Bowen Island Undercurrent January 12 2023

Bowen biz licences boom in past year

ALEX KURIAL Editor

The number of business licences issued on Bowen last year jumped by a third as the program entered its fourth year on the island

The total licence number for 2022 was 676, up 34 1 per cent from 2021’s mark of 504 This resulted in total revenue for the municipality of $73,525, a new annual high since business licences were introduced on Bowen in 2019, and up 61 8 per cent from the previous year ’ s total of $45,450

The types of businesses seeing the largest jumps were residential guest accommodations (+49), non-resident businesses (+49), bed and breakfast (+31), and contractors (+23)

Manager of planning and development Daniel Martin was the non-resident business jump is likely due to a more proactive position taken by the municipality during the past year to make sure professionals working as subcontractors on a project, such as plumbers or electricians, are also fully licenced

While it certainly generated more business licence revenue, the increase of 80 short term rental (STR) licences has Martin concerned however. The 2022 additions continue the rising STR trend on Bowen which began in mid-2021. At that time there were fewer than 80 such licenced operations – today there are more than 180 active.

SUNSET SAIL: RafalIzdebskicapturedthisstunningshotwhileridingontheQueenofCapilanoonTuesday

ADevelopmentVariancePermitapplicationhasbeensubmittedfor

ThepublicisinvitedtomakeanappointmenttotalktoDrew Bakken,Planner1,abouttheapplication.

Theapplicationcanalsobeviewedonourwebsite: wwwbowenislandmunicipalityca/planning

Thisisapublicnoticeundersections213and217oftheCommunityCharter. BowenIslandMunicipalityintendstoundertakewellupgrades,construct watermainreplacements,andundertakeexplorationofnewwellsforthe benefitoftheBluewaterParkLocalServiceArea

Weintendtoborrow$3,100,000fromtheMunicipalFinanceAuthoritywith a30yearmaximumrepaymenttermtofundthisworkneededtoensure deliveryofclean,safedrinkingdrinkingwatertoBluewaterParkresidents Theloanwouldbere-paidinfullbymeansofalocalservicetaxIfyour propertyiswithinthelocalservicearea(outlinedinblue),youwillbe subjecttoaParcelTaxofapproximately$1,18700peryear,forthe next30years.

Councilmayproceedwiththisserviceunlessmorethanhalfofthe landownersrepresentingatleast50%oftheassessedvalueofthe landandimprovements(buildings)thatwouldbesubjecttothelocal servicetax,petitionagainsttheservicebyFebruary6,2023(30days afternoticehasbeengiven)

YoucangetmoreinformationaboutLoanAuthorization(Bluewater ParkWaterImprovements)BylawNo 595,2022,andthefinancingplan ontheMunicipalwebsiteat bowenislandmunicipality.ca/bluewater-park-water-systemreplacement-project,oratMunicipalHall,981ArtisanLane,Bowen Island.

IfyouownpropertywithinthelocalserviceareaandyouareINFAVOURofthefinancingplanforthisproject,noactionisnecessary. IfyouareNOTINFAVOUR,youmaypetitionagainstthisfinancingplan:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Thank you Bowen Birders!

The National Audubon Society’s 123rd Christmas Bird Count took place from December 14, 2022 through January 5, 2023 with Bowen Island participating on January 2, 2023 31 birders walked a total of 75 km, drove 8 km, and kayaked 3 km throughout the day and counted birds over much of the island 78 different species with over 4,500 individuals were detected on Bowen Island over the course of the day! With the most notable observation being a northern shrike near the Crippen Park meadow

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) - started in 1900 - is a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society, and among the longest running citizen science projects in North America It is an early-winter bird census, where thousands of volunteers across the U S , Canada, and many countries in the Western Hemisphere go out over a 24-hour period on one calendar day to count birds

Volunteers count every bird they see or hear all day through a designated 15-mile (24-km) diameter Data from these counts has proved invaluable to understand the population features of North America’s birds

The circle that includes Bowen Island also includes Gambier Island, Anvil and Keats Islands, the Pasley Islands, as well as Brunswick Beach to Stearman’s Beach up to Cypress Provincial Park’s forests on the mainland The total tally for our count circle is 99 species with over 12,000 individuals

I would like to thank all the birders that took part in this year ’ s count Gratitude also goes out to those property owners that allowed birders to access their property to watch feeders, check in on significant bird habitat and otherwise enabled us to increase our count

As there is a specific methodology to the Christmas Bird Count, if you’d like to participate next year, feel free to contact me at 604-838-2321 or by email mmaddison@hotmail com

- Micaele Florendo

In addition to the 4,500 feathered friends spotted on Bowen, Micaele has an additional story this week on yet another winged creature from this year ’ s West Vancouver edition of the Christmas Bird Count You’ll find out more about ‘Annie’ , and the special device that keeps her safe, later on in the paper

Reader seeks working crosswalk lights

morning (Wednesday) and we were nearly hit by cars coming in both directions because it’s dark and rainy in the morning in the winter months

The cars don’t see the crosswalk lights and aren’t paying enough attention and may assume no one is walking We can’t fix human behaviour but the

lights can be fixed immediately. Can the municipality please provide a date when the lights will be fixed?

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. Please limit to under 500 words 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

National NewsMedia Council.

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

Sincerely, - Trent Hutton

Community Choir returning to the stage for Spring session

ELLEN MACINTOSH IS ONCE AGAIN AT THE HELM OF THE CHOIR WHICH IS OPEN TO ALL

LORRAINE ASHDOWN Bowen Island Community Choir

January 2023 has begun and many of us are getting back into the swing and rhythm of life One of the Community’s regular and popular offerings is a Spring Session of the Bowen Island Community Choir Please join us, beginning

January 18, at Cates Hill Chapel at 7 pm as we begin our rehearsals for our Spring concert which will be held on Saturday, May 13 at Cates Hill Chapel.

The Bowen Island Community Choir is a SATB choir: soprano, alto, tenor and bass All singers are welcome This is a non-auditioned choir and all you need is a love of singing and a willingness to join a cheerful, hard working collection of singers led by Ellen MacIntosh

The choir has been in Ellen’s capable hands for over 20 years and she certainly knows how to make learning music fun, as well as challenging We practice every Wednesday night with two extra weekend practices included in the session

Our program this session includes jazz, swing, moving, moody choral pieces and more With guest artist Bill Runge on saxophone and Juno award winning percussionist, Buff Allen, plus our own fabulous Sheilagh Sparks as our accompanist, this is guaranteed to be a season that will meet any singer’s needs and will also please a wide range of audience members

For years we have been told by scientists how good singing is for our body mind and soul. It is an irrefutable truth Test the theory! Come out and sing with us, make some new friends and join in the making of a beautiful noise.

Hope to see you on Wednesday, January 18 at 7 pm at Cates Hill Chapel. Registration is at 7 pm and rehearsal will begin at 7:15 The cost is $150 for the Spring session

You can send the fee to jmlrbowen10@gmail com or you can bring cash or a cheque on the 18th to pay and register in person

Either way, we look forward to you and your voice joining in on the fun.

‘Trust Me’series kicks off a new season of shows

SHARI ULRICH Contributor

As I’ve probably shared, the “Trust Me” series was partly spawned by having produced “Bluebird North” (now “Songbird North) for the Songwriters Association of Canada for 27 years, and it probably the first decade to train Vancouver audiences that they could trust that the needn’t know all the writers to be ensured a great evening of music

So that’s what sparked the series here. There are many artists whose work I admire that I’ve met at festivals and gatherings over five decades, who range from acquaintances to lifelong friends. In time I started inviting them to add a show on Bowen while in the area

As I’ve also shared, the great benefit of our moat, is that presenters in Vancouver don’t consider it to be a conflict to add a show over here despite its proximtiy, and Bowen Islanders seem to be just as happy to attend a show on a weekday as a weekend. All those factors, along with Bowen Islanders’ love of live music and the arts, have made this series possible

I don’t pocket any funds for presenting the shows – my reward is getting to have a friend over for a visit and a sleep over! And thanks to Tir-na-nOg welcoming the concerts to their theatre, the venue is a two minute walk from my house! Win-win all the way around!

This winter is bringing lots of music our way…

January 17 - Suzie Vinnick & Lloyd Spiegel

February 13 – James Keelaghan

February 21 – The Wardens

Tickets for all are $25 (cash) at Phoenix Books and online at Eventbrite

For now, let me tell you about Suzie and Lloyd. Suzie I’ve known for years as a rare female powerhouse of a guitar player, singer and songwriter from Ontario I’ll confess I’m a sucker for a woman who really knows how to play her instrument and Suzie is widely revered for her mastery of the guitar

She has won three Juno Nominations, and awards from the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, CFMA’s, Memphis Int Blues Awards, Sirius XM, and. 10 Maple Blues awards She was a favourite on Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café and has toured extensively internationally.

Lloyd Spiegel is Suzie’s Australian counterpart – one of the country’s most recognized guitarists, recently being named in Australian Guitar Magazine’s list of the 50 greatest Australian guitarists of all time.

A touring artist since age 11, with 10 albums and 11 Australian Blues Awards to his credit, Lloyd has squeezed more into his 40 years than many do in a lifetime He has toured the globe with frequent visits to Europe, New Zealand and the US where he has performed at major festivals, theatres, and iconic Juke Joints as well as supporting the likes of Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and Etta James on tour

We are so fortunate to be one of their stops on this inaugural co-bill Tickets for Suzie & Lloyd’s show are at Phoenix Books (take cash!) and online at Trustme-Spiegel-Vinnick.eventbrite.ca

The Bowen Island Community Choir is ready for another season of performances. The first class is January 18, with a concert finale on May 13 at Cates Hill Chapel / Submitted photo

ISLAND NEWS

Planning department voices concern over recent short-term rental rise

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Our permission for STR was done in 2020 and I think it is quite permissive if you look at the rest of the province,” said Martin in a response to Mayor Andrew Leonard asking if he felt the rapid rise in STR was a problem for Bowen’s rental market

“You can look at examples like Sechelt and Gibsons recently, they’ve done quite extensive outreach on their STR market, and the result of that was they ended up with more restrictions Previously when we had done the STR work, Sechelt was one of the examples of more permissive STR They’ve since become more restrictive,” continued Martin

“And I do think through 2022 we have seen an impact on our housing market. When we watch the new listings

go up it’s incredible how many times a new house sale is a new STR listing So yes it is something I would say we are concerned about,” he added

But while the total number of STR remains a concern for the municipality, improvements in making sure they’re licenced were significant. At the beginning of 2022 it was estimated more than 70 STR were operating without a licence. Martin says following a partnership with STR monitoring company Harmari – which uses a variety of methods to track online listings – he believes this number is now in the low single digits

Harmari data shows the average nightly rate for an STR is $256, and that Bowen’s STR industry generated $1 14 million in revenue last year – its highest ever

Development and building permit application costs to be bumped up

ALEX KURIAL Editor

The municipality is looking to increase its building and development fees in an effort to better recover the costs associated with the applications

Manager of planning and development Daniel Martin outlined the proposed changes during council’s Monday meeting He says many of Bowen’s existing application fees have not kept pace with the amount of work it takes to process them, including some which haven’t been updated since they were first written in 2002.

One area suggested for change is the basic building permit application fee itself Currently a straight $75 for everybody, the new system would base it off construction value on a tiered scale The lowest amount would be $100 for work up to $10,000, rising to 25 per cent of the building permit fee for projects more than $1.5 million.

Martin says these costs reflect the increased level of staff work required by larger builds, and also to discourage some of the behaviour the planning department has recently seen

“We had several cases this year where an application was made, staff reviewed it, and staff had several conversations with the applicant In one case in particular the appli-

cant was very insistent on the need for their development permit, and staff spent a lot of time doing it. When the permit started to be issued and the fee was relayed to the applicant, they never paid their preliminary fee and they walked away, ” explained Martin.

“So we would like to set up a fee where we’re recovering more of the cost of reviewing the application initially,” he said.

As for the building permit fees themselves – which haven’t been touched in 20 years – another system of tiered increase would be enacted The fees themselves would actually stay the same, but would activate at different thresholds to reflect the rise in construction values over time

Right now the fee is $75 for the first $1,000 worth of construction value, $9 for each additional $1,000 up to $100,000, and $8 per $1,000 over $100,000 The proposed changes would keep the first $1,000 level, and swap both $100,000 benchmarks to $150,000 Martin says this amount was chosen based on inflation numbers over the past two decades.

Finally on the building bylaw front, an alteration to the interim occupancy permit is being suggested. Right now this application – used when a house is liveable but one thing such as a deck may still need finishing – is $200 with the option to renew after two months Renewals would

become $300 with the changes, “As a way to encourage people that you shouldn’t be staying on your interim occupancy, you should be working toward occupancy permits,” says Martin

“We find that when people move into their house, the motivation and the drive (to finish work) wear off,” he adds, noting around half of people who apply for an interim occupancy permit end up renewing

Certain development fees would also see some increases, and in the case of contiguous parcels would be created altogether The development permit fee for these bordering applications stands at $350 for the entire application no matter how many lots it includes Under the new model 50 per cent of this original fee would be charged for each additional piece of land (Ie three lots would trigger two additional contiguous parcel charges at 50 per cent each )

A special area of emphasis for Martin involved the surcharge for development applications made once work has already started on a property. Whether on purpose or because the owner didn’t know the rules, it’s an issue the department wants to see curbed.

“To regulate that behaviour, and to recognize it does take more work to follow up and do it after the fact – it’s a more involved application,” said Martin.

Rants and raves

monthly open house sponsored by Judi Gedye.

A comparison of businesses licences issued on Bowen in 2021 and 2022. / BIM

Muni hoping to reduce cases of unlicenced property work

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

The new rule would be a 50 per cent surcharge on land use permit applications (development permit/development variance permit) submitted after any work has been undertaken. Coun. Sue Ellen Fast agreed this is a problem needing addressing. “I’ve seen a number of people who go ahead and start things and then seek permission later. And sometimes they’re quite complicated things involving blasting and stuff that you can’t put back. I would encourage them to actually come and talk to the planning staff and see what the rules are before that kind of thing happens,” she said

Finally, a $900 fee was proposed for any applications for licence referrals to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch No charge currently exists for this process

Council expressed their support for the proposed changes “I don’t think the ordinary taxpayer should be subsidizing the cost of development that individual landowners undertake So I like the idea of it (proposed changes) recovering the costs,” said Fast

The members voted unanimously to have staff draft bylaw amendments to make the changes official.

A summary of the proposed changes to Bowen’s development and building application fees. A bylaw amendment should make the changes official later this year / BIM

Proposed building permit application fees. / BIM

The current and proposed building permit fees. / BIM

The Adventures of Annie the Eagle

MICAELE FLORENDO Contributor

Annie, a Bald Eagle, was observed during the Christmas Bird Count in Kloochman Park, West Vancouver When the observer noted equipment on the Bald Eagle’s back, the information was reported to Sally McDermott, coordinator for the the North Shore Eagle Network, who shared Annie’s story with us

Given the name Annie by her monitors, she is known as TERF26 on the Hancock Wildlife website She is a byway adult female that was injured while defending her territory from an intruding female and ended up at OWL (Orphaned Wildlife) Rehabilitation Society.

Annie received stitches for the wounds

she received in the stomach from the other female’s talons and antibiotics to ward off infection. She was chosen to receive a tracker from Hancock Wildlife. These trackers are expensive, with the initial cost of $2,700 plus $300 per year to monitor. So, they wanted to make sure that she was healthy and fully recovered before fitting her with the device

After a full recovery and being outfitted with the tracker, Annie was released back at her home nest on August 1, 2022 She took off north the next day to feed on the spawning salmon in Alaska!

I am so happy to hear about the work being done to study the migratory patterns of our local breeding bald eagles and am curious to watch Annie’s movements, I thought that others might be curious too Happy birding!

Annie, a bald eagle that has been fitted with a tracking device, perches near her West Vancouver nest on the day she was released, Aug. 1, 2022. / ECeaglevideo, Hancock Wildlife Foundation photo

Annie the Eagle feeds chicks in her West Vancouver nest in Spring 2021. / Shari Whittaker photo

North Shore Rescue advises people about current avalanche risks

BRENT RICHTER

Avalanche risk in the North Shore Mountains isn’t as high as it is elsewhere in the province, but that doesn’t mean we should be cavalier about safety on our backcountry trails, says North Shore Rescue’s avalanche safety officer

A blog post published on the Avalanche Canada website last week has snowballed into public discussion of unusual conditions making risk assessments more difficult.

In much of B.C. – in case anyone is planning any backcountry adventures there – the mountains are covered with deep, persistent, weak layers of snow, said North Shore Rescue volunteer AJ Maheu

“The hard thing about persistent weak layers is the amount of uncertainty that they provide So we ’ re uncertain about the snowpack, and therefore, it’s probably good to reel it in a little bit and be a little bit more conservative in our terrain choices, ” he said “If you manage to trigger one, because the layer is very deep into the snowpack, the avalanches tend to be quite a bit larger You get into this low-probability, high-consequence scenario”

On Monday, the province had its first avalanche fatality of 2023 when a Nelson police officer was swept up in a slide while backcountry skiing near Kaslo Those conditions aren’t present in the North Shore Mountains, Mageu said

“Because the mountains are lower and warmer, and we recently got so much rain, we ’ ve actually lost a lot of our snowpack and we don’t really typically have that persistent weak layer issue around here,” he said

Anyone planning to go into the North Shore

backcountry in the winter should first check the hazard rating with Avalanche Canada, which takes into account the likelihood of a slide as well as the expected size And anyone crossing avalanche terrain here should be carrying, at minimum, an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel as well as a first aid kit, some means of communicating for help and enough supplies to keep you alive until rescuers arrive, Maheu said

The North Shore Mountains have their own risk factors that tend to go underestimated, Maheu added Our mountains are steep and they also are littered with “terrain traps” that magnify the deadly nature of an avalanche – trees, cliffs, creeks, gullies

“There’s a lot of places where even a very small avalanche could actually have some pretty significant consequence not necessarily because of the mass of snow that’s moving, but because of where it’s taking you, ” he said

Even when the risk isn’t deemed high across a wide swath of mountain top, bad luck can be a fatal force in one critical spot, Maheu noted.

The last time someone was killed in a North Shore avalanche was in 2019 when Surrey snowshoer Remigiusz Michalowski was swept over a cliff following a slide on Mount Seymour’s Runner Peak The hazard rating at the time was listed as moderate Avalanche Canada tends to issue higher hazard ratings following a heavy snow on the North Shore, which means extra caution is needed when weather conditions have been changing

The majority of avalanche-related injuries and deaths happen when the hazard rating is listed as “considerable” as opposed to “high” because people tend to carry a false sense of security, Maheu said

“People have to maybe use a little bit of restraint and discipline,” he said

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve the way we engage the communities we serve and to be more accessible and transparent to all community members, BC Ferries recently launched online pages for minor route communities Our goal is to provide easy access to updates and information to keep community members connected.

These new community pages act as both a record for route-specific information and a place for community members to connect with BC Ferries and fellow community members about their ferry service

Content on the pages include:

• Interactive community feedback forums to support in-person events

• Community updates

• Key community event dates

• A document library containing engagement reports, materials presented at community drop-in sessions, formal responses to community requests etc

• A sign-up link to receive proactive updates when new information is added to the page

• Contact information for our community relations team

Communities can expect to see in-person drop-in sessions being offered regularly now that COVID restrictions have lifted Community pages will help support sessions by helping us determine the topics that are of most interest so we can bring answers, information and discussion themes the next time we visit

Please check out your community page at bcferriesprojects ca/in-your-community

North Shore Rescue volunteers help an injured skier after he was swept up in an avalanche on January 3, 2022. / Ryan Morasiewicz, North Shore Rescue photo

BOWEN VIEWS

Rafal Izdebski nailed the colours with his sunset photos sailing home to Bowen Tuesday night (left). Lisa Brougham wasn’t on the island, but she didn’t miss out on the show perched high atop Cypress Mountain (below) And Haig Farris snapped the final daylight of 2022 with his New Year’s Eve shot (right)

Legion dishes out theYum

The first Friday Legion Dinner of the year took place last week as Rob and Laurel Bailey delighted the lucky attendees with a pair of stellar South Indian dishes. All 75 ticket spots (including one to the lucky editor who enjoyed his first ever Legion Dinner) sold out in less than 15 minutes as the lineup outside began well before doors opened at 5:30 pm - something to keep in mind if you ’ re planning to

attend future dinners!

This week Bailey Farragher and Josh Skuce are in charge, and rumour has it they are cooking up something good. Find out what in our calendar on the next page!

Then on Sunday, more than 50 people came out for Meat Bingo Seven savvy players came away with the goods The next chance to win is Sunday, February 5

Rob and Laurel Bailey (above) started off the 2023 Legion Dinner season with a bang last Friday night, delivering South Indian favourites to the sellout crowd (below). On Sunday 53 people came to Meat Bingo (left), where a good time was had by all, and meat won by some / Bowen Island Legion photos

CALENDAR

Thursday, January 12

Gather for Games with SKY (Seniors Keeping Young)

At the Bowen Library. Drop in for fun and friendly games in the cozy Library Annex Anyone aged 55+ can come enjoy cards, chess, Scrabble, Yahtzee, UNO, Rummikub, Boggle, and more, along with tea and coffee Free (SKY membership not required).

Join us on any of our winter dates: Thursdays, Jan. 12, Feb 9, Mar 9 from 10:30 am-12:30 pm; Sundays, Jan. 22, Feb 26, Mar 26 from 12:30-2:30 pm

Thursday, January 12

Game Night! At the Bowen Library

Drop in for all ages, family-friendly games, including cards & board games, Chess, Uno, Snakes & Ladders, Scrabble, Boggle, puzzles, Keva blocks, Lego, Jenga, Yahtzee, Catan, Monopoly, and more! Feel free to also bring your own games

Bring family or friends, or drop in and make new friends here Thursdays, Jan. 12 & 26, Feb 9 & 23, and Mar 9, 5:007:30 pm

Friday, January 13

Dinner at the Legion

Bailey Farragher and Josh Skuce are making pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw and cornbread pudding Doors open starting at 5:30 pm Dinner at 6:30 pm $13 for members, $15 for non-members

Sunday, January 15, French Connections: Fun and friendly conversation practice in French 1 pm at the Bowen Island Library. Drop in and join us to practice your French, and get to know other French speakers on Bowen Island! Focus is on beginner and intermediate speakers, but all levels welcome Join us Sundays, Jan. 15, 29, Feb 12, Mar 5, 19, Apr 2, 16, 30

Monday, January 16

Rotary Speaker Series

Bowen Islander, Hasan Hutchinson, PhD, discusses the future of the new Atl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region. He is our Rotary Guest speaker for our meeting at Artisan Eats. The doors open about 7 pm and the meeting begins at 7:30 pm.

Tuesday,

“Trust

January 17

Me” series performance

Shari Ulrich’s musical series returns for the new year with a performance from Suzie Vinnick & Lloyd Spiegel. Find out more on Page 5 of this week’s paper

Wednesday, January 18

Storytime at Bowen Library

10:30 to 11 am A free drop-in program of stories and songs for 2 to 4 year-olds and their caregivers! Runs Wednesdays from Jan 18 to Mar 8

Wednesday, January 18

Greenline Ferries Open House

5:30 to 8 pm at the Bowen Library Greenline Ferries will be hosting and providing information and answering questions about the proposed passenger ferry which would run between Downtown Vancouver, Bowen Island, and Gibsons

Wednesday, January 18

Bowen Island Community Choir

First rehearsal and registration for the Spring season Find all the details on Page 5 of this week’s paper

Saturday, January 21

Saturday Night Blues at the Pub

Snug Cove Blues Band with special guest Mike Kenney will be entertaining the crowd with a mix of blues, funk, reggae and soul from 8 to 11 pm

Tuesday, January 24

Drop in to see a Career Advisor at the Bowen Library 11 am to 2 pm Come get one-on-one help with resumes, cover letters, interviewing, job searches, insights on the job market, career and education advice, and more from Janice, the friendly WorkBC Career Advisor Winter/ spring dates are Jan 24, Feb 28, Mar 28, Apr 25, May 23, June 27

Thursday, January 26

Babytime at Bowen Library

11:30 am to Noon (12 pm) Join us for a special Family Literacy Week Babytime ”Make it Count!” numbers edition! Babytime is a free, 1/2 hr drop-in program of songs, books, and rhymes for babies 0-18 months and their caregivers

Saturday, January 28

BIHORA AGM

Bowen Island Horse Owners and Riders Association is hosting their annual general meeting from 2 to 4 pm at the Bowen Cider House at 1125 Grafton Road. Everybody is welcome to attend!

Saturday, January 28

Crafternoon Collages at Bowen Library

2:30 to 3:30 pm Drop in and join us in making art and word collages! We’ll have old magazines, books, and craft supplies for you to create a picture or word-based masterpiece All-ages program, organized by the Teen Advisory Group (TAG)

January 22-28

Family Literacy Week at Bowen Library

Find out more about this week’s library programs and resources to nurture literacy (and numeracy!) from a young age onward, by going to bipl.link/FLW

Thursday, February 2

Black History Month Film Night at Bowen Library

Join us for a screening “Summer of Soul” directed by Questlove Drop in, no registration required. Film starts promptly at 6 pm, and runs 118 minutes Rated PG (Ontario). Summer of Soul is a documentary music film about the Harlem Cultural Festival, and includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B King, The 5th Dimension and more

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

THURSDAYS

Breath & Workspace @ Sweat The Technique Studio

Join this beginner movement class created to rebalance and prep the body for more active mobility. 6 pm

Pre-register weekly at sweatthetechniquestudio.com

Thursday Art Group

Each week at Collins Hall, 9:30 to 11:30 am For enquiries please reach out to Marie@marieneys.com or shannonrondeau@shaw.ca

SATURDAYS

Men’s Mobility Circuit Class @ 9 am, Mobility Skills Class (All Levels) @ 10:15 am - Sweat The Technique Studio. Pre-register weekly at sweatthetechniquestudio.com

Tunstall Bay Ocean Plunge

Saturdays at 11:45 am Free community activity. Register at Sweatthetechniquestudio.com

DEPART BOWEN ISLAND

5:20 am except Sundays 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 - except Wednesdays 5:10 pm 6:15 pm 7:25 pm - except Saturdays 8:30 pm9:30 pm10:30pm

Emergency operation centre opens at LGH amid surge in hospitalizations

JANE SEYD North Shore News

An emergency operation centre has been activated at North Vancouver’s Lions Gate Hospital this week, as the province grapples with high numbers of people in hospital due to respiratory illnesses.

Lions Gate is one of 20 hospitals across B.C. where emergency operation centres (EOCs) are expected to be in place for the next six weeks to deal with a surge in hospitalizations. Hospitals are currently running over 100 per cent capacity, with 10,226 people hospitalized last week in a health care system that has a regular bed capacity of 9,200 beds. Patients are also being cared for in additional temporary hospital beds

The number of people in hospital is “significant and high” said Health Minister Adrian Dix last week

Numbers of hospitalizations were higher than usual in December and have also been rising in the first weeks of January, due to a combination of respiratory illnesses including influenza, RSV and COVID-19.

The focus of the emergency operations centres – which are administrative in nature – will be to review hospital bed availability, ensure patients who are ready to be discharged are able to leave hospital promptly and ease emergency

department congestion.

Vancouver Coastal Health did not provide any recent occupancy data for Lions Gate Hospital or recent numbers of visits to the hospital’s ER

In November, the health authority reported a greater than usual number of children were showing up at the LGH ER and the North Shore’s Urgent and Primary Care Centre with respiratory illness Most illness at that time was caused by the flu. Across the province, six children died of complications of the flu in November and December

Cases of flu have now peaked and are falling, according to BC’s Centre for Disease Control, but cases of RSV – another respiratory illness – have been increasing, particularly in children.

The pattern is particularly pronounced among children and teens in Vancouver, Richmond and the North Shore, according to the BCCDC where, “RSV has replaced influenza as the most commonly detected virus”

COVID-19 infections have also been slowly increasing in the past two weeks According to data collected from the Lions Gate sewage plant on the North Shore, infection levels have been creeping up since just before Christmas, with amounts of the virus detected per litre of wastewater tripling in that time frame, from 13,580 copies per litre on Dec. 24 to 46,880 copies per litre detected on Jan. 2.

Most recently, the latest subvariant of COVID-19, XBB.1.5

has also been detected in B.C

The variant, which is rapidly becoming the dominant strain of the virus in the U.S., is believed to be more transmissible than Omicron and better able to slip past existing COVID-19 immunity. As of Jan. 4, 12 cases of Kraken had been detected in B.C., according to the BCCDC, but that was expected to grow.

Noting that the health care system is approaching its fourth year of dealing with the pandemic, Dix urged those who have not yet had their booster doses of COVID-19 vaccination to get the shot

Data from the BCCDC shows that among adults aged 18 to 49 on the North Shore, between 89 and 94 per cent have received two doses of the vaccine, but that number drops to between 55 and 64 per cent for third doses and to between 21 and 30 per cent for fourth doses As of Jan. 4, only between 10 and 16 per cent of children under five on the North Shore had received two doses of vaccine while among kids five to 11 years old, between 52 and 63 per cent had received two doses.

At the beginning of December, the Ministry of Health said 16 per cent of kids aged six months to four years old had received flu vaccine in West Vancouver, while 22 per cent had received the jab in North Vancouver. Among children and teens aged five to 17, those flu vaccination rates were 20 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.

People seeing one-lane traffic along Bowen Island Trunk Road on Wednesday may have started experiencing flashbacks to last year when the curb lane was closed for several months But not to fear, the January 11 closure was only scheduled for the day while BC Hydro replaced a hydro pole on the north side of the road / Alex Kurial photo