North Shore News January 8 2016

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Homeowners reel over assessments

Value of single-family homes up 15 to 25% JANE SEYD jseyd@nsnews.com

When Jennifer Clay got her house assessment in the mail this week, she put off opening it.

more confidence in our statistical results,” Tarzwell said. “The data have been murky. This is the first time a clear and convincing difference has been demonstrated.”

Discover Magazine placed it on their list of the top 100 science stories of 2015.

While people with brain injuries tend to have

“I thought if I open it I won’t sleep, so I’ll open it tomorrow,” said Clay.

Clay, who lives in a heritage house on North Vancouver’s East Eighth Street, had a good idea what was coming. Her property is up more than 20 per cent in value this year – to over $1.4 million. That’s on top of the 10 per cent increase in value last year.

Her home is now worth quadruple what it was when she bought it 20 years go.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “I have no idea how people buy these houses.”

It’s a similar story in West Vancouver, where Peter Miller has lived in the same modest Dundarave home on Nelson Avenue for the past 25 years.

“My house is a simple old cottage, extended a bit, nothing grand,” said Miller.

In Miller’s case, the assessed value of his property jumped 25 per cent from just over $2 million in 2015 to almost $2.7 million this year.

Others in his Dundarave neighbourhood have reported similar increases – or higher.

Miller, Clay and their neighbours are among the increasing numbers of property-rich on the North Shore, whose skyrocketing

See Study’s page 5

See Strata page 4

Dundarave resident Peter Miller has seen the assessed value of his modest home jump 25 per cent from just more than $2 million in 2015 to almost $2.7

million this year. Miller, who is on a fixed income and has no plans to sell his house, wants changes to the assessment process.

PHOTO CINDY GOODMAN

GAME-CHANGER: SCIENCE JOURNAL SINGLES OUT LOCAL RESEARCH AS A TOP STORY OF 2015

Lions Gate doctor praised for trauma study

BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com

A Lions Gate Hospital psychiatrist and nuclear medicine specialist is winning high praise for a far-reaching study that could change the way we diagnose and treat patients with posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

Dr. Rob Tarzwell and a team of researchers compared more than 21,000 single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) images of brains of people clinically diagnosed with PTSD, TBI or a combination of both. They found they were able to predict with 100 per cent accuracy which condition or conditions their subjects had.

“This is the largest functional neuroimaging study in history and that allowed us to have a lot

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

COLUMNIST PAUL SULLIVAN: THE MILLIONAIRE CLUB AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE 8 l MAILBOX 9

West Van’s priciest home nears $30M JANE SEYD jseyd@nsnews.com

At the very high end of the North Shore real estate market – where multi-million-dollar mansions sport infinity pools and heated five-car garages and tear-downs go for $4 million – prices are headed in one direction: up.

Way up.

The top three property assessments this year – all in West Vancouver – are all over $26 million.

The highest assessment – an 11,000-square-foot home on the West Bay waterfront at 3330 Radcliffe Ave. – was valued at just under $30 million this year, at $29.7 million. That’s up from its value last year, of $24.2 million – a 23 per cent increase.

The second-highest assessment at 1690 Marlowe Pl. in the British Properties was worth $24.7 million this year – up from its value of $23.6 million last year and $21.3 million in 2014.

The third-highest assessment was for a $26.5-million home on the Dundarave waterfront at 2588 Bellevue Ave. – up from $24.5 million last year.

Waterfront West Vancouver mansions on streets like Radcliffe, Bellevue and Erwin Drive continue to be the most sought-after addresses for the top tier of the uber wealthy.

But assessed values often lack behind perceived market value of luxury properties. One six-bath, eight-bedroom home at 4351 Erwin e{u k[Z`[ ` ~` ^_ Z cq q[^ |Z]q[ [Z\[^zq czz^zz^_ mc o^ ~ q[^ ~{q[ Shore with a value of $23 million – is currently listed for sale at almost $43 million.

Another home at 5363 Kew Cliff Rd. – boasting a yacht garage with elevator access – didn’t even make the list of top 20 assessments in West Vancouver, but is listed for sale for almost $24 million.

The luxury real estate market has boomed in the last year, said i c i \^ x ~] n^zq pc `~om^{dz [Z\[s^ _ {^c ^zqcq^ |Z{ i \^ Hasman. In 2015, there were 119 sales of properties worth more than $5 million – the most ever, he said.

“It’s unreal,” he said. “A year ago I was selling lots in Dundarave for $2.8 to $3 million. Those same lots are now selling for over $4 million.”

Angell said wealthy buyers from China make up “over 40 per cent of our market,” in West Vancouver and closer to 70 per cent of the

Hamersley House on East Second Street is the most expensive home in the City of North Vancouver. A handful of West Van homes are among the priciest in the province, including houses on Radcliffe and Bellevue avenues and Marlowe Place. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD luxury home market. q[^ eZzq{Z`q ~] ~{q[ pc `~om^{x }{~}^{qZ^z kZq[ q[^ [Z\[^zq czz^zz^_ mc o^z k^{^ ]~o _ ~ q[^ e~ c{q~ kcq^{]{~ qu Z ^ ~] q[^ top 10 highest assessments were in the 600- to 900-block area of Beachview Drive.

The highest-assessed property in the area was a home at 828 h^c`[mZ^k e{ux mc o^_ cq ozq o _^{ rg Z Z~ u ^Z\[b~o{z cq wty Beachview with a home assessed at $8.9 million and at 650 Lowry Lane with an assessment of $8.7 million rounded out the top three. q[^ fZqj ~] ~{q[ pc `~om^{x q[^ q~} czz^zz^_ }{~}^{qZ^z q[Zz year were all single-family homes.

The highest assessment in the city went to the heritage Hamersley House at 350 East Second St. with a value of $2.4 million.

Two homes in the Tempe Heights neighbourhood at 407 and 383 Brand St. both worth approximately $2.3 million, rounded out the top three.

A Russell Hollingsworth-designed waterfront mansion at 3330 Radcliffe Ave. is West Van’s priciest home. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD

Go to nsnews.com for a map of the 30 priciest homes on the North Shore.

Strata properties not seeing double-digit increases From page 1

assessments have pushed many single-family homeowners into the million-dollar club. But Miller says that won’t do him much good because “we have no intention of selling.”

Miller and Clay aren’t alone. In many Lower Mainland communities, including both North and West Vancouver, residential properties are showing “significant increases from 2015,” said area assessor Jason Grant, with typical single-family homes showing increases of between 15 and 25 per cent. “You would have to go back to 1980 to find only two or three times that assessments have moved this much, this quickly.”

Single-family homes in the Lower Mainland “have been extremely sought after,” said Grant. In contrast, increases to strata properties have risen only between five and 10 per cent.

Increases in West Vancouver have been the most dramatic.

On average, the value of residential properties in West Vancouver is up 17 per cent this year, compared to 6.5 per cent last year. In the District of North Vancouver, average assessments are up 15.5 per cent compared to 5.3 per cent in 2015, while City of North Vancouver properties have averaged an 11 per cent increase compared to 3.3 per cent last year.

But those averages mask some significantly higher increases for owners of single-family homes.

In the city, a single-family 1950s home in the Hamilton area

worth $1.2 million last year, for instance, is worth almost $1.5 million this year, an increase of 20 per cent. A Blueridge home built in 1961 worth $895,000 last year would be worth over $1.06 million this year, an increase of 19 per cent.

Last month, B.C. Assessment sent out early notices to more than 2,130 property owners on the North Shore, warning that their assessments would be up significantly more than average for their area.

This week, assessment notices went out to all homeowners, who can also check their assessment online at bcassessment.ca.

Grant said so far B.C. Assessment has received relatively few calls about the assessment notices. “Most people are very aware of what their property is worth,” he said.

Municipal leaders say the soaring assessments are certainly creating a lot of local buzz though. “Every dinner party I go to it’s a topic of conversation,” said Coun. Craig Cameron, acting mayor for the District of West Vancouver. “You wonder where your kids are going to live.”

In response to the rising assessments, the province announced Tuesday the threshold for the full homeowner grant has been bumped up to $1.2 million from $1.1 million last year. The basic grant can reduce property taxes on an owner’s principal residence by $570. But both Miller and Clay say that won’t help them, because their properties are already above that threshold. Both also worry the spike in their assessments – over

the average for their communities – could lead to significantly higher property tax bills.

Miller doesn’t think that’s fair. “It’s paper value,” he said of the increased assessment. “It’s nothing to do with money in your pocket now.”

Municipal leaders point out that increased assessments don’t automatically translate directly into higher taxes. But District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton acknowledged for those on fixed incomes, like seniors, the high value of their property can represent a cash-flow hardship at tax time.

“There’s tons of people who are well into their fixed-income years who couldn’t see this coming,” he said. But tax deferral is one option that can help, he said.

Clay said coming up with the cash is a struggle even for those who are still working. Last year, she lost the homeowners’ grant and paid almost $900 more in taxes than the year before.

Both Miller and Clay say all levels of government need to take a serious look at what’s happening in the housing market with a view to cooling off the double-digit increases.

But Cameron Muir, chief economist for the B.C. Real Estate Association, said looking at the value of single-family homes in the most expensive areas doesn’t accurately reflect the affordability of the real estate market overall.

“The vast majority of people who are buying homes of all types are buying under $1 million,” he said.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

NEWS | A5

north shore news nsnews.com

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Doug’s mother and Antonio’s mother-in-law, Daphne Grisdale had died from cancer in July 2006 and Rob Parrott’s 10-year old daughter Julia had been battling cancer for 3 years.

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NUMBER ONE NEW YEARS RESOLUTION “I will get in amazing shape!”

Dr. Rob Tarzwell, as seen through a gamma camera used for nuclear medical imaging at Lions Gate Hospital, calls being in Discover’s top 100 stories of 2015 a career highlight.

PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD

Study’s story ranking right up there with Tesla and Pluto From page 1 decreased neuron activity and blood flow to the frontal lobes of the brain, PTSD patients have overactive segments in their lower brain structure, as revealed by SPECT images. The trouble is, both conditions tend to produce the same symptoms: decreased impulse control, amnesia, insomnia, irritability, reduced frustration tolerance, low mood and energy.

Knowing the physiological difference between the two means clinicians should be able to make much more targeted treatments, Tarzwell said. “Somebody with traumatic brain injury already has an underactive brain. You don’t want to necessarily add sedatives to the picture, whereas with PTSD, which is an anxiety disorder, sedatives can play a really important role.”

Yet, close to two-thirds of patients with TBI are put on sedatives at some point in their treatment, Tarzwell said. The research is of particular interest to doctors whose patients have suffered trauma of both kinds. “One of the groups we’re especially interested in is situations where things that damage your soul also damage your brain. These would be physical assaults, motor vehicle accidents, police

incidents, war,” he said.

Tarzwell called being in the top 20 of Discovery’s annual list a career highlight. “We were number 19 on that list this year. That felt wonderful. We’re one behind Tesla’s announcement of home battery packs so we’re in pretty good company and eight out of the top 10 were pictures from Pluto. Who knows, if it wasn’t a good planetary exploration year, we might have done even better,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever punch this high above my weight again.”

The study’s methods are replicable for most any psychiatric conditions and the database of brain images has more than 100,000 subjects to compare, meaning Tarzwell’s work could act as a new foothold in the study of neurobiology.

Using data collected at Lions Gate Hospital, Tarzwell’s next study delves into the differences in neurobiological patterns linked with bipolar and unipolar depression.

“The treatments are starkly different. In fact, the treatment for one can be dangerous for the other. That’s a clinically important question that’s never had a satisfactory resolution and a lot of patients with bipolar disorders can go 10 or more years with no proper diagnosis and end up on the wrong pathway. It’s as common as dirt,” he said.

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NEWS | A7

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Dignity for those facing despair

Formerpatient paysitforward toHOpeCentre BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com

In a time of crisis, a little comfort can go a long way.

That’s the spirit behind a series of donations being made to the HOpe Centre by a North Vancouver man who once had to contend with being committed to the psychiatric ward without so much as clothes that fit him.

Chris Watt recently dropped off more than $1,400 of donated toiletries and pyjamas for patients who often find themselves left with neither when they were booked in.

“I had some mixed emotions dropping that stuff off just because of the memories of what I had to go through,” he said.

Watt was a patient at the psych unit of Lions Gate before construction of the HOpe Centre began.

But at six-foot-five and 240 pounds, the hospital couldn’t provide anything for Watt to wear as he began his treatment for bipolar disorder.

“Bipolar people like to look very good. They like to dress well. They said, ‘Take off your clothes, you have to stay.’ I refused to put on the pyjamas because they were too small.

They were like capri shorts,” he said. “I got stuck with a needle. I woke up and cried putting on the pyjamas.”

Another of the patients in care at the time was an 18-year-old who stood six-foot-eight.

“You come to. After a week or maybe 10 days of treatment you’re walking around thinking ‘What the hell am I wearing? I’m freezing and it just doesn’t fit,’” Watt said.

With treatment and the support of his family, Watt has since righted his ship, becoming a top sales rep in his career and establishing a relationship and home in Lower Lonsdale.

He continues to collect donations for the folks who are dealing with mental illness without the supports that he had.

The plan is to make quarterly donations to make sure

See Donations page 11

Chris Watt shows on his phone the stacks of new pyjamas and toiletries he collected and recently dropped off for HOpe Centre patients with the support of his family including baby Logan, Morgan, Joanna, mom Liz and dad Steve. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

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New millionaires

W

e likely have an idea in our minds of what a millionaire looks like. He’s kicking back on a tropical beach, yelling “buy” or “sell” into a phone, sipping on a mai tai or puffing a cigar.

We probably don’t think of the old lady down the street, who’s lived forever in the same small cottage. We don’t think of the guy at the next desk at work.

But these days, they are likely as not to be the faces of the new millionaires.

The latest assessments, with increases of 15 to 25 per cent for single-family homes on the North Shore, have pushed property values into the stratosphere.

Although it’s only one part of the housing market, it has a trickle-down effect.

Being asset-rich is great – if you want to sell.

But it’s also pushing ownership

beyond the reach of a whole generation.

That has implications for communities – not to mention our traffic congestion – as people who work in our hospitals, schools and emergency services can no longer afford to live here.

It also leaves some owners who don’t want to move from their neighbourhoods struggling to pay hefty tax bills they never anticipated.

Unless we’re happy with communities made up of absentee owners, elderly and uber rich, it’s time for all levels of government to embark on a serious policy discussion.

These are sensitive and serious issues.

They’re issues that are pitting those who grew up here against newcomers, generations against each other, the haves against the have nots.

They deserve more than water cooler talk.

The Millionaire Club ain’t what it used to be

T

he property assessments are in for 2016. Hello, all you new millionaires out

there.

I’m talking about you, homeowners of Central Lonsdale, where the assessed value of your detached homes went up 22 per cent from $984,000 to $1.19 million.

Or you in the Hamilton Street area, up 24 per cent, over the million-dollar threshold to $1.15 million.

How does it feel to be sitting on more than a million bucks worth of property?

It doesn’t mean what it once did, does it? There was a time it would have been a mark of distinction.

These days, it feels more like a mark of extinction.

And I mean that literally. If your property is worth more than $1.2 million, you no longer qualify for that $570 homeowner’s grant on your property tax.

I know. Cry me a river, right?

But the real estate

North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore News a division of LMP Publication Limited Partnership and distributed to every door on the North Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40010186. Mailing rates available on request.

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Many of us are sitting in these dubious mansions waiting for the roof to fall in. Mostly that’s a metaphor for a market correction, but for some it’s a literal possibility as all available cash goes into the mortgage payment, and there’s none left for trifles like roofs and plumbing.

The North Side Paul Sullivan situation in Metro Vancouver is so cockeyed that many property millionaires can’t afford to pay a $500 tax boost.

The North Shore is just as infected by real estate disease as the rest of Metro.

Everywhere you look: millionaires. Blueridge? Up 19 per cent to $1.05 million.

Lynn Valley? $1.13 million, up 13 per cent. Of course, don’t forget Canada’s priciest postal code: the year over year average increase of 16.9 per cent in West Van is in the province’s top five.

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Peter Kvarnstrom

Sadly, most of this new wealth is kind of illusory.

If you sell and cash in, try to find comparable lodgings anywhere south of Pemberton or west of Hope.

I suppose you could move to Tumbler Ridge, where real estate values have decreased more than 30 per cent in the last year, and the average price of a home is now below $200,000 thanks to the collapse of the resource economy. Of course, you’d have to live in Tumbler Ridge.

100-126 EAST 15th STREET NORTH VANCOUVER B.C. V7L 2P9

Vicki Magnison

PUBLISHER

DIRECTOR, SALES & MARKETING

pk@glaciermedia.ca

vmagnison@nsnews.com

Direct 604-998-3523

And most of us have really done nothing to build our little piles of equity, except insist on waking up every morning (beats the alternative). When our family moved here in ’89, we bought a house in Norgate for a price that was south of $170,000. Now, houses in Norgate, if you can find one, are straddling the milliondollar mark. A million bucks gets you 1,500 square feet on a concrete slab. It’s kind of like a double-wide without the promise of mobility.

Direct 604-998-3520

Layne Christensen EDITOR

Direct 604-998-3542

lchristensen@nsnews.com

Many of us are sitting in these dubious mansions waiting for the roof to fall in.

Mostly that’s a metaphor for a market correction, but for some it’s a literal possibility as all available cash goes into the mortgage payment, and there’s none left for trifles like roofs and plumbing.

And that’s if you can afford the mortgage payment. Someday, mortgage rates are going to rise above the current ridiculously low levels, and when the time comes to renegotiate the sticker shock could kill more than one momentary millionaire.

Yep, for those of us not willing to move to Tumbler Ridge or Moose Jaw, all that lovely equity is effectively useless. You’re talking about our homes in our hometown. We don’t want to move. But, motivated by the promise of a pot of cash at the end of the rainbow, people get clever. They go out and find the next North or West Vancouver. It’s called Squamish, where you can

nsnews.com

Michelle Starr

Trixi Agrios

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

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still buy in. You’d better hurry; Squamish has already been infected by milliondollar disease — prices have gone up more than 17 per cent over last year — so if you wait much longer, you will be commuting from Pemberton.

Or you could try Vancouver Island. Just get into that three-sailing wait with all the other boomers from across Canada who want to live in a place where it’s not winter from October to May. The real estate market may be hot, but real estate is cold comfort. I get a kick out of that Millionaire Lottery jingle: Live like a Millionaire.

How’s that? Huddled in the cold because you can’t afford the heat, waiting for the plumbing to freeze or the bank to foreclose? Enjoy.

Journalist and communications consultant Paul Sullivan has been a North Van resident since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rise of Madonna. p.sullivan@breakthroughpr.com

ADMINISTRATION/ RECEPTION 604-985-2131 DISPLAY ADVERTISING 604-985-2131 display@nsnews.com REAL ESTATE ADVERTISING 604-985-6982 realestate@nsnews.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 604-630-3300 classifieds@van.net

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

NEWS | A9

north shore news nsnews.com

MAILBOX

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include your name, full address and telephone number. Send your letters via e-mail to: editor@nsnews.com The North Shore News reserves the right to edit any and/or all letters to the editor based on length, clarity, legality and content. The News also reserves the right to publish any and/or all letters electronically.

JOIN FOR US OUR

Land rich, cash poor owners struggling SENIORS

Dear Editor: Re: 2016 Assessments Going Up — Way Up, Dec. 13 news story.

It’s time for a reality check regarding the presumption of municipalities that escalating real estate prices with updated assessments should naturally result in high property taxes.

Taxes should be related to the cost of delivering services, period. Simply because incoming buyers are willing to pay three times more than a house sold for a decade ago does not mean the cost of sewers, trash collection and street maintenance have likewise risen.

Municipalities’ incessant push toward increased density triggers the need for updated infrastructure. But these costs should be responsibly tied to the increasing number of new taxpayers, and should not penalize current homeowners out in the suburbs.

Homeowners who bought years ago at lower prices, now informed their properties are worth millions, do not suddenly have more money for taxes.

Welcome to the land-rich, cash-poor paradigm. Only by selling and moving out does cash materialize. Many homeowners who wish to stay in their homes could be potentially forced out of their own communities by such tax increases.

The often heard comment that Greater Vancouver is becoming a haven for the wealthy is exacerbated by the unfair prospect of soaring taxes for incumbent homeowners.

Young families in White Rock are now deferring property taxes to simply stay in houses they own; some are resorting to reverse mortgages.

The City of Vancouver has begun to address the attitude of incoming absentee buyers who see homes as nothing more than an investment. The housing “market” is firstly a community where people dedicate their lives, hoping the same for their children.

Municipalities in California have begun to address tax-creep inequality by exempting homeowners who bought at previous lower prices. When a property sells, taxes are then raised for the new owner.

Let us hope that municipal stewards do not crumble in the face of brute market forces as ultimate authority, forcing families to move far from the neighbourhoods they helped build.

It is within the power of municipalities on the North Shore and surrounding regions to ensure fairness in property taxes.

Allen Hawirko North Vancouver

Questions linger over taller, denser proposal

Dear Editor: When city council approved the new official community plan in March 2015, a last-minute change added a special study area at the corner of Lonsdale Avenue and West 13th Street adjacent to city hall.

As stated in the OCP: “This site’s location at the southern extent of the Central Lonsdale City Centre makes it visually important in defining the city centre. This study would consider the possibility of an increase to maximum building height at this location.”

This was as a result of a proposal

by Hollyburn, which reads in part “... we have found that the mix of uses and density for this site in the 2014 OCP is appropriate. We also believe that the city should allow more height flexibility.”

A new proposal from Hollyburn was submitted in September 2015.

The mayor and council subsequently directed the city planner “to process the development application with a density bonus and transfer.” More density — not just height.

Hollyburn’s 19-floor proposal is 70 feet higher (60 per cent greater) than the OCP maximum height of 120 feet.

The design has a floor space ratio of 4.86, which is 22 per cent over the OCP. The city has conveniently offered to sell a density transfer of 23,713 square feet

to Hollyburn to support this proposal.

Why is a density increase being considered when Hollyburn originally said that the density in the OCP “was appropriate”?

Is the city operating at arm’s length in supporting a density increase given that the density is being transferred from the city hall site?

How is this study to be done? The city planner intends to “review and refine the building design, including the fine grained retail character on Lonsdale.” Is this sufficient to ensure that the end result is “visually important” in defining the city centre?

What solutions are proposed to address the increased traffic congestion at the intersection of 13th Street and Lonsdale Avenue?

Is taller really better? Is increased density at this intersection better?

Will alternate building designs, which conform to the OCP, be considered?

There is merit in putting this site under study due to its location next to our award-winning city hall and the Prescott and Centreview developments.

Hollyburn will be presenting its proposal at an information session on Jan. 12. Let’s all make sure that Hollyburn and the city fully meet the intent of the special study area.

Jim Nicholson North Vancouver

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Come learn more about the Enhanced Programs being offered at our secondary schools including Academies, French Immersion and International Baccalaureate.

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A10 | NEWS

nsnews.com north shore news

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

INQUIRING REPORTER: Are you affected by the recent property assessment increases?

On the North Shore, typical single-family homes are showing increases of between 15 and 25 per cent, according to area assessor Jason Grant with B.C. Assessment. The financial strain is enough to make some homeowners lose sleep. For seniors there is a bit of a reprieve, as they are allowed to defer their property taxes at a small interest rate until the home sells. For other property owners, they may be left pulling their hair out for the time being. What do you think? Weigh in at nsnews.com.

— Maria Spitale-Leisk

Jessica (with Bea) Metcalfe North Vancouver

“No, we are not affected.

We live in a small, older apartment.”

David Wilder Vancouver

“Not as much as I thought we would be because the increase was only in the order of four per cent.”

Randy Fraser North Vancouver

“Not directly. It’s not hitting my pocketbook. Owning a condo, it’s not affecting me.”

Mike Dundee North Vancouver

“I’m trying to figure out if (my) increase is typical or more than the average.”

WHAT A DIFFERENCE

Peter Smith North Vancouver

“Over the last six years it’s gone down substantially, and now it’s halfway back. It’s absolutely a concern.”

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

NEWS | A11

northshorenews nsnews.com

Donations of new clothing accepted

NVmanbreakssecuritiesrules

there’s always a supply available as new patients start their treatment.

“What I’d really love to get is shoes. I’d love to get new jeans and T-shirts,” said Watt.

“Some people are in there for 30 days or two months. They’re homeless.

They don’t have family members. They’re given clothes that don’t fit them,” he said. “They need to look good. They need to feel good about themselves.

That’s half the battle once you get out. There’s a lot of shame when you come out of there.”

More than offering some comfort and confidence back to people in treatment, Watt said he hopes his story will inspire others who face despair while facing mental illness.

“You have to eat. You have to sleep and you have to take your medication. If you do that, you’re going to be OK. There is a road you have to travel,” he said.

“You can succeed with a mental disorder. You can do it. You just need to work hard and find support and have some goals.”

Donations of new clothes can be made by contacting Watt at chris.watt@localsphere.com.

A North Vancouver man previously fined for stock manipulation has been found guilty of breaking securities regulations again through unreported insider trading.

Todd Talbot and Wayne Cox

From page 7

Securities panel imposes $800K penalty for insider trading JANE SEYD jseyd@nsnews.com

A B.C. Securities Commission panel found Mark Aaron McLeary failed to report his trading in shares of both Silver Sun Resource Corp. and Newton Gold Corp. when he was the chief executive officer and director of those publicly traded companies.

McLeary bought and sold shares in the companies both through Canadian trading accounts and a Panamanian account that he set up specifically to conceal his trading activity, according to the securities commission.

McLeary hired a Panamanian law company to set up a company in 2010, then opened a trading account under that corporation’s name. McLeary’s own name was never attached to the trading account, although he confirmed to securities commission staff that he had trading authority over it.

Rock slide closes Hwy 99 near Horseshoe Bay A rock slide on Highway 99 near Horseshoe Bay damaged three westbound vehicles and temporarily halted traffic early Wednesday morning.

Debris spilled onto the highway around 1:30 a.m., just south of Ansell Place. Snowplow trucks quickly removed rocky debris from the section of highway and south and northbound lanes were reopened after a 45-minute closure.

Sonia Lowe, a ministry of transportation spokeswoman, said the incident is suspected to be weather related and a geotechnical assessment of the area is currently underway. “The rock mesh and catchment area at this location contained the majority of the rockfall with a small amount of rocks spilling over into the northbound slow lane,” she said.

Cpl. Jag Johal, of the West Vancouver Police Department’s traffic section, said police and partner agencies will be conducting periodic highway checks to ensure motorist have proper winter tires when travelling north of Horseshoe Bay or up Cypress Mountain.

– Justin Beddall

McLeary also acknowledged in a hearing into the case that he paid substantially more to trade through the Panamanian account than he would have through a Canadian account.

The regulator found McLeary had made between 105 and 125 unreported trades. While he was secretly trading Silver Sun shares through the offshore account in 2011, McLeary was issuing press releases about the company’s business activities at the same time, said the commission.

The panel added McLeary set up the Panamanian trading account at a time when he knew he was under investigation by the commission on another securities matter.

Earlier this year, McLeary was banned from capital markets and fined almost $900,000 by the securities commission after being found guilty of deliberately manipulating the share price of a mineral company, Sungro Minerals, along with two U.S. citizens, in 2009.

Sungro was traded on the United States Overthe-Counter Bulletin Board penny stock market, which is considered much riskier than trading on regular stock markets because of the comparative ease with which very small share prices can be manipulated with a small amount of either hype or negative commentary.

The securities panel found that at the start of the

trading period, Sungro had only $299 in assets. Despite there being “no real change in its prospects and no news that would justify significant increases,” over a 13-day period shares increased in value from 45 cents to a high of $4.75 on a high volume of trading.

The commission found the three men were involved in heavily promoting the shares on an online investors’ message board and on an investor website.

As of November, that fine – including more than $91,000 made as a result of the misconduct, plus an $800,000 penalty – remained unpaid.

No penalty has been determined yet for failing to report the insider trading.

Best Wishes for Health and Happiness in 2016 I look forward to serving you, and to contributing our west coast perspective to the national dialogue in Ottawa.

PAM GOLDSMITH-JONES Member of Parliament Parliamentary Secretary, Foreign Affairs

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A12 | COMMUNITY

nsnews.com north shore news

BRIGHTLIGHTS!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

by Cindy Goodman

North Shore Group holiday party Members of the North Shore Group gathered for their annual Christmas party at North Vancouver’s Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier, Dec. 6, 2015. The singles group brings together business and professional people who are either single, divorced, widowed or separated and offers an opportunity for them to meet and enjoy new friends with common interests. Group members ages 55+ participate in a variety of social events throughout the year, including golf, fine dining, house parties, theatre-going, card and game nights, and outdoor adventures. New members are always welcome, visit northshoregroup.ca.

President Heather Woolstone, vice-president David Sykes and past-president Jill Hossie

Joan Bell and Laurette Koscica

Cecile Wright, Dick Butler, Patricia McDonald and Hilda Hamilton

Ray Marsh, Fran Alex, Elisabeth Simon and Jim Johnston

Kathleen Ens, Linda Goodall and Joan McGrath

Lorna Olson, Walter Rochford and Caroline Vickery

Marge Barnes and Anne Delage

Please direct requests for event coverage to: emcphee@nsnews.com. For more Bright Lights photos, go to: nsnews.com/community/bright-lights

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

| A13

north shore news nsnews.com

Your North Shore Guide to arts & culture CALENDAR 14 l THE REVENANT 16 l PRESENTATION HOUSE GALLERY: MY HOUSE 18

Judson Beaumont

Thinking outside the box

! Serious Fun, an exhibition of acclaimed woodwork artist Judson Beaumont’s wacky furniture designs, at the Gordon Smith Gallery, 2121 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, Jan. 13 to Feb. 27.

MARIA SPITALE-LEISK mspitale-leisk@nsnews.com

World famous woodwork artist Judson Beaumont earned his accolades — and celebrity status in Asia — by going against the grain in making his eccentric, cartoony furniture.

“Why can’t a piece furniture be a sculpture?” questioned Beaumont during his early art school days.

By thinking outside of the box and injecting levity into his designs, Beaumont’s quirky conversation pieces have been installed all over the world, from a departures area at Vancouver International Airport, to a children’s hospital in New York, to a shopping mall in Hong Kong to San Diego’s world famous zoo, to the deck of a Disney cruise ship.

One look at Beaumont’s whimsy furniture and immediately images of Toontown’s screwy sculptures or the animated grandfather clock in Beauty and the Beast come to mind.

A miniature aluminum airstream trailer for pets, a peeled back tuna can bench seat, and a sultry, curvy chest of drawers in lipstick red are among his eclectic works, which have been featured in an equally eclectic range of publications from the New York Times to National Inquirer.

Locally Beaumont’s handiwork can be found in the children’s section of Big Apple 2 the North Vancouver City

by Judson Beaumont.

Library, a large leafy tree adorned with a small door and windows recreated from the pages of a storybook.

He is an accidental artist — his father, unbeknownst to Beaumont, signed him up for sculpture and other art classes at Capilano College.

“I was literally delivering pizzas in North Van and washing cars for a living,” recalls Beaumont of his life in the late 1970s.

He never considered himself a conventional artist, but Beaumont always “loved woodworking.”

“I was a typical kid, there wasn’t Internet back then, you

See Wacky page 23

Serious Fun at the Gordon Smith Gallery showcases Judson Beaumont’s original works, some prototypes and a lot of sketches Jan. 13 to Feb. 27. PHOTOS MIKE WAKEFIELD

A14 | PULSE ENTERTAINMENT

nsnews.com north shore news FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

ARTSCALENDAR

THIS WEEK Sculpture

Email information for your North Shore event to listings@nsnews.com

PARVIZ TANAVOLI West Vancouver sculptor profiled in The Guardian on Jan. 1: “Parviz Tanavoli: Iranian artist who made something out of nothing.”

Tanavoli, who splits his year between West Van, Tehran and Dubai, currently has his work on display at London’s Tate Modern in The World Goes Pop exhibition, highlighting the influence of pop art outside the western world.

Mixed media CONNIE SABO The City Atrium Gallery presents an exhibition of works created entirely out of newspaper by Connie Sabo from Jan. 12 to April 11.

Artist talk: Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 12:45 p.m.

Painting PETER ASPELL West Vancouver Museum presents Peter Aspell: Saints and Sinners, Mystics and Madness Jan. 13 to March 26. Opening Reception: January 12, 7 to 9 p.m. The exhibition is produced in collaboration with the Richmond Art Gallery (RAG), where a second exhibition, Peter Aspell: The Mad Alchemist, runs from Jan. 23 to April 3, 2016 (opening reception on Jan. 22, 7 to 9 p.m.) at the RAG.

Film CANADA’S TOP TEN FILM FESTIVAL Pacific Cinémathèque hosts Canada’s Top Ten films of 2015, chosen by two panels — one for features, one for shorts — of Canadian filmmakers and film industry professionals Jan. 8 to 17. The series opens tonight at 8 p.m. with an introduction by director Mina Shum and producer Selwyn Jacob and a screening of Shum’s film Ninth Floor, followed by a Q&A moderated by Sturla Gunnarsson.

HICKORY DICKORY DOCK The SMP Dramatic Society presents Hickory Dickory Dock, a panto by Luke Reilly, featuring Kathryn Ferguson, Sadie Bond, Bruce Blackwell and Emily Duholke, at St. Martin’s Hall, 195 East Windsor Rd., North Vancouver, Jan. 14 to 30. Tickets (adults - $21, seniors- $18 and kids - $14) are available at smpdramatics.com. PHOTO CINDYGOODMAN

HOLD YOUR FIRE North Vancouver filmmaker Helen Slinger’s TV documentary, which examines the fatal shootings of mentally ill people by police, airs on CBC TV’s Firsthand on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 9 p.m.

VANCOUVER ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL Vancity Theatre celebrates Italy’s unparalleled movie heritage Jan. 8 to 14. For full schedule visit viff.org.

– John Goodman

See more page 20

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A16 | FILM

nsnews.com north shore news FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

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Leonardo DiCaprio stars as frontiersman Hugh Glass in Alejandro G. Inarritu’s epic biographical western, The Revenant, set in 1823 Montana and South Dakota. PHOTO SUPPLIED

REVIEW: THE REVENANT

Survivalist tale pushes the limits ! The Revenant.

Directed by Alejandro Inarritu. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.

Rating: 8 (out of 10) JULIE CRAWFORD Contributing writer

According to reports, The Revenant shoot – which took place in remote tracts of Alberta and Argentina – was an endurance test for actors and crew alike.

It’s also a gauntlet thrown down for Academy voters: DiCaprio has been nominated five times for such performances as The Aviator, Blood Diamond and The Wolf of Wall Street. Here the actor throws blood, sweat, tears and everything else he has into the role of Hugh Glass, as if daring Academy members not to hand him the statuette this time ‘round.

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company being set upon by Arikara Indians, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubekzi’s stunning landscapes suddenly and harshly punctuated with arrows and soiled with mud and the blood of humans and animals.

Glass survives the attack (no spoiler: it’d be a short film, otherwise) but catches another bad break when he is torn apart by a grizzly bear.

Instructed by their superior (Domhnall Gleeson)

See Men page 24

PARK&TILFORD 333 Brooksbank Ave., North Vancouver, 604-985-3911 AlvinandtheChipmunks:The Road Chip (G) — Fri, Mon 7:15; Sat 12:15, 2:45, 4:55, 7:15; Sun 2:45, 4:55, 7:15; Tue 4:50, 7:15 p.m. Thur 1 p.m.

Sisters (14A) — Fri 6:45; Sat-Sun 12:45, 3:30, 6:45; Mon, Wed 6:50; Tue 3:45, 6:50 p.m.

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PACIFICCINEMATHEQUE 1131 Howe St #200, Vancouver, 604-688-8202 Canada’sTopTenFilmFestival:Opening night reception tonight at 8 p.m. with introduction by director Mina Shum and producer Selwyn Jacob and screening of Ninth Floor, followed by a Q&A session moderated

by Sturla Gunnarsson.

For more information visit thecinematheque. ca/canadas-top-ten-film-festival.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

| A17

northshorenews nsnews.com

FI

A R A R E CO L L E C T I O N O F WAT E R F R O N T H O M E S A limited collection of townhome and apartment residences has come to the North Vancouver waterfront, alongside magniďŹ cent Cates Park and near charming Deep Cove.

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A18 | ARTS & CULTURE

nsnews.com north shore news FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

My House explores a raw, manic ethos Presentation House Gallery brings together two artists bent on shaking things up

! My House: Mike Kelley and Ryan Trecartin, runs until March 3 at Presentation House Gallery, 333 Chesterfield Ave., North Vancouver. Tobin Gibson, exhibition curator, and Mary Clare Stevens, executive director of the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, will speak Friday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. Opening reception to follow at 8 p.m.

CHRISTINE LYON clyon@nsnews.com

Mike Kelley lived and worked in Los Angeles from 1976 until his death in 2012 and Ryan Trecartin moved to the Southern California metropolis in 2010, a few years after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design.

The two contemporary artists are from different generations, but both of their bodies of work are heavily informed by the ethos of L.A. and explore topical themes in American culture.

For Kelley, the post-Vietnam War period, and for Trecartin, the years after 9/11, created an atmosphere ripe for commentary on a country in the midst of social, economic and political change.

The two artists are further bound by their shared interest in music and creative collaboration.

Presentation House Gallery is currently exhibiting a selection of works, mainly video art, by Kelley and Trecartin which highlight their points of view. Guest curated by Tobin Gibson, the title of the show, My House, alludes to an archetype in dream symbolism and psychoanalytic practice.

“There was a kind of fascination that I wanted to bring

See Kelley page 20

Ryan Trecartin used a Handycam with a night-vision lens to shoot Junior War. The video is on view as part of the current exhibit at Presentation House Gallery. PHOTO SUPPLIED PRESENTATION HOUSE GALLERY

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A20 | ARTS & CULTURE

nsnews.com north shore news FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

Downton Abbey Service Sunday January 10, 2016 • 10 am

ARTSCALENDAR

Email information for your North Shore event to listings@nsnews.com

From page 14

Galleries

St. David’s United Church 1525 Taylor Way, West Vancouver www.stdavidsunited.com

FERRY BUILDING GALLERY 1414 Argyle Ave., West Vancouver. Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays. 604-925-7290 ferrybuildinggallery.com Wit & Whimsy: A mixed media exhibition with Sharon Greig, Lisa Klepak, Saul Miller and Isabelle Procter will run from Jan. 12 to 31. Opening reception: Tuesday, Jan. 12, 6-8 p.m. Meet the artists: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2-3 p.m.

GORDON SMITH GALLERY OF CANADIAN ART 2121 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver. Wednesday-Friday, noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Adult admission by donation/ children free. 604-998-8563 info@smithfoundation.ca Family Day: Families are invited to explore exhibitions, take part in art discoveries and use interactive “discovery” tables to learn more about the gallery Saturday, Jan. 9 from noon to 5 p.m.

Serious Fun with Judson Beaumont: Playful sculptural furniture will be on display Wednesday, Jan. 13, 7-9 p.m.

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PRESENTATION HOUSE GALLERY 333 Chesterfield Ave., North Vancouver. Wednesday-Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 604-986-1351 presentationhousegallery.org My House: An exhibition that brings together the work of artists Mike Kelley and Ryan Trecartin will be on display until March 3.

There will be a discussion on Mike Kelley Friday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. followed by an opening reception at 8 p.m.

SEYMOUR ART GALLERY 4360 Gallant Ave., North Vancouver. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. 604-9241378 seymourartgallery.com Line: An annual juried “Discovery” exhibition for new and emerging artists until Jan. 30. Reception and award presentation: Sunday, Jan. 10, 2-4 p.m. Poetry meets art: Sunday, Jan. 17, 2-4 p.m.

Curator’s Talk: Every Thursday at noon there will be a 20-minute curator’s talk with background on the current show in the gallery.

Concerts CENTENNIAL THEATRE 2300 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver. 604-984-4484 centennialtheatre.com Dolate Eshgh — Reign of Love: The Vashaan Ensemble will perform joyful and memorable traditional Persian songs Saturday, Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $27.50-$52.50.

DEEP COVE COFFEE HOUSE Mount Seymour United Church, 1200 Parkgate Ave., North Vancouver. 604-363-5370 jane@nsrj.ca Keith Bennett will perform Friday, Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. and warm-up acts start at 7:30 p.m. Admission: $10 which includes coffee and goodies.

See more page 24

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Kelley worked in an array of genres From page 18 forward when contextualizing their works together,” Gibson explains.

Viewers enter the exhibit through the centre gallery where Kelley is on display. The artist worked in an array of genres and styles, including performance, installation, drawing, painting, video, photography, sound, text, and sculpture. Gibson selected four of his works – three video-based and one silkscreen on aluminum print.

Meanwhile, Trecartin, who is best known for his sculptural work and video art, occupies the east and west galleries. Two of his movies are paired in each space.

The entire exhibit spans the decades, from the early 1980s to the last few years.

“So it paints an interesting overview in how these artists have been working with ideas around social institutions as well as working with new technologies and animations at the time to further complexify their works and to add other esthetic layers to the unusual content that they play with,” Gibson says.

In one room, visitors can watch Trecartin’s Junior War (2013), paired with one of his most well-regarded early works A Family Finds Entertainment (2004).

“They both centre around activities of a party and a debaucherous social atmosphere,” Gibson says.

The Kelley selections offer a broad representation of his long career. Visitors can watch his first solo video project, The Banana Man (1983), as well as Kappa (1986), a collaboration with artists Bruce and Norman Yonemoto. The ’80s films are being shown on monitors with headphones, while Kelley’s more recent Day is Done (2005-06) is projected on the back wall with the audio played out on speakers.

At the same time, Trecartin’s movies are being shown on screens with headphones while a “dim, ambient” soundtrack meant to further tie together the content plays in the space.

Familiar themes recur in the narratives of both artists’ work.

“There are very close ties in looking at institutions, such as high school or family or corporations, and how those things penetrate our thinking and how we exist in the world,” Gibson says.

For those used to visiting galleries to look at paintings on the wall, My House might be overwhelming, Gibson admits, but feeling challenged by the art is part of the experience.

“I think it really supports the ideas in the artists’ work which are dealing with very difficult topics of social and cultural value and things that should be looked at despite how strange they may seem at first.”

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

north shore news nsnews.com

Your North Shore Guide to fashion & style

| A21

look

Escape the winter chill in European style West Van boutique collaborates with French designer

CHRISTINE LYON clyon@nsnews.com

It’s January and, as you’d expect, clothing stores are well stocked with cozy sweaters, pea coats, leather boots and all manner of wooly accessories.

While couture designers may have debuted their spring/summer 2016 collections last fall, it’s a few weeks yet before retailers start bringing in lighter fare for the warm-weather months. The traditional fashion industry calendar poses a shopping predicament for those lucky enough to escape the winter chill and head to sunnier destinations this season: where to find hot climate apparel?

For jet-setters who don’t have summer gear tucked away in their closets and aren’t handy with a sewing machine, the answer lies in resort wear. A relatively recent branch of the fashion industry, resort wear is a specialized clothing category that doesn’t adhere to the annual fashion cycle.

Available in the dead of winter, these collections cater to vacationers heading to tropical and desert locations.

West Vancouver familyrun boutique LeslieJane

Pina Kingman models a casual top and pants by La Bottega di Brunella ($258 and $270, respectively), a pendant necklace by Effie Baker Designs ($410), Super Sunglasses in Primo Green ($336), Gianluca leather sandals ($128) and a market bag by Le Voyage en Panier ($68), all available at LeslieJane in Ambleside.

PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD

has amassed a substantial following of travellers in the few years it’s been carrying resort clothing. In fact, most of the store’s regular

customers are out of town right now – some of them for weeks at a time.

“Our clients are going to Mexico, going to North

Africa, going to the South of France, Hawaii – so what are they going to wear?” says owner Paul Giesbrecht.

In addition to the store’s

regular women’s wear offerings, he’s curated a selection of destination pieces by European designers including Manuelle

Guibal (France), La Bottega di Brunella (Italy) and 120% Lino (Italy). This

See Keep page 22

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A22 | LOOK

nsnews.com north shore news

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Keep your cool with linen

FASHION FILE CUT-A-THON FOR REFUGEES Eight salons in Greater Vancouver, including The Dye Lot and Joy Hair Studio in North Vancouver, have joined forces for a one-day fundraising event on Jan. 18 to benefit refugees through the Immigrant Services Society of B.C. For a minimum $35 donation, hairstylists at the participating salons will volunteer their time giving haircuts for the cause. The fundraiser is being presented by the Vancouver Hairstylist Community. Credit card payments only. Contact a participating salon to book an appointment. the-dye-lot.com joyhairstudio.com LIONS GATE QUILTERS GUILD meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s and St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church, 2641 Chesterfield Ave., North Vancouver. New members welcome. 604-926-7098 or lionsgatequiltersguild.com NORTH SHORE NEEDLE ARTS GUILD Needlework/embroidery, both traditional and modern, is enthusiastically enjoyed and shared by a friendly group every second Thursday of the month at St. Martin’s Anglican Church Hall, 195 East Windsor Rd. North Vancouver. Beginners welcome. 604-990-9122 THRIFTY CHIC The Thrift Shop at Mount Seymour United Church (1200 Parkgate Ave.) is open Thursdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Half price sale on selected goods every week. mtseymourunited.com Compiled by Christine Lyon Fashion File is a weekly column. Priority is given to North Shore events and organizations. Send your info as early as possible to clyon@nsnews.com.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

From page 21

year, LeslieJane actually co-designed the Manuelle Guibal Resort Collection, hand-picking colours and styles exclusive to the Ambleside boutique.

When selecting a colour palate for this collaborative collection, Giesbrecht drew inspiration from Pantone’s 2016 colours of the year: Rose Quartz (a soft pink) and Serenity (baby blue with a touch of purple). “That’s the big thing this year, apparently,” he says.

And when it comes to fabrics, linen is king in the resort wear world.

It’s light-weight, breathable and packs exceptionally well.

“Because it has that natural texture to it, it travels well, because you can pull it out of a ball and put it on and the heat of your body will steam it, basically,” Giesbrecht says.

Meanwhile, nautical motifs remain a popular vacation look and “scale” pieces are also popular. Look for comfy oversized garments that offer versatility of wear.

“There’s a lot of play on scale and proportion,” Giesbrecht says.

A Manuelle Guibal mini tank dress ($608), co-designed by LeslieJane, paired with jewelry by Effie Baker Designs ($160$265) and Super Sunglasses in America Francis Goffrato ($336) creates a chic holiday look. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD

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ARTS & CULTURE | A23

north shore news nsnews.com

Wacky furniture a big draw for kids From page 13

had to get out and make your own fun,” says Beaumont.

Like most younger siblings, Beaumont looked up to his older brother, the woodworker, who was always making something, go-karts or a tree fort. So Beaumont also got busy with his hands.

Fast-forward to Beaumont’s college sculpture class where he met an open-minded teacher who said he could create whatever he wanted for a project.

Until then Beaumont had always assumed in order to design or build anything, you had to read a set of instructions from a book or magazine. That it was only someone else’s idea that he could bring to life.

From that day forward Beaumont armed himself with one hard-and-fast rule for his art.

“My rule is: if you can draw it and design it — you can build it,” he says.

Beaumont went on to graduate from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design’s 3-D division. At the time he decided he was going to be a minimalist artist, crafting hard-edged, geometrical, straight pieces. He even named his company Straight Line Designs Inc., which is ironic now given his current twisted design style.

“After five years of that I got really bored and thought, ‘There has got to be more than this,’” says Beaumont. “I wanted people to look at my stuff and go, ‘How did he make that?’ You go, ‘I can’t believe that furniture is taking a pee, or melting into the floor.’”

Beaumont bends the rules and says some people don’t get his art. Going back to his college days, Beaumont has dealt with a lot of critics.

“There’s always the negative stuff: ‘Judson makes all this furniture, it’s all outrageous.

Why would anyone want it?’” says Beaumont reiterating some past criticisms. “That kind of spurred me on to prove them wrong.”

You could say Beaumont got the last laugh, considering his international success.

In 2013 Beaumont was flown first class to Hong Kong where a whole shopping mall had been dedicated to celebrating his art.

“It was like Wizard of Oz meets Judson Beaumont,” he describes.

As he walked down the corridors Beaumont was greeted by his furniture placed in comical situations, lifting weights or coming out of a hole in the ground. He says he was treated like

Cracked Cabinet by Judson Beaumont.

royalty during that visit and was asked to sign many autographs.

“The kids dressed up as my furniture,” recalls Beaumont. “It was very emotional.”

A big kid himself, Beaumont says it’s “very satisfying” to see children playing on his sculptures, “shrieking and having fun.” Some kids, while waiting for their flight, jump around on Beaumont’s lighthouse-inspired play area at the airport.

For other youngsters, those with serious health problems at B.C. Children’s Hospital, Beaumont created a large castle façade around an MRI machine that transports tiny patients to an enchanted land where suffering is non-existent.

“To me it was letting the kids use their imagination, maybe playing hide and seek and having a sword fight,” says Beaumont.

For three decades Beaumont has conceived and brought his designs to life from a studio housed in an old East Vancouver building with a lot of character, a one-time furniture factory, nestled in an artists’ hub and the heart of the annual Culture Crawl.

He rises around 5 a.m. every morning

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For three decades Beaumont has conceived and brought his designs to life from a studio housed in an old East Vancouver building with a lot of character, a one-time furniture factory, nestled in an artists’ hub and the heart of the annual Culture Crawl. PHOTOS MIKE WAKEFIELD and starts each day with a blank piece paper in front of him. Beaumont says he can be inspired by anything, including the mundane: the way the wood is stacked in his shop for example. That wood is sourced from all over, but Beaumont is a big fan of alder, because it’s native to B.C. and has few knots, making for a clean canvas.

Beaumont works alongside a small team of artists who each make their specialized mark on the furniture projects because, as Beaumont explains, the quality is better this way.

Starting Jan. 13 the public will have an opportunity to learn more about Beaumont’s process as an artist, as the Gordon Smith Gallery hosts a new exhibition honouring Beaumont, called Serious Fun.

“I take what I do very seriously,” explains Beaumont of the show’s oxymoronic title. “It’s not easy because it’s cartoony. It’s a lot harder to make things melt, bend, twist and explode.”

Beaumont is especially encouraging kids to come to the exhibition and open the wacky furniture drawers and get inside his head as an artist. Serious Fun will showcase Beaumont’s original works, some prototypes and a lot of sketches.

“Because kids don’t draw anymore, they use computers,” says Beaumont. “Very few own sketch pads. I’m old-school but I think sketching is very important. I’ve never seen anyone who can take a computer and start randomly doodling. The freedom of the pencil and a piece of paper… it’s a wonderful thing.”

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A24 | ARTS & CULTURE

nsnews.com north shore news FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

ARTSCALENDAR

Email information to listings@nsnews.com

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Thursday’s Pot Roast. Friday & Saturday- Prime Rib. Sunday - Turkey. Weekends & holidays, our acclaimed Eggs Benny.

Open for lunch or dinner, 7 days a week.

CHINESE Neighbourhood Noodle House www.neighbourhoodnoodlehouse.com 1352 Lonsdale Avenue, N. Van. | 604-988-9885 We offer the best variety and quality Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese cuisine with no MSG or additives at a very affordable price. Family owned and operated for over 18 years. Conveniently MSG located in central Lonsdale.

Woon Lee Inn www.woonleeinn.com 604-986-3388 3751 Delbrook Ave., North Vancouver

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SEAFOOD C-Lovers Fish & Chips www.c-lovers.com Marine Drive @ Pemberton, N. Van. | 604-980-9993 6640 Royal Ave., Horseshoe Bay, W. Van. | 604-913-0994 The best fish & chips on the North Shore!

Montgomery’s Fish & Chips International Food Court, Lonsdale Quay Market, N. Van. | 604-929-8416 The fastest growing Fish & Chips on the North Shore.

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Thai PudPong Restaurant www.thaipudpong.com 1474 Marine Drive, W. Van. | 604-921-1069 West Vancouver’s original Thai Restaurant. Serving authentic Thai cuisine. Open Monday-Friday for lunch. 7 days a week for dinner.

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WEST COAST

The Observatory $$$$ www.grousemountain.com Grouse Mtn, 6400 Nancy Greene Way, N. Van. | 604-998-4403 A thrilling and epicurean experience 3700’ on Grouse Mountain above the twinkling lights of Vancouver.

FRENCH $$$

Pier 7 restaurant + bar $$$ www.pierseven.ca 25 Wallace Mews, N. Van. | 604-929-7437 Enjoy dining literally ON the waterfront with our inspired West Coast boat-to-table choices & extensive wine list. We’ve got 5 TV’s so you’ll never miss a game. Brunch until 2:30 weekends & holidays.

The Lobby Restaurant at the Pinnacle Hotel $$$ www.pinnaclepierhotel.com 138 Victory Ship Way, N. Van. | 604-973-8000 Inspired by BC’s natural abundance of fabulous seafood & the freshest of ingredients, dishes are prepared to reflect west coast cuisine.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner & late night lounge, 7 days/week. Live music Fridays 8 - 11 pm.

WATERFRONT DINING

INDIAN Handi Cuisine of India www.handicuisineofindia.ca 1579 Bellevue Avenue, W. Van. | 604-925-5262 A North Shore News Reader’s Choice 2006 Winner, offering Authentic Indian Cuisine.

Open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week.

Weekend buffet, free delivery.

Haida Sandwich www.haidasandwich.com Haida Sandwich 121 East 15th, North Vancouver | 604-971-6021 Bored of the same old sandwich?

Famously BIG hot & cold sandwiches.

Or try the loaded pizzas, choice of 8 salads & fresh juice to go. Open late 7 days /week. Catering available.

THAI

FINE DINING

Chez Michel www.chezmichelvancouver.com 1373 Marine Drive (2nd flr), W. Van. | 604-926-4913 For over 36 years, Chez Michel has delighted guests with his Classic French cuisine. Seafood & meat entrees, a superb selection of wines & a decadent dessert list. Superior service with a waterfront view completes an exemplary lunch or dinner experience.

From page 20

SANDWICHES

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The MarinaSide Grill www.marinasidegrill.com 1653 Columbia Street, N. Van. (Under 2nd Narrows Bridge) | 604-988-0038 Waterfront dining over looking Lynnwood Marina under Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.

Open every day at 8 am. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Brunch weekends and holidays serving eggs benny to juicy burgers, hot scallop salad, clam chowder. Happy Hour everyday from 3 - 5 pm.

Free parking.

PUB The Black Bear Neighbhourhood Pub $$ www.blackbearpub.com 1177 Lynn Valley Road, N. Van. | 604.990.8880 “Your Favourite North Shore Pub” 18 years running.

We do great food, not fast food.

Full Take-Out menu. Reserve your party of 15-30 ppl except Friday’s.

Monday night Trivia.

Sailor Hagar’s Neighbourhood Pub $$ www.sailorhagarspub.com 86 Semisch Avenue, N. Van. | 604-984-3087 Bargain Fare ($5-8) Spectacular view of Vancouver harbour & city, enjoy great food in a Brew Pub atmosphere. 18 Inexpensive ($9-12) beers on tap including our own 6 craft-brews.

Happy Hour Specials Every Day 11 am – 6 pm!

Moderate ($13-15) Satellite sports, pool table, darts & heated patio.

Fine Dining ($15-25) www.villagetaphouse.com 900 Main Street, Village at Park Royal, W. Van. | 604-922-8882 Live Music Sports Facebook Start with a comfortable room, a giant fireplace, add 20 ice cold brews on tap, really damn good food, some awesome events, & the most Happy Hour Wifi Wheelchair Accessible personable group of folks you’ll ever meet…welcome to the Tap House!

To appear in this Dining Guide email arawlings@nsnews.com

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DEEP COVE SHAW THEATRE 4360 Gallant Ave., North Vancouver.

Fundraising Concert for First Impressions Theatre: Babe Gurr will perform with her full band Saturday, Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. Admission: $30.

Tickets: 604-929-9345 or firstimpressionstheatre.com.

LYNN VALLEY COMMUNITY ROOM 1277 Lynn Valley Rd., North Vancouver.

Friday Night Live: An improv comedy variety show for all ages every Friday at 7:30 p.m. Schedule: Jan. 15, Camillo the Magician; Jan. 22, Illiteratty (folk band); Jan. 29, Beverley Elliott (singer, actor and storyteller); Feb. 5, musical improv; and Feb. 12, Sandra-Mae (valentine jazz). Tickets: $10 at the door.

MOUNT SEYMOUR UNITED CHURCH 1200 Parkgate Ave., North Vancouver.

City Soul Choir will perform a fundraising concert hosted by the cycling team Deep Cove Divas Friday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a silent auction and social following the show. Admission: $20/$10. All proceeds will go to the BC Cancer Foundation.

Theatre CAPILANO UNIVERSITY PERFORMING ARTS THEATRE 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver. 604-990-7810 capilanou.ca/ blueshorefinancialcentre/ In a Blue Moon: A love story about finding home in unexpected places Friday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $41/$37/$20.

KAY MEEK CENTRE 1700 Mathers Ave., West Vancouver. 604-981-6335 kaymeekcentre. com The Dream Song of Olaf Asteson: Eurythmy Northwest will present an ancient Norwegian folk saga of the Holy Nights Saturday, Jan. 9, 7:30-9 p.m. Tickets: $20/$15.

Seeds: A retelling of the legal battle between a Saskatchewan farmer and an international bio-tech giant Jan. 19-21 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $50/$39/$25.

ST. MARTIN’S HALL 195 East Windsor Rd., North Vancouver.

Hickory Dickory Dock: The SMP Dramatic Society will perform its annual pantomime Jan. 14-16, 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees Jan. 16, 23 and 30 at 2 p.m. Admission: $21/$18/$14. Tickets: 604-767-0665 or smpdramatics.com.

Other events WEST VANCOUVER MEMORIAL LIBRARY 1950 Marine Dr., West Vancouver. 604-925-7400 westvanlibrary.ca Jazz Talks: Neil Ritchie will hold seminars on various aspects of jazz across the decades Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Schedule: Jan. 12, Duke Ellington; Jan. 19, Be-Bop; and Jan. 26, Gerry Mulligan/ Billy Strayhorn.

Authors in our Community: Local author Houchang Zargarpour will discuss his new book Human Rights and Spirituality Wednesday, Jan. 27, 7-8:30 p.m.

- Compiled by Debbie Caldwell

Men bury Glass alive From page 16 to stay with a dying Glass, two men do the opposite, burying him – still alive – in a shallow grave and then making tracks. Glass claws out of that hole and then travels some 320 kilometres across the wilderness, fighting winter, hunger, and predators of all stripes, determined to kill the men who left him for dead.

While dragging himself through one Odyssean trial after another, Glass clings occasionally to images of his dead wife and of his half-breed son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). This is a world where both native and white men are savage; where there are many victims: of race and bigotry, of an impossibly harsh natural landscape, and of a man-made economic enterprise that sought to tame it.

Even Tom Hardy’s character, Fitzgerald, gets his moment of sympathy, a seemingly impossible feat.

That’s it, really. Two hours and 36 minutes of acute suffering, a survivalist skill set sure to impress even the most dedicated prepper, and self-reflection. Alejandro Inarritu (best director last year for Birdman) directed, produced and co-wrote the film, based in part on 2002’s The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge.

Inarritu excels at visceral grit (sometimes with realistic viscera!) and frontier realism and only faltered when it came to the supernatural elements that pepper the film.

No matter. The experience, a potent revenge play between DiCaprio and Hardy, two actors never better, is worth the ordeal.

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Grinding Gears Brendan McAleer

Weird Oregon well worth a road trip The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe retains most of the look, style and size of a standard coupe but adds the practicality of two rear doors. The rarity of the design means the Gran Coupe has few direct rivals. It is available at Park Shore BMW in the Northshore Auto Mall. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe

BMW puts Gran plan in action Keeping the style and prestige of the standard coupe, the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe adds some appreciated practicality.

Not long ago, BMW rearranged its model range and the number naming system.

Traditional sedans now all have an odd number to start its name, while coupes are distinguished by even numbers. This was simple enough, until some marketing folks at BMW decided that

Behind The Wheel David Chao

some models can “crossover” the two territories – thus was born the so called four-door coupes or Gran Coupe. It first started with the 6 Series and now the Gran Coupe concept has reached the lower tier 4 Series with the same striking design philosophy.

Since this niche is so small, direct rivals are few and far between. MercedesBenz is one of the strongest supporters of these fourdoor coupes, such as its CLA

models. The closest from BMW’s life-long rival Audi is the A5, and Jaguar has the XF. In Europe, Audi sells a five-door version of Audi A5, which would be an equivalent version of the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

BMW’s 4 Series nomenclature was only introduced in 2014, and the Gran Coupe is all-new last year. BMW claims it’s the first four-door coupe in the premium midsize class, which isn’t quite true.

Design

The 4 Series Gran Coupe retains the sleek look of the standard coupe, but adds two rear doors. Sharing the exact same footprint as the twodoor coupe, the roof of the Gran Coupe is 12 millimetres higher and 112 mm longer.

At the front, the 4 Series’ exterior looks similar to its 3 Series sibling. This generation’s styling is evolutionary

See Slick page 30

It might seem odd to call an entire state an undiscovered secret, but Oregon still feels like one every time I visit.

Sandwiched between well-visited Seattle and holiday-destination California, the middle of the Cascadian states is one of the best places to hit up for a road trip. Oh, and it has the capacity for being weird.

Likely, you knew that already, especially if you’ve ever visited Portland, or had a gander at the current militia standoff going on right now (to be fair, those guys are mostly imports from far afield). However, Oregon’s oddness extends beyond the kilt-wearing, fiery-bagpipe Darth Vader unicyclist of Portland – that’s a real thing, feel free to look it up – and deep into the many winding roads that snake throughout

See Huge page 31

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

Slick Coupe style with sedan access

From page 29

with the headlights now flowing into the double kidney grille. What separates the 4 Series from the rest of the BMW range is the air breathers behind the front wheels.

The roofline extends much farther back than it does on the standard 3 Series sedan and instead of a traditional trunk, the 4 Series Gran Coupe

has a hatchback design. At the rear, the 4 Series Gran Coupe takes its inspiration from the larger 6 Series Gran Coupe.

The major advantage to the four-door coupe design over the standard 4 Series two-door coupe is the much improved rear seat access.

Frameless doors give the 4 Series an elegant feel as well.

Also, the 4 Series Gran Coupe has a more airy feel to

BMW’s iDrive control system used to confound drivers but it continues to improve and get simpler. PHOTOS MIKE WAKEFIELD

its interior than the standard model. BMW describes it as a 4+1 seater, and the cabin is as functional and comfortable as other BMWs.

Performance

For this year, the 4 Series Gran Coupe is available with two different engines. Both are familiar to those who know BMW. The base model, the 428i, is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four. Output is rated at 241 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque which is surprisingly strong during acceleration.

Those wanting more can look at the 435i Gran Coupe, which is equipped with a 3.0litre turbocharged inline-six with 300 h.p. and 300 footpounds of torque. This turns the car into a true sports coupe.

Both engines use BMW’s TwinPower Turbo technology; this is a clever solution that boosts power output while also reducing fuel consumption.

Translating that power to the wheels is an eight-speed automatic transmission.

However, a Sport Automatic is available and adds paddle shifters to the steering wheel and a Sport+ mode

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excellent, although the steering feels a bit numb, which is something that is happening with a number of BMWs due to the electric steering mechanism.

Environment

The 4 Series Gran Coupe is designed to accommodate four passengers quite comfortably. Material quality is up to the standard everyone has come to expect from BMWs. Those riding up front will be comfortable, and two in the rear seats will find plenty of legroom. The middle seat is best left for children as it’s

tight to say the least.

As mentioned, accessing the rear seat is made easier in Gran Coupe models versus the standard two-door trim, thanks to those two additional doors. Also, cargo space gets a bump, offering more than 45 cubic feet with the 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats down.

Also, the hatchback-style lid and large opening make loading bigger items easier.

BMW has traditionally shaped the cabin around the driver, and that doesn’t change in the 4 Series Gran

See Tight page 31

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6-11 PORTIONS 907 g/2 lb

Introducing

that further enhances the character.

Currently, both 4 Series Gran Coupe models can be outfitted as either rear-wheel drive or with BMW’s xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive technology. That may change in the future, however, as BMW is making more of its models standard with AWD in Canada.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe excels as a grand tourer. Its road manners are lively yet smooth, and the extra cargo capacity means you can bring all your necessary luggage and equipment without losing the style. The handling is

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Like all BMWs, the 4 Series Gran Coupe contains high-quality material in a cabin that is shaped to make things easy and accessible for the driver.

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ALL PRICES IN EFFECT FRI., JAN. 8 TO THURS., JAN. 14, 2016 UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. Prices of products that feature the MAX special logo

are exclusive to registered M&M MAX customers. Simply present your MAX card, or sign up for a FREE MAX membership in-store or online, to take advantage of these MAX discounts.

mmmeatshops.com NORGATE CENTRE, 1451 Marine Drive, North Vancouver • 604-904-7811

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure invites the public to attend an open house regarding the proposed Highway 1 at Mountain Highway Interchange Project.

The project involves upgrading the existing Mountain Highway overpass to a full interchange.

This will be an opportunity for the public to review and provide input on the project. Ministry staff and the project team will be available to provide information and answer questions.

The drop-in open house is scheduled for the following date: Tuesday, January 19, 2016 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Holiday Inn & Suites 700 Old Lillooet Road, North Vancouver, B.C. For those unable to attend the open house, the information presented will be posted on the ministry’s web site on January 19, 2016.

For more information, please visit: www.gov.bc.ca/lowerlynninterchanges or contact us by telephone at 604 527-3105 or by e-mail at lowerlynn@gov.bc.ca

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016

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Tight fifth seat not made to hold an adult

From page 30

Coupe. Important controls are within easy reach and BMW’s iDrive control system continues to improve and get simpler.

A 6.5-inch, free-standing colour screen is standard and runs the infotainment system. It is slightly angled towards the driver, and when combined with the optional head-up display, quickly provides important details and keeps the driver’s eyes on the road.

To make the 4 Series Gran Coupe even more practical, the trunk is equipped with a standard auto opening and closing. However, if you want maximum convenience, the optional Smart Opener feature allows you to operate the hatch with your foot (just swing your foot to open the rear hatch).

Features

The 4 Series Gran Coupe is available in four trim levels

with starting prices ranging from $44,900 to $55,600.

Standard equipment includes auto climate control, heated front seats, heated rear seats, auto dimming interior mirror, rain-sensing wipers, auto headlights, dynamic cruise control, auto start/stop, and a glass sunroof.

Additional features, available as options or on higher trims, include a heated steering wheel, auto dimming exterior mirrors, adaptive suspension, blind spot detection, lane departure and collision warning, adaptive LED headlights, park assistant, a rearview camera, a navigation system, and on-board Internet.

Fuel efficiency numbers (litres/100 kilometres) for the 428i are 10.9 city, 6.8 highway and 9.0 combined. The 435i returns 11.4 city, 7.4 highway and 9.6 combined.

Thumbs up

The Gran Coupe is just as stylish as the standard twodoor version, but it boasts

more practical space. The ride is smooth and the driving character top-notch.

Thumbs down

While the 4 Series Gran Coupe has advantages over the base model, it also costs more without providing a lot of features over the base models.

The bottom line

If you want the style and exclusivity of a coupe, but need the practicality of a sedan, the 4 Series Gran Coupe can’t be beaten.

Competitors Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Pioneering the four-door coupe body style, MercedesBenz made a smaller version of its CLS and called it the CLA. Aimed at younger buyers, the CLA-Class has a more dramatic look and a sportier ride than traditional MBs. It feels a bit rough, however, in comparison to the BMW. Available in three variants,

The Gran Coupe is just as smooth and stylish as the standard two-door 4 Series but offers more practicality and space. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD starting prices for the CLAClass range from $35,300 to $51,800.

Audi A5

Unfortunately, we don’t get the four-door A5 Sportback here in Canada to directly compete with the 4 Series Gran Coupe. Still, the standard

A5 has sleek styling and a highly luxurious interior. It is getting replaced by a new model in about a year or so.

The base A5 Coupe starts at $44,700, while the top-ofthe-range S5 Cabriolet starts at $70,700.

Jaguar XF

While the XF is a traditional sedan, its design gives it a coupe-like look. The current model combines luxury, comfort and handling in an appealing package.

The 2016 XF will be available in four trim levels with starting prices ranging from $61,400 to $72,900.

Huge fungus sprouts glow-in-the-dark mushrooms From page 29

the state.

It’s one of my favourite places to explore, to get lost, to get off the beaten track.

Sure, the weak Canadian dollar means accommodations and road snacks will be a bit on the expensive side, but cheap U.S. gasoline will make up for it the farther you dive. If you’ve got a road trip, any road trip, planned for 2016, you ought to make Oregon one of your mustdrive destinations this year.

Here are a few of my favourite nooks and crannies in the place: check the O.R., you like it so far?

The Goonies and Cannon Beach

Travel down the Oregon coast, a scenic drive to put California’s occasionally R.V.-clogged Pacific Highway to shame, and you’ll soon arrive at Cannon Beach. The whole coast is a mass of shipwrecks and ghost stories, and Haystack Rock features prominently in several Hollywood films. Probably the best of these is The Goonies, everybody’s favourite buried treasure flick. Stop quick to do the Truffle Shuffle and continue south.

The dunes

An unexpected sight as you wend your way towards the California border are huge sand dunes, some of them engulfing entire pine trees. These are the shifting sands of Oregon Dunes

National Recreation Area, and you can stop to get in a little off-roading.

McMenamins

Scattered throughout the state are McMenamins breweries, little pubs and restaurants often built inside heritage buildings. The company has a tendency to hire folk artists to decorate the inside with lots of hidden artworks, and the crown jewel is found East of Portland at McMenamins Edgefield.

Booking a place here takes some advance planning, but with lots of little snugs, croquet, Frisbee golf, and even a weird tribute statue to Jerry Garcia, it’s a must visit. It also sets you up for one of the best drives next morning.

The Gorge

Heading east from Troutdale, you’ll soon find yourself with the option to jump off the highway at Exit 22 towards Corbett. Take the leap and you’ll find yourself in a green and woody wonderland, the road leading past waterfall after waterfall.

Some, like Multnomah Falls, are worth stopping off for a quick hike.

Maryhill Stonehenge

Further east, you’ll come across a full-size model of Stonehenge, cast in concrete on the banks of the Hood River. Technically, this monument is in the state of Washington, but as it’s just a stone’s throw from the Oregon side, it should be

claimed as part of any road trip.

The lost city of Rajneeshpuram

Southwards along the 97, you’ll have the option of making your way towards the tiny town of Antelope. Site of one of the oddest tales in Oregon’s past, it was near here that a huge commune of more than 5,000 people gathered to create a utopian paradise. It lasted just a few years, thanks to paranoia, conflict with the locals, and the eventual poisoning of hundreds of people with salmonella sprayed in restaurant foods. The story is a crazy one – the guru at the head of the cult amassed nearly a hundred RollsRoyces and would drive them around the local highways.

The Painted Hills

Head south then east, and you’ll find yourself in Mitchell. Chock full of fossils, this spot in the high desert of Oregon’s interior features hills banded with mineral deposits, the remnants of an ancient floodplain.

The largest living thing in the world

Even further east, centralized around Mount Vernon, is the world’s largest organism, an underground fungus that

covers some 2,200 acres and dates back to 200 BC. On the surface, the only evidence of the fungus are clumps of golden mushrooms. You can see them best at Malheur National Forest, and they even glow in the dark!

The reverse gravity hill

Backtrack through Bend and head as far south as you can, and you’ll soon enter the lakeside town of Klamath Falls. Here, a little searching will find you Old Fort Road, which has a slope where your car will seem to roll upwards.

It’s an optical trick that fools the brain – put your machine

in neutral and check it out.

Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and automotive enthusiast. If you have a suggestion for a column, or would be interested in having your car club featured, please contact him at mcaleeronwheels@gmail.com.

LOCAL LEADERS WITH LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Put your leadership and management skills to work serving democracy in British Columbia.

Elections BC is looking for local leaders to serve as District Electoral Officers and Deputy District Electoral Officers throughout B.C. These roles plan for and manage the administration of the 2017 Provincial General Election and related projects.

District Electoral Officers and Deputy District Electoral Officers represent the Chief Electoral Officer in their electoral district and play a critical role ensuring voters and stakeholders experience an impartial, fair, accessible and inclusive electoral process.

For more information, visit elections.bc.ca/jobs.

Apply now. Application deadline is January 31, 2016.

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