The Georgia Straight - Vinyl Heaven - March 25, 2021

MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021 | FREE

Volume 55 | Number 2771

DOCUMENTING RACISM

B.C. history under scrutiny

COSTLY HOMES

Helping renters become owners

VINYL HEAVEN DIY PATIO PROJECTS

•

The owners of Main Street’s Neptoon Records, Ben and Rob Frith, are celebrating 40 years in business and two lifetimes of loving music

PASSOVER PLATES

•

GIL KELLEY’S DEPARTURE

NEWS

CONTENTS

Top planner left in midst of rental-replacement debate

12

By Steve Newton Cover photo by Rebecca Blissett

HISTORICAL CONTEXT - how did we determine areas to be covered by RHS ODP?

4 FM-1 zones

CD-1 zones

0.15%

C-2 zones

4%

12% Applicable RM zones

● Originally, C-2 zones were not included because there were few opportunities for new housing in apartment and low densit areas of the city.

65%

All other zones

18%

6

REAL ESTATE

Affordable-housing advocate Kishone Roy feels that the time is right for renters to receive a helping hand to hop into homeownership.

By Carlito Pablo

FOOD

By Charie Smith

t remains a mystery why the general manager of planning, urban design, and sustainability, Gil Kelley, parted ways with the City of Vancouver.

Longtime city hall watcher Mike Howell has reported that Kelley will receive severance. This suggests he wasn’t fired for cause. Over at CBC News, reporter Justin McElroy wrote that “if you read between the lines, it’s fairly clear it wasn’t exactly his choice”.

McElroy also suggested that “all indications are that it was sudden, based on general dissatisfaction rather than any specific situation”.

But could it be linked to an extremely controversial policy regarding the preservation of rental housing in commercial districts? It’s an area that hasn’t been fully explored to date.

One thing is clear: during Kelley’s fourand-a-half-year tenure as the top planner, he supported rezoning applications and promoted policies to sharply increase the supply of rental housing.

In fact, more than half of the total housing units approved last year were purposebuilt rental. This reflected Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s oft-stated desire to dramatically increase the supply of rental housing.

Intriguingly, Kelley’s departure occurred just as council was in the middle of addressing a report he presented to council. It recommends that council amend the Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan. This would extend a requirement for one-to-one replacement of THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

By Charlie Smith

As Jews around the world get ready for Passover, a Vancouver store is meeting international demand for Seder-related merchandise.

A City of Vancouver staff report shows that only four percent of purpose-built rental units are in four commercial zones, whereas more than three quarters are in apartment-oriented areas.

2

NEWS

Ex-reporter Eileen Park has delivered a blistering denunciation of those who trolled her following her wedding to ex-mayor Gregor Robertson.

7

Rental Stock By Zoning Districts

I

COVER

Rob and Ben Frith have made Neptoon Records the coolest vinyl outlet in Vancouver. Just ask Nardwuar.

by Charlie Smith

● RHS ODP was expaned in 2007 to preserve rental housing in RM, FM, and CD-1 zoning districts as these are the “apartment” zones with the morest rental.

March 25 – April 1 / 2021

existing rental housing units to four commercial zoning districts.

However, the text in the report suggests that Kelley had serious concerns if this recommendation went ahead. But he had no choice but to make it because council instructed him to do this twice in 2019.

Right now, this one-to-one replacement applies to new developments of three or more units in apartment-oriented zones and in comprehensive-development zones, according to the staff report.

On March 11, council heard several speakers with diametrically opposed views on the recommendation. Then on March 15, the city announced that Kelley was leaving his position. The public hearing will reconvene on April 1 without Kelley as the city’s planning director.

City staff saw several negative consequences resulting from amending the policy. The report notes that staff had “previously recommended” to elected officials that the Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan not be expanded to commercial areas.

“Commercial areas, along with other areas zoned for non-residential uses, were not originally included in the Rental Housing Stock ODP because they contained significantly less existing purpose-built rental compared to residential multifamily areas,” the report states.

The report also suggests that the status quo seems to be showing results. The vacancy rate in purpose-built rentals rose

MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

see next page

e Online TOP 5

e Start Here

10 9 15 14 8 2 13 14 7

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Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly Volume 55 | Number 2771 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 T: 604.730.7000 F: 604.730.7010 E: gs.info@straight.com straight.com

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Here’s what people are reading this week on Straight.com.

1 2 3 4 5

Langley emerges as new hot spot for residential real estate.

COVID-19 in B.C.: More than 550 cases per day and 19 flights with exposures.

Vancouver land assembly for sale at $7.5 million after city awards permit.

Downtown Vancouver upgrade project begins on Robson Street.

One in 9,900 Canadians has a serious reaction after COVID-19 vaccination. @GeorgiaStraight

EDITOR Charlie Smith

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Miguel Hernandez

SECTION EDITORS Mike Usinger (ESports/Liquor/Music) Steve Newton

GENERAL MANAGER (ACTING) Sandra Oswald

SENIOR EDITOR Martin Dunphy STAFF WRITERS Carlito Pablo (Real Estate) Craig Takeuchi SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT Jeff Li ART DEPARTMENT MANAGER Janet McDonald

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Mike Correia ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Catherine Tickle, Robyn Marsh, David Pearlman CONTENT AND MARKETING SPECIALISTS Alina Blackett Rachel Moore CIRCULATION MANAGER Giles Roy CREDIT MANAGER Shannon Li ACCOUNTING SUPERVISOR Tamara Robinson

from 0.6 percent in 2015 to one percent in 2019 and then to 2.6 percent in 2020, due to a pandemic-related reduction in demand for rental housing.

Extending the one-to-one replacement rule into commercial areas has strong support from the Vancouver Tenants Union. A vast majority of tenants who responded to the city’s survey also supported the change.

However, the recommendation to extend the one-to-one replacement rule is vehemently opposed by the Urban Development Institute, which represents the development industry. More than 90 percent of property owners who responded to the survey also disagreed with the amendment.

At the March 11 public hearing, UDI chair Beau Jarvis characterized the recommended amendment as equating to “a mass downzoning without compensation to property owners and will ultimately destabilize the very system that our industry relies on”.

Jarvis added that this would hurt “every single property owner in the city” as $500 million in equity would be wiped out. He also said that Canada’s large chartered banks were likely to change lending practices in Vancouver if council went ahead with the recommendation.

These comments drew condemnation at the public hearing from Kareem Ibrahim, an advocate with the Vancouver Tenants Union. He described Vancouver as “hilariously unaffordable” and accused the development industry of en-

We have people who cannot afford to move out of their home.

– tenant advocate Kareem Ibrahim

Vancouver’s director of planning, Gil Kelley, will get severance, so he wasn’t fired with cause.

gaging in “fear-mongering rhetoric”.

“We have people who cannot afford to move out of their home,” Ibrahim said.

There are 380 purpose-built rental buildings with 3,050 rental units in the four commercial zoning districts mentioned in the report. That’s about four percent of the city’s purpose-built rental housing stock.

If council approves the recommendation, it would mean that the Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan would apply to 81 percent of purpose-built rental stock in Vancouver, up from 77 percent today.

The report points out that only 81 units of existing rental stock have been lost in the four commercial zones over the past decade without the one-to-one rental-replacement rule. This has been due to strata projects.

That has been offset by a gain of 691 new rentals in the same commercial areas as a result of rental-incentive policies.

A slide presentation at the public hearing indicated that older buildings have far lower rents than newer purpose-built rental buildings.

If the amendments were to pass, the report states that this would result in a reduction of land values, leading to “uncertainty around land value assessments”. In this regard, it reinforces Jarvis’s comments.

The report also notes that this would lead financial institutions to reevaluate loan guidelines for strata redevelopments with rental units on site.

“This will result in lower loans to equity for developers and landlords,” the report states. “The impact can be significant, particularly on existing loan applications.

In addition, the proposed policy change could impact a landlord’s ability to finance

maintenance or operating costs.”

Kelley didn’t speak about the report to council at the March 11 hearing. Instead, senior planner Edna Cho delivered the staff presentation and explained the slides.

Here’s another interesting aspect of the discussion: council voted to put off asking the staff questions about the recommendations until the hearing reconvened. Did they know at the time that Kelley was already on his way out the door?

At this point, nobody is talking because issues involving labour relations are held in-camera.

One thing is clear: a fair number of council members—and possibly the majority—may be prepared to go ahead with requiring one-to-one rental conversations in four commercial zones. This would be supported by advocates for tenants, a key Stewart constituency. But it could be coming in the face of vehement opposition from developers and banks, whose executives have often traditionally supported NPA politicians.

And just as this may be about to occur, the city’s general manager of planning, urban design, and sustainability was replaced on an interim basis.

It reminds me of a quote on coincidences from motivational speaker Wayne Dyer.

“In mathematics, two angles that are said to coincide fit together perfectly,” Dyer declared. “The word coincidence does not describe luck or mistakes. It describes that which fits together perfectly.” g

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MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

3

NEWS

Park condemns racist responses to her wedding

W

by Charlie Smith

hen ex-Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson married former TV reporter Eileen Park, the couple received many messages of love and support.

This came after their wedding in Stanley Park was featured in Vogue magazine.

But in the midst of this good news, there was also an “avalanche of anti-Asian hate” that came in over social media, according to Park. That included disgusting direct messages that made her sick. And it occurred in the same week that six women of Asian ancestry were murdered by a gunman in the Atlanta area.

“It still never gets easier to be this exposed and this personal,” Park said on

Facebook. “But for too long, Asian women all over the world like me have had to keep quiet and eat our own bitterness. And I just can’t keep quiet anymore.”

She talked frankly about the “dire consequences of hypersexualizing Asian women”.

“The fetishization of Asian women is racist,” Park insisted. “Why? Because it dehumanizes and targets us.”

Park used to be director of communications for the mayor of Portland. According to her, the discrimination began almost immediately after she took the job. People would wonder how someone who looks like her could be in that position and who she might be sleeping with. “That assumption right there is racist,” she asserted.

JACOBSEN, Bradley (Brad) Allen It is with great sadness that we announce that Brad Jacobsen passed away peacefully at his home in Vancouver, BC on February 17, 2021 at the age of 51. He is survived by his mother, Lucille Jacobsen and his brothers Brock (Tina) and Glen Wevers; along with many aunts, uncles and cousins. Brad also has many lifelong friends he made in Dawson Creek, Kelowna and Vancouver, BC. Brad was predeceased by his father, Richard Jacobsen.

Brad was born in Prince George, BC on June 21, 1969 and spent his early childhood in Dawson Creek and moved to Kelowna in 1983 to live with his dad. He later moved to Burnaby and attended College where he studied Creative Writing. He wanted to become a Sports Broadcaster as he loved participating in and watching hockey, basketball, football and soccer.

Vogue covered Eileen Park’s marriage to Gregor Robertson. Photo by Mathias Fast.

Park said that she was surprised when local journalists started feeding into that stereotype, which has dogged Asian women for more than a century.

“My white male predecessors did not receive the same treatment doing the same job that I did,” Park declared.

VANCOUVER ABORIGINAL CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES SOCIETY

Funeral & Cremation Services Inc.

Brad’s life changed on May 23, 1994 when a tragic accident in Pemberton, BC resulted in him becoming a quadriplegic. He accepted this new chapter in his life with the strength and the determination needed to face the challenges that lay ahead. In true Brad fashion, he continued to live life according to his rules and went zip lining; skydiving; bungee jumping; and even did the West Coast Trail with the help of Mountain Equipment Co-op (who designed a special travois to transport him) and nine of his friends. He also coached basketball and took his teams on to win several Provincial Championships. He was extremely proud of his team members.

The Best is

Simply

Brad became an employee of Spinal Cord Injury BC in June of 2001 where he assisted in coordinating the Peer Support Program. Previous to that and afterwards, he counselled many people in trying to adapt to a new way of life. Brad cherished all of his working relationships, even after he left their employ in 2016 due to illness.

How do you put into words the life of someone so amazing that with each sentence another bevy of words pops into your mind? Or you talk to someone and even more aptly descriptive words are used to describe him? Brad was a person onto himself. All we can do is be grateful to have known him. Some said he was a loyal friend; dynamic; kind; loving; compassionate; just a wonderful human being. His legacy began the day he was born and will live on through all those who knew him. He lived his life by enriching the lives of others around him and he gave of himself freely and expected nothing in return. Brad was a model friend and mentor to everyone he met.

He had an inherent ability to bring people together and yet each individual felt like they were the most significant person in the room.

Brad made a lasting impression on many, many people and he will be missed and remembered forever by those who loved him. In lieu of flowers, family and friends may make a donation in Brad’s memory to the Spinal Cord Injury (B.C.) or the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.

“Free To Be” 4

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

She pointed out that these types of rumours “permanently damages a woman’s credibility”. And she singled out one unnamed female reporter for chasing these rumours for a couple of years.

“There were many nights I didn’t want to live any more,” Park revealed.

She added that when she reached out to the reporter, the woman refused to talk to her. That was because she didn’t believe what Park might say.

“We Asian women have spent a lifetime not being believed—not taken seriously, not given opportunities of leadership as a result,” Park said.

Her comments have received a positive response over social media.

“There are many horrible people online but please know that there are many many more of us cheering for you and Gregor,” former federal NDP candidate Victor Wong wrote on Twitter.

Teacher C. L. Chen declared on Twitter that Park “does an excellent job framing racist, sexist comments specific to Asian women”.

Former CBC journalist and documentary maker Bal Brach declared that Park’s “powerful video is worth your time”. g

Affordable

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REAL ESTATE

Affordable-homeownership programs’ time has arrived

T

by Carlito Pablo

he gap between renting and owning a home appears to be growing wider every day.

Kishone Roy makes this observation in unpacking a post that the housing advocate recently made on social media.

In essence, Roy wrote on Twitter on March 13 that there has to be a big conversation some time soon about affordable homeownership.

As many know, affordable and homeownership are two words that don’t often go together. But as Roy noted, “Whether people can afford to buy or rent should be an option that they have in their lives sometime.”

“But right now,” the former CEO of the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) told the Straight in a phone interview, “there is a great big gap between rental and homeownership.”

It’s a situation “caused by increased housing prices, caused by the increased size of the down payment that’s needed, [and] caused by low interest rates that make it harder to save for a down payment”.

Whether people can afford to buy or rent should be an option…

– Kishone Roy

However, renters shouldn’t be left on their own to navigate that gap. Otherwise, there will be continued pressure on the rental market, where there isn’t much supply in the first place.

Many renters require a hand to make a hop into homeownership.

“To make that leap, you need AHOP, an affordable-homeownership plan or program,” Roy said.

He said this is because if there is one lesson to be learned from the private housing market, it’s that it will “not create any affordable-homeownership options for people”.

“It’s now time to look at other solutions,” said the author of 2017’s Make Housing Central: British Columbia and the Affordable Housing Crisis.

Roy also noted that it may surprise people to learn that there are already affordable-homeownership projects in existence.

One example is the Rising Sun Villas, a six-storey residential building located at 13969 100 Avenue in Surrey.

Kishone Roy says the private housing market will never tackle affordable homeownership.

Phoenix Society, a nonprofit, opened the project in 2015. It includes 23 units of affordable-homeownership units. It also features transitional housing for men and women dealing with addictions, as well as those reintegrating into society following their involvement with the justice system.

The development received support from Vancity (Vancouver City Savings Credit Union). Online, Vancity relates that the project created the first “shared equity model” in B.C. The way this model works is that when an owner sells, a portion of the equity stays with the unit. This means that future owners also benefit from the increased value of the property.

Roy cited the Whistler Housing Authority as another example. The agency uses covenants on titles to keep ownership homes affordable and available to local buyers. The municipality also exercises the right of first refusal when it comes to selling the properties.

B.C. Housing compiled a number of such examples in an October 2017 paper titled A Scan of Leading Practices in Affordable Housing.

One can be found in Langford. The Vancouver Island city’s affordable-housing program requires new subdivisions to build one affordable unit for each batch of 10 single-family lots. Qualified buyers must consist of at least two people, with a household income under $60,000.

Also, purchasers should have lived in Langford for two years. The price of the home is capped for five years and increases only slightly after that period.

When friends, family or coworkers make an inappropriate comment, even in private, don’t let it slide. Listen. Probe.

And let them know their words matter.

Learn more at antiracist.gov.bc.ca

see next page MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

5

REAL ESTATE

Residential bidding wars remind realtor of 2015

T

by Carlito Pablo

he molten-hot market for homes shows no signs of cooling down.

There has been another individual huge sale in Vancouver, and it involved a 109-year-old heritage home in the Kitsilano neighbourhood.

The property went for $652,000 over its listed price.

The home at 2304 Dunbar Street sold for $2.85 million after spending eight days on the market. The three-storey home, built in 1912, was listed on March 11 for $2,198,000.

B.C. Assessment placed the 2021 value of the five-bedroom, three-bath property at $2,179,000 as of July 1, 2020.

RE/MAX Crest Realty agent Jamie Stewart said the property received nine bids.

“I had very, very close offers,” Stewart told the Straight in a March 22 phone interview. Stewart’s sellers accepted the $2.85 million offer on March 19.

The deal reminded Stewart of another sale she made about five years ago. That one sold more than a million dollars above its listed price.

On April 4, 2016, the realtor sold a home at 3479 West 19th Avenue for $4,190,000. from previous page

As part of the province’s 2018 budget, the B.C. NDP government announced that it would help build 114,000 units of affordable housing. These include market and nonprofit rental, supported social housing, and owner-purchase units.

The province will deliver these housing units through partnerships. To do this, it is devoting $7 billion over 10 years, an amount described as the “largest investment in housing affordability in B.C.’s history”.

6

The listed price was $3,188,000, which meant a buyer paid $1,002,000 over the original asking price.

“It feels like 2015, 2016 right now,” Stewart said.

But the realtor also noted, the market now is not there “quite yet”. “It’s getting busier, and we think after Easter we’re going to get even more momentum to the market,” Stewart said.

The Straight learned about 2304 Dunbar Street from Sutton Group–West Coast Realty agent David Hutchinson.

“I had a client moving from West Vancouver that was interested in the Kitsilano area and made an offer,” Hutchinson said.

However, the offer did not succeed. “We came up short,” Hutchinson said. “It turns out we came up short by a few hundred thousand dollars.”

The five-bedroom, three-bath home is included in the Vancouver Heritage Register.

Located at a corner of Dunbar Street and West 7th Avenue, the register classifies the property in the B category, which means it is of significant heritage value.

A B-category property represents “good examples of a particular style or type, either individually or collectively”. Or it “may have some documented historical or cultural significance in a neighbourhood”.

According to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, 2304 Dunbar Street was built in 1912 by J. E. Atkins. It was one of a number of houses built at the same time by Atkins in Kitsilano, with the others being 2338, 2334, 2316, 2312, and 2308 Dunbar Street. g

Also in 2018, the B.C. NDP government unveiled its HousingHub, which will bring a variety of stakeholders together.

The hub’s mission is to get two major programs going: the Provincial Rental Supply program, and the Affordable Home Ownership Program (AHOP).

B.C. Housing has also developed a framework for AHOP. In January 2019, the provincial agency released a paper about the program, explaining that it will help households to access “construction

financing at reduced rates”.

The program also seeks to leverage land and other contributions from project partners.

According to the AHOP framework paper, units will be made available at five to 20 percent below market value. The difference will be secured by an AHOP mortgage on the title.

When asked about B.C. Housing’s affordable-homeownership program, Roy indicated that he would be interested to

see more details.

“They’re currently engaged in trying to come up with more solutions,” Roy said, “but what I don’t see is a plan that says how many units are going to be built where and for what price.”

The bottom line for Roy is that people should know that affordable homeownership is possible and can be done through different forms of AHOPs. “It’s a real thing, and worth talking about,” Roy said. g

This house at the corner of Dunbar Street and West 7th Avenue is on the Vancouver Heritage Register and sold for $652,000 over the list price after eight days on the market and nine bids.

315 2150 E HASTINGS I $599,000

401 1655 NELSON ST I $589,000

1309 COTTON DR I $799,000

Bright, open plan 2 bed condo at “The View”, situated on the quiet side of the building (NOT facing Hastings); w/ a beautiful, Southern exposure.

This well laid-out home features a smart use of space w/ ample in-suite storage & a fantastic kitchen with granite counter tops, SS appliances & laminate floors throughout Central location, close to shops, the best restaurants East Van has to offer, grocery stores and transit 1 parking included, pets and rentals OK. SHOWINGS BY APPT: THURS March 25th, 4 - 6pm SHOWINGS BY APPT: SAT March 27th, 1 - 4pm SHOWINGS BY APPT: SUN March 28th, 1 - 4pm

1 bed, 1 bath, 684 SF West End Jewel This bright, spacious unit has a contemporary open plan w/ 8’6” ceilings, solid oak floors & good sized balcony off the living room. Modern open kitchen Well cared for building w/ proactive strata: plumbing (2008), New roof & lobby upgrade (2013), windows (2014) Pets allowed & rentals allowed (min 3 months). Insuite laundry (ventless dryer) is possible w/ strata approval One Parking & storage included SHOWINGS BY APPT: FRI March 26th, 10:30 - Noon SHOWINGS BY APPT: SAT March 27th, 2 - 4pm SHOWINGS BY APPT: SUN March 28th, 2 - 4pm

2 Bed, 1 bath townhome just off The Drive Open plan kitchen, living & dining room w/ cozy gas fireplace, a good sized balcony on the main floor.

Features include: HW oak floors, master WIC, renovated bathroom, common roof deck & prepped for an electric car in the secure parking stall Rentals & pets allowed. (1 dog / 2 cats).

A great proactive group of owners. Only 10 units & fully rain screened in 2017

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

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FOOD / WINE

Olive+Wild’s Seder plates gain international appeal

P

by Charlie Smith

assover is one of the big events in Judaism, celebrating the Israelites’ freedom from slavery in ancient Egypt. The story behind this holiday is well known to anyone who’s seen The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston. The evil pharaoh enslaves the Jews, declaring that every son born to them must be killed. But Moses avoids this fate when he’s adopted by the pharaoh’s daughter.

God later instructs Moses to tell the pharaoh to free the Jews—but the ruler dismisses this. So God delivers 10 plagues on the land, including a final disaster when all Egyptian first-born sons are killed. However, God passes over the Jewish homes because they are his chosen people.

This year, Passover begins on Saturday (March 27) evening and ends on the evening of Sunday (April 4). In commemorating these events in their ritual service and Seder meal, Jews will shake drops of wine out of their cup for each of those plagues. It’s to remind them to remain aware of suffering and injustice.

Normally, several generations of the family get together, but many are choosing to do this virtually during the pandemic.

One of those is Simon Zaidel, who co-owns the Olive+Wild home and gift store on Main Street with his wife, Bella.

“We’re going to be doing the Passover with the family via Zoom,” Zaidel told the Straight by phone. “The restrictions are still in place and we want to make sure everybody stays safe. We’ll do it with our kids.”

One of the children is in Vancouver, whereas the other is in England, which creates a challenge with the different time zones.

This family Haggadah art scroll and silver Seder plate are just some of the much-in-demand Judaic products at Olive+Wild.

In the meantime, Zaidel and his wife are exceptionally busy. That’s because, according to him, Olive+Wild has the largest collection of Judaica and Jewish products

in Western Canada. It includes etched glass Seder plates as well as other elaborately designed plates created from marble, pewter and glass, and mosaics. And they’re selling like crazy right now.

“I think our offering in breadth and products exceeds what’s available in Toronto,” Zaidel said by phone as he was returning to the store with another shipment.

Walk-in customers are coming all the way from Abbotsford and Tsawwassen, and online orders are being placed from around the world. It’s not just Seder plates that are selling. Olive+Wild also offers matzah trays and other Seder-related products. They have to import this merchandise, mostly from Israel, because they’re not being made locally.

The Zaidels opened Olive+Wild four and a half years ago.

“My wife used to work at Crate and Barrel and Restoration Hardware and she always wanted to have her own store,” he said. “She came with the design background and I was in the jewellery industry. It’s just a perfect fit for me.”

Zaidel said he appreciates being in the Little Mountain area, where local residents have a history of supporting small businesses. But he also noted that the Seder-related products were a “great stepping stone” in helping him and his wife continue operating last year when COVID-19 forced them to keep their store closed for several weeks.

“A lot of customers would research for Judaic products online,” he said.

The pandemic is our modern version of the plague. Yet thanks to their willingness to promote their faith through the Internet, the Zaidels have managed to make it through this difficult period with their business intact. g

DIY patio projects that pair well with chilled rosé

I

by Rachel Moore

t’s that time of the year again: the sun is shining, your work-from-home sweatsuit is becoming slightly too hot, and your outdoor space is looking rather naked. Patio season is right around the corner, which means you need to get started on designing a swanky and functional space for entertaining your safe six.

Experts say that drinking wine can spark creativity and eliminate writers’ block, so we’re assuming that this also applies to DIY patio projects. In that spirit, the Grow Wild 2020 Ravishing Rosé is the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon spent with your glue gun and haul from Michaels craft supplies store.

This blushing rosé comprises juicy flavours of pink grapefruit, watermelon, and wild strawberries and is produced from Okanagan Valley VQA grapes. The bottle is also wrapped in a colourful floral label that will likely inspire you to hunt down wallpaper with a similar design for your bedroom. Grow Wild wines can be purchased at your local liquor or wine store.

You’ll be feeling quite crafty after a few sips, so we’ve found three beginner-friendly patio projects that can be tackled as you drink.

some fairy lights.

Grapevine can be found growing outside or you can purchase a grapevine wreath and unwind it. If you’re unsuccessful in tracking down some grapevine, you can make the same lighting balls with wire.

Visit lynneknowlton.com/diy-grapevinelighting-balls-what-a-bright-idea/ for the instructions.

DIY MOSS GRAFFITI

There’s nothing quite like redoing the patio with a bottle of rosé (photo by Rachel Moore); you can make a DIY ottoman with an old tire, thick sisal rope, nylon rope, and some tools.

DIY ROPE OTTOMANS

There is no need to spend an absurd amount of money on a bohemian-chic woven ottoman when you can easily make one yourself. These round poufs can be used for seating or as a footrest.

All you’ll need is an old tire (check Facebook Marketplace or the local auto shop), thick Sisal rope, nylon rope, a hotglue gun, scissors, sealer, and a paintbrush.

Step-by-step instructions can be found at

stylemepretty.com/living/2020/02/21/diyrope-ottomans/.

DIY GRAPEVINE LIGHTING BALLS

These grapevine lights will transform your backyard or patio into a picturesque and cozy space once the sun goes down. Hang them from trees, the patio awning, or even from your outdoor umbrella. For this DIY project, you’ll need grapevine, floral wire, wire cutters, inflatable beach ball(s), and

If you have an empty wall near your patio or outdoor space, try your hand at vertical farming. Moss graffiti can take the form of words or images and will add personality to your home. For optimal results, plant your moss-graffiti installation on a shady wall and choose something rather unique to grow. Think movie quotes, pet portraits, or your witty Wi-Fi password.

For this project, you’ll need a can of beer, some sugar, several clumps of garden moss, a plastic container with a lid, a blender, a paintbrush, and a stencil of your design. Detailed instructions are listed at greenprophet.com/2011/12/green-yourhome-with-moss-graffiti/. g

MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

7

LIQUOR

Pocket Flask: Cigarettes a quick ticket to heaven

A

by Mike Usinger

s a valuable public service, we crack open spirits from B.C. to Bahrain and beyond, then give you a highly opinionated, pocket flask–sized review.

TODAY’S FREE POUR

Sons of Vancouver Cigarettes on a Leather Jacket THEIR WORDS

“The release of Cigarettes was an idea long in the making, founded on the vision of overproof Canadian whiskies that didn’t taste like maple syrup. A blend of 3-to-5year-old whiskies, 90 percent rye, 5 percent wheat, and 5 percent barley used in peated malt barrels. Crème brûlée nose with signature rye spice everywhere, Fruity tobacco mid finishing with oak, pine, and soot.”

TASTING NOTES

Sometimes you stick the landing so perfectly the first time the question becomes “Where do we go from here?” Sons of Vancouver small-batch distillers James Lester and Richard Kraus have built a sterling reputation on the backs of their insanely popular Amaretto and straight-outta-

Cigarettes on a Leather Jacket is the whisky you want your friends sipping when you die.

Tiki-Town Craft Blue Curacao. While they might be new to the whisky game with this first attempt, they’re obviously fast learn-

ers. Cigarettes on a Leather Jacket rolled up at this year’s Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition, and promptly waltzed away with gold.

Let’s talk for a second about the name on the bottle. While your favourite surgeon general will strongly disagree, cigarettes have always had an undeniable cool factor. Dispute this all you want, but not until you’ve seen Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Or James Dean sitting on the hood of his Porsche 550 Spyder with a Chesterfield. Or Grace Kelly getting ready to light up while playing Peeping Tom in Rear Window. Or Princess Margaret smoking her brains out while free-pouring the scotch in The Crown. As for leather jackets, whether you’re talking Marlon Brando, the Ramones, or Joan Jett, the look is best described with one word: badass.

As for what’s inside the bottle, Cigarettes on a Leather Jacket is smoother than George Clooney on a red carpet, with an aroma as gorgeous as Royal Doncaster Butterscotch. Tastewise, expect vanillalaced honeydew melon, ripe passionfruit, and spicy rye accented by whispers of oldworld oak and soft smoke. Jesus Christ— pass the Marlboros, next stop heaven.

COCKTAIL TIME

Okay the first question is “Why?” As in “why would you add anything—thymeinfused lemon juice, ginger-spiced simple syrup, or hand-crafted blackened cedar bitters—to Cigarettes on a Leather Jacket when it’s perfect on its own—either neat or on ice. All bottles were spoken for before the whisky left the casks, so if you’ve been lucky enough to get your hands on one, you’ll want to make it last. Last how long? Well, as the label on the bottle sagely offers, Cigarettes is “The whisky you want your friends to drink when you’re dead.”

If you must embrace your inner cocktail nerd however, let Cigarettes on a Leather Jacket take its rightful place at centre stage with a classic Manhattan.

MANHATTAN

2 ounces Cigarettes on a Leather Jacket 1 ounce sweet vermouth 2 dashes Angostura bitters 1 dash orange bitters Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass until well chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and then garnish with a brandied cherry. g

Three situations when you should call 24HR Junk

T

(This story is sponsored by 24HR Junk)

MOVING FROM YOUR APARTMENT OR HOME

he last year has been filled with plenty of lessons: to never take a hug for granted and that an organized and tidy home environment can bring you inner peace.

The pandemic has provided many people with the perfect opportunity to move into a new neighbourhood, downsize their office, or declutter their current space. But it’s important to remember that improperly disposing of junk is bad for the environment and can also result in fines.

This is why 24HR Junk is available to residents of Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland around the clock.

24HR Junk is a Black-owned business founded by two young entrepreneurs with the goal of fostering inclusivity while giving back to the community.

The junk-removal company safely disposes of unwanted electronics, furniture, appliances, scrap metal, yard waste, and leftover construction materials. By enlisting the help of 24HR Junk’s professional team, you’ll avoid suffering a painful back injury and spending the whole weekend at the Vancouver Landfill.

When starting over in a new home or apartment, filling the fresh and airy space with useless junk will make anyone feel anxious. But moving can be stressful, and finding the time to host a garage sale or to sort through items for donation might feel impossible.

The hard-working junk-removal team can pick up any discarded objects curbside at a time that is convenient for you. In order to keep everyone safe during the pandemic, all employees wear masks and gloves. The interior of trucks and tools are also sanitized before and after every job.

HOME IMPROVEMENT AND REMODELLING

If you’ve been feeling inspired by the home-improvement shows on HGTV Canada, consider this a sign to start your remodelling project. The optimal time to begin is during the spring and summer months, as the weather is dry.

Warmer temperatures are ideal when it comes to painting the interior and exterior of your place.

Anyone who is planning an upcoming remodel should start by developing a plan and a budget, contacting contractors, and removing any unwanted furniture or appliances. g

SPRING CLEANING AND DECLUTTERING

Spring goes hand in hand with warmer weather, the budding of flowers, and a deep clean of your entire home. A thorough cleaning should include washing the walls and floors, scrubbing kitchen appliances, dusting baseboards, and purging all of the knick-knacks that you no longer use.

Whether you’re getting rid of electronics or other household objects, 24HR Junk can pick up your unwanted items that same day. After transporting the junk back to 8

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

People can call 24HR Junk if they want to safely dispose of electronics, yard waste, metals, and construction materials.

their headquarters, the team will sort through the haul to see if anything can be donated or recycled.

MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

Follow 24HR Junk on Instagram and Facebook or download its app, available at the Apple Store. The junk-removal company also offers tips on cleaning and home improvement and runs monthly contests through its social media and website. For a free estimate, email 24hrjunk@gmail.com or call 1-604-369-0692.

BOOKS

Authors document British Columbia’s racist history

A

by Charlie Smith

new book delving into the history of racism in B.C. questions the very name of Canada’s westernmost province.

Nicholas Xemtoltw Claxton, Denise Fong, Fran Morrison, Christine O’Bonsawin, Maryka Omatsu, John Price, and Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra wrote Challenging Racist “British Columbia”: 150 Years and Counting.

“We put that name in quotation marks and ask you to join us in questioning its origins and probing its past—does the term ‘British Columbia,’ named after a colonizing empire and Christopher Columbus, not embody and project the history of racism in this province?” the authors write.

The 80-page book is meticulously footnoted and can be downloaded for free at challengeracistbc.ca and policy alternatives.ca.

At the online book launch on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21), UBC legal scholar Carol Liao moderated a discussion with the authors.

In the introduction, they highlighted how young activists are coming together “to stop Sinophobic attacks and hate crimes targeting Indigenous or Asian peoples who appear ‘Chinese’ ”.

“No longer are they willing to tolerate the treatment of non-whites as perpetual foreigners,” they write.

Moreover, this upsurge in antiracism is no accident. “It reflects a new generation’s changing values in a province where systemic racism remains widespread,” the authors assert.

The opening chapter includes a First Peoples’ Language Map of British Columbia, which was provided by the First People’s Cultural Council, as well as historical and contemporary photos.

It’s also full of historical insights as it outlines how the Doctrine of Discovery was applied to erase Indigenous peoples’ claims to the land in the 19th century. In addition, the book explains how a former land commissioner and B.C.’s first lieutenant governor, Joseph Trutch, refused to discuss treaties with Indigenous people.

“The Indians have really no right to the lands they claim, nor are they of any actual value or utility to them,” Trutch said, “and I cannot see why they should either retain these lands to the prejudice of the general interests of the Colony, or be allowed to make a market of them either to Government or to individuals.”

The book also chronicles more than 150 years of resistance to this colonialist white supremacy, right up to the recent land defence launched by Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs against the Coastal Gaslink pipeline.

The next chapter focuses on the arrival of

No longer are they willing to tolerate the treatment of nonwhites as perpetual foreigners.

– Challenging Racist “British Columbia”

Businessman Mifflin Gibbs was part of a group of Blacks who moved from California to B.C. in the 1850s; he was the first Black elected in B.C., to a city council. Photo by C.M. Bell Studio Collection.

substantial numbers of Black and Chinese people to British Columbia in the late 1850s.

“By 1858 James Douglas, governor of the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, was worried about the onslaught of thousands of US citizens heading north for the gold rush,” the authors write. “To help

stabilize the British colonies and to keep this area from American hands, Douglas invited people of African descent living in California to settle in the colony.”

One of the leaders of Victoria’s Black community, Mifflin Gibbs, was the first person of African ancestry to be elected in

British Columbia, in 1866. It came when voters chose him as their city council representative for the James Bay neighbourhood.

Many Chinese came during the gold rush.

And the authors explain that Indigenous people often helped those Chinese settlers who didn’t find precious metal, sometimes forging long-lasting relationships.

Other chapters deal with voting rights, South Asian immigration, the attempted ethnic cleansing of Japanese Canadians, and systemic racism.

The book was created as a result of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant to a University of Victoria research project called Asian Canadians on Vancouver Island: Race Indigeneity and the Transpacific. g

BUILDING WORKING AND A RECOVERY

YOU

for

THAT INCLUDES EVERYONE. new democrat n BC government caucus B

WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU:

Niki Sharma, MLA Vancouver-Hastings

niki.sharma.MLA@leg.bc.ca (604) 775-2277

Brenda Bailey, MLA Vancouver-False Creek brenda.bailey.MLA@leg.bc.ca (604) 775-2601

MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

9

ARTS

Artistry and consumer culture collide in Pictures

F

by Charlie Smith

orty years ago, visual artist Barbara Kruger curated a memorable art show in New York called Pictures and Promises.

Held at the Kitchen, one of the city’s oldest nonprofit arts spaces, it featured works by the so-called Pictures Generation—a loose affiliation of like-minded artists inf luenced by images in print media and video.

According to Emmy Lee Wall, executive director of Vancouver’s Capture Photography Festival, this exhibition strove to demonstrate that contemporary art and advertising were using similar languages. To demonstrate this, Kruger placed works of contemporary art on the wall next to advertising images.

“When critics saw the show, they were actually kind of confused,” Wall told the Straight over the phone. “They found it really disorienting, intermingling those two media.”

Artists featured in the show included Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Jenny Holzer, Matt Mullican, and Hannah Wilke.

“They sort of felt there were enough images circulating in the world that they

Untitled, a chromogenic print from Canadian artist Lorraine Gilbert’s Montreal and Vancouver Night Works, is featured in Pictures and Promises, an exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, as is New York–based Chinese artist O Zhang’s We Are all the Future of the Earth, a 2008 inkjet print.

didn’t need to create new images from scratch,” Wall explained. “They were really examining what those images meant, what they symbolized, what their resonance of those images that were circulating in society meant.”

On ViEw UnTiL SePtEmBeR 6 TiCkEtS At VaNaRtGaLlErY.Bc.Ca Organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery on behalf of the City of Vancouver’s Public Art Program, curated by Diana Freundl Interim Chief Curator/Associate Director. Sun Xun, Mythology or Rebellious Bone, 2020 (detail), ink, gold leaf, natural colour pigment on paper, Courtesy of the Artist and ShanghART Gallery

10

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

Major Sponsor:

MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

For this year’s Capture Photography Festival, Wall has cocurated a show with Grant Arnold, the Audain curator of British Columbia art at the Vancouver Art Gallery, offering a modern take on this idea.

Also called Pictures and Promises, it features images from the Vancouver Art Gallery’s collection, including some by Warhol, Sherman, Prince, and Kruger.

They’re augmented by other memorable lens-based works by a diverse range of local and international artists, including Vikky Alexander, Walker Evans, Lorraine Gilbert, Ken Lum, Eric Metcalfe, O Zhang, and others.

“It’s like a redux,” Wall said. “It thinks about those same ideas and incorporates both historical and contemporary work to look at the way images circulate in society.”

People who take in the show at the VAG can ponder whether these images are a mirror of society or if they actually shape society.

“We have to be cognizant of what we’re looking at and taking in and how those images are affecting all of us,” she said. “So I think it’s a relevant conversation to be happening with the rise of visual artistry.

“I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m constantly bombarded with photographic imagery these days, especially on social media,” Wall continued. “I think it’s important that everyone be able to think about what those images stand for and why they’re being put in front of us.”

Wall, the daughter-in-law of famed photographic artist Jeff Wall, pointed out that this is the Capture Photography Festival’s first cocreated venture.

She worked off and on for the VAG for 14 years and knows Arnold well. In fact,

I feel like I’m constantly bombarded with photographic imagery…

– Emmy Lee Wall

she described him as the VAG’s “resident photographic expert”, with deep insights into the almost 3,600 lens-based images in its permanent collection.

“It’s such a joy to be able to realize an exhibition that speaks to this idea of looking at images critically and the idea of the way that contemporary and consumer culture collide,” Wall said. “It’s an issue that affects all of us.”

In addition to Pictures and Promises, Wall and Arnold are also going to appear together at a virtual programmed event on April 20 as part of the Capture Photography Festival. Entitled Art Connects: Pictures of Past and Present With Emmy Lee Wall and Grant Arnold, they’ll speak about the VAG’s photographic works by Evans, Sherman, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Dana Claxton, Song Dong, Ian Wallace, Jin-me Yoon and others.

“Grant knows the collection extremely well because he’s worked there for more than 20 years,” Wall said. g Pictures and Promises will continue at the Vancouver Art Gallery until September 6. The Capture Photography Festival runs from April 2 to 30.

VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS EDUCATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE New home opens for classes April 10, 2021.

1400 Johnston Street, Granville Island | artsumbrella.com/spring MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

11

MUSIC

Neptoon thrives at 40, the pandemic be damned

R

by Steve Newton

ob Frith knows exactly where and when his lifelong love affair with vinyl started.

From the basement of Neptoon Records, where he sits surrounded by thousands upon thousands of albums, Frith recalls how, when he was four years old, his mother owned an old flip-top record player. The machine could only play 45s, which was just fine with the wee tyke because he revelled in the sound of singles

by Elvis Presley and a mix of long-forgotten country acts.

“There was a little light in the front that showed that it was on,” he recalls. “And I remember leaning against this counter that it was on and just staring at this light and this music would be playing, and I was just overtaken.”

Sixty years later, music still holds a magical power for Frith. And that’s a good thing, because he’s celebrating four decades as the owner of Neptoon, the Main Street record shop that’s been a treasured destination for scores of Vancouverites in search of a music fix.

Frith now runs the place with his 33-year-old musician son Ben, who currently plays drums with local bands Storc, Hidden Trip, and the Vicious Cycles. The elder Frith got into the business as an extension of putting on record swap meets with his friends in the ‘70s.

“The first one was at the J & S Deluxe Hall near Broadway and Main,” he remembers. “We printed up flyers and didn’t know anyone would show up, but when we opened the door there was a lineup down the street. The guy who ran the hall showed up and said, ‘You can’t have that many people in here!’ ” Frith’s early entrepreneurial exploits also included putting up the money to record a single by a band called Pictures, which included his best friend, Scotty Hall, on guitar. That’s when he came up with Neptoon Records as the name for the label.

Shortly thereafter, when his usual construction work became harder to find, in 1981, he opened the first Neptoon Records store on Fraser Street near East 41st Avenue, across from John Oliver high school.

By this time, Frith had become seriously addicted to the lure of vinyl, and opening a store seemed like the right thing to do, considering the many piles of albums he had clogging up his East Van residence. He figured he could sell enough of them to cover the $350-amonth rent on the place.

“When I opened my store, I had to make a decision to not be as obsessive a collector as I had been,” he points out. “If I had a favourite band, I’d have six or seven copies of the exact same record—but from different countries, with a slightly different cover or 12

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

Neptoon Records’ Rob Frith (right) and son Ben have parlayed a passion for vinyl into a flourishing business that even the global pandemic can’t put a damper on. Photo by Rebecca Blissett.

Music’s everything to me. And you also meet lots of people. Tom Waits has been here, the Flamin’ Groovies.

– Rob Frith

something. I’d have to go through them and find out which one sounded the best and then just keep that one.”

In the mid-’80s, Frith opened a second Neptoon Records outlet on Yew Avenue in Kits, which he says was “probably the worst mistake I ever made”. The expansion split his clientele in half rather than adding to it, but he got out of that lease before too much financial damage could be done. Then, by the end of the ’90s, he found that the glow had come off the Fraser Street location as well. A methadone clinic had opened nearby, drawing drug dealers and sex workers.

“It got bad,” he recalls. “Plus, I needed

MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

more room. I was looking to rent on Main Street forever, and then one day I happened to be driving by and I saw the For Sale sign on this building. It was during a bit of a lull in the market, so I picked it up really cheap. And 20 years ago, who’d have thought that Main would become such a happening place.”

It’s been mostly positive vibes since Neptoon moved into 3561 Main in 2002.

The students from John Oliver who used to frequent the old Fraser store on lunch break now visit with their own kids. The bigger location also means the Friths can put on live concerts, like the one by Jack

White’s group, the Raconteurs, that happened in July of 2019.

The store has also served as a set for three seasons of the locally shot TV series Loudermilk and was recently used for the feature film Honey Girls. Gonzo music journalist Nardwuar the Human Serviette has recorded conversations with such celebrities as Seth Rogen, Tommy Chong, and late rapper Juice Wrld there. His interview with Tyler, the Creator in Neptoon’s basement has garnered more than five million views on YouTube.

“It’s an amazing environment,” Nardwuar says when asked why he likes doing interviews there. “Not only have I found treasures there, so many cool records that I’ve been looking for, but Rob is so welcoming. And he’s got that cool place downstairs with a bunch of records. In that Tyler interview, Tyler even notices a record on the wall. He appreciated all the records packed up in there.

“And also my band, the Evaporators, we’ve done quite a few in-stores at Neptoon Records. One we did with Andrew WK, and for Record Store Day we played a couple of times. They do so many in-stores that they have a built-in PA, which is great.

So for me it’s not just doing interviews, and it’s not just buying records, there’s live bands there!”

Looking back on the 40 years, Frith describes working at Neptoon—which he does seven days a week now, with no plan to retire—as ”the best thing”.

“Music’s everything to me,” he says.

“And you also meet lots of people. Tom Waits has been in here, the Flamin’ Groovies. The Sonics. Eric Burdon from the Animals—one of the bands I loved when I was a kid. In fact, my old band played ‘House of the Rising Sun’ at my Grade Seven graduation, so when I met him here, it was just so exciting for me.”

For Ben Frith, having a dad own a record store for his entire life has been pretty cool—even if they do fight over what music gets played during work hours.

“The second he steps away from the counter, I change it,” Ben notes with a chuckle, explaining that he’d just made the switch from whatever his dad had on to the new box set of Black Sabbath’s Vol. 4. “But it’s always been great being able to grow up around music, just getting to hear all kinds of things I wouldn’t have heard otherwise.”

“It’s hard to believe it’s still going on,” he adds. “This time last year, I was worried whether we’d be here for the 40th year, but after the initial closure of the first few months [of the pandemic], it’s been really busy. Everyone was cooped up at home, not going to shows—probably not going out much at all—and listening to records at home is a nice thing to do.” g

MUSIC

Bill Jr. Jr. finds beauty in a small space with “Blue”

A

by Mike Usinger

s a snapshot of a moment in time, it might be the most Vancouver thing you’ll see this year.

There’s little disputing that Canada’s West Coast is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, with Vancouver its most famous urban jewel. From the snowcapped mountains to the sandy shores of Spanish Banks, we’ve got the kind of scenery that makes one wonder why anyone would choose to live anywhere else in the country not named the Maritimes.

Christ, take a look outside right now.

The sun is shining, the daffodils have been up for a couple of weeks, and everyone is walking around in shorts and T-shirts. It’s the kind of thing that makes you proud that your Canada ends at Boundary Road.

But there’s a price to be paid in Vancouver for the Stanley Park Seawall, Commercial Drive coffee shops, Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, outdoor bar at the Keefer, and Kitsilano saltwater swimming pool. And that price is the reality that, increasingly, living here is cost-prohibitive.

Which is why anyone not named Jimmy Pattison Jr. eventually ends up moving to Hope or Chilliwack or 100 Mile House. After, that is, months of praying to God that

Bill Jr. Jr. would eventually come to accept that a standard-size van was no place from which to try and run a picture-framing business, plant nursery, portable drum shop, and practise space.

the landlord doesn’t serve up a renoviction from the $1,200 a month Commercial Drive studio suite you work two jobs to make rent on. Knowing it’s only a matter of time until you’re living in a van that, in both design and functionality, looks straight out of the indescribably great Nomadland.

And it’s van—as opposed to Vancouver—life that brings us to Bill Jr. Jr.’s video for “Blue”, which you can watch on all the usual platforms.

As video concepts go, the clip is as simple as it is smart. In what’s a time-tested rite

of passage for every indie act that’s ever roamed the pre-pandemic face of this Earth, singer Russell Gendron and his bandmates kick things off by loading into a van.

And then, rather than set sail on the blacktop for Calgary, Moose Jaw, or Thunder Bay, they stay put, with the camera rolling 360 degrees while they plug in and play.

Over the course of four minutes in cramped quarters—this thanks to the two guitars, drums, and bass setup—we learn some things.

Like the fact that it’s the little things that

make a house, err, van, a home: framed photos of loved ones, plenty of potted plants, and a DIY “chandelier” that may or not have been sourced on the shores of Tofino.

If people can learn to live in 300 squarefoot Yaletown condos, they could probably adapt okay to a van that seems to have all the necessities, including a minifridge, stove, cribbage board, and an expandable roof for when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar comes over for dinner.

Sure it might get a little cold during the winter months, which probably explains Gendron’s toque, but if your Great White North ancestors made do with log cabins, scavenged firewood, and spirit-bear pelts at night, you can probably stand to toughen up a little.

On the music side of things there’s lots to love, with “Blue” an easygoing distillation of post-slacker folk and secretly Canadian Americana. And let’s not overlook the trace elements of Petty-brand acoustic classic rock. Think warm and golden as a Lotusland sunset in late spring.

Which is a truly beautiful thing, especially if you’ve just spent all winter living in a van, knowing full well that this time next year you’ll probably be calling Hope home. g

ATTENTION FORMER MEMBERS OF POSITIVE LIVING SOCIETY THIS NOTICE MAY AFFECT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS NOTICE OF CERTIFICATION AND SETTLEMENT On September 4, 2020, Justice Milman of the Supreme Court of B.C. approved the certification and the settlement of the class action commenced in 2017 by “John Doe 1” on behalf of 796 members of Positive Living who were sent an email on September 14, 2016 from membership@positivelivingbc.org regarding the subject “Service Relevancy Study for Positive Living BC”, and whose email address was included in the cc field of the email (“the class”). The Defendants Positive Living Society, University of British Columbia and Providence Health Care Society have agreed to payment of $1.225 M to settle the claims of the Class members against the defendants, and to delivery by Positive Living of a Letter of Apology dated March 26, 2020 and distributed by email or by post to a majority of Class members.

If you are a member of the Class, your legal rights will be affected by the certification of this matter as a class action, and by this settlement. Please read this notice carefully.

Spring is Here!

Add colour to your garden.

TERMS OF SETTLEMENT Under the settlement, members of the Class who received the September 14, 2016 email from Positive Living, and who submit a claim form, are entitled to a share of the settlement fund. In exchange, all members of the Class who do not opt out of the Class are deemed to have released the Defendants from any claims relating to the email of September 14, 2016.

HOW TO CLAIM If you believe you are a Class member, complete the Settlement Benefi ts Claim Form online at www.mnp.ca/ positivelivingsettlement on or before March 31, 2021. Alternatively, the form can also be completed and submitted by post to the Claims Administrator on or before March 31st, 2021. Forms can be submitted to the following address: MNP Ltd. 1500, 640 – 6 Ave SW Calgary, AB T2P 3G4

Attention: Rick Anderson RE: Positive Living Class action settlement PRESERVING YOUR INDIVIDUAL CLAIM (OPTING OUT) If you are a class member but do not want to participate in the settlement, you must formally act to opt out of the Class by completing a Request for Exclusion available at www.mnp.ca/positivelivingsettlement or by calling 403537-8424 and submitting it to the Claims Administrator on or before March 31, 2021. If you opt out of the Class, you are not entitled to any part of the settlement funds.

FURTHER INFORMATION You may telephone the Claims Administrator, MNP Ltd., at 403-537-8424 or visit the Claims Administrator’s website in relation to the settlement at www.mnp.ca/positivelivingsettlement . You may also visit the website of Class counsel at Rosenberglaw.ca, under “Class Actions” – “Positive Living Privacy Breach Class Action” for more background information.

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

13

SAVAGE LOVE

Mental health issues shouldn’t bar relationship

I

by Dan Savage

want to thank everyone who attended our third Savage Love Livestream last Saturday night. Mistress Matisse was our very special guest, and we tackled a lot of questions about BDSM. We didn’t get to every question, but I will now power through as many livestream leftovers as I can…

b YOU SAY PEOPLE need to be in “good working order” to be in a relationship.

What if you will never be in “good working order” because you cope with a mental health condition?

Having a mental health condition isn’t proof a person isn’t or can’t be in good working order; likewise, not having a mental health

Scan to conffess

condition isn’t proof a person is in good working order. I mean, we all know people without mental health conditions who are walking disasters. Now, someone with a mental health condition who refuses to get help or to stay on their meds might not be in good enough working order to be in or sustain a relationship. But taking care of ourselves is one of the most important ways we demonstrate that we are, in actual fact, in good enough working order to fuck, date, or marry. Or all three.

So, far from proving you’re not fit to be in a relationship, having a mental health condition that you’re doing something about—that you’re actively coping with— is evidence you are in good working order.

The Georgia Straight Confessions, an outlet for submitting revelations about your private lives—or for the voyeurs among us who want to read what other people have disclosed.

10 Happy Toes

Coming to terms with myself For many years, I often pretended that I was not born with Asperger’s syndrome. I used to be afraid that other people would look at me differently if they found out that I have this condition. I’m sick of hiding it and I cannot pretend anymore. One of my family members who I’m real close with is still in a deep denial that I have Autism, which really frustrates me. I love her, but I just wish that she would stop living in denial. I finally learned to accept that it is a part of me. It is who I am and it will always stay with me, from the day I first existed until the day I die.

binging to quell the boredom

On my own terms I’ve been taking Sertraline to help keep a handle on my anxiety. So far I noticed a bit a difference, but not too much. I feel a bit lethargic and somewhat numb, but still cynical. My family and I have argued over this.

They think I shouldn’t rely on antidepressants to help me, but I digress.

It’s my life and my body. I need to listen to my instincts so that I know whatever works for me. Can’t worry about other people anymore.

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

to come out you could seize this opportunity to do so. If you don’t want to come out, well, you aren’t obligated to, gay tab or no gay tab.

Unless parents are complaining and demanding an explanation, you’re free to shrug this off. And if someone assumes you’re gay because they saw a gay tab, well, you’re free to tell them that they’re mistaken… because you’re not gay, you’re bi.

b I’M WAY MORE into BDSM than my huzzben. He enjoys it, but he does not initiate play. How can I encourage him to be the instigator of rough sex? We have negotiated limits and safe words, but he finds using restraints and toys to be too much work! has made it clear that restraints and toys are a too much work, I would advise you to relieve him of the burden of tying you up and shoving toys in your ass by finding a third who enjoys your kinks and/or regularly attending play parties with or without your husband—when the pandemic ends, of course.

Who knows? Your husband might not like doing the work of tying you up but he might enjoy making out with you (or someone else) while someone else does the work of tying you up.

Since your huzzben

how does one quit eating through the entire contents of their fridge because of boredom? i’m not putting the most awful things in me but even without ordering in, it’s been getting quite expensive. prosciutto in particular has been my greatest adversary with my pockets emptied for it.

14

b I’M A BI widower and not out to anyone.

While teaching a Zoom class to young people, I accidentally left open a tab that read “gay”. One of the students alerted me in the chat and I closed it right away. It was embarrassing and awkward. Should I just ignore it or address it in some way?

If you wanted

When ever I get to put my feet in grass or sand and walk, it makes me feel good. Something about the connection to the Earth or maybe just reminds me of “Happy Feet”. I don’t care. It feels really good.

Visit

Dan Savage believes that dealing/coping with a mental-health issue means that you are in “good working order” and therefore able to sustain a relationship, as opposed to doing nothing.

to post a Confession MARCH 25 – APRIL 1 / 2021

b IF MY FIANCÉ bought a house, do we say, “We bought a house”? I got laid off at the start of the pandemic, but her career has taken off and she’s proud of being able to afford a house all on her own. So how do we keep things respectful while still hon-

ouring her accomplishment? She wants the house to feel like mine as well. (I’m a dude.)

To casual acquaintances, you could say, “Hey, we got a new place.” To close friends and family, you could say, “She’s doing so well that she bought this house—I’m really proud of her and so lucky to be with her.”

Hell, you could say those things to casual acquaintances and close friends interchangeably, because both are true. And assuming you live in a marital-property state, Mr. Dude, the house becomes yours, too, after you’re married.

b I HAVE A question about the “tech-savvy, at-risk youth” who work on the Savage Lovecast. Wouldn’t it be nicer to just refer to them as the tech-savvy youth? How do they feel about having the “at risk” label applied to them? Surely it gives you guys a perhaps deserved pat on the back, but I can’t help thinking that little bit of stigma could be damaging.

I was once an “at risk” youth myself and even though I enjoyed and benefited from programs that were specifically created to help teens/youth in my situation, I was always keenly aware that it made me feel “less than” and like I needed special treatment. to give myself a pat on the back when I started referring to the kids who were working on the Lovecast as the “tech-savvy, at-risk youth.” It was just a joke—maybe not a funny one—as they were all certainly tech-savvy, for sure, but the only risk they were running was being in the same room with me.

I’m sorry if that joke reminds you of a time in your life when you felt “less than”.

I wasn’t trying

b I’M A 27-YEAR-OLD queer/poly woman from NYC. My question: I used to babysit see next page

UPDATE HEADER FOR CHRISTIAN

my friend’s baby. And when I would show up to babysit, her husband would be there to let me in to the apartment and we would chat for 10 minutes before he left for work.

I don’t babysit anymore, but sometimes he texts me a picture of the baby and I’ll reply with, “So cute!” That felt normal. But one day he texted me two selfies. I didn’t reply

because I thought that was weird. Is this something I should mention to my friend?

I can’t tell if this is weird enough to bring up to her. Or is there something I should have said to him?

what’s going on in your friend’s relationship—maybe flirting with

You don’t know

others is allowed—but you do know how you feel about her husband sending your selfies: you don’t like it. If your silence wasn’t enough to put a stop to it and he sends more photos and/or messages that make you feel uncomfortable, tell him to knock it off.

If he doesn’t knock it off, tell him he’s gonna leave you no choice but to alert his wife.

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