Burnaby Now December 8 2022

Another Burnaby apart ment fire has displaced more renters in a city with the third highest rents in Canada

Fire broke out in a first floor suite at Evergreen Place at 6920 Gilley Ave at about 7:45 p m , accord ing to assistant fire Chief Derek Masaro

On arrival, crews found smoke and flames com

ing from the suite, and the building was evacuated, he said

Paramedics cared for and transported one pa tient to hospital, according to B C Emergency Health Services

“[The suite] was totally destroyed,” Masaro said

Adjacent suites also sus tained smoke and fire damage, he said

Some residents of the building were able to re turn after the fire was

knocked down, accord ing to Masaro, but the city said eight families were displaced and needed help from emergency social ser vices to get out of the cold

Support for three of those families has now

been extended to Friday, according to City of Burn aby communications man ager Chris Bryan

More than 100 Burn aby renters have been dis placed by fires at older

TOGETHER AGAIN: Members of the Burnaby school district handbell choir, Sound Wave, rehearse at Inman Elementary School under the direction of music teacher Janet Nordstrand On Monday, the group will perform with two other district ensembles at Together Again, a holiday concert at Michael J Fox Theatre See story, page 9 PHOTO CORNELIANAYLOR

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

now

MansentencedforrobbingBurnabypokergame

Culprit had earlier

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

A man who got himself and a partner into a private poker game in Burnaby and then robbed it with a fake firearm didn’t do himself any favours while he was awaiting sentenc ing.

“In the anticipation of getting sentenced, most folks behave very, very well because they’re trying to gain merit for their sen tencing hearing,” B C provin cial court Judge David St Pierre noted at a sentencing hearing Tuesday for 27 year old Ange Hatot

POKER GAME

Hatot had pleaded guilty in August 2021 to one count of robbery and one count of using an imitation firearm to commit an offence

The charges related to inci dents on March 3, 2021

Hatot and another man had gotten themselves into a private poker game at a Burnaby home, according to facts laid out by St Pierre

Police investigators could see for themselves what happened next because the host had vid eo recorded the game.

“The video shows them play ing poker, Mr Hatot and his co accused standing up sud denly at one point and draw ing firearms and pointing at the other folks in the game,” St Pi erre said.

The pair then relieved the other players of valuables and cash before forcing the host to open a safe with $6,000 in it, ac cording to St Pierre

But the host fought the men

guilty before skipping bail and trying to evade arrest in a stolen pickup

off with a knife, injuring Hatot’s co accused in the neck before the two fled Hatot and his co accused were charged with robbery, un lawful confinement and use of an imitation firearm to com mit an offence in June 2021, and Hatot entered his guilty pleas less than two months later But that wouldn’t be the end of it.

HELICOPTER, SPIKE BELT, POLICE DOG

Hatot was placed on house arrest with an electronic moni toring bracelet pending his sen tencing, but he ditched the bracelet and took off on Sept 22, 2021

Police didn’t catch up with him again until Dec 8, 2021 with help from a helicopter,

spike belt and police dog, just west of Lumby, B.C.

Vernon RCMP got a report of a stolen vehicle heading west on Highway 6 towardVernon, ac cording to a police news release at the time

Officers located the stolen Ford F150 with help from a po lice chopper, and tried to stop it, but it fled at a “high rate of speed.”

At one point, a spike belt punctured all four of the truck’s tires, but it kept going, hitting a police cruiser as it went, accord ing to St Pierre

The male driver eventually abandoned the truck and fled on foot into a residential area, where a police dog name Jak found him.

The man was Hatot, and a search of the stolen truck turned

up guns, St Pierre said Dangerous driving, possession of stolen property, flight from police and skipping bail were added to Hatot’s list of charges, and he was kept in custody until his sentencing this week

“Quite frankly, in this case, there are few mitigating fac tors, given the choices that were made by Mr Hatot after the ini tial offence was committed back in March of 2021,” St Pierre said

‘IT’S UPTO YOU’

Hatot pleaded guilty to one count each of dangerous driv ing, possession of stolen prop erty and breaching bail

Crown prosecutor Paul Pi etrusinski had called for up to seven years in prison, according to St Pierre, while defence law

Morethan100rentersdisplacedthisyear

lowrise apartments this year

In August, 4141 Albert St went up in flames Two months later, a second building with the same owner and building man ager caught fire at 355

Holdom St

No residents have been able to return to either building, according to builder manager Nader Pourvazyar

He said it will take a year to repair the build ings, and residents have

had their damage depos its refunded along with a month’s rent

But finding new rentals will likely be difficult.

MetroVancouver’s vacancy rate for pur pose built rental apart ments decreased from 2 6

per cent to 1 2 per cent in 2021, according to the latest Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation rental market report.

That’s compared to 4 6 per cent inToronto and three per cent in Mon treal

yer Jonathan Desbarats said the total sentence should be three years and three months

St Pierre ultimately decided five and a half years was appro priate

He noted Hatot already had a criminal record, including con victions for breaking and enter ing, theft from vehicles and care less use of a firearm

He urged Hatot, who strug gles with addiction, to take ad vantage of the programs that will be available to him behind bars.

“It’s up to you to make some thing different of your life when you get out,” St. Pierre said.

With enhanced credit for time he’s already served, Hatot has nearly four years left on his sen tence.

The case against his co ac cused is still before the courts

pleaded

‘FEW MITIGATING FACTORS’: It took a helicopter, spike belt and police dog to catch a suspect in a poker game robbery after he skipped bail. PHOTO JAMES C HOOPER/MOMENT/GETTY

Forced out: A fire at 6920 Gilley Ave on Saturday displaced up to six families PHOTO GOOGLE STREET VIEW

The video shows them playing poker, Mr. Hatot and his co-accused standing up suddenly at one point and drawing firearms and pointing at the other folks in the game.

Cityhousingpriceskeepdroppingasratescontinuetorise

JessBalzer jfedigan@burnabynow com

Housing prices across Burnaby are continuing to drop because of high in terest rates caused by in flation, a new report says Regional residential sales totalled 1,614 last month, a 52 9 per cent decline from the 3,428 sales that were seen in November of 2021, the Real Estate Board of GreaterVancouver (RE BGV) said in a November report

November’s numbers were also a 15 2 per cent drop from 1,903 homes sold in October of this year

“With the most re cent core inflation metrics showing a stubborn reluc tance to respond signifi cantly to the furious pace of rate increases, the Bank of Canada may choose to act more forcefully to bring inflation back to ward target levels,” RE BGV director of eco nomics and data analytics

Lis said the Bank of Canada would likely its interest rate the bank did raise its key lending rate to 4.25 per cent on Dec 6 “making hol iday season home pur chases something many people may end up fore going this year,” Lis said in the release

Benchmark residen tial prices in Burnaby East were recorded at $1,107,700 in November ( 1.6 per cent compared with October of 2022), $982,500 in Burnaby North ( 1.2 per cent com pared with October) and $1,055,700 in Burnaby South ( 0 8 per cent)

Single family detached house prices in Burn aby all saw drops last month, with Burnaby South at a benchmark price of $2,028,700 ( 1 9 per cent), $1,922,100 in Burnaby North ( 1.3 per cent) and $1,765,600 in Burnaby East ( 3 4 per cent).

“Heading into 2023, the market continues the trend of shifting toward historical averages and typical seasonal norms,” Lis added

“Whether these trends continue will depend on looming economic factors and forthcoming housing policy measures on the horizon, which hold the potential to reignite un certainty in our market.

“With that said, from a long term structural standpoint, the current pace of listings and avail able inventory remain rel atively tight when consid ered against a backdrop of continued in migration to the province

“With the recently an nounced increase in fed eral immigration targets, the state of available sup ply in our market remains one demand surge away from renewed price esca lation, despite the infla tionary environment and elevated mortgage rates ”

Jurisdictions covered by the REBGV include

Burnaby, Coquitlam, Ma ple Ridge, NewWest minster, NorthVancou

ver, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, South Delta,

Citynow CityConnect

Squamish, Sunshine Coast,Vancouver,West Vancouver andWhistler

Liquor Licence Application #22 02

Applicant: DAGERAAD BREWING

Subject: Proposed changes to permit permanent outdoor patio, increase brewery person capacity, and to extend patio operating hours

Location: #114 & #116 3191 Thunderbird Crescent

Dageraad Brewing has made an application to the City of Burnaby to permanently expand its liquor service area to allow for the long term use of the outdoor patio, to increase the total person capacity of the brewery lounge and patio from 54 persons to 110 persons, and to extend the daily operating hours on the patio from 12 noon 9 pm to 11 am 11 pm within an existing manufacturer’s (brewery) licence at Units #114 and #116 3191 Thunderbird Crescent, Burnaby The lounge and patio would be subject to the requirements of the Burnaby Noise or Sound Abatement Bylaw 1979

Liquor Licence Application #22-04

Applicant: STUDIO BREWING

Subject: Proposed changes to permit permanent outdoor patio, increase brewery person capacity, and to extend patio operating hours

Location: 5792 Beresford Street

Studio Brewing has made an application to the City of Burnaby to permanently expand its liquor service area to allow for the long-term use of the outdoor patio, to increase the total person capacity of the brewery lounge and patio from 54 persons to 84 persons, and to extend the daily operating hours on the patio from 11 am 10 pm to 11 am 11 pm within an existing manufacturer’s (brewery) licence at 5792 Beresford Street, Burnaby The lounge and patio would be subject to the requirements of the Burnaby Noise or Sound Abatement Bylaw 1979

For further information on these applications, contact the Planning and Development Department at Burnaby City Hall at 604-294-7400

Public input on this application is invited prior to Burnaby City Council submitting a resolution regarding these applications to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch.

Written comments may be sent to the Planning and Development Department by: Letter: 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC, V5G 1M2; or email: planning@burnaby ca

Please note, all submissions must contain the name and address of

Andrew Lis said in a news release

Opinionnow

Topic: City housing prices falling

“Good. Nine out of 10 housing speculators are parasites of the society ”

“Other words there is totally unaffordable housing Still shortage of inventories, meanwhile mortgage rates above the clouds. Definitely nothing exciting ”

MY VIEW KEITH BALDREY

COVID communications breakdown

The release last week of a 144 page review of the B C govern ment’s performance in the pandemic was cause for reopening my old notebooks from covering the COVID 19 pandemic

The review concluded the government’s performance was, overall, a good one (with some notable excep tions in certain areas)

“The government of B C’s response to the COVID 19 was strong, showing resil ience, balance and nimble ness,” the review’s authors (three former civil servants) concluded.

The authors noted B C did well on many levels The vaccine rollout and take up were stellar and likely among the best in the country; we

had fewer restrictions and closures than other juris dictions; schools remained open for the most part; and in person dining was restored more quickly than other provinces

As well, our COVID 19 outcomes were generally better than most jurisdic tions

However, the report con cludes that, as time went on, the communications part of the government’s strategy began to falter and erode

“The approach taken during the initial phase to be calm, competent, and apolitical was very effec tive in assuaging the fears of the public,” the review stated “The later communications breakdown contributed to an erosion of trust.”

Certainly, I can attest to seeing some of that frustra tion mount as time passed I was besieged with emails and phone calls from hun dreds of people during the pandemic, many expressing confusion as COVID 19 related rules and protocols changed or were imple mented (many responses are in my notebooks)

“The public just wanted certainty and were not prepared for continuous change,” the review says “As a result, many interpreted changes to guidance as ev idence of earlier mistakes, damaging trust.”

Another area of frustration was the lack of data being made public on a timely basis

Nevertheless, public

opinion of B C’s pandemic performance has remained fairly high through the pan demic, hovering around 60 per cent approval for months The authors also heard a negative response to government decisions in an online survey, but they noted these folks expressed “an extreme level of vitriol” and that many espoused con spiracy theories about secret government agendas

It is easy in hindsight to poke holes in decisions made in unprecedented times and experiences, but the review’s main point seems to be: B.C. got through it OK, but we can always do better, especially if there is a “next time.”

Keith Baldrey is chief po litical reporter for Global BC.

LastWeek ▼

ThisWeek ▼

Do you think the City of Burnaby was prepared for the Nov 29 snowstorm?

Cédric Tsän via Facebook

Nick Van via Facebook

Owners have little to fear from condo rental rules

Editor: I can only imagine the conversations at some of the strata council meetings since Premier Eby’s announcement about allowing rental in condominiums, and I can under stand the anxiety some of the owners might be experiencing After all, it is their home

However, it is already happening There are some existing condominiums in which a person purchases many units and then rents them out, so this is not a new concept

I think the problem comes when the owners who rent their units forget they are still owners and they are now also governed by the Resi dential Tenancy Act as well as the condomin ium act, even though those owners do not live in the building.

Fortunately, if the building has a property manager, this person would be able to help manage the building

I would say to the owners who might be feeling anxious about this initiative: renters are people too, looking for safe, secure homes; they are not creatures from the Black Lagoon and, as I recall, the creature only became violent after being hunted by humans I would also like to point out it is easier to

evict a tenant than it is an owner from hell I applaud the premier’s bold steps in adding to the rental housing stock

There is a message I would like to send to all developers: this initiative does not give you licence to create “poor door” housing; this type of housing is discriminatory The condomin ium bylaws should be able to give everyone some security of sharing space

Angela Sealy

MAKING BUSINESS BETTER

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by

Burnabyschoolensemblessettomakejoyfulnoise

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

’Tis some weeks before Christmas and all through Burnaby schools, three district ensembles are pre paring for their first live holiday concert in two and a half years

District ensembles bring together students from across the dis trict, and on Dec. 12 the CoroVoce youth choir, Piccolini children’s choir and SoundWave handbell choir will take to the stage at Michael J FoxTheatre forTogether Again

The last time these three groups put on their annual holiday concert was in December 2019, shortly before COVID 19 shut down live perfor mances and in person re hearsals.

“I think it’s just going to be a magical, beauti ful evening celebrating all that is great in Burnaby and the celebration of be ing together again after so long,” said Janet Nord strand, longtime director of SoundWave

With social distancing and other COVID restric tions, Nordstrand said music education at Burn aby schools hasn’t been the same since March 2020

“We were coming up with completely new ways to teach music and to

come at this skill set that we’re trying to develop and build with our kids and be creative,” she said.

“Finally to be back to see my risers full of kids sing ing, it’s really emotional.”

AdamTurpin, director of Piccolini, agreed “It has been wonder ful getting the children back and making music together,” he said “Over the past couple of years, I have had families email ing and students asking when we were going to get back to rehearsing.When

we finally decided that we could do it, we instantly got such positive feed back.”

While music teachers are happy school concerts and classes have resumed, there’s also something particularly special about getting together with col leagues and organizing a district level performance with students and teach ers from other schools, ac cording to Nordstrand.

“We’ve all been isolated on Zoom meetings since March 2020,” she said,

“and so to sit in my liv ing room together and to dream about pulling this together again, it just was so exciting CoroVoce director Teresa Jukich saidTo gether Again is a “three fold blessing” in her world

“After two and a half years, it is so wonderful to see the bliss on the faces of our students as they once again join together in song,” she said

“As well, our amazing CoroVoce team of (ac

companist Bonnie Ishii), (manager and accompa nist Sheila Little) and my self have reconnected, and the years have just melted away

“And a final blessing is joining all three of our groups together to ring and sing with joy”

Along with singing and ringing, however, all three directors have also had to teach their student mu sicians another essential skill: performance

Thanks to COVID re strictions, many have

never sung or played in front of a live audience before.

“They’re more nervous, more excited,” Nord strand said, “so I’m help ing navigate talking about how they’re going to feel when they look out and there’s 400 parents sitting there ”

Sometimes the extra nerves and excitement can send the performance to the next level, accord ing to Nordstrand, but that’s not always the case.

“I honestly don’t know what we’re in for,” she said with a laugh

Together Again will feature pieces by Sound Wave, Piccolini and CoroVoce as well as a few mass numbers with all three

The concert starts at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec 12 at Michael J Fox Theatre (7373 MacPher son Ave.).

Tickets are $5 at the door

Shining example: Members of the Burnaby school district handbell choir, Sound Wave, polish handbells at Inman Elementary School in advance of a holiday concert at Michael J. Fox Theatre. PHOTO CORNELIA NAYLOR

Finally to be back to see my risers full of kids singing, it’s really emotional.

Citynow

Pattisondonates$30MtoRoyalColumbianHospitalFoundation

jfedigan@burnabynow com

Philanthropist and busi ness mogul Jim Pattison has made a $30 million donation to the Royal Co

lumbian Hospital Foun dation.

The donation will be di rected towards the second phase of the hospital’s re development project Phase 2 of the Royal

Columbian Hospital rede velopment includes con struction of a new acute care tower with more beds for intensive care, cardiac intensive care medicine and surgical patients

It also includes a larger emergency department with a satellite medical imaging unit; more ma ternity beds and a ma ternity operating room; and a “super floor” in the

health care centre that in cludes three more oper ating rooms, three more intervention suites for car diology, two more inter vention suites for diag nostic radiology and one

more MRI

In honour of the do nation, the tower will be named the Jim Pattison Acute CareTower.

The redevelopment is budgeted at $1 49 billion

JessBalzer

Merry & Bright Christmas in Burnaby Mer & Christ

Burn by

gingerbread real estate for the holidays

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

Whether you’re looking for a single family ginger bread home this holiday season or a whole mixed use development, a Burn aby bakery likely has what you’re looking for

“If you look at our website, you can actu ally do real estate shop ping and get, like, a cot tage or aVictorian house or a B C rancher There’s also a condo tower,” says Angela Nicholson, owner and founder of Ginger & Bread

Nicholson’s calls her business a “special occa sion bakery” that puts out themed treats for holidays, including Easter, Moth er’s Day, Halloween,Val entine’s and, of course, Christmas

Christmas is the main event, and, at Christmas, gingerbread is where it’s at “I’m a gingerbread kit specialist, so my business is around providing unique gingerbread houses and kits,” Nicholson says Now in its third holiday season, Ginger & Bread offers an array of options, the most popular being a stubby little cabin dubbed the Sugar Shack Nicholson’s favourite is theWinter Cottage

All the gingerbread buildings come pre assem bled and ready for dec orating with mini cookie people, candies and icings

The whole thing comes in a gold ribboned box

“It’s a really good gift,” Nicholson says Prices range from $16 for the Sugar Shack to $65 for the CondoTower and City House

That might be pricier than your average store

bought kit, but Nicholson describes Ginger & Bread as a “luxury brand” and says people seem to appre ciate her attention to de tail, whether it’s the qual ity of the gingerbread (she uses high quality ingredi ents, and nothing is ever frozen) or the tasteful pre sentation of the box.

And, while industri ally produced kits may be technically edible, Nichol son says clients have told

her hers is the “best tasting gingerbread ever ”

All her treats also come with vegan and gluten free options, and those who don’t like gingerbread can even order gasp! sugar cookie houses

Nicholson, who lives in Burnaby’s Highgate area, launched her business in time for Christmas 2020

“I went crazy in COVID. I was bored,” she says with a laugh

From the beginning, the business has run out ofYVR Prep, a commis sary kitchen in the Brent wood area Commissaries are rentable commercial kitchens where small busi ness owners like Nicholson can prepare and store their goods

“They’ve been an ab solute asset in me getting rolling,” Nicholson says Ginger & Bread’s busi ness model, which sees

Nicholson produce the gingerbread houses atYVR and sell them online and at pop up events, seems to be working out

From 2021 to 2022 the business has seen 400 per cent growth, she said and the holiday season is just beginning

The challenge now is keeping up with demand, even with four other peo ple helping her

“I had no idea that it was going to become what it’s become,” Nicholson says

And just who are the people buying her ginger bread wares?

Nicholson says they are people from all walks of life

This Christmas, Burn aby’s Dageraad Brewing has even partnered with Ginger & Bread to offer Sugar Shacks at their tast ing room throughout the month of December

“Out of all the prod ucts I’ve ever dealt with in my life, this is the one that has the furthest reach,” Nicholson says “I think it’s basically the power of Christmas and that ginger bread is such a classic sta ple of the Christmas expe rience.”

For more information visit www gingerandbread ca.

Angela Nicholson,owner and founder of Burnaby’s Ginger & Bread,is a‘gingerbread kit specialist’

A home for the holidays: Angela Nicholson assembles a Ginger & Bread Winter Cottage PHOTO CORNELIA NAYLOR

JessBalzer jfedigan@burnabynow com

Mandy Karpoff and Plush Floral Studio have everything you need to get into the holiday spirit, even if you do feel like the Grinch Plush Floral Studio is located in Burnaby Heights, and Karpoff’s holiday pieces include cen trepieces, wreaths and the holiday Grinch tree

Karpoff also has exper tise in numerous other ar eas, including weddings, corporate events, funer als, parties, receptions and much more.

“For me, it’s a time of being cozy and going in wards,” Karpoff told the NOW about the holiday season

“But also spending time

with people, loved ones, being social Kind of con tradicting myself, but a lit tle bit of both I like to em brace the coziness and the introspective by making my surroundings beautiful and encouraging others to do that as well.

“At the same time, be ing social and giving and kind of gratitude in mo tion. So showing people that you love/care about them and gifting ”

Karpoff said she decides to do holiday themed pieces, loving the accents

She also said winter can be a bit of a culture shock at the same time

“We’re having a beau tiful sunny day today. But that transition from all the colours of autumn, and you know, then transition ing into winter. I like to

bring in sparkle, I guess, metaphorically, but also actually in my creations and designs ”

Karpoff said her 20

plus years of experience in the industry have shown her it’s usually a busy time during the holidays, but COVID 19 changed ev

erything, just as it did for many people

She said the same ap plies to the workshops that she hosts

“COVID was different because there were no so cial gatherings and people downsized

“This is the first year where people are going a little bit back to nor mal, so who knows what that will look like. Before COVID, I could answer without a problem and then during COVID it was just like curveball upon curveball ”

Karpoff’s creations in clude wreaths with fea tures like pinecones and red accents, and the Grinch tree is a scented lime cypress tree with hol iday décor

And all of the designs are custom.

You can find Plush Flo ral Studio at 3978 Hast ings St in Burnaby or on line at plushfloralstudio.ca.

Festive: A holiday centrepiece by Plush Floral Shop owner Mandy Karpoff PHOTO PLUSH FLORAL

Christmas in Burnaby

Artisanentrepreneurscleanup

AbhinayaNatesh anatesh@burnabynow com

Many years ago, Leo Chan came to Canada from Hong Kong as a young student

However, soon after completing his studies, home called as he found his way back to Hong Kong.

For 15 years, he worked and lived as a typical Hong Konger before polit ical instability in the coun try brought him back to Canada a year ago Unsure of the what the future held for him and his wife, Ponette Lung, in Canada, Chan and Lung started playing around with candlemaking and soap art

The couple turned to local candle suppliers and got their small business off the ground within about two months of their arrival in Canada Alpaca Stu dios was born The couple now offers handmade ar tisanal soap bars and can dles, created as a treat for

the eyes, nose and skin

However, as appeal ing as their designs would look, it is advised to avoid devouring their inedible but certainly looking real dessert candles.

Alpaca Studio’s wax candles and soaps come in fun shapes and scents their creamy macaron soaps and creamy cake candles can be hard to re sist devouring.

Last year, they also in troduced solid perfumes, aimed at travellers. “We thought it’s a nice idea to have a perfume that is not liquid and easy for travel,” Chan said. “But our senior customers said they used

to use this back in the day, so it reminds them of their memories.”

Chan and Lung had to go through a lengthy pro cess of trial and error in creating their products, but they learned from their early mistakes, she said

“I feel really amazed when people [give] feed back on my product,” she said. “They say, ‘This is the prettiest soap that I have ever seen,’ and it’s quite encouraging.That’s why we like to do markets instead of just selling on line We like to meet peo ple, we like to get feedback from people, and we get a lot of encouragement from them so it can push us to do more to design more unique ”

With the holiday sea son, the pair is busy creat ing desgins for the upcom ing Christmas markets

Their products can also be found at the Nooks Can ada shops in Burnaby (in Metropolis at Metrotown) and Gastown.

Clean lines: Ponette Lung’s soap art for Alpaca Studio’s soap collection PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Merry & Bright Christmas in Burnaby & Bright

Burnabyhoneyshopgeneratesbuzzfortheholidays

Heights neighbourhood just in time for the holiday season

A shop of honey sweet treats has arrived in the

On Dec 3, Honey Hub on the Heights opened

at 4347 Hastings St., the third Burnaby business owned byWinstonWong and Ninna Snider Wong told the NOW

they wanted to put out a collection of Canadian honeys alongside feel good products

“It’s edible, it’s gifty, it’s

just a small little beauti ful store for the holidays,” Wong said

The store will have about 20 different types of honey, particularly hon eys fromWestern Canada, as well as other products from the hive

Wong said honey makes a good gift for the hol idays because it can be personalized for different tastes

“One of the reasons honey is a good gift is be cause it has a lot of differ ent types of flavours, and it can be, you know, a per sonal, shared experience between two people,” he said.

The honey sold at the Hub will also represent different areas of B C

You’ll also be able to find vanilla infused honey, creamed honey for max imum spreadability, and honey mixed with berries, cacao or cinnamon

“Every neighbour hood has a different type of forage, different type of planting and blooms at certain times of year,” Wong said “So our honey from Burnaby will actu ally taste quite different than honey from the In terior or from Northern B C When the nectar returns to the hive, those flavours are in the honey”

In addition to honey, Honey Hub stocks bees wax candles, body lo tions and soap made from beeswax, as well as prod ucts that pair well with honey, such as loose leaf teas, cookie jars and bee themed pottery and jew elry

“These multiple prod ucts from the hive are an excellent statement of love and care for others, or yourself,” saidWong

The idea for the stan dalone shop is barely a week old eight days old as of Dec 1,Wong told the NOW.

“We will sleep in Janu

ary,” he said, joking.

When the shop space opened up in the mid dle of Heights,Wong and Snider jumped at the chance

Wong said the plan later on is to host candle mak ing classes and wax wrap making classes at the back of the store maybe even beekeeping classes as well

Wong and Snider are the owners of Muckabout Gift Gallery, a Heights staple, where they run BC Bee Supply out the back door

At BC Bee Supply, Wong and Snider also host worm composting workshops for those who don’t want to interact with bees but still want a green hobby

“We hope this becomes a bit of a ‘hive’ of activity, if you will,”Wong said.

HONEY HUB HOURS

UNTIL DEC. 24

Mondays from 11 a m to 4 p m

Tuesdays from 11 a m to 4 p.m.

Wednesdays from 11 a m to 6 p m

Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p m

Fridays from 10 a m to 7 p m

Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p m

Sundays from 11 a m to 4 p.m.

LaurenVanderdeen lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

Hiveofactivity:Honey Hub has opened in Burnaby’s Heights neighbourhood PHOTO @ HONEYHUBONTHEHEIGHTS/ INSTAGRAM

SATURDAY, DEC. 10

MARITIME MELODIES AT SFU

It’ll be like you’re in Sherbrooke with Barrett’s Priva teers as you listen to the best of Stan Rogers and Great Big Sea, performed by the SFU Choir It’s the group’s

FRIDAY, DEC. 9

LACHE CERCEL AT THE SHADBOLT

Head to the Shadbolt to listen to Romanian musician Lache Cercel perform songs in the Roma jazz genre, which fuses eastern and western influences. The con cert will be a collaboration of talented musicians, sing ers and dancers, with the evening promising a blend of magical music from around the world.

WHEN: Friday, Dec 9 at 8 p m

WHERE: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (6450 Deer Lake Ave )

COST: $35 for adults; $30 for seniors and students, tickets available through tickets shadboltcentre com

SATURDAY, DEC. 10

DESIGN A HOLIDAY CENTREPIECE

Join a workshop at Gardenworks, where you’ll learn to design a holiday centrepiece with pinecones, berries, magnolia and other beautiful adornments Tickets in clude the price of materials, and more materials can be purchased on the day of the workshop There will also be a second workshop on Sunday at 2 p m

WHEN: Saturday, Dec 10 at 1 p m

WHERE: Gardenworks Burnaby Lougheed (6250 Lougheed Hwy )

COST: $49 99, tickets available on Eventbrite com (search “Centrepiece Workshop Gardenworks”)

SUNDAY, DEC. 11

EXPLORATIONS DANCE SHOWCASE

Drop in to a free, informal performance by the danc

first performance since before the pandemic, and a repertoire of delightful sea shanties and music from Atlantic Canada is sure to charm. Masks are required.

WHEN: Saturday, Dec 10 from 3 to 5 p m

WHERE: Leslie and Gordon Diamond Family Au ditorium at SFU (8888 University High St.)

COST: $10 to $20, tickets available through Eventbrite com (search “Maritime Melodies”)

ers of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts’ dance compa nies Groups like Youth in Motion and the Continuum Dance Company will feature dancers of all ages.

WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 11 from 2 to 3 p.m.

WHERE: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Studio 201 (6450 Deer Lake Ave )

COST: Free admission AND MORE

Attend the fifth annual Venezuelan Christmas Ba zaar at Burnaby Lake Rugby Club (3760 Sperling Ave ),

Find more

online: burnabynow.com/local

where you can do some Christmas shopping and sup port a variety of Venezuelan artists and businesses

Environmental activists will gather for a “Hug the Mountain” event, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Forest Grove Park (8505 Forest Grove Dr ) as they rally against the Trans Mountain Expansion project

Heritage Christmas will run at Burnaby Village Mu seum until Jan 2, 2023, for a magical experience (See www burnabyvillagemuseum ca)

Compiled by Lauren Vanderdeen

Movement: Head to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts on Sunday, Dec 11, to watch an informal dance showcase by groups like Youth in Motion and the Continuum Dance Company PHOTO SUBMITTED

PHOTO SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Cityhomelightsupforgoodcause

lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

It’s been a month’s work of decking the halls, doors, roof, lawn, bushes, trees and more at the DuPlessis house in Burnaby.

Joel DuPlessis has turned his home at 8222 Burnlake Dr., near the Brighton Avenue Costco, into a festive extravaganza with lights, ornaments and whimsical characters in cluding penguins, polar bears, Charlie Brown, Olaf from Frozen, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse in a tropical scene alongside a

ski jumping reindeer

DuPlessis has been dec orating his home, first in EastVancouver and now in Burnaby, for more than 35 years.

He takes four weeks off from his job in November as an electrical technologist at BC Hydro to engineer the display

DuPlessis described himself as “a MacGyver kind of person ”

“This has been kind of my hobby for a long time I just like to figure things out ”

The family is collecting donations for B.C. Chil

dren’s Hospital Founda tion at the display’s on site drop box or online through their website at www duplessischristmas ca

Last year, the family raised more than $12,300, according to their website

DuPlessis said the hos pital has helped children in his family over the years

“And then, of course, Christmas is about kids.… I know it’s about all of us, but in the end, it’s the spirit of Christmas and the chil dren,” he said

The show runs daily from 4:30 p m to midnight until Jan. 6, 2023.

LaurenVanderdeen

Dazzling: The DuPlessis family home at 8222 Burnlake Dr. in Burnaby is a holiday wonderland of lights, ornaments and whimsy. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

By Isabel Kolic

Many of us are so time pressed these days (not to mention financially pressed) that it is tempting to go online and provide on line kabillionaires even more of our money, in exchange for the convenience and a few dollars in “savings”

At Christmas, this pressure mounts. The holiday sea son is expensive, and it also packs our schedule with so cial engagements, school

concerts, work that has to be done, and so on.

But even so, we may be surprised that shopping lo cally and supporting lo cal businesses are not only worthwhile and possible, but also advantageous.

Did you know that many local retailers are set up to al low online shopping for their customers? If you have a fa vourite shop in your neigh bourhood call them or visit their website and find out You may be surprised

you can support your local merchant while still wearing your pyjamas.

“But, is it cheaper?” you ask “Money’s tight I can get the same item for $7 less by buying it from the online ka billionaire.” This is where false economies come in

While it may be true, tech nically speaking, that we can get the same item for a little less from an online giant, it doesn’t mean that that it re mains “cheaper” for us in the long run to support that far

away business

What happens when you support an international company is that your pur chase, and the billions spent on online purchases by our fellow Canadians, end up benefiting people in other countries and making other nations wealthy, and our country poorer, which re sults in fewer jobs, lower pay and less money circulat ing for Canadians in general, which includes the money in your pocket as well

When we buy local, the economic factors change in favour of our community and of our country Local businesses produce an av erage of 3 1 times more lo cal economic benefit than a multinational company.

Local companies use your shopping money to sup port their locally based em ployees, hire local vendors and service providers, buy local supplies for their own shops and businesses, and so on That means that more

money remains in our neigh bourhood, region, province and country.

Shopping locally is also better for the environment as fewer packages are mak ing special trips, wasting a lot of high carbon fuel, to ar rive specially at our doors

So this Christmas, give the gift of local It’s the gift that keeps on giving, long after the holiday season is over.

Isabel Kolic is executive direc tor of the Heights Merchants Association

‘Grandparentscam’incidentsontheriseinBurnaby Citynow

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

Burnaby RCMP has seen a spike in a more bra zen version of the so called “grandparent scam” this month

Victims of grandparent scams or emergency scams

get a phone call from someone telling them their grandchild or other loved one is in legal trouble and needs money for bail

Four such frauds, rep resenting a combined loss of $18,000, were reported in Burnaby last month, according to Burnaby

RCMP spokesperson Cpl Laura Hirst

The approach features a scammer posing as a law yer representing a loved one who needs money to pay bond after being in volved in a car crash.

Usually, such scammers get victims to wire the

cash, but two incidents re ported in Burnaby saw the fraudster come to the vic tims’ homes.

On another occa sion, the fraudster set up a meeting place, but an alert bank teller who sus pected the scam stopped the transaction when the

victim went to withdraw money

“It seems the fraud sters are being more bra zen,” Hirst said “Before, maybe we would hear about things happening online.There’s more an onymity behind a com puter screen whereas, now,

Construction is underway in your area.

you’re meeting this person face to face ”

While there has been an increase in reports of the scam, Hirst said it often goes unreported “There’s a lot of shame for individuals who be come victims of this,” she said

As construction of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project progresses, we want you to be informed about potential activity in your neighbourhood so you can plan accordingly. On our website, you can view an interactive map of construction areas, sign up for notifications, track what’s happening along the route and much more

As always, safety is our number one priority, every metre of the way

Committed to safety since 1953.

SFUdropsShrumBowltoUBCinone-pointthriller

JessBalzer jfedigan@burnabynow com

It wasn’t the ending SFU and its fans were hoping for on Friday night (Dec. 2) at the first Shrum Bowl in 12 years

After a quiet first half that saw SFU take a 3 0 lead into halftime against crosstown rival UBC, the 34th Shrum Bowl came alive in the second half, particularly the fourth quarter

With 96 seconds left in the game on a frigid eve ning at SFU Stadium atTerry Fox Field, the Red Leafs took the lead when running back Ma son Glover reached the endzone with a two yard run to put SFU up 17 12, capping a 91 yard drive But UBC quarterback

Derek Engel had other ideas.

Engel led theThunder birds down the field be fore punching the ball in from the one yard line with 25 seconds left to give UBC a thrilling 18 17 victory, ending SFU’s three game Shrum Bowl win streak

The game was played by American rules, mean ing there were four downs

“It came all the way down to fourth down, and they just made a big play,” Red Leafs head coach Mike Rigell said in a post game news release.

“At the end of the day, it’s a game about making plays, and they earned the win ”

SFU and UBC had announced in June the Shrum Bowl would be re

turning after more than a decade on pause, with the BC Lions being revealed

as the presenting sponsor “We’re proud to host Shrum Bowl in SFU’s

new stadium atop Burn aby Mountain, and reig nite the rivalry between

the only two university football programs in the province,” saidTheresa Hanson, SFU senior di rector of athletics and rec reation, in a news release during the summer

“We’re looking forward to capping off our seasons with a full house and a great game!”

Before Friday, the two schools had not played each other on the grid iron since SFU was pro moted to NCAA Div. II in 2010 The UBCThunder birds currently compete in U SPORTS as a member of CanadaWest.

Since the inaugu ral meeting on Oct 16, 1967, which saw SFU beat UBC 32 13 atVan couver’s Empire Stadium, SFU now holds a series edge of 17 16 1.

Close quarters: At the Dec 2 Shrum Bowl 34 between between Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, the Thunderbirds defeated the Red Leafs by a score of 18 17 PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Sportsnow

SimonFraserUniversity’sMarkTalisuna namedtoAll-AmericaSecondTeam

JessBalzer jfedigan@burnabynow com

The honours continue to come in for SFU Red Leafs midfielder MarkTal isuna after his stellar sea son

After recently being named the 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Con ference (GNAC) men’s soccer player of the year and selected to the 2022 Division II Conference Commissioners Associa tion (D2CCA) Men’s Soc cer All West Region First Team,Talisuna has been selected to the United Soc cer Coaches All America SecondTeam

The junior from Uganda started all 17 matches for the Red Leafs this year, logging 1,519 minutes on the pitch

He finished with three goals on the year all

from the penalty spot netting each opportunity SFU was given “Mark’s role is to get us going in the way we want to play, and he is excellent at that,” Red Leafs head coach Clint Schneider said

in a previous news release

“He can be so dominant in games because of the way he plays, and how he moves.When he is in a role where we need him to de fend, he is excellent in that as well

“Mark just makes things go because he’s always an outlet to play, and he’s so good that you can put him in tight spots. If he has people around him, he can get himself out of tight spots.”

JessBalzer jfedigan@burnabynow com

Playing for the first time at home during the 2022 season, the Simon Fraser University men’s and women’s basketball squads dropped decisions to the WesternWashingtonVi kings in SFU’sWest Gym.

Jessica and Sophia Wisotzki both had strong

nights for the Red Leafs, with Jessica scoring 20 points on 50 per cent from the field (seven of 14) while her sister Sophia scored a career high 17 points, going six of 15 from the field But SFU would drop the game 69 60

To date during the 2022 23 season, the women now hold an overall record of 2 3 and are 0 1 in Great

Northwest Athletic Con ference play

The men’s team started strong beforeWestern Washington would take the lead with roughly seven minutes left in the first half and did not look back

The bright spot for the Red Leafs was setting an NCAA era record with 13 blocks

SFU was able to pull

within 10 with five min utes left in the game, but couldn’t muster enough for a comeback win

David Penney was the leading scorer for the Red Leafs with 17 points (six of 12 shooting)

The men now hold an overall record of 3 4 and are also 0 1 in Great Northwest Athletic Con ference play.

Kudos: SFU Red Leafs midfielder Mark Talisuna continues to rack up honours following his stellar 2022 season PHOTO GARRETT JAMES/SFU ATHLETICS

SKULSKI, Gregory Andrew

November 6, 1960 November 16, 2022

It is with great sadness that we announce Greg’s passing. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Erika, and son Ben. He will be sadly missed by his siblings, Jenny, Sue, and Geoff. Through his adventures, he touched many friends and acquaintances and will be fondly remembered for his kindness and positive outlook on life. The family extends a grateful thanks to Dr I. Fadeyeva and the many physicians and staff involved with his care. A funeral service (Celebration of Life) will be held at Willingdon Church Chapel, 4812 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby, BC, on December 14th, 2022, at 2 pm, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, a donation

the BC Cancer Society is appreciated.

LEGAL