PLASTIC PURGE: looking for a plastic-less future
$1
PAGE 8
inc. GST
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019
WRECKCONCILIATION
VOL. 45, NO. 16
BIUndercurrent
Highlights from latest Nature of Home talk
BowUndercurrent www.bowenislandundercurrent.com
PAGE 6
Lot 3 projects’ land changes BIRCH AND THE HEALTH CENTRE OFFERED SMALLER LOTS
BRONWYN BEAIRSTO
Editor
residents across Vancouver and the Lower Mainland currently enjoy,” said Shaw president Jay Mehr in a press release Monday. The cable passes through the island as part of its route from the mainland to Vancouver Island. Shaw says that islanders will now be able to upgrade their internet plans to access download speeds of up to 600 megabits per second and that current internet plans should see more consistent speeds.
A local housing project is on shaky ground following a decision from a municipal committee last week. Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing (BIRCH) and Bowen Island Health Centre Foundation recently learned the results of the Mayor’s Standing Committee on the Community Lands assessment of Lot 3. In meetings closed to the public, the committee recommended that the rental housing project, BIRCH, receive 0.11 hectares on the eastern edge of the land parcel, just under a quarter of the previously committed lands. The committee recommended that the health centre receive approximately half of its previously allotted land, 0.08 hectares. The two land parcels are adjacent to one another. While Mayor Gary Ander said that the Health Centre Foundation accepted the committee’s recommendation (the foundation declined to comment directly until after next week’s council meeting), BIRCH said in a letter to council that it is rejecting the offer. The non-profit said that due to a rocky outcrop on their allotted parcel and parking requirement of 10 spaces (possibly underground), the proposed project would be cost-prohibitive. Last November, council instructed staff to enter into an agreement to lease 0.48 hectares of Lot 3 to BIRCH. The non-profit’s conceptual plan mapped out approximately 40 rental units, built in phases, on the parcel. In February council “paused” the agreement to lease directive until after the steering committee came back with its findings. The standing committee is comprised of three community members, three council members, three staff liaisons and one consultant. Its mandate is to, among other things, develop “a high-level overview of the best uses of the Community Lands,” to assess marketability and to identify lands that should be held for future use. Lot 3 was its first priority.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
BRONWYN BEAIRSTO, PHOTO
Bowen Waste employee Andrew McKay stands on the back of the garbage truck beside Bowen Waste owner and operator Louise McIntosh. McIntosh says three times in one shift last week her workers feared for their safety while doing their jobs collecting the island’s garbage. Read the story on page 3.
Bowen’s Internet speeds up SHAW’S SUBMARINE FIBRE OPTIC CABLE IS LIVE AND ISLANDERS CAN SIGN UP FOR FASTER INTERNET
BRONWYN BEAIRSTO Editor
A different kind of blue wave hit Bowen Monday as Shaw representatives and trucks flooded the island to sign people up for their new and improved internet service. The communication company’s submarine fibre optic cable went
live earlier this year, and Shaw says it should give island Shaw internet subscribers service comparable to that they would receive on the mainland. “Our teams on Bowen Island have been working tirelessly over the last year-and-a-half to upgrade our broadband network, and today we’re excited to give residents access to the same fast and reliable internet speeds that
NEW LISTING
712 Channelview Drive, Bowen Island OPEN HOUSE: Fri & Sat, April 19-20th, 12-2pm
$1,500,000
2 • THURSDAY APRIL 18 2019
Event Calendar April 23 2019 6:15pm
WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
Burn Season is over All open burning is prohibited between April 16 and October 15. Beach fires require prior approval from the fire chief.
We are hiring
www.bowenislandmunicipality.ca/fire-department
Regular Council Meeting
April 27 2019 9:00am - 5:00pm Special Waste Dump Day @ Bowen Island Recycling Depot
April 28 2019 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Firesmart Workshop
Permissive Tax Exemptions
Fire Hall #2, 1421 Adams Rd
COMMUNITY RECREATION - SUMMER JOBS:
April 30 2019 5:00 pm
Applications for Permissive Tax Exemptions are due by June 30th for consideration and review for 2020-2024.
www.bowenislandmunicipality.ca/jobs
Advisory Design Panel Meeting
Section 224 of the Community Charter gives Council the authority to exempt certain properties from municipal property taxes. Council considers Permissive Tax Exemptions for non-profit organizations that contribute to the well being of Bowen Island residents and makes improvements to their quality of life.
Are you FireSmart? We’re now offering free home assessments, chipper time and rebates!
May 1 2019 4:00pm Finance Advisory Committee
www.bowenislandmunicipality.ca/permissive-tax-exemptions
Meeting
2019 Housing Survey
May 1 2019 7:00pm Environment and Climate Action Advisory Committee Meeting
May 4 2019 9:00am - 3:00pm Hazardous Waste and Paint
2019 HOUSING SURVEY
Recycling @ Bowen Building Centre All meetings are held in Council Chambers unless otherwise noted.
Take the survey online: www.birchousing.org/survey
Council and Committee meetings are open to the public. We encourage you to attend in person or watch online.
All survey responses are confidential. The survey is open until Thursday, May 2.
FireSmart is an initiative to help you understand how a wildfire could threaten your home and property, and the steps you can take to protect it. Whether you are doing regular yard maintenance or making large scale changes during renovations or landscaping, you can make choices that will help protect your home from wildfire. Get involved in the FireSmart program and you may be eligible for FREE chipper time or rebates of up to $250. Get four or more of your neighbours to participate, and we’ll bring the wood chipper to your neighbourhood. Here’s how: • Attend a FireSmart workshop (coming up on April 28th and May 6th) • Schedule a free home assessment from one of our certified local FireSmart representatives • Complete the activities recommended in the assessment (for example: landscaping, removal of combustible debris, pruning trees, etc.) • Apply for your rebate or chipper time Read all about the FireSmart program on our website at
www.bowenislandmunicipality.ca/fire-smart
BIRCH welcomes ALL BOWEN ISLAND COMMUNITY MEMBERS to complete a survey to identify housing issues, priorities, and opportunities on Bowen Island. The results of the survey will help to inform BIRCH’s proposed non-profit rental project on Lot 3 of the Community Lands, as well as general needs for future housing projects for Bowen. Please complete the survey by May 2, 2019: Online at: www.birchousing.org/survey. In this newspaper. Tear off and return to the library or Municipal Hall. Fill out a paper copy at the library or Municipal Hall.
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
• • •
BIRCH is Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing, a registered nonprofit society whose vision is that every Bowen Island Community Member has access to a safe and healthy home. For more info please visit BIRCH’s website at: https://birchousing.org
General Enquiries
Contact Us
Phone: Fax: Email:
Bowen Island Municipal Hall 981 Artisan Lane Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G2
604-947-4255 604-947-0193 bim@bimbc.ca
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Bowen Island Municipality
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ISLAND NEWS
Close calls for Bowen Waste workers BRONWYN BEAIRSTO
Editor
Three times in one shift last Wednesday, Bowen Waste workers feared for their safety. Now they’re asking islanders for some distance. To service the island, Bowen Waste workers stand on the back of the garbage truck, holding on as the truck lumbers across the island. At intervals the workers leap down from the steel mesh platform to heave a load into the truck’s bucket. Louise McIntosh, owner and operator of Bowen Waste, says that following too closely, passing the truck at inappropriate times and not leaving enough space to safely pass, has been a growing issue, and last Wednesday was the final straw. “We had a near hit of one of the staff on the back of the truck. We had a passing of a vehicle on a blind corner into oncoming traffic. And we had an instance of someone following so closely behind that when the truck stopped, they almost hit the crew member,” she said. “All of those instances are the preamble to a possible catastrophic event.” Though McIntosh reported the incident to police, with only vehicle descriptions and no licence plate numbers, there was not much they could do. So McIntosh is appealing to the public to see that a day like last Wednesday doesn’t happen again. The ask is simple: slow down, be aware of
THURSDAY APRIL18, 182019 2019 •• 3 3 Thursday, April
Shaw: no difference in Bowen, mainland service CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
LOUISE MCINTOSH, PHOTO
Bowen Waste workers say vehicle drivers need to be more careful around the garbage truck. Pictured: Andrew McKay, Andy Sugden and Mike Bingham. the people on the back of the truck and don’t pass unless the vehicle has pulled off to the side and there’s enough room to pass. Andrew McKay has worked for Bowen Waste for nearly five years. He’s one of the guys on the back of the truck. He said that people in a hurry can be a problem. “Maybe sometimes it doesn’t matter if you’re going to miss a boat or you’re not going to make it to daycare on time to pick up your kid or something like that because it might give us the peace of mind,” he said. McKay had a few suggestions for islanders on the roads including maintaining three or four car lengths between the garbage truck
and following vehicles. For oncoming traffic, if the area looks even slightly dicey, a short honk to let workers know that the vehicle is coming would be appreciated. In rainy weather McKay said workers are often wearing heavy rain gear with the hoods up so their peripheral vision and hearing can be dampened. McKay also noted that drivers often look to the workers on the back of the truck for instruction as to whether or not a vehicle can pass but those hanging on the back cannot give such directions. “You have to make your own decisions and please make good decisions because it’s kind of scary back there at times,” he said.
Chethan Lakshman, Shaw’s vice president of external affairs, in an email acknowledged the network issues of Bowen’s past but said that Bowen internet users shouldn’t face any future limitations by virtue of living on the island. In the Shaw press release, Mayor Gary Ander said that the improved internet is welcome. “This upgraded service will not only strengthen our local economy and the viability of new business, but also allow existing enterprises to remain competitive and on Bowen,” he said. Islanders also now have access to Shaw’s recently-launched BlueCurve wifi technology. Shaw representatives are in front of the Snug all week to answer islanders’ questions.
Island Pacific School students attend regional science fair PAM MATTHEWS
Science teacher
In the first week of April, eight Island Pacific School students attended the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair at UBC. Over the course of three days they presented their projects to the judges, fellow participants, visiting students and the public. They met with other students to learn about their projects, attended a science show and participated in UBC science department tours and workshops. For the students it was an incredible experience being part of the more than 300 participants from greater Vancouver who took part in the event. “All of the judges were very friendly and they gave us feedback on our experiments so that we could improve,” said one stu-
dent. “They treated us as fellow scientists and didn’t treat us like we were just kids. “It felt like we were all gathered together as scientists to share our experiments and it wasn’t a big competition.” All of the IPS students were successful and had a great time. Special recognition goes to Danae J. who received an honorable mention, Beck M. who received a bronze medal, Wylie S. who received a silver medal and Ethan R. who received the UBC School of Population and Public Health Award. I am very proud of all the students who participated. They conducted themselves with grace in front of the judges and the audience. They were energetic, enthusiastic, positive and focused over the entire three days. Praise goes to: Wylie S., Ethan R., Rosalee H., Gavin B., Beck M., Trevor H., Hunter T., Danae J.
OPEN HOUSE Friday, April 19th 12:30 to 3:30
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DAVID JAN, PHOTO
Island Pacific School science fair participants pause for a photo-op.
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4 18 2019 2019 4 ••THURSDAY Thursday, APRIL April 18,
bowenislandundercurrent.com WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
VIEWPOINT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Trusting experience
moder “f ber to expected. the got-out-o In child hour to and These
DEAR EDITOR: I am writing you today to express my continuing support for keeping our Bowen Island Municipality within the Islands Trust. Even under the umbrella and mandate of the Island’s Trust since 1974, preserving and protecting the unique amenities and environment of our island has not been easy over the years. We must continue to act as long-term stewards of this beautiful place for the benefit of residents, visitors and future generations. Starting in 1974, I was elected as a Bowen Island Trustee for two consecutive terms and served as a pioneering member of the Islands Trust. I was also an Advisory Planning Commission volunteer, working with a planner and members of the community on a blueprint for the future growth and protections of Bowen under our first Official Community Plan (OCP). During the 10-acre freeze on property developments within the trust area, we needed to bring about a democratic consensus, which reflected an OCP compromise and supporting land use bylaws for the entire island, in order to lift the freeze on development. The Snug Cove Plan was completed later and the OCP is refined over the years. Extensive studies were carried out in the groundwork that led to the creation of the OCP and the carrying capacity of the island, the resources necessities of drinking water, watershed protection and septic dispersal capabilities continue to guide our population growth. Today there seems some question in the mind of Michael Kaile, municipal councillor and Island Trustee, about paying our assessed share in supporting the Islands Trust. A necessary part of budgeting is reviewing how much we pay and questioning the amount at budget and tax time. However, we need to pay our annual Trust membership tax. The core values of sustainability and provisions within our community planning have been carefully and democratically established with the assistance of numerous studies, resources and volunteers over the years and have stood the test of time: 45 years of Islands Trust preservation and protection. Looking at our history and location –within an hour’s drive of well over two million people – I believe it would be extremely dangerous to suggest that the legal oversight provided by the Trust be abandoned as an ill-conceived trade-off for lowering our Bowen municipal taxes. —Robb Schultz Bowen Island Trustee, 1974 to 1980
Bella of USSC Marina sent in this photo of an anchovies in Snug Cove last week.
time of What the to that and Qu The after we our little always
centr a yo tions out, disposabl
It was a banner week for wildlife viewing on Bowen. The island’s waters teemed with sea lions, seals, anchovies and even some orcas. Irene Paulus took this photo of some sea lions off the north side of the island.
THE WRITE STUFF. The Undercurrent encourages reader participation in your community newspaper. You must include your full name and a daytime phone number (for verification only). The editor reserves the right to edit for clarity, legality, brevity and taste. HERE’S HOW: To submit a letter to the editor, fax 604-947-0148 or mail it to #102, 495 Government Rd., PO Box 130, Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G0 or email editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com. All Advertising and news copy content are copyright of the Undercurrent Newspaper. All editorial content submitted to the Undercurrent becomes the property of the publication. The Undercurrent is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, art work and photographs.
#102–495 Bowen Trunk Road, PO Box 130, Bowen Island BC, V0N 1G0 Phone: 604.947.2442 Fax: 604.947.0148 bowenislandundercurrent.com DEADLINE for all advertising and editorial: Monday, 4:00 p.m. Bowen Island Undercurrent Subscription Rates: Mailed 1 year subscription on Bowen Island: $45, including GST. Within Canada: $65 including GST Newsstand (Single Copy) $1 per copy, including GST ISSN 7819-5040
National NewsMedia Council.
EDITOR BronwynBeairsto editor@bowenisland undercurrent.com
ADVERTISING Tracey Wait ads@bowenisland undercurrent.com
PUBLISHER Peter Kvarnstrom publisher@bowenisland undercurrent.com
CARTOONIST Ron Woodall
2011 CCNA
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2011
The Undercurrent is a member of the National NewsMedia Council of Canada, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please email editor@bowenislandundercurrent. com or call 604-947-2442. If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the website at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.
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THURSDAY APRIL18, 182019 2019 •• 5 5 Thursday, April
Father figures bonding at Daddy and Me
ROB WYNEN FINDS THE PARENTAL SOCIAL GROUP HE FIRST SOUGHT NEARLY TWO DECADES AGO (AND IT’S AT BCC)
ROB WYNEN
Contributor
Let’s go around in a circle and talk about our kids the moderator instructed. After the eighth “father” related their “fathering” experience I was looking for the exit. I was number 10 so felt a bit sheepish about hitting the door. I decided to stick it out. This was not the father and me drop-in I had expected. It turned out the group was more geared toward the dysfunctional father and me, or should I say, the I-justgot-out-of-jail-and-my-parole-officer-made-me-go group. In the circle of 15 men, I was one of two who had seen their child in the last two years (I had just put my son to bed one hour earlier.) It was my last father and me program I went to. I had at the time taken off six months to be with my son and wanted some time sharing experiences with fathers. These guys did not fill the bill. Skip ahead 18 years and I’m giving it another shot. This time I call it uncle and me drop-in as I am now the uncle of an energetic niece, Pearl, who has two very busy parents. What a better way to spend more time with my niece and at the same time give my brother and sister-in-law some time to themselves (though I suspect do more chores during that time, as is the life of busy parents). The daddy/uncle and me program is run through the Children’s Centre by Qurban and Stewart every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The drop-in began last summer as a nine-week run but after receiving funding, will continue for another two years. On my first visit I was pleasantly surprised. None of us were sent by our parole officer (I think). We had all seen our little ones in the past two years, in fact, we all had a little one in tow. And we were not sitting around in a circle, always a good sign. The room, which is shared in the evenings with the youth centre, is set up with wooden train sets, a painting station, a snack table, Play-Doh, and a sandbox, all those things you’d rather not have in your living room. The conversations with the fathers were great. As one father pointed out, no talking about breast feeding techniques, cloth vs. disposable diapers or that irritating mother-in-law con-
ROB WYNEN, PHOTO
Daddy and Me first came to the Children’s Centre nearly a year ago and recently received funding to continue for two years. stantly offering child care advice. Most of the conversations revolved around whiskey, techniques on splitting wood, new carbon road bikes, American politics and cigars. This was what I was looking for 18 years ago. The kids were also having a blast. They played so well together and in the five times I have been, I can’t recall one crying child. It was also great seeing some of the older kids helping and playing with the younger ones and the younger ones checking out what the older ones were up to. On the last day I felt a bit
guilty as this was way too relaxing. And with free coffee and freshly-baked cinnamon buns it was difficult to tell who was having more fun. If you are a busy dad, uncle or granddad up for some dad (or uncle) talk, I can’t think of a better place to hang out. The program is free, the kids pretty much take care of themselves, and the conversations are great. Add to that free coffee and pastries and I can’t imagine a better place to start the weekend.
LAND ACT: NOTICE OF INTENTION TO APPLY FOR A DISPOSITION OF CROWN LAND
BARRY PYNN, PHOTO
Bruce Russell argues that some of the damaged and derelict boats in Mannion Bay are tax burdens waiting to happen.
De-burdening Mannion Bay
DEAR EDITOR: The photo in this week’s Undercurrent is ugly, graphic proof and a reminder of the inevitable outcome of many of the unwanted “problem boats” (long stay anchorages and liveaboards) in Mannion Bay. These are boats that have far exceeded their welcome, two of which Mother Nature has dealt with by way of their sinking. One of the other two has been abandoned and could well sink, while the fourth has a long history of problems and is presently being used by a live-aboard. For one reason or another, the owners have chosen not to salvage and dispose of their derelicts, which is unfortunate and very irresponsible. Our delight that Bowen Island Municipality is preparing a proposal to Transport Canada’s Abandoned Derelict Funding Removal Program to remove and destroy the boats is very much tempered by the fact that all too often taxpayers are forced to deal with the derelicts when they are of no more use to the owners. The Friends of Mannion Bay have worked in partnership with BIM, Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard for many years to resolve the boat problem in Mannion Bay and will continue to do so until we succeed. We are presently encouraging BIM to increase the enforcement of their Bylaw 418 and License of Occupation while at the same time along with the municipality, anxiously await the Royal Assent of federal Bill C-64. The latter will give jurisdictions more teeth and finances to deal with problem boats much quicker. To deal with them before they sink and cause harm to the marine environment while substantially increasing the salvage costs for taxpayers. Some of the problem boat owners have clearly demonstrated they have neither the means nor intention of abiding by the rules and regulations, insuring their boats or dealing with them when disaster strikes. Need we say more? Once their present boats have been removed, we have encouraged BIM not to allow them to be replaced as enough is enough! —Bruce Russell Friends of Mannion Bay Spokesperson
Take notice that the Tunstall Bay Community Association (TBCA), Bowen Island, BC, has applied to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNROD), Surrey for a Community Institutional/Community Facility Licence situated on Provincial Crown land located at that part of Block B, District lot 492A, Group 1, New Westminster District. This application pertains to and continues use of existing structures (e.g. pier). The Lands File Number for this application is file number 2412166. Comments on this application may be submitted in two ways: 1) Online via the Applications and Reasons for Decision Database website at: https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/applications. 2) By mail to the Senior Land Officer at 200 – 10428 153rd Street, Surrey, BC V3R 1E1. Comments will be received by the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations until May 23, 2019. Comments received after this date may not be considered. Be advised that any response to this advertisement will be considered part of the public record. For information, contact Information Access Operations at the Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services in Victoria at: www.gov.bc.ca/citz/iao/.
6 18 2019 2019 6 ••THURSDAY Thursday, APRIL April 18,
bowenislandundercurrent.com WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
Art of the simple gesture (and avoiding a Darwinian ending) BRONWYN BEAIRSTO Editor
Michael Yahgulanaas believes it’s time to make a gesture. He’s not talking to the federal government or the provincial government, he’s talking to us out here on Bowen Island. The islander, Haida, artist and self-described mischief-maker, spoke at Cove Commons Saturday as part of the library’s Nature of Home speaker series. In WRECK-CONciliation: Now What? Yahgulanaas served up seaweed-sprinkled popcorn and lessons in despair and hope. “We are on a trans-Canada road trip that starts here at mile zero,” started Yahgulanaas, progenitor of Haida Manga and author of War of the Blink and Red: a Haida Manga. “On this trans-Canada highway of reconciliation, one route is a dead end and the other opens a world of undiluted potential.” “To persist on the route of the last 150 years is to choose a national car accident in which we risk our very lives and mark that decision in the wreck of conciliation,” he said. Noting the century and a half of broken laws and broken promises on the part of the Canadian government and to Indigenous peoples, Yahgulanaas warned that Canadians can neither claim ignorance nor innocence. Not morally and not when threatened with “the final presentation of the Darwinian Award” from the “deep fryer” of climate change. “We cannot hide ourselves under the repeated acknowledgement of unceeded, untreatied and occupied lands,” he said. “This statement, however accurate, is a promise with no deed. “We seem to be content that the Canadian constitutional requirement to properly find our place is not applicable to us the renters. We appear to hope that the relationship with the landlord lies entirely within the hands of our real estate agent, the federal government of Canada. “What we become is at best party to illegal circumstance where the rule of law, the constitution, is buried by layers of inconsistent and flawed legislation.” “This dangerous assumption that we are not accountable requires that we are compliant in the disregard for our own laws,” said Yahgulanaas. “It is not Haida law, or to my limited understanding, it is not pan-Indigenous law, that says there must be a treaty. Rather, it is the Canadian Constitution and its Charter of Rights, 1982, and as far back as the Royal Proclamation of 1763, we said that our governing institutions and its citizens must make treaty with the pre-existing landlord, the Indigenous People.” Yahgulanaas tied colonial history to the unsustainable divorce of economy from ecology and drew on his political and activist experiences on Haida Gwaii in the 1980s and 90s to chart a possible path away from the “moral, legal and ecological cliff we are facing.” Raised on Haida Gwaii, where logging was a primary industry, Yahgulanaas started out working as a surveyor for
LEN GILDAY, PHOTO
Michael Yahgulanaas gives the second talk in the library’s Nature of Home series. Next Saturday Bob Turner speaks at Collins Hall. a logging company. He worked his way up to being assigned his own parcel of land. Yahgulanaas studied a swath of cedars and sitka on the side of a mountain for three months and engineered how it would be cut. When it was all over, Yahgulanaas returned to the site and couldn’t recognize the land. Decades later, describing the Earth, red and raw, his voice cracked at the memory. It was after that that Yahgulanaas found himself standing with his friends on Lyell Island, in 1985, blocking logging companies from cutting the old growth island forests. The small crew of Haidas fought the companies, lawyers, the province and found themselves in contempt of court and the centre of national media attention. Eventually, they won. The dispute culminated in the 1993 Gwaii Haanas agreement, signed by both Council of the Haida Nation and Government of Canada. As Yahgulanaas explains it, the agreement has two columns, one with how the Haida Nation sees the archipelago, the other with how the federal government sees it. After explaining their differences, the agreement lays out where the two parties agree –on the protection on of the land. The land is now part of the Haida and Canadian co-managed The Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site and is managed through consensus-based decision making. Consensus-based decision making is where Yahgulanaas sees potential. It was in those years, frightened, facing off against more influential, more experienced adversaries that Yahgulanaas said he learned the power of a gesture and the power of stepping outside of the lines. The gestures Yahgulanaas described were seemingly small. A janitor from New Brunswick sending the Haidas $18 a month during the blockade. A police officer crying upon return to Haida Gwaii after testifying against the
Schedule in Effect: April 1, 2019 to May 15, 2019
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activists. Police officers waking up the bleary-eyed young people to make sure they made it down to the blockade. But he described them as human acts, revealing a transcendent respect, a foundational brick for a relationship. “I believe that we are ready as a Peoples, as a Nation, to truly reconcile the books,” said Yahgulanaas. “To take proper account and to do as we said we would do. I also believe that the path to this better place can begin with a small gesture.” Yahgulanaas said that Indigenous people can’t be expected to step into colonial processes. New relationships and systems need to be built. He suggested reaching out to the nations that include Bowen in their traditional territories and asking what the municipality can do. And then doing it. “Small government, particularly the one we currently enjoy here, can create landslides of progressive change far beyond our shorelines and historical blip,” he said. “This island community, through the Bowen municipal government, has the opportunity to step forward and honestly acknowledge the systematic failings of 150 years of silly buggers and nasty, brutish games,” he said. “We can choose to speak directly to our neighbours and begin a conversation that reveals we are a community of high moral values and that we wish to treat others as we wish to be treated. “We need to make a heartfelt commitment to be trusted and be trustworthy,” he said. By the end of the evening the crowd was standing and at least 30 people signed a sheet asking to be part of the conversation and part of the gesture. The talk was timely, not only on a global and national scale, but locally, the municipal council passed a resolution at the April 8 council meeting to invite the Squamish Nation to Bowen to discuss relationships and shared activities.
Easter Sunrise Service 7:30 a.m at Sandy Beach on Cardena Road presented by the churches of Bowen.
of Worship
BOWEN ISLAND UNITED CHURCH BOWEN ISLAND UNITED CHURCH Shelagh Mackinnon Marie Paul Rev.Rev. Shelagh MacKinnon
Service and Sunday School: 10:30 a.m. Service and Sunday School 10:30 am Collins Hall Bookings: Helen Wallwork MinisterCollins of Music: Williams HallLynn Bookings:
Helan Wallwork Helen Minister of Music: Lynn Williams
FOOD BANK
FOOD DROP-OFF BANK DROP-OFF
BOWEN ISLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH Pastor Clinton Neal ST. GERARD’S ROMAN 1070 Miller Road 604-947-0384 Service 10:30 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. CATHOLIC CHURCH
Sunday Mass: 10:30 a.m.
ST. GERARD’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Administration Office: 604-682-6774 Mass: 10:30 a.m. Priest: Father James Comey
604-988-6304
CATES HILL CHAPEL
www.cateshillchapel.com 604-947-4260 CATES HILL CHAPEL www.cateshillchapel.com 604-947-4260 (661 Carter Rd.)
10:00 a.m. W 10:00 a.m. Worship
(661 Carter Rd.)
10:00 a.m. Worship • Sunday School: Tots to Teens Sunday School: Tots to Teens
Pastor: Dr. James B. Krohn
Pastor: Phil Adkins
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THURSDAY APRIL18, 182019 2019 •• 7 7 Thursday, April
BOWEN BEAT Rooting for volunteers Last week was National Volunteer Week and on Bowen we’ve got many. The Garden Club members were a prime example last Friday as they got their hands dirty donating their time to beautifying the library’s lawn.
PHOTOS BY BRONWYN BEAIRSTO
Bonnie Miller-Wilson and Diane Buchanan discussing their planting progress Friday morning.
Holly Cleator digs into a creative grass planter. Anna-Marie Atherton, Maurice McGregor and Janet Ross take a snack break.
Michael Nicholl Yahgulanaas gets a standing ovation after his library-sponsored Nature of Home talk “WRECK-CONciliation: now what?” Photo: Len Gilday
8 18 2019 2019 8 ••THURSDAY Thursday, APRIL April 18,
bowenislandundercurrent.com WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
Food packaging: getting over plastics ELAINE CAMERON
Bowen Island Food Sovereignty
“The future of plastics is in the trash can,” predicted Lloyd Stouffer, editor of the Modern Packaging magazine, at a conference of the Society of Plastics Industry in 1956. A few years later, Stouffer announced that the “happy day” had arrived: the plastics industry was “filling the trash cans, the rubbish dumps and the incinerators with literally billions of plastics bottles, plastics jugs, plastics tubes, blisters and skin packs, plastics bags and films and sheet packages.” The system isn’t broken. It’s working exactly as it was designed. Small comfort today when plastics are forming continents in the ocean and landfills are overflowing with plastic. For many of us, plastic most often comes into our lives when we shop for food – wrapped with plastic, on Styrofoam trays and carried home in plastic bags. Fortunately, this habit is under scrutiny, and many places are banning or restricting such uses. But, there’s a hidden connection between food and plastics that is far more dangerous. Before fully degrading, plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, some of which are eaten by fish, birds and other animals. Plastic is in our waterways and soil; we ingest plastic in our food and the air we breathe. Bowen residents Harmony Shire and Aaron Davison believe we can do something about it. They are committed to raising their two children in a plastics-free
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Harmony Shire, pictured in front of her pantry, is raising her children in a plastics-free home. home. When asked what started them on this path, Harmony says that a documentary film opened her eyes to the food industry. “It’s all about food,” she says, but quickly adds she wasn’t always as conscious of food and plastic packaging. “I was raised on fast food – McDonald’s and packaged Kraft Macaroni. I mean, I made nachos with Kraft slices.” Later, Harmony read David Suzuki’s comment that when he was born, there was no plastic on the planet. “It just shifted my whole cerebral cortex. What did we do before plastic? It ignited a passion to find alternative ways of living,” she said. Removing plastics from your home is not easy. Harmony recommends starting with
baby steps. They try to make sure their food doesn’t come with plastic. They buy in bulk using their own containers and don’t put produce into plastic bags. “If you’re worried about it not being sanitary to lay produce on the counter, think again. It wasn’t sanitary to begin with, and you’re going to wash it anyway.” They store their food in glass containers and can some of their food. Harmony recommends the book, Plastic Free: How I kicked the plastic habit and how you can too for learning more about recycling and reusing plastics. But re-use has drawbacks. Plastic sheds small particles and washing plastic bags can cause chemicals to leach into food. “The real goal,” Harmony says, “is to not
Invites you to our Annual Meeting The Bowen Island Community Foundation’s 2019 Annual Meeting Are you concerned about: housing, seniors, diversity, youth activities, and gathering places on Bowen? Please join us to learn how your support is making a difference. We are excited to award $35,500 in community grants, introduce the Foundation’s new Board members, and announce some new initiatives.
use plastic in the first place because eventually it ends up in the soil, the ocean, the air, and in us.” A first step is remembering to take cloth bags when heading to the store. They’re a good alternative because they biodegrade and won’t be floating around the ocean or clogging up landfills for hundreds of years. But it’s important to use cloth bags hundreds of times because, as the sign at the Ruddy Potato points out, “they have the highest global-warming manufacturing cost since they require more resources to produce and distribute than plastic or paper.” Compostable bags might not be the answer either. Bags made of corn and other crops are compostable only under the right conditions. In landfills, the trash is so compacted that there isn’t enough oxygen for composting. As a result, many “compostable” bags contribute to methane in the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas 28-36 more potent than CO2. And don’t be fooled by labels. “Biodegradable” bags aren’t regulated and are often plastic with chemicals added to make them break down into tiny plastic particles faster. To make a difference, we need to drastically reduce our plastics use, significantly increase our reuse and support local efforts to reduce the use of plastic bags and containers. In addition to acting individually, we can act collectively to urge all levels of governments to take action to stem the plastic tide. At a municipal level, we can ban single-use plastic bags and work together to find other alternatives and solutions. Now’s the time to do it.
JEAN CLEATOR January 21, 1926 – January 19, 2019 Celebration of Life will be held April 27, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. Bowen Island Lodge, 380 Cardena Street Everyone welcome (As parking is limited around the Lodge and surrounding streets, Bowen residents are encouraged to carpool and park away from the facility where possible.)
We hope to raise a glass with you in celebration of community!
Friday April 26, 2019 - 6:30pm Cates Hill Chapel 661 Carter Road, Bowen Island Please rsvp by Thursday, April 18th info@bowenfoundation.com • www.bowenfoundation.com
Where to recycle? Check the BC RECYCLEPEDIA Check the BC RECYCLEPEDIA www.rcbc.ca www.rcbc.ca RECYCLING COUNCIL OF B.C. MEMBER
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THURSDAY APRIL 18 2019 • 9
2019 HOUSING SURVEY Take the survey online: www.birchousing.org/survey All survey responses are confidential. The survey is open until Thursday, May 2. BIRCH is Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing – a registered non-profit society. Our vision is that every Bowen Island Community Member has access to a safe and healthy home. For more info please visit BIRCH’s website at: https://birchousing.org/ BIRCH welcomes ALL BOWEN ISLAND COMMUNITY MEMBERS to complete this survey to identify housing issues, priorities, and opportunities on Bowen Island. The results of the survey will help to inform BIRCH’s proposed non-profit rental project on Lot 3 of the Community Lands, as well as general needs for future housing projects for Bowen. 1. How supportive are you in general of using Community Lands for non-profit housing? Not Somewhat Very Supportive supportive supportive supportive Comments ______________________________________ 2. Last year Bowen Island Council committed a 0.48ha site on Lot 3 of the Community Lands to BIRCH to create non-profit housing that will benefit the community. All BIRCH's work, and the funding received (approx. $24,000+) to date, has been based on this commitment. Do you support BIRCH continuing with the allocated 0.48ha site on Lot 3? Not Somewhat Very Supportive supportive supportive supportive Comments ______________________________________ _______________________________________________ 3. Are these housing challenges an issue on Bowen Island? Yes, Not at all Somewhat definitely Affordability Availability 4. In terms of addressing different community housing needs, which stakeholder group(s) should be prioritized? [1 = higher priority / 8 = lesser priority] __ Individuals with low income __ Families with low income __ Individuals with middle income __ Families with middle income __ Seniors __ People experiencing or at risk of homelessness __ People with disabilities __ Seasonal workers 5. Please rank the following unit types in order of your perceived need in the community. [1 = most needed / 4 = least needed]. ___Studio ___1 bedroom ___2 bedroom ___3+ bedroom 6. What do you think future priorities should be for non-profit/diverse/affordable housing units on Bowen: [1 = higher priority / 7 = lesser priority] ___Below-market rental units ___Market rental units ___Affordable ownership units ___Townhouses ___Co-operative housing (families / all ages) ___Staff/employee housing ___Family-oriented housing ___Other: _______________________________
7. Multi-bedroom units with shared spaces (kitchens, living rooms) and/or micro-units (350 sq ft or less) may have the potential to lower costs and/or provide more units. How supportive are you of BIRCH considering these types of designs? Not Somewhat Very Supportive supportive supportive supportive Shared units Micro-units 8. Would you like to take part in a stakeholder workshop about this project in the near future? ___No ___Yes If yes, please provide your name and contact info: ________________________________________ or email it to: info@birchousing.org 9. Which housing issues are of personal concern for you? Not Slightly Moderately Very concerned concerned concerned concerned Cost of rent Cost of ownership Lack of rental options Lack of ownership options Other: __________________________________ 10. Do you: ___Live on Bowen Island full time ___Live on Bowen Island part time ___Work on Bowen Island but do not live here ___Neither live nor work on Bowen Island ___Other:_________________ 11. If you live on Bowen Island, do you: ___Rent your home ___Own your home ___Not applicable / don’t live on Bowen ___Other:__________________________ 12. If you live on Bowen Island, please choose the type of home you live in: ___Single-detached house ___Duplex/townhouse ___Apartment or condominium ___Secondary suite, incl. cottage/cabin ___Other: (please specify)___________________ ________________________________
14. How suitable is your current housing? Not Somewhat Suitable suitable suitable
Very suitable
Cost Size Quality Future suitability (aging in place/changing family) Comments _______________ 15. Will you be actively looking for more suitable housing in the next 5 years? ___No ___Yes 16. If you will be looking for more suitable housing in the future, what kind of unit would best suit your needs? [fill/check all that apply] (These answers aren't limited to, or specifically for, non-profit housing, but to gauge general need in the community)
___# bedrooms ___# bathrooms ___den/office ___pet friendly ___accessible
___ground-oriented (front door and/or outdoor space at ground level)
___affordable (30% of my income) ___single level (no stairs) ___secure rental (market price) ___secure rental (below-market) (to suit wheelchair or ___ownership (market price) restricted-mobility) ___ownership (below-market) ___close to the ___family-oriented townhouse Cove/services ___energy efficient (low utility ___small garden costs) ___balcony ___healthy indoor air quality 17. Are you: ___Not able to work ___Working full time ___A student ___Working part time ___Semi or fully retired ___Unemployed ___Other:______________ 18. Your age: ___________ 19. Please identify your family status: ___Single-person household ___Single parent with kid(s) ___Dual-person household ___Dual parents with kid(s) ___Multi-generational family ___Other: (please specify)___________________ 20. How many members in your family? ____ 21. Annual household income: $_____________ 22. Do you have a Bowen housing story to share?
13. How secure is your current housing? ___Not very secure ___Somewhat secure ___Reasonably secure ___Very secure Comments: ___________________________
Pick up/drop off paper copies to Muni Hall (front desk or after-hours box) or Library.
Closes Thursday, May 2
10 18 2019 10••THURSDAY Thursday,APRIL April 18, 2019
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WILL HUSBY
Ander: Lot 3 is “prime land”
Spring is here and Bowen’s insects are on the move. In the forest, the best places for insect watching are where there are flowers. The salmonberry and huckleberry bushes are coming into full flower along the trails in Crippen Park near where I live. On a short stop beside some blossoms, I can see five or six large fat, furry queen bumble bees gathering pollen and nectar to feed their first broods of workers in their new nests in tree holes and rotting stumps. Within a week or two, I’ll start looking for the smaller workers. They take over food gathering tasks from their mother, the queen. After her first brood of workers start to fly, the queen stays home to lay eggs and manage the nest full time. Bumble bees and other native bees are hardy. Once they emerge, they are out visiting flowers in all weathers. I often see some of the tiny solitary bees, one quarter the size of a house fly, gathering pollen on pussy willows in the middle of rain showers. On warm sunny days, I can see honey bee workers visiting wildflowers and garden flowers. Originally from the tropics, these bees tend to forage only on warm days. I also keep my eye peeled for other pollinators such as butterflies, beetles and flies that come to spring flowers for food. Spring insects are not only active around flowers. When I am working
The flat parcel of land off Miller Road, across from the ambulance station, is widely regarded as the most valuable parcel of the municipally owned Community Lands. The committee met with both the Bowen Island Health Centre Foundation and BIRCH before coming to its decision. Ander said that council discussed and supported the standing committee’s recommendations in a closed council meeting April 8. However, the previous council resolutions to enter into lease agreements with the Health Centre Foundation and BIRCH are still on the books, and have yet to be rescinded. “We’ve had lengthy discussions with BIRCH about it,” said Ander. “[The recommendation] went on to council and it was approved by council. “Obviously it wasn’t very well received.” Ander said that the land reductions were tough decisions for the standing committee. Ander said that much of the land should be retained for the future with densification in mind. “We’re not really prepared to give up all of Lot 3 for housing,” he said, adding that the door is still open for negotiations with BIRCH and that the committee is willing to consider leasing a similar amount of land on a different lot. “We want it to happen,” said Ander, “but [they] can’t have as much of the prime, prime land. “It’s by far the most expensive piece of property in our property chest. “There’s value in this property and we can’t just give it away,” he said. “We need to make some money off of this.” The municipality bought the Community Lands in 2005 from Metro Vancouver for $2 million. The plan back then was to finance the purchase by selling off some of the land. To date, none of the land has been sold, adding a financial burden to taxpayers this year as the $2 million transfers from temporary to long-term debt in 2019.
Nature Matters: spring insects
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Bowen Nature Club
WILL HUSBY PHOTO
Hard-working solitary bees like this Halictid bee forage even in rainy weather. in our garden, I am always glad to see big black ground beetles. These voracious predators are always on the prowl ready tackle and eat slugs, cutworms and other garden pests. Want to learn more about the insects that you are seeing this spring? Bring your photos or captured live specimens of insects that you are finding, and join me at the Nature Club annual general meeting and family potluck dinner. I will be leading a “mystery bug” identification session and presenting a Bowen insects in spring slide show. All welcome. For details, look for the ad in this issue of the Undercurrent. I hope to see you there. Bowen Nature Club, est. 1985, is dedicated to the enjoyment, understanding, and preservation of Bowen’s diversity. For more information: bowennatureclub.blogspot. com.
Ander said that the new fire hall on Lot 3, the subject of many letters to council and the editor, hadn’t been reconsidered. “It’s an emergency service we require,” he said. Ander also suggested that there could be other housing projects on the horizon besides BIRCH but wouldn’t expand on the comment. Robyn Fenton, executive director of BIRCH, said that she’s open to any and all alternatives to the proposal from the committee, but that the organization isn’t willing to move forward with that particular offer. In the letter to council, BIRCH says that the land it has been allotted is the most challenging and difficult to build on part of Lot 3 (co-signatory Fenton is an architect by trade) and that it doesn’t believe that the size and location of the site was the result of a “public, transparent, or collaborative process.” The letter also points out that every candidate in the 2018 municipal election explicitly supported the BIRCH project. “This dramatic change to the municipality’s commitment alters all our conversations with funders and undermines all our work done to date. This is not how we, as partners, expected to be treated,” said BIRCH in its letter. “If Mayor and Council wish to reconsider their approach to how these community lands are utilized, BIM should undertake a comprehensive community planning process, similar to those for business licensing and short-term rentals,” said BIRCH. “The value of these lands should be determined by Bowen Island Community Members – not solely by a hand-picked committee in closed meetings,” it said. Fenton said that the next step will be to go back to negotiating with the municipality. “I’m very optimistic moving forward,” she said. Disclosure: the author of this piece is a tenant of the president of BIRCH.
DISTINCTLY
DIFFERENT
"RECHERCHÉ: Prof Super-héros IslandPacific PacificSchool Schoolisislooking lookingfor foraacreative, creative, committed, committed, && cool cool middle middle Island schoolteacher teacherfor forthe the2018-19 2019-20academic academic year year && beyond. beyond. AA teacher teacher who: who: school
understands & embraces the peculiarities & joys of working with middle school students • is passionate about teaching grade 6-9 French • is able to teach at least one other subject knows their way around educational • technology •
ISLAND PACIFIC SCHOOL
EXPERIENCE IPS Open House
Wednesday Come to IPS and bring a friend too! April 24, 2019 Students are invited for a fun afternoon of Earth Day themed team events. Parents are invited to get to know us better and network with other parents.
islandpacific.org/ join-our-team
12:00 - 2:30 pm Light lunch, ride from & to ferry provided. Get to know us | 604 947 9311 | RSVP Online
edited Independent Schools
islandpacific.org/ attend-an-event
loves hiking, rock-climbing, & kayaking with kids • knows what “Ultimate” is • would love to take grade 9 students to Quebec City • has a good sense of humour & an ability to work collaboratively with colleagues • can leap over tall buildings in a single bound (OK, maybe just over a cardboard box) •
your community your community
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MATTHEW RAMSAY, PHOTO
Ronan, Yorrick, Vera, Beatrice, Claire and Hudson, all BICS students, celebrate their Destination Imagination wins.
THURSDAY April APRIL 2019••11 11 Thursday, 18,182019
SAMANTHA ADKINS PHOTO
Logan and Ronan of Ginger Meatballs showing off their competition trophies.
BICS kids show off their problem solving skills BRONWYN BEAIRSTO
Editor
Ginger Meatballs and Disco Monkey Busters put Bowen’s best foot forward earlier this month. The Bowen Island Community School teams both placed in their divisions in the provincial Destination Imagination competition in West Vancouver. The collaborative problem solving competition had 80 teams, around 600 youth, from all over the province. There are six challenges at elementary, middle and secondary levels of competition. Three are in science, trades, engineering or math and three are in fine arts. “The wonderful thing about Destination Imagination is that the students have to do everything,” said team leader Samantha Adkins. “They must carefully read the many rules for their challenge and work together to design, create,
build, write, paint and build their solutions. “It is a great opportunity for kids to find out what they can do!” Youth work for many weeks on their challenges and are to have no adult interference. The teams have a budget and, once they get to competition, an eight-minute presentation window. The Ginger Meatballs competed in a technical challenge, On Target, where the teams, comprised of youth between grades three and five, designed aircraft to drop payloads on a target. The Meatballs’ background story included a trip to the derelict department store Wallymart to fetch supplies for their broken time machine. The team won second place in the technical challenge and first place in the on-the-spot Instant Challenge. The Disco Monkey Busters competed in a fine arts chal-
lenge, Game On. The youth took Monopoly and made Bowopoly, the story of two kids forced to turn to a board game for entertainment after one breaks their phone. “Other group members acted as the dice and two game pieces while they played the game on a life-size monopoly board,” said Adkins. “Not only did [the kids] design and create costumes and the game board, their board game had to fold up into a box which could move in and out of a classroom. Their story included many facts about Monopoly and Bowen Island.” The Monkey Busters won first in both the team challenge and the instant challenge. Islander Joan Vyner is an affiliate director for Destination Imagination. She said that BICS has always done well at the competition and that it’s always fun to see what the youth come up with. “We’re very proud of our Bowen kids,” she said.
Learn more about the insects that you are seeing this spring Bring your photos or captured live specimens.
Bowen Nature Club Annual General Meeting and Family Potluck Dinner “Mystery Bug”identification session and Bowen Insects in Spring slide show When: Sunday 28 April, 5–7 pm Where: 621 Cates Hill Road (Please park on road unless you have mobility issues). It is a potluck, so bring a food dish to share (enough for 6–8 people) plus a beverage. And don’t forget to bring a flashlight, as the driveway is long and dark.
Introducing Bowen Vet’s new Veterinarian Newly adopted: Dr. Midge Ritchie Species: Veterinarian Temperament: sweet but feisty, does not bite History: Fully vaccinated, graduated with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University in 2010, many years working in emergency medicine
@bowenislandundercurrent.com
Proud to serve North and West Vancouver and Sea to Sky with comprehensive emergency & general veterinary services.
Bowen Veterinary Services re-opening this year 24/7 Emergency Service
604 973 1247 Mountainside Animal Hospital 2580 Capilano Rd., North Van mountainside24er.ca
12 18 2019 12••THURSDAY Thursday,APRIL April 18, 2019
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We’d like to continue to include birthdays in the paper but we need some submissions! Send in your birthday wishes to editor@ bowenislandundercurrent.com PARADISE IS BACK! PARADISE GRILL’S 23RD YEAR OPENING FRIDAY MAY 3 We’re HIRING 604-908-9112 We are sad to say so long to our lovely Milly, who after 6 years of working with Paradise Grill has moved on and upward to the movie idustry. It’s a natural progression, of course. LOL
HOURS OF OPERATION 11-6 PM. SEE YOU FRIDAY...
(Bring this ad for a free hot dog)
PARADISE GRILL
CALENDAR
THURSDAY APRIL 18
Duplicate Bridge Bowen Court 6:45 - 10 p.m. Info call Irene 604-947-2955
FRIDAY APRIL 19
Friday Night Live at the Pub Bowen Island Pub 7-10 p.m. Live music, dinner specials, and no cover.
SATURDAY APRIL 20
The Great Bowen Easter Egg Hunt Playground at BICS 10:30 11:30 a.m. Pre- register at bowencommunityrecreation. ca Writing Workshop with Chantal Eustace 2-4 p.m. Tap into your creativity from the inside out. Discover physical movements and writing strategies to help you feel more open, and to keep your story going. No writing or yoga experience is necessary! Bring a journal, pen and open mind! Register at bowencommunityrec.com
grooming@bowendogranch.com www.bowendogranch.com
Nature of Home: Bob Turner Collins Hall 7 p.m. “The Great Howe Sound Recovery” seating is limited. Presented by the Bowen Library. Spring Jazz benefit with Christie Grace Quintet
Join Us!
Cove Commons 7:30 p.m Tickets online at www.hearth. ca/christiegrace.php $40 at door. Proceeds will benefit the Community Centre Project. Black Molly Bowen Island Pub Get ready to dance Bowen’s favourites are back at the pub!
SUNDAY APRIL 21
Easter Sunrise Service At Sandy Beach next to Bowen Island Lodge on Cardena 7:30 a.m Easter Sunrise Service presented by all of the churches on Bowen and led by Bowen’s St. Gerard’s Roman Catholic Church. The choir will include members from each of the island’s churches. Easter Breakfast Collins Hall 8:30 - 9:30 a.m Bowen Island United Church hosts a free breakfast of sausages and pancakes with coffee, tea and juice for ALL ages and ALL welcome. Outdoor Meditation Circle Meet at the picnic tables at the entrance to Crippen Park 11 a.m. Open to everyone. Dress warmly. Tea will be served. No cost. More info: lisa.shatsky@gmail.com
MONDAY APRIL 22
Seniors Keeping Young 1070 Miller Road Exercise at 9:00, coffee at 9:45, Guest speaker at 10:00, and yoga at 11:15. Yearly membership is $20, drop in fee for the first time is $3.00 and $2.00 for members.
TUESDAY APRIL 23
EQUIP & INSPIRE CONFERENCE
Wednesday May 1, 2019 You are invited to the Keynote on 9:00-10:30 am Cultivating Ethics, Values & Humanity by Cates Hill Chapel Dr. Ted Spear, Founding Head of IPS.
Followed by a casual social & networking hour.
edited Independent Schools
islandpacific.org/ attend-an-event
Special Waste Dump Day Bowen Island Recycling Depot 9 - 5 p.m. 2019 Clean Up Bowen! Meet at the legion 9 a.m. Enjoy coffee and muffins before setting out to clean up Bowen’s roads and ditches! Prizes for the collection of the “most disgusting” and “the biggest” garbage. Songs for Spring Cates Hill Chapel 7:30 p.m. The Lady Madrigal Singers will put a song in your heart. Tickets available at Cates Pharmacy or at the door. $18 Children 6 and under Free. Nature of Home: Fiona Beaty Library Annex 7 p.m. “I find my identity in the sea” Seating is limited. Presented by the Bowen Library.
SUNDAY APRIL 28
Fire Smart Workshop Fire Hall #2 3 p.m. Join us for a presentation by wildfire expert Bruce Blackwell, and learn what you can do to make your home and your island more resilient to wildfires. There’s lots of time for Q&A, so bring your questions! Outdoor Meditation Circle Meet at the picnic tables at the entrance to Crippen Park 11 a.m. Open to everyone. Dress warmly. Tea will be served. No cost. More info: lisa.shatsky@gmail.com
Art Group Gallery at Cove Commons 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Drop in $2 For more info call 604-947-9623
Bowen Island Nature Club AGM and family potluck 621 Cates Hill Road 5-7 p.m. Potluck Supper and Bug Talk with Will Husby; please park on the road unless you have mobility issues.
Bowen Island AA Collins Hall 7:15 p.m.
MONDAY APRIL 29
Regular Council Meeting BIM 6:15 p.m.
THURSDAY APRIL 25
ISLAND PACIFIC SCHOOL
painting workshop and kids activies. For more info contact Sarah Haxby at 604947-9952.
Duplicate Bridge Bowen Court 6:45 - 10 p.m. Info call Irene 604-947-2955
FRIDAY APRIL 26
Dinner at the Legion Bowen Island Legion Doors at 5:30 Dinner at 6:30 Friday Night Live at the Pub Bowen Island Pub 7-10 p.m. Live music, dinner specials, and no cover.
SATURDAY APRIL 27
Grafton Gardens Collective 10 am. Garden fun every Saturday morning. Learn and share in work graftoncollective@gmail.com Apple Blossom Festival Down cottage lane behind the Tuscany. 10- 1 p.m. Bowen Heritage’s new festival includes a tea, heritage textile exhibit, mini- farmers market, seedling sale, and a parasol
Seniors Keeping Young 1070 Miller Road Exercise at 9:00, coffee at 9:45, Guest speaker at 10:00, and yoga at 11:15. Yearly membership is $20, drop in fee for the first time is $3.00 and $2.00 for members.
Live music, dinner specials, and no cover.
SATURDAY MAY 4
Bowen Island Community Choir Spring Concerts Cates Hill Chapel 2:30 p.m and a 7:30 p.m. concert Featuring Bossa Nova, Doo Wop, Kentucky Folk, Samba, Salsa, Folk Ballad, Big Band Swing, Calypso, Pure Country and ..Bohemian Rhapsody! Plus special guest musicians! Tickets $20 adult, Seniors & Students $15. at Cates Pharmacy or the door. “How to Change the World” Movie Night Tunstall Bay Beach Club 1666Tunstall Blvd. Doors open at 6 p.m. Show at 6:30 “ How to Change the World” is a documentary about the formation of the movement to save the whales. Special guest Rod Marining. Tickets are $20 and can be booked by contacting Gary at garyod@ shaw.ca All proceeds to benefit The Sea Shepherd Society.
MONDAY MAY 6
Fire Smart Workshop Fire Hall #2 7 p.m. Join us for a presentation by wildfire expert Bruce Blackwell, and learn what you can do to make your home and your island more resilient to wildfires. There’s lots of time for Q&A, so bring your questions!
TUESDAY MAY 7
Art Group Gallery at Cove Commons 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Drop in $2 For more nfo call 604-947-9623
FRIDAY MAY 10
Snug Cove Blues Band Bowen Island Pub 7 - 10 p.m.
SATURDAY MAY 11
Dog, Meet Horse Crippen Park Equestrian Ring 10 a.m.-3 p.m. A special event bringing dogs and horses together. Limited space for dogs, so sign up early. Minimum $10 donation per dog. To sign up email Katrina at hylyte.of.my.summer@ hotmail.com
TUESDAY APRIL 30
Art Group Gallery at Cove Commons 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Drop in $2 For more nfo call 604-947-9623 Bowen Island AA Collins Hall 7:15 p.m.
THURSDAY MAY 2
Duplicate Bridge Bowen Court 6:45 - 10 p.m. Info call Irene 604-947-2955
FRIDAY MAY 3
Dinner at the Legion Bowen Island Legion Doors at 5:30 Dinner at 6:30 Jazz Night at the Pub Bowen Island Pub 7-10 p.m.
Send in your calendar submissions to ads@ bowenislandundercurrent. com. Calendar listings are free!
If you have questions, comments, want more information, we love hearing from you: 604-9472442.
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THURSDAY April APRIL 2019••13 13 Thursday, 18,182019
Tiger Woods’Bowen Island counterparts RESULTS FROM BOWEN ISLAND GOLF COURSE’S VERSION OF THE WORLD-FAMOUS MASTERS GOLF TOURNAMENT TERENCE MCKEOWN
Bowen Island Golf Club
The Masters is one of the most prestigious tournaments in golf, featuring the world’s best golfers playing one most beautiful U.S. courses. It’s only fitting that Canada should have its own version, also played on one of the country’s most beautiful courses –our own Bowen Island Golf Club. To make things more interesting, each of our golfers is paired with one of their U.S. Masters counterparts, their two scores from Saturday’s round combined to determine the winners. There is a catch: our player doesn’t know who their partner will be, or what their score is, until a random draw after the round. A player with a good score may be defeated by their PGA partner’s bad score, or play badly themselves yet surge to victory by the luck of the draw. This year’s Island Masters took place on Saturday, April 13. As usual, rain was predicted but failed to materialize, proving once again that our magnificent course is watched over by one of the more beneficent golf gods.
SUBMITTED, PHOTO
George Bernard abd Lisa Arthur were this year’s yellow jacket winners of the Bowen Masters. Golfers of all ages and at least two of the sexes battled through nine gruelling holes
and then faced the moment of truth. They stuck their hand into a cardboard box and
pulled out a slip of paper with the name of their US Masters partner. For some, the result was immediate. Their partner’s Saturday round was already over and the score final. But many huddled in front of the TV in the clubhouse, cheering or cursing their partners as the Masters round concluded. Finally, two champions emerged: George Bernard, partnered with Henrik Stenson, won the men’s division. Lisa Arthur, partnered with Justin Thomas, won the women’s division. The coveted and boldly-designed yellow jackets were awarded and will hang in the clubhouse to be worn again exclusively by our winners if they ever get really cold or lose a bet. Bowen Island Golf Club is a public course – everyone welcome (for a very reasonable fee, of course). Please note that only paying golfers are allowed on the cart paths. There are lovely walking trails outside the perimeter of the course. Walking on cart paths when not golfing is very dangerous. And you will probably be yelled at. Your golfing neighbours thank you!
Haig Farris sent in this photo of Vancouver taken from Fairweather last weekend. Send in your photos to editor@bowenislandundercurrent. com
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