New Westminster Record November 10 2022

‘Dearest Mother’: Wartime letters return home

NewWestminster soldiers’letters are part of a national campaign to connect residents with war histories

JulieMacLellan jmaclellan@newwestrecord ca

“And if you ever see Bill around tell him to write to me, and another thing if he doesn’t write soon I will beat his brains out with a teaspoon and play the ‘Warsaw Concerto’on his teeth with a sledge hammer,that had better scare him into writing”

It’s not hard to imagine a little grin on the face of 19 year old Jack Fitzgerald as he penned those words to his mother, Effie, and kid sister, Ruth, at home in NewWest minster

It was February 1944. Jack had left school two years pre viously, during his final year at Hugh M Fraser High School (as Burnaby South Secondary School was known for a short time) He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force, shipped off overseas in December of 1942 and served as an air gun ner in RAF 166 Squadron.

As fate would have it, he never got a chance to beat Bill’s brains out with a teaspoon.

Jack would live for another six months and eight days after he wrote that letter home

He had been on a minelay ing mission over Danzig Bay, Poland, with his crew They were on the return flight when a German night fighter shot their Lancaster down over

Denmark’s Jutland peninsula.

On Aug 30, Effie Fitzgerald got word by telegram that her son had been reported missing in action

“The Government and peo ple of Canada join me in ex pressing the hope that more favourable news will be forth coming in the near future,” wrote Minister of National De fence Charles Power in a letter to NewWestminster soon after It was not to be.

Flight Sgt John Ernest Fitz gerald, recipient of the Distin guished Flying Medal for vig ilant service and for shooting down an enemy fighter, had

died on Aug 27, 1944 He was buried with the rest of the crew in Denmark

PERSONAL HISTORIES

Now, Jack’s letter from Feb 19, 1944, is making its way back home one more time as part of a national Letters Home campaign

The Legion National Foun dation and Royal Canadian Legion have partnered with HomeEquity Bank on the campaign, which is designed to connect Canadians more closely to the stories of those who fought in the First and SecondWorldWars

Replicas of real letters from Canadian soldiers are being mailed out to their originally intended addresses across the country in the lead up to Re membrance Day

Jack Fitzgerald’s correspon dence is one of two letters making its way to NewWest minster this year.

The other is from Pte Har old Dean, who wrote to his mother from German East Af rica, where he served with the British Expeditionary Force in the FirstWorldWar

Harold was more fortunate than Jack; in the end, he made it home, after bouts of malaria saw him sent back to England to convalesce before his return to Canada in 1919

VALOUR: Flight Sgt. John Ernest Fitzgerald of New Westminster was killed in action on Aug 27, 1944 at age 19 PHOTO CANADIANLETTERS&IMAGESPROJECT/VIU

Tiestohome: Jack Fitzgerald’s Feb 19, 1944, letter to his mother and sister is part of the Letters Home campaign PHOTO CANADIAN LETTERS&IMAGESPROJECT/VIU

Up Front

Letterstellpersonalstoriesofwartimelife

The letters provide glimpses into the personal histories of the thousands of Canadians many of them very young who left their homes in service of their country

Yes, they are authentic let ters They’ve all been sourced through the Canadian Letters & Images Project, an initiative of the department of history at Vancouver Island University The project, which began in Au gust 2000, is dedicated to dig itizing letters, diaries, photo graphs and other related memorabilia to create an on line archive of the Canadian war experience “from any war, home or battlefront, as told through the letters and images of Canadians themselves,” as the project’s website says

LIFE BEHIND THE LINES

The letters chosen for the Letters Home campaign are tiny, intimate portraits of the lives of ordinary people living through an extraordinary time, offering small glimpses into life behind the front lines

“For the last three days I have been trying to get in a little fly ing time but everything seems to be against me Either my pilots sick or the aircraft is unserviceable it is starting to get me down because I’m just iching (sic) to get flying again,” wrote Jack in the letter that’s part of this year’s campaign

At present my mid upper gunner is in the hospital with a cold,I went to see him tonight and he is looking good,and his temperature is back to normal again,but he isn’t getting

out of the hospital,so I’m beginning to wonder things

Do you know if Norm is still in England? I haven’t heard from him in a long time and I was wondering if he was still in this little bit of dirt

For the last three days I haven’t done a thing except sit around and clean the occasional gun This mo notony is beginning to get me down.

As you can plainly see I can’t think of a darn thing to write about,but I guess you will be glad to know that I am still alive and kicking at everything and every body.

How is everybody in the neigh bourhood? And if you ever see Bill around tell him to write to me,and another thing if he doesn’t write soon I will beat his brains out with a teaspoon and play the“Warsaw Concerto”on his teeth with a sledge hammer,that had better scare him into writing.

Well it seems as though I can’t think of anything more to say One of these days I will write a de cent letter that is if anything excit ing ever happens that I can write about.Well I will sign off now.

Lots of love, Jack

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

For the curious reader, the single letter leaves questions unanswered not the least of which is the identity of the un fortunate Bill

Those who find themselves wanting to know more can delve into the collections at the Cana dian Letters & Images Project virtual archive There, reading through Jack’s correspondence and personal memorabilia

slowly builds a picture of a regu lar teenage boy with a Hugh M. Fraser High School students’ council card, aYMCA member ship, and an affectionate, teasing relationship with the kid sister who noses around about Jack’s love life while spilling the beans about her own romantic adven tures

“I’ve actually met an airman kind of a cute kid but darn it he’s leaving for the East next week They are having a big blow up at the Commodore so heres where lit tle Ruth steps out with a bang,” Ruth wrote to her brother in May 1944. “Oh well I’ve got the navy around so can fall back when he leaves”

The correspondence also of fers a window into the world of a wartime mother, putting pen to paper to stay in touch with her son across the miles checking in to be sure he was taking care of himself and that parcels con taining much coveted cigarettes had arrived from home

Throughout, her mother’s love shines through “So until next time be a good boy & take good care of yourself & remember you are always with me in my thoughts and prayers,” she signed off in the spring of 1944

And, of course, they reveal the ever present anxiety of wait

ing for word from overseas

“Just a few lines to let you know we are all well,& hope you are the same,cant understand why we dont hear from you,” Effie wrote on Aug 4, 1944

“The last letter we received was dated July 17,so you see it is quite sometime since we have heard, don’t think I am complaining but if you could just find time to drop one line say ing you are well that would be all right”

CONNECTING CANADIANS

Find out more

our soldiers may already seem like a century ago, which makes finding ways to share these let ters and the harsh realities they contain with to day’s young Ca nadians all the more impor tant,” Julian said in a press release

Want to know about Letters Home? Anyone who’s interested in the Letters Home project can visit its online portal at letters home ca and enter a place name into the search field the search will show if any letters were sent to or near your chosen location

From there, you can donate to the Digital Poppy campaign (in memory of a particular soldier, if you like) or click through to the Canadian Letters & Images Project website You can also go di rectly to www.canadianletters. ca to delve into the life stories of the letter writers and to find countless other personal histories of the war.

The personal experi ences that pour out so vividly in the wartime correspondence are what make Letters Home such an impor tant campaign, according to the Royal Canadian Legion’s Dominion president, Bruce Julian

To donate directly to the Digital Poppy campaign, go to mypoppy ca

The let ters are arriv ing at their des tinations with QR codes that will point peo ple towards the Legion Na tional Founda tion’s Digital Poppy cam paign, which raises money to help veterans, educate youth on the contri butions of vet erans, and pro vide students with scholar ships and bur saries

“The incredible sacrifices of

You can cre ate a customized poppy through the campaign in memory of a particular soldier or simply make a donation

INFLIGHT: Flight Sgt Jack Fitzgerald of New Westminster was an air gunner serving with RAF 166 Squadron in the Second World War Fitzgerald was killed in action with the rest of the crew when their plane was shot down over Denmark They were on their return flight from a minelaying run over Poland’s Danzig Bay PHOTO CANADIAN LETTERS & IMAGES PROJECT/VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY

The fallen: A memorial recognizes the crew, including Flight Sgt Jack Fitzgerald of New Westminster, of the Lancaster bomber shot down over Denmark in August 1944 PHOTO CANADIAN LETTERS & IMAGES PROJECT/VIU

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REMEMBRANCE DAY

Honour the service of veterans, past and present, from the City Hall Cenotaph on Friday, Nov 11 at 10:30 am. Live stream available Presented by the City of New Westminster, the Royal Westminster Regiment, and New Westminster Legion Branch 2 newwestcity.ca/remembranceday

PRO D DAY ART CLASS NOV. 14

"Something from Nothing Story, Textile, and Weaving" is an interactive story experience where fabric is remade in new and inventive ways. Try easy toengage-with circle weaving, or more challenging bowl weaving Register online: newwestcity.ca/register

Monday, Nov 14 at the Centennial Community Centre:

• 10:00 11:00 am (5 7 years) COURSE ID 160991

• 12:00 2:00 pm (8 10 years) COURSE ID 160990

WINTER BREAK BROCHURE

Fill the holiday season with activities for all ages. The Winter Break Brochure is now available online, and includes everything from fitness schedules to Lunar New Year Lantern Workshops. Registration opens 8:30 am on Nov 17 for New Westminster residents, and Nov 18 for everyone newwestcity.ca/brochures

SHINE BRIGHT

Dec 1, 2022 Jan. 31, 2023

Enjoy cheerful activities in the glow of holiday lights! Shine Bright includes activities to shine outdoors, shine on-stage, and shine in creativity Registration opens Nov 17 newwestcity.ca/shinebright

LOCAL ELECTION FEEDBACK

• Drop-in engagement session, Queen’s Park greenhouse: Nov. 19, 1:00 4:00 pm

•

newwestcity.ca

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Friday,

November 11 10:30 am

Remembrance Day City Hall Cenotaph or live stream

PARENT & TOT SKATE

Monday, November 14 No Council Meeting

Moody Park Arena | Thursdays, 9:30 11:00 am

Share the joy of skating at this special time for parents and preschoolers! Extra toys and equipment are available to make this an exciting experience Our on-ice staff will be there to help with tips and fun. End your session with a treat from the concession!

Drop-in Fee: FREE (0 3 years), $2 00 (4+ years); Skate Rentals: $2.50

ADOPT-A-CATCH BASIN PROGRAM

The wet weather is back! Help reduce the risk of localized flooding by adopting a catch basin in your neighbourhood. Your job is easy; throughout the year, you’ll clear the catch basin and surrounding area of any leaves, debris, litter, and snow that might prevent it from properly draining rainwater As a catch basin caretaker, you’ll also get to name the basin, which will show up on the catch basin map

Learn more and get started at newwestcity.ca/adopt-a-catch-basin

VOLUNTEER FOR A CITY COMMITTEE

Last chance to apply to join an advisory committee for 2023! The application deadline is 5:00 pm on Monday, Nov 14 Joining a committee provides great experience, connections to the community, and a chance to offer your perspective on key City decisions.

We welcome applications that reflect the diversity of our community: women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized individuals, persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression (LGBTQ2S+), persons with disabilities, and others who may contribute to the diversity of our committees.

To see vacancies and to apply online visit newwestcity.ca/committees

QUEENSBOROUGH TRANSPORTATION PLAN

Queensborough is getting its own Transportation Plan, which will provide a guide for addressing challenges related to walking, cycling, public transit, and driving The final Plan will also support and further advance the goals and objectives of the Queensborough Community Plan, the City’s Master Transportation Plan, and the City’s Seven Bold Steps for Climate Action, and will include strategies and recommendations to make walking, cycling, and public transit in Queensborough more convenient and accessible Learn more about the project and complete our community survey by visiting beheardnewwest ca/queensborough-transportation-plan

CityPowerful wind storm batters New Westminster

TheresaMcManus tmcmanus@newwestrecord ca

The City of NewWest minster is continuing to assess the damage arising from Friday night’s power ful wind storm

A powerful wind storm roared through B C ’s south coast on Fri day night, knocking down trees and causing thou sands of British Colum bian homes to lose power in MetroVancouver, the FraserValley,Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.Wind gusts of up to 90 km/h were reported Here in NewWest, trees were downed in neigh bourhoods from Queens borough to Sapperton

“The storm impacted all neighbourhoods across

the city at various de grees,” said Erika Mashig, the city’s manager of parks and open space planning, design and construction “To date, the Queensbor ough neighbourhood is recorded to have sustained the highest degree of dam age.”

According to Mashig, a survey of the impacts re sulting from the Nov 4 wind storm began on the night of the storm and will continue for the remain der of this week.This in cludes a systematic review of all high risk areas, in cluding transportation and utility corridors and the parks and open space sys tem

“The damage to pub lic infrastructure, private property and within parks

and open spaces has been documented,” she said “We will continue to mon itor and document dam age as staff complete the systematic review, which will continue for the re mainder of this week ”

Mashig said city staff from multiple depart ments were called in over the weekend to contrib ute to the storm response efforts

“The city also relied on contractors to assist with emergency tree remov als,” she said “Clean up of debris is expected to take several weeks to com plete ”

Friday night’s wind storm came on the heels of a lengthy summer drought that extended into early October, followed by a couple of weather sys tems that brought heavy rainfall to MetroVancou ver.

“The wind storm was unexpected and caused significant impacts to New Westminster and other ar eas of the region,” Mashig said “Staff are observing and documenting site spe cific conditions that may have contributed to tree failure We anticipate a combination of factors re lated to climate change contributed to tree failures such as dry soil conditions and late leaf retention ”

Mashig said the city is proactively working to in

crease the resilience of the urban forest to climate change and maximizing the benefits of trees (eco system services) for the city through species se lection and management plans

Rod Carle, general manager of the City of NewWestminster’s electri cal utility, said crews were out overnight Friday until almost noon on Saturday restoring power

“We had a number of outages across the city,” he said “I believe the ma jority of them were from trees or tree branches ” Restoring power can

take a bit of time, as crews have to be called, they have to patrol the whole line before restoring power

me was with the timing They are only allowed to work only so many hours before they have to take a break. Sometimes it’s dif ficult when the custom ers are calling and wanting power back on ”

Carle said he was very pleased with the way crews responded to the outages. Given the re cent drought condition, he thought the city weathered the windstorm quite well

in an area and they have to follow safety protocols, Carle said

“We had everybody in,” he said. “The c

“The way the winds were blowing, I expected more,” he added “I think we were very fortunate.”

Aftermath: Crews work Saturday to clean up a large tree that toppled in front of the HSBC on Sixth Street, uptown PHOTO JULIE MACLELLAN

Down: This large tree on Quayside Drive was uprooted and fell, blocking the McInnes overpass to the Quay for much of Saturday

PHOTO THERESA MCMANUS

The way the winds were blowing, I expected more

Topic: Housing crisis in New West

“Lived and worked here for over 40 years and with rents like this, I’m terrified of becoming homeless at 72 Seriously frightened Anxiety is off the scale Not sleeping or eating well as a result.”

“Families have to work together and find multi generational solutions. compromise is the key word Too many selfish expectations all around ”

MY VIEW KEITH BALDREY

Has B.C. left behind the days of epic labour confrontations?

While Ontario appears to have avoided (for now, anyway) a government ver sus labour showdown, it is worth pointing out that things could not be more dif ferent in this province

Last week saw two major contract agreements reached with B C doctors and teach ers Assuming they will be ratified by their member ships, the deals take what could have been major prob lems off the table

As of this column’s writ ing, the Doug Ford govern ment in Ontario has pulled back from the brink of a major showdown with CUPE school support workers, thus avoiding what potentially could have turned into a massive strike involving sev

eral unions

But that does not mean all is well and good when it comes to labour relations in Ontario A rocky road still lies ahead

Meanwhile, in B C , sig nificant progress is being made when it comes to new collective agreements cover ing almost 400,000 unionized employees in the public sector

Other than a brief strike by BCGEU liquor distribution workers, there have been no disruptions tied to contract negotiations The deals that have been reached are es sentially the same about a 14 per cent wage increase over three years with language and salary grid changes unique to each sit uation.

The two surprise agree ments are the ones with doc tors and teachers

Historically, the B C Teachers Federation has had more trouble at the bar gaining table than any other union, resorting to strike ac tion a couple of times

Not this time

Assuming the member ship ratifies the tentative agreement, the deal puts B C teachers in the “top tier” when it comes to pay across the country

But the truly historic deal is the one with B C doctors, especially family physicians

Currently paid an aver age of $250,000 to $300,000 annually, family doctors will now make $385,000 (plus have a large share of their overhead and administration

costs funded) On top of that, the new payment model overhauls what a physician’s pay is based on and will now include how much time a doctor spends with a patient and how complex their med ical needs are

B C used to be known as the land of epic labour con frontations (the Solidarity protests of the 1980s, the BC Liberal government’s strip ping of collective agreements for health care workers and teachers) Labour protests were a regular thing on the legislature front lawn

But now Ontario seems ready to become the new battleground, pitting ideo logical forces against each other

Keith Baldrey is chief po litical reporter for Global BC.

Cato Schrodinger via Facebook

Debbie Cooke via Facebook

Why waste money on Royal City rebranding?

Editor: I guess now that the municipal election is over and the mayor has declared a “clear mandate,” we will be getting on with erasing any reference to “Royal City” from our official city image. The “new” council has already voted in favour of it anyway I strongly disagree with the idea and I have signed the petition

I think that getting rid of our Royal City moniker to facilitate reconciliation negates our pioneer history It’s cancelling and trivializing everything our ancestors went through to forge a life in this land. Much like the language, culture and history of our First Nations people was trivialized and cancelled Two wrongs do not make a right

Queen Victoria herself named New West minster, and she declared us the Royal City Royal City is not just an advertising slogan dreamed up for some publicity campaign; it is who we are We come by the name legitimately, since the very beginning of our creation as a community

Royal City is our history, no matter how determined we may be to erase it

Besides, does anybody realize how much it will cost to change letterheads and signage

all over the city to make this one meaning less gesture? Don’t we have more important things to spend that money on? I could name a few

Betty R.L. Gray, New Westminster

‘Misinformed’bike

critics are selfish

lane

Editor: There are a lot of people in New West minster that have strong opinions against the bike lane.

Some of your readers even like to spew misinformation about “1/1000 of one per cent will use the bike lane” Which means there are seven cyclists in New Westminster (I’m fairly confident there are more than seven )

Contrary to what your misinformed readers say, there are hundreds of cyclists in New Westminster

The bike lanes make it way safer for cyclists and pedestrians The streets they have put the lanes on are wide enough for regular car traffic and the lanes

Why do your readers mostly all complain about these lanes?

That’s easy, because it isn’t for them and only projects that benefit them are OK Basi cally they are all selfish.

Harold Lewis

CityIt’s do-or-die time for city’s climate goals: mayor

Mayor Patrick Johnstone and new city council sworn in at inaugural meeting of 2022 to 2026 term

TheresaMcManus tmcmanus@newwestrecord ca

The 2022 to 2026 term of NewWestminster city council will determine whether the city meets its 2030 climate targets, says Mayor Patrick Johnstone. At Monday night’s inau guration ceremony, John stone was sworn in as New Westminster’s mayor and chair of the NewWestmin ster police board

Monday night’s inaugu ration ceremony also saw six councillors two in cumbents (Jaimie McEvoy and Nadine Nakagawa) and four newcomers (Ruby Campbell, Daniel Fontaine,Tasha Hender son and Paul Minhas) take their oaths of office before a packed crown in council chamber and city hall’s foyer

Johnstone opened his inaugural address by ex pressing his gratitude to

outgoing mayor Jonathan Cote, saying his work and vision have left a strong foundation for this council to build on with issues like housing, climate and pub lic engagement. He also thanked outgoing coun cillors Chuck Puchmayr, MaryTrentadue and Chinu Das for their ser vice to the community

“I’m proud our reputa tion around the region is one of the most functional councils in the Lower Mainland,” he said. “We found consensus on most issues, and we were re spectful in our disagree ments when we couldn’t find that consensus ”

To the new and return ing members of council, Johnstone said the com munity is best served when all of council en gages in robust discussions of agenda items, seeks consensus where it can be found and doesn’t let dis

agreements prevent coun cil from taking firm and decisive action on issues that are important to the community

“We all spent the last six months knocking on doors and speaking with the community and we heard about the issues that are top of mind: hous ing, climate, transporta tion, safety for all in the face of overlapping crisis in our region,” he said “And we heard that community wants a proactive and for ward looking council, not one that shirks away from challenges.”

Johnstone called on all council members to en gage meaningfully in the journey towards reconcili ation that the city is taking as a local government, say ing council members are representatives of a “sys tem of erasure, built on the theft of land and the theft of history”

“I also want to make special note of the work the city is doing to address climate change.You will be in the seats until 2026 That takes us halfway to 2030, a year for which bold targets for emission reductions have been set by this city, by the prov ince and by the nation,” he said “Everything else you

do in the city housing, transportation, recreation, public safety, everything we do will be impacted by climate disruption and will need to be adapted in or der to meet our targets And this is the term that will decide whether we make those 2030 targets There can be no more de laying ”

Johnstone noted that the parks department planted seven trees on the lawn in front of city hall prior to Monday’s meeting.

“They were planted on the front lawn to represent the starting of this new council and the bringing in of this new council,” he said “So a tree for each of us, and maybe we can use that to keep our minds on the journey we have to ad dress climate ”

The meeting also in cluded a vote to choose NewWestminster’s rep resentative and alter nate for the MetroVan couver board In a split vote, council agreed to have Johnstone serve as metro rep, with Nakagawa as alternate Minhas and Fontaine had suggested having Fontaine serve one of those roles, citing his Métis status as a way to improve Indigenous repre sentation

TheresaMcManus tmcmanus@newwestrecord ca

Splitting NewWestmin ster into five electoral rid ings makes no sense and could have negative consequences for city hall, the school district and res idents

Those were the senti

ments expressed by several local residents at the Elec toral Boundaries Commis sion meeting in NewWest minster on Nov 2

A preliminary report for the BC Electoral Bound aries Commission rec ommended that parts of NewWestminster be in cluded in five provincial

ridings: Burnaby East, Burnaby NewWestmin ster, Burnaby South, New Westminster Maillardville, and Richmond Queens borough.

“Five separate ridings for 80,000 people from NewWestminster is too many, and it will not serve the primary purpose,

which is to assure voters are well represented and able to inform themselves when it comes time for a provincial election,” said Patrick Johnstone, who was officially sworn in as mayor just five days after the meeting.

Johnstone said the City of NewWestminster does

not have the staff that would be necessary to maintain strong working relationships with five sep arate MLAs’ constituency offices

“It’s necessary, when so much of the work that a local government does to day is addressing provin cial issues and connecting

residents with provincial issues, from housing secu rity to health,” he said “So that’s an important aspect of the work of our staff that may be impacted by trying to spread across too many constituencies ” Johnstone said splitting NewWest into five ridings

New term: Mayor Patrick Johnstone takes his oath of office at Monday ’s inaugural council meeting PHOTO THERESA MCMANUS

EUROPE AND ASIA RIVER CRUISING SESSION

LUXURY YACHT CRUISING SESSION

Our all new luxury yachts offer a truly intimate and luxurious experience while exploring some of the world’s most picturesque locales including Europe, the Caribbean, South America and more With a maximum of 100 guests, there’s always plenty of space to relax with your favourite book, marvel at the stunning views from the infinity style pool or enjoy handcrafted cocktails with friends at the sleek Sky Bar

Burnaby

Mon, November 14

Delta Hotels Burnaby Conference Centre

Coquitlam

Tue, November 15 Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club

Richmond Wed, November 16 Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel

River Session: 10:00am 11:00am Yacht Session: 11:30am 12:15pm

CityFive ridings for New West would ‘defy common sense’

would also impact the way representative democracy works in the community

“When a local voter knows their local rep resentative, for good or bad, they are more likely to vote for or against that municipal representative,” he said “But they’re also more likely to try to con nect to that representative and share their concerns ”

NewWestminster res idents are currently rep resented in two electoral areas NewWestmin ster, which is all of the city’s mainland, and Richmond Queensbor ough. Queensborough was moved into the Rich mond riding in 2017 be cause of the city’s popula tion growth

DeniseTambellini, the City of NewWestmins ter’s intergovernmental and community relations manager, also voiced con cerns about the proposal. Tambellini said only New Westminster Maillard ville would be made up of primarily NewWest resi

dents

“The remaining rid ings are overpowered by larger municipalities with unique issues of their own and varying municipal priorities and their own advocacy plans,” she said “It may be difficult to en sure residents feel repre sented ”

Longtime NewWest resident Elmer Rudolph also spoke at lastWednes day’s meeting at the Inn at the Quay, urging the com mission to reconsider its current proposal to divide the city into five ridings

“This seems to defy common sense when our community is so small geographically,” he said Rudolph expressed con cern about the proposal to place the Connaught Heights neighbourhood which is less than one square kilometre in size and has a population of 1,700 people in the Burnaby South electoral district

“(It’s) 40 times its geo graphical size with a pop ulation of tens of thou

sands,” he said “I cannot see the logic that re quires this very large Burnaby South riding to attach such an insig nificantly sized neighbour hood, while with the same stroke, to remove this small piece from its polit ically historic connection to the City of NewWest minster ”

Rudolph also expressed concern about the pro posal to place the area bounded by Eighth and 10th avenues, and Mc Bride Boulevard and Cumberland Street, into the Burnaby East riding.

“Surely, attaching such a miniscule area cannot materially affect the status of the Burnaby East dis trict, which is gargantuan by comparison,” he said of the Mott Crescent area

Rudolph questioned why those two “tiny neighbourhoods” with a population of 2,000 peo ple couldn’t remain in the two new ridings of Burn aby NewWestminster and NewWestminster Mail lardville

NOTICE OF INTENT

Application for a liquor primary licence has been received by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch from Massey Theatre Society located at 735 Eight Avenue in New Westminster

Proposed licensed hours are: 11:00 A.M to 1:00 A.M.; Daily

Person capacity for the proposed establishment will be limited to 2183 persons interior ONLY

Residents located within a 0.5 mile (0.8 km) radius of the proposed site may comment on this proposal by:

1) Writing to: THE GENERAL MANAGER C/O SENIOR LICENSING ANALYST

LIQUOR AND CANNABIS REGULATION BRANCH PO BOX 9292 VICTORIA, BC V8W 9J8

2) Email to: LCRB.SLA@gov.bc.ca

PETITIONS AND FORM LETTERS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

To ensure the consideration of your views, your comments, name and address must be received on or before December 3, 2022 Please note that your comments may be made available to the applicant or local government officials where disclosure is necessary to administer the licensing process

FRIDAY, NOV. 11 TO SUNDAY, NOV. 13

SOUND BATH

Be it Elon Musk taking overTwitter, or not having a good outfit to wear for your office Christmas party there could be a ton of things to fret about But, hey, here’s a chance to let it all go, by sinking into the sound of gongs and ocean drums At the Sound Bath event at Dancing CatYoga Centre (704 Sixth St ), leave your bags and worries at the door, and let your body get a taste of what it’s like to be stress free, even if just for 90 minutes.Tickets are priced at $52.50 per person.

WHEN: Sunday, Nov 13, 7 to 8:30 p.m..

WHERE: Dancing Cat Yoga Centre, 704 Sixth St. (uptown)

MORE: Tickets $52.50; buy through www.eventbrite.ca (search for Sound Bath New Westminster).

SATURDAY, NOV 12

FITNESS EXHIBITION

FRIDAY, NOV. 11

FLOWER PRESERVATION

If the last of the roses in your garden have withered, turn your attention to flow ers that never die Preserving and arrang ing those preserved flowers is a skill that artist Jess J. is keen to share with others at her workshop at the Gallery at Queen’s Park Participants will get to arrange pre served flowers in a crystal ball glass dome, and also take it home All the materials will be provided for a registration fee of $59 55

MORE: Book a spot at www.eventbrite. ca (search for A Floral Experience).

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Take time to remember Canada’s vet erans at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph in front of New Westminster City Hall (511 Royal Ave ) The parade assembles at Queens Avenue and Sixth Street at 10:15 a m to march to the cenotaph for the 10:30 a.m. service. The ceremony will also be livestreamed via the city’s Facebook andYouTube channels and atTelus Optik channel 345

MORE: See the city’s website at www. newwestcity.ca/remembrance-day

It’s OK if you’ve been skipping your gym and working through the extra stash of Halloween candies We don’t judge But here is an event that’ll get you pedaling on that Peloton again the Final Canadian Physique Alliance Show 2022 is coming to MasseyTheatre (735 Eighth Ave ) this weekend. Besides checking out the 20 odd vendor booths at the fitness expo, you can also watch people compete in categories including bodybuilding, classic physique and more at the event

MORE: See www.masseytheatre.com

STORYTIME AND CONCERT

It might be too cold to take your kid out camping, but what if we said that you could teach them all about the beauty of nature sitting in the cozy River Market building on a Saturday afternoon? Kinder Books is organizing a storytime and concert around the launch of author and singer Ginalina’s new book The Blooming

Mountain the third in theWest Coast nature and community celebrating trilogy (the first being The Lively Forest and the second The Mighty River) The event will be held between 1 and 3 p m at Kinder Books (810 Quayside Dr ), and is free for all

MORE: See www.kinderbooks.ca

ONGOING

THE GRIEF OF GREEN

You might have stopped and smelled the roses, but have you stopped and watched a plant decay? In the exhibition The Grief of Green, artist Julia Soderholm has taken inspiration from the landscape of the land that she lives on According to her, “Despite the reality of environmental change on a massive scale, the specific miracles of growth and decay, death and fecundity, that happen daily in a neigh bourhood garden offer consolation and, perhaps, hope.”The show is on till Nov. 27,Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a m to 2 p m , at the Gallery at Queen’s Park

MORE: www.acnw.ca/galleryexhibit. compiled by Naveena Vijayan

Contributed photo

Sound healing practitioner Mike Reed leads a sound bath event at Dancing Cat Yoga Centre (704 Sixth St ) this Sunday evening at

Remembering Our Fallen Heroes

WORLD WAR I WORLD WAR II

Abbott, V H C Adamsky, S Aitchison Joseph Atkins, William Allison, W Roderick Anderson, G F Anderson, Robert A Anderson, Robert G Anderson William Anderson, William Angelo, A Annandale, T S Jr Ashworth, Henry Barber Geo R Barnes A Bate, Douglas S Bateman, M G Beattie, Reg Bernays, L A Birt G W Blackmore Charles Blair, J F Bowden, Christopher Bowden, Fred Bower, W A Boyd John Bristow Samuel Bristowe, Frank L Broderick, T B Bruce, A M Bruce, John Buchan G W Buckley S C Bundy, L Burnett, Harry Burr, W R

Adcock Willis M. Andronik, Steve Alain, Joseph Z L A Andrews, Henry L Ardern, James C Atkinson, Laurie E Bailey John Baldwin, Cecil H Barber, Bruce Barber, Mayo G Barclay, William R Barker, J H Bergen Simon Borrowman, William T Brager, Lloyd L Brammer, Robert N Brown, Cecil A Brown, Robert Lewis Brown Walter H . Bryant, James A Buckingham, Arthur V Burian, O Burton, William Clarence Cambridge, John A M C Campbell Donald Leslie Campbell, George Rowland Cantin, Edmond L Carlson, John O C Carter, Peter Catheralle Lloyd J G Catto, John H Chamberlain, John Lewis Christian, John C Clay, Gilbert F

Butcher, Alfred J Callahan, J Callanan J Calman, Wm Cameron, James S Campbell, Hugh Campbell, K M Canning, George Caple L N Carpenter, F H G Carruthers, W Chessell, Fred Church, Norman Clapp Charles E Clark R M Cleghorn, W S Clitheroe, Percy Collins, Gerald Combs, R W Connolly T A Cook J E Corbett, E C Coutu, Thomas Craighead, W J P Crandell, Jas G Creighton A R Cullington Arthur H Cunningham, F B Curtis, Leslie W Curtis, T D Dailey, Alfred Dailey G Day W M L Day, William Deacon, C H Denniston, James

Cole Eric W. Collett, Alfred J Connolly, John E Corbould, Kenneth Bruce Cormack, William T Cosh Robert M. Coulter, Robert E Cullen, Clifford L Cumming, John W Custance, Clifford L Custance, John Patrick Daunt Acton F. Davidson, Gideon Davidson, John E Davis, Kenneth Davy, Cecil H Day, Randolph P Doherty Wilfred James Dolter, Francis W Donald, Thomas B Drake, J B Ducklow, Vernon R Eden, Donald Albert Emmett Albert G. Fernquist, Virgil J Fitzgerald, John E D F M Flatt, Benjamin A Forman, Robert W Forman, William D Fraser John A Freberg, Philip G D F C Freeman, Henry G Friend, James Thorpe Frisby, John H W

Douglas, Walter Douglass, Wallace Dunford E T Eastman, Edwin F Edgar, Robert Fell, R J Ferguson, T Flumerfelt, E Forrest Leonard Foster, John A Foubister, Robert Gaudin, H E Gladstone, Robert Gordon G C Gordon Oliver Gordon, W Gough, E B Gray, Alfred Gray, John A Gray L Gray T Graveney, William K Gunn, B B Gyotoku, Tomoki Hamilton, William Happer A D Harper J A Harris, Fred Harris, H Harvie, H Hawkes, H Henderson John Hepworth O H Huggard, Kenneth H Hume, Arthur E Hunter, John W

Fulbrook Stephen T. Fullerton, George N Germain, Louis Gibson, Joseph E Gillis, Norman M Girard, Marcel M C Glazier Frederick J. Glazier, Russell Greenwood, Frederick Gregory, R St Julian Grice, Woodrow W Grogan, Barrington Hallding Ernest C. Hamilton, Dale W M Hancharyk, Steve Hanna, James Hansen, Frederick J Harris, Harry A Harris Walter J. Harrison, Alexander R W Harrison, Arthur J Harrison, Ernest David Hay, James Clark Herrmann, Edgar Highsted Raymond H. Holmberg, Carl D T Hoult, John H Howden, Charles V Hughes, John W Hutchinson, Bruce Hutton Jack Irving, James E Irving, Walter Nelson Jackson, Duncan J Johnsen, Agnor M

Hurford, C H Irvin, Charles A Irvine E Ishihara, Iudo Jagger, Herbert Jagger, Louis James, Albert James, Joseph Johnson Henry C Jones, Hugh L Keam, Stanley, W Keary, William O B Kelly, Frank W Kelly William Kenny N Kitcher, Bert Knox, Matthew Laird, J M Lamont, A R Lane Stanley Law John Leamy, Hubert Leslie, W Levy, Alfred J Lewis, E (Nurse) Linn J McK Lusier Howard Lynn, John MacKenzie, A D MacKenzie, Archibald MacKenzie, James Mackie Alex John MacQueen T H Manby, C S Manley, C S Markland, B

Johnson Henry C. Johnson, Thomas O Julian, N Patrick Julian, R G Keet, James Kinch, Oddrey J Kotowich Peter Labelle, Raymond M Learn, Robert B Lee, Arthur G Lee, John J Liddle, Stanley M Lindemere Richard W. Love, Richard M D MacAulay, Norman A MacDonald, Donald A MacDonald, Roderick M MacDonell, C B MacIntosh Charles MacKenzie, Henry H Main, Faris C Main, Robert J Makarsky, Lee William Manson, Harold M McAllistar Douglas F. McCombie, Otway C McCormack, Robert J McDiarmid, John M McFee, John F McGregor, Reginald R McKenzie Rhoda E. McKercher, William D McNeney, James Robert McWilliams, Frank C McWilliams, James W

Marshall, Robert Martin, J E Martin John Marwood, W M Mayers, Frank M Mayers, J C F McAllister, A B McCabe, Frank E McClelland James C McLelland, John McCombe, Stanley R McKay, W McPhee, Charles Tupper McRae A Mears A E Meehan, Joseph Meiklejohn, W Mellon, J A Miller, W M Mills Thomas Milton G A Moffatt, T J Monk, Henry Joseph Moore, Ceril Moore, Donald Morgan Ernest A Morris Alfred O Mortison, S R Munday, Henry Munn, D Ellsworth Murray, Stewart Myers K Nevard William K Newitt, T G Nicholson, A W Norris, George R

North, Roy Oddy, George Odlum H Ogilvy, Alfred Patchell, Charles A Phillips, E Phipps, C S Powys, Edmond Pretty Arthur W Radford, Ralph Ramsey, Albert E Rand, Edwin, A Reid, J S Reid Robert M Roberts F O Robertson, A Roger, W Ross, Benjamin Ross, J H Ross William Jr Ruddock R F Rumble, H J Ryan, Gordon Sampher, Philip Sangster, H W Seymour Charles E Seymour Noel Sharpe, Lorne Simpson, R G Smith, R S Smith, William Smither Russell H Sowen W E Spring, D John Stoddart, T H Sutherland, G B

Sweetland, R G Tait, W G Topping J Trapp, Donovan Trapp, George Trapp, Stanley V Traves, Ed C Tucker, G W Turnbull Frank Turnbull, R F Turner, E M Turner, Ernest L Upham, A Walker J M Wardle Arthur C Warwick, Elmer Charles Watson, Bertland Weeks, M B West, T Whitcomb I G White Harold Whitehouse, William Wilcox, W A Williams, W Henry Wilson, J G Wilson John F Wilson Joseph Wilson, W D Wilson, William W Windram, Alexander Windram, John Wintemute H L Wright Douglas R C Wright, W Wright, W E Yelf, J H

Menelaws Thomas Michalec, John Middleton, Charles G Miller, Lloyd L Montgomery, Donald Moran, John Morrison Alfred H. Moss, Henry L Moss, Kenneth L Mosure, Roy M Murie, James M Murphy, Patrick R Nelson Douglas Haig Navey, Gordon Nelson, R Keary Norris, Peter V O Connor, Ronald C Osborne, Roy R Owen William Pastorek, John Peardon, Lloyd G Pearson, Clarence E Pearson, Levi G Pegelow, Norman Pepper Paul L. Phillips, Adrian J Pickering, Walter H Pink, Walter S Playter, Ross A Plecas, Joseph Power John M. Power, Wilfred J Quinn, Robert A Quissy, Gilbert L Ramsay, J

Recin A. Richardson, William A M C Ridgway, Robert H Ritchie, James W Robb, Thomas G Roberts George William Robertson, Clifford W Robinson, Henry E Robson, Donald M Roe, Arthur E Rolfstad, Kenneth G Rolfstad Peter C. Rowell, Lloyd G Rutherford, Thomas Rutherford, William B Sagmoen, M S Shaw, Robert Edward Shawcross Fred Sherry, Wilber B Sipprell, William Smallwood, R Smith, Kenneth Gordon Somolenko, Nicholas Spackman Harry Spurr, Robert, H St Julien, Richard Starko, Nicholas M Stephens, George W Stewart, Joseph R Stinson John G.W. Stocken, Walter F Stokes, Alfred Stokes, William A B Story, Rupert

F D F C Stubbs, John L Studds, William J N Summers, Malcolm B Sutton Russell John Swanson, Benjamin A Tarrant, John L Tarrant, Mervin E Tate, George D W Thacker, Hubert J Thomas Charles R. Thomas, Edwin H D F M Thomas, Robert Trowbridge, H B Turnbull, William J Walker, A E Walker William Walkinshaw, Gordon M Westley, Harold D Willoughby, Maurice H Wilson, David R L Wilson, Frederick J Wilson Gerald H. Wilson, Harold G Wilson, Marriott Wilson, Robert G Wilson, Roy Winter, Benjamin Woolliams Russell H. Wooster, Warren Somers

Strangeway Richard W. Strouts, Frederick

REMEMBRANCE D

Students pay tribute to soldiers

About 400 students from four NewWestmin ster elementary schools gathered in the rain at Fraser Cemetery Friday, Nov. 4 to remember fallen veterans

Students from Sk wo:wech, Herbert Spencer and F W Howay schools and Urban Academy took part in the sixth annual No Stone Left Alone cer emony, laying poppies on the graves of fallen soldiers in the military section of the Richmond Street cem etery

They were joined by representatives from the Royal Canadian Army Ca det Corps 2316, Hyack FestivalYouth Ambassa dors and representatives from various commu nity groups, accompanied by members of the Royal Westminster Regiment

and Royal Canadian Le gion No Stone Left Alone is

an educational initiative in volving youth across Can ada to honour and rec

ognize the sacrifices of Canadian military men and women.

Remembrance Dayservicesin person,online

NewWestminster resi dents wanting to pay trib ute to Canada’s veterans can do so both in person and virtually for 2022

The City of NewWest minster is once again hosting its public outdoor service at the cenotaph on Friday, Nov 11 start ing at 10:30 a.m.

Those laying wreaths can pick them up on the city hall front lawn be tween 8 a.m. and 10:15 a m

At 10:15 a m , the pa rade will assemble at Queens Avenue and Sixth Street to parade to the ce notaph for the outdoor service at 10:30 a.m.

Note that limited seat ing will be available on a first come, first served basis for seniors and those with mobility is sues

Parking is limited Find all the details at www newwestcity ca/ remembrance day

LIVESTREAM

The ceremony will also be livestreamed You can watch coverage starting at 10:25 a m on Facebook (@newwestminster) or at the city’sYoutube channel @NewWestCity)

TELUS customers can also watch onTELUS Optik Channel 345.

We will remember: Grade 4/5 students from Skwo:wech Elementary School were among about 400 students from four schools who gathered at Fraser Cemetery on Friday, Nov 4 for the annual No Stone Left Alone ceremony PHOTO CORNELIA NAYLOR

Arts & Entertainment

Dancers of Damelahamid return to the New Westminster stage

NaveenaVijayan nvijayan@newwestrecord ca

Here’s a chance to see a dance performance with steps, music and stories from thousands of years ago.

The Indigenous dance company Dancers of Damelahamid will per form their original pro duction, Spirit andTra dition, in the city, giving people a glimpse of an art form that has been passed down several generations Damelahamid stands for “paradise” and was “the name of the original city the family was from, in history,” said Marga ret Grenier, the execu tive and artistic director of the company. Grenier was born in a small com munity on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia and raised in a family that was already into reviving art and music as she was growing up.

Her parents started Dancers of Damelahamid in 1960 as a way to re cover the wealth of art that they had lost in the years between 1885 to 1951 due to the potlatch ban.

Potlatch was a gift giv ing ceremony among First Nations people along the Northwest Coast As part of the ceremony, there used to be dance, mu sic and theatre But with the ban of the potlatch, and thereby all the cul tural events, much of the knowledge slipped away, during those 60 odd years Grenier’s parents de cided to learn from what ever her grandma, who lived through the potlatch ban, remembered.

“That was part of the revitalization of the dance form,” she said.

While her gran wasn’t necessarily a dancer, “it was really the knowledge of the eldest” at the time. Even the dancers who were probably young be fore the ban, were already elderly themselves, she said

“So it was based on their memories and their ability to teach, to guide and to get the younger dancers to dance again.”

Grenier trained un der her parents, and grew up with songs and dances passed down from her an cestors But her biggest challenge as a choreogra pher has been to under stand her dance form “to really understand what makes it specifically the Indigenous dance form for the Gitxsan and Cree peo ple, in order to be able to create and compose within this form ”

She and her husband took over the dance com pany from Grenier’s par ents in 2003 and have travelled around the world showcasing their produc tions

Today, Dancers of Damelahamid has about 12 members consisting of Grenier, her husband, their children and their two grandchildren, some nieces and nephews, and a few others welcomed by Grenier’s parents into the family many years ago

The youngest member is only three years old, but she has already been on stage though carried in a toddler pouch by one of the other dancers.

“She’s growing up with them, and now she’s start ing to imitate and dance on stage as well,” said Grenier

It’s not unusual within their dance practice to in clude kids even before they can walk, said Gren ier. Dance is, after all, “a lived practice and some thing that our young peo ple are immersed in from a very young age.”

Dance, as she put it, is a “family practice ”

“And the dances con vey stories that represent our connection as Indige nous people to our lands here on theWest Coast, and the values that have been passed on from one generation to the next,” she said

“They are created to mark significant events in our histories and to con vey teachings that go with that event And, usually, they are to teach care for the environment and also as a community, for one another,” added Grenier

These values are con veyed through dances that use a traditional “touch step,” costumes that largely use colours such as red and black that were traditionally sourced from natural materials red from red ochre, and black from burnt charcoal from

the alder tree and use of traditional masks, which represent beings that are “connected to both the natural and the human world ”

The company has evolved the dance to in clude multimedia projec tions and other innovative mediums to convey their stories when performing before diverse audiences be it in South America, Shanghai or Dubai

You can catch Spirit of Tradition at the AnvilThe atre on Nov 18 and 19 See www ticketsnw ca

Family tradition: Dancers of Damelahamid bring their original production, Spirit and Tradition, to the Anvil Theatre for performances Nov. 18 and 19. PHOTO CHRIS RANDLE

It is w th great sadness that we advise of the passing of Ruth Jul an Ruth led a wonderful ong ife fu l of church, family, friends and, of course, the ove of her l fe Terry Julian

Ruth was born in Edmonton, Alberta and ater moved to New Westm nster, making t her home She and Terry built their fam ly home on 2nd Street n 1953 where they ived unti med cal needs necess tated their move to long term care in 2021 They a so bu lt a cottage at Ch lliwack Lake that was used by the r entire family for decades

Terry and Ruth were act vely involved with Ho y Tr nity Cathedra in New Westminster throughout the r married l fe They attended regu arly and raised their ch ldren n that church

Ruth was a t re ess volunteer and gave generous y of her time over the years to organizat ons ike the Holy Trinity Breakfast Program and the Queen’s Park Preschool She was talented in the arts and taught children n local schoo s in arts and crafts

Her Norweg an her tage was also very important to Ruth She almost always said her good byes and thank yous (as wel as many other salutat ons) to everyone in Norwegian, oved her krumkake that she made for the fami y for years and attended many loca annual Scand navian events over the years

Ruth was a so a quiet activist for women’s r ghts She was the first woman in the Royal Bank system that insisted that she could carry on working although she was pregnant, and she in fact did so Ruth was always strong and vocal and conv nced many of the value of “her way” on many topics

Terry predeceased Ruth on November 17 2021 Her children Patrick (Shel ey), Randi (Don) and Peter (Lime ) wi l sorely miss her She w ll also be missed by her grandchi dren Emma, Hannah, Charlotte, Stefan and R chard

Due to space restrictions, there is no puzzle this issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

JULIAN, Ruth Margaret August 1, 1923 November 4, 2022