The Voice • October 28, 2021 • Volume 55 • Issue 1

ARTS & LIFE

Scooting around E-scooters: fun or dangerous?

They are the new craze, but there are also safety concerns.

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SPORTS

Falcons go tech

The Langara Falcons develop new virtual recruitment and game strategies.

ONLINE SPECIAL

Franchise it

Locals have mixed feelings as more franchises move into their neighbourhood.

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RD AWA DIA E M E K LY G E L WEE COL LE | AR N AC WO - Y E PIN T

PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS | WWW.LANGARAVOICE.CA

Pot project

OCTOBER 27, 2021 • VOL. 55 NO. 1 • VANCOUVER, B.C.

Langara research students to help growers and students  By GRAHAM ABRAHAM

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ew laboratory space for students will be one of the benefits of a five-year project between Langara and Canadian cannabis growers.

Kelly Sveinson, Langara chemistry instructor and chair of the applied research centre which conducts research with companies, said the project, which involves three cannabis companies and the federal government, has received approximately $4.5 million. He said about half of that will go to college infrastructure. Federal grants provided $3.3 million, while the other $1.2 million came from private cannabis companies.

“So, we’re facilitating construction of laboratory space, as well as acquiring the most advanced type of equipment that’s available on the market today.”

The centre also hopes the project gives students industry experience.

“We hope that we . . . will provide them with background and experience that differentiates them from other people that are trying to get employed,” Sveinson said.

Legalization has allowed for expanded peer-reviewed research on cannabis which will benefit growers in the industry. Biology instructor Ji Yong Yang, principal scientist on the project, said one of their goals is to study the plant’s microbial features.

“I think research improves our knowledge base and therefore improves our teaching.”

While Yang points to the knowledge base and improvement in teaching that research provides, he also emphasizes what this will mean for students. They will get hands-on opportunities they wouldn’t already have, he says.

“One of the reasons why I’m interested in research is to provide opportunities for younger students,” he said.

One of the businesses funding the project is excited about the scientific benefits.

M i c h a e l L a t t i m e r, P u r e Sunfarms’ vice president of operations, believes Langara College will provide scientific peer-reviewed expertise to the first-hand knowledge of legacy growers.

R e s e a rc h i s e x p e c t e d t o commence mid-November.

See langaravoice.ca for full story

Langara nursing students training in the Nursing Simulation Centre. A recent graduate of Langara College's nursing program found nursing amidst a pandemic and shortages distressing. SUZANNE BAUSTAD PHOTO

Nursing tougher than ever Pandemic, understaffing cause anxiety for recent grads  By SUZANNE BAUSTAD

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or a Langara nursing graduate, practising on mannequins in nursing school could not compare to caring for COVID-19 patients in understaffed hospitals.

“When I first started working with COVID patients I was for sure very anxious,” said Langara graduate Rensel Astudillo who began work as a student nurse in May 2020.

Because little was known about the virus at the time, he moved out of his home to protect his family’s health.

During a recent emergency room nightshift, Astudillo and a newly graduated nurse he was mentoring were left on their own to care for five patients in need of hourly interventions. “Coming home from that [shift], I cried,” he said. “I just felt so overstretched that night.”

Astudillo says new graduates sion altogether. B.C. government have been caught off guard by the data indicates the province will need toll nursing through the pandemic 23,000 more nurses by 2029. has taken. “We were all really excited When it comes to preparing to start working but then, a few students for the stress of a pandemic, months in, we were all really tired intensified by understaffing, Langaand burnt out ra’s nursing divialready. I think sion chair Wanda that’s one thing Pierson points to “Coming home from that we really the rigours of the don’t expect to program. “Nursthat [shift], I cried.” happen.” ing school is one — RENSEL ASTUDILLO, RNWW A recent report of the hardest from the Ontario things you can COVID-19 do in your lifeScience Advitime,” said Piersory Table found that a year into son, who has nursed through SARS the pandemic, over 60 per cent and swine flu in her 45-year career. of health care workers reported Astudillo credits Langara nursing emotional exhaustion, up from 20 school with teaching students how to 40 percent in pre-pandemic times. to prioritize patients based on how The report says interventions are sick they are. But, he says, students urgently needed to stem the tide of typically train with only three stable nurses choosing to leave the profes- patients when nurses often juggle

five critically sick patients at a time.

He would like to see the scope of nursing training expanded to allow students to care for more and sicker patients while they still have their instructors to back them up.

To help with transition shock, the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C., an advocacy organization that promotes nursing, offers a workshop for new grads. “I think new graduates really need to be aware that there is a lot of resources and a lot of groups that will support them through this transition,” said Kim Withers, the organization’s director of membership services.

Astudillo says the anxiety he developed from working with severely ill patients and insufficient staffing will leave a lasting impression. He wants to see nurses, and the system they work in, better prepared for the next pandemic.

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Atlarge

THE VOICE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 | EDITOR SENA LAW

Vernon prepares for byelection

Citizens are getting ready for Vernon's unexpected byelection  By PATRICK WACHTER

S

till in mourning over the sudden death of a city councillor earlier this year, the city of Vernon is preparing to replace her in a byelection even as the pandemic continues.

Jon Frederick is one of the many people from the city of 40,000 at the northern end of the Okanagan Valley anticipating the Dec 4. election. As a personal gym trainer, he hopes that the newly elected city councillor will be against implementing strict COVID-19 guidelines.

“I’m very disappointed with how our city [Vernon] has overreacted to COVID-19 and Dr. Bonnie Henry’s control. As a personal trainer, and my wife who is a bodybuilder, we were unable to do our job due to the continued closure of gyms and capacity limits.”

Wayne Gondor, a retired truck driver, has lived in Vernon, B.C. for his entire life. At the age of 56, his hopes for the new city councillor will focus on garbage and recycling policies.

Gondor is looking for a city council member that can “Do a better job in assisting seniors on how to properly deal with trash day. I have a had a month of no trash or recycling being picked up because I am not sure where to leave it.”

Gondor also commented on the late councillor: “I did not vote for her, but my wife Helen once met her

at a coffee shop one day and Dalvir complimented Helen’s skirt that she wore that day. It’s a shame that she passed away at such a young age and of cancer too.”

Dean Cross, a banker, who was a close friend of Nahal, expressed a fond memory about the late councillor, “Dalvir was an incredibly strong-willed, dedicated, and driven individual, with a deep sense of integrity. She always impressed me with her determination and was very well informed and well-spoken on just about any topic one could think of. Vernon and all of B.C. has suffered a big loss with her passing.

It was a privilege to know her.”

Cross hopes that the new councillor “is a committed to the community of Vernon like Dalvir was.”

Cross elaborated, “No one can replace Dalvir, but interacting in the community like Dalvir is possible.

The next city councillor needs to be committed to housing affordability, fixing homelessness, and the student debt crisis.”

Nahal was first elected to Vernon city council in 2014. During her tenure, Nahal served on many city committees: the affordable housing advisory committee; audit committee; biosolids advisory committee; and the Greater Vernon advisory committee.

The candidate nomination period began Oct. 19, with the campaign set to start on Nov. 6 and continue until election day on Dec 4.

Vernon councillor Dalvir Nahal lost her battle with cancer on Sept. 5, and passed away at the age of 45. PHOTO PROVIDED BY KELOWNA CAPITAL NEWS

CITY OF VERNON

GENERAL INFORMATION OF VERNON

43,315

Population of Vernon. The entire Okanagan Valley region has a population of over 360,000

4½

hours of drive from the City of Vancouver

SOURCE: VERNON.CA

$59,353

Average household income of citizens of Vernon

96

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City of Vernon is 95.76 km² in size

There are currently 6 members on the city council including the mayor

Glenn Cormier, co-owner of Happy Isle Cannabis Company, poses in front of a product board at Bowen Island’s only legal cannabis business. PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GLENN CORMIER

Pot shops get OK

Bowen Island passes a bylaw to legalize retail cannabis stores across the municipality  By EMILY LYTH

T

hree years after Canada greenlighted the sale of lawful recreational marijuana, Bowen Island has legalized local pot stores with virtually no public opposition.

The island municipality northwest of mainland Vancouver initially issued a blanket prohibition of cannabis stores. A sole exception was made for businesses applying for spot rezoning, provided they obtained provincial sales licences and adhered to specific guidelines.

Happy Isle Cannabis Company opened in May 2019 less than a kilometre from Bowen’s Snug Cove ferry terminal, and became the only legal retail cannabis store on the island. Glenn Cormier, the store’s co-owner, says he helped Bowen’s municipal government navigate the nation’s legalization of cannabis.

“For me, the extra process of rezoning at a local level was unnecessary, and I tried to communicate that,” Cormier said. “But I also understood that cannabis was a very new thing, and people were treading very lightly on how to proceed at the local government level.”

Rather than wait up to a year to permanently rezone their store’s property for retail cannabis sale, Cormier says they chose to apply for a temporary use permit.

In just three months, Happy Isle Cannabis Company was approved to open by the municipality.

“The only challenge with a temporary use [permit] is it is temporary,” Cormier said. “It gives you a three-year operating time, and after that three years is up, you still need to go through your [permanent] rezoning.”

Happy Isle Cannabis Company’s application for its permanent zoning permit was approved earlier

this year without any disputes from the public or municipality.

During the store’s zoning application process, two of the municipality’s committees suggested implementing a bylaw that would allow cannabis sales across the island. On Oct. 12, the municipality adopted that bylaw after months of council meetings and public input.

According to Cormier, none of Bowen Island’s residents seemed to oppose the bylaw.

Council received only four letters from residents addressing the matter, all of them in support of the bylaw, and one of them from Cormier and co-owner David Bellringer.

Rev. Lorraine Ashdown, minister of the Little Red Church United, has lived on Bowen Island for 20 years. She says that if anyone has been opposing the bylaw, they’re a “silent minority.”

“I’m glad it ’s there,” Rev. Ashdown said of Happy Isle Cannabis Company. “I think some people require some of the products that they have for pain control and other anxiety issues.”

The initial recommendation to implement a bylaw banning cannabis sales came from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, which lobbies on behalf of local governments across the province.

Cormier says the bylaw confused many residents at first.

“A lot of people didn’t understand what was going on,” Cormier said.

“Cannabis is becoming legal, why would our supposedly liberal little government here on Bowen Island want to make it all illegal?”

Maureen Nicholson, a Bowen Island councillor, says that implementing the union’s bylaw system helped the island to open a legal cannabis store faster than other municipalities in B.C. “The fact that we banned it did

not indicate that we didn’t support it,” Nicholson said. “It demonstrated that we wanted to be able to respond as quickly as possible if a prospective retail cannabis opportunity arose.”

Happy Isle Cannabis Company was the 14th retail cannabis store to be issued a legal operating licence by the province’s Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch. There have now been nearly 400 licences issued across B.C. Despite the municipality’s long process to legalize retail cannabis sale across the island, both Cormier and Nicholson say it’s unlikely they’ll see another store open on Bowen.

“I don’t anticipate that there will be a massive surge of additional cannabis stores,” Nicholson said. “I mean we’re a small island. There are relatively few retail areas.”

Cormier says that issuing another cannabis licence on Bowen isn’t logical considering the number of potential customers that live in the municipality.

Based off a recent BC Stats population estimate for the province, there are just over 13,300 residents per each of the 389 non-medical retail cannabis stores in B.C. Approximately 3,680 residents live on Bowen Island, meaning that Happy Isle Cannabis Company already has a much smaller potential customer base than the rest of the province’s pot stores.

Cormier says that the store has not yet “tapped into” the island’s tourist trade, and its clientele is mainly locals.

“We’re a very small store,” Cormier said. “We do very small revenues in relation to other stores. It doesn’t make sense to have other competitive retailers trying to come into the space, it just ends up with two businesses failing.”

Campusnews

EDITOR JAN BEVILACQUA | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 | THE VOICE

Foundation boosts bursaries Since COVID-19, the Langara College Foundation has kept financial aid

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donors engaged by hosting unique funding events

 By NICOLETTE

COLOSIMO

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angara College surpassed its goal of raising $1 million in bursaries in an effort to help students who need support because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2015, the college set a goal of raising its yearly bursary funding to $1 million by 2020.

The executive director of the Langara College Foundation, Moira Gookstetter, has changed the way the foundation raises money.

Fundraising events, which were previously done in person, have moved online, which has unexpectedly been beneficial in widening the pool of donors.

“Moving the auction online, we’ve actually raised more money because more people have been part of it online,” said Gookstetter. “Every student has a need and every donor has a cause they want to support.”

This fall, the foundation held

an auction for the Support Our Students campaign, known as SOS, with 165 online items, and raised over $12,000.

Langara staff, such as Gerda Krause, dean of the faculty of science, donate money to the SOS fund to ensure every student has

“You can’t fix everything, but if you have the opportunity to fix something it’s important to step up.”

These funding initiatives have become a necessity, with an increasing demand on the Langara programs which dispense groceries and provide hampers of school supplies and necessities for students.

“Every student has a “Since the start of the school year we distribneed and every donor uted more than 522 has a cause they want bags, which averages out to be about 85 bags to support.” per week. This has more — MOIRA GOOKSTETTER than doubled since last EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LANGARA year,” Gookstetter said.

COLLEGE FOUNDATION “In September 2020, we distributed 279 support. hampers to students and this year “There are a lot of avenues for we supported 511 students.” students to get help, and I think In the wake of COVID-19, the I put that down to the people number of students applying for who work here. There is a strong bursary funding increased from 338 commitment to helping students in 2020 to 439 in 2021. be successful and that means in the Jordan Berger, associate registrar classroom, but it also means helping for the financial aid department, them with their day-to-day strug- encourages students to visit the gles,” Krause said. registrar’s office.

“We do have a lot of bursaries and a lot of funds that can help students out,” Berger said. “You just need to seek it out, find it and apply.”

While some bursaries have specific qualifications, general bursaries only require applicants to be full-time students with good academic standing and financial need.

Second-year theatre student Brian Martinez applied for general bursaries, which he said made a difference after losing his job.

“When COVID hit, my cashflow instantly halted. I had no idea what to do,” Martinez said.

“I was frantically trying to apply to any and every bursary, so that I could at least go for a year or two.”

Martinez received $1,050 in bursary funds.

“Although it’s not an enormous amount. I used $500 for five months of groceries,” Martinez said.

“Getting the bursary assured me that I was on the right track and allowed me to not feel even more stressed than I already am with COVID and schooling."

FINANCIAL AID IN 2021

BY THE NUMBERS

439 Number of students who applied for bursaries in 2021

85 Bags of groceries handed out to students per week, on average, since the start of the school year

511 Hampers with supplies and necessities have been distributed so far in 2021.

SOURCE: LANGARA COLLEGE FOUNDATION

Plastics plan unclear Langara 2025 strategy is vague about the future of single-use plastics  By ASHLEY BURGOYNE

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angara College has saved over 2.2 million plastic bottles with the addition of water filling stations on campus, but specific initiatives to eliminate single-use plastics are vague in the school’s strategic plan.

Many students returning to campus have noticed a change in the amount of single-use plastics at the college. Some changes, like the wrapping of fruit in plastic and the removal of plastic cutlery from dispensers, are due to COVID-19 safety measures.

Campus vending machines continue to offer beverages in plastic bottles as other post-secondary institutions have begun phasing them out despite the pandemic.

Fourth-year student Tanja Jancic-Turner, who coordinates the Sustainability Student Ambassador program at Langara, is disappointed to see plastic bottles in the vending machines.

“You can see certain areas where improvements are already happening and then there are other areas that we need to attempt to address some-

The Langara cafeteria, located in A Building, currently sells fruit packaged in plastic due to COVID-19 safety protocols. ASHLEY BURGOYNE PHOTO

how,” Jancic-Turner said.

In 2020, The Voice reported that the school was looking into ways to reduce single-use plastics on campus. In its sustainability policy dated 2017, Langara pledged to “demonstrate its strong commitment to environmental sustainability through its operational practices and initiatives.”

The college has echoed this in its 2025 strategic plan, stating that its priorities are to “enhance and report on campus sustainability (sec. 4 4.7),” as well as to “contribute to climate action by increasing sustainability on campus (sec. 4 4.14).”

SFU in Burnaby has made progress on reaching specific goals to eliminate single-use plastics on its campus. In 2021, the school phased out single-use plastic bottles on

campus with accessibility considerations in mind. It now offers reusable water bottles for sale in vending machines and at the campus bookstore.

The Langara cafeteria, in A Building, sells fruit, desserts and sandwiches packaged in plastic.

Chartwells, the company that provides Langara’s food services, follows the school’s policies as well as its own when implementing a plan for sustainability.

“We try to use as much recycled [packaging] as possible,” said Chartwells general manager Kenneth Lee. He said the individual wrappings are due to COVID-19 protocols to avoid cross-contamination.

In an email to The Voice, Langara facilities director Dwayne Doornbosch said, “We are working hard on

our sustainability initiatives.”

Langara is on par with the University of California, Davis, with the installation of water filling stations to encourage usage of reusable bottles.

UC Davis, located in northern California, is considered a global leader in sustainability.

According to the University of California policy on sustainable practices, “the university is committed to the reduction and elimination of single-use items in line with the university’s and the state of California’s zero-waste goals and in recognition of the severe environmental impact single-use products have globally.”

The school had a goal to eliminate all plastic bags in retail and food establishments by January 2021 and is working on phasing out all single-

use plastics across its campuses by 2023.

Langara and UC Davis are part of a sustainability tracking and rating system run by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, which works on initiatives on campuses across 20 countries.

UC Davis received a gold rating in March 2020 and Langara achieved a silver rating from the program in June.

Some students recognize Langara’s efforts to become a more sustainable school.

Student Olivia Whitelaw praised the recycling station located in the school cafeteria and said Langara is doing a good job.

“I’ve never seen such a huge recycling station,” she said.

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THE VOICE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER. 27, 2021 | EDITOR AMIR KHAN

Vancouver can e lift out of traffic

Stories and Helijet photos

Helijet intends to transition from helicopters to electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft after conducting trials. PHOTO: CLARISSA KURNIAWAN

YVR-based Helijet eyes electric market

The company's helicopter fleet has the advantage of reaching remote places otherwise inaccessible by airplane

I

n its drive toward adopting the rules to be able to accept these electric Vertical Take-Off and new vehicles in this very congested Landing (eVTOL) aerial vehi- airspace environment.” cles by 2035, B.C. based air mediAnother challenge is proving the cal service provider Helijet is facing system’s safety and efficacy to build some challenges, such as legislation confidence in the market. and building credibility.

Still, Helijet is working to graduCurrently, the company is still ally include eVTOLs in their future waiting for Transport Canada to operations. accept eVTOL aircrafts under its “Our objective is to be doing governance, tr ialing with to regulate the of these “Typically, the biggest av e lot upgrade of existhicles and challenge is time, ing helipor ts certain manuand their operaof these because the regulator facturers tion, in order to vehicles to study a c c om m o d a t e what would be is always behind the new techbest suited for the technology in nology.

Helijet,” Sitnam Helijet Intersaid. “And that, timing.” national is one I expect to be — DANNY SITNAM. PRESIDENT,CEO o f We s t e r n doing over the Canada’s largest air medical service next three years.” providers and has been providing Sitnam said he believes that the helicopter medevac charters for use of advanced air mobility techthe B.C. Ambulance Service since nology will allow Helijet to help 1998. reduce the carbon footprint in the “Typically, the biggest chal- Metro Vancouver area, as well as lenge is time, because the regula- noise pollution. tor is always behind the technology It also benefits the company as in timing,” said Danny Sitnam, eVTOL aircrafts are expected to president of Helijet. “It takes the incur lower operating costs than regulator quite some time to build conventional light aircraft.

The first uses of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft will CANADIAN ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY

A new era of urban mobilit

C

hris Howe wants everyone in Vancouver to have access to an automated aerial vehicle that has similar function to helicopters — by 2035.

Howe, lead operations officer of Canadian Advanced Air Mobility Consortium (CAAM), is an advocate for electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, which he hopes will be used towards shuttling passengers and goods across the city.

“It’s important that the first uses of this technology really help people,” Howe said. “We want to demonstrate that this is meant to help everyone, not just for the rich.”

Although the aircraft will be quite expensive for the general public in the early stages, the consortium is hopeful eVTOLs will become an affordable alternative for commuters within two decades.

All Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles in Canada are mandated to have zero carbon emissions, aligning with the B.C. government’s Zero Emission Vehicles plan by 2040.

Unlike most helicopters, eVTOL uses electricity and hydrogen to function, rather than jet fuel, meaning less air pollution in the city.

The consortium said Vancouver is on track to become one of the earliest adopters of advanced air mobility in North America.

The metropolis is becoming “It more congested with an influx of people moving to the area. fi According to a 2017 Metro te Vancouver projection for regional growth, the populahelp tion of the City of Vancouver is expected to rise to 821,680 to d by 2041, from 700,283 in this 2021.

The growth of the city has ever led to higher traffic volumes, longer travelling times, and an SUBMITTED PHOTO increase in carbon emissions.

L “Unlike many large cities, Vancouver has no freeways into or through the downtown area. Hemmed in by water and mountains, the area is completely built-out with few opportunities for new

expect a vertical congestion

News&features 5

s by Clarissa Kurniawan

Helijet has been providing helicopter air medical evacuation charters for the B.C. Ambulance Service since 1998. CLARISSA KURNIAWAN PHOTO

Before eVTOLs can be used as air taxis by the general public, air ambulance services will be among the first users . COURTESY: CANADIAN ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY

go towards air ambulance services. COURTESY: CHRIS HOWE,

ty is in the works over urban skies

roads,” read a 2020 report by the air mobility consortium.

The priority market for the uses of eVTOL will go to medical emergency sector as it is quicker than ambulances. t's important the Second in line will be search and rescue, carrying first uses of this crews into challenging places, echnology really that might be unaccessible by airplanes. p people. We want Eventually, eVTOL will be used not only to ferry passendemonstrate that gers, but also for carrying s is meant to help large-scale cargo deliverto remote regions across ryone, not just the ies Canada, especially in areas rich.” that are plagued with poor food security. Howe said, — CHRIS HOWE LEAD OPERATIONS OFFICER eVTOL might be used for personal air taxis transporting people from one location to another within a city.

“Personal taxis are somewhat useful and save time,”

Howe said. “But it’s more important that this technology helps everyone and save lives and really make impacts on society.”

As Canada aims to become carbon neutral by 2050, Transport Canada says research and development for electrically driven aircraft is rapidly gaining traction, particularly in the eVTOL market. However, the ministry has yet to develop regulatory standards for such aircraft.

“The aircraft certification framework under the Canadian Aviation Regulations does allow, however, [Transport Canada] to certify new and emerging technologies for which standards do not exist or are still under development,” said a Transport Canada spokesperson via email.

“This is done by developing Special Conditions – Airworthiness to bridge the gap and address where the standards have not kept up with the pace of technology.”

Once the federal government systems and regulations are established, the consortium will conduct a demonstration flight from Vancouver General Hospital to Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, B.C. Meanwhile, the consortium will conduct route testing with drones around the Vancouver Island region.

Proposed eVTOL routes.

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Businessnews

THE VOICE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 | EDITOR ALAINA SAINT AMOUR

Food truck industry sizzlin' hot

Businesses take advantage of roaming permits and new electrical plug-ins  By HOLLIE MCGOWAN

T

he food truck industry has been seeing drastic changes since the start of the pandemic, with the City of Vancouver introducing curbside electricity and business owners choosing more flexible permits.

The city began a pilot project offering curbside electricity to some stationary locations almost three years ago, but is now intending to provide its high demand areas where roaming food trucks park, by the end of 2021. One of the reasons for the decision was that residents had started to complain about the noise caused by food truck generators.

The city consulted multiple business improvement associations and assessed new data on the food truck industry and customers’ needs.

Scott Edwards, manager of street activities and engineering services for the City of Vancouver, said the city made the decision in order to support food trucks.

“We're trying to provide opportunities for them to shift towards green operations,” Edwards said, adding that some of the benefits to curbside electrical supply include cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions and noise from the generators.

Kai Walker, an employee of Boca'O Spain In a Bite food truck, said this will help their truck in the long run. The noise from the genera-

tor has been such a disturbance to local residents that the employees have tried to silence the noise using a muffler.

“Sometimes we'd park in [the] Olympic Village and so we would get complaints,” Walker said. “If we could go fully electric [and] not have the generator, that would be wonderful.”

Edwards added that feedback from food truck owners has been

“If we could go fully electric [and] not have the generator, that would be wonderful.”

— KAI WALKER,BOCA'O SPAIN IN A BITE EMPLOYEE

overwhelmingly positive.

“You can actually enjoy the peace and quiet, not drowned out by the sound of a generator,” Edwards said.

Another shift in the food truck landscape includes more food truck owners switching to roaming permits instead of stationary.

Roaming permits allow food trucks to change locations, while stationary permits restrict food truck operators to one location.

Edwards said food truck vendors want to be where customers gather.

Because of social distancing require-

ments and changes in spending habits, many owners want the option to move around, and be closer to parks and beaches.

“There were some vendors that actually had a stationary permit and switched their business model to be a roaming permit,” Edwards said.

“Because many individuals and residents in Vancouver began to enjoy outdoor spaces scattered all over the city.”

The pandemic has affected the food truck industry in other ways, too.

According to Jason Faria, owner of the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival, there are now more food trucks than before the COVID-19 pandemic, because they're a safer alternative to restaurants.

Many entrepreneurs bought food trucks at a discount when the industry was at a low, early on in the pandemic. As public health restrictions lightened up, Faria noticed a 20 per cent increase in new trucks over the past year.

“They are outside, they are low contact as opposed to a restaurant where you are seated indoors near people,” Faria said.

Kelly Chau, who runs her mobile truck The Brownie Bakers, said food trucks provide her with freedom to be her own boss.

“I enjoy working for myself and building my own dreams instead of helping someone else,” Chau said.

The Brownie Bakers food truck parked outside of Langara College where a customer buys a brownie. HOLLIE MCGOWAN PHOTO

Sciencenews

Students’ research to aid salmon return Langarans help with Still Creek analysis to create a health baseline for wildlife restoration

 By CHRISTOPHER

MACMILLAN

L

angara students are helping bring back Still Creek’s indigenous wildlife, with hopes that salmon will return.

Environmental studies students are doing their field school at Vancouver’s Still Creek this year, instead of at their usual location in Tofino, due to travel restrictions. The students will be collecting data and information that will eventually be used as a baseline for further studies of Still Creek’s waterway, aimed at bringing back the local salmon.

Still Creek, which runs behind the Real Canadian Superstore in Renfrew and winds around before entering into Burnaby Lake, has sporadically had salmon since 2012. But more than 100 years ago, salmon were plentiful.

Adrian Avendaño is the stewardship programs manager for the Still Creek Streamkeepers, a group

The Voice is published by Langara College’s journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student

government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. They may be edited for brevity.

Your letter must include your name and phone number.

of volunteer neighbours and citizen scientists who are helping bring back the creek’s wildlife and ecosystem. He explained that while the salmon have been inconsistent in recent years, the unpredictability is likely a result of their erratic breeding and the irregular testing at Still Creek.

Regular testing creates a consistency in the baseline. Without it, determining what’s normal for the creek is difficult.

By continuing to monitor and care for the creek, the salmon should return more regularly.

A c c o r d - Emily Crowley ing to the City ENVIRONMENTAL of Vancouver’s STUDIES STUDENT 2002 Still Creek Rehabilitation and Enhancement Study, although there are some open areas in Still Creek, the majority of the stream is still being funneled

through underground sewer pipes.

While these pipes allow the water to travel under the city, high volumes of rain can cause overflowing and flooding, therefore polluting the stream.

Andrew Egan, a Langara environmental instructor, says this urbanization causes a condition called “urban stream syndrome.” “[The stream] no longer has the ability for the vegetation to grow on the side,” Egan said.

The environmental students monitor the amount of water that passes through Still Creek to estimate the volume that the stream carries. This information is collected to be used in creating a baseline, which is a report of the creek’s activity.

“There has been water sampling done in previous years,” said Avendaño. “But since [Langara] students have been doing a super comprehensive and repeated scheduling, it's a much more important baseline, because they're doing weekly

sampling.”

Environmental student Emily Crowley has been testing at Still Creek this semester.

“The baseline data set show[s] that the stream is in good condition, [which] can provide grounds for further protection, further restoration, and also serve as a baseline if there are troubling changes detected later,” Crowley said.

The baseline is submitted to the City of Vancouver, which will publish a report in the spring. This is important information that goes with the city’s program designed to expand Vancouver’s waterways to the indigenous wildlife.

As Langara and the city collaborate and make progress with the report, Langara students will continue their testing at Still Creek into 2022.

There are a few stretches of Still Creek that still flow above ground and are visible from the shore. Many animals and birds visit those areas of

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PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Christi Walter PAGE 2 Sena Law PAGE 3 Jan Bevilacqua PAGE 4&5

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REPORTERS Graham Abraham Suzanne Baustad Ashley Burgoyne Nicolette Colosimo Clarissa Kurniawan

Christopher MacMillan Hollie McGowan Lesia Pogorelo Jen Shannon Lauren Vanderdeen Claire A. Wilson

the creek, looking for fish and other sources of food.

Emily Bendeck, a new resident of Vancouver, goes to Still Creek for photography opportunities and is particularly attracted by the “birds of prey circling around in the sky.”

STILL CREEK TIMELINE

CHANGES IN 20 YEARS

2002 The City of Vancouver

released its Still Creek Rehabilitation and Enhancement Study to help improve Still Creek.

2012 The first time salmon returned to Still Creek in about 80 years.

2020 Langara's environmental studies class starts testing at Still Creek.

SOURCE: LANGARA STAFF

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Arts&life

EDITOR TESSA BARTHOLOMEUSZ | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 | THE VOICE

7

Sharing Vancouver streets

Lukas Tanasiuk stands on a unicycle in front of an e-scooter display at his shop in Vancouver. LAUREN VANDERDEEN

PHOTO

Despite 10 times the injury rate of bicycles, e-scooters are on the rise  By LAUREN

VANDERDEEN

V

ancouver commuters are finding electric scooters a fun and easy way to move around the city, despite the safety risks.

In June, Vancouver city council temporarily approved the use of electric scooters on Vancouver bike lanes and side streets.

Marilene Alves, an immigration consultant, has been riding an e-scooter since 2019.

She rides the e-scooter from her Yaletown home to her work near Coal Harbour and uses it in her daily life like people use their bikes.

“It makes it easier for me to get from point A to point B,” she said.

“If I need to go to work, I just put my high heels in a backpack and I just go.”

Catherine Winters bought an e-scooter to commute to her work at UBC. She occasionally uses a cane, and the e-scooter gives her more mobility.

Winters stressed the importance of riding safely. “These can go really fast,” she said. “It’s not a great experience if you wipe out.”

According to a city staff report for council, e-scooters have an injury rate just over 10 times that of bicycles and can be particularly dangerous for first-time users. For Alves, it took

just 10 minutes to find her balance on her first ride.

Green Party city councillor Pete Fry voted against approving e-scooters.

“I’ve observed sort of reckless e-scooter types,” Fry said. “There are some, you know, kind of thrill-seeking types that get in the way of other people who are just trying to do their thing.”

Fry said neither the city nor the provincial government have done enough to create safe conditions for riders. “We have not created a sort of safe, dedicated infrastructure that is optimal for these devices,” he said. “We’re recognizing that highspeed electric vehicles, especially in

shared capacities where they’re going alongside cyclists and slower-moving methods, does create a kind of a disruption and a noticeable danger.”

Kyle Mistry, a mechanic at the non-profit Our Community Bikes and longtime cyclist, isn’t concerned about riding alongside electric scooters. “I’m a fan of just anything that kind of gets you out of a car,” he said.

“There’s a lot of, I guess, newer, alternative, smaller-scale transportation coming together, which I think is great. Just kind of throw everything at the wall and see what sticks and hope it picks up.”

Lukas Tanasiuk, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Eevee’s, which sells e-scooters, electric skate-

boards and unicycles on East Pender Street, agrees.

“Think of e-scooters and bikes in the exact same category from a transport perspective,” he said. “It’s the exact same infrastructure being used.”

Eevee’s exceeded its most optimistic sales projections in its first six months. Tanasiuk said, “It’s been insane ever since day one.”

Shannon Brennan, senior communications specialist for the City of Vancouver, said the city is creating educational resources for the public.

City staff will report on the e-scooter initiative in mid-2022.

Tanasiuk also wants to educate users on sharing the road with new electric devices.

Return to campus causes student stress Motivational speakers at a TEDxLangaraCollege event offered anxious students guidance  By JEN SHANNON

S

ome Langara students are feeling rushed and overwhelmed returning to campus.

Emi Baeza Martinez, who studies fine arts at Langara, didn’t feel like they could thrive while taking classes online. They’re thankful for having their community of classmates back, but studying in person during a pandemic is taking its toll.

Baeza Martinez is burning from their workload and is emotionally overwhelmed by full classrooms.

“The combination of both is a little over the top,” they said. “It still feels very rushed. And it feels weird to be in classrooms with 30 people.”

Doaa Thabet, a business administration student at Langara, said the transition back to in-person class

was too harsh.

“I feel like I needed more time to practice before jumping back into everything being back on campus,” Thabet said. She preferred studying from home. The school-life balance was easier for her, and she misses the flexibility online.

Between September and December of 2020, Statistics Canada found that 33 per cent of 18–24-year-olds reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety — a rate four times higher than reported in older adults.

When it comes to dealing with stress, Thabet reminds herself that she can move at her own pace.

“I try to be as kind as possible to myself . . . it’s all right if you’re not as comfortable as you maybe should be with everything.”

CJ Calvert, a motivational speaker from Toronto, was one of several speakers at an Oct. 10 TEDxLangaraCollege event about moving forward in a changing world. He spoke of recovering from burnout.

“It’s amazing how if somebody is kind of feeling down, just to do something like get out of bed, have a shower, put on a fresh set of clothes, go outside and walk around for 10 minutes just to get some fresh air can be an immediate mood booster,” Calvert said.

Anthony Virdo, a Langara student engagement officer who also spoke at the event, wants students to find empowerment and agency for themselves.

“What people need for their wellness is a space where they can be heard, a space where they can just

be,” Virdo said.

He thinks students should take time to work on themselves personally, and not spend all of their energy on developing academically.

“You’ve got to focus on your GPA, your work, your references,” he said.

“Those are really noble pursuits, and you should absolutely follow them.

But if you leave what’s missing on the inside? I don’t think it matters how far you get, you’re going to always feel like something’s missing.”

Calvert also encourages students to do something renewing every day. His renewal advice includes “joy breaks”: short activities you enjoy that don’t take up much of your day.

“The point with it being every day is it's got to be consistent,” Calvert said. “If you can make these daily habits, that's very powerful.”

A FEW TIPS

FOR ANXIOUS STUDENTS

» Self love

Be kind to yourself. It's OK to be imperfect.

» Fresh air

Going outside for a 10 minute walk can be an immediate mood booster.

» Live your best life

Take the time to work on yourself.

» Time out

Take joy breaks. Short activities you enjoy that don't take up much of your day.

8

THE VOICE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 | EDITOR ETUVIERE MRAKPOR

Sportsnews

Players with the Langara Falcons women's soccer team warm up before beginning their training. CLAIRE A. WILSON PHOTO

Falcons turn to new technology

COVID-19 leads to new recruitment methods, strategies for soccer coaches  By CLAIRE A. WILSON

D

ue to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Langara soccer teams have rethought the way they go about training and recruitment.

In the fall of 2020, B.C. implemented mask and physical distancing mandates that resulted in the stoppage of all conference competitions.

This lack of competition disrupted the flow of a typical season.

In the interim, new virtual training and recruitment methods have been added in order to minimize disruptions and strengthen the teams.

“That was difficult, very difficult, but it was for everyone’s safety,” said Jake McCallum, the director of

athletics and intramurals department.

One of the most exciting implementations from the hiatus, is a video analysis software called Hudl.

It allows coaches to assess the performance of their players as well as the opposing team. The hope is that these new technologies will translate into wins for the Langara soccer team.

“We always want to push the envelope for new stuff, new technology,” said Marc Rizzardo, the head coach for the men’s soccer team.

For Aidan LaBreche, team captain and third-year general studies student, Hudl offers the chance for more accurate introspection into areas of improvement both individually and as a group.

The women’s program has

mirrored the adoption of new training methods through its growing partnership with the kinesiology department. By partnering with the applied human performance research team and assistant coach Dr Andrew

“We always want to push the envelope for new stuff, new technology.”

— MARC RIZZARDO, MEN'S SOCCER HEAD COACH

Perrotta, the team has spent the last six months analyzing their performance in ways they've never done before.

Perrotta and his team break down health factors such as resting heart

rate, blood pressure, body composition and weight. These are examined in order to understand their relation to athletic performance. Using Polar Team Pro software and their heat tracking capabilities, the team is also able to determine whether players have achieved their strategy objectives.

“It keeps you honest and accountable and that’s one of our team values as well,” said Samantha Seaborn, third-year nursing student and player on the team.

Thanks to the break in competition from COVID-19, Mark Eckerle, head coach for the women’s team, was able to build an infrastructure around the incorporation of team values into training. This time also allowed Perrotta to gain the trust

of players and dissect the data of the female team sport athletes, an area that he says is under-represented in research.

“We became more or less a media company,” said Eckerle.

Potential recruits would upload videos to Google Drive folders, allowing coaches to break down the videos and come up with individual development plans for each player.

While this provided a way to work around the restrictions of the pandemic, frustrations arose from not being able to see the player on the pitch. In addition, it hinders the ability of the new recruits to form social connections, said LaBreche.

According to Rizzardo, the goal is to switch back to in-person recruiting at the end of the season.

Falcons basketball gears up for competition Langara Falcons prep for opener vs Capilano  By LESIA POGORELO

A

fter almost two years without facing any opponents, the Falcons women’s and men’s basketball teams are brushing off the dust and gearing up for a return to the competitive court this month.

Having trained with zero contact and in smaller numbers, the teams are trying to get back to their good habits — and winning ways.

The Falcons men’s team were last PACWEST provincial champions during their 2013-14 season campaign, before going on to win the National Championships. The

women’s team were last PACWEST provincial champions in 2005-06.

Jake McCallum, Langara’s director of athletics and intramurals, said during the pandemic athletes had been training with no contact and in smaller numbers though as they moved through varying levels of restriction, they were on occasion able to train with contact.

Since competition was suspended in the middle of October last year due to COVID, the teams have focused on training.

“Since the second week of September, players work hard and train every day,” said the men’s basketball team coach, Paul Eberhardt.

The men’s team has been almost completely overhauled since they last competed, with only two players left from the previous competitive season in 2019-2020, Ronan Reid and Jas Dhudwal.

There are a total of six players returning from last year, when the players trained but saw no competition due to COVID. Dhudwal, a third-year Kinesiology student, expressed feeling exhaustion in the earlier days of the team’s return to training, but now Jas Dhudwal feels energized CENTRE, FALCONS BASKETBALL despite dealing with the stress of classes combined with training.

“I enjoy practising and being able to play,” Dhudwal said.

According to Virginia Watson, coach of the women’s basketball squad, the team became close-knit through their training, which has consisted of going on hikes and bike rides.

Janna Jamorabon a first-year student in the Design Formation program, has been playing with the women’s team since 2019. Jamorabon says the team spends two hours running through drills, and game plans daily and she believes they are in good shape in the final days to the start of the season.

“The team is looking good. We are a young team,” she said.

The women’s team hasn’t seen much change, but that doesn’t change the level of effort needed to win this season, said coach Watson who has noticed the team’s dynamics gradually develop.

Despite the team having ample training sessions so far, Jamorabon is eager for the team to have more game-time to assess how much work there’s still left to do.

“Game-time is the best way to gain more experience”.

GAMES SCHEDULE LANGARA COLLEGE

100 West 49th St.

Vs Capilano Blues - Oct. 29.

LANGARA COLLEGE

100 West 49th St.

Vs Douglas Royals - Nov. 05.

LANGARA COLLEGE

100 West 49th St.

Vs Douglas Royals - Nov. 06.

VIU GYMNASIUM

900 Fifth St.

Vs VIU Mariners - Nov. 12.

PACIFIC INSTITUTE FOR SPORT EXCELLECE (PISE)

431 Interurban Rd.

Vs Camosun Chargers - Nov. 13.