Letters to the editor

Re: Former CNH director Mike McLenaghen to be inducted in the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame (RCC News, February 2023)

It’s quite an honour and nice to be remembered by my friends at Collingwood Neighbourhood House.

It’s great to see that the RCC News is still publishing informative and interesting stories about the Renfrew-Collingwood community. Stories on gender inclusivity, Quasim being at CNH for 25 years, Family Day and Paul Reid with his sweetie at Bon’s remind me of why I loved working at CNH for 22 years.

The photo of Joyce Street facing north and downhill is where I spent two years as a toddler living in the back of the shoe repair shop that my grandfather ran. It was located next to the church, and I believe the building structure is still there.

Good to see that some things, such as Bon’s, the RCC News and valuing community, don’t change too much over time. Thanks to the RCC News team for continuing to do valuable and important work!

All the best and say hi to the folks at CNH.

~Mike McLenaghen

Re: Happy Year of the Water Rabbit (RCC News, January 2023)

Would you consider publishing the story or fable of how the animals in the Chinese zodiac were chosen?

Also consider the Vietnamese zodiac’s animals and the story told by that culture, too, as the animals are not always the same. For example, this year the Chinese symbolic animal is the water rabbit and the Vietnamese symbol is the cat.

I hope you choose to look into the possibility of publishing something about this.

~D. Rose P.S. I enjoy your publication.

Dear D. Rose, Thank you for your letter. We will definitely keep your story suggestions in mind for next year.

~Julie Cheng, Editor

Chris Taulu : Continued from page 1 touched in your lifetime. Your legacy is solid; your torch will shine brightly as a rallying point in the city that you loved. We will miss you, dear friend.

Jennifer Gray-Grant, executive director of Collingwood Neighbourhood House called her a “force of nature who tackled issues with unbelievable vigor.”

Jennifer Gray-Grant writes:

Chris remained active in the neighbourhood. When the possibility of new amenity space arose in 2010, with the redevelopment of the block bordered by Boundary, Vanness, Ormidale and the Kingsway laneway, Chris was keen to work with CNH to get the amenity for the neighbourhood. I was a brand-new executive director then, and Chris was a mentor.

Police Department, transit police, and municipal, provincial and federal governments, set the tone that the real goal was for everyone to have a better quality of life.

She was a mentor and a strict and fair teacher. She wanted people to succeed. Through the years, so many people moved forward and benefitted in interacting with Chris. Her joy was to see the community she loved grow to a safe place to live in. She accomplished that goal.

People respected her. What you see is what you got. She would drive her point until you got it, whether you agreed or not. She was a fighter to the end.

Let us remember a person who possessed a strong will, passionate beliefs and a caring spirit. Chris, you have left a mark on people you

Chris made a huge difference for Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) and for Renfrew-Collingwood.

She became active in response to the proposed SkyTrain route in the 1980s. CNH was just forming at the time. Chris, as a local resident, was a driving force behind forming and running the Joyce Station Area Planning Association, comprised of residents concerned about the development. Joyce Station Area Planning Association and CNH joined forces to ensure that the SkyTrain project, and the related development, helped rather than hindered the neighbourhood.

The negotiations around the development of Collingwood Village resulted in the first community policing centre in Canada, as well as the CNH Joyce facility, among other amenities such as Evergreen Community Health Centre, local parks and Collingwood Community School.

Chris was always laser-focused on working collaboratively on figuring out what the neighbourhood wanted and then fighting for it. She supported the vision of CNH operating the new amenity space as the Annex. I fondly recall the city council meeting on the development. When Chris went to the podium, every single councillor and the mayor put down their electronic devices and focused on what Chris had to say. That’s the night city council voted to support the one-block development, including the Annex.

Chris, what a difference you made and what a legacy you created.

A celebration of life for Chris Taulu will take place at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House Annex (3690 Vanness Avenue and Boundary) on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at 1 pm in the main multi-service room. Please email info@collingwoodcpc.com for information.