten sat down with this down-to-earth leader to find out why her Crown corporation has earned a reputation as a world leader in property assessment.

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 You’ve been at BC Assessment for more than 20 years and CEO for almost six. What’s been your biggest challenge? For me, the most important change to make was the shift from product-focused to customer-focused — thinking about our work not in terms of what we’re producing, but in terms of the customer groups we’re serving and what we’re doing to make sure we’re meeting their needs. That’s where I’ve been trying to move the organization. We’ve done a lot to modernize the work and use technology to take things to the next level.  How has utilizing technology impacted the bottom line in terms of cost? It’s absolutely huge. We’re really not staffed to keep properties up to date in a traditional way. When we started in 1974 we had 800,000 properties and 750 staff. Now we have two million properties and 650 staff, so we’ve been looking at innovative and creative ways to update properties on the roll. One thing we do is inspect by exception. The most expensive way for us to gather information on a property is to physically visit the site. One program that’s been really successful is desktop review. We use photos and electronic maps combined with the data we have on our system.

Instead of physically walking down the street and inspecting properties, our staff do that virtually. Our productivity has gone from about 14 properties a day per employee on a physical visit to 35 to 45 properties a day on desktop review.

The other implication is that we’re finding all kinds of inventory. We did Surrey recently and we added about half a billion dollars in construction that wasn’t on the books from additions being built to decks and garages out back. That’s really been a leap forward for us and put us on the leading edge of assessment organizations in North America.  What’s been your most important money lesson? We tend to be pretty frugal and our managers are consistently finding places to save money in small ways. All those small ways add up to significant savings for the organization, and ultimately, for the taxpayers of this province. So what’s the motto? Watch the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves. That said, most of our budget is spent on people, and the place that you don’t want to scrimp is your investment in your people. We’re a knowledge business and our value is in the knowledge of our individuals. Continually investing in their development is very important.  What’s been your biggest win? Our biggest win has been implementing a policy of no surprises. When I took over as

CEO, I was getting a lot of complaints and they all had the same theme — people had been caught off-guard with what we did. We decided no one should be surprised when they open up their assessment notice. Right from the start, staff really took hold of it and started sending out letters to people who had large increases to give them notice in advance. They started meeting with commercial property owners and the tax agents that represent businesses, sharing everything with them while it was still in draft. We launched a product called e-valueBC on our website so you can look at every assessment in the province and satisfy yourself as to whether the assessments are fair and equitable. Something that started as a problem ended up being a policy that’s changed the culture.

The last assessment role I didn’t get a single letter. There were complaints and we had appeals, but our appeal rate is only 1.2 per cent, which is among the lowest in North America.  What have your mistakes taught you? That you learn so much more from your failures than your successes. My children are grown now, but if I could go back and do anything differently it would be to let them fail more. You want to give them this perfect life, so you’re sailing in to rescue them because you want them to be successful and do well. It’s really important to let your children fail and learn from that. If they don’t manage their time well and they don’t get that assignment in, they fail. If they don’t advise you until 10 pm they need muffins tomorrow, too late. I’ve also learned that you need to listen to the people around you. It doesn’t matter where someone is in an organization — good advice can come from anywhere.  What’s the best advice you’ve been given? The best advice I’ve ever received is that there’s almost no decision that has to be made in the moment. If you’re really feeling uncomfortable about something, there’s a reason, and you need to sleep on it.

If someone is pressuring you and it’s making you uneasy, you need to stand back and say, “I need to think about that.” I’ve used that advice many, many times and when I haven’t, I’ve wished I had. At the end of the day, you have to believe you’re doing the right thing and you almost never go wrong from trying to do the right thing.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Tess van Straaten is an award-winning journalist, television personality and fourth-generation Victoria native.

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WRY EYE

THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY  BY GWEN HILL

I

’VE JUST DUSTED THE AWARD sitting on my mantel for the 14th time this week. It’s made of curved, green glass, and its inscription reads: “2007 Heart of the Community Award, presented to The Hill Family.” It shifts annually from one member of “The Hill Family” — who have earned Multiple Capitalizations — to another, and this year it lives with me, in constant battle with the cats (who desperately want to break it) and dust.

After moving out from Ontario, The Hill Family spent many Christmas days volunteering at a soup kitchen on the Mainland. Along with my family, I lured a variety of flummoxed friends along each year with false promises of presents and pumpkin lattes. We were a magical team, The Hill Family and Reluctant Elves, slinging turkey and scooping vegetables and generally slopping gravy over as much square footage as we could manage. We had a great time every year, and though I am loathe to use the phrase, it really did bring us closer together.

Around 2008, our lives all began to change. We moved on,

52

moved away, and it became more and more onerous to make it to the soup kitchen — until one year, we agreed that it was time to stop forcing the volunteer gig, which was bringing us in from increasingly further-flung parts of the province.

For me, it was too late. I was sunk. Five years of a steady volunteer role and I was completely hooked — adrift without it, wandering helplessly through a sea of paying jobs that didn’t bond me in any way to my new community. I had moved to Victoria, you see, and had no way of connecting with this flickering gem of a city that seemed so full of life and sparkle and twice-round-the-neck bohemian scarves.

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Finding furry — and not-so-furry — friends Finding Volunteer Victoria was the beginning of my relationship with this city. I had rediscovered a love for writing, and they found me a volunteer role that would nurture that love. I met new people, made friends, even convinced the executive director that she really, actually, wanted to be my mentor and listen to my career and personal growth woes once a month for a few hours. I reconnected with the SPCA, and on a trip home from Tofino adopted my nominee for World’s Best Canine Companion (WBCC), with high marks under the section “Ability to Eat All of the Things.”

My partner and I bought our first house, and I immediately thought: look at all this space! We must foster some sort of small, furry, loving creatures. I can’t possibly take attention away from the WBCC, but what about cats? I know nothing about cats. They’re small; how much work can they be?

I shan’t dignify the idiocy of that thought with a response.

We went on to massively fail Fostering 101, and now have two cats of our own and a strict no-more-cats-rule, if only for the sake of the glass award on the mantel. We did manage to adopt out five other cats for the agency, and now I stick to more administrative-level roles when I volunteer (lest my life become overrun with small, furry, loving creatures that despise order and shed approximately 12 times their weight in fur every day).

I have recently joined the board for the Learning Through Loss Society, a wonderful group of highly organized people who — and this is important — pose no threat of increasing the volume of animals in my house. I remain peripherally involved with Volunteer Victoria, and visit them as often as possible, for their offices and staff are good for the soul. Also, they have cookies.

Volunteering is irrevocably woven throughout my life. I choose roles that suit me, and ones to which I bring a skill set that I hope will prove valuable. Every now and then I look at the curved piece of glass on the mantel (after dusting it and picking it back up) and tip an imaginary hat to my family for nurturing a spirit of involvement and for teaching me that, really, gravy goes with everything.

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INTELLIGENCE WWW.JEFFREYCBISHOP.COM 53

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

SECRETS & LIVES  BY KATE LAUTENS

TAYLOR CONROY, 31

with

FOUNDER OF CHANGE HEROES

Who are you, Taylor Conroy?

I moved to Victoria when I was 20 to be a professional firefighter, and picked up real estate on the side. I had a real estate company for about six years. Then I went to Africa and had a really impactful trip. In 2010, I came up with the idea of Change Heroes, which is 33 people, giving $3.33 per day for three months, which adds up to $10,000 and funds a schoolhouse.

You’ve been to 33 countries — where’s next?

I’m less interested in the country count than experiencing different cultures.

You could go to three countries and experience the same culture, or you could go to one country and experience 50 different cultures. That’s what I love about travelling — immersing in something totally different.

If you could possess a supernatural ability, what would it be?

To somehow let everyone know the absolute power they have to impact the 54

world in a meaningful way — telepathic communication, not to their brain but to their heart.

What are you most afraid of?

Not fulfilling my life’s purpose or living up to the potential that I’ve been given.

Your most compulsive habit?

I put my fingernail between my two front teeth and blow air out of it when I’m nervous.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose?

Ghandi. He, to me, represents a really strong outer purpose and a really strong inner purpose. He was about inner peace, yet really getting tons of stuff done.

Who is your mentor?

Shigenori — he’s my spiritual coach. I meet with him to stay centred.

Share a significant childhood memory.

I was six years old; someone had a video

camera and I was really embarrassed in front of it. That’s my first memory of being really shy. Speaking in public used to be my biggest fear, yet I knew I needed to learn how because that’s one of the best ways to spread a message.

If you could change one historical event, what would it be?

I wouldn’t, because that would be insinuating that I know better than what made these events happen.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?

Build a relationship with a three-year-old whom I now call my daughter.

What are you most looking forward to this year?

Waking up every day knowing that I’m doing what I should be doing, because everything else flows from there.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

FAMILIAR FACES, FAMILIAR PLACES

THIS IS

PHOTOGRAPHED AT MT. TOLMIE BY GARY MCKINSTRY

JENNIFER RAYBOULD WITH HER 2014 LEXUS 1S 350 AWD F-SPORT Jennifer Raybould has engine oil in her blood. Growing up at the Metro Lexus dealership with a father who was the general manager and president of Jim Pattison Auto Group, Jennifer has always been exposed to lots of car brands. “I know the ins and outs of the industry,” she says.

She also knows the ins and outs of retail. “You could call me a retail specialist,” says Jennifer, who has been in retail in Victoria for over 20 years. Now the general manager for LensCrafters in the Bay Centre, Jennifer maintains the values her father taught her. “Through my upbringing, I saw the importance of customer service,” she says.

That’s one of the reasons she continues to purchase from Metro Lexus. For many years, she drove Toyotas, her favourite brand. Seven

years ago, she bought her first Lexus and last fall, she bought a new 2014 Lexus 350 AWD F-Sport. “The IS 350 has always been my dream car,” she says.

Jennifer loves the newly redesigned body style and the way the 350 handles the road. “To be totally honest, the front grille was what made me purchase the car,” she says. The added F-Sport package enhances the car inside and out. She looks forward to daytrips up Island in her dream car.

Like her father, Jennifer keeps customer service at the core of her work. Metro Lexus upholds this value, she says, and “they’ve always treated me like a customer” — which truly means being treated like family. “I wouldn’t dream of any other brand.”

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