The Daily Voice • April 1, 2015 • Volume 47 • Issue 26 by Langara Journalism

A farewell with lots of dramatic flair.............4 Aaron Bushkowsky’s adaptation of Farewell, My Lovely features fantastic femme fatales

line at s out on m u k c e h o C avoice.c ecial langar r sp o f k o eek lo poodle This w on fake s e r u t fea puppet amatic poo, dr lesbians’ high and e deaths ate valu a e r l est

the Y L oice I A D

PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS

APRIL 1, 2015 • VOL. 47 NO. 26 • VANCOUVER, B.C.

Fake tickets a real business

JOURNALISM

Recent concert ticket fraud brings attention to recurring scam, say police By ALEX HOEGLER

FRAUD

KERA PIWOWARSKI-SKOCYLAS photo

Vision Vancouver’s Gregor Robertson and Geoff Meggs conflict-of-interest case was in court on Tuesday.

Secret tape mostly hearsay Evidence lacking for Vision conflict-of-interest court case By JOCELYN ASPA

B.C. Supreme Court hearing to have Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Coun. Geoff Meggs removed from office over campaign donations began on shaky ground Tuesday morning, with a lack of evidence possibly endangering the case’ viability. The complaint, filed in December 2014 by David Wotherspoon on behalf of five petitioners, stated a secret tape recording of a CUPE 1004 meeting in October contains evidence of conflict of interest. Before discussions regarding the tape were heard, Justice Elliott Meyers struck out much of the evidence in the petitioners’ affidavits, citing them as “hearsay.” One of the affidavits that received a

Printed on recycled paper

fter Sunday’s Maroon 5 concert ticket scandal, it’s a critical time for ticket buyers to know the risks and consequences of buying from second-hand sellers. Global TV reported that hundreds of fans were victims of fraud after trying to buy concert tickets that left them with questions instead of tickets. Const. Brian Montague of the Vancouver Police Department said that ticket fraud is common in Vancouver. “Every concert and every event in Vancouver, we see fraudulently attained tickets that are passed on to somebody,” he said. “It’s a huge problem, and we see it all the time.” Don’t just send Second-year Langara social sciencmoney es student, Stefanie-Anne Roy, was Ask the seller for duped by a seller for Maroon 5 tickets. identification “I found tickets on Craigslist. The lady told me to come out to Abbotsford. Ask the seller why We were communicating for four hours, they are selling everything seemed professional.” Unable to meet in person, Roy sent Meet the seller at money by Interac e-Transfer, but never the venue so you received any tickets. can scan the ticket Roy couldn’t get the money refunded from the bank because the seller had Buy from a accepted the transfer. She found anothreputable reseller like StubHub or er seller on Craigslist who felt bad TicketCity about her incident. She said he told her, “Take my tickets off me and have a good Source: The Voice staff evening.” The tickets Roy was given for free were in a VIP lounge and cost $400. “My misfortune turned into good luck,” Roy said. John Dumfries, a forensic consultant specializing in fraud in Vancouver, warns sellers to use reliable ticket outlets. “People should buy from reputable ticket sellers,” said Dumfries, referencing Ticketmaster as an example. Montague said there are two ways fraudulent tickets are produced: they’re manufactured and printed to appear real and sold through second-hand sellers like Craigslist, or tickets are purchased with stolen credit cards or data, which then get sold to a person or party not knowing they’re fakes. “Even if we catch the person [who sold fake tickets], chances of [the buyer] ever seeing their money again is almost zero,” he said. Montague said there is plenty of ways ticket buyers can ensure tickets are legitimate at all times. “If people have to go to a concert, they can buy off Craigslist, let [the seller] know you want identification.” He also suggested that a buyer makes sure the ticket seller has a good story. “When they bought the ticket, where, why they’re selling it. If they don’t, those flags should go up,” he said. “Trust your instincts, if it isn’t right, it probably isn’t.”

hit was former mayoral candidate and the man behind the petition, Randy Helten’s. Meyers told Wotherspoon that most of the evidence contained in all five affidavits was merely opinion and that the statements “don’t really add anything to your case. What they feel or not doesn’t matter.” Meyer’s statements reflected counsel for Robertson and Meggs, Bryan Baynham’s opening statement in which he said that almost everything in the affidavits filed on behalf of the petitioners is “inadmissible” and “quadruple hearsay.” “My clients shouldn’t be faced with this allegation,” Baynham said, adding many of the allegations contained in the affidavits were slanderous and damaging to his clients. Baynham advised the court the re-

cording is “incomplete or edited or both,” and the partial recording was then given to a reporter who wrote an article about it. The recording was then put up for download on a website. “They think that they can go to a website, download [the recording], put it in an affidavit and use it as evidence,” Baynham said. “Their only evidence is that it’s incomplete.” Baynham said Meggs’ evidence is that he was only at part of the meeting and didn’t know what happened before or after. Wotherspoon argued, “Without this secret tape, we would likely not have known what transpired at the meeting.” “This is an example of how it happens [with a recording],” Helten said “It would be refreshing to see someone get caught.”

safeguards 1 2 3 4 5

Check out our web exclusives at http://langaravoice.com/

EDITOR KERA PIWOWARSKI-SKOCYLAS

THE DAILY VOICE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

News

Graduates facing struggles According to a study, Canadian wages have increased – however entrylevel jobs are tough to get By BAILEY NICHOLSON

lthough a Statistics Canada study released March 31 reported Canadians in the workforce are making more money this year than last, many new graduates are having trouble making any money in their employment field – they can’t even find entry-level positions. Due to increased competition for entry-level jobs, several Vancouver employment counsellors said they have noticed more students struggling to find their way into their chosen field after they graduate. More students are settling for lower paying jobs or employment in unrelated industries. Career counsellor Amy Lloyd said about 70 per cent of her clients are students. She said that many students accept lower paying jobs for lack of a better alternative. “They will take wages that, I think, are fairly low,” she said. “I don’t think they have much choice though because an undergrad doesn’t get you what it did twenty years ago.” Many schools, including Langara College, UBC and SFU, use career centres as a tool for students to enhance their resumes and gain experience. Lloyd said these services should also be used to help students determine what career will make them enough money to survive in the long term. “They’ve been living at home and haven’t had to budget or anything. I don’t think they often know just how much money they need to make,” she said. “They come out [of school] and take a wage and realize they can’t really live on it.” Erika Park, a talent placement specialist in Vancouver for Manpower staffing service, said that students often apply to low-paying jobs because they think they will be more likely to get hired, but in reality, those jobs are more competitive. “Even though the pay rate decreases, that doesn’t mean that there’s going to be more opportunities for the students,” she said. “There are actually a lot of people who are applying for this type of position. It’s because we do have a higher rate of new immigrants too.” But international students are also having a hard time finding work, according to Chloe Tran, a Langara student from Vietnam. Tran said she has been trying to find an entry-level administrative position in Vancouver for the past year with no luck. “I’m looking for a job that’s related to my accounting major,” she said. “I haven’t found a job yet because they have a lot of requirements for those positions and I don’t have enough experience.”

OWEN MUNRO photo

The room was crowded with reporters on March 31, as John Furlong announced his decision about dropping his defamation lawsuit.

Time to move on, Furlong said Robinson said she reported fairly and her suit is about her integrity By OWEN MUNRO

ormer Vancouver Olympics CEO John Furlong has dropped his defamation lawsuit against journalist Laura Robinson, but Robinson still intends My suit is to pursue her defamation counterabout an suit. attack on Furlong spoke my integwith reporters at a news conference rity and yesterday, calling the accusations of professionabuse against him al conduct an “unimaginable as a nightmare” and said it is time to journalist move on. In 2012 Robinson wrote a feature for LAURA ROBINSON the Georgia JOURNALIST Straight with allegations of Fur-

“

long’s abusive nature towards First Nations students. Furlong launched a lawsuit against Robinson later that year for alleged defamatory statements; Robinson countersued in 2014. The competing lawsuits were further complicated when three First Nations individuals later filed lawsuits against Furlong, accusing him of abusing them while Furlong was a physical education teacher at Immaculata Roman Catholic Elementary school in Burns Lake in 1969 and 1970. Those three cases have all been dismissed. In a statement released yesterday, Robinson said her Georgia Straight story “was based on serious allegations made by numerous individuals,” including eight sworn affidavits. She said she feels she reported on the story with fairness and balance and Furlong’s withdrawal of his lawsuit was proof of that. “My suit is about an attack on my integrity and professional conduct as a journalist,” Robinson said in a state-

WORST

“

The lawsuit is no longer necessary for me to achieve vindication or innocence

With voting for the transit referendum in progress, this new report has the ability to potentially influence voters

in Canada 1

By MONA BUTLER

Vancouver World Rank: 20

Toronto World Rank: 47

Ottawa World Rank: 59

Montreal World Rank: 75

Edmonton World Rank: 97

Calgary World Rank: 101

KERA PIWOWARSKI-SKOCYLAS photos

On March 31 Langara’s career resource centre appeared to be busy

JOHN FURLONG Former Vancouver Olympics CEO

Vancouver is ranked most congested city in Canada

KERA PIWOWARSKI-SKOCYLAS photo

ment. “It has never been about these three cases.” Furlong said he launched his lawsuit after Robinson “published allegations and lies about me in articles she wrote” during his statement Tuesday. “The lawsuit is no longer necessary for me to achieve vindication or innocence,” Furlong said. “Canadians now know what took place and what is true.” Despite saying it was time for him to move on, Furlong said he looks forward to facing her in court. He said Robinson has a history of writing “offensive and irresponsible articles that hurt people,” referring to a story Robinson wrote for the Globe and Mail about former Canadian National Team basketball coach Ken Shields that was later retracted. “I am confident that truth will again prevail as it did yesterday,” Furlong said. Robinson said she looks forward to her June 15 court date.

Source: TomTom Traffic Index, based on 2014 data

Most people can use their GPS to re-calculate their route to avoid traffic congestion.

ccording to a new study Vancouver has the worst congestion in Canada. Not only did a traffic index released by the GPS company, TomTom, rank Vancouver as the most congested city in Canada, it is also the third worst in North America. This new information has the potential to bolster both sides of the debate in the current transit plebisite in Vancouver. Surrey city councillor Tom Gill is a supporter of the yes vote, and said he believes that as the Lower Mainland gets more dense, the quality of the transit service needs to improve with it. “How this [traffic index] will help right now, I’m not certain, but every piece of information helps,” he said. Jordan Bateman, spokesperson for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, is on the no side of the debate. He said that it would be hypocritical of the yes side to use this study to their advantage since Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson accused a similar study done last year by TomTom of having flawed methodology.

“We think that there is a lot of low hanging fruit that the mayors could use to fix congestion without costing a lot of money,” Bateman said. Lois Jackson, the mayor of Delta, thought that the traffic index could How this be of use to the yes [traffic side but has taken index] will a middle of the road approach in help right the referendum. She said it was now, I’m more important for not people to educate themselves on the certain, issues and make but every their choices thempiece of in- selves. though she formation hasEven sent out the inhelps formation pamphlets like other TOM GILL municipalities, she SURREY has not been the COUNCILLOR most active advocate for the yes side. “I have not been out waving the yes flag,” she said.

“

News

EDITOR NATASHA CHANG

THE DAILY VOICE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

KATIE CUBITT photo

The Main Street Poodle’s got a poop geocache.

Private no better than public school Kids’ socioeconomic background determines success, shows new study By SARA RABEY

ANNA DIMOFF photo

KATIE CUBITT photo

Left, Centre: Different geocache treasure boxes hidden around Vancouver. Right: The Main Street Poodle’s got a poop geocache.

Scavenger hunt for poop-loot Smelly, mushy droppings are the perfect camoflauge for goodies By ANNA DIMOFF

n addition to the poodle on Main Street is causing a stink among those who spotted the carefully placed turd around the highperched pooch. It was Stu Garret’s idea to use the piece of public art as a location to hide a geocaching container, which he cleverly camouflaged as a pile of dog poop. Geocaching is an outdoor activity where containers are hidden throughout the city, suburbs and great outdoors, for others to find using GPS coordinates. It’s a hobby for Kevin MacDonald, who started caching in 2011. He hides caches and finds them as well. “It’s about bringing people to inter-

esting places. The poodle certainly was an interesting political topic, and was topic of the day for quite some time,” MacDonald said. “I also think the poodle is something a lot of people miss when they drive by cause you KEVIN MACDONALD just don’t look way Geocaching hobbyist up there for a dog.” Jamie Meads, who discovered his passion for caching after a neighbour introduced him to the activity, agrees that a good hiding spot brings people to interesting and sometimes hidden places around a city. “Earth caches, which are one of my

favourites, are things that are done in conjunction with the Geological Society of America and they’re supposed to take you to interesting geological formations and give you a little science lesson,” Meads said, who usually hunts them down with his kids. “Quite often you’ll learn something new about your city. ‘Cause either the cache page has information about where you are or it takes you to a beautiful spot that you didn’t know about,” MacDonald said, adding that it’s a great tourist activity to learn about where you are. “Stu is really good at that historical slash political reference and then adding a little bit of fun to it as well,” MacDonald said. “It’s really about making your own adventure.”

FACTS

geocache 1

2 3

Quirky outdoor treasure hunt that’s a worldwide phenomenon Worldwide treasure hunters use their phones/GPS to track down items Geocache is typically a waterproof container with a logbook inside

Source: Bored in Vancouver

JULIA WICKHAM photo

Getting kids out the door, and giving them more challenging playful obstacles, might not be a bad idea, according to a recent study.

Children are too coddled by play areas “

Research examines the positives and negatives in the safety of children’s outdoor jungle gyms BY JULIA WICKHAM

re children’s playgrounds “too safe”? A new study has come out investigating children’s outdoor playground’s level of safety. The University of British Columbia came out with the study, which highlights the pros and cons of safety on children’s outdoor play areas. Susan Herrington, a UBC professor of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and Mariana Brussoni, an injury prevention researcher at UBC’s school of Population and Public Health, conducted the research.

Herrington said she decided to take a look into the safety aspects of playgrounds because she noticed that “children were looking a little bored” while playing. She said that according to a survey conducted online, 69 per cent of participants believe that play areas are too safe and lack a sense of challenge for children. Heather van Mil, founder of Word of Mom Marketing and a mother of two, agrees that some outdoor play spaces are too safe. Parents should also give their children more freedom while playing outside, she added. “Giving children room to play more freely is a great start,” Mil said. “Letting them take more risks and challenge themselves is rewarding for both of you.” Herrington said that the ideal

playground would offer alternatives from the usual playground structures to peak the interests of children. “Playgrounds need environments like plants and grass,” she said. “Children notice when plants grow.” Van Mil said that the ideal playground “uses a lot of natural elements, and has lots of open spaces without any equipment at all.” She said that she and her children love St. Andrews Park in North Vancouver, and Ambleside Park in West Vancouver. “My kids go crazy without some outdoor time everyday,” she said. “It’s not uncommon for them to go out multiple times a day.” Herrington also said children need equipment that they can manipulate as well as unstructured playtime to run around, yell and make friends.

Letting them take more risks and challenge themselves is rewarding for both of you HEATHER VAN MIL FOUNDER OF WORD OF MOM MARKETING

student’s personal background is more of an indicator of their success than going to a private school, according to a recent report by Statistics Canada. The report showed 14 per cent more students graduated from university programs who came from private high schools in comparison to public. It also went on to show that students who attend private high schools are more likely to have socioeconomic characteristics that are associated with academic success. Patti Bacchus, trustee for the Vancouver board of education, said the study results were not surprising from the research she has seen in the past. “What we saw was a strong correlation between a student’s socioeconomic status, that is their family income, and the education of their parents is probably one of the strongest projectors of how likely they are to be successful in school, regardless of whether they went to a private school or a public school,” PATTI BACCHUS Vancouver school Bacchus said. board trustee Graham Baldwin, president and CEO of The Westside School, wrote in an email that the recent statistics The eduare inaccurate. “The OECD [Or- cation ganisation for Eco- of their nomic Co-operation and parents is Development] has probably recently published a report about in- one of the ternational student strongest outcomes on PISA tests and has clear projects of evidence that the how likely socio-economic factor in academic they are success is greatly to be sucdistorted, for example. I wonder, cessful in too, in which cate- school gory they placed students in the private (ie selective) parts of public schools, or students with financial aid in private schools,” Baldwin wrote. Baldwin said he feels that teaching in the public schools is inconsistent and that private schools generally have a clear purpose to which parents subscribe. However, with all the positives private schools present, Baldwin wrote the negatives are that private schools are expensive, socially divisive and remove the powerful voices that advocate for the public schools. Deani A. Neven Van Pelt, director of the Barbara Mitchell Centre for Improvement in Education at the Fraser Institute, said it does point to the different advantages people have because of economic status, but the study misses a lot of the fine variation because it lumps all private schools in Canada into one group. She also said she believes it misses the sectarian and nonsectarian nature of schools and parents have a variety of reasons why they choose those schools. “I think if we just say it’s family advantage we are misrepresenting the report, but I think where the paper tried to probe what the school advantage might be, it fell short,” she said.

“

THE DAILY VOICE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

EDITOR SABLEEN MINHAS

Entertainment

Dead puppets allay fear Calgary-based puppet theatre company to perform in Vancouver By TONY SU

The Old Trouts recreate death scenes using puppets. TONY SU photo

ure your fear of death by watching gruesome murderous acts committed by puppets in Famous Puppet Death Scenes at the York Theatre starting this week. The first time the play arrived in Vancouver was during the 2006 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. It was a smash success and it’s been on tour on and off ever since. Judd Palmer, one of the co-founders of The Old Trouts, the group that put the production together, said the group collaboratively comes together and they put the show together. “[We’re] an odd group,” Palmer said. “We’re a creation group with a weird brand of humour.” The idea didn’t happen overnight, said Palmer. The famous puppet death scene was originally from one of the team’s first family-friendly showings. According to him, simply killing puppets on stage was from an original children’s

book, before Disney had its way with it. “We did a version of Pinocchio, but it was the original by [Carlo] Collodi,” Palmer said. “The original, Jiminy Cricket, shows up and pesters Pinocchio and Pinocchio kills him.” They did not expect the kind of reaction they got during the murder scene. The Old Trouts stumbled on their greatest success. People enjoyed watching puppets getting murdered. For the next play, the team got rid of the in-depth plot and kept in the best part: the killing. “The first hammer blow, everybody’s shocked,” he said. “The next hammer blow, they started to nervously laugh, then the next they start to really laugh.” All the characters in the show are original.The show may not be suitable for all ages, Palmer said, but he knows children will love it. “Children love violence against puppets, they will lose their minds with joy,” Palmer said. Ellie O’Day, The Cultch’s publicist said the show is suitable for ages 10 and up. The show ends on April 19.

TONY SU photo

Pityu Kenderes, puppeteer with The Old Trouts.

A SYN-ful cabaret The Lovers Cabaret is presenting a dance show on five goddesses of sins and their mortal adventure By BRYAN Mc GOVERN

magine a night out at a late night show only to find a goddess taking the drink out of your hand. The Lovers Cabaret is producing an intimate cabaret show, SYN, as part of their noir series. Written by a group of five writers, the show is based on a unique plot of five goddesses of sins who sneak into the real world for a night. The show premiers at The Fox Cabaret April 1. Taking the concept of five sin goddesses breaking into the real world and making it a practical dance took a lot of experimentation, according to choreographer and performer Portia Favro. “The idea we started with has shifted many times,” Favro said. The five dancers will be connected through a big blue cloth according to Favro, another concept introduced in the fumbling of ideas for the show. “We cater to introducing the art to different people,” said Vanessa Young,

co-writer and performer. “We’re aiming for a smaller crowd because we do want that more intimate cabaret feel so that we can interact more with the audience.” Favro, who’s playing the Goddess of lust in the show, said she hopes to get an audience who aren’t mostly cabaret fans because according to her they are the most fun due to their lack of awareness on the interaction. “I am probably going to be touching people,” said Favro who, as a performer, doesn’t regularly do that. She said this allows her to explore the boundaries of her comfort zone. “I don’t usually perform in a lot of the shows but the noir series are a bit smaller so it gives me the opportunity to produce and perform, which is always fun and busy,” said Young who is playing role of the Goddess of envy. Favro said working with five of her friends allows her to work with people who trust her vision. The emphasis on audience interaction is an attempt for the dancers to break the fourth wall, which means fully acknowledging the show is a play and there’s an audience watching it. According to Favro that’s what makes SYN a different type of show.

SUBMITTED photo

Lead actor Graham Percy and Lucia Frangione, during a show of Farewell, My Lovely.

Arts Club presents 40s thriller Thriller novel by Raymond Chandler to get a romantic, film-like twist for its theatrical version By REBECCA PHAIR

THE LOVERS CABARET SUBMITTED photo

SYN will have an intimate cabaret feel as dancers break the fourth wall.

ranville Island is playing host to the theatrical adaptation of a 1940’s crime thriller classic. The Arts Club Theatre Company is featuring Aaron Bushkowsky’s adaptation of Farewell, My Lovely, a novel written by Raymond Chandler, at the Granville Island Stage between April 2 and May 2. Playwright Bushkowsky teamed up with director Craig Hall to capture the essence of a film noir play with a romantic and film-like twist. “[Hall] and I saw eye-to-eye on everything and we had a lot of room to be creative,” Bushkowsky said. Set in 1941 Los Angeles, the play follows detective Phillip Marlowe played by Graham Percy in his investigation to find a man’s missing girlfriend, Velma Valento. As the play unfolds however the

leading femme fatales, who according to Bushkowsky, are women that are involved with men with guns, shape a more romantic theme throughout the plot. “It’s about relationships because there’s three fantastically strong women in the play and each one of them could be the woman Marlowe is looking for,” Bushkowsky said. The Arts Club Theatre features plays at three venues, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, Granville Island Stage and Revue Stage. But Peter Wickham, Arts Club Theatre season’s ticket holder, is most excited for Farewell, My Lovely. “This will be my first Aaron Bushkowsky production, but one of my favourite genres in theatre is murder mystery,” he said. “I also have a deep interest in history, especially the 30s, 40s and 50s eras, so I’m very much excited to watch this play,” Wickham said.

“

...there are three fantastically strong women in the play AARON BUSHKOWSKY PLAYWRIGHT

Lifestyles

EDITOR VIVIAN CHUI

THE DAILY VOICE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

Kids: move lots, eat well, no pills Latest guidance on child weight loss may mean a social shift in parenting expectations By DUSTIN GODFREY

n light of new guidelines for doctors in dealing with childhood obesity, some parents are uneasy about what they feel is a shift in parenting to further dependence on government and doctors. Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Monday, the guidelines suggest family doctors weigh and measure the height of children each visit. They also recommend against prescribing weight loss pills or surgeries to children in favour of intervention programs such as Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do it! (MEND)–a healthy lifestyle program that was started in the U.K. and is now offered throughout B.C.

Langara College chemistry instructor and parent, Kelly Sveinson, wonders about relying on doctors for issues such as healthy eating. “For something as fundamental as … healthy food for kids, now we rely on doctors,” Sveinson said. “Should the emphasis be on,‘somebody in the system should tell me how, and if they don’t, it’s the systems fault?’” However, given that such an intervention program may become needed, Sveinson did indicate some support for them. “The goal of this is to have healthy kids with healthy habits that become healthy adults that have healthy kids, themselves,” he said. In that case, chair of the board of directors for the Childhood Obesity

Foundation, Tom Warshawski endorses the MEND program. The program is offered for free, and works with children and families to promote healthier lifestyles. “[It] has been proven effective, and in our evaluation of it here in the province, we’ve ruled it also proven efficacy,” Warshawski said. “So it’s a great program, and we hope to scale it up.” He also noted that while weight loss pills were available for doctors to prescribe, the new recommendations wouldn’t spark a major shift, because of the pills’ lack of effectiveness. “There’s only been one drug that was well studied, that’s Orlistat,” Warshawski said, noting its only major side effects were diarrhea and bloating. “But it just wasn’t all that effective.”

DUSTIN GODFREY photo

Mother and child outside B.C. Children’s Hospital. Aman Aheer (left) and Tiffany Royrock are close friends that met thanks to a humorous moment in line at the school’s Tim Hortons.. KELVIN GAWLEY photo

Breaking McD-fast The American fastfood chain of golden arches has no plans to test an all-day breakfast menu in Canada By TANYA COMMISSO

Laugh at first sight Recent research shows that laughter may not only be the best medicine, but also the best icebreaker By KELVIN GAWLEY

alentine’s Day came and went almost two months ago but today’s holiday, April Fools’ Day—a holiday centred on laughter rather than romance—may actually be a better catalyst for new relationships. A study, recently published in the science journal, Human Nature, suggests that laughter is an effective tool in breaking down barriers between newly acquainted people. Participants were shown one of three different videos: a stand-up comedy routine, a nature program and an instructional golf

video. Afterwards, they were asked to write a message to another participant with information to help them to get to know each other. Results showed that the more they laughed, the more they shared personal details with strangers. Jeffrey Webster, a psychology instructor at Langara College, said that although he has yet to read it, the study seems to be demonstrative of a self-enhancing type of humour. “When people are made to feel happy, it allows them to speak with more confidence about their competencies they’re willing to share those sorts of traits and abilities with other people,” he said. “In more of a socially bonding way as opposed to a bragging way.” Two second-year fine arts students at Langara, Tiffany Royrock and Aman Aheer, said their friendship began thanks to a humorous moment when they were waiting in line at Tim Hor-

tons. Royrock said she made a sexually euphemistic joke about a lemon poppy seed muffin to her friend, which Aheer overheard. He laughed out loud and they began their first conversation as a result. “We’ve been best friends ever since,” Royrock said. Their relationship “is based on something humorous,” Aheer said, laughing. “[It’s] just a big joke.” Alan Gray of University College London, who led the study Laughter’s Influence on the Intimacy of Self-Disclosure, is quoted in a Springer press release as saying the study shows the positive connection between humour and good relationship development. “These results suggest that laughter should be a serious topic for those interested in the development of social relationships.”

“

When people are made to feel happy, it allows them to speak with more confidence about their competencies JEFFREY WEBSTER LANGARA PSYCH INSTRUCTOR

ancouverites hoping for McDonald’s Canada to follow San Diego’s lead in offering all-day breakfast options shouldn’t be expecting a change anytime soon. Despite plans to pilot all-day breakfast at select San Diego locations this month, McDonald’s Canada has no current plans to extend the option to Canadian restaurants, according to spokesperson John Gibson. “McDonald’s Canada makes menu decisions independent of the U.S. business,” Gibson wrote in an email statement. “However, we will always evaluate our offerings to meet the needs and wants of our customers, and look forward to the learnings from this U.S. market test.” Customers at McDonald’s Royal Centre location in Vancouver said they support extended breakfast hours. “It’s just more flexible for people, especially those people who work shift work,” said Vancouver resident Darka Morin. A traveller from Halifax, N.S. said Halifax residents have an easier time finding all-day breakfast options, citing restaurant chain Smitty’s and Freeman’s Little New York as quick options. Still, McDonald’s across the country have yet to follow suit. “Even if [McDonald’s] extended their hours to noon, that’d be an improvement – I know I hardly get up before [10:30 a.m.] most days,” said traveller Robyn Cadwell. In March, The Associated Press reported that McDonald’s experienced a global decline in sales, with a 4 per cent drop in the U.S. McDonald’s customer Darius Prince recognized a menu change would have to be considered carefully by the company, as it would inevitably affect sales. “I think it’d do really well [in Canada], but it’s tough on their end, because they have to figure out how it’d effect their other menu options,” he said. McDonald’s Canada’s official twitter replied today to several enthusiastic Canadians asking whether all-day breakfast will come into affect following news of San Diego, stating, “not at this time but its something we could look forward to in the future.”

EDITOR MARY BEACH

THE DAILY VOICE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

Jokes can go too far W

hat’s your most unforgettable experience on April Fool’s Day? Sitting on a Whoopee cushion? Drinking a cup of coffee that tastes salty? It’s fun to fool or be fooled on such a day. However, it’s not that much fun when tricking someone becomes spreading falsehoods. According to a survey conducted in 2015 by Insights West, 12 per cent of people in B.C., and 26 per cent of Albertans believe global warming is a hoax and 7 per cent B.C. residents believe the lunar landing was not real. Untruths and conspiracy theories can begin as jokes. Some people think it’s funny to make things up, tell their friends and then make their friends look foolish because they believed XIAO XU and trusted them. However, their jokes may lead to serious consequences. Some peoTake global ple think warming for example. When it’s funny some people to make hear that global things up, warming is not real, they may tell their waste energy or friends neglect their recycling. They and then take a make their may private car friends look instead of public transportation. foolish beAnother cause they possibility is that children may believed overhear the and trusted jokes/untruths. them Children are impressionable and believe what people tell them. If they grow up thinking that global warming is a hoax, they will have little incentive to conserve energy, plant trees and plan for a greener future. The media also likes to have fun on April 1. In 1999, on April Fool’s Day, DJs at Oregon radio station announced that the Ochoco dam had burst and it would cause massive flooding. Because homes in the area had suffered flood damage, they believed the hoax and even started to evacuate. People should keep the tradition of the April Fool’s Day, but think before you trick.

viewpoints

Congestion question T

here’s no question that Vancouver has traffic. Tom Tom’s traffic index recently revealed that Vancouver tops its list for congested JULIA WICKHAM most cities in Canada for 2014. Vancouver also ranks third highest in North America, behind Mexico City and Los Angeles. This could be because the city of Vancouver hasn’t properly prepared for the amount of new residents coming in. Transportation, like infrastructure for vehicles and transit, can’t keep up with the

OPINION

rising population. An example of this is the poorly planned building of the Canada Line stations just over five years ago. They were built with room for only two SkyTrain cars at a time, when commuters could use double that space during peak hours. Vancouver is a city that relies on the function of its bridges. If traffic slows down on one bridge, it causes a chain reaction with the surrounding bridges. There are only so many bridges for motorists to use and having thousands of motorists detouring to another bridge causes even more congestion. It can take anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour to cross the Lions Gate Bridge from West Vancouver to Downtown during rush hour.

Many of the bridges were built between the 1930s and the 1980s, a time when the population in Vancouver was significantly smaller and they were built to accommodate those numbers. Many major cities in North America, Montreal and Los Angeles for example, offer freeways for motorists to travel around on. They run through the heart of the city, and connect from one end of the city to the other; something that Vancouver does not have, and probably never will. The City of Vancouver needs to expand everything transportation wise. From more room for SkyTrain cars at stations, to wider bridges to accommodate more lanes for motorists, Vancouver needs to work on its transportation planning.

Journalism instructor Erica Bulman oversees The Voice. Email her at ebulman@langara.bc.ca

Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. They may be edited for brevity. Names may be withheld in special cases, but your letter must include your name and phone number.

HOW TO REACH US PHONE

604-323-5396

FAX

604-323-5398 thevoice@langara.bc.ca

DROP-IN

Room A226 Langara College There is a mailbox at the entrance to the journalism rooms.

SNAIL MAIL

The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 2Z6

“

Got a different point of view? Write to us. Problems with something we’ve said? Let us know. Think we got a fact wrong? Tell us.

The Voice is published by Langara College’s journalism department.

E-MAIL

OPINION

We want to hear from you

the oice

WEBSITE www.langaravoice.ca

EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Mary Beach

PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Sandy Powlik

PAGE 2

Kera Piwowarski-Skocylas

PAGE 3 Natasha Chang

PAGE 4

Sableen Minhas

PAGE 5 Vivian Chui

PAGE 7 James Goldie

PAGE 8 Shannon Lynch

WEB EDITORS Lena Alsayegh Alice D’Eon

CITY EDITOR Mel Edgar

ANNA DIMOFF and MICHAEL LYLYK comic

CITY DESKER Jes Hovanes

Private school not perfect A

new Statistics Canada study has found that students who attended private schools get better grades than their public school counter parts. That doesn’t mean you should overlook public schooling just yet. The study, which followed 7,142 grade 10 students in private and public schools until the age of 23 found that private school students did better because they have better socioeconomic backgrounds, meaning they have more money. The parents of private school students are more MONA BUTLER

OPINION

likely to have higher paying jobs and to be university educated so they will be better able to help their children with their school work throughout high school, as the course work gets more challenging. Interestingly enough, school resources and practices did not play a role in whether or not one or the other did better. This means that it was not the school that meant they did better but the extra money their parents can afford to put into extracurricular tutoring. Based on this, public school education is arguably just as good as private school education. The only difference is that the parents of public school kids may not have the money to pay for a

private tutor or to send their kids to a learning centre. There is a wider range of kids from different backgrounds in public schools because anyone can get in. This means that children in the public school system are exposed to a more realistic picture of people with different backgrounds, instead of just the more privileged side of the spectrum. In the end though, this doesn’t mean one is better than the other, both public and private schools have pros and cons that need to be carefully weighed when choosing a school. What works for one family may not work for another.

COPY EDITORS Nich Johansen Charlotte Drewett

REPORTERS Jocelyn Aspa Mona Butler Tanya Commisso Anna Dimoff Kelvin Gawley Dustin Godfrey Alex Hoegler Michael Lylyk Bryan Mc Govern Owen Munro Bailey Nicholson Rebecca Phair Sara Rabey Ethan Reyes James Smith Tony Su Julia Wickham Xiao Xu

Twitter at @LangaraVoice

News & features

THE DAILY VOICE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

EDITOR JAMES GOLDIE

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice ... What? Again? People have distinct preferences when it comes to April Fool’s Day

Microbeads are bad news From the federal level to the local level, officials discuss potential eco-impacts By XIAO XU

TONY SU photo illustration

No matter how cruel or innocent the joke may be, many pranksters prefer to remain anonymous when it comes to April Fool’s Day tricks. By MICHAEL LYLYK

recent survey conducted by Insights West revealed that fewer people admit to pranking than being pranked. Around 75 per cent of B.C. residents said that someone has fooled them on April Fool’s Day, while 58 per cent admit that they have been the one doing the fooling. Some people seem to be afraid to admit that they like being mischievous. Clownin’ Around Magic on Granville Island is a store that sells novelty items for kids. Quincy Li, an employee of the store, said that their gag items are especially popular this time of year. “Every year when it’s April Fool’s day, lots of people come in, local and

[from] far away,” he said. “Our most popular gags are the whoopee cushion, fart machine and snake in the can.” Li often plays gags on customers to engage with them. “Every day the kids try the whoopee cushion,” he said. “So many RAPHAEL BINGKINAY times I show the Langara student people myself, the kids know it’s all for fun.” Some Langara College students seem to be past the idea of April Fool’s Day. Artur Gutman, a business student at

Langara is pretty careful on April 1. “No, I never want to talk to anyone on that day, and if I want to prank someone, I would choose another day,” he said. “On this day, everyone expects it. What’s the point?” As to why people might not admit to pranking, Gutman said if you fess up people will come to expect it from you. “When you prank someone, you want it to be a surprise,” he said. Raphael Bingkinay, a general arts student, said it’s something he’s never experienced himself or been a part of. “I feel like pranking is just a douchey thing to do,” he said. “Most pranks that people find entertaining will go way to far.”

“

...pranking is just a douchey thing to do. Most pranks ... will go way too far RAPHAEL BINGKINAY STUDENT

he federal New Democratic Party has introduced a motion to ban the use of plastic microbeads in cosmetic products, as they are a potential hazard to the environment. Environment Canada is conducting research on the environmental impact microbeads. . According to the non-profit environmental organization Surfrider Foundation Vancouver, the non-biodegradable plastic particles found in body wash, face wash and toothpaste are not filtered out by wastewater treatment. “[The microbeads] will end up in our oceans where fish confuse them for food,” their media kit said. Microbeads are not the only solid wastes found in the B.C. water supplies. . David Robertson, supervisor of environmental protection branch of City of Vancouver, said the City has been aware of the problem of people flushing problematic wastes and the government is trying to deal with the problem. “The sanitary sewer system is connected to the Iona Waste Water Treatment plant located near the airport,” Robertson said. “The treatment plant removes solids from the waste water and discharges the waste water to a deep outfall in Georgia Strait.” Robertson also added that the city has legislation already on the books— the Sewer and Watercourse Bylaw—to prevent people from flushing garbage into waters. Adam Kelliher, head the Langara Earth Stompers at Langara College, said that though cities have treatment plans, they sometimes skip secondarystage treatment because these treatments usually cost a lot. “Never put anything down the drains except toilet papers and human wastes,” he said.

SCOTT EHARDT photo via Wikipedia

Like cosmetic products, some toothpastes contain microbeads too.

A new study connects lesbian residents to area gentrification Lesbian population has “surprising” impact on property values in U.S. By ANNA DIMOFF

he culture hubs and hot spots within Vancouver are attracting the city’s lesbian population, reflecting a study by a UBC sociology professor about queer communities in the United States. “Like gay men, lesbians also have certain cities, neighbourhoods, and small towns in which they are more likely to live,” associate professor Amin Ghaziani wrote in the study, Lesbian Geographies. Lyn Hart, an agent with MacDonald

Realty, was not surprised by the study’s findings. “Any neighbourhood where clients buy into that part of the community, they’re usually looking at up-and-coming neighbourhoods,” she said, adding that, “something like Hastings-Sunrise or Commercial Drive is going to be building into that kind of trendiness that is spreading in Vancouver far and wide.” Commercial Drive, home to the annual Vancouver Dyke March and Festival, is popularly known as the lesbian community of Vancouver. The Vancouver Lesbian Centre, now home to the Electro LadyLux tattoo studio, is also located on Commercial Drive. The study states that “lesbians exert

a surprising influence on cycles of gentrification. The idea that gay people initiate renewal efforts is widely known but imprecise” to which Hart, who lives in the Hastings-Sunrise community, said she agrees. She has seen the area change over the eight years she has lived there, watching offices, condos and coffee shops replace the old stores. “I think it helps to [increase property value] but I don’t know how much of a direct impact it has,” she said. “I think because of the openness of Vancouver people see it as a positive thing, if its attracting lesbians and [trendy] kinds of people then it’s an up and coming area and I think people are recognizing that.”

DUSTIN GODFREY photo

Commercial Drive is a Vancouver neighbourhood traditionally associated with the city’s lesbian community that today is experiencing rapid gentrification.

THE DAILY VOICE, WEDNESDAY APRIL 1, 2015

EDITOR SHANNON LYNCH

sports

DDP Yoga new trend in Vancouver The redesign of traditional yoga by ex pro wrestler makes its way to the Lower Mainland By ETHAN REYES

CLARE FORD SUBMITTED photo

The juniors with the Vancouver Hawks Field Hockey Club will be playing with new rules in their season starting April 11 2015.

Junior players face new rules Young Vancouver field hockey players will see changes this season By JAMES SMITH

ancouver’s junior field hockey teams are growing up a little this season, as the Greater Vancouver Junior Field Hockey League implements rule changes currently in use at the senior level. The biggest changes affect the ‘long corner,’ which is similar to a corner kick in soccer, and free hits within five metres of the shooting circle. “You often got stuck in the corner and [it] wasn’t really that much of an advantage,” said Jameson. “Now it’s a lot easier to move the ball around and keep attacking,” said Katie Jameson, member of services and communications coordinator with Field Hockey BC. She explained that previously, long corners were taken from a mark on the sidelines, five metres from the baseline. Under the revised rules, it will be taken from the 23-metre line. According to a March 24 news release on the Vancouver Hawks Field Hockey Club’s website, the change is intended to “open up angles and op-

tions for the attacking team, and to prevent the ball getting ‘stuck’ in the corner amongst a crowd of players,” all of which speed up play. Jameson also As much as explained the we can, lo- change to the free rule. cal leagues hitUnlike previoustry to adopt ly, where free hits had to be taken new rules from a point five where they metres from the shooting circle, the see fit. ball can now be taken from wherKATIE JAMESON ever the foul occurs. SERVICES AND However, playCOMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR ers will still have to move the ball five FIELD HOCKEY BC metres before entering the circle due to safety reasons. The rule changes were passed

“

down by the International Hockey Federation, the sport’s international governing body, and implemented at the senior and international levels in January 2015. “As much as we can, local leagues try to adopt new rules where they see fit,” Jameson said. Senior men’s leagues in B.C. adopted the new rules halfway through last season, and the women’s leagues are expected to adopt them by the start of their next season, which begins in September. Jameson said the rule changes were well received, especially the one concerning the long corner. One change not being adopted by junior leagues is a rule saying players can play the ball with the stick at any height, as opposed to only below shoulder level. The reason again, explains Jameson, is safety. “It’s definitely a skill for players that are more competent and more experienced,” said Jameson. “So with the junior leagues that would be absolute chaos.”

B.C. FIELD hockey leagues 1 2 3 4

Vancouver Field Hockey League (Men’s) Vancouver Island Ladies’ Field Hockey Association Victoria Field Hockey Association Okanagan Valley Field Hockey Association Source: Field Hockey BC

hile the video of an army veteran overcoming injury has graced newsfeeds across the world, the secret to his success has finally made its way to Vancouver. The new exercise regimen called DDP Yoga, was created by former professional wrestler and heavyweight champion “Diamond” Dallas Page. Page. Page started yoga after suffering a severe back injury, and eventually combined elements of yoga with modern rehabilitative techniques into a new exercise regimen. “It’s gaining popularity,” said Anthony Evangelista, who holds DDP Yoga classes in Kitsilano and Burnaby. The 40-year-old is the only certified instructor in B.C. Two years ago, Evangelista found himself severely limited in his ability to remain active after a series of car crashes over a two-week period. “Any little thing like rolling out of bed, bending over, the simplest things and I would have back pain,” said Evangelista. Doctors recommended that he go to physiotherapy, but his recovery proved slow. At the recommendation of a friend, Evangelista gave DDP Yoga classes a chance, despite his skepticism. The lifelong karate practitioner said that he couldn’t complete even half of the advanced instructional video, and that since taking up DDP Yoga his back is stronger than ever. “I’m doing handstands … and I’m 40,” said Evangelista. Julie Peters, a yoga instructor at Ocean and Crow Yoga, said that while she has seen the viral video of the former paratrooper regaining his mobility through Page’s program, she isn’t personally interested in DDP Yoga. Despite this, she understands that yoga comes in many forms. “Whatever works for you,” said Peters. Peters places just as much importance on the mindfulness aspect of yoga—thinking about a pose—as she does on the poses themselves, which is something she feels is lost in the new fitness trend. “Some people are more into hand stands,” said Peters.

Swordplay slices its way to popularity in the city “

Duelling is becoming a new way to be active By SARA RABEY

encing enthusiasts can have a “Taste of the Renaissance” starting next month to learn how to fight like a knight. Beginner swordplay classes are starting April 6 at Vancouver’s Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay and Western Martial Arts. Swordplay is a type of martial art that involves fencing or duelling with different types of swords. Jon Mills, a receptionist at Academie Duello and student of both western and

eastern martial arts, said that although Asian-style martial arts have always been big everywhere, the western style of martial arts has become more popular over the years. According to Mills, the principles of fighting in both types of martial arts are very similar but the practice is different. “A lot of Asian arts are living arts, passed down for decades from person to person. What we do is largely drawn

It’s very analytical, it’s very active. So it’s mind and body

NICKY DEXTER MANAGER OF MARKETING ACADEMIE DUELLO

from manuals. In the Renaissance people wrote books explaining how to fight using those weapons,” Mills said. “A lot of people just wrote instructional manuals and we just follow the instructions.” Part of the study of swordplay includes archery, mounted combat and Victorian Bartitsu martial arts, Mills said. Nicky Dexter, the manager of marketing at Academie Duello, said that swordplay has been getting more popular amongst women and attributes part of that to the fact that size is not a factor when practicing swordplay. She also finds that swordplay is great for your mental alertness as well as your physical health. “It’s very analytical, it’s very active. So it’s mind and body,” Dexter said.

SARA RABEY photo

Students practice the increasingly popular sport of fencing at Acadamie Duello on March 30.