Undercurrent June 3, 2011 by Bowen Island Undercurrent

FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2011 VOL. 38, NO. 16

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Rallying behind water taxi

Run for Rwanda

Happy 75th

A group of island commuters want to ensure service continues after summer

With no one else stepping forward, a family rallies behind a cause

The Bowen Island Legion has a proud history – and proud future

Election season begins

Metro debates possibility of giving up Crippen Park JEFF NAGEL BLACK PRESS

MARTHA PERKINS

EDITOR

here are 154 days until November’s municipal election but the campaign season has already started. A new group called OneBowen is hoping to bring together various special interest groups, find out what their common goals are, come up with an election platform and invite people who share those goals to run for council. Instead of putting out a call for a slate of candidates, they’re looking for a slate of ideas first. “We don’t have candidates, we don’t have a secret plan,” says member Colleen O’Neil. “We want to reach out to the community to help us develop a platform and find people to run.” Fellow member James Glave says, “We’re in the listening phase. We’re not prescribing the answers. We want create solutions and we want them from all across the spectrum.” Their hope is that by uniting candidates behind common goals - and winning at least four seats on council - there won’t be the split votes that can sometimes prevent progress. Although island groups may have separate agendas, they often want the same outcome - they want the island to move forward, says member Ken Beatty. He uses the example of ferry marshalling, which has been on the agenda for 30 years and is still in the process of being debated. “We’re trying to make people look at the future,” he says. continued, PAGE 2

CANUCKS FEVER– Woe betide the organization that tries to compete with the Vancouver Canucks on game nights of the Stanley Cup finals. Africa Night has been postponed and many sports teams are calling game nights “rain outs.” But that doesn’t mean the island has gone quiet. People are gathering with friends and in local eating establishments to cheer on the Canucks. On Wednesday, Deb Davidson had fun preparing for the Game #1 at Docs. Lorraine Ashdown photo

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egional district officials say they haven’t decided whether they’d consent to giving up Crippen Park because Parks Canada has yet to formally ask. “It’s quite amazing – Crippen is such a big park but we haven’t really been told what they want,” Metro parks committee chair Gayle Martin said. The Metro board would make any final decision on whether to relinquish Crippen, which stretches from Dorman Point and Snug Cove to inland Killarney Lake, including several trails, picnic shelters and a softball field. Bowen residents are split on the merits of creating a national park reserve, Bowen Island Coun. Doug Hooper told Metro’s parks committee June 1. More than a third of residents polled recently supported the creation of a national park, he said, but 20 per cent were opposed and the rest were undecided. Key issues on the island are what might happen to Crippen Park, increased congestion and parking problems near the ferry terminal and how the park would be governed. Hooper said Bowen council wants a stronger indication of voters’ wishes, so it plans to conduct a community referendum that would bind the municipality on whether to support the national park reserve or not. Parks Canada has also been asked to consider proceeding without Crippen, says Bowen Coun. Peter Frinton. continued, PAGE 5

2 • FRIDAY JUNE 3 2011

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Run for The Ferry returns in 2011 as Run for Rwanda the year while it is seen if another local group who is also focused on creating a healthier community, is organizationally prepared to take on the event in 2012. The event requires a minimum of nine months to plan and a committee of about seven people dedicated to its smooth functioning.” For now, Bowen is fortunate to have the Butler family, long-time residents of Bowen, step up to the starting line. Margaret Butler, who has lived and worked in Rwanda and is now based in Boston, grew up on Bowen and participated in organizing the run in its early years. Her new passion is The Komera Project. Komera means “be strong and have courage.” It assist girls in Rwanda who have the courage and desire to pursue a secondary education but do not have the resources to do so. “I was very lucky,” Butler says. “I grew up in a family of educators. I know how important an education is.” Since Margaret lives in Boston, her parents will be pulling the race together for this year, although Margaret is arriving in August to help with the event. To help volunteer, call Hilary Butler at 947-2315. www.komeraproject.org

LORRAINE ASHDOWN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

he annual tradition of Run for the Ferry has attracted runners from Bowen as well across the Lower Mainland since 1995. This year, the event will change its name and take on a slightly different look and feel. Run for Rwanda will take place on Saturday, August 27, the morning of Bowfest. In the past, the run has been a fundraiser for various groups such as Bowen Island Children’s Centre and the housing association. For the last four years it has been organized and coordinated by a committee led by Richard Best. Best has done an extraordinary job and now he feels the time has come for him to pass the reins on to a new leader. No one had come forward until Bowen Rotarians Hilary and Robin Butler thought of the possibility of taking on this year’s event as a fundraiser for the organization their daughter Margaret founded. “Run for Rwanda is only taking the time slot of Run for the Ferry for 2011,” Best says. “It is not taking over RFTF and it is not planning a run the scope of RFTF. The event is on hold for

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ichael Kaile works downtown but he lives in a place that is surrounded by gardens and trees. And he walks to work. At least he covers the land portion of his commute on foot. The rest of the trip is taken care of by English Bay Launch. “I am lucky,” he says. “I can just walk down [to the dock] in 20 minutes. Then 35 minutes on the water. At the other end, at Coal Harbour, it’s an eight-minute-walk. I work right downtown, at Terminal City.” When he heard that Mike Shannon, co-owner and operator of the English Bay Launch, had plans to discontinue the service after the summer, Kaile got together with a group of likeminded commuters. He said the service “is invaluable. I am actually surprised that there aren’t more people using it.” Ridership is one of the difficulties that Shannon is grappling with. “We are competing against BC Ferries and we have a hard time filling the boat,” he says. “It is okay in the afternoon but I think that quite a few people are carpooling to work and then returning with us. We have a 10-pack of tickets that reduces the rates. But that doesn’t work if we’re running empty in the morning or with only two to three passengers. The problem is that we’re not subsidized like BC Ferries. We are averaging 70 people a day for the two boats on the regular rides. But we need 100 passengers a day to break even.” Shannon has looked into applying for a sub-

sidy from the provincial government but was told that he will only be eligible after two years in operation. He will reach that milestone in November. “My experience with bureaucracy is that it takes a lot of time and a lot of patience. And my patience is starting to wear thin.” The number or passengers is not the only issue that keeps English Bay Launch from making a profit. There are rising fuel prices, the weather, the winter and the cost of keeping the vessels sea-worthy. “I have to bite my tongue when people complain about prices. They don’t realize that repairs are so expensive. We spend a lot of money but the price point is wrong and the ridership is too low. “We told [the commuters] that we would shut down in September. They want us to keep running. They even told us to raise prices. Nearly all of the people at the meeting said they were fine with this. Fuel prices have gone up. If we added $2 per trip, that would only cover the fuel bill. We are planning to run the business through the summer to have a chance to recoup some of what we lost.” The recent meeting was attended by 30 of the 40 or 50 regular commuters who were interested in exploring options of helping English Bay Launch succeed. Kaile says, “We realize that it is tough because there are a lot of expenses. We appreciate the difficulties of keeping it going. We have a lot of loyal fans here and hopefully this will become a way of life. It gets people off the road and that was one of the objectives for many of us. So there we go. We’re rather proud of it and we will work very hard to keep it going.”

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Present system isn’t working: OneBowen

Duntz shares his thoughts on Bowen

continued, PAGE 1

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“I want a community centre now but I also want a summer job for my kids. I’d love for them to have a career here,” Beatty says “We think Bowen is ready for a Yes, We Can moment.” Glave says, “We have the perception that there’s a broad majority of islanders who want these festering issues resolved.... Our past approach is broken. The dynamics of six councillors and a mayor, each with their own assumptions and quirks we’ve reached a point where it’s not working. It’s not that they’re individually incompetent. The whole council is not working.” They don’t want to demonize the current councillors. “It’s a hard job with no pay, and you risk the wrath of the community every Monday night,” says O’Neil. OneBowen has framed the issues it has identified this way: • Are tax dollars being put to good use? • How can Snug Cove look more like a village and less like a parking lot? • Why can’t people afford to live and stay here? • Why aren’t there more jobs here? • Will our natural environment be protected? • Why is there still no progress on a ferry marshalling solution? • Where is the community centre? “We have a starting point,” says Glave, “and then “we want to develop a platform and identify candidates. We’ll talk to anybody and everybody.” The slate - and they’re not discounting the possibility of some current members of council being on it - would be a collection of like-minded people; four is the ideal number on a seven-member council to avoid so many tied votes. And while there’s strength in numbers when it comes to voting on issues, there’s also comfort in not feeling you’re alone as a candidate. “There’s a lot of fear around running for council,” says O’Neil. “It’s so personal and there’s so much acrimony.” OneBowen will support candidates in the election but can also be available as resources for research on issues that arise, she adds. “But,” she says, “we’re not a shadow cabinet in the background.” Glave says, “We think there are candidates out there. Our biggest fear is that the burn-out level is so high, people won’t consider it as an option.” Beatty says that with so many initiatives on the island relying on volunteers,

ong-time Islander, realtor, developer (he prefers community builder) and philanthropist Wolfgang Duntz has added another job title to his list - blogger. Duntz started Thoughts on Bowen earlier this month and it promises to be an interesting read. “I will not die before I tell people what I think, especially about all the people who are egotists and have hidden agendas and who probably are not as honest as they pretend to be,” the 70-year-old told the Undercurrent. Duntz says he is not adept at computers and had his business partner Larry Adams get www.thoughtsaboutbowen.ca up and running. But the content is all his and he says, as he get nears his retirement, he sees no reason he shouldn’t tell people “the truth about Bowen” and the events which have shaped the island. Duntz said the biggest issue propelling him to create his blog was the “absolute disaster” that occurred when council did not take Don Ho and Edwin Lee’s offer to build Bowen a neighbourhood at Cape Roger Curtis and donate a large park to the Island. He says that decision is irreversible and Bowen will feel the fallout for many years to come. “Instead of a wonderful community they now have the most boring place you can imagine,” he said of the 59 10-acre lots which the community has ended up with. “There will be no people. They could have had people and hundreds of acres of park and now what do they have? A peopleless non-park.” He questions the actions of the now-dissolved Cape Roger Curtis Trust Society, and many councillors, and others, and says the Island is “ruled by a core group of people who fear change.” But Duntz believes most Islanders are intelligent and if they hear the truth will form a movement to fight back at those who are “completely delusional.” “There is a mental blockage here on Bowen,” he said. “That’s why I started a blog. I will challenge them and challenge them until eventually some of their lights will turn on.”” Thus far he’s enjoying the blog and has left space for people to respond, as some have. He’s also taken out ad space in this paper to offer up clips of what he’s posted and says that he will be regularly adding new material, revealing more as he goes along. This week, he is writing about the national park issue. “I am vulnerable and I can’t afford to have too many people get mad at me,” he said. “But if I would not be able to vent my frustrations in one way or the other I would get sick.”

MARCUS HONDRO

Colleen O’Neil, James Glave and Ken Beatty are members of OneBowen, which wants to come up with a slate of ideas and then find a slate of candidates for November’s municipal election. Martha Perkins photo there’s also a fear that if there’s no progress on issues, volunteers will also burn out. “Nothing is more frustrating than going to committee meetings and nothing happens.” OneBowen feels some members of council, and the community, naively think that if you do nothing, everything will stay the same. OneBowen says change is coming and it’s better to prepare for it. They want to get local developers more involved, since it’s developers who will create housing and jobs and help pay for the costs of building the island’s much-needed infrastructure. O’Neil says, “We feel there needs to be a co-operative model not based on fear but on our common goals.” Beatty says, “Take away all of the things that the ‘evil’ developers have built on Bowen and ask what’s left.” His list of what developers have done for Bowen include Cates Hill Chapel, Island Pacific School, Artisan Square, Village Square, and Tir-na-nOg theatre - all mainstays of community life. OneBowen invites community mem-

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Bowen Legion Branch 150 turns 75 MARCUS HONDRO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

owen Island Legion Branch 150 held a family celebration last Saturday to mark 75 years of existence, with events in the parking lot and inside taking place throughout the day. Brickhouse, a funky Vancouver R & B band who’s played at the Bowen Pub, kept a packed house dancing throughout the night. Tim Hausch, president of the Legion, said that this was one of two celebrations they plan for the year; the other will be more formal and closer to Remembrance Day. “This first one was just to have the community over for some fun,” Hausch told the Undercurrent. During the day there was bingo, face painting and other events for kids and many Bowen wee ones showed up to take part. There was a community meal that included a roast pig and corn on the cob. Our Legion was formed in 1936, 11 years after the organization began existence in Canada. It was started by a group of First World War Island veterans and while it started small, the Legion keeps growing. Nairn Knipe, a past secretary, treasurer and president, says the Legion has over 160 members. Those first members met at one another’s homes until members built the hall on

Scarborough in 1965. “The community seems to have a connection to the Legion - it’s been around as a community meeting place for as long as many people can remember,” Hausch said, noting you don’t have to have been in the military to join. “Just about anyone 19 or older, regardless of citizenship, can join.” Many members did serve but of the many who did not, a respect for the military and a desire to be part of a group of well-intentioned citizens were part of the reason they join. Hausch had family in the military - his grandfather was wounded in World War 1 and his father served. “I joined the Bowen Legion when I moved here. I didn’t know anyone and it was a place where I could help out and get to know people and the island,” he says. “One thing led to another and they asked me to join the board and then to take over as treasurer for a year. Now with the support of a number of terrific volunteers, both on and off the board, I am on my third term as president.” Knipe also was not a member of the Canadian military but it ran in her family. “My grandfather and father both served in France in the First World War,” she says. “My father served in the Second World War and was Sergeant Major at the Old Vancouver Hotel.” She’s been involved at the

Bowen branch for 12 years. The Legion sponsors many events on Bowen, including a dinner most Friday nights starting at 6 p.m., one of the more popular weekly events on Bowen’s calendar. Hausch said if you’re not a member, you’ll need someone to sign you in. If you don’t know a member he can be contacted and will make arrangements. They seek to increase membership but not simply for the sake of getting names on a list. “The Legion is run with a philosophy of being a part of the island community and regularly gives back both publicly and privately,” Hausch said. “We are not looking to just increase membership as much as looking for members that will help out and continue to improve the Legion.” Details of the marking of the 75th anniversary in the fall will be announced later in the year.

Face painting was a part of Saturday’s anniversary celebration of the Legion. More events are planned for later this fall. Rebecca Henderson

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Black sheep in Boston

Nook funds waste management study

Graham Ritchie and Bob Doucet went deep into the heart of enemy country last weekend, charming their fanatically Boston Bruin-supporting hosts with soothing songs and persuading them that “Go Canucks Go!” was just a harmless medieval Celtic incantation used by the ancient Druids before downing a shot of mead. Bob Doucet was leading a band of 10 Bowen Island Black Sheep Morris Dancers to southern Vermont on the weekend. The Sheep had been invited to the prestigious Marlboro Ale, a 36-year-old large annual gathering of Cotswold Morris Dancers from all over the northeast from Toronto to New York and all points between. Bob danced and played with many of those teams when he lived in and around Boston back in the mists of time, and he seems to be quite an icon for the Morris community there.

Crippen’s future under discussion continued from PAGE 1 Islanders opposed to the inclusion of Crippen are circulating a petition. “I haven’t heard anybody say they are in favour of this yet,” Martin said. Metro’s policy is to buy and sell park land at market value. Among the concerns are that a change in Crippen’s status to federally owned Crown land

GRAEME DINSDALE is leaving Heaven & Going Down Under. Come say Goodbye. Come say Thanks. Come say Good Luck. Come & say Nothing. Come & Buy him a Drink. Sunday, June 5 @ the Legion 2:30-5:00

FRIDAY JUNE 3 2011 • 5

ith building expenses covered for the first time since opening, the board of Knick Knack Nook, Bowen Island’s re-use-store, has been able to consider how to return our community’s generosity by donating funds to an island project. The Nook was founded out of a deep concern to save valuable materials from the landfill; from this original impetus we created a mission statement fostering environmental responsibility. This philosophy has led to our commitment to contribute to future Island initiatives in resource recovery. As we began to explore future possibilities, we realized that this is an area of enormous complexity. There are many options for processing which may involve the municipality as well as several interested community businesses and organizations. There are also issues particular to Bowen such as concern for our unique environment, availability of organic materials, land and funding, expense of taking waste to the mainland, a need for locally produced soil. Needing comprehensive information before funding any resource management process, we engaged Morganne Keplar, ReSource-Full Habitats, to do a feasibility study for us. She has extensive knowledge of resource recovery systems, a commitment to waste management on Bowen and knowledge of Bowen Island com-

munity interactions. Some weeks later, the scope of this report was expanded in response to a need for a more comprehensive overview as expressed by Bowen Island Municipality CAO Brent Mahood. As the municipality does not have funds available for such a project, it was decided that the Nook form a collaborative role with BIM by funding this report. This report will contain an examination of current resource management issues, organic processes, stakeholders and strategies, and options for future resource recovery enterprises on Bowen. When the board receives Keplar’s report, we will carefully review options and decide on next steps. They will include consultation with Mahood followed by a preliminary meeting with BIM, Bowen Waste Management, Zero Waste, Bowen Island Recycling Depot. Since requesting the report on waste retrieval on Bowen, we have learned that by December 2012, food waste and yard trimmings will no longer be allowed in our garbage. This knowledge has intensified our interest to collaborate in creating the best possible resource recovery system. On behalf of Board of Knick Knack Nook Allene Drake, Katherine Lawrence, Diane Marshall

could open it up to acquisition and development by First Nations through land claim settlements. Parks Canada officials have said they see Crippen as an important part of a future national park reserve there and would seek alternate ways to accommodate any future request from a First Nation, such as the Squamish Nation, for part of the parkland.

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EDITORIAL

Rural delivery C ommunity newspapers across Canada have been having a very frustrating time over the past few days. Many are based in small towns served by rural post offices – all those that have 0s in them, such as V0N IG0. In the past, many rural post offices have stayed open during postal strikes because the staff don’t belong to the striking union. In this case, the union that went on strike on Thursday night (or at least said it was going to start the strike a few hours after the Undercurrent’s print deadline) is the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. Many rural post office staff members belong to the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association, who are not on strike. Newspapers Canada, our national lobbying arm, has been asking Canada Post to clarify which rural post offices will be closed during the strike, to no avail. It seems like such a simple question but no answer has been forthcoming. So as this editorial is being written on Thursday morning, we can’t say definitively

that the Bowen post office will remain open. We’re pretty sure it will but we can’t get anyone to say it. If it does stay open, then past history indicates that local island mail will continue to be sorted and delivered. Mail from off the island won’t be sorted and delivered, however. People who have subscriptions to the Undercurrent should continue to receive the paper by mail. Or at least that’s what we’re hoping, and wish we could have been able to tell you. If you are a subscriber and find that you can’t wait for your copy, please drop by the Undercurrent office underneath the Cates Pharmacy and we’ll give you a copy for free. One of the issues that Canada Post is facing is that people have found ways to share news that don’t involve envelopes and stamps. Now, because of weekly deadlines, the Undercurrent will also have to rely on the Internet to share information. We’ll post whatever updates we get on our website. It didn’t have to be this way. Martha Perkins

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. B.C. Press Council. The Undercurrent is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council. Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2R2. For information, phone 1-888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org.

The Undercurrent is published every Friday by Black Press Group Ltd. 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. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

Sun is shining brightly on golf club’s endeavour To the Editor:

otwithstanding our less than wonderful weather, the sun shines brightly on the golf course clubhouse construction! If a picture is worth a thousand words a quick drive by is worth a million. It looks magnificent. I’ll share the most prevailing observation: “the facility is far better than we ever expected”! On an equally positive note, I am pleased to report at council’s meeting, on May 24, they unanimously approved a resolution in support of our liquor licence. Please note, this is not the final approval. It is merely one of “fore” steps. The B.C. Liquor Board must now inspect the premises and approve as the final stage of the six-plus-month application process. We have known from the outset we most likely would be open before we have final approval which is not a problem. Jane Kellett has done such a wonderful job stick handling the application that the Vancouver Canucks have drafted her! We thank council and staff for their support on the aforementioned application and thanks as well to those members of the community who submitted 99 letters of support (representing 111 people). As there was no opposition, that has to be some kind of record in our community. It should be noted, many of the supporters were not club members and many were neighbours, who acknowledged the professional and responsible manner in which the golf course was operated. Our May 31 “final drive” fundraising date has passed. We still have a nominal shortfall ($4,190) which we expect will be raised before the completion of construction. As I said at the outset, the sun is shining brightly on the clubhouse project. Thanks again to everyone for their broad based support. Bruce Russell, President & Director

Thank you to ferry riders To the Editor:

Tax credit for children in arts step in right direction; local MP’s efforts lauded The following letter was first sent to MP John Weston.

ear Mr. Weston: Congratulations at your re-election. Many people on Bowen Island support you because you are clearly the most hardworking MP we ever had. I hope that the Child Tax Credit for children in the arts is fully implemented in the actual budget. It is the right thing to do and your government has taken this ethical step to establish

#102–495 Bowen Trunk Road, PO Box 130, Bowen Island BC, V0N 1G0

fairness for families. In fact, I believe that this action clearly helped your party to win the election landslide. Fairness and equality are the most important values in Canada which we teach already to our three-year olds. In terms of “fitness” there are many “fitnesses” that are transmitted in arts and culture, which are essential to the modern society that Canada has become. So, thanks again for your hard work! Sigurd Sabathil

Editor

Contributor

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Martha Perkins

Marcus Hondro

Suzanne Carvell

Phone: 604.947.2442 Fax: 604.947.0148

ords cannot express my thanks and gratitude to all who helped to find my son on the 4 p.m. sailing on May 27. In a matter of seconds my three-year-old disappeared from my sight. While playing with his brother, he had decided to push the elevator button. When the door opened, he walked in and became stuck, not knowing what to do or how to get out. As I began to look for him, panic ensued. A mass search found him sitting and crying in the middle of the elevator on the car deck. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who got out of their cars, to the Queen of Capilano staff, Scott Begg, Scott Witty, Elena Waldman and everyone else whose names I don’t know. You are what truly makes this community great. Becca Laursen Sales Manager

Publisher Aaron Van Pykstra 604.903.1022

Greg Laviolette 604.903.1013

Editorial: editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com Display & Classified Advertising: ads@bowenislandundercurrent.com Deadline for all advertising and editorial: Monday, 4:00p.m. www.bowenislandundercurrent.com

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Book sale an amazing community effort To the Editor:

Stories of Island history, people, activities and events.

The Friends of the Library books sale was made possible by countless volunteers who helped at every stage along the way. Thank you, everyone! Susanne Martin photo

To the Editor:

t was gratifying to read Susanne Martin’s article reporting on delegations to council regarding grant requests. However, it did not explain the reason for Bowen Court Seniors’ Co-operative’s first attempt at going “cap in hand” to our municipality. Our septic repairs are proceeding and the cost will be covered by our replacement reserve fund which is very much depleted and necessitates large increases in our housing charges. Independently, we have raised $55,288 in federal grants and a benefit to replace our water pipes and paint the outsides of our community area and residences.

However, the building comprising units #9-18 is sagging in the middle and must be shored up to prevent further rot and water damage. Two years ago we received quotes for this work at around $12,000. At that time, we simply could not afford to have the job done, but hoped that with the new sewer along Miller Road and money from the approved subdivision of our land, we would be able to do so. This has not proved to be the case and unless these repairs are completed as soon as possible, we cannot guarantee adequate housing for our occupants. Pam Stimpson, President B. I. Seniors Housing Co-operative

Any lands transferred to national park open to claims To the Editor: Re: “Raising hypothetical situations....” (Letter to the Editor, May 27 Undercurrent). n first seeing the above, I thought, at last someone is cutting to the chase in regards to the fear-mongering and hypothetical situations being thrown at Bowen Islanders pertaining to the protection of the Crown lands. Alas, how foolish of me! Lonnie Hindle’s letter to the Undercurrent of May 20 states that, should Crippen Park become a national park reserve, it would be susceptible to a First Nations land claim and future development without further restriction by BIM. In his letter of May 27th, Chris Corrigan concurs with Lonnie’s concern, but then dismisses it as being hypothetical conjecture. He further glosses over and obscures the issue by claiming that, “with no particular special input from Bowen Islanders,” Crippen Park would be in equal danger if private interests were to purchase Crippen

and proceed with development. He misses the point entirely. Here are the facts as I understand them. Private development of Crippen Park could only take place with all necessary zoning, development approval and provision of services from BIM. In contrast, under the 1991 Tripartite Agreement, First Nations development of Crippen could take place without any say or control whatsoever by BIM. That is the simple point I believe Lonnie was attempting to bring to Bowen Islanders’ attention. I’m also led to believe that this land claim holds true for any other lands or assets that council transfers/sells/exchanges with Parks Canada, which could include The Old General Store or the Snug Cove dock. Council has been in possession of Lonnie’s letter since March 15. I would like to know why they have not imparted any of this information to the citizens of Bowen Island, and, now that it has become public, what they plan to do about it. John Greene

he lower Snug Cove area hasn’t yet Neighbours reached its needed refurbishing. One of the major needs is, as always, money. The other ingredient may well be imagination. Case in point: the Seabreeze building. This is the handsome blue building which houses, among others, Out of the Blue, our Irish barber and our notary. When I first transplanted myself to Bowen, that structure was a one-storey green cottage facing the lane leading to the Davies Orchard. Access was from the lane. The building had started life much earlier as a summer-time lodge and its life over the years had been varied but since 1973, it had housed Bill and Jane Riddell’s realty office. The Riddells occupied the main room which still retained its 1920s sleeping loft. Two tiny spaces housed the island’s insurance agent and notary. The working spaces for the Riddells and their tenants were inadequate but what options did they have? Bill once said that two assets made the remodelling a possibility. First, the building was on an oversize lot - 55 feet wide. Second, there was a fivefoot crawl space under the lodge. So? It took a good deal of imagination to create the plan which eventually came together. It involved raising the building three feet, turning it 90 degrees and moving it closer to Government Road. That gave space for parking in the back of the building. As the raising and remodeling took place, the Riddells documented the project’s progress. Since then, the stylish building with its two and a half storeys has been home to a number of island businesses. Newcomers think the building has been there a long time. Of course, it has, sort of. An added note: for some time after the beautiful building opened, there was a sign in the Seabreeze parking lot which said: Seabreeze customers and tenant parking only. All other cars may be smashed and melted. Bill had read that one somewhere and it intrigued him. When the chance to use it came along, he did. (But only

island

Bowen Court units need to be shored up

Seabreeze Building: imagination at work LoisMeyers-Carter

I think that the annual book sale for the Friends of the Library is one of the most amazing community events that exist. So many people make that large event happen smoothly. Special thanks to Tyler Wallace, Huck, Lonn (the window guy), his son Tyler, Mark Ferguson, Fox, Jen at the General Store, Cody and Peter Isto. Without their help and enthusiasm, the 1 1/2 tons of books wouldn’t have arrived in a timely manner. Bill Pocklington

FRIDAY JUNE 3 2011 • 7

editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com

CALLING ALL GRADS! It’s time to start thinking about being part of our 2011

Salute to Grads Issue Email a short bio and your favourite high-resolution grad pic by 4:00pm on June 6 to news@bowenislandundercurrent.com

for a short time!) •Ten Years Ago in the Undercurrent issue of June 1, 2001, While, the municipality and BC Ferries were turning over the concept of a new ferry shelter for Bowen Island, the Undercurrent’s front page featured the design of an island-friendly ferry shelter proposed by artist Emily Van Lidth de Jeude. • The charming sculpture in Snug Cove’s Davies Orchard was unveiled, with appropriate ceremony and thanks. Bowen’s first piece of public art called Children at Play was created by a partnership of GVRD Parks, the federal government’s Millennium Project and the Bowen Island Heritage Preservation Association. (BIHPA) • The municipal council endorsed the planning process of the arts and culture master plan. • Bowen Conservancy spokesperson Sue Ellen Fast said “As a community we must work together to balance our various needs and to ensure that we sustain a vibrant community. As part of that, we must look at our natural and cultural landscapes and determine how best to protect the values that brought us to the island - while recognizing our ever changing needs and desires.” • Jane Kellett was coordinating the 15th year of sailing courses being offered by the Bowen Island Yacht Club. • Birthdays June 5 through June 18: Three well known Bowen couples were married on June 5 but our first June birthday is Cameron Swan’s on June 6. Next, on June 7 are Taryn Haggerstone, Shannon Parry and Julian Droniewicz. June 8 is the birthday of Matthew Jacquet, Linda McKnight, Zoe Schubert and Joy Davies. Inga Behm’s birthday is on June 9. The two June 11 birthdays are those of former resident Margaret Karibjanian and Liz Gourlay. June 12 is for Nicholas Chase and Kelsey Watson while June 13 celebrants are Chris Corrigan, Kai Watkins and music host David Parkin. June 14? Brian Biddlecombe, Christoph Strubin, painter Susan Hillman and Carol Buckner. On June 15, the birthdays are for James Darling, Daphne Shaw, and the versatile Laurie Macdonald. Next up is the June 16 birthday of Lana McIntosh. Last birthdays are those of June 17: Brandon Goth and Kathryn Ovenell-Carter. New birthdays are always welcome as are corrections. Next birthdays will be in the June 17 issue. • The Last Word: To share an item, telephone 947-2440 or e-mail to lbmcarter@shaw.ca

8 • FRIDAY JUNE 3 2011

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CRC: the glass is half full To the Editor:

ust when you think politics have reached a new low on Bowen, you realize that there are always two ways to look at the cup, half empty or half full. Looking back at my first six years on Bowen, I see many accomplishments. This weekend on a glorious Sunday afternoon I took a stealthy walk down to the water at Cape Roger Curtis. What many do not realize, but soon will, is that contrary to public opinion, something extraordinary has happened as a result of the CRC process. Bowen now has over 1km of waterfront boardwalks, trails over the first phase of waterfront of this new community, all of which is marked with municipal logos as being public access. The trail as constructed offers some views that are perhaps the most stunning of any trail on Bowen. A heroic boardwalk cantilevers off a cliff, trails wind around a sandy cove and frame storied views of the Cape Roger Curtis lighthouse. I am not sure who gets credit for this public amenity but no doubt it is both an olive branch extended by SUSTAINABLE REGION INITIATIVE ...

the good will of the developer as well as the hard work of all of the committees, council members and staff that have worked so hard on the issues that are anything but black and white. It is hard to put a value on 1km of shoreline walkway, but try buying the right to construct a public promenade over $8 or $9 million lots after they have been sold off and I am sure you would be looking at a price tag of millions of dollars. As an architect and planner who has worked on similar projects around the world I have never seen a result so positive out of design of just a few single family lots. This is a job well done by all involved, especially The Cape on Bowen! What has also come out of the CRC process that is truly extraordinary is the opportunity for Bowen Islanders to discuss the fate of their prized Crown lands and the opportunity to create one of the first near urban national parks. Credit needs to be given here to council as this was their initiative. While this initiative may fail, it will have at least have had the opportunity to be part of a very comprehensive public process.

What Bowen Islanders sometimes forget is that in some parts of the world these and often much harder decisions are made for the people. They have no voice. We are truly lucky to live in both a beautiful place and a democracy where the people are listened to! While it easy to judge others by the decisions they make, it is the decisions that are not made that can sometimes have the most profound effect on how communities evolve. Case in point is Snug Cove. After waiting for five years the public now can weigh in on ferry marshalling options. It would have been easy for council to endorse any of the earlier plans spending millions on transportation solutions that would be now obsolete (now that we realize ferry traffic is static) and would have contravened some of the most important environmental bylaws we have in place. Most importantly the public would have missed out on having the opportunity to weigh in on options. While on the topic of planning, it looks like we are almost ready to have an updated and polished OCP. At the core of the document is environmental protection. TURNING IDEAS INTO ACTION Developers and home owners will no longer be able to clear cut large areas of unique and sensitive ecological areas without a development permit. While CRC has done an outstanding job dedicating public access to and above the water’s edge, they have made a few tree clearing mishaps along the way, no doubt following some bad advice or perhaps just not seeing the opportunity to frame views by siting architecture within a forest rather than a clearing! With the OCP in place municipal staff have the tools to be better stewards of the land. It does not hurt to step back and smell the roses! James Tuer

1 hour a week is all you really need for a healthy lawn NEW REGULATIONS! Lawn Sprinkling allowed from 4 am to 9 am, June 1 to September 30 Even-numbered addresses: Monday, Wednesday or Saturday Odd-numbered addresses: Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday

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Situation with hybrid should never have arisen To the Editor:

hank you for managing to get Thursday’s story about the wolf-dog into Friday’s paper: that must have taken a complete revision of the layout on Thursday afternoon. I don’t think I was alone in feeling conflicted about the death of the wolf-dog. I was certainly very scared for what it might do to my dogs, and I feel the deepest sympathy for all those who lost their dogs, cats, sheep, chickens and ducks to the creature. I was one of those who appealed to the municipality to take action and I am pleased that action was taken eventually; I only wish it had happened sooner. But I also wept for the killing of the creature. The fact is, the situation should never have arisen in the first

place. In my view, no one should be cross-breeding wolves with dogs, no one should be selling them, and no one should be buying them. Then no one would be dumping them, when the animals become too hard to handle. Bowen Island now knows all too well what effect a roaming predator such as a wolf-dog can have on an entire community. It would be great if we can use our horrible experience to help stop this happening again, here or anywhere else. I would like to lobby our politicians to enact a provincial ban on such cross-breeding. If you agree with me and would be prepared to sign a petition to this effect, please email me at susanna.braund@ubc.ca. Susanna Braund

Clarification on a few points about Cape Roger Curtis To the Editor:

in order to justify the economics of contributing the land for the Re: CRC Trust Society dissolves waterfront park. They needed only itself the 395. veryone is disappointed that The extra 276 were all commuthe Cape Roger Curtis Trust nity asks: all amenities that would Society failed to achieve its only be built at the community’s goal of a park at the cape; howevdiscretion. All 276 units could have er, the real reasons we do not have been taken off the table without a park at CRC were missing from affecting the economics. Why was the article. Historians in the future this possibility never made public? will look to the Undercurrent for “Everyone was hoping that we information, so for accuracy’s sake could work with [the owners] but I would like to clarify a few points. at the end of the day we couldn’t.” The density was never about 600 The “we” in this statement must units but about 395. This was the surely refer to the society and to number of units the owners needed council. The owners, who added in order to contribute 53 per cent 276 units to the plan at our request, of the land and 80 per cent of the consistently demonstrated a willwaterfront as park. This number ingness to work with us. was confirmed by the municipalIf one understands the process, ity’s own consultants as the miniit is not a surprise that the 58-lot mum requirement. This number subdivision was approved after the was 161 units over the OCP (224) neighbourhood plan was rejected for a development on 600 acres - it was a foregone conclusion that would have take 30 years to and certainly the owners made it build-out. The 600-unit number clear this would be their path. The (actually 666) was the total once approval process is not a politiall of the community’s asks were cal but rather a technical process. met: 150 for a seniors continuum If prescribed conditions are met, of care, 114 for affordable housing, a subdivision application must be and 12 for live-work units. None of approved, and as the article states, these extra 276 units were required the owners met the required condito provide for a park - the owners tions. did not have to build any of these Unfortunately the society became its own worst enemy. Its leaders were ultimately unwilling to accept 53 per cent of the land with 80 per cent of the waterfront as a win, and regardless of reguGeorge and Sheila Hunter lations clearly laid out, (nee welsh) had convinced themselves they could stop a High school sweethearts married in 58-lot subdivision from Calgary on June 2, 1956. Their ﬁrst proceeding. Greed and home was a cottage at Chestermere arrogance lost the prize - but they couldn’t have Lake . in 1965 the couple drove done it without the supacross the rockies in their 63 volvo with their 5 young port of our council. daughters settling in West Vancouver where George built the family home. In 1971 George I agree that it was “an and Sheila set out to build a cottage in Tunstall Bay showing the girls how to use tools and opportunity lost,” and work. That ﬁrst summer while building they camped then bunked next door at the monks we have yet to appreciplace with their kids and enjoyed many fun summers with friends and fellow Bowen ate just how much was lost - and not just at islanders. Thanks for the memories. The couple have 9 grandchildren are snowbirds and CRC. still active playing tennis. Tim Rhodes

HAPPY 55TH ANNIVERSARY

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Grad 2011

Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not out yet but the 2011 graduates at West Vancouver Secondary School got together last Saturday on Bowen (parents celebrated as well) before taking the water taxi to attend the graduation ceremony at The Bayshore. Lorraine Ashdown photos

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Aaron’s Run supports Bowen grads MARY LETSON EVENT ORGANIZER

unday, June 12 is an opportunity to celebrate Aaron Sluggett’s life and support an endowment fund that ensures that selected Bowen graduates have a head start in university tuition fees. Yes, the 10km route from Bluewater to the Bowfest field is challenging, but worth the distance and worth the effort and satisfaction once you’ve crossed the finish line. Thanks to John Reid’s beautiful trail system, the hardy 10ker’s can avoid the Bowen Bay hill, and instead, wind up the lovely trails through Evergreen Acres. Perhaps the 10km is a little steep for you right now? No problem! The 5km route is flat and wonderful. Okay, maybe not completely flat as there is a wee hill as participants climb Cates Hill Rd to enter Bowfest Field from Dorman Rd. But that’s what separates the Bowen runners from the mainlanders... those hills make us stronger! And for those wishing just a taste of a run, join us at the firehall for a 2km jaunt to the Bowfest field. Cates Hill is included so you don’t feel left out. Once you finish, delightful refreshments await you. But the food’s nothing like you would normally see at a race finish: fresh baked pies, compliments of Savoury Island Pie Company, fresh muffins donated by Artisan Eats, watermelon and strawberries. Oh, yum. Aaron’s Scholarship will be awarded at the finish line at 10:30, and we will wish on and release 19 balloons celebrating Aaron’s 19 years. Registration deadline is Friday, June 10, 4 p.m. at Bowen Island Community Recreation. Or you can drop off your completed registration forms at Positively Fit Studio, 1044 Senior Rd. Maps and registration forms are available at positivelyfit.ca/events. For information and encouragement, call Mary 947 9601, or email positivelyfit@telus.net.

BICS athletes compete in West Van Top: These BICS lads were part of the 50-member BICS track and field team who headed over to the district track meet at West Van Secondary on Tuesday morning, May 31. BICS competed hard in a number of races including 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4x100m, a medley relay (100m, 100m, 200m, 400m) and co-ed relays. Vice-principal Scott Slater says, all students tried their hardest and performed well. When they were not racing, they enthusiastically cheered on their teammates from the stands.” They also held up well when a late bus saw them miss the 4:30 ferry. Right: These two outstanding athletes, Brylie and Robin, are also highly amusing and capable of tolerating bouncy and boisterous BICS boys on a bus. Marcus Hondro photos

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BICS kids learn to ‘grow to the market’

Learn to be a gardener BRUCE HOWLETT B O W E N A G R I C U LT U R A L A L L I A N C E

MARCUS HONDRO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

he Bowen Agriculture Alliance (BAA) has found a way to expand its increasingly-popular annual August celebration of locally grown food, BowFEAST, and it involves Island children. With the help of young gardeners at BICS, there will be a monthly farmers’ market six months out of the year. The market is the first Sunday of each month. The first one is in May and the last one will be in October. While some of the produce and seedlings you’ll be able to buy at the markets will be brought to you by local farmers, some will also be courtesy of BICS students. BAA and BICs are cosponsoring a program called ‘Grow to the Market’. Students plant seedlings and start the growing process for a variety of food items. Working with the fledgling BICS gardeners - the students volunteered for the program - to get their seeds and produce grown, packaged, labelled and ready for market is

FRIDAY JUNE 3 2011 • 11

Jarod and Olivia are two of Daphne Fargher’s ‘Grow to the Market’ student farmers. Marcus Hondro photo

Daphne Fargher of Foxglove Ranch. Bowen kids taking part will be also be selling foods such as chives, alpine strawberries and ripe-red raspberries. The program was made possible by a grant from the Vancouver Coastal Health Urban Agricultural Initiatives. Five of the six monthly markets are from 10 a.m. to noon at the blacktop undercover area near the BICS playground. There will be no market on the first Saturday of August; instead there will be the 5th Annual Bowfeast on August 20 on the front lawn of the library. Michelle Pentz Glave of

“The Snug’s cooking dinner for you!”

the BAA says that the markets are open to farmers and to any growers who care to come along and set up a table and sell their locally produced food items and/ or seeds. The cost is a mere five bucks per table and the profit goes to the sellers. Children get to sell their produce for free. The next farmers’ market is Saturday, June 4 at BICS. There’ll be rhubarb, basil, bok choy, spring greens, honey, jam, dahlia tubers, plus a local medicinal herbs table. Please call Glave if you plan to sell at 604-833-4638. For details go to www. bowenagalliance.ca.

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nterested in knowing more about veggie gardening? The right kind of soil? The right location? About how to prepare raised beds? About the how and when of watering? Drip irrigation? Growing fruit trees in boxes? “Succession gardening” and “square foot gardening”? About the right things for your veggie/fruit garden? Another thing: how to remedy the bugs that devour your tomatoes and the diseases that destroy your peas? We’ve got the answers - or at least, the master gardeners do. The Bowen Agricultural Alliance is hosting a master gardener clinic at the Bowen Community School

Community Use Room on Saturday, June 18 at 10 a.m.. The topic: home fruit and vegetable gardening. Two Van Dusen mastergardener pros will speak, then lead a Q and A session where you can ask them questions - all intended to make Bowen more self-sufficient by producing more of what we eat. Bring yourselves, bring leaves or branches from plants that are infected or being eaten (the master gardeners will help diagnose and suggest cures) and bring your gardening questions. Exchange your experiences with others. Learn from each other. Learn how to grow more, so you can eat more of your own produce. Be healthy. Be environmentally aware. Be more selfsufficient. Be a gardener!

Next open garden is on June 5

ast year the Bowen Island Garden Club hosted an open garden at the home of John and Katherine Lawrence in daffodil season (March 2010). A year later, and summer about to explode, an entirely different garden experience greets the visitor. Many of the former large open bare patches of earth in the southern part of the property (which housed the former expo building) have been filled with a variety of new plantings. Trees, scrubs and a wide variety of perennials have already begun to establish themselves in the short time the southern part of the garden has existed. The development of the newer part of the garden includes an irri-

“

gation system and two decks salvaged from the original building. One of the latter has been modified to provide an attractive area of raised beds; the other features a large dining table from timbers recovered from the original house. The garden has an extensive system of intersecting pathways, which provide visitors with splendid views of the garden and its backdrop of sea, sky and mountain ridges. The garden is located at 105 Baker Road and will be open from 2 until 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 5. Visitors should park on Old Eagle Cliff road and walk down to the property on Baker. All are welcome. Memberships to the club can be bought on-site.

‘Are you in favour of, or against, a National Park on Bowen Island?’ In my opinion that question is nonsensical at this time, and so would be a vote about the same subject.

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www.thoughtsaboutbowen.ca

6604-990-0833 8

BOOKKEEPING

BOWEN ISLAND MUNICIPALITY

$25/Hour

A Vision for Snug Cove!

Eat local, meet your growers

CORPORATE TAX PERSONAL TAX

Bowen Island Municipality Invites you to attend an Open House for a presentation of the “Snug Cove Village Design and Transportation Concepts” (Ferry Marshalling)

Sat., June 4, 9, 9am to 12pm

from $35

• All island growers welcome! • Tables $5, kids free • Set-up at 8 am • BICS students selling from school garden

Payroll, HST, Year End, SR&ED

Thursday, June 16th, 2011 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm & Saturday, June 18th, 2011 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Cates Hill Chapel, 661 Carter Road, Bowen Island, B.C.

BowFEAST farmers’ market!

NEW THIS YEAR! BowFEAST farmers’ market 1st Saturday of each month at BICS in undercover area near rec ofﬁce info: elle.glave@BowenAgAlliance.ca, 604-833-4638

&R Tax H Accounting Services

110-445 Mountain Hwy.,N.V. BowFEAST is a project of BAA in partnership with BICS, BIM & BICR

To see more visit us online at: www.snugcoveconcepts.ca Any questions or other inquiries may be directed to the Director of Planning: Hap Stelling, MCIP, Director of Planning Bowen Island Municipality 981 Artisan Lane, Bowen Island, B.C. V0N 1G0 Tel: 604 947-4255 Fax: 604 947-0193 E-mail: hstelling@bimbc.ca

info@hrtax.ca

604.980.9668

For Information Call 604-947-4255

12 • FRIDAY JUNE 3 2011

WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM

Classical concerts on Bowen

Travels to the Rainforest

MARTHA PERKINS KAREN WATSON

EDITOR

GALLERY AT ARTISAN SQUARE

“

It was dusk when I crossed over the top of one dune and then slipped down the edge and, suddenly, found myself alone in the silence. It could have been a thousand years ago.” Artist Ann Beatty is talking about her time in the Middle East, where she spent two years, returning last August. Paintings from her time there, as well as more recent landscapes of Bowen, are featured this month at the Gallery@Artisan Square. “The Middle East was a completely different experience,” Ann says. “The heat, the sun-baked colours, the mosque’s call to prayer, the scent of incense... everything was a constant reminder of how far we were from Bowen.” And, being an artist, Ann’s way of better understanding the world around her was to draw and paint it. “A lot of the work was done in my home studio,” she explains. “More so than in the other countries I’ve travelled as crowds tended to gather; young men twice chatted me up and the second or third question out of their mouths would be, ‘Would you marry me?’” Still, she found several opportunities to sketch in the open air, not just around the United Arab Emirates but in her travels to

Ann Beatty in Abu Dhabi.

Ken Beatty photo

Oman, Egypt, Turkey, Italy and Greece. Added to the three years she lived in Beijing, where she studied traditional Chinese painting, and 12 years in Hong Kong where she helped found a women artists’ group and became the first nonChinese member of the Hong Kong Watercolour Society, Ann has now spent a third of her life abroad. After growing up in Ottawa and attending the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, does Bowen really feel like home? “Oh yes,” she says. “I loved living in Abu Dhabi, but I still missed home so I painted a forest scene and hung it in our bedroom like a kind of window. Coming home some days, drenched from the 40

to 50 degree heat, I often wanted to slip through that window and be back here. The Bowen landscapes in the show depict the island’s moods in its four seasons. Most are in watercolour, with others in acrylic. “I’m fascinated by the light,” Ann says. “The same scene can change dramatically throughout the day or even with the passing of a single cloud. The urge to share what I see - what I think is beautiful and emotional - drives me to paint.” From the Desert to the Rainforest is open from May 26 to June 19, Fridays to Sunday, 12 noon to 4 p.m. You can also see the show at www.annbeatty.com.

ecording technology has made incredible strides in making you feel as if you have a symphony orchestra in your living room every time you put on your favourite CD. But no technology can match the feeling of watching a live performance, and the connection that occurs between musician and audience, says a group of volunteers who is bringing a classical music series back to Bowen Island. “Live classical music is different,” says Mariana Holbrook. Recordings can “take the life out of the music” and make it seem flatter. That’s why she and Sonia Usmiani and Dorothy and Ted Chiasson are organizing a three-concert series on Bowen. The concert line-up has yet to be chosen but they expect it to include small ensembles, piano and perhaps a choir. The first concert would be in the early fall. Tickets to the concerts will not be available at the door. Instead, they are selling subscriptions for $95 for all three concerts. (No outside funding is available for the first year; they plan to apply for assistance next year.) Holbrook notes that if you go to town for a concert, you’d have to pay for a ferry, parking and the ticket, let alone a drink or a meal. The concerts on Bowen are an inexpensive alternative and just as enjoyable. To enquire about buying a subscription, call Mariana Holbrook at 947-9834.