Bowen Island Undercurrent November 10 2022

Inauguration night for new Bowen council

ALEX KURIAL Editor

Bowen’s new council was sworn in Monday night at an inauguration ceremony at Cates Hill Chapel

It was the first time the seven members who will serve during the 2022 26 term met in an official capacity Five of them including Mayor Andrew Leonard, along with councillors Judith Gedye, Alex Jurgensen, John Saunders, and Tim Wake are new to their roles on Bowen council, while Sue Ellen Fast and Alison Morse will serve as returning members.

The ceremony began with the traditional procession of the new council into the chapel, led by members of the RCMP and Fire Department After taking their seats at the table in front of the gathered crowd, Gary Ander performed his last official duty as mayor with a farewell address highlighting the achievements of the outgoing council, and passing along well wishes to the new group

It was then time for the oaths of office, which were administered by retired B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Greyell. Following affirmations by each member, the business of the new council was officially underway.

There wasn’t much business to tackle during a brief special council meeting immediately after Clocked at a brisk two minutes, council’s first vote was a unani mous acceptance of Sue Ellen Fast and Judith Gedye as Bowen’s Islands Trust Trustees for the next four years In what will surely be the fastest meeting of their term, council then adjourned

CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Mayor Gary Ander performs his last official duty in the position he’s held for the past four years

delivering a farewell speech and welcome to new council members. When the evening concluded, Andrew Leonard had accepted the role for the next four years. / Alex Kurial photo

ISLAND NEWS

First regular council meeting Nov. 14

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Before the formal portion of the eve ning ended, Leonard stepped up to give his inaugural address, pointing to the importance of community connections in the years ahead

“We know that warmth that comes with gathering in the community We know that this gathering can serve to transcend differences, to grow seeds of empathy towards common cause And it’s in this warmth of local community playing out on the soil of Bowen’s green backdrop that I think our strength lies, and the anti dote can be found to some of this malaise that we ’ re feeling,” said Leonard

“It’s keeping these connections alive that will be essential in some of the ten sions that we face as a community I believe some of the tension that’s going to be played out over this next term is one of stewardship versus change A tension of asking what do we need to bring along with us, and what needs to be let go, and what we want to create here and now to

serve the generations to come, ” continued the new mayor

“To do this will require change It requires change because we need to respond to the changes we see around us Socially, economically, politically, and environmentally We need to move and work with pressures that our community is facing with its growth, its infrastruc ture, and the demand being made on our resources by the region and the world as a whole,” says Leonard

A reception was held afterward to give the new members a chance to mix and mingle with the community While there were continuous moments of applause for the new members during Monday’s ceremony, the honeymoon will be brief, as council will be back to work at their usual meeting place in Council Chambers at Municipal Hall on Nov. 14 for their first regular meeting. The main pieces of busi ness will be choosing council represen tatives for Bowen’s many committees for the upcoming term

Howe Sound’s new UNESCO status focus of panel event

KERR LAZENBY North Shore News / Local Journalism Initiative

It has been one year since Howe Sound was awarded prestige bio sphere region status by the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), but what does that designation mean for the protection and sustainability of the B C area?

It is a question that will be posed, among others, at Enhance West Van’s Forum for Dialogue and Learning, a discussion panel set to take place at the West Vancouver Community Centre on Nov. 22.

Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society’s executive direc tor Ruth Simons will be taking to the panel alongside Kirby Brown,

general manager of Sea to Sky Gondola, Chris Lewis, the director of Indigenous Initiatives and recon ciliation at Simon Fraser University, and Kilian Stehfast, a marine con servation specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation

Their conversation will touch on how the new status has affected col laboration between stakeholders, and will discuss the involvement of the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and how that will affect the conservation of the area

The region, known as Átl’ka7tsem (pronounced at Kat sum) in Squamish, falls within the Nation’s traditional territory, joining a net work of fjords that lie just northwest of Vancouver

It had been recognized as Canada’s 19th biosphere region on Sept 15 last year, after five long

years of campaigning by lobbyists and Nation members While there are over 700 UNESCO biosphere regions around the world, Howe Sound became the third to reside in British Columbia alone

The fresh title means the area is considered by UNESCO as a “learn ing place for sustainable environ ment” where economic activity must be balanced with environ mental protection It is one that will have to be maintained, with locals required to demonstrate to the orga nization every 10 years that the loca tion is living up to the standards of a UNESCO biosphere

The forum takes place Tuesday, Nov 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Music Hall of the West Vancouver Community Centre, 2121 Marine Dr , West Vancouver Admission is free, registration is done via Eventbrite

Windstorm causes damage

ALEX KURIAL Editor

Heavy winds on Friday night were responsible for knocking down trees and causing power outages across the island

The northwesterly winds measured up to 90 km/h, with the highest readings coming along the coast

Heavy winds contin ued into this week but by Wednesday Environment

Canada had lifted its wind warning for the Howe Sound area

Much of the Lower Mainland was also hit by the high gusts, along with the Sunshine Coast and the east coast of Vancouver Island

The wild weekend weather also included snow for parts of Bowen, including a substantial dumping on Mount Gardner

(Above) Bowen’s council for 2022-26: Coun. Sue Ellen Fast, Judith Gedye, John Saunders, Mayor Andrew Leonard, Coun. Alison Morse, Tim Wake, and Alex Jurgensen. (Below) New council members followed Fire Chief Aaron Hanen, Deputy Chief Ian Thompson, and RCMP Corporal Adam Koehle into the chapel to begin the ceremony. / Alex Kurial photos

MINA

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Communication with council key

Dear Editor, Thank you for your outstanding cover age of the recent election, the period run ning up to the actual election day, and most importantly our civic matters in the couple of years preceding this bellwether elec tion which brought a significant change to the Council table and our Islands Trust representation (Editor’s note* Most of the preceding years are a credit to the wonderful work of my predecessor Bronwyn Beairsto ) And thank you as well to the outgo ing Mayor and Council, who faced possibly the most challenging term since incorpo ration Some of us have been outspoken in our desire for solid financial stability at the municipal level, and I want to reiterate the need for residents of Bowen to know that our homes are safe from escalating property tax increases that are increasingly unafford able for many If we can’t collectively get a hold of the public financial juggernaut, many more of my aging neighbours and people who aren’t able to increase their earnings will be forced to sell and leave Bowen Island

As one of the few people who respond to the annual Five Year Financial Plan call for comments, I have to say that the process and the timing has been really unfortunate in past years The Province has mandated that the Five Year Financial Plan must be adopted by Council in May of each year; typically items for public discussion don’t even reach the public through the BIM website until well into February of the same year And the communi cations tool for feedback, Citizen Lab, is a real ly poor way to communicate, not iterative, and not understood by many residents. The annu al Public Information sessions seem to be always held in a snowstorm in late February, making attendance difficult and sometimes not even possible for folks that work off Is land.

And for several years the first hour of those two hour sessions was taken up with standard videos explaining the basis of local property taxation and the mill rate, not a useful exercise for people who already had read through the background materials posted. We know that our assessed values

have skyrocketed, but the mill rate stays stubbornly close to the previous year and is never released as part of budget con siderations The impression with rising annual tax income is that there should be lots of money for operations and capi tal expenditures

More importantly, I would suggest that greater attention be paid to the line items prepared by each munici pal department, with budget and actu als for the previous year reflecting the amount of funds required to continue the operation for the upcoming year and the term of the Five Year Financial Plan Several departments are always wild ly over the previous year ’ s budgeted

amount; others such as the Library and Parks are always within their allocation Perhaps rewards for good budgeting and cost control could be considered in dol ing out funds the following year?

There has been talk for years of requir ing new development to pay the cost of new services Every other Municipal Council across Metro Vancouver have adopted Development Cost Charge bylaws, as permitted by the Province, to pay for new water, sewer, roads, park land acquisition and park development that can be linked to new development

We do have a small parkland acqui sition DCC plus a Metro Vancouver Parkland DCC but need to do much bet

ter A few of the developer community have come forward with Community Amenity Contributions, which are grate fully acknowledged by the population

I am looking to Mayor and Council to dig deep into this topic and get on with charging the real costs of adding homes and businesses in our community to the people who are advocating for, and ben efitting from, growth on Bowen

The electors spoke strongly I wish Mayor and Council well, and hope that our lines of communication improve as we move forward together

Yours truly,

Bill Granger

Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G0 or email editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com.

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VIEWPOINTS

Work Remotely, Connect Locally

KIERSTEN ENEMARK Community Economic Development Committee

For many of us, over the past two years, our workplace culture has shifted Escaping the pressures of commuting, we have carved out home offices and meshed our work and personal life For those working remotely, our Bowen Island life style may be positively ideal, where we are just steps away from gardens, forests, and trails for lunchtime strolls or easy escapes at the end of the workday

While many of us embrace our remote working lifestyle, it can also leave us feel ing somewhat isolated If Bowen Island aspired to be the best place to work remotely, how much better could it be?

The Bowen Island Community Economic Development Committee (CEDC) commissioned a communi ty survey, inviting program ideas to champion as part of our strategic plan (CED Plan Engagement Report). One idea brought forth was to create a Community Workplace Hub: an office co working space for remote workers, digital nomads, entrepreneurs and students to access high speed internet while working at a hot desk or private office space

The CEDC organized a dialogue in June, where remote workers on island provided comments and suggestions regarding co working models, and agreed there would be interest in a collective work space We heard the value of the work hub to build social connections, and to provide a space to allow the cross pollination of ideas and small business collaboration

The space could also be used to host social events and work retreats, as well as be a place to find administrative support It could be a place to work during times of power outages However, with so many remote workers with home offices and access to high speed internet, would remote workers really be interested in spending time and money belonging to a work hub?

The CEDC is focusing on identify ing initiatives that support our local economy. If you work remotely part or full time, we would like to hear from you. Would a work hub be of interest? If so, what services would you want to see?

Based on ideas shared from our last social in June, we have prepared a short 10 question survey inviting more feedback We invite you to take a few minutes to complete our survey before Monday, November 22 Go to https://

We got an extra hour of sleep on Sunday, but it looks like most of you would prefer to just ditch the time switching altogether moving ahead Your answers are in line a 2019 survey carried out by the provincial government which showed 93% of 223,273 respondents were in favour of scrapping the current system. The province has said they support the move, but until our southern neighbours get on board Washington, Oregon and California the twice-a-year clock changes are unlikely to be going anywhere

Backdropped by the Vancouver skyline, the Queen of Cowichan sails from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay on a clear November day. / Haig Farris photo

bowenislandmunicipality.ca/ and search “remote worker survey ”

Also, come share your thoughts with us on Thursday, November 24 at 5 pm at Doc

Morgan’s With the information we gath er, the CEDC will report back in the new year for further community and Council consideration

Letters from the Front: Bowen Island’s Cameron Smith

KATHRYN GAITENS Curator / Bowen Island Museum & Archives

On July 6, 1916 Cameron Smith wrote from Halifax to his father Herbert Smith on Bowen Island saying, “We’re saying good bye to Canada today and in some ways we ’ re glad to do it Will write from the other side C L S”

families know that they had survived a battle or had been capture or wounded In worst case scenarios tele grams quickly notified families of a death However, the letter remained the main form of communication with Canada sending over 85 million letters throughout WWI Mail would be sorted at roadside carts and wheeled to the front lines to be deliver to individual soldiers

Cameron continues on September 3, 1916:

Cameron Smith is one of the five names listed on the Bowen Island cenotaph from WWI along with Miles Green, Charles Redmond, Norman Vickery, and Lewen Tugwell Most of the information that we have on these men has been diligently researched and compiled by our archivist Cathy Bayly Cameron’s attestation papers list him as a logger by trade When he enlisted into the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) he was assigned to the 7th Battalion, British Columbia Regiment of the Canadian Infantry He was also known as an outstanding long distance running champion participating in numer ous races, winning the Goldseal in 1912 among others

Bowen Island Legion Branch #150 built the cenotaph in 1937, to ensure that we would not forget those that did not return home William Linklater, an uncle of Cameron Smith, built the cenotaph form from an old army cot James Collins, along with other community members, mixed the concrete

Letters provided emotional sustenance and comfort between soldiers and their loved ones during the war, helping soften the pain of separation Telegrams were used for urgent communication by soldiers to let their

“Dear Father, Read your letter O K and was pleased to hear from you the first edition of the ‘world’ arrived two weeks ago It was very kind of you to send it and I appre ciate it very much We are having very wet weather here just now, the mud is something fierce We’ve expected to move to winter quarters today but, have not done so yet, it’s not a very nice prospect, sticking around for another winter The price of everything a soldier needs has risen to a ridiculous height here for the reason that we have to or will have them at any price There was a young lad around camp with pears for sale 30 a piece, about two bites in each one, everywhere else is just as bad Well it’s getting near bedtime, so I’ll have to close, you’ll excuse the scribble I hope, for the position is not very suitable for writing, sitting down with the pad on my knees We have no environment of civilization around here Hoping that you keep in good health and wishing you all kinds of good luck I remain Your Son, C L Smith”

France, February 9, 1917:

“Dear Father, just a few lines in an answer to yours of the 9th, I’m glad to hear that you ’ re keeping well this winter, life is not very pleasant to a sick man now is it? Up to the present, I’ve been lucky enough to continue, my duties as a soldier and hope to keep on doing so for some time Your opinion of my favored profession is not very complimentary, but I think your ideas would under go quite a change if you knew the circumstances CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

This photo, donated to the Museum by Hugh Welch, was taken on Bowen in 1915, the year before Cameron Smith enlisted. Cameron (right) is seen playing with his sister Bessie Agnes Smith, two young children, and a dog. / Museum photo

Squir in ho f A6 • bowenislandundercurrent.com Thursday, November 10, 2022

This postcard would start the series of correspon dence between Cameron and his father, from the time he enlisted for the war effort in World War I and until the final telegram announcing Cameron had been killed in action These recently donated letters from Hugh Welch Cameron was his grand uncle are featured in the Bowen Island Museum and Archives Remembrance exhibit

The correspondence runs up to the telegram that would inform Cameron’s family that he was killed in action at Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917 and continues in the search for his personal effects They offer a window into pieces of the life of the person who went to war, not just the war Carrying on the torch of those who directly remember the love and loss of events during war helps us understand who we are and what we are capable of as humans We share the stories and memories to remem ber with purpose This collective and cultural memory shapes our future Remembering our collective past is fundamental to being human History is about preserv ing, understanding, and interpreting our memories

Every year during the lead up to Remembrance Day on November 11, we honour those who have served Canada in times of war military conflict and peace Please join us at the museum after the ceremony at the cenotaph for this exhibit featuring letters, film, photos and artifacts, on your way to the Legion.

We are open November 11 until 3 pm.

Smith was an outstanding distance runner, he can be seen here taking part in his favourite sport (Left Black shirt). Above, a formatted postcard sent by Cameron Smith to his family during World War I. / Museum photos

Blind Sight: An Exhibition That Explores What It Means to See

project, she has been creating artworks inspired by a medical condition that she experiences which causes temporary, partial, and full loss of sight By combining large brush strokes and reductive imagery with more detailed drawings, she portrays local animals in a mini malist way

A group of five artists has explored what it means to have little to no sight, what it is to be losing this sense or to have temporary blindness, but also what it does to deliberately choose other body mechanics instead of sight in the process of artmaking

‘Blind Sight’ is an inclusive and collaborative exhibi tion that very personally examines ideas of awareness in the spectrum of vision It showcases paintings, drawings, sculpture and audio installations as well as educational elements providing facts from the blind to the sighted It will be accessible to the blind with braille descriptions and information

Local artist Sarah Haxby has initiated this wonder ful exploration and collaboration in the visual form of communication with her friend Verna Vogel, and three artists from the Canadian Organization of the Blind and Deafblind of Bowen Island

Sarah Haxby is a community engaged artist. For this

Verna Vogel is a visual artist who lives and works in Calgary Her studio practice taps into perceptions beyond the direct visual gaze She emphasizes the peripheral senses and the intelligence of the body by setting up rules for herself, like drawing lines with eyes closed or using a limited number of colors for example

Alex Jurgensen, Jessica Gladys and Jocelyn Gladys are exploring artmaking as people who identify as being blind by both medical and personal definition Their sculpture and audio installation are a means to raise public awareness towards their underrepresented minority

All together, they seek to highlight the cultural expres sion, history and vision of artists who experience sight not as a constant, but as a spectrum of individual expe riences

Blind Sight is on at the Hearth from November 9 to November 20 The Artist pARTy is Saturday, November 12 from 6 to 8pm with DJ Yeshe

Light Up Bowen 2022 - An evening of light & community fun

BASIA LIESKE Contributor

Light Up Bowen has always been held on the first Saturday in December as the“kick off” to the Christmas season on

Bowen Island. This year I am volunteer ing with Liz Nankin, head of costumes, to continue the tradition on Saturday, December 3.

The date of the first Light Up Bowen is hard to trace. It could have been 25 years ago, no one is completely sure. Originally

the event was called Light Up the Cove and it was started by a small group of local Snug Cove merchants that wanted to gather the community together to cel ebrate the Christmas season. An idea was hatched to have all the merchants deco rate their shops with Christmas lights and to light them up in unison on the eve of the first Saturday in December

Santa appeared, he was brought over by a beautiful decorated tug boat, and a party was held on the lawn of the Union Steamship Marina, around a big fire with hot chocolate and a local choir singing carols

As the community of Bowen Island grew, Light Up grew, both in populari ty and in the number of events added to the evening; a live nativity performance with real animals, Christmas carolling, a party with Santa, a lantern parade, street dancing, merchant open houses, spe cial Christmas displays at the Heritage Museum Cottage and the Bowen Island Museum

Every year new Christmas mascots were added to the parade to entertain the children; notably Frosty, Rudolph, a gin gerbread man, toy soldiers, Sugar Plum fairy and a Snow King and Queen

Light Up Bowen is a family focused event but attracts folk of all ages I think it is an important special gathering that should continue for the purposes of com munity socializing and for sharing the wonders of the season, through entertain ment, food and dazzling twinkling lights

Now to pull this event on we are look ing for volunteers to wear a costume and join the parade anyone wishing to help organize is also welcome aboard Please contact me at: lightupbowen@gmail com

As far as the lighting of the village that will be different this year Stay tuned for more information on how this will actual ly proceed Anyone wanting to volunteer their time to organize, coordinate and set up lights and displays this year, it would be great to hear from you

MATHILDE ROHR

Cultural

‘Large Paperwork V’ by Verna Vogel on the left, and ‘The Ferret of a Friend’ by local artist Sarah Haxby on the right

Way to Go! Poetry, Music and Conversation on the End of Life

PAULINE LE BEL Contributor

Way to Go! challenges the image of the Grim Reaper and the belief that death is something that happens to you Way to Go! seeks to replace this with the idea that dying is something you do And like any other skill, it requires thought and practice We begin with poetry and music as they speak to the heart of things, and open us up to the beauty as well as the sorrow of liv ing and dying

In partnership with Bowen Island Public Library, I invite you to join Chris Corrigan, Matthew van der Giessen and me on Sunday, November 20 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Library Annex for music, poetry and thoughtful, facilitat ed conversation about the end of life.

For the past many years, I’ve been writing poems about aging, dying and death My end of life education began years ago when I cared for my older sis ter who was diagnosed with a terminal illness It was a transformative, soulful time

I began to wonder what it would be like to allow death to enter the room and be acknowledged, rather than shunned Could we chat with open hearts and minds about our fears and hopes? Could we act as people who are all going to die and have one chance to do it? Perhaps we could come to see death, not as the enemy, but as a call to live life more fully, to love more thoughtfully

As you arrive at the Library Annex on November 20, Matthew van der Giessen will be playing the cello I will read my reflective, and at times, lighthearted poems about the end of life.

Chris Corrigan will be our conver sation guide. Like a fine jazz musician, Chris will riff off the themes suggested in my poems and present ideas for our contemplation

“We will be asking questions,” says Chris, “to help us get ready for the Big

Show, and to gather the things we need: courage, awareness, community, language and imagery ” Questions to carry with us into future conversations

Way to Go! is not a therapy session nor a grief session, although grief may come up and will be honoured We will enter into a deep exploration of the language we use to talk about dying, and discover ways of speaking with compassion and honesty about this sacred time of life

Not just for old folks contemplating their own death but also for younger people dealing with the death of their parents, siblings, friends. Way to Go! is meant to be the start of personal and community dia logue around end of life. The hope is that the conversation continues afterward with other events or meetups, in whatever way moves us

Admission is free Come and mingle with your neighbours Be refreshed with hot mulled (non alcoholic) wine and nour ished by healthy savoury bites Engage in compassionate, supportive conversation around the reality of death

Sunday, November 20, 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Library Annex

I am deeply grateful to the Bowen Island Library for their partnership and ongoing support Many thanks also to The Canada Council for the Arts, The Writers Union of Canada, Vancouver Foundation and Bowen Island Community Foundation

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Friday, November 11

Remembrance Day Ceremony

At the Cenotaph following the depar ture of the 10:50 am ferry. Following the ceremony there’s a community lunch at the Legion.

Saturday, November 12

The Sixties Band at the Pub BowenIslandCommunityFoundation Fundraiser, from 7 to 10 pm

Monday, November 14

Regular Council Meeting

6:15 pm at Municipal Hall. First regular council meeting for the new 202226 council members

Bowen Rotary Speaker Series

7:15 pm Pauline Le Bel has been a fulltime artist (singer, actor, writ er) before moving to Bowen Island/ Nexwlélexwm almost 24 years ago As she fell madly in love with her new home, the mountains, the sea, the for ests, the people inspired her to find ways to use her work as an artist to enhance the life of the communi ty. To join us on Zoom, please go to www.bowenrotary.com

During this Rotary event, Pauline will share her past adventures and some

of her current projects. We might even persuade her to sing some of her songs. Saturday, November 19

Fall Supper at the Legion 5 and 7 pm seatings

WEEKEND UPDATE

Nectar Yoga on the Pier 10:15 am $15, pre-register at nec taryoga.ca

SATURDAYS

Men’s Mobility Circuit Class @ 9 am, Mobility Skills Class (All Levels) @ 10:15 am Sweat The Technique Studio.

Pre register for both weekly at sweat thetechniquestudio com

MONDAYS

Breath & Workspace @ Sweat The Technique Studio

Join this beginner movement class created to rebalance and prep the body for more active mobility. 7 pm

Pre-register weekly at sweatthetechniquestudio.com

TUESDAYS

Community Lunches at the Legion 2nd and 4th Tuesday’s of every month from 11:30 am to 1 pm Adult only, drop-in event $10 for a full lunch

Yoga at Collins Hall

Tuesdays from 1 to 2 pm All levels of experience welcome Chair to Standing $15 drop in Email jackie minns@gmail com or call 604 220 9092

Marie Neys Fine Art

Nov 15, 22 & 29 or Nov 16, 23, 30

Tuesday or Wednesday Open Classes 9:30 to 11:30 am Do you paint in Acrylics but want to learn more and develop your skills Join Marie Neys in the studio! We will inspire and get you painting! marie@marieneys.com Nov 14, 21 1:30 to 3:30 pm Intro to Painting (or refresh for those who need it) Learn how to take a Beach photo and turn it into a painting

Thursday Art Group

Each week at Collins Hall, 9:30 to 11:30 am Members pay $30 per month to help pay the rent at the Hall. Nov. 10 we will be hosting a Live Model (clothed) drawing/sketching workshop. Paid TAG members pay $5. Non Members who wish to join the fun pay $10.

For enquiries please reach out to Marie@marieneys.com or shannonrondeau@shaw.ca