THIS WEEKEND: Pop-up book sale provides spring break reading material PAGE 3
$1.50
inc. GST
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020
SHAKESPEARE BEHIND THE SCENES
VOL. 46, NO. 10
BIUndercurrent
BowUndercurrent www.bowenislandundercurrent.com
The Hamlet cast takes a bow PAGE 9
DARRYL GRIGG PHOTO
ARTISTIC LICENCE: The Gallery at Cove Commons was alive with walking, talking art during last Saturday’s mini gala. The mystery is in the art was the theme of this year’s gala and
attendees dressed up as characters from their favourite paintings. Local artists’ mini masterpieces were auctioned off as a fundraiser for Bowen Island Arts Council. See more photos on p. 7.
‘Keep calm and wash your hands’: COVID-19 B.C. IS STILL CONSIDERED LOW-RISK FOR VIRUS TRANSMISSION WITHIN THE PROVINCE
BRONWYN BEAIRSTO
Editor
An outstretched hand for a handshake may elicit a chilly reception these days as fear of COVID-19 blooms in B.C. as
the province saw its 12th case confirmed Tuesday. Bowen’s emergency program coordinator Jennifer McGowan bids islanders to “keep calm and wash your hands.” McGowan says that BIM is following really regimented cleaning protocols, making sure first responders have all the personal protective equipment they need and directing the public to reliable sources of COVID-19 information. “[We’re] encouraging businesses start thinking about what they’re going to do with high rates of absenteeism,
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Bordered by a mature forest on one side, with a garden that comes alive in the spring, you’ll be enchanted from the moment you step through the front gate. A covered front porch along the front of the house provides the perfect spot for prepping summer meals while the kids and dogs play safely in the fully fenced yard. Inside, you’ll find the living, kitchen, dining, and family rooms on the main floor, with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on the upper floor. You’ll have lots of room for family and friends with the self-contained 1 bed guest suite on the lower level.
we’re starting to do the same.” “We have to be able to continue to provide essential services like fire and water and road clearing and those sort of things,” she said, but noting that BIM is encouraging their staff to stay home if they’re feeling even mildly unwell. While off-island toilet paper and non-perishables are flying off store shelves, on Bowen Nancy Lee of the General Store said they haven’t seen any COVID-19 prompted rush for supplies save hand sanitizer (which is out of stock). CONTINUED ON P. 8
2 • THURSDAY MARCH 5. 2020
Event Calendar March 7, 2020 10:00 am - 1:00 pm RentSmart for Tenants bowenrentsmart4.eventbrite.ca/
March 9, 2020 9:00 am Cove Bay Water System Local Advisory Committee Meeting
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Moving towards BC Energy Step Code 3: Info Session
Seeking Public Comment
Attention builders and construction professionals!
TUP-02-2020 & DVP-03-2020 464 Melmore Road
Breakfast Info Session Friday April 3, 2020 8:00 am - 10:00 am
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Council is considering two permit applications to allow the Island Discovery Learning Community (IDLC) to operate out of a property at 464 Melmore Road (shown on map). These applications are for: • A Temporary Use Permit application to permit the school use as a principal use and assembly use as an accessory use; and • A Development Variance Permit application to reduce the required onsite parking from 32 to 6 spaces, subject to a traffic management plan.
We are holding an information session at Municipal Hall to help prepare you for the upcoming implementation of BC Energy Step Code 3 on October 1, 2020. Richard Kadulski, architect and envelope consultant, will share his tips for improving energy performance of buildings and strategies for building envelope design and construction. Hot breakfast to be provided. Please arrive 15-30min early if you would like breakfast or coffee so that we can start promptly. This event is anticipated to qualify for 2 informal training points through BC Housing’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system.
March 9, 2020 6:15 pm Regular Council Meeting
Questions? Contact Jennifer Rae Pierce, Planner I, at jpierce@bimbc.ca or 604-947-4255.
All meetings are held in Council Chambers unless otherwise noted. Council and Committee meetings are open to the public. We encourage you to attend in person or watch online.
TIMELINE:
Meet our newest mascot
MORE INFORMATION AT MUNICIPAL HALL:
The applications may be viewed at Municipal Hall between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday (excluding statutory holidays) or on the Municipal website at
With this free RentSmart workshop you will: •
Learn about your rights as a landlord as well as your responsibilities
•
Improve your chances for finding a great tenant
•
Identify what to look for when choosing tenants
•
Learn techniques for communicating with your tenant
Saturday, March 21, 2020 9:30 am - 1:30 pm Municipal Hall Space is limited! Book here: bowenrentsmart5.eventbrite.ca/
www.bowenislandmunicipality.ca/planning.
Thanks to Rethink for their generous donation of our new mascot!
YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME: Written submissions on these applications may be delivered to Municipal Hall (contact information below): • In person • By mail • By fax • By email to bim@bimbc.ca Submissions may also be made to Mayor and Council at the meeting: 6:15 PM on Monday, March 9, 2020 in Council Chambers, Municipal Hall To ensure a fair process, submissions cannot be accepted once the meeting has ended.
Questions? Please contact Daniel Martin, Manager of Planning and Development, at 604-947-4255 or dmartin@bimbc.ca
Committees seeking members Volunteer on a committee of council! Several committees are seeking members. For more information, and to apply, please go to:
www.bowenislandmunicipality.ca/committees
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
She wants to remind you to slow down and watch for frogs crossing the road.
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
RentSmart workshop for landlords
In honour of World Frog Day on March 20, 2020, welcome to our newest mascot, promoting environmental awareness in our community.
Find us on Facebook Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Monday - Friday, excluding statutory holidays March 5, 2020
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THURSDAY MARCH 5, 2020 • 3
ISLAND NEWS
A different kind of book tour: Popping up books wild scribes to visit Bowen GRETA SMITH
F.O.B.L.S.
BRIAN HOOVER
Contributor
On March 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Collins Hall, join Brian Hoover, Roq Gareau, Dave Waugh and Tenneson Woolf in an evening of poetry, music and storytelling. These wild scribes are on tour with their recently published books and are offering a blend of spoken word and music that is bound to stimulate and sometimes provoke your inner being. They offer a unique combination of the storytelling tradition of the ancient bards seasoned with poignant and incisive poems, all riding on a
magic carpet of improvised music. No two evenings are exactly alike, but a journey into the territory of the soul and matters of the heart is a sure thing. There will be interaction with the audience as these four brave men are not only highly creative writers but are also gifted facilitators in revealing the interconnectedness of us all. Be prepared for the unexpected, leave the status quo at home, and venture out into the tavern of the soul with the tribe of wild scribes. The event is free and books will be offered for sale. Check out their video at centrespoke.com/events/. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN HOOVER
Dave Waugh, Brian Hoover, Tenneson Woolf and Roq Gareau.
With spring break quickly approaching, Friends of the Bowen Island Library Society (F.O.B.I.L.S.) decided to hold an impromptu book sale this weekend as a precursor to the big one held annually at the school (the big one is May 16 to 18 this year). Just in time to find a great selection for your reading enjoyment, this popup sale will be a modest one, primarily featuring fiction. Novels, mystery, romance and scifi will be available. Affordable pricing at the usual book sale amounts for hard cover, paperback and trades. We will also have a couple of specialty tables, one featuring gardening books to get you ready for the growing season and the other, junior fiction including chapter books. For one day only: Sunday, March 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Annie Laurie Annex at the library. All profits from this sale of course go to support the Bowen Island Library. So please come out and find all the books you need and want and know that at the same time as finding your reading material you are in fact supporting your local library.
Student raising money for wigs for children diagnosed with cancer My name is Hannah Florendo. I am 12 years old and attend Island Pacific School. Recently someone in my family who meant a lot to me was diagnosed with cancer and soon after she lost her hair to chemotherapy. To honor her, and to recognize and remember her struggle and success, I will be cutting my hair and donating it to a charity called Angel Hair. Angel Hair specializes in making wigs specifically for children who have been diagnosed and have lost their hair to cancer. Did you know that it takes seven ponytails, a minimum of twelve inches, along with $2000 to make one wig? My goal is to raise enough money to send with my hair to make one wig. If you want to join me and donate hair, you can go to acvf.ca/angel-hair-for-kids or if you would like to donate money to help my cause go to GoFundMe, type in the search bar “angel hair : wings for children.” My GoFundMe will be the first one that pops up. It will have an illustrated angel on it, that was drawn by me. I will be donating my hair in three weeks, on March 23, so
Memory Serves with Knowing Our Place ERICA OLSON
Knowing Our Place
PHOTO COURTESY OF HANNAH FLORENDO
Hannah Florendo is hoping to raise $2,000 to go with the hair she’s donating to Angel Hair in honour of a family member please help me raise $2000 before then. Will you join me in making a difference?
How does the way in which we remember things affect the way we live our lives? In her book Memory Serves, Lee Maracle touches upon how Indigenous communities view the use and intentionality of memory. Noting strong oral traditions, Maracle provides insight into the purpose of Indigenous storytelling and a worldview that includes journeying torward one’s path in life. This spring, the Knowing Our Place book club is reading and discussing Memory Serves, which is a compilation of oratories that award-winning author Lee Maracle performed over a 20-year period. Come and join the book club conversation on March 14, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Bowen Library flex room. We focus on topics that people bring up from reading the book to spark conversation. Whether you’ve read all, part, or just briefly looked at an online summary of the book, come join the conversation. Please register through the Bowen Library website: bowenlibrary.ca/event/knowing-our-place-bookclub-2020-1/?instance_id=2932 The Knowing Our Place book club is part of the Knowing Our Place reconciliation initiative brought to you by the Bowen Library, The Hearth-Arts on Bowen, and Pauline Le Bel. The purpose is to learn about our true history with Indigenous peoples and foster mutually-enhancing relationships in the spirit of reconciliation.
Delivered to your mailbox! Every week for $55 per year ($85 to off island addresses) 604-947-2442 ads@bowenislandundercurrent.com
4 • THURSDAY MARCH 5. 2020
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VIEWPOINT EDITORIAL
Washing hands
In our office there are two camps when it comes to COVID-19. One person is hyper aware of every virus development and the other is unruffled perhaps to the point of complacency. I’ll let you figure out which is which. I imagine this scenario is playing out across the province, country and world. As with any tense situation, there’s the potential for resentment. When is it time to call in sick? When is it ditching work? When should you seek medical help or testing? Is this all overblown? The front-page headline this week is no accident. Both Jennifer McGowan and Edward Wachtman this week spouted the line “Keep calm and wash your hands.” The keeping calm is nearly as important as washing your hands. But while panic helps no one, health authorities are telling us caution is necessary. Yes, influenza kills thousands of people every year in Canada. Yes, there are deadlier diseases. Yes, all kinds of socio-political factors go into what grips media attention and public awareness. But people are scared. This is not something to belittle or demean. Your neighbours are scared, your friends are scared, your family members are scared. So while caution is necessary, so is kindness. Have open discussions. Respect when people don’t want to shake hands or when they perhaps ask to chat over the phone rather than meet in person. Even if you don’t think COVID-19 a big deal, what’s the price if you’re wrong? On the other hand, don’t buy up supplies you don’t need. Educate yourself on the truths and myths, the risks and paranoia. When it all gets to be too much, turn off the news alerts and go for a walk in the woods. That, we know, is good for you. — Bronwyn Beairsto, editor
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Improving Shakespeare DEAR EDITOR: For those who intended to go to the Bard on the Rock production of Hamlet (last show Feb. 29), but did not––your bad! For those who did, the reward was not just taking in the play, but knowing that memories will warm our hearts for a long time. Graham Ritchie has been massacring Shakespeare to good effect for seven years now. The productions are oiled machines and getting progressively better. It will be very hard to top this latest effort. Familiar faces––onstage, backstage and front-ofhouse, coupled with what must have been exhaustive rehearsals, have made for winning team results. This production would play well in any venue, anywhere. No sets to change––just black curtains and a green carpet. The entire cast were tight, the timing, blocking, line delivery impeccable. Wow! And of course Grande Dame Shirley Wrinch costumes were more than amazing. ––Peter Frinton
CARTOON NOTE Ron is in Mexico and too lazy to send in cartoons [Ron’s words, not the editor’s]. So here’s what we’re doing. Over 14 years, each Bowen cartoon has a cultural observation of island life and so has a little back story. So for a month or two, here are some golden oldies and what inspired them. Extremely jealous editorial staff asked Ron Woodall to send in a photo of his Mexico “laziness.” Clearly Ron’s not lazy, he’s simply too busy being king of the world.
A review for Close Encounters of the Third Kind described how some small town locals formed “an unspoken but meaningful bond, a yearning both inexplicable and indescribable. A genesis they yearned for but could not envision. A distant reality, unspeakable, intangible, and deeply transformative.” They were waiting for a community centre.
It’s the Undercurrent’s 45th anniversary this year and we’re working up to some special content for you. But if you have special stories, memories or photos for us, please let me know. Many of your relationships with the paper are much longer than my own! Email: editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com. ––Bronwyn
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
CARTOONIST Ron Woodall
PUBLISHER Peter Kvarnstrom publisher@bowenisland undercurrent.com
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 MARCH 5, 2020 • 5
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
IDLC would benefit Deep Bay IDLC in Deep Bay ‘going to be better than ok’ animals are about. Melmore Road is not a freeway. The claim that allowing such a tiny, part-time educational community into our neighbourhood will damage the value of our properties is speculative at best, irrelevant, and most likely false. We read in the Bowen Island Undercurrent that one Melmore resident and realtor said, “I feel that being in a quiet, peaceful location is more important to buyers than being close to a good school.” Such a statement simply does not reflect the reality for many of our citizens of being a parent, grandparent, or any other caregiver whose life includes school-age children on Bowen Island. We are not affiliated with IDLC, and are strong supporters of our local community school, BICS,and of the public education system in general. However, we also vigorously support parents’ right to make a choice in how they educate their children. We have known many families whose children have been educated at IDLC and can vouch for the quality of the community. They deserve the support of the Bowen Island community at large, and will not violate the communities trust if these permits are granted. You may not hear much from the silent majority who would support IDLC or who don’t have an opinion either way. But you will definitely hear from a small, loud minority who are strongly opposed. We have no axe to grind. We urge mayor and council to support this great community, and vote to pass the temporary use permit and development variance permit. Thank you, ––Steve Forster, Deb Blenkhorn, Miranda Forster (14), Aurora Forster (9)
DEAR EDITOR: I write as a long-time resident of the Deep Bay neighbourhood. I have owned and lived full-time on Lenora Rd. for 11 years. I also write as a parent of Island Discovery Learning Community children. My two sons have been at IDLC since kindergarten. They are now in grades eight and five. Everyone remarks on how my boys are pleasant and well-behaved. And handsome! I wish I could take all the credit for their positive characters but a large part of their success is because of the small, thoughtful, nurturing social and academic environment at IDLC. I want to say a few words about Deep Bay. I know this neighbourhood to be open, friendly, and welcoming. Those are its main characteristics. All of us full-time residents are united in our love for this place. We all know and care about each other. And we are willing to contribute to the neighborhood and to island life. For example, I help organize the block party every year at the end of summer, when we close part of Lenora Road and have a potluck dinner and barbecue together. It is a neighborhood tradition now in its 28th year. We also host a community spirited street party for the whole island every year on Hallowe’en. And in summer we welcome and appreciate the many tourists who walk through the neighborhood on their way to the trail around the lake. I have no doubt. I know this neighborhood is open, friendly and welcoming to everyone. This is also a child-friendly neighbourhood. Like many Bowen kids, my children went to preschool, and took violin lessons, and got extra help with math at our friends’ houses in this neighbourhood. They play outside with the kids down the street, and they walk and ride their bikes to the Cove, the mailboxes, the Park and the beach. It is as safe as can be, it is caring, and it is ideal. It is because of my love for this neighborhood that I fully support the temporary use permit application for IDLC at Evergreen Hall. I know that it will
Island Discovery Learning Community’s (IDLC) temporary use permit application is coming before council March 9. Council is to consider whether to add “school” as an allowed use for the Evergreen Hall property on Melmore Rd. for a three-year period. As the council agenda is released the Wednesday before every council meeting, it won’t be available before this paper’s print deadline. However, if you’re interested in the staff recommendations, the letters
Places of Worship Welcome You BOWEN ISLAND UNITED CHURCH
FOOD BANK DROP-OFF
ST. GERARD’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Sunday Mass: 9:30 a.m.
Administration Office: 604-682-6774
CATES HILL CHAPEL
www.cateshillchapel.com 604-947-4260 (661 Carter Rd.)
10:00 a.m. Worship Sunday School: Tots to Teens
Pastor: Phil Adkins
submitted for and against this TUP and other details in anticipation of Monday’s council discussion, keep checking our website, bowenislandundercurrent. com, and I’ll have an update there. In the meantime, let me know what you think: editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com ––Bronwyn Beairsto
Schedule in Effect: October 15, 2019 to March 31, 2020 On December 25, & January 1 service will begin with the 8:35 am sailing from Bowen Island and the 8:00 am sailing from Horseshoe Bay.
▼
BOWEN ISLAND Snug Cove
5:20 am^ 6:20 am< 7:30 am< 8:35 am 9:40 am 10:50 am 12:00 pm 1:10 pm 2:55 pm 4:00 pm† 5:10 pm 6:15 pm 7:25 pm* 8:30 pm 9:30 pm 10:30 pm
VANCOUVER Horseshoe Bay 5:50 am< 6:50 am< 8:00 am 9:05 am† 10:15 am 11:25 am 12:35 pm 2:20 pm 3:30 pm 4:35 pm 5:45 pm 6:50 pm 8:00 pm* 9:00 pm 10:00 pm
Distance: 3 NAUTICAL MILES Crossing Time: 20 MINUTES
Leave Horseshoe Bay
Reverend Lorraine Ashdown Service and Sunday School 10:30 am Collins Hall Bookings: Helen Wallwork Minister of Music: Lynn Williams
fit perfectly into the culture of the neighborhood, and it will be a wonderful and appropriate re-purposing of a significant heritage building. These are all Bowen families, with Bowen kids, and Bowen teachers, who understand island life and island etiquette. We can do this in Deep Bay. This is something that the mayor and council can support with confidence. It won’t be troublesome, and if anything it will enrich the neighborhood. I have complete confidence that any reasonable issues that may arise can be managed and mitigated the Deep Bay way, through neighbourly discussion and helpfulness. I have confidence because I know IDLC, I know the neighborhood, and because I will be there to help my neighbours. Not only do I live here in the neighborhood, I work from home several days a week, I am around a lot, throughout the day and in the evenings, I know this place and the people. I have read my neighbours’ letters, I attended the neighborhood information meeting, I have spoken to many in the street and on the ferry. Some of the concerns that have been raised are reasonable, genuinely held and deserve attention. These can be managed in a way that is fair and appropriate to the site, and to the neighborhood and the island. Some of the other concerns being raised are based on misinformation and fear. I love and support all of my neighbours as people, but I can’t support activities that stir-up anti-community feelings. I can’t support that at all. It’s not the Deep Bay way. My sincere hope is that mayor and council will take courage and support the best parts of Deep Bay––our openness, our friendliness, our willingness to contribute to the island, and our willingness to be good neighbours to each other. Please approve the temporary use permit, with appropriate conditions. It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be better than okay. Yours truly, ––James Hickling
EDITOR’S NOTE
Leave Snug Cove
DEAR EDITOR: As property owners and residents of Deep Bay, we are writing in support of the Island Discovery Learning Community in their application for a temporary use permit and development variance permit at 464 Melmore Road. The IDLC community is an honourable, community-focused group that cares deeply about the island and their relationship with their neighbours. They have coexisted peacefully with their former neighbours at Cowan Point for many years; to quote our mayor, they are a very “benign operation,” unlikely to disturb anyone in their new location. They have proposed very significant conditions on their use of the property to minimize their impact on the community, and we absolutely believe they will adhere to these conditions. We strongly believe that adding children to our neighbourhood is a positive change, not a deficit. Though a few vocal community members have expressed concerns about children lowering property values, generating excessive noise and becoming a hazard to traffic, we believe these claims lack validity. Bowen is a family-based community. Children are an essential, vital part of community life, and we welcome them. We believe the sound of children playing in the community is a beautiful part of island life, not some violation to be prevented or eliminated. With respect to the hazard of children walking to and from school in traffic, we already have plenty of children playing in our neighbourhood and more would be better. Further, it is the responsibility of drivers to follow the posted speed limit, give the right of way to pedestrians, and take extra care when children, the elderly, or
* DAILY EXCEPT SATURDAYS
< EXCEPT DEC 25 & JAN 1 ^ EXCEPT SUN AND NOV 11, DEC 25, JAN 1 & FEB 17 † DC WEDNESDAY SAILINGS WILL BE REPLACED BY DANGEROUS CARGO SAILINGS. NO OTHER PASSENGERS PERMITTED.
6 • THURSDAY MARCH 5. 2020
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Neighbourhood Emergency Response Program volunteers gather for first time BRONWYN BEAIRSTO
Editor
It was coincidentally as the potential of a COVID-19 pandemic looms that more than 50 people gathered at the satellite firehall Feb. 29 for a Neighbourhood Emergency Response Program (NERP) general information session. It was first time that such a swath of volunteers of the recently resuscitated NERP, along with the acting fire chief, ambulance service, emergency support services and Canadian Disaster Animal Rescue Team had met in such a fashion. Attendees not only got thorough overview of the program and its history but also an introduction to the Bowen Island Evacuation Plan (which is still in the draft stage). NERP coordinator Edward Wachtman was buoyed by the attendance and response. “This meeting is the beginning of real of things really beginning to happen,” he said. NERP dates back to the early ‘90s and has had its ebbs and flows (more ebbing than flowing in recent years). But Wachtman, under the guidance of BIM’s emergency program coordinator Jennifer McGowan, has been steadily rebuilding the program since last summer. “There are three levels to a NERP role, preparation, response and recovery,” said Wachtman. “And we’ve decided to focus heavily on
PHOTO COURTESY OF EDWARD WACHTMAN
About 75 per cent of the NERP volunteers showed up to the satellite fire hall Saturday morning to meet one another, to learn about the program and to run through an exercise. preparation because…there’s the most uniformity around it. “The premise being, the better prepared you are, the better your response to a situation will be.” One of the crucial roles of a NERP is to know the people of a given neighbourhood and to know what assistance people may
need and what skills or resources they might be able to offer in an emergency. How this happens varies by neighbourhood. In the Mt. Gardner area, NERPs are already going door to door, meeting people and sharing information packets, but block parties, potlucks and other means of building con-
Science Fair TOUR THE PROJECT S
MIDDLE SCHOOL
MATTERS
ISLAND PACIFIC SCHOOL
CELEBRATING YEARS
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12 6:15-8:15
islandpacific.org
nections are other ways folks can get to know their neighbours. Now, though there are more than 50 NERPs across the island, some neighbourhoods have a greater concentration of volunteers than others. Watchman is particularly looking for more NERPs in the King Edward Bay,
Bowen Bay, Tunstall Bay and east slope of Cates Hill regions. While the list of names of NERPs is private, if someone wants to know who their NERP is, he said to call the muni or contact him (edward@bimbc.ca). But NERPs are not first responders. In the case of an evacuation, they’d be evacuees. They are sources of information and information dissemination (Wachtman noted that they could also be used to head off the rumour mill in emergencies). “We had people we all repeated it together,” said Wachtman. “Safety is the number one priority when conducting all activities do not take any hazardous risk could lead to injury or death.” However, in the case of a widespread emergency like an earthquake, emergency response will be slow and islanders will need to look after one another. For Wachtman and the NERPs, all they and we can do for now is prepare. At the end of Saturday’s meeting, each NERP got a brand new fashion accessory––a bright yellow vest with NERP emblazoned across the back. “This is a formal organization now, this [vest] is in case of an emergency. This shows people that you’re where you’re supposed to be,” said Wachtman. For more information about NERP, the municipal emergency program, BIM’s emergency guide and more, visit bowenislandmunicipality.ca/emergency-program.
Patient of the Week MEET HAZEL AND LUNA These 2 adorable sisters have no problem making themselves right at home as they lounge on the patient couch! As with many sisters, they like to do things together and a trip to the doctor is no different. Fortunately they were just in for their annual checkup and vaccines as they know the importance in being proactive in their health care and keeping up to date on vaccinations which protect themselves and others in their community against some nasty viruses and diseases.
HOURS: Tuesday through Friday from 9:00am – 5:00pm Saturdays from 9:00am – 1:00pm. To schedule appointments, please call
604.947.9247
or email reception@bowenvet.com
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THURSDAY MARCH 5, 2020 • 7
GALA BEAT
Deborah Bramm, Diane Buchanan, Tina Nielsen, Aubin Van Berkel, Marc Gawthrop, Emilie Kaplun
Keith Shapland
Anne Boa, Jacqueline Bell-Irving and Vikki Michèle Freckelton
Michael Kaile and Murray Atherton
Art comes alive at mini gala
Master of ceremonies Tim Hausch
The mystery was in the art Saturday night and all was revealed, as guests to the mini gala fundraiser at the Gallery @ Cove Commons decided on “who they would take home that night.” (A reference to the sign on the podium.) Many guests wore wonderfully creative costumes, dressed as their favorite artists or artworks. Congratulations to all of the amazing supporters of the arts who purchased artworks at the auction and helped with The Hearth’s main fundraiser of the year, which helps to keep the Gallery operating throughout the year. ––Emilie Kaplun, the Hearth ALL PHOTOS BY DARRYL GRIGG
Kate Coffey and Diane Buchanan
The podium in question
8 • THURSDAY MARCH 5. 2020
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Delia Owens: a life on the wild side on Bowen Island
BOWEN ISLANDER (AND FORMER UNDERCURRERNT EDITOR) EDYTHE HANEN ATTENDED AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ‘WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING’ AUTHOR
EDYTHE HANEN
Contributor
MEDICAL OFFICE IS HIRING FT/PT! The Bowen Island Medical Office is looking for staff to join our growing team! Are you a trained Medical Office Assistant looking to work on island? Perhaps you have related office experience and are interested in working in health care? We are looking for a full and/or part time office assistant. The ideal candidate will have excellent computer skills, is interested in lifelong learning, self-motivated, friendly, caring, reliable and discrete. Onsite training can be provided for the right applicant. Salary will reflect experience and skills. We are looking forward to hearing from you. If interested, please reply with resume and references to: schloeglclinic@yahoo.com
Friends of the Bowen Island Library
Mini
t s e F k B oo 2020 x ry Anne a r b i L e I n th
Sunday March 8th 11 am - 4 pm Stock up with good reads for Spring Break!
Book Sale proceeds benefit Bowen Island Public Library
Delia Owens, in her interview with Hal Wake, was the highlight of the San Miguel Writers’ Festival for me. She had a delightful energy and lightness and a captivating sense of humour. At 71, she spoke with the excitement and enthusiasm of an eager child. It was beautiful to watch. Owens grew up in Georgia (she has that wonderful Georgia accent) and spent most of her childhood in the wilderness, exploring nature and discovering its bounty within the acres of wild land outside her back door. She was supported and encouraged in these expeditions by a loving and perceptive mother. Although she did not speak at great length about her book (Where the Crawdads Sing), Owens talked of the marsh as being such a familiar and beloved landscape to her that she considers it one of the characters in the book. “By the way,” she added with a joyous laugh, “crawdads don’t sing!” A wildlife scientist working in Africa for 20 years with her husband Mark, she studied Kalahari lions, brown hyenas (Owens and her husband were the first scientists to ever study brown hyenas), and elephants in the valley of Zambia. She often lived completely alone in a tent or in a small, one-room shack in very remote areas. Often she did not see any other humans for weeks or even months at a time. She tells the story of running and leaping into a river after an elephant charged
Delia Owens, author photo. her when she was standing alone just outside her cabin. The elephant knew her, Owens said, and had even been named by her. She thought the elephant must have been “not quite awake” that morning and it was some time before it calmed down and recognized her, so that she could climb back out of the river. Owens’ great love is the animals she studied, and she spoke about the behaviour of animals and about how humans are not so different. She related this to her belief that the goal in both is survival and that even altruism ultimately comes down to self-interest. She talked passionately about the necessity of understanding and fully accepting that distinct animal nature
Epidemic or pandemic rate third in BIM’s 2018 hazard risk assessment
in ourselves. Animal behaviour was a major focus of her talk. She told us about elephants and how the herds are only made up of females with one male staying nearby for the purposes of mating and guarding the herd when necessary. (The males then move on to another herd, thus preventing interbreeding). We should not assume, she said, that these herds of elephants are sweet and accommodating just because they are female. The females are very competitive. If a female “outsider” comes along and wants to join the herd, they are only accepted if they “fit in” with the rest of the herd. She reminded us to think of schoolgirls and their reaction when a new girl comes on the scene and wants to join the group. Owens spoke about loneliness when asked if she ever got lonely living so long by herself in remote places. “I’m lonely sometimes,” she said. “We all are.” She then went on to explain that loneliness is not about being alone – it’s about not being with ‘your people, your tribe’. She said it’s natural for sentient beings to be social, but if we’re not with our tribe, we’re lonely. That’s what loneliness is really about, she said. Not being with – or not being able to find – ‘your people.’ Owens said that her mother always encouraged her to go out into nature as far and as deep as she could as long as she knew not to step on rattlesnakes. From the time she was a young child, her mother told her, “Go way out yonder where the crawdads sing.” And Owens said, “So I did.”
CONTINUED FROM P. 1
“It’s just getting ready at this stage,” said McGowan. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. It might affect us, it might be a pandemic, it might not. Just being ready for whatever comes would be the best way to prepare yourself.” The Bowen Island Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability assessment places epidemic and pandemic third in priority for hazards (behind earthquake and wildfire). The assessment reads: “Due to the unusually high number of hospitalizations during a pandemic, local health authorities will likely be overwhelmed.” The assessment goes on to say that municipalities should work with health authorities on contingencies for handling the patient surge and on how to continue providing essential services when municipal employees may become infected and unable to work. “Due to the geographic characteristics of Bowen Island, the disease may be detected in urban centres (i.e. Vancouver) before it arrives in the municipality. This may provide some advanced warning to the Municipality; however, this should not be relied upon, especially during high sea-
son for visitors.” So, besides washing your hands and being prepared, what can islanders do? The Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer said in a joint statement Tuesday that the risk of COVID-19’s spread within B.C. remains low and that widespread testing of British Columbians and travellers with symptoms and their contacts continues. Virus prevention recommendations include: • Staying home when sick • Washing hands regularly • Avoiding touching your face • Coughing and sneezing into elbow Disposing of tissues • appropriately • Avoiding usual greetings of handshakes, hugs and kisses The statement also said that while British Columbians should ensure they have enough supplies and medications should they need to stay home for a number of days, there’s no need to stockpile supplies. For more information visit: bccdc.ca/health-info/ diseases-conditions/coronavirus-(novel).
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THURSDAY MARCH 5, 2020 • 9
HAMLET BEAT
Ian Davidson To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die— to sleep, No more; and by a sleep to say we end/ The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause—there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life.
John Parker
Doug Elliott, Maureen Sawasy
Davin Killy
Kat Stephens
David Cameron, Ross Bragg
Bard on the Rock’s Hamlet closed to great acclaim Saturday evening (read Peter Frinton’s review on p. 4). Director Graham Ritchie sent in these photos of the enthusiastic cast and crew. Ironically, Hamlet (Calder Stewart) himself isn’t among these photos so we included part of his soliloquay instead. Adrian van Lidth de Jeude
Amanda Szabo, Sarah Cormier, Frazer Elliott, Martin Clarke, Jessie Perry
SINGING BACK THE
Saturday March 14th 7:30pm at Tir-na-nOg Theatre
LIGHT
WILD SCRIBES TOUR Join Brian Hoover, Tenneson Woolf, Roq Gareau and Dave Waugh for a night of poetry, storytelling and live music. These wild scribes are on tour with their recently published books. No two evenings are exactly alike, but a journey into the territory of the soul and matters of the heart is a sure thing.
DATE
March 19, 2020
TIME
7:30 to 9pm
COST
Free
LOCATION
Collins Hall (1122 Miller Road),
Music by Brian Hoover
Bowen Island, BC
Tickets $20 at Phoenix or at the door A benefit concert for the Bowen Island Food Bank
10 • THURSDAY MARCH 5. 2020
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HEALTH & WELLNESS Dr. Susanne Schloegl M.D.
Appointments Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri, 9am - 5pm ECG and HOLTER monitoring Artisan Square
604-947-9986
Bowen Island Chiropractic
Dr. Tracy Leach, D.C. Certified provider of Active Release Techniques Artisan Square Tues. & Fri.
778-828-5681
www.drtracyleach.ca
Dr. Dana Barton
Naturopathic Physician 596 B. Artisan Square
604-730-1174 Natural Family Medicine
Dr. Gloria Chao Family Dentist
HOLISTIC COUNSELLING Brooke Evans, MSW, RSW 604-781-3987
brooke@becounselling.ca becounselling.ca
SHIATSU Shiatsu massage therapy follows traditional Chinese medicine to restore your body’s health with flow and relaxation.
Vicky Frederiksen
Certified Shiatsu Practitioner. 778-881-9012 call or text email: v.gathe@gmail.com
NexGen Hearing
BOWEN ISLAND WELLNESS CENTRE 604-947-9755
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778-891-0370
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MARY MCDONAGH
604-338-5001
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Registered Physiotherapist
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HEIDI MATHER
Registered Acupuncturist Registered Nutritionist Book online bowenislandwellnesscentre.ca
INHABIT SOMATIC CENTRE
Alternate Fridays 10am - 4:30pm
FREE
RMT
www.bowenislanddental.com
On Bowen Island @ Caring Circle West Vancouver
Registered Acupuncturist, Homeopath, Doula
RMT, DCH Registered Massage Therapist
Massage Therapy Matthew van der Giessen
Horseshoe Bay 604-921-8522
Naturopathic Doctor
Dr. Traditional Chinese Medicine/Acupuncturist
604-281-3691
Hearing Testing
Online Booking: www.birchwellness.com
At entrance to Artisan Square Suite #597
Artisan Square 604-947-0734
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Located in Artisan Square
(778) 952-3757 566 Artisan Square www.inhabitcentre.ca
Breathe Move Touch
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778-858-2669
Online booking at bowenislandmassagetherapy.ca
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MASSAGE THERAPY MARY MCDONAGH RMT
ALICIA HOPPENRATH RMT HARMONY SHIRE RMT KIM HOWDEN RMT
604-947-9755 EXT #1 @ Artisan Square
Diana Romer, RCC Youth, Adults and Couples Counselling www.clearhorizon.ca | 604 290 6407 dromer.therapy@gmail.com 569B Artisan Lane on Bowen Is.
Psychologist Dr. Carolyn Nesbitt PhD, R.Psych #1484
604-376-9801 www.CarolynNesbitt.com
Lifelabs
Tues - 6:45 - 8:45 a.m. Thurs. - 6:45 - 8:45 a.m. For routine lab tests. Specialized tests & children may be referred to the mainland.
located at Bowen Island Integrated Health #101-495 Bowen Island Trunk Road
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THURSDAY MARCH 5, 2020 • 11
NEAT NUMBERS: THE OVERLOAD NUMBERS ARE IN Neat numbers is Undercurrent’s numerically challenged editor’s attempt at bringing you some data every week. This week’s (not so) neat numbers comes courtesy of BC Ferries and reflects some of the effects of the Bowen Queen’s time on the Bowen run. The January traffic statistics show that vehicle traffic was down 17 per cent in January 2020 from January 2019. BC Ferries staff counted 34,953 vehicles total on the Bowen route this January. Darin Guenette of BC Ferries provided the statistics that while 6.3 per cent of sailings in Jan. 2019 had vehicle overloads, in Jan. 2020, 21 per
A Bowen suset scene from Bowen Life’s Raf Izdebsk.
cent of sailings left cars behind. That’s 3,040 cars to 2019’s 573. Meanwhile, Maureen Nicholson released the results of her (unofficial) 2020 Bowen Island Ferry Refit Impact Survey Wednesday. In a letter attached to the survey results, Nicholson said that the survey garnered responses from 300 people, of which 95 per cent said that the refit affected their daily lives. We’ll have more on the information in the survey next week. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see what the February numbers look like. What do you think? Editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com ––Bronwyn Beairsto
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CUSTOM WOOD SIGNS
Wood & metal work designs rendered with a CNC Router to produce commercial quality work. From custom signs to furniture.
Accounting Bookkeeping Taxation Virtual CPA
Leila Swann, CPA, CA 604-318-5414 leila@greenbooks.ca www.greenbooks.ca
located on Bowen Island
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
THURSDAY MARCH 5
Duplicate Bridge
Bowen Court 6:45 - 10 pm Info call Pat at 778-288-7090
FRIDAY MARCH 6
Jazz Night Live at the Pub
7- 10 pm Dinner specials and no cover
Legion Dinner
Bowen Island Legion Doors at 5:30 Dinner at 6:30pm Members and guests welcome.
SATURDAY MARCH 7
Bowen Island Community Choir: Coffee House
Cates Hill Chapel 7 pm The BI Choir Coffee House returns with “2020 Vision”, brings singers, songwriters, musicians and poets together to share dreams, intuition, global perspectives, love and reflection. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Bowen Fables: Shadow Puppet Films
Library Annex 7 - 8:30 pm The screening of short films celebrating the history and local culture of Bowen Island. All ages welcome. Admission by donation.
RentSmart workshop for tennants 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at municipal hall. Free
SUNDAY MARCH 8
Impromtu: Jude Neale
6:15 p.m. municipal hall
Collins Hall 4 - 5:30 pm Join Jude in celebrating her latest collection of poems. Free admission. Refreshments served. “.. a set of poems that pleases the spirit an prompts the questioning of the imagination.” Nick Bantock
Mini Bookfest 2020
Bowen Library Annex 11 am - 4 pm Mini BookFest! Can’t wait for the annual May Bookfest in the school gym? Come to the Library Annex for Mini BookFest, and stock up on quality used books! Proceeds benefit the Bowen Library. Organized by the Friends Of the Bowen Island Library Society (FOBILS).
Outdoor Meditation Circle Meet at the picnic tables at the entrance to Crippen Park 11 am. No cost. More info at lisa. shatzky@gmail.com
Introduction to Tao Hands
The Well on Bowen 589 Artisan Lane 5-6 pm Introduction to Tao Hands with Certified MasterTeacher of Tao Academy, Nancy Kyle. All are welcome. By donation. For more info contact Nancy at 604-312-1661 1070 Miller Rd. 9 a.m. exercises, 10 a.m. guest speaker Natasha Vaz part two, 11:15 a.m. yoga
Regular council meeting
TUESDAY MARCH 10
Community Lunch
Legion Hall 11:30- 1 pm Join your friends for delicious homemade soups (m +v), artisan breads, and dessert. Coffee and tea included. (Ages 18+) Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. All for only $5!
Bowen Island AA
Legion Dinner
Bowen Island Legion Doors at 5:30 Dinner at 6:30pm Members and guests welcome.
Scooby Doo and the Bowen Bogey
Cates Hill Chapel, 6:30 p.m. An IPS production. Tix $15 at Phoenix or the door.
SATURDAY MARCH 14
Collins Hall 7:15 pm
WEDNESDAY MARCH 11
WorkBC Career Advisor Bowen Library Flex Room
2-5pm WorkBC Career Advisor available for free drop-in sessions. Come by any time from 2pm - 5pm with your questions for resume, interview, career etc. help.
Singing Back the Light
Tir-na-nOg Theatre 7:30 pm Special guest, Alison Nixon reads Brian Hoover’s, Tales of the Heart. Followed by a vocal quartet with musical accompaniment of Brian’s meditations of Singing Back the Light : “on the basic goodness of humankind” Tickets at the Phoenix and the door $20. Don’t miss out, last year it sold out.
Knowing Our Place: Book Club
THURSDAY MARCH 19
Library Flex Room 11-12:30 pm The Book Club will discuss Memory Serves by Lee Maracle. Register and find more info at bit. ly/bookclub2020-1
Duplicate Bridge
SUNDAY MARCH 15
Collins Hall 7:30 - 9 pm Join Brian Hoover, Tenneson Woolf, Roq Gareau and Dave Waugh for a night of story telling and live music. Free admission.
Outdoor Meditation Circle
Meet at the picnic tables at the entrance to Crippen Park 11 am. No cost. More info at lisa. shatzky@gmail.com
Apple Tree Sale
620 Laura Road 10 am - noon Two year old bare root trees. Over 80 different heritage varieties. $25 per tree or $20 per tree for three.
TUESDAY MARCH 17
Bowen Island AA Collins Hall 7:15 pm
Bowen Court 6:45-10 pm Info call Pat at 778-288-7090
Tribe of the Wild Scribes: An evening in the tavern of the soul
SATURDAY MARCH 21
Rentsmart workshop for landlords 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Municipal Hall, free
SUNDAY MARCH 22
Apple Tree Sale
620 Laura Road 10 am - noon
THURSDAY MARCH 12
MONDAY MARCH 9
Seniors Keeping Young
cover
Duplicate Bridge
Bowen Court 6:45-10 pm Info call Pat at 778-288-7090
Scooby Doo and the Bowen Bogey
Cates Hill Chapel, 6:30 p.m. An IPS production. Tix $15 at Phoenix or the door.
FRIDAY MARCH 13
Friday Night Live at the Pub
7- 10 pm Dinner specials and no
CELEBRATING YEARS
COLLECTIVELY CREATED BY JEN ZDRIL AND THE ISLAND PACIFIC SCHOOL PLAYERS
Tell your friends it's spooky here!
CATES HILL CHAPEL BOWEN ISLAND THURSDAY, MARCH 12 FRIDAY, MARCH 13 6:30 PM OR TICKETS $15 AT IPS, PHOENIX, AND AT THE DOOR FREE SHUT TTLE BUS FROM SNUG COVE AT 6:15PM AND RETURN AT 8:15PM
Presented by Island Paccific School on Bowen Island | ISLANDPACIFIC.ORG
Six North Shore rapid transit routes possible, province says BRENT RICHTER
North Shore News
The province has long-listed six potential routes for a rapid transit line connecting the North Shore to the other side of Burrard Inlet. After hiring Mott MacDonald Ltd. in October 2019, the Ministry ofTransportation and Infrastructure released an interim update on the Burrard Inlet Rapid Transit study Monday, as the first phase of the research is completed. After months of studying the physical geography and topography, structural requirements, ridership projections/needs, traffic models, weather and climate change impacts, as well as notional costs to construct, operate and maintain infrastructure, the engineers say there are at least six projects worth a serious look: • Downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale via First Narrows (tunnel crossing) • Downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale via Brockton Point (tunnel crossing) • Downtown Vancouver to West Vancouver via Lonsdale (tunnel crossing) • Downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale via Second Narrows (new bridge crossing) • Burnaby to Lonsdale via Second Narrows (new bridge crossing) • Burnaby to Lonsdale via Second Narrows (existing bridge crossing) “I think, honestly, any movement towards the rapid transit solution for the North Shore is extremely exciting,” said North Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA Bowinn Ma. “These are more than just lines on a drawing where somebody has said ‘It would be great if we had a crossing over the Burrard Inlet here. … Instead, what’s happening under the Burrard technical feasibility study is that we’re actually looking at whether we can make this work.” Connecting the Lonsdale core to Vancouver via a rapid transit line was one of the recommendations of the Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project, led by Ma in 2018. All three North Shore municipalities and the City of Vancouver chipped in $50,000 for the
$450,000-rapid transit study, along with the province, which put in $250,000. While all six alignments performed well when it came to ridership and greenhouse gas reduction modelling, given current and predicted land use and commuting patterns, options 1 and 4 showed the best results, Ma said. The study considered rapid transit bridges and tunnels, a gondola crossing and more cross-inlet ferries. Previous studies have found the existing Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing cannot be expanded due to structural limitations, but Ma said she was particularly interested to learn it may be at least technically possible to run a transit line under the existing bridge deck through the bridge’s trusses. Ma said the ministry won’t be releasing more details, including the cost estimates, until completion of Phase 2 of the study this summer. She did say that that all six options came with cost estimates in the same ballpark. “And it will definitely be in the billions,” she said. Phase 2 of the study, which will involve engineers drilling down into much more technical detail, is expected to last another three months. Once Phase 2 is complete, Ma said she expects the current list to be narrowed down to just three options for TransLink to consider. Exciting as it may be to see some tangible options, Ma cautioned the BIRT still has some rather large hurdles to clear. In order to get built, it must be approved by the TransLink Mayors’ Council as part of TransLink 2050, the next major phase in transit expansion. Ma acknowledged that a traffic-weary constituency may be running out of patience; however, the study is both prudent and necessary before anyone will commit money to the project, she said. “We’re building credibility. We’re building a case for a rapid transit solution to the North Shore. And that can only be accomplished if the entire region pulls together and that’s what INSTPP is about. And that’s what this study is about,” she said.