Vancouver Magazine, December2017

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Our annual ranking of the city’s most influential people in politics, tech, education, business and beyond.

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The Power 50

City 19

19 Reasons to Love Vancouver The annual parade of Carol Ships lights up the harbour.

Taste

22 Modern Family These belly dancers know how to shake it.

Play

25 The Dish Our favourite seasonal drink is a bit of a fire hazard.

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20 At Issue The tech industry is moving into Kelowna —could this be the start of our very own Silicon Valley?

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Each year, with the help of our panel of industry insiders and experts, we pull together the definitive ranking of the most powerful movers and shakers in the city. Who made this year’s list of influencers? A surprising mix of politicians, activists, tech pros and philanthropists whose actions shape the city.

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26 Reviews Cantina Pana and Merchant’s Workshop.

59 Personal Space Designer Ami McKay is ready for Christmas.

64

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60 One Day In Embrace sun and mid-century cool in Palm Springs.

30 Taste Test Stollen to prove the fruitcake haters wrong.

64 Hot Take Glam looks to inspire a little holiday cheer.

32 Fresh Sheet Splash out on these unique whiskies.

66 City Informer Where are all those crows flying?

VA N M A G . C O M D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7

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Client: C|Prime / Size: 4.6” X 4.9” / CMYK / Vancouver Magazine

General Manager | Publisher Dee Dhaliwal Editorial Director Anicka Quin Art Director Paul Roelofs Executive Editor Stacey McLachlan Food Editor Neal McLennan Associate Art Director Natalie Gagnon Associate Editor Julia Dilworth

A NEW YORK ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER Reflected in its carefully crafted menu, C|Prime puts a premium on locally sourced and curated ingredients. Using the finest cuts of BC-raised meats, fresh seafood, vegetables and cheeses paired with innovative, rich sauces and salts, the restaurant offers incomparable dishes that showcase both Italian and New York inspired flavours.

Assistant Art Director Jenny Reed Staff Writer Kaitlyn Funk Videographer Mark Philps Contributing Editors Frances Bula, Amanda Ross Editorial Interns Jessie Blair, Stephanie Mitchell, Alicia Neptune, Vincent Plana Editorial Email mail@vanmag.com Account Managers Judy Johnson, Jenny Miller Sales Coordinator Karina Platon Online Coordinator Theresa Tran Production Manager Lee Tidsbury Advertising Designer Swin Nung Chai Event Coordinator Kaitlyn Lush

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8pm SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2017 The Orpheum John William Trotter Vancouver Chamber Choir Pacifica Singers | Vancouver Youth Choir Vancouver Chamber Orchestra The great Baroque composers knew how to write music that literally dances with joy. Guest conductor John William John William Trotter Trotter, the Choir’s former Associate Conductor, will lead choirs, orchestra and soloists in a concert which celebrates the Christmas season like no other. Music of Bach, Vivaldi and carols for all to sing.

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ED NOTE

Who’s in Charge?

Coming Up Next Issue

LIKE WITH MOST AWARDS CEREMONIES, there’s always a happy buzz at the Websters—the awards night for B.C.-based news media organizations. And this past October, when about a thousand journalists and their supporters gathered in a Vancouver ballroom to celebrate the best work in print, digital, radio and broadcast media, that buzz was there—but there was also something a little different in the air.

This year, the winners were notably subdued as they took the stage. Many of the top investigative stories in the last year focused on the opioid crisis, and just that day, the latest tally had been announced: between January and August, more than 1,000 people had been lost to overdose, a number equivalent to how many were attending the party that night. In their speeches, the winners thanked those who were on the front lines— often working outside of legal confines for the sake of saving lives.

A few of those agitators and front-liners have found their way into our Power 50 feature this year. It’s a lively night of discussion when we gather influencers into a room to debate who should be on the list. We talk about what’s important to the city right now— real estate, always, but also hot-button issues like the Trans Mountain pipeline, pot legalization, the changing work economy and the opioid crisis—issues that are shaping Vancouver and putting a new spotlight on a different set of voices in our city.

As our planning night wore on, a theme became clear: activists were taking power. A shift in our provincial leadership inevitably sees former outsiders (John Horgan, Carole James) rising up the power list. But we also saw influence happening from typically lessrecognized corners of the city. People like Sarah Blyth, who, when authorities weren’t able to cut through red tape to get assistance to those dying from overdose, set up her own tent—and created a model that has been both yielded to by authorities and emulated across the country. Or Shelley Sheppard, the mother of the late Baby Mac: her plea to make sure her child’s death in an unlicensed daycare would not be in vain has direct ties to the NDP’s promise to create an affordable licensed child care system.

And, of course, there has been no let-up in our obsession with real estate in the last year, and so moguls like Terry Hui and Ian Gillespie have kept a strong footing, as have philanthropists (Michael Audain, Jim Pattison), tech-sector disruptors (Gerri Sinclair, Ian Crosby) and Howe Street types (the Aquilinis, Frank Giustra).

And because this list is a finite 50, there are always so many others whose power in our community is worthy of recognition. I look forward to the debates on our Twitter feed.

New Year, New Writers Two new columnists join us for the new year! Man About Town Fred Lee will be snapping shots at the best parties in the city, and data journalist Melissa Edwards digs into what last year’s record snowfall means for 2018’s winter.

Wine, Wine, Wine We’re all about wine in our January issue: we’re profiling the next wave of hot young sommeliers, up-and-coming varietals from the Okanagan, and top wine writers’ picks for the best bottles.

On the Web Is the Japanese whisky craze over?

Food editor Neal McLennan argues that while the packaging is great, Japanese whiskies are pricey for what you get. Disagree? Drop him a line at neal.mclennan@ vanmag.com. He loves a good argument.

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The Power 50 shines a light on what’s important to this city.

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Reason #134

Because we light up the waterfront with a little holiday cheer.

FORGET DECKING the halls: in this seaside town, we deck the decks. An annual holiday tradition, the Carol Ships return December 2 to 23 to light up False Creek and Coal Harbour, decorated starboard to portside with displays festive enough to charm even the surliest of sailors. From a distance, the ships’ lights dazzle, but on board, there’s more revelry to be found as pro carolers (of course there are pro carolers) lead rousing singalongs.

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City

AT I S S U E

Accelerate Okanagan, a resource hub providing mentorship and funding to Okanagan-based tech companies, reports that the tech sector has a whopping $1.3-billion impact on the local economy.

“Kelowna’s tech boom is partly the result of a technology evolution. The With rising rents driving evolution of web-enabled software even big-money tech firms means that being centrally located in out of Vancouver, Kelowna a large city is no longer mandatory,” might just become our very own version of Silicon Valley. says Judy Bishop, corporate director and managing partner at BC Innovex and former executive-in-residence at

by Kathryn Helmore Accelerate Okanagan. “After all, two key elements that have no country are money and the web.” the office of Csek Creative, a web As a senior programmer at Club design company, is a tech worker’s Penguin from 2006 to 2009, Chris paradise. The cubicle-free, openPriebe was on the front lines of space office features boardrooms Kelowna’s technology surge. Priebe kitted out with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, a relaxation is now CEO of Community Sift, a start-up that uses algorithms to filter room with massage chairs and a through online chats, protecting recording studio and jam space. In platforms from trolls, cyberbullying the kitchen, a fridge is fully stocked and abuse. Two years ago, Priebe set with soda, a perfect complement to unlimited popcorn and Wednesday- up a satellite branch in Vancouver morning pancakes. The office has all in the hopes of attaining talent; it was promptly shut down due to high the trappings of a classic start-up, operating costs. save for one detail: Csek Creative Rather than hunt for a more isn’t located in an internationally affordable office in ever-expensive recognized technopolis. Rather, it’s Vancouver, “it was easier to relocate in the heart of B.C. wine country. our talent back to Kelowna,” says And it’s not alone. There are Priebe. “Who wouldn’t want to trade currently 558 tech companies their one-bedroom apartment in operating out of Kelowna, a boom Vancouver for a lakeside mansion?” of sorts that traces its origins to Kelowna’s mayor, Colin 2007, when Disney Interactive Basran, points out that it isn’t just purchased local fledgling Club Penguin for $700 million and started enterprising entrepreneurs who are transforming the Okanagan attracting some serious attention Valley: civic investment and policy to the region. Since then, growth in also have helped curate the city’s the industry has been impressive; tech ecosystem. Noteworthy moves over the past two years, Disney Interactive has been joined by Bardel include increased service to the Entertainment (producers of the new Kelowna International Airport (non-stop flights to 60 destinations Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and have made the Valley much more VeggieTales) and a variety of startups and other tech giants have grown attractive to visiting investors) the sector by 30 percent. In 2016, the and the creation of the Okanagan Centre for Innovation, a multiFinancial Post rated Kelowna the most entrepreneurial city in Canada. storey building designated for

Uncanny Valley

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Who wouldn’t want to trade their onebedroom apartment in Vancouver for a lakeside mansion?” start-ups, investors and research facilities. Investment in lifestyle has also boosted the tech sector: the transformation of Kelowna’s fruit-packing district into a space for culture and art is intended to make even the most urbane coder feel right at home. Friday nights in Kelowna can be spent enjoying live music at the Laurel Packinghouse, a venue owing its vaulted ceilings and red-brick walls to a history as B.C.’s oldest and largest packing plant.

However, it’s not all sunshine in the Okanagan. Per AO’s impact assessment, Kelowna’s tech industry ranked “lack of talent” as the largest constraint to growth. Despite

UBC’s Okanagan Campus

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enviable office space and a variety of employee perks, for the previous two years Csek Creative has been looking for employees in multiple fields, from app development to web design to content strategy.

Okanagan-based post-secondary institutions are curating adaptive programming to meet the challenge. Okanagan College is working to provide a two-year course in animation and coding fundamentals, and, in September, UBC Okanagan will launch a bachelor of media studies program to train students in game development, web design and interactive media.

But even without a full workforce in place, Kelowna has already changed. On weekends, tech professionals join students, airline baggage handlers and fruit pickers in venues that were once souvenir shops to drink pints of Okanaganmade cider and listen to alt-rock.

Little trace of Kelowna’s former reputation as a city for the newly wed and nearly dead survives— instead, it’s now a glimpse into the Okanagan’s Silicon Valley future.

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M O D E R N FA M I LY

Sisters on Stage

Under the guidance of instructor Leona Finlayson, the women of Y Belly Dance performance troupe meet several times a week to study the grace and rhythms of the traditional dance form. Through their practices at the Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre and numerous performances throughout the year, the women have not only learned how to transfix an audience—they’ve also transformed how they perceive themselves.

Dominika Lirette Carlo Ricci

AS TOLD TO PHOTO by

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1 “I was a single parent and I was looking for somewhere to go to be with a group of people, because I didn’t have a partner. It was a way I could dance, and I like dancing, so I thought I would join.”—Ann Ann Stine, early childhood and special needs educator 2 “For me, with my body

type, it feels great to be able to feel free.”—Angela Angela Parmar, schoolteacher

3 “After I had kids and I’d gotten a bit older and my body had changed, I felt that I needed to be comfortable with it again.

The first time I did a performance with them it was terrifying having to expose myself like that, but after that it just got easier and easier.”—Mielle Grant, high school receptionist 4 “My favourite part of being a teacher is getting to dance with my ladies and seeing them blossom as dancers and their friendships grow.”—Leona Finlayson, belly dance teacher

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5 “My favourite part is the companionship of the ladies and performing. I love it.”—Kathie Black, office assistant 6 “I like fast spins because you build up this momentum and this energy and it’s a release, almost—especially when you come out of it and the crowd cheers so much.

I love the adrenalin rush of performing.”—Cristal Folka, receptionist

7 “In 1999, I visited a friend in New York and she threw a party— there was a belly dancer. Then we went out to a restaurant— there was a belly dancer. On the flight home, I picked up the inflight magazine and there was an article on belly dancing.

So I said ‘Okay, universe. I’m listening. I’ll try this.’”—Georgina Georgina Daniels, manager of operational training for the justice system

9 “As a hobby, I had participated intensely in the world of Schutzhund dog training for 20-plus years, which I then left in order to care for my mother when she became terminally ill. When she passed away I went into a severe depression. Many years later I thought back on what I used to do outside of dog training that had brought me joy, and belly dancing had always been in the back of my mind.”

—Christine Walker, homemaker

8 “We had one piece where we needed a guy to dance around and [my husband] was actually in that show. He’s always been a fan.”

—Anh Nguyen, technical writer

10 “Leona has always been very open about us wearing what we want to class and so I’m kind of used to coming to class in a lot of fun things.”

—Cecily MacGregor-Gauntts, artist and film extra

11 “When I am on the stage performing, I see myself as a dancer. It’s very different.

People look at financial planners as a professional career, but this is my other side of enjoying music, enjoying my own world.”—Lucenda Lam, financial planner 12 “My mom signed me up and said ‘you’re going.’ That was 10 years ago. I stayed with it because it made me feel that I was more than just a nerdy girl, that I was actually a woman.”

—Karime Kuri, software analyst

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Saturday Night! Feb 24, 2018

U N B I A S E D R E V I E WS / PR I C E Y CA N A D I A N W H I S K Y / G E R M A N PA S T R Y

VA N M AG .C O M/ TA S T E

Taste THE DISH

PHOTO: CLINTON HUSSE Y; ST YLING: L AWREN MONETA

BURNING BRIGHT

IT SEEMS EVERYONE is a mixologist these days. But to separate the real pros from those who blather on about “Pappy,” we suggest the addition of one thing: fire. No one has ever said that the Blue Blazer is a transformative cocktail—it’s just Scotch, water, sugar and lemon—but the process, well, there’s the thing. The process involves setting high-proof whisky (Abelour’s A’bunadh is readily available) alight and slowly (or not so slowly) pouring it several times between two tankards (steel mugs that are both seldom used and the sign of a great bar). And trying not to set your hands on fire.

It’s not a drink that appears on many menus—it’s time-consuming and probably a liability issue—but my guess is that if you sidle up to, say, a pro like Justin Taylor at the Cascade Room and make a polite request, the results will be...illuminating.

2616 Main St., thecascade.ca

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Taste

REVIEWS

SOUTH OF THE BORDER ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN Can Cantina Pana bring some zip to the mean streets of Dunbar? by

Lee Man

photographs by

Luis Valdizon

Roasted corn on the cob

the team behind Corduroy Pie Company has taken its unabashedly neighbourhoodfriendly approach to the mean streets of Dunbar with Cantina Pana (conveniently, “corduroy” in Spanish) and a tight menu that riffs hard on Baja Californiastyle tacos. Students from nearby St. George’s pile in for lunch, while dinner is dominated by families enjoying the smartly constructed flavours and compelling value proposition.

Slightly concerningly, the prep of the sustainable Pacific cod fillets has been outsourced to Sysco foods, but the classic fish taco still flawlessly balances hot, crisp batter against the mouthfilling crunch and freshness of hand-shredded cabbage. The drizzle of cool dressing is flecked with just the right amount of

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The roasted corn on the cob may be the best you’ll find in this city.

Tater tots

1706 WEST 1ST AVE ARMOURY DISTRICT VANCOUVER 604 683 1116 LIVINGSPACE.COM

AMUSE-BOUCHE

Merchant’s Workshop 1590 Commercial Dr. 604-258-0005 merchantsworkshop.ca

The best neighbourhood restaurants are almost an extension of your own home: welcoming, casual and comfortable—all three a check, check, check for Merchant’s Workshop on Commercial Drive.

Chef/owner Doug Stephen presides with wife and partner Lindsey Mann (and an assist from manager David Back). Stephen’s passion and enthusiasm are effervescent, bubbling over as he chats with his guests about the Coronation raisins he made with Milan Djordjevich’s grapes or the latest Superflux beer release.

Originally an oyster bar when it opened in 2012, the restaurant now features a menu that has evolved to include seasonal sharing plates built around locally sourced ingredients.

Stephen’s culinary explorations are

Larger plates include Brant Lake Wagyu steak from Two Rivers Meats.

Braised lamb taco

tarragon. Where the kitchen really shines is with the daily specials—recently featuring a darkly smoky and sophisticated duck mole taco, while a crisp roasted broccoli and kale taco had a lovely tannic bite.

The roasted corn on the cob may be the best you’ll find in this city, sublimely charred and dripping with lime butter and

THE DEETS

Cantina Pana 3625 W 29th Ave. 604-620-1425 cantinapana.com

Hours: Tuesday-Friday: Noon-8 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday: 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

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cilantro aioli; while tater tots doused with house-made cheese sauce and braised pork sounds like a teenage dream, the dish maintains grown-up restraint and shareability. The lo-fi dessert of fried churros and commercial ice cream, however, is best left to the kids.

The room warmly glows with salvaged-wood walls and incandescent lighting, a nod to the classic Canadian surf shack. Cantina Pana recalls a time before Vancouver real estate prices became mercenary and Dunbar was the laid-back domain of young families and hippie students from nearby UBC. Friendly table service eliminates the usual ordering and seating anarchy of casual taco joints, and a much-needed liquor licence is on the way.

particularly admirable given that his minuscule kitchen is—without much exaggeration—the size of a postage stamp.

Fall and winter dishes are rich and decadent: there’s chicken liver torchon with Coronation grapes, mustard and pickled shallots atop Matchstick Café’s sourdough, and crispy pork terrine served warm with celery, pear, hazelnuts and red wine vinaigrette. Larger plates include Brant Lake Wagyu steak from Two Rivers Meats and local ling cod brightened with a preserved-lemoncaper-shallot relish.

Drinks here are no mere afterthought: Stephen creates the cocktail list alongside bar manager Conor Roche. Clarity in the Garden will blow your mind—a lower-proof Gin Mare cocktail with clarified tomato-and-cucumber water.

Bourbon dominates the spirits list, with about 40 on offer. Regularly rotating beers on tap shift from fresh hops to sours, while canned and bottled offerings showcase local craft breweries such as Twin Sails and Boombox—choice sips for chilling to Merchant’s old-school hip-hop playlist.—Joie Alvaro Kent

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Taste

T H E TA S T E T E S T

Swiss Bakery

STOLLEN GOODS

The nutty quality of this stollen had one judge comparing it to a Lärabar, but the overall flavour was lacklustre; it had a “surprisingly small amount of spice,” and it didn’t taste like the fruit had been soaked in alcohol. “They’re cutting corners,” said one judge.

143 E 3rd Ave., swissbakery.ca

Let’s be honest: no one ever says fruitcake is their favourite holiday treat. But this is stollen—fruitcake’s bready, marzipan-stuffed, sugardusted German cousin—and these six local bakeshops are out to prove that it deserves a spot on your Christmas cookie plate. by

Kaitlyn Funk

photo aND styLINg by

Ariana Gillrie

BEST IN SHOW

Thomas Haas Chocolates

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and look for the #VMTasteTest hashtag for your chance to be a judge

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“Baking is quite mathematical and he has his math right,” said Grande of Thomas Haas’s perfectly balanced Christmas bread. Our other judges were equally pleased with its combination of orange, rum, marzipan, almonds and fruit: “It has the right amount of everything in there,” said Boll. Multiple locations, thomashaas.com

Yew Seafood and Bar The judges were perplexed by Yew’s decision to use golden raisins, but they did enjoy the “fresh and fruity taste” and what they thought was homemade marzipan. Presentation (“It looks a little church-lady”) could have been better, though.

791 W Georgia St., yewseafood.com

Faubourg At first glance, the judges thought the bread-tomarzipan ratio was way off, but after taking a bite they realized “you couldn’t eat more without getting a sugar shock.” This “too sweet” and “too dry” stollen ended up being their least favourite. Multiple locations, faubourg.com

HONOUR ABLE MENTION

Sweet Thea This Langley bakery—a regular fixture at Vancouver farmers’ markets—just missed out on the number-one spot, earning major points for its classic flavours and appearance. “The granulated sugar adds a really nice texture,” said one judge. “It would be excellent toasted.” 20540 Duncan Way, Langley, sweetthea.com

Purebread

Meet the Judges Uwe Boll is the owner of Bauhaus restaurant. Hailing from Wermelskirchen, Germany, this filmmaker-turnedrestaurateur brought a palate for traditional, not-too-sweet stollen to the judges’ table.

Wendy Boys may be the owner of local chocolate company Cocolico, but this pastry chef and chocolatier also knows her way around stollen—she makes a homemade loaf for her family every year.

Lorraine Grande is our Twitter contest winner!

Every Christmas, she looks for a Vancouver-made stollen to make her German parents proud—hopefully, these results will lead her in the right direction.

Purebread’s stollen is far from traditional: “It’s like a chocolate croissant and stollen had a baby—it’s so tasty and unusual,” said Boys of this version’s dark chocolate and extra-creamy frangipane layers. Our other judges agreed, claiming it could have won were it in any other type of pastry competition. (But “it’s not stollen,” said one.) 159 W Hastings St., purebread.ca

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Taste

FRESH SHEET

BOTTOMS UP! A guide to all you need to make the thoughtful imbiber smile on Christmas morning.

SALUT!

The Most Versatile Cocktail Glass The classic straight-edged martini glass is truly the worst design in the history of spilling, but this option from Italesse is affordable, with practical angles and a throwback style. And it has enough zip to make any drink a small celebration (and if your cocktails aren’t a small celebration, then you’re drinking too much). Wormwood presidente coupe with pattern by Italesse, $30, atkinsonsofvancouver.com

HEIRLOOM

A Canadian Whisky That Bows to No Other CANADIAN WHISKY is solidly on the upswing, but so far the territory it’s conquering has been at the lower echelons of the spirits spectrum. Not anymore. Canadian Club is throwing down this holiday season with a plum-andtoffee-rich 40-year-old that retails for $220—pricey to be sure but still 28 times cheaper than Glenfiddich’s just-released 40-year-old.

W H AT ’ S O U T ?

W H AT ’ S I N?

Tom and Jerry punch bowl sets Moscow Mule mugs

Cheers-ing without clinking glasses

Sabering Champagne—at this point it’s as unique as shotgunning a beer

DESIGN-Y DRINKER

The 3 Most Beautiful New Bottles of Spirits on the Market This Season

SCHOL ARLY

Must-Read “Do one thing and do it well” must be Davin de Kergommeaux’s motto because the dude has dedicated his life to knowing everything there is to know about Canadian whisky. And now he’s put all that in a book called—wait for it—Canadian Whisky ($25).

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Hennessy X.O Marc Newson ($290) The most famous Cognac in the world meets our most famous industrial designer and the result is a masterpiece of understatement.

Glenfiddich Winter Storm($300) We Canucks finally get our own cask treatment with Glenfiddich using our old icewine cask to finish this bottle, which looks like it would be a hit north of the wall.

Highland Park 18 ($190) This may be the most classic whisky there is, but designer Jim Lyngvild goes full Viking in this reimagining of the legendary dram.

Award-Winning Award-Winning BC VQA Wines Wines Award-Winning Exceptional in Exceptional BCan VQA Wines Setting Local Setting in an Exceptional Local Setting Tasting Room Room & Tasting & Wine Wine Shop Shop

Opens 11am-5pm Daily Opens 11am-5pm Daily 3033 232 St, Langley, BC Tasting Room Wine ShopBC 3033 232 St,& Langley, 604- 5 39- 9 463 Opens Daily 6 011am-5pm 4- 539- 9463 www.BackyardVineyards.ca 3033 232 St, Langley, BC www.BackyardVineyards.ca 60 4-539-9463 www.BackyardVineyards.ca

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Photograph courtesy of Booje Media

NEW LOCATION, NEW LOOK, FRESH START

Cosmetic + Medical Dermatology

WE KNOW SKIN. 200 – 2425 Hemlock Street, Vancouver, V6H 4E1 | 604.682.7546 | pacificderm.ca |

C OV E R STORY

From wealthy philanthropists to astute politicians, rabble-rousing activists to savvy developers, it’s our annual ranking of Vancouver’s most powerful people—those who shape the city and make waves in the world beyond it.

WrIttEN by Jenni Baynham, Frances Bula, Amy O’Brian, Matt O’Grady, Jacob Parry and Michael White portraIt photography by Pooya Nabei

ILLUstratIoNs by Lydhia Marie

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John Horgan and Andrew Weaver Horgan:

e (#16, 2016) // Weaver: s (NEW)

BC PREMIER; LEADER, BC GREEN PARTY

The Unlikely Partnership It wasn’t supposed to end like this. May’s provincial election should have been a cakewalk for Christy Clark, with Canada’s top-performing economy at her back and an untested NDP leader as her opponent. And yet, when the final vote was tallied, Clark’s Liberals ended up with a bare minority—and Andrew Weaver’s Green Party, winning a historic three seats, holding the balance of power.

What would Weaver do? That was the question that hung over the province for three weeks after election day. On May 29, after the results were confirmed, Weaver and NDP leader John Horgan announced a power-sharing deal that brought an end to 16 years of Liberal Party rule.

Some observers wondered whether a deal was possible, given the animosity shown between Weaver and Horgan in the legislature and on the campaign trail. But according to Justine Hunter, the Victoria-based legislative reporter for the Globe and Mail, there was little doubt who Weaver would support.

“Both of these men have long-term goals that require that they get along— and so far, they are showing they are far more pragmatic than those public exchanges would suggest,” says Hunter, who has covered provincial politics for almost 30 years.

While it’s clear what Horgan gets out of the deal—the long-coveted premier’s seat—for Weaver, the arrangement represents a step in a longer-term game: bringing electoral reform to B.C. and, with it, a solidified position for his insurgent party.

“The Greens want British Columbian voters to see that a minority government can work, and then they want to actually change the voting system,” says Hunter.

“If that remains their central driving force, then I think this could easily last beyond the average shelf life of a minority government in Canada.”

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3 Ian Gillespie e (#6, 2016) CEO, WESTBANK PROJECTS

Geoff Meggs s

(PREVIOUSLY #37, 2013)

CHIEF OF STAFF, NDP

Local Rep There was some high-fiving around Vancouver City Hall when the news came that Geoff Meggs—city councillor for almost a decade, one-time communications guy for former premier Glen Clark—was going to be chief of staff for new premier John Horgan.

Meggs knows intimately the city files that require co-operation from the province: transit, housing, Uber, Airbnb. Meggs, who was on the NDP’s election platform committee with Carole James, helped draft a pro-cities platform, so he’ll know how to carry it out. He’s also seen as a straight shooter—even by the Liberals.

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Gregor Robertson f (#2, 2016)

David Eby f (#4, 2016)

Civic Icon The election of NPA councillor Hector Bremnar in the recent by-election shows a city-wide slip in confidence for Robertson’s Vision Vancouver and a slip in his position on this list. But of all the crises Gregor Robertson has had to navigate in the nine years he’s been mayor, the opioid crisis has likely been the most urgent. In June, when the city projected 400 lives would be lost by the end of the year (it’s now over 1,000), Robertson called it a “bloodbath” and pleaded with Ottawa for a federal response. He’s had the prime minister’s respect and attention, but he gained significant new allies when British Columbians elected the NDP.

Letter of the Law As the NDP’s housing critic, David Eby was a force to be reckoned with.

Thanks to his hounding, the Liberals implemented the foreignbuyer tax, and they practically surrendered the Point Grey riding to Eby during the May election. Now that he is B.C.’s attorney general, Eby’s potential for power is tremendous, but we may have to wait to judge his effectiveness. He took his time drafting legislation to ban corporate and union political donations, saying he wanted it to be “bulletproof.”

MAYOR, CITY OF VANCOUVER

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Skyline King Next year, one of the most remarkable additions to the Vancouver skyline since the Woodward’s W resurfaced atop that namesake development in 2010 will rise from the foot of Granville Street Bridge. It’s no surprise that the developer behind both is Westbank Corp.’s Ian Gillespie. Gillespie has built a reputation as a singular builder (and savvy political operator) in a city full of brash cookie-cutter developers—and the shimmering, twisting Vancouver House, by Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels, promises to be the jewel in his crown. Next up for Gillespie: an ambitious plan to reimagine the Bathurst/ Bloor intersection in Toronto, where iconic retailer Honest Ed’s ruled for almost 70 years.

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B.C. ATTORNEY GENERAL

Aquilini Family e (#7, 2016) AQUILINI GROUP

The Dynasty If you’re an attentive watcher of the Aquilini family’s conglomerate, with assets in real estate development, hospitality and entertainment, then you’ve likely picked up on a trend in their investing in the past few years. Unique among private-sector players, the Aquilinis have emerged as powerful backers of Aboriginal business ventures, from the proposed Eagle Spirit pipeline in B.C.’s northwest to the mega-redevelopment of the 38.8-acre Jericho Lands in Point Grey.

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Dr. Mark Tyndall s (NEW)

Bob Rennie f (#5, 2016)

Dr. Patricia Daly s (PREVIOUSLY #15, 2015)

Health Crusader It is the greatest tragedy to hit B.C. in years—claiming more than 1,000 lives in the first eight months of 2017—and for Mark Tyndall, executive director of the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and deputy provincial health officer, the need to take bold action on the opioid crisis is now. In an August report, the BCCDC made 10 recommendations for tackling the fentanyl epidemic, including providing free access to pharmaceutical-grade opioids for addicts and, more controversially, decriminalizing illegal drug use and moving toward legalization and regulation.

The Collector Bob Rennie’s departure from his role as chief fundraiser for the BC Liberals four months before the election marked an end of an era: in the past four years, the party raised a $32-million chest under him. Out of politics, he’s poured his resources into less controversial endeavours: art and philanthropy, donating $12 million dollars’ worth of art in 2017 to the National Gallery of Canada. Rennie, however, hasn’t entirely strayed from the political spotlight. At the height of the debate of 105 Keefer Street, Rennie was a vocal supporter of the project, even lending his voice in favour of it before city council.

New Radical In response to the opioid crisis, Vancouver’s chief medical officer has been in front of the media so regularly over the past year that even a casual radio listener would likely recognize her voice. Conventional approaches haven’t worked, prompting Patricia Daly to call for a radical shift in drug policy. She is advocating for the decriminalization of all illicit drugs and suggests money spent on drug enforcement be used to tackle the root causes of addiction: poverty, homelessness and childhood neglect.

EXECUTIVE MEDICAL DIRECTOR, BC CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL

FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, RENNIE GROUP

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CHIEF MEDICAL HEALTH OFFICER & VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC HEALTH, VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH

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MST Development Corporation s (NEW)

Frank Giustra f (#9, 2016)

Power Players With almost 200 acres of prime urban land ripe for development, the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations are major players in the city’s real estate game, steered by Chief Maureen Thomas of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Nation and Chief Wayne Sparrow of the Musqueam Nation. Their combined holdings, valued at more than $1 billion, include the Jericho Lands, the Heather Street Lands and a large site on East Broadway, among others. The MST Development Corporation manages the land and last year hired David Negrin—a senior Aquilini executive—as CEO. MST’s power at this juncture is undeniable, but the scope of their development plans is still a big unknown.

Multi-Platform Mogul Old habits die hard for Frank Giustra, the mining magnate-cum-fi lm producer, who in October made his big-splash return to Hollywood. Giustra has serious Tinseltown chops as the founder of Lionsgate Entertainment, which released its biggest feature yet, Blade Runner 2049, this fall. Despite dabbling in fi lm, Giustra remains a gold miner at heart. Earlier this year he aggressively doubled down on his resource career when his Leagold Mining Corporation bought the Los Filos mine in Mexico for $350 million.

URBAN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS

FINANCIER & PHILANTHROPIST

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Kevin Desmond e (#18, 2016)

CEO, TRANSLINK

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Driving Force As soon as TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond opened the Evergreen Line last December, he was already looking ahead to Metro Vancouver’s next billiondollar transit project. A few months later, the federal Liberals announced $2.2 billion in funding for regional transit and by May, Desmond was celebrating a fivepercent increase in ridership.

Not bad for his first full year on the job. Next up: the Millennium Line extension along Broadway, which Desmond hopes to see fully funded by the end of this year.

13 Terry Hui e (#14, 2016)

PRESIDENT & CEO, CONCORD PACIFIC GROUP

City Shaper Having built much of Vancouver’s skyline over the past three decades, Concord Pacific Group has turned some of its attention to projects in Calgary, Toronto and London, U.K. Yet as Hui’s company branches out into new markets, it’s also reinventing itself right here at home with an overhaul of its tower-and-podium model that’s synonymous with Vancouver—at least at its upcoming redevelopment at False Creek North. That yet-to-be-named project will be built in a “completely new style of architecture for the area,” according to Joe Hruda, an architect on the project, in comments to the Globe and Mail.

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BEHIND THE POWER

PR Powerhouses Public relations has always played an important supporting role in the city’s power infrastructure—helping those in the limelight look good or, depending on the news, get off stage quickly.

Sometimes the PR people even become part of the show.

Judy Kirk and her eponymous PR firm did just that when she was called in to do damage control in the wake of the controversial firing of UBC president Arvind Gupta. Fighting fires is par for the course with Kirk and Co., which also provided strategic advice for BC Hydro’s Site C project and the Port of Vancouver's Roberts Bank expansion.

Where Kirk focuses locally, David Brodie, GM for Citizen Relations’ Western Canadian operations, reaches outward, making sure the world’s top brands are well represented from his Vancouver office.

Brodie has deep connections within Canada’s governing party as a former senior advisor to Prime Minister Paul Martin—a key political advantage in this age of extreme turbulence.

Speaking of Donald Trump, Jim Hoggan, principal of Hoggan and Associates, has a few things to say about the U.S. president. Or so you might think, based on the title of his latest book, I’m Right and You’re an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up. In fact, it was published in May 2016 —back when Trump was still just a punchline. The éminence grise of Vancouver PR has a long history of anticipating the next big cleanup, launching his awardwinning, climate-focused DeSmogBlog back in 2006.

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14 Jim Pattison f (#11, 2016) CEO, JIM PATTISON GROUP

Living Legend At 89, Jim Pattison continues to be a corporate power broker in B.C., with assets in advertising, grocery stores, lumber and coal exports, but it’s his role as a deep-pocketed philanthropist that’s building on his reputation as a business titan. In May, Pattison donated $75 million to the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, the largest amount ever in Canada by a private donor to a medical facility. With his big-ticket donations, from North Vancouver’s emergency centre to Surrey’s mega-hospital, Pattison is quickly converting his largesse into a legacy.

15 Darren Entwistle T (#15, 2016) CEO, TELUS

Content Creator It’s been two years since Entwistle retook the helm of Telus as its CEO, a position he departed for a brief 15 months, and today Telus dominates its eastern counterparts in customer satisfaction and profitability, recording 278 customer complaints in the second half of 2016 versus 535 for Rogers and 1,258 for Bell. The company has also started funding locally produced documentaries, web shows and scripted comedies. As part of its annual giving program (Telus and its employees donated $42 million in 2016), the company’s StoryHive initiative has doled out grants of up to $100,000 to fund original content creators.

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SIXTEEN

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Sarah Blyth s

(NEW)

FOUNDING MEMBER, OVERDOSE PREVENTION SOCIETY

The Rebel When the manager of the DTES Market, Sarah Blyth, set up two tents on the Downtown Eastside, little did she realize how many thousands of people would come to depend on them. After the provincial government declared a state of emergency for the opioid crisis back in April, red tape and reluctant politicians were delaying any well-intended efforts from civil servants, and lives were lost every day. So, Blyth and several other DTES activists took matters into their own hands, opening a safe injection site in an alley off East Hastings Street, staffed by volunteers trained to act quickly in the event a narcotics user suffers from a fentanyl overdose—a system that impressed Vancouver Coastal Health so much, they are now rapidly trying to replicate Blyth’s infrastructure.

“She was clever about it,” says Donald MacPherson, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. “She named it the ‘Overdose Prevention Society’— meaning it says nothing about illegal injection sites in the title. It meant the police could turn a blind eye to it.” And so the police did, along with local health authorities.

That is, until Blyth’s method proved to be successful. “Just see the number of people that have been through that trailer of hers to see the impact she’s had,” says MacPherson. “Federal politicians, provincial politicians…they want to take her system and implement it in other cities throughout Canada, but they haven’t been able to do it as quickly as she’s done.”

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Sadhu Johnston T (#17, 2016)

Carole James s (PREVIOUSLY #7, 2012)

The Collaborator Johnston, who quietly wielded a lot of influence as deputy city manager for years, moved definitively up the power list when he was named city manager in 2016.

He’s now put his stamp on city hall, calming the waters inside and out with his more collaborative style and his strategic move to hold meetings with former city planners who had become outspoken critics. It’s Johnston who drives the city’s efforts to be more green, including the controversial zero-emissions-by-2030 building plan, something that he gets kudos for internationally, if not locally.

Budget Boss For Carole James, being appointed finance minister this past July was sweet vindication. The former leader of the BC NDP resigned that position in December of 2010 after a caucus revolt led by former MLA and current Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan. One of her most vocal defenders at the time was John Horgan.

Horgan, now premier, continues to show a huge amount of confidence in the 12-year Victoria veteran—naming James not just finance minister but also his deputy premier. For however long this minority government lasts, James will be key to implementing the NDP’s ambitious agenda— and avoiding the party’s spendthrift past.

CITY MANAGER, CITY OF VANCOUVER

“Reimer has been Robertson’s closest ally on council and was widely seen as his heir apparent.”

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B.C. FINANCE MINISTER

Irene Lanzinger e (#27, 2016)

PRESIDENT, BC FEDERATION OF LABOUR

People’s Champ The first woman to be appointed to her position at BCFED (following four years as its secretary treasurer), Lanzinger represents more than half a million unionized workers across the province. While she has yet to rectify some of the hot-button issues upon which she campaigned in 2014—she advocated for a $15 minimum wage; it was raised this September to $11.35—that may change now that the NDP, which has the abiding support of labour unions (a recent report says they put forward more than 30 percent of the party’s financial contributions), is establishing its power.

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20 Michael Audain e (#31, 2016)

Andrea Reimer e (#23, 2016)

Papa Bear In a departure from his usual philanthropic efforts in the arts, Michael Audain veered into the woods last year and became a contender in the long-standing fight to end grizzly hunting in B.C. He threw $500,000 into the ring and started the Grizzly Bear Foundation, with the goal of protecting the iconic West Coast beasts. In August, Audain got some satisfaction when the NDP government announced it was axing the trophy hunt. But the 80-year-old won’t raise a celebratory glass until he’s convinced all loopholes are sealed tight.

The Protégé Gregor Robertson, Vancouver’s longest-serving mayor, is set to seek an unprecedented fourth term in 2018.

Andrea Reimer—a former Green Party school trustee and, since 2008, Vision Vancouver councillor, has been Robertson’s closest ally on council and was widely seen as his heir apparent, spearheading many of Vision’s marquee initiatives, including the Greenest City Action Plan and a comprehensive new Downtown Eastside neighbourhood plan. With Robertson going nowhere fast, Reimer decided in October not to run for re-election—though it’s hard to imagine the energetic policy wonk exiting the civic stage completely.

CHAIR, AUDAIN FOUNDATION, POLYGON HOMES & GRIZZLY BEAR FOUNDATION

CITY COUNCILLOR

1457 Bellevue Avenue, West Vancouver | 604.925.8333 Four Seasons Hotel, 791 Georgia Street, Vancouver | 604.682.1158

STITTGEN.COM

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TWENTY24 FOUR

Tamara Vrooman e (#28, 2016)

Ron Burnett s

PRESIDENT & CEO, VANCITY

Money Matters Canada’s largest community credit union has become unprecedentedly robust under Vrooman’s direction. Its assets increased by 6.6 percent in 2016 to $21.1 billion, and it topped last year’s list of Canada’s Best 50 Corporate Citizens. The latter designation is emblematic of Vancity’s growing attractiveness to values-conscious millennials, whose social and financial concerns (not least of which is surviving in an evermore unaffordable region) were the subject of a recent viral advertising campaign.

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Thomas Fung e (#26, 2016)

CHAIRMAN & FOUNDER, FAIRCHILD GROUP

Dollar Tycoon One of the hottest categories in retail right now is the “value-priced” model— the dollar-store—with a flurry of competitors entering the Canadian market in recent years. Thomas Fung houses one of them, Daiso, at his Aberdeen Centre mall and holds North American franchise rights for the Japanese chain. Daiso is just one piece in a diverse—and increasingly recessionproof—portfolio for Fung’s Fairchild Group, which includes everything from Chinese-language TV and radio stations to real estate holdings to an import/distribution arm.

POWER PL AYERS TO WATCH

BC Liberal Leadership Contenders The BC Liberal Party won’t elect its next leader until February, but we can announce the winner here and now: the City of Surrey.

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(PREVIOUSLY #25, 2013)

OUTGOING PRESIDENT & VICE-CHANCELLOR, EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN

Art Evolution The widely admired overlord of ECUAD will retire from his role in July 2018 after a 22-year tenure, having shepherded the institution through perhaps the most dramatic evolution in its almost centurylong history. When Ron Burnett arrived in 1996 at the then-Emily Carr Institute, it had only been offering bachelor’s degrees for a year. Since then, the British-born Burnett—whose myriad honours include Orders of both Canada and France—has been instrumental in ECUAD achieving university designation, becoming a Canadian trailblazer in digital-art disciplines and sustainable design, and relocating this past September from its long-time Granville Island home to a new awe-inspiring $122.6-million campus in East Vancouver.

“His tenure is most notable for his ability to adapt to and change with the needs and opportunities in visualarts training—a rare gift in any leader,” says Howard Jang, faculty member of Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts, who will soon take the helm at the Banff Centre for the Arts. “The very lucky person to follow him at ECUAD will inherit a highereducation institution that’s relevant and poised for immense growth and impact.”

B.C.’s fastest-growing big city has long been in the crosshairs of the major parties, but the region’s power was brought into stark relief after May’s provincial election. The NDP won six of the city’s nine seats—in no small part thanks to promises to get rid of tolls on the Port Mann Bridge and to commit more provincial money to solving Surrey’s transportation woes.

Christy Clark often seemed openly antagonistic to B.C.’s urban heartland. Dianne Watts—a former mayor of Surrey and one of the assumed frontrunners—is promising a better relationship with Lower Mainland mayors, as is former Vancouver mayor and leadership candidate Sam Sullivan. Even Todd Stone—the Kamloops MLA and ex-transportation minister—saw fit to announce his candidacy in Surrey. And the location for the first leadership debate on October 15? You guessed it: Surrey wins again.

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25 Jody Wilson-Raybould f (#8, 2016) MINISTER OF JUSTICE & ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA

Law and Order When Justin Trudeau announced his inaugural cabinet, he handed Jody Wilson-Raybould—a former Crown prosecutor and regional chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations—the fraught justice ministry. In the past year, the rookie Vancouver–Granville MP has had to stickhandle two of the Liberal government’s most challenging campaign promises: setting up a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and drawing up legislation for the legalization of marijuana.

The MMIW inquiry is mandated to produce a final report by the end of 2018. The new pot law, meanwhile, is set to come into effect next July—though officials across Canada have expressed concern about the feds’ hands-off approach.

Rich Coleman s (NEW)

INTERIM LEADER, BC LIBERAL PARTY

Pinch Hitter As deputy premier prior to the election, Rich Coleman was in charge of some of the B.C. government’s most important files, from natural gas to housing. With his party dethroned, Coleman has found himself seated mere metres away from his former seat in the B.C. legislature. But in politics, distance matters. As the official leader of the Opposition and interim leader of the BC Liberals, Coleman is tasked with keeping his party together through a hotly contested leadership race, which will be decided in February.

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Glen Clark s (NEW)

PRESIDENT & COO, JIM PATTISON GROUP

The Influencer The former premier has frequently acted as a liaison between the business community (particularly his boss, Jimmy Pattison, for whom he’s second in command) and the NDP. That role will be outsized now, as the NDP work to show they’re not anti-capitalist bogeymen. Clark’s influence is already evident: he sits on the board of forest giant Canfor, and no doubt nudged the party to adopt a modern take on forest products. To wit, the NDP is touting the economic value of engineered wood, mentioned in the throne speech.

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Thomas Berger s (NEW) LEGAL COUNSEL, NDP

Legal Eagle This 84-year-old legal legend was cherry-picked by the provincial NDP in August to advise them as they battle against the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. It’s a mammoth task, considering the twinning project has already received conditional approval from the National Energy Board and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet.

But Berger has an impressive track record when it comes to fighting big oil: as part of the Supreme Court, the man played a huge role in the ultimate quashing of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline during the 1970s.

“Butterfield might just be reimagining work as we know it.”

29 Stewart Butterfield s (NEW) FOUNDER, SLACK

Tech Captain You want to talk power?

How about a company that has six million daily users? Slack, a workplace communication app, has become one of the fastest-growing start-ups in the world, and it was founded right here in Vancouver. Born and raised in B.C., Stewart Butterfield now represents the Van tech scene all over the world, firstly as a result of the success of one of his earlier ventures, Flickr, and now Slack. Butterfield used this year’s Frontiers conference—a two-day event put on by Slack with guest speakers like Andre Iguodala from the Golden State Warriors—to announce Slack’s new venture, Shared Channels, which is poised to replace emails. Though the company’s headquarters now lie in San Francisco, their recently expanded Yaletown space provides a base for most of their product innovation. As a public supporter of guaranteed annual income, and with his “anti-email” attitudes, Butterfield might just be reimagining work as we know it.

CONTEMPORARY. SOCIAL. FRESH. el Santo was awarded best latin restaurant

by Vancouver magazine.

Open Sunday to Thursday 11:30am – 10pm & Friday, Saturday 11:30am – 11pm 680 Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC 604 553 1849 | elsanto.ca

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WWW.SHOWCASEPIANOS.COM

W adwa W O yL Br P oc oa E ati dw N on ay !

"Every Fazioli piano is a work of art with perfectly balanced sonority and a smooth registry. They are never mechanical instruments - instead, they make me feel like I'm singing from my fingers!"

Wenwen Du - Pianist, Accompanist, Educator

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Robin Silvester T (#30, 2016)

PRESIDENT & CEO, PORT OF VANCOUVER

Prince of Ports The prosperity of our region is inextricably tied to the prosperity of the Port of Vancouver—the third-largest port in North America.

In his eighth year at the helm, Silvester can boast of record-breaking cargo passing through it (69 million metric tonnes as of mid-year); at the same time, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority received its first award from the North American Marine Environment Protection Association. Still to be dealt with: securing more of the Lower Mainland’s rapidly vanishing industrial land, which is crucial for ensuring the region’s ongoing economic viability.

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Gerri Sinclair f (#19, 2016)

MANAGING DIRECTOR, KENSINGTON CAPITAL PARTNERS

Digital Developer Gerri Sinclair is one of the undisputed pioneers of Vancouver’s tech scene.

The PhD in renaissance drama founded the digital content management firm NCompass Labs (sold to Microsoft in 2001), served as the first president of the B.C. government’s Premier’s Technology Council, founded the ExCITE lab at SFU (the first digital media technology R&D centre in Canada) and launched the acclaimed Centre for Digital Media on Great Northern Way. Today she serves as managing partner of Kensington Capital, where she’s charged with directing the province’s $100-million BC Tech Fund and providing venture capital to the local tech stars of tomorrow.

“Lee’s is definitely a quiet power, exercised mostly behind the scenes."

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Carol Lee e

(#44, 2016)

CHAIR, CHINATOWN REVITALIZATION COMMITTEE & VANCOUVER CHINATOWN FOUNDATION

The Protector Oftentimes, the next generation of rich and powerful represents something of a diminished return. Not so in the case of the Lee family. The offspring of renowned Vancouver developer and philanthropist Robert Lee have become forces in their own right—perhaps none more so than daughter Carol.

The eldest of four, Lee is president and CEO of Linacare Cosmetherapy Inc., a company she co-founded in 2003 and headquartered in the historic Lee family building on East Pender, where her grandfather once ran a dry goods store. It is in this neighbourhood that Lee has had her most significant impact—chairing the City of Vancouver’s Chinatown Revitalization Committee as well as the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, an organization she co-founded in 2012 to help buy and restore the area’s most historic buildings.

Andy Yan, an urban planner and director of SFU’s City Program, says that Lee has been an integral force in saving one of Vancouver’s most culturally significant neighbourhoods, which has been under recent threat from redevelopment. “Through her generosity, as well as social capital, she’s been able to start this process,” says Yan. Lee’s is definitely a quiet power, exercised mostly behind the scenes.

In addition to bending the ears of Vancouver’s mayor and chief planner— and being an outspoken opponent to the controversial Beedie Group development at Keefer and Columbia—Lee has also recently extended her political influence to Ottawa: she now sits on federal finance minister Bill Morneau’s Advisory Council for Economic Growth and serves on the Governor General’s Rideau Hall Foundation board.

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34 Grand Chief Stewart Phillip s (PREVIOUSLY #22, 2013)

Prem Gill T (#35, 2016)

CORPORATE MANAGEMENT TEAM, CITY OF VANCOUVER

PRESIDENT OF THE UNION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA INDIAN CHIEFS

Triple Threat This trio, hired within months of each other this year, represent the new face of city hall, aimed at bringing a new mood and direction after the departure of former city manager Penny Ballem. They’ve improved staff morale, especially Kelley, with his thoughtful, inclusive style. They’ve been charging hard on revising city housing policy and trying to improve the permitting process to allow that housing to be built faster. The jury’s still waiting for definitive signs of progress from the team.

Stoic and Steadfast Stewart Phillip is a man of unwavering principles. He’s been arrested at a pipeline protest. He publicly stated he would not attend a ceremony with Prince William when a ring of reconciliation was added to the Black Rod. And, most recently, he voiced disapproval of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s environmental track record. He’s also teamed up with the UN in the fight against the Site C dam and insists the “toxic, high-risk Trans Mountain dirty-oil pipeline project will never see the light of day.”

Creative Counsel Fiscal 2016–2017 represented a high-water mark for B.C.’s fi lm and TV industry, with an estimated $2.6 billion spent on productions last year—up more than 35 percent over 2015–2016. Thank the Canadian dollar, yes, but also the rise of streaming services, such as Netflix, which find B.C. an attractive (and affordable) place to shoot. Prem Gill, CEO of Creative BC, is the one dishing out the all-important tax credits and pitching the province’s cultural sector—fi lm and TV, digital media, music and publishing—to investors around the world.

Gil Kelley, Kaye Krishna, Kathleen Llewellyn-Thomas s (NEW)

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36 Harjit Singh Sajjan f (#34, 2016)

FEDERAL MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCE

Under Fire It’s been a stormy 2017 for Canada’s defence minister.

In April, Harjit Sajjan—a former Canadian Forces regimental commander—was forced to apologize for misstating his involvement in a key military action in Afghanistan in 2006. He also got dragged into the bitter Bombardier-Boeing dispute, threatening this fall to cancel the Liberals’ planned order of 18 Super Hornets from Boeing—all the while having to guess what our neighbour next door might do next under its erratic commander-in-chief.

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CEO, CREATIVE BC

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Janice Abbott s (NEW)

Glen Hansman s (NEW)

Changemaker The past year’s fentanyl crisis kicked Janice Abbott’s already remarkable efficiency and effectiveness up another notch. The CEO of Atira Women’s Resource Society has a reputation for being able to get any project through city council. This year, she opened a women-only overdose prevention site called Sisterspace that has beds dedicated to women waiting to get into drug treatment and those just coming out. She also oversaw the opening of projects in Richmond and Surrey, opened a temporary Vancouver winter shelter for women and two new SROs, spearheaded a national symposium on women’s housing and was one of two people named to the Vancouver City Planning Commission.

The Educator Glen Hansman, elected last year to lead the BC Teachers’ Federation, made his name helping to get an anti-homophobia policy adopted by the Vancouver School Board in 2004—a groundbreaking move that has since been copied by boards across Canada. Today, the former special-education teacher and president of the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers’ Association faces his biggest challenge yet: fi lling 3,000 teaching positions and returning B.C. class sizes to 2002 levels, as ordered last year by the Supreme Court of Canada.

CEO, ATIRA WOMEN’S RESOURCE SOCIETY

PRESIDENT, BC TEACHERS’ FEDERATION

@CBCVANCOUVER @CBCNEWSBC

THI39RTY-NINE POWER50

Shelley Sheppard s

(NEW)

GUARDIANSHIP SOCIAL WORKER & CHILD CARE ADVOCATE

Mom on a Mission In Premier John Horgan’s office, on a shelf behind the desk, there is a photo of Baby Mac, the 16-month-old boy who died in January at an unlicensed daycare in Vancouver.

The photo stands not only as a reminder of the NDP’s promise to create an affordable licensed child care system for all but also as a testament to the strength and determination of Mac’s mother, Shelley Sheppard.

One week after her son died, Sheppard harnessed her grief and called for “massive reform” of the province’s daycare system. She and her partner, Chris Saini, wrote an open letter in which they said they didn’t want their “sweet boy’s death to have been in vain.” Judging by the government reaction, it wasn’t.

In March, Ottawa announced it would give B.C. $90 million a year to help to address the child care crisis. By April, affordable licensed child care had become a key issue in the lead-up to the provincial election. The $10-a-day child care campaign was gaining significant traction and the NDP promised to make it a reality—albeit gradually, over 10 years—if elected.

“Her willingness to advocate for change is inspirational and I know has made a difference,” Sharon Gregson, spokeswoman for the $10-a-day campaign, said of Sheppard. “Her staunch support for building a better system so that her tragedy does not happen for other mothers is heroic.”

Frances Bula s (NEW) JOURNALIST

The Storyteller In Vancouver, where unrelenting cutbacks have decimated local newsrooms, beat reporters are mostly an extinct species. One of few survivors is Frances Bula: the reigning queen of city hall. What makes Bula’s status most remarkable is that it has been achieved without the anchor of a staff position. Since leaving the Vancouver Sun a decade ago, the reporter has delivered award-winning coverage of urban issues to a variety of publications, including the Globe and Mail and this magazine. She continues to inspire a future generation of civic reporters as an instructor at both Langara College and UBC, and remains the go-to journalist for those with an urban tale to tell.

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40 Thom Armstrong s (NEW)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING FEDERATION OF BC

Community Builder Armstrong has been called an “entrepreneurial developer,” even though he works as the executive director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC. That’s because he has taken the concept of community land trusts—land owned by cities but dedicated to affordable housing in perpetuity—and run with it. He’s worked with multiple municipalities, including Vancouver, to develop low-cost housing, using the expertise and equity of a large organization.

Ian Crosby s (NEW)

CO-FOUNDER & CEO, BENCH

Start-Up Savant “I liked Elon Musk before he was cool,” reads Ian Crosby’s Twitter biography. Though space exploration might sound more exciting than accounting, Crosby has high hopes to make his cloud-based bookkeeping software just as sexy.

The UBC grad is well on the way to achieving his goal with his start-up, Bench, whose relaxed tech-company flair and killer branding secured him a place on Forbes’s Top 30 Under 30 list this year. Mayor Gregor Robertson stopped by Bench for advice on how to support small businesses, and with over $30 million of venture capital to play with, Crosby’s sights are set on continued growth—the company recently acquired a new 55,000-squarefoot office space occupying three floors in Telus Garden.

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43 Manny Bahia, Farhan Mohamed, Karm Sumal e

Anne Giardini s (PREVIOUSLY #29, 2014) CHANCELLOR, SFU

(#46, 2016)

CO-FOUNDERS, DAILY HIVE

Newsmakers A quick rebrand from its Vancity Buzz moniker and a slight skew toward a more serious tone has resulted in the Daily Hive —and owners Manny Bahia, Farhan Mohamed and Karm Sumal— assuming its position as the millennial mogul when it comes to what’s going on in Vancouver. When the Daily Hive home page pays attention to a drink, a dish or even a politician, millennials follow suit. With almost one million followers across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, the masthead for this buzzworthy online source is longer than many print publications in 2017.

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Higher Education A true Renaissance woman, Anne Giardini—bestselling author, former Weyerhaeuser president, current chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade—has no shortage of accomplishments to her name. But arguably her biggest achievement in recent years has been overseeing smooth sailing at SFU as chancellor—this at a time of extreme turbulence at rival UBC. In January 2017, the trained lawyer joined her mother— the late author Carol Shields—in being named an officer of the Order of Canada.

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George Heyman s (NEW)

Dana Larsen s (PREVIOUSLY #44, 2013)

Calvin Helin s (NEW)

Captain Planet Appointed to his position in August of this year, the NDP MLA for Vancouver– Fairview has been warmly welcomed by conservationists who expect him to be much more effective than his predecessor, the Liberals’ Mary Polak. Unlike her, Heyman brings to the job years of direct engagement with environmental issues—which is good, because after this past summer’s woodland devastation, his assimilation is a literal trial by fire.

Up in Smoke A pro-legalization advocate for years, Dana Larsen has become the media’s go-to spokesperson for the cause, a role he particularly relished this year after brazenly taking on the Vancouver Park Board when he decided to go against their will and hold his annual 420 celebrations at Sunset Beach. Larsen’s war with the Park Board—whom he alleges to be dominated by the “cannabis-hating NPA”—is ongoing, though, in Larsen’s own words, his “campaign of disobedience has paid off tremendously.” With the federal government aiming to have fully legalized weed by summer 2018, Larsen’s knowledge of setting up dispensaries might render him more of a start-up wizard than a civil dis-servant.

Taking Control Helin’s first book, Dances with Dependency: Out of Poverty Through Self-Reliance, made the case to end First Nations’ financial dependency on the Canadian government. Now his work with Eagle Spirit Energy Holdings is focused on aspirations of an Indigenous-owned pipeline that would run from the Alberta oil sands to the B.C. coast. Expect to see Helin, a lawyer at his own self-titled firm and a member of the Lax Kw’alaams First Nation, crop up more and more in the news this year as this controversial project aims to end what Helin calls “a cycle of dependency fostered by racist policies designed to subjugate Indigenous communities.”

B.C. MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY

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FOUNDING DIRECTOR, THE MEDICINAL CANNABIS DISPENSARY & FOUNDING DIRECTOR, SENSIBLE BC

CEO, EAGLE SPIRIT ENERGY HOLDINGS

RTY4488EEIIGHT RTYEI

POWER50

David Vertesi and Gabriel Hall s

(NEW)

CO-FOUNDERS, VANCOUVER MURAL FEST

Wall Flowers No fun city, no more —so say the co-founders of the Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF), which launched in 2016. Bright colours and poignant slogans now line the walls of some of Vancouver’s most-trodden paths, engaging locals and tourists alike. Now, Vertesi and Hall acknowledge the event has grown beyond art, indirectly pleading locals’ case against redevelopment. Residents of the Mount Pleasant area live in hope that developers will think twice before knocking down buildings that have become icons of the city.

“After only two years, I think the VMF has not only beautified Mount Pleasant but highlighted the artistic talent that calls Mount Pleasant home,” says Neil Wyles, executive director of the Mount Pleasant BIA. “This in turn has brought to the forefront a discussion about keeping the area affordable for the very people that make it interesting.” This year’s festival saw more than 100,000 spectators wander the streets of Mount Pleasant and Strathcona, with more than 50 large-scale murals being added to the city’s culture scene.

With this year’s themes transforming and reclaiming laneways, destigmatizing graffiti art and supporting Indigenous placemaking, all eyes are on Vertesi and Hall and their plans to raise the bar even higher in 2018.

“Politicians dread his uncompromising approach, but Drury makes an impact.”

Ivan Drury s (NEW) ACTIVIST

Suburban Champion Ivan Drury has done what not every social activist is willing to do—left Vancouver to protest housing and homelessness in the suburbs. Drury, a college history teacher who describes himself as a former anarchist and now a Marxist-Leninist, made headlines this year fighting the closure of a homeless camp in Maple Ridge and bringing attention to the destruction of hundreds of cheap apartments in Burnaby.

Politicians dread him and his uncompromising approach, but he undoubtedly makes an impact.

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Greg Kerfoot s (NEW)

OWNER, VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

Mr. Football Not many people know much about Greg Kerfoot, and he’d like to keep it that way —though it takes a pretty powerful person to turn soccer into a thing in North America.

West Vancouver dwellers might know “Greg” as the guy from their beer-league hockey team, but they won’t likely know him as the millionaire who saved the Vancouver Whitecaps’ ego from extinction. Kerfoot took over the team in 2002, including their $100,000 worth of debt and their three full-time staff members. Now the team has an active fan base —due largely in part to tickets that are substantially more affordable than their Canuck neighbours—and MLS title aspirations that seem within reach.

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W E S T C OA S T C H R I S T M A S / O N E DAY I N PA L M S PR I N G S / PA R T Y PI C K S

VA N M AG .C O M/S T Y L E

Play

PERSONAL SPACE

A DESIGNER DECKS THE HALLS Interior designer Ami McKay welcomes a new family to the neighbourhood with a festive dinner party. j by

Amanda Ross Janis Nicolay

photographs by

k “You’ll never see a red-and-green Christmas from me!” says Ami McKay. Her seasonal decor is all about natural fibres, like felted Christmas ornaments and bits of nature incorporated in from the outdoors.

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Play

P E R S O N A L S PAC E

Full House Clockwise from top left: Don Thomas and his wife, Ami McKay, along with Nihad Alghazala, his wife, Salma Mohammad and their three children: Rebaz, Ivan and Rabarin; and McKay and Thomas’s children: Simon, Annabel and Braedy; with McKay’s father, Bill Scott.

Returning the Favour Mohammad and husband Nihad Alghazala, as well as their three children—Ivan, Rabarin and Rebaz—enjoy Christmas dinner with McKay’s family. “Salma is always cooking me amazing meals at her house; I’m so honoured that we get to cook for her,” says McKay (seen above, centre).

Bespoke and Bejewelled The hand-sewn Pure Pillows on the sofa (a joint venture between McKay and Mohammad) plus an extensive art collection in the home add vibrant pops of colour throughout—like Andrea Padovani’s large-scale work in the living room (inset, right).

Nature-Inspired Fir trim around the doors and windows as well as bamboo floors help provide a simple backdrop to the home’s predominantly white pieces (opposite, top right). The traditional gingerbread house is made by Vancouver’s the Uncommon Cake (inset, left).

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Exotic Touches “The house is West Coast in design, but I’ve got my Moroccan boho thing going on,” says McKay (seen inset, top left).

On any given day, Pure Design’s Ami McKay creates, reimagines or renovates spaces for a multitude of clients. But this year she brought home her signature ethos—light and airy with layers of texture—when she and her family relocated to a new space. “I was heartbroken to leave our old house, but we needed something bigger,” she says. “Little did I know that I would end up loving our new place even more—I have a bathtub! Our four kids aren’t on top of each other anymore!”

McKay’s new tree-fort-like aerie overlooks the ocean in Lions Bay and has evolved from the previous all-white palette observed in her former home—now there are saturated hues. “This time, I wanted my space to be more colourful, more joyous, more about love,” she says. Her inspiration came by way of meeting Salma Mohammad, a Syrian refugee who McKay and

a group of friends helped sponsor to Canada (along with Salma’s husband and their three young children).

McKay had a light-bulb moment when she discovered that Mohammad was formerly a tailor while she herself had been collecting and stockpiling fabrics from all her years of globetrotting. Out of this happy connection sprang Pure Pillows: each pillow, sewn by Mohammad, is made with antique and vintage textiles from far-ranging locales like Vietnam, Thailand and Africa, with profit sharing going back to the newly arrived family. The pillows land on shelves this December at McKay’s Pure design studio; for now, though, they’re showcased on her soft white furniture and are almost too pretty to sit on. Instead, says McKay, “I come home from work, pour myself a glass of wine and lie down on the rug.”

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O N E DAY I N PA L M S PR I N G S STAY

DESERT BLOOM

This winter, Palm Springs flourishes with a wave of new hotels, restaurants and bars.

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Make your way to the northwest corner of the Palm Springs Art Museum’s parking lot and head straight up à la Grouse Grind—45 minutes will feel like three hours. Before leaving, take a peek inside the gallery, where contemporary classics like a Louise Bourgeois Spider sculpture hang. psmuseum.org

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HAPPY HOUR

Truss and Twine

Truss and Twine is the new bar from the New York-based team behind the supersleek, concrete-heavy Workshop Kitchen and Bar, so expect a slice of hipster Silver Lake with note-perfect classic cocktails from different eras—Prohibition’s Hanky Panky with Ransom barrel-aged gin or the Golden Age Brandy Crusta. trussandtwine.com

DINNER

Azúcar

10:30 P.M.

Light and airy describe both the food and the decor at the ground-level Juniper Table in the new seven-storey (that’s huge for these low-slung parts) Kimpton Rowan Hotel. Chef Stephen Wambach channels a seriously SoCal vibe (there will be fresh juice) to start the day. junipertable.com

Palm Springs Art Museum

7 P.M.

Juniper Table

ART HIKE

6 P.M.

BRUNCH

11 A.M.

Amanda Ross

9 A.M.

by

Off icially, the public can only access Azúcar Restaurant and Bar in the new La Serena Villas on weekends, but unoff icially we’ve found they’ll still accommodate diners mid-week. We recommend booking this pint-sized modern Spanish Revival gem in advance; order the watermelon salad with basil poolside. laserenavillas.com

NIGHTCAP

Dead or Alive Finding locals in Palm Springs can be a trick, so the nondescript boutique beer and wine bar Dead or Alive with its blink-andyou’ll-miss-it entrance is a godsend. A colaunch by local design phenom Anthony Cioff i means serious in-house street cred: think a digital sunset every night in the bar. deadoralivebar.com

HOLIDAY HOUSE: JAIME KOWAL; TRUSS AND T WINE: AUDRE Y MA

The impossibly chic Holiday House boutique hotel reimagines the old mid-century Chase Hotel, thanks to the folks who brought us the Sparrows Lodge.

Sophisticated layers of blue and white overlaid with original art (Alex Katz, Donald Sultan), kitchenettes and unbelievably reasonable prices (from $250) make this one of the coolest, best deals in town. holidayhouseps.com

PRESENTED BY

Centre: Christie Darbyshire and Bruce Munro Wright, Butter Studios; Event Photography: Jamie Lee Fuoco

THANK YOU!

Held on Saturday, October 14th, at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Splash, Arts Umbrella’s 35th annual Art Auction & Gala was an unforgettable evening of art and philanthropy. Presented by TD Bank Group, together we raised over $540,000 in net proceeds, setting a new record!

Together with our co-chairs Christie Darbyshire and Bruce Munro Wright and the entire organizing committee, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible community of Splash artists, auctioneer Hank Bull, co-emcees Gloria Macarenko and Fred Lee, sponsors, guests, student performers and volunteers who helped make the evening such a resounding success.

Your support of Splash means that the life-changing benefits of high-quality arts education will reach even more children and youth.

Art changes lives, and it is because of you that Arts Umbrella will positively impact the lives of more than 21,000 young people every year. Over two thirds of students access these programs freeof-charge through much needed bursaries, scholarships, and free community programs.

From all of us at Arts Umbrella, thank you. Together we will continue to inspire creativity. For good.

PRESENTING SPONSOR

MICHAEL O’BRIAN FAMILY FOUNDATION

Daily Hive

Splash Co-Chairs Christie Darbyshire Bruce Munro Wright Splash 2017 Committee David Allison Kyle Besuschko

RippleFX Water Inc.

Lara Brecht Ben Chick Blaire Chisholm Meagan Conn Celia Dawson Karlene Fraser Beatrice Hsu

Art Asset Planning Inc.

Emmy Lee Wall Natasha Lymburner Sophia Mackay Riko Nakasone Thomas O’Shaughnessy Annabelle Price Colby Richardson

Presentation Framing

Jessica Taylor Vivian Thom Trudy Van Dop Megan Verchere Dana Volrich Michelle Yung

Play

T H E H O T TA K E

by

Amanda Ross

i Ring in some holiday cheer with Alexander Wang’s black Ava pompom slides in fur and leather. $1,070, holtrenfrew.com

LIFE OF THE PARTY

l Beauty is in the eye of the beholder with Marc Jacobs’s limited-edition fashion collection, including Velvet Crew (mascara, highliner gel eye crayon and eyeliner) and Trax nail lacquer (inspired by the designer’s Fall 2017 runway track pants in maroon). $22 to $61, sephora.com

From slides to scarves—’tis the season to go out in style with these festive essentials.

l For evenings out, it’s a wrap with this silky soft Topman polka-dot scarf with festive tassels. $32, thebay.com

n Be merry and bright by keeping drinks

flowing with this PC hammered-metal gold bar set. From $15, realcanadiansuperstore.ca

p For picture-perfect

holiday tresses, Conair’s new Metá e Metá (half and half) Curl Secret is both hair curler and straightener all in one. $150, conaircanada.ca

NOW OPEN

Hublot

1080 Alberni St., hublot.com What: Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot makes its first foray into Canada with an outpost on Alberni Street (complete with upstairs lounge).

Why we’re excited: To celebrate, Hublot launched its Classic Fusion Chronograph Canada, a special-edition timepiece in a custom maple wood box.

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k Let’s get this party started with a Le Château embroidered twill dress that’s anything-butbasic black and white. $198, lechateau.com

The Vancouver e-newsletter brings you all the must-know intel about the city to your inbox three times a week, including: • Top restaurant recommendations • Thought-provoking long-reads • Awesome local events • Beauty and fashion tips • Real estate picks PLUS getaway guides, inspiring profiles, store openings, fantastic contests and everything else you might expect from the editors of Vancouver magazine.

RESTAURANT GUIDE

City

INFORMER

Where Do Those Crows Go Each Night? by

Stacey McLachlan Byron Eggenschwiler

illustration by

If you don’t thInk that Vancouver is the murder capital of North America, you haven’t been paying attention. Because as dusk falls each night, the sky fills with screams… of thousands of crows, on their way home to roost.

Listen, I understand that using the word “murder” just now to describe a group of Vancouver’s favourite feathered friends is misleading at best and trivializes a devastating crime at worst, but if abusing collective animal nouns is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Anyway, as I was trying to say: it’s a beloved Vancouver pastime to look up in awe at the startling flood of crows that flies eastward like clockwork come dusk, and a rite of passage to run for cover (because, you know, poop). But where are they going? And why do they never invite me?

It turns out, like many of us priced out of the Vancouver real estate

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Like many of us priced out of the real estate market, they’re heading to the burbs. market, they’re heading to the burbs. Through the fall and winter, up to 6,000 crows commute 30 to 40 minutes from their home base by Still Creek in Burnaby to the big city to do whatever it is crows do all day. (Eat garbage? Work as venture capitalists?)

When the sun begins to fade, it’s quitting time, and the whole gang meets up to travel home again to their little piece of crow paradise near Willingdon

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Avenue and Highway 1.

These critters have been congregating there since the ’70s, living in a loose social structure that’s kind of humanoid—they mate for life and even help raise their little brothers and sisters, which gives me an amazing idea for a sitcom.

At one point in time, Still Creek was bumpin’ with spawning salmon (collective noun: a “bind”!

Isn’t this fun?!) and delicious industrial-area

trash, which explains why early crow settlers set up camp. Today, the rookery has its own Facebook page (StillCreekRookery, of course), though it’s unclear which of the thousands of crows is running it as of press time. I’m hoping to get a sleuth on the case… by which I mean a group of bears! Ha! (I can’t stop.

Please send help.)

Got a question for City Informer? stacey.mclachlan@vanmag.com

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