SuicideGirls tease the city...............................4 Burlesque show returns to Vancouver at the Rickshaw Theatre after six-year break
line at s out on m u k c e h o C avoice.c langar for special k loo Today oposed on a pr s e r e u t fea nt skat Pleasa t ey n k u c o o h M ater w r e d n f DOA park, u death o and the ave Gregg D rocker
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the Y L oice I A D
produced by langara journalism students
SFU gag out of this world Imaginary space program created by university employees dupes hundreds of disappointed students By KARLY BLATS
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imon Fraser University embraced April Fool’s Day this year by going above and beyond. Creative employees from various departments at the university planned and launched a fake space program to fool the school, and it worked. Over 300 applications were submitted online to the fake program, said SFU spokeswoman Fiona Burrows. Anyone could apply but once applicants got past the initial application page the joke was revealed with an “April Fool’s Day!” banner appearing across a new page. The fictitious space program purported to send students to space for a semester and provide them with an “out of this world” experience. Burrows said the prank gained a lot of media attention on Twitter and that students involved were “bewildered” when they found out there was not going to be a semester in space. Even the students involved in filming the program’s mock promotional video didn’t know it was fake, said Burrows. Planning for the prank began in January and filming took place throughout February and March. In other April Fool’s Day antics UBC’s newspaper, The Ubyssey, published an online parody newspaper called the Vanshitty Buzz. “Every year we spoof a publication,” said Geoff Lister, coordinating editor for The Ubyssey. Lister said they start planning early and target a local publication that has been on the radar lately to use for the next spoof. The outrageous stories included an announcement of Rob Ford becoming president of a student group, a list of seven reasons why the Canucks are so cool and a report of the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project using TED Talks’ 30th anniversary to “rub off ideas of foreskin preservation.” These schools have proven there’s more to April Fool’s Day than putting plastic wrap over a toilet seat. Printed on recycled paper
APRIL 2, 2014 • Vol. 46 no. 22 • vancouver, b.c.
MIKE HODDER photo
Any students who choose to ride the bus or SkyTrain without a pass could face a fine of $156 from TransLink if caught by transit police.
No U-Pass for you!!
Machines around campus ran out of passes on Monday afternoon By MIKE HODDER
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angara students thought they were April’s fools yesterday when campus U-Pass machines ran out and couldn’t provide their passes. The Langara bookstore, where one of the machines is located, tweeted Tuesday morning that the machines would be running by the afternoon. That didn’t stop students from banging on the windows of the bookstore which was closed for inventory for the day - wanting to know where to get their passes.
While the new passes were available last month, they ran out sometime before Monday afternoon. The machines in the Students’ Union Building and the library were restocked again around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, but are supposed to be restocked by the 17th of each month with passes for the following month. The mandatory U-Pass program costs students $36.75 per month and is factored into students’ fees. “Since you have to pay for it, it really should be there on time,” said arts student Abby Pelaez.
If students choose to take transit without a valid pass they could face a $156 fine from TransLink for fare evasion. “I’d be pretty upset because $150 is a lot,” said Pelaez, who was lucky enough to get her U-Pass before they ran out. “That’s like half a course, a day’s wage.” General studies student Mackenzie Fawcett said the problem is frustrating but it’s up to students to make sure they have fare. “I’d be upset but it’s my responsibility to have other currency to pay for my ticket if I’m going to ride transit.”
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Since you have to pay for it, it really should be there on time ABBY PELAEZ ARTS STUDENT
Ex-premier Harcourt bails on NDP Adrian Dix’s opposition to pipeline was the last straw for former Vancouver mayor Michael Harcourt By RENEE SUTTON
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ormer B.C. premier Michael Harcourt announced he has given up his membership in the NDP. In an interview with CBC’s Early Edition on Tuesday, Harcourt said his decision had “been brewing for a while,” and explained some of the reasons for letting his membership lapse. Harcourt said the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back was when Adrian Dix decided to oppose the Kinder Morgan pipeline last spring. “I’ve been pretty disgusted and alienated since last May, and I just let my membership lapse,” Harcourt said in the CBC interview. He said Dix’s de-
cision is not supportive of B.C. communities that are dependent on resources such as mining and forestry. BC Liberal party spokesman Emile Scheffel said Harcourt’s departure reflected frustrations from within the NDP about which direction it’s going. “It kind of points to the fact that the NDP is getting farther and farther away from its roots with private sector, blue collar workers, [and] people who make a living in B.C. by working hard, especially in resource communities,” Scheffel said. Harry Bains, NDP MLA for SurreyNewton, said Harcourt was a valuable member, but the party still has the same principles of social and economic
justice for all. “Just because you disagree with certain people at a given time, it doesn’t mean that the party has gone in a different direction,” Bains said. Langara political science instructor Peter Prontzos said he was surprised by Harcourt’s announcement. “If he’s really concerned with the issues that he brought up, then this is not a very rational way to do it and it’s obviously not good for the party,” Prontzos said. Harcourt was the leader of the NDP and B.C. premier from 1991 to 1996. Before that he was mayor of Vancouver from 1980 to 1986.
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I’ve been pretty disgusted and alienated since last May and I just let my membership lapse MICHAEL HARCOURT
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News
Editor jesse lam
The daily Voice, WednesDAY, april 2, 2014
BCNU gets new start Gayle Duteil replaces Debra McPherson as president of BC Nurses’ Union By LAUREN COLLINS
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ayle Duteil will be replacing Debra McPherson as president of the BC Nurses’ Union, the union announced Monday afternoon. The 42,000 union members voted for new leadership, but Duteil won’t take McPherson’s place until September. The BCNU’s employees include registered nurses, licensed graduate nurses and employed student nurses. The nurses’ union is meant to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions, while also helping to protect members’ contract GAYLE DUTEIL President of B.C. rights. A bulletin on the Nurses’ Union
ASH KELLY photo
Star witness “Person Y” testified against the accused murderers at the Surrey Six trial in B.C.’s supreme court on Tuesday, April 1.
Star witness at Surrey Six Ex-Red Scorpion gang member “Person Y” testifies on killings By ASH KELLY
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star witness in the Surrey Six trial testified Tuesday that he believed accused killer Cody Haevischer and Matt Johnson and Person X planned to strangle drug trafficker Corey Lal. Haevischer and Johnson are both charged with first-degree murder in the high-profile killing of six people in a Surrey apartment on Oct. 19, 2007. Two innocent bystanders, repairman Ed Scellenberg and neighbour Chris Mohan were among the dead. The witness, who can only be identified as Person Y, said he didn’t know the accused were going to shoot six people when he agreed to lend his gun to another gang member identified as Person X. “It will haunt me for as long as I keep
going over it, I don’t know how I was as stupid to give him my gun,” said Person Y. Y said he was surprised when X asked him for his gun because he assumed X would have had access to his own gun and he thought it was common sense not to fire a weapon in an apartment building. Haevischer’s lawyer Simon Buck grilled Person Y with questions about his past as a gang member in the United States and Canada, including his time in the Red Scorpion gang with Jamie Bacon. Buck asked Y to recount his criminal activity from his arrival in Canada in 2002, which included several premeditated murders. “I want to know the man who is giving me evidence,” Buck said to Person Y, explaining why he was having Y re-
call events not related to the case at hand. Buck asked Y repeatedly if he held a bias against Haevischer. “You’re biased?” he asked Y, pointing at the plexiglass boxes Haevischer and Johnson sat in. “I have bias for them, sure,” said Y “I have total disrespect against someone who can rip someone out of the hallway and kill them, kill innocent people and kill five more.” Y is serving a life sentence for two murders not related to the Oct. 19 2007 incident. “I don’t kill innocent people, and I haven’t killed innocent people. I didn’t target some innocent person — some kid going to play basketball,” Y said “That’s what I took offence to and that’s why I’m here.” Trial resumes today at 10 a.m.
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I have total disrespect against someone who can rip someone out of the hallway and kill them PERSON Y
union’s website lists Duteil as president, Sorensen as vice-president, Will Offley and Deb Ducharme as executive councillors and Mabel Tung as treasurer. Duteil graduated from the Vancouver General Hospital School of Nursing and has been active with the BCNU since 1989 when she worked as a steward. For sixteen years, she worked as the executive director of operations for the union and in 2010 Duteil returned to work as a registered nurse in acute care and emergency at a small hospital. McPherson has been with the nurses’ union since 1981, serving as steward, committee member, regional treasurer and in regional chair roles. She was president from 1990 to 1994 and again in 2000 until 2014, and actingpresident from 1999 to 2000. McPherson recently spoke out about the problems with nurses leaving hospitals because of patient overcrowding. Many nurses have been quitting or leaving emergency rooms because of the problem. “I certainly think the union will be stronger, as we move forward,” said BCNU vice-president Christine Sorensen. Sorensen said the BCNU is still committed to giving good-quality, safe patient care and health care, along with “provided excellent staffing.” Vancouver General Hospital declined to comment. As for changes in Metro Vancouver, Sorensen said she doesn’t think there will be “any significant changes for just one area of the province.”
Emergency response time must come faster Change in provincial emergency response rules may put patients at risk By ALI CRANE
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ancouver ambulance response times have grown drastically longer after a change in provincial emergency response rules, the fire department and city council allege. Without any consultation, the provincial government changed 74 emergency call codes from “emergency” to “routine” last October, said city councillor Geoff Meggs. “This means that arrival times of ambulances have deteriorated from seven to eight minutes to 30 minutes in the city of Vancouver, and it’s worse else-
where,” said Meggs. When an emergency call comes in it is assigned a code based on the nature of the incident. The code determines how emergency personnel respond. It’s technically optional for fire crews to respond to routine calls, however in practice they typically do. Fire chief John McKearney reported to city council numerous cases in which firefighters responded to calls only to wait for the calls to be upgraded to “emergency” in order to get a faster response from ambulance services. Meggs said, “Firefighters stand there with an average of half an hour on the scene waiting for an ambulance, and in 10 per cent of the cases the calls are coded wrong and are not even routine.” “Firefighters are going and stabilizing people but they can’t administer
medication, they can’t transfer them to the hospital, and they don’t have access to a physician.” McKearney alleged the changed system has become less efficient and puts patient safety at risk. Dr. William Dick has been working with the fire department to analyze data from recent emergency calls. “What Dr. Dick has said is that their analysis shows that there is no need for a first responders [firefighters] to go to any of these calls because an ambulance will get there eventually, but what we’re trying to understand from the ambulance service is what does eventually really mean?” said McKearney. The council has asked staff to provide a report with suggestions for resolving the issue and provide more effective patient centered-service in one month.
ALI CRANE photo
Paramedics must wait for calls to be upgraded from “routine” to “emergency” for faster response time.
Campus news
EditoR Tricia Lo
The daily Voice, Wednesday, APril 2, 2014
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Trotter’s many treasures: mugs galore Langara president has collected more than 300 mugs and 2,000 lapel pins By Karly Blats
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angara president Lane Trotter is a collector at heart, owning more than 300 coffee mugs, nearly all from educational institutions. “I’ve got mugs from the East Coast all the way to the West Coast,” said Trotter as he gazed nostalgically at the mug rack mounted to the wall of his top-floor office. “There’s a story with each one of those mugs,” Trotter said. The wooden rack is home to 48 of Trotter’s favourite mugs and was built for him by a Trades Discovery for Women class at BCIT that he helped improve. Trotter said the case holds “memories upon memories” and says a lot about his journey through life. Trotter’s history as a collector dates back decades and includes more than just mugs. The president’s Antonia J.Z. hobby started with Henderson Langara research lapel pins – he colpsychologist lected more than 2,000 of them. Then there were golf shirts and even jackets. Antonia J.Z. Henderson, research psychologist at Langara, said there’s no clinical or deep-rooted reason behind why people collect certain things. People will notice someone else’s collection and in turn give them something to add to it, she said. Trotter said he can’t quite remember which was the first of the many mugs displayed in his office or stored
in boxes at home, but he can remember how each one reflects on his career path. Although every mug holds a special place in Trotter’s heart, he favours a special one he helped design. The cherished mug bears a red Fanshawe College logo, which has Saginaw Valley since been disconState University tinued because the Ontario school is Rutland Senior Seclooking to revamp ondary, Kelowna it. B.C. “There’s a logical sequence to University of North how I have [the Dakota mugs] grouped. I try to keep mugs Marine Institute, that are related toNewfoundland gether,” said Trot Western University, ter. Ontario One empty spot remains on the top Red River College, shelf of the mug Manitoba rack that Trotter said is being saved Kennedy Space for something speCenter, Florida cial but he doesn’t know what yet. Red River College, The very centre Manitoba of Trotter’s mug The University Coldisplay features a lege of the Cariboo, black Langara B.C. mug that reflects his passion for the Northern Lights college. College, B.C. “The focus of my life right now is Algonquin College, Langara . . . I’m so Ontario pleased and privileged to be here,” Trotter said.
MUGS
On display
KARLY BLATS photo
Langara president Lane Trotter, sporting one of his more than 2,000 lapel pins, has a 20-year collection of more than 300 mugs. The 48 displayed in his office all come from educational institutions. Mia Knezevic collects signatures April 1 for the Langara Climate Action Team’s petition against Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline. Knezevic is a student in the university arts transfer program. ERIN BOE photo
Anti-pipeline spills onto campus Club collects signatures to raise student awareness and spur action By ERIN BOE
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he Langara Climate Action Team mounted their first-ever demonstration to spread awareness about dangers from oil spills, asking passersby Tuesday to sign their anti-pipeline petition. The club used black garbage bags to recreate the scene of a ruptured pipeline outside the main entrance of the campus. They even planted a stuffed bear, whale, and salamander that appeared to be caught in the spill. “We’re trying to demonstrate the dangers of having the pipeline and how easy it is to rupture,” said founding club member Erica Cook. The demonstration was titled Fossil Fools’ Day as a spin-off of April Fools’ day. Signs around campus read “Don’t be a fossil fool.” Members distributed leaflets listing their is-
sues with the Northern Gateway pipeline, including violations of First Nations’ treaty rights. Anthropology student Zev Laven signed the petition, even though he is not strictly opposed to the use of fossil fuels. “They’re necessary to an extent, but if we could cut them down and use them efficiently, then they’re fine,” he said. Langara human kinetics instructor Kathleen “KC” Emerson said it’s easy for Big Oil to get its message across. “[People] see all the fancy ads that Enbridge can afford to put on TV,” she said. But no one is investing substantial money to work against that message, she said, which is why grassroots public displays like this are necessary. “It’s getting people to realize that they can have a say, that they can make an impact, and it may be as simple as signing your name,” Emerson said. “[It’s] just encouraging people that no matter how small a gesture they think something might be, that it is worth making the gesture to . . . [make] their voice heard in whatever way they can.”
Langara nursing caters to Indians Revised program extends study and work permit for Indian-certified nurses By chris slater
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angara nursing students from India will reap greater educational benefits and broadened work opportunities after recent changes to Langara’s international nursing program, said nursing department assistant chair Pat Woods. Woods helped create the new Post Degree Diploma in Nursing Practice in Canada, approved late last year. It will allow nursing graduates from India to study at Langara for two years, where previously it was a one-year program. That extra year of study will allow students to better acclimatize to the Canadian medical system before they go off to work, Woods said. The newly revised program also gives international nursing students three years to stay and work in Canada after graduation. This is a change from the original international program, which only allowed graduates a oneyear Canadian work permit upon graduation. “The feedback we got from the nurses was that they really like the [original] program but they wanted a twoyear program,” Woods said. “They wanted clinical skills review [and] clinical practice. They wanted to actually [work] in the hospitals.”
This new “bridging program” will help narrow the educational gaps between nurses trained in India and Canada, Woods said. “It’s not that their nursing education is any less, . . . however the scope, and the standards, and the competencies and collaboration with the health care team are quite dif- Pat Woods ferent [in Canada] Assistant chair of than they are in nursing program other countries.” Diane Bradley, division chair of health sciences, They says the newly revised program will wanted to benefit students in actually India looking to study and work in [work] in Canada. the “It will provide a fuller preparation hospitals for obtaining employment and completing the nursing licensure exam. Canada can offer a great future and good employment opportunities to these students,” she said in an email. The fall program has already received 15 applications. Although the program is only open to nursing graduates from India, Woods hopes it will open to a wider scope of nationalities.
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The DAILY Voice, wednesday, april 2, 2014
Editor bill everitt
Entertainment Langara instructor goes for BC Book Prize
This is the third in a series published by the author and photographer team By Leslie Kam
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Submitted photo
The SuicideGirls burlesque dance group rehearse for their Canadian tour, which begins April 3 at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver
SuicideGirls tease the city
Burlesque show steps its game up in return to the stage after hiatus
By MADELYN FORSYTH
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ancouver will be hosting the SuicideGirls’ first stop on their Canadian Blackheart Burlesque tour, the group’s first tour in six
years. The tour starts April 2 at the Rickshaw Theatre. Missy Suicide started the project in 2001 to celebrate different and real women. She started to take the act on the road in 2003. The tour went until 2008 when they had the opportunity to open for Guns ‘N Roses and Courtney Love. “At that time we were the only people that were doing non-traditional [burlesque],” Suicide said. They took a break soon after to work
on other projects but Suicide said that when they were ready to tour again, the non-traditional burlesque style had become mainstream. “We knew that we really needed to up our game. So this show is super choreographed, the girls are incredible dancers, costumes are great, the soundtrack is amazing. It’s not like your traditional burlesque show.” Suicide describes burlesque as “the art of the tease,” and the Blackheart show features seven SuicideGirls teasing the audience with dances that reference pop-culture such as Game of Thrones and Star Wars. “My favorite number is the Planet of the Apes number. It has a secret popculture reference in there that is near and dear to my heart,” Suicide said.
The Rickshaw Theatre will be hosting the opening show and owner Mo Tarmohamed says the event will likely bring an alternative crowd, but that isn’t anything new to them. “We don’t really have a normal crowd anymore,” Tormohamed said. “Our mission is to give exposure to independent artists whether they be local or touring acts.” The SuicideGirls’ website has a diverse range of viewers, 51 per cent of whom are women. Suicide says the show really has something for everyone and that women are almost always a huge part of the audience. “It’s non-threatening,” Suicide said. “It’s fun. It’s the best time you can have.”
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There are now 2,500 SuicideGirls worldwide The group receives 1,000 new applications per week SuicideGirls have performed with Guns ‘N Roses and Courtney Love Their website gets about 51 per cent female viewers Source: Missy Suicide, founder of SuicideGirls
Langara journalism instructor’s new book, The Great Bear Sea, has been nominated for a BC Book Prize. Iinstructor Nicholas Read paired with photographer Ian McAllister to raise conservation awareness of the Great Bear Rainforest through their newest work. In the third installment of their Great Bear Rainforest series, named The Great Bear Sea: Exploring The Marine Life Of A Pacific Paradise, the duo takes readers into the underwater world of the Great Bear Sea. “It covers everything from the tiniest plankton to the biggest whales,“ said Read. “How they live, what they do, how they eat, so forth. And more important, how they fit into the forest. And how everything in the forest is linked to everything else.“ This is the second BC Book Prize nomination the duo has earned. They had previously been nominated for an award in 2011 for their first book, The Salmon Bears, but lost. Read and McAllister started the project to help preserve the environment of their beloved rainforest, located on the central coast of B.C. “When we saw Ian’s photos, we were sold,” said Andrew Wooldridge of Orca Publishing. McAllister is an award-winning photographer and founding director of Pacific Wild, a non-profit organization that aims to preserve wildlife in Canada’s Pacific coast. All author royalties go to help the organization. Read and McAllister’s goal is to reach a larger audience through their children’s book. “Children, I think, are more influential than people perhaps realize because they learn things in school, they pick up things all over the place and they go home and tell their parents,” said Read. “And their parents are obliged sometimes to listen to their children.”
Punk rock legend with Vancouver roots dies Famous guitarist played with DOA in the eighties before getting into merchandising for Blondie, The Police and Talib Kweli By EDMOND LU
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Submitted photo
Dave Gregg, called one of the fathers of punk, died while visiting family near White Rock on Sunday.
amed Vancouver punk guitarist Dave Gregg, an influential figure in Vancouver’s underground music scene, died of a heart attack Sunday night at Peace Arch Hospital in Surrey. The 55-year-old rocker was a guitarist for Vancouver hardcore punk band DOA from 1980 to 1988. He played on six studio albums and toured extensively with the band. The lead singer of DOA Joe Keithley wrote a tribute to his friend and bandmate on Facebook. He retold memories of “gabbing into the wee hours” on the long drives for the band’s many tours, for which Gregg was often the overnight driver. “At one point when D.O.A. had been playing close to 10 years,” Keithley wrote, “Dave and I calculated that we had spent four of those 10 years in
vans, traveling to shows.” Fans of the band expressed their condolences on the Facebook page as well, sharing stories and photos from seeing the band on tour. The band’s second studio album Hardcore ’81, which Gregg played on, is often credited with being the first time the punk scene was referred to as “hardcore,” helping the genre and subculture that eventually spun off from punk. “DOA was my first concert,” said manager and bassist for Vancouver punk band The Wrecktals Christoph Leon, in an interview, referring to a show in the band’s 1986 True (North) Strong and Free tour. “I was three months old. My mom was an OG punk rocker, there was a picture of me crowd-surfing in a car seat.” After DOA, Gregg also played in bands like The Real Mackenzies, Private School, and the Grooveaholics. He
later started a music merchandising company in New York with his wife Catherine Cleg- My mom horn called Easy was an Partners, repreOG punk senting acts like Blondie, The Po- rocker, lice, and Talib Kwethere was li. “I really wish I a picture of had one more me crowdchance to sit down with him and cover surfing in some of that a car seat ground again and Christoph Leon explore new avenues of thought, but I can’t and that sucks,” Keithley concluded in his tribute. “Dave, we will all miss you tremendously, but you will live on in our hearts.”
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Lifestyles
Editor NICK EAGLAND
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The DAILY Voice, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014
Food truck brings healthy eats to Langara Rare visit to campus by brand-new mobile restaurant welcomed by lunch customers By Lukasz Jonca
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LUCASZ JONCA photo
Moji Abedi (left) and Hamed Dabir parked The Holly Food Co. food truck on 49th Avenue near the Langara Campus on April 1.
East Van health studio offering hypnotherapy for personal change Honey + Garlic invites people to enter trance-like state in group setting By Lukasz Jonca
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Monday night hypnotherapy session at Honey + Garlic in East Vancouver brought people together to learn how to change undesirable behaviours while in a trance . Registered clinical hypnotherapist Sylvia Rayner led the hypnotherapy session for a group of about 20 people, where she spoke in a soft voice to bring them into a trance-like state of relaxation. She asked them to perform a number of physical maneuvers while some were in a more susceptible state and many were on the verge of sleep. “The way your brain is operating in hypnosis – it’s really like you’re experiencing whatever is being described to
LUCASZ JONCA photo
Sylvia Rayner uses hypnotherapy to help clients make positive changes in their lives.
you,” Rayner said. “It’s quite real for people, depending on their level of trance.” Rayner has been practicing hypnotherapy for more than two years and started working at the studio when it opened Feb. 8. She said when a new client comes in for an appointment they’ll discuss what sorts of changes the patient wants to make using hypnotherapy. According to It’s quite Rayner, poor habits are hard for a real for person to change people, because they’re depending tightly wound with a person’s identity, on their so painting a positive mental picture level of helps break them. trance “Hypnotherapy SYLVIA RAYNER is a tool to help people change and particularly helping them change behaviours that are beyond conscious control,” Rayner said. A client’s first session costs $135 and runs 90 minutes, while subsequent sessions last 60 minutes. Rayner also does mental coaching for people who want to have a more on-going relationship, for $75 per hour. These sessions are about setting goals and promoting positive thinking. More than 20 people showed up for the introductory session on Monday. Chartered accountant Ella Bohinska said she enjoyed the presentation but that hypnosis wasn’t for her. “I don’t believe I’m going to do that, no,” she said. “[But] I think she is an excellent public speaker and I thought she presented the workshop perfectly.” Attendee Dora Hoffer said, “I think it was fantastic. I personally have an injury. I still need to ask her how she [works with] sports injuries.”
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he Holly Food Co. food truck pulled up to the Langara College campus yesterday and opened its doors to hungry staff, students and passersby to kick off the spring food truck season. Moji Abedi and Hamed Dabir, owners of the food-truck, launched the business just two weeks ago. They serve a fusion of Iranian, Mexican and Canadian styles, made with steamed organic corn, fresh mushrooms, cheese and other ingredients, and sauces made with avocados, olive oil, eggs and spices. Prices for the menu items range from $2 to $10. “We tried to make a green food for one of the greenest cities – Vancouver,” Abedi said. “Hamed has a background in restaurant management from Iran.” One of their best-sellers is a smoothie called the Holly Love that includes organic milk, bananas, nuts, ginger, mango, coconut powder, dates and honey. They also serve fresh squeezed organic orange juice and chocolate fondue with fruit. “It was pretty good,” said Maria Santander, a general studies student at Langara. “We tried the strawberry covered in chocolate and they were pretty awesome.” Languages student Miguel Carreom enjoyed the organic food and healthy choices. “From what I’ve tried so far, it’s really great and [a] cheap, quick, five-buck meal.”
Google pulls Pokemon prank Search giant challenges users to “Catch ‘em all” By EDRICK DUDANG
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oogle has planted characters from the popular videogame franchise Pokémon all over the map in an April Fool’s Day bid to find a “Pokémon Master.” Smartphone and tablet users who went to Google Maps on April 1 found virtual Pokémon creatures scattered across their screens. Players were tasked with finding 151 of the creatures hiding on every continent, after the search giant announced the challenge March 31 with a YouTube video on its Google Lat Long blog. The video featured people capturing augmented-reality Pokémon using their Google Nexus phones and has already garnered more than 5.7 million views. Despite the clip showcasing a person driving a truck recklessly while capturing the creatures, Langara student Tiffany Chiu enjoyed the video. “I like it,” she said. “It was cute.” Pokémon World Championship 2013 competitor Wren Go saiyd he liked the
video, but was disappointed that the Pokémon showcased did not accurately portray the Pokémon’s in-game habitats. While the game was suspected to be an April Fools’ prank, the added feature is very real. In the game, players only had to tap Pokémon to capture them. The 151 Pokémon were spread around the world and people posted their results on Twitter as they captured them. Even though most of the Pokémon were spread randomly, some Pokémon locations corresponded to the creatures’ lore. Pikachu, the mascot of the Pokémon franchise, could be found on Tokyo Tower, where most Japanese television shows are broadcast. The musical bird Pokémon Chatot was located on the Sydney Opera House. Lucario, a Pokémon that can sense humans’ negative thoughts, was found beside Wall Street in New York City. Chris McAfee, a video game podcaster from the Dietrich Gamecast said he wished the Pokémon were found locally so that they were easier to find, but he said the new feature was “pretty cool.”
CATCH
10 Pokemon Bulbasaur Hawaii
Ivysaur San Francisco
Venusaur Edmonton
Charmander Sydney, Hiroshima
Charmeleon London Charizard Wyoming Squirtle Venice, Tokyo
Wartortle Rome, London
Blastoise Belize, Nagoya
Pidgey Toronto, New York
Source: pokemonaprilfools. wikia.com
EDRICK DUDANG photo
For many Google Maps users, the Pokemon prank was a pleasant surprise.
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Editor Jenny Peng
The DAILY Voice, April 2, 2014
viewpoints
SFU prank wins over a skeptic
Dear park board, why a new skateboard park?
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’ve never been much of a prankster, and I’ve never liked being pranked, which must make me kind of boring, especially on April Fool’s Day.
There’s just something about the unknown and the worry of how far people will go for a joke that makes me nervous. In high school, the best April Fool’s jokes often involved large amounts of condoms or Silly String being placed in someone’s locker, and a stink bomb that left the entire school outside for half an hour one year. Apparently, this tradition of pranking dates back to medieval times, and is often used as an excuse for people to let their mean inner prankster out. And if you are the prankee, you have to accept that excuse because it’s all in the holiday spirit, right? Add to that the speed of social megan bobetsis media, and there’s a good chance the embarrassing prank your friends pulled on you will be seen by many more people than you wanted. I did like the MTV show Punk’d, but that might have just been because Ashton Kutcher is cute, and watching celebrities get tricked into thinking they’re getting a speeding ticket in their sports car is much more entertaining than getting one yourself. But not all pranks are made to be completely embarrassing. This year SFU convinced students they were opening up a new campus called SFU Orbit to expand their learning experience into outer space. Last year the school’s prank involved removing classroom seats as part of a “healthy campus” initiative. These pranks earn SFU some credit for planning in advance and it’s also nice to see a university with a jokester side. My initial dislike for pranks may have stemmed from the time my dad received a fake winning lottery ticket for $10,000 and told me we were going to Hawaii. I told all my friends, only to find out that in order to redeem your prize you needed to mail your ticket to “123 NoWhere Drive, in MakeBelieve Land.”
ome people in the Mount Pleasant community are fuming over a proposed skateboard park in either Robson Park or Jonathan Rogers Park, and who can blame them? Vancouver currently has nine skateboard parks and it’s time to cap the park board’s strategy to add more noisy skaters to the neighbourhood. Especially when Mount Pleasant residents have complained about these sites being “a magnet for men who dominate the tiny facility to the point where neighbourhood kids can rarely use it,” according to a Vancouver Courier article published in 2012. It’s easy to see why there’s support for these parks because they’re a playground for socializing, bonding, and exercise in a society where obesity is a worry for the
government. However, nine is plenty. The last time I checked, the city never designated anything for my Tai Chi ritual or added more space for my rollerblading hobby. The Mount Pleasant Pool Committee and the Vancouver Society for Promotion of Outdoor Pools says they don’t hold “a position” on skate parks, and many of them “support the benefit of skate parks to our society.” However, they fear that it could reduce the possibility of an outdoor pool being built there in the future. An outdoor pool in rainy Vancouver? Just how useful that pool will be is questionable too, but at least it’s something that residents seem to want. Besides, documents for the consultation meeting they’re having on April 3 for the skateboard park
date back to 2005 and don’t include any information on the new parks built since then. How do they expect residents to make an informed decision when Jenny Peng the information is outdated? Whether it’s a new skate park or an outdoor pool, it has to appease the residents. Otherwise, it’s not worth taxpayers’ money. For now, it doesn’t look like a skateboard park makes any sense. As for the park board, convince us that it’s worth the money, time, and headache for putting up with the noise in the park.
OPINION
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Journalism instructor Ethan Baron oversees The Voice. Email him at ebaron@langara.bc.ca
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. 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.
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EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Jenny Peng
PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Amy Jones
PAGE 2 Jesse Lam
PAGE 3 Tricia Lo
PAGE 4 Bill Everitt
PAGE 5 Nick Eagland
PAGE 7 Andrea Anthony
PAGE 8 Kendra Wong
WEB EDITORS JENNY PENG comic
No U-Pass? You’re on your own A
fter all the money we students pay in tuition and added study costs, you’d think something as simple as a U-Pass (which we all have paid for) could at least be in stock when we need it. If you’re going to run out of passes, at least have someone available to explain why the machines were left empty and maybe, just possibly, apologize? Not the case here at Langara. From Monday afternoon until about 10 a.m. Tuesday, Langara’s U-Pass machines ran out of April passes, causing many students to have to pay for their Monday commute home and Tuesday commute to school out of their own pockets. I don’t know about most students, but it costs me nearly $6 to make my way home to North Vancouver and then back to school the following morning. No lunch for me today I
guess, not that I have time to eat it anyway! It’s not running out of passes that gets me. That’s life, often rife with annoying setbacks. No, what gets me about this whole situation is that there was no formal attempt at apologizing to students for this inconvenience or to make reimbursements to those who had to pay again for something they’d already paid for. The least the school could’ve done was purchase replacement day passes for all those who had to shell out for their rides to and from school. Nope. And another thing: when a fellow reporter went out to gather information for a story which focused on why the machines had been left empty, they were met with the usual wall of bureaucratic silence that safeguards certain officials from having to explain themselves. The reporter was looking to get
some sort of idea as to why the machines had been left empty on the last day of the month, and he could not obtain a single response to his question. No one knows why, huh? Really? In a school with thousands of students and hundreds of staff, there is only one person who’s in charge of those little machines being filled and they’re not Chris slater even around today? And you’re telling me there’s no one else in the entire faculty that knows anything about why they were left empty? I don’t get it. Fortunately the machines are now refilled. Now maybe they can refill my empty pockets.
OPINION
Vanessa Szpurko Nadim Roberts
REPORTERS Karly Blats Megan Bobetsis Erin Boe Lauren Collins Alissa Crane Edrick Dudang Madelyn Forsyth-Schiewe Mike Hodder Lukasz Jonca Leslie Kam Ash Kelly David LaRiviere Ashley Legassic Edmond Lu Jeremy Matthews Graham McFie Christopher Slater Renee Sutton Ben Zutter
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News & Features
The DAILY Voice, Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Editor Andrea anthony
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Skate park has residents divided
FREE CAKE FOR FOUNDERS’ DAY
Mount Pleasant citizens giving feedback on proposed development By BEN ZUTTER
A
VANESSA SZPURKO photo
Langara president Lane Trotter and others distributed cake to hungry students yesterday.
proposed skate park in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood has run into opposition. A public consultation meeting on the project will be held on April 3, and people are already rallying in opposition. The consultation will help the park board determine where to put it - Jonathan Rogers Park or Robson Park - and give people a chance to voice their concerns. In an email sent to media and community members, Margery Duda, president of the Vancouver Society for Promotion of Outdoor Pools, said the public is woefully misinformed about the new project. She also went on to say similar misinformation was partially to blame for the last skate park built in Mount Pleasant. “Many of us as individuals support the benefit of skate parks to our society,” Duda said. “But many Mount Pleasant residents are upset that a skate park was built at Mount Pleasant Park after public consultation indicated that it was the lowest priority for the community.” According to Duda, the Vancouver
Park Board’s 2005 Skateboard Strategy is outdated and doesn’t include many of the changes to the city that have occurred since, including the Mount Pleasant skateboard park. “I do think that the consultation should be postponed until new and accurate information is posted for the same period of time,” she said. It also resulted in a disproportionate number of skate parks being built in the northeastern quadrant of the city. This is in contravention of Action #2 of the Skateboard Strategy, which aims to “provide a better geographic distribution of skate parks in Vancouver.” There are organizations and individuals who think the project would be beneficial, however, including Carolyn Tuckwell, president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast BC. The organization has a club located near Robson Park, one of the proposed areas for the new skate park. “We support the development of places that are safe and are going to be well structured for any kinds of activities that will draw youth,” Tuckwell said. Following Thursday’s public consultation, citizens will be encouraged to fill out the online questionnaire and continue to offer feedback.
Canadian autism strategy needed, says UBC prof Feds, provinces blamed for insufficient response to autism spectrum disorder By DAVID LA RIVIERE
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oday is the seventh United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day, but Canadians might not be aware of the country’s lack of a national autism strategy. Autism spectrum disorder in children is more prevalent globally than it was a decade ago and it is still not known why. According to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in March, one
STATS: driving
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There’s been a real push for a national autism strategy since 2007 PAT MIRENDA
in 68 children in the U.S have autism; two years ago the ratio was one in 88. Canada’s contribution to research in the fields of autism and early prevention is considerably less than that of organizations across the border, and certain groups have voiced concerns about Canada’s lack of action. “There’s been a real push here for a national autism strategy since 2007,” said Pat Mirenda, professor of counseling psychology and special education at UBC. In 2007, the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs released a report called Pay Now or Pay Later: Autism Families in Crisis, which recommended the government pay for
autism services and support early on or they would end up paying more down the road when the autistic children become adults. Mirenda added that the report made a case for a national autism strategy but there is still no coordinated interprovincial strategy that allows stable funding, national public awareness campaigns or knowledge exchange networks. One of the major issues autistic children and their families are facing in Canada is that their required autism intervention protocols are not covered by medical services plans. “What we have here is a federal government that points at the provinces
because they control health care and we have provinces that are reticent to put autism treatment in the same funding envelope that provides treatment for cancer or any number of similar situations.” said Michael Lewis, the first vice-president of the Autism Society of Canada. Lewis said that B.C. is better than some other provinces in terms of the amount of social services funding that’s allocated to children with autism but it’s not sufficient. The 40 hours a week of care an autistic child needs costs $40,000 to $60,000, but B.C.’s social development ministry provides $21,000 up until age six, after which point it is reduced to $6,000.
Drivers not getting the message Distracted motorists threaten lives: Vancouver police
Distracted driving contributed to 34 per cent of crashes for young drivers in B.C. from 2008 to 2012.
Speeding contributed to 19 per cent of crashes
Impaired driving contributed to nine per cent of crashes.
15 youth are killed and 4,700 are injured in crashes every year in the Lower Mainland 39 youth are killed and 7,100 are injured in crashes every year in B.C. Source: ICBC
By MEGAN BOBETSIS
P
olice recently issued a Vancouver man his 26th ticket for distracted driving – a common offence across the Lower Mainland according to Vancouver police. Distracted driving, most often involving a driver using an electronic device behind the wheel, is a concern for the Vancouver police, according to spokesman Const. Brian Montague. Police data from ICBC’s website said distracted driving was the third leading cause of fatal crashes in B.C. between 2008 and 2012, resulting in about 91 deaths per year. If you are caught driving while using an electronic device in B.C., the ticket carries a $167 fine. But that didn’t stop the Vancouver man who has received more than a few tickets and has now had his car impounded for a week. Besides the fines, officers also “con-
duct and participate in enforcement and education campaigns on a regular basis to try and combat the problem,” Montague said in an email. Langara College student Derrick Fraser said he has been in car accidents before and has been ticketed for bad driving habits, but never for distracted driving. Fraser said he doesn’t use his phone while driving very often. “The road changes so quickly . . . you think you’re safe when you’re just looking down for a second,” Fraser said. Montague said distracted driving is not just a problem in Vancouver. “Throughout the Lower Mainland, the province and nation-wide, people are risking the safety and lives of others because they are using their phones or engaging in other distractive behavior as they drive,” Montague said. Fraser also said he thinks short driving suspensions will teach people a lesson, but anything beyond that is too
MEGAN BOBETSIS photo
Police are encouraging drivers to not use their cell phones while driving. harsh. Any suspension of a person’s license is determined by the province’s Superintendent of Motor Vehicles and not by the police.
Montague said he hopes distracted driving will eventually decrease as people get into safer habits and “become more educated about the dangers of distracted driving.”
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The DAILY Voice, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014
Editor KENDRA WONG
sports
Ladner man hits the big leagues B.C. native Tom Robson is starting pitcher for a Blue Jays affiliate team in Michigan this Thursday By GRAHAM McFIE
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om Robson is moving his way up in the baseball world as starting pitcher for the Michigan Lansing Lugnuts’ exhibition game opener this Thursday, but the B.C. native continues to take lessons from baseball’s local teams to help him. The Lugnuts are a Class A minor league baseball team in Michigan and an affiliate team of the Toronto Blue Jays. Robson arrived in Lansing last Sunday and is preparing for the upcoming season. However, before playing for the Lugnuts, Robson played for the Vancouver Canadians, an experience that meant a lot to the Ladner resident. “I’m from Vancouver, so when I got to play on that field it was pretty amazing,” said Robson. “Growing up watching that team play and then to finally play on that field with the Canadians was a real special opportunity. I loved it.” Rob Fai, director of communications and broadcasting for the Vancouver Canadians, described the pitcher’s arrival as “a perfect storm for Tom.” “He came into Vancouver, was immediately a media magnet because he was a hometown kid, and then he lived up to all the hype,” Fai said. During the off-season, Robson was busy with practice, but also remained a familiar face within the community. Robson participated in the Rogers Santa Claus Parade and visited children at Canuck Place. “Being from Vancouver, I want to do all that I can. I love going out there and showing my face and doing whatever I can to help out,” Robson said. “It’s important to show your support for the city.” Robson was the first Canadian to be drafted in 2011, going in the fourth round, 139th overall to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Underwater hockey involves masks, snorkels, flippers and six players on each team moving the puck towards a goal line.
Underwater hockey at UBC People of all ages can play the sport, says long-time club member By Jeremy Matthews
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he Canucks’ season may be coming to an early end, but Vancouver hockey fans can trade in skates for flippers with the lesser-known sport of underwater hockey. The game involves players holding their breath in order to move a puck underwater toward a goal, like traditional hockey. There are six players on each team, but no goalies and no contact, resulting in a more positional style of play. Players wear masks and snorkels, but come up for air often in order to maintain energy levels. Roger Kemp started playing underwater hockey in the early 1980s with his brother at the Langara Family YMCA. He still plays with the UBC Thunderducks Underwater Hockey club that he
helped found. “It [is] tremendously fun,” he said. The sport has evolved since the ‘80s, when he used to craft makeshift hockey sticks at Eric Hamber Secondary School as a teenager. “The sport we play today is very much more advanced. The players’ technique is getting stronger, even at the local level,” Kemp said. “The very first thing you learn is how to snorkel effectively.” Underwater hockey originated 60 years ago in the UK and is gaining popularity in Vancouver with clubs in Port Coquitlam, Vancouver and Victoria. Canada also has a men’s and women’s underwater hockey team that competes in tournaments all around the world, the most recent one in Hungary in 2013. Melanie Johnson, a long-time Thunderducks member, started playing un-
derwater hockey in 1991 after a stint in competitive swimming. “I wanted something that kept me in the swimming pool,” she said. She has since participated in underwater hockey world championships all around the world. Johnson says that the three-dimensional nature of the sport allows people of all ages to compete. “The water does equalize some things. I can be effective against a larger guy,” she said, adding that group members can continue to play into their 60s. Johnson said many players are planning on attending the Canadian National Underwater Hockey championships at the University of Guelph in May. The Thunderducks’ practices are open to the public and are held on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings at the UBC Aquatic Centre.
PLACES
to play in BC 1 2
UBC Aquatic Centre in Vancouver
3 4 5
Hyde Creek Rec Centre in Port Coquitlam
C.G. Brown Memorial Pool in Burnaby Commonwealth Pool in Victoria Prince George Aquatic Centre in Prince George
Canuck nation in disarray Canucks bump up deadline to renew season tickets, but fans aren’t jumping at the chance to buy By ASHLEY LEGASSIC
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ASHLEY LEGASSIC photo
The sport involves masks, snorkels and litle breathing.
he Vancouver Canucks have set an earlier deadline for season ticket holders to renew their seats, but some local fans aren’t sticking around. This year, the deadline to renew is April 9, a couple of weeks before the regular renewal deadline and one week before the start of the playoffs on April 16. Carl Gung, a season ticket holder for the past 20 years, doesn’t plan on renewing his tickets for next season, calling
this season “disappointing.” “Because of the way the Canucks have been going this year, they’re worried about lots of people saying ‘Oh, I’m not going to renew’, so they’re trying to get a commitment right now,” said Gung. “You’re paying $300 for a game. For $300 you can go see something more interesting.” The lack of a family-friendly environment at Canucks games also played a part in Gung’s decision to not renew his tickets, adding that season tickets are more of “an elite thing” now. Gung isn’t the only ticket holder who’s lost interest in the Canucks. Five-year season ticket holder Suraj Khera also won’t be renewing his tickets. “Too many bad management decisions have led to the breakdown of the
success of the Canucks,” he said. Khera added he plans on buying tickets from Craigslist from now on. Matt Varrick, who holds quarter-season “ice pack” tickets said the team needs direction if they want to see fans stick around. “It’s not necessarily the lack of success. It’s more of just the direction, or from my perspective, a lack of direction,” said Varrick. “It doesn’t seem like the organization and the head coach are on the same page.” According to an email addressed to season ticket holders by Canucks management, they are also offering an “early bird” prize this season and will enter five season ticket buyers into a draw for a chance to win a free season if they sign up before Mar. 28. The Canucks were not available to comment specifically on the issue.