The Georgia Straight - The Great Communicator - April 30, 2020

APRIL 30 – MAY 7 / 2020 | FREE Volume 54 | Number 2727

eSPORTS PIVOT

NHL reaches out to younger fans

CBD AND CANCER

Extracts affect cell membranes

TELEMEDICINE It’s gaining a foothold in these difficult times

The Great Communicator How Dr. Bonnie Henry is flattening B.C.’s curve of COVID-19 hospitalizations; plus, everyday heroes in our community

PANDEMIC DATING

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FINANCE

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ISOLATION DIARIES

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REAL ESTATE

HEALTH

Telehealth poised to take off

CONTENTS

April 30 - May 7 / 2020

COVER

7

Virtual care has become a popular choice as a result of the pandemic

Dr. Bonnie Henry’s calm and caring demeanour is rallying millions of British Columbians to stay home to fight COVID-19.

by Sadaf Ahsan

By Charlie Smith Photo by the B.C. government

5

ESPORTS

With large public gatherings prohibited, the NHL has chosen to woo young fans through eSports.

By Mike Usinger

8

HEALTH

We celebrate nine people from different walks of life who are helping our community respond to the pandemic.

By Martin Dunphy, Gail Johnson, Carlito Pablo, Charlie Smith, Janet Smith, and Craig Takeuchi

e Online TOP 5

e Start Here

T

In the COVID-19 era, more practitioners are helping their patients through video and over the phone. Photo by Edward Jenner

elemedicine is like a longdistance relationship, clinical neurophysiologist Evan Lewis says.

“Nothing can replace being with your partner, physically, in the same room,” he says. “But if your partner goes off to Europe or somewhere to study, you’re going to use all the things possible to augment your relationship.

Telehealth is a tool in our toolkit. It’s meant to complement our practice.”

Lewis runs an epilepsy clinic where patients can be seen on the same day as opposed to the typical six- to 18-month wait for a neurologist in Toronto. To him, telehealth is a no-brainer. But despite being around for well over two decades, it has generally been viewed as a last resort for patients and practitioners in Canada.

It’s much more routine in the U.S. and Europe. Prior to the pandemic, fewer than 0.15 percent of Canadian health-care visits occurred via digital services, probably because so many either did not know it was an option or simply did not trust it to be as effective as in-person treatment.

Since COVID-19, telehealth has become a primary option. It’s efficient and accessible, faster and cheaper than a brick-and-mortar clinic, and requires fewer resources.

It’s also safer, keeping sick people out of waiting rooms. Most importantly, telehealth reduces hospital readmissions by 15 percent and mortality rates by up to 35 percent. Consultations with doctors, arranged through virtual health-care companies like Tia Health and CloudMD, are covered by the B.C. Medical Services Plan and OHIP in Ontario. “[Before,] patients had to find a family doctor, make an appointment, then wait a week or two to see that doctor, cross town, and sit in the waiting room for over an hour,” says Essam Hamza, CEO of CloudMD.

“And that might be a five-minute appointment for a prescription refi ll.

This system costs a lot of money from the doctor’s side, the patient’s side, and the government’s side.”

Whereas telehealth used to be more common in rural areas and for Indigenous and mental-health services, it has now gained footing in just about every clinical department in most parts of Canada.

A typical appointment is similar to an in-person booking: you can schedule it online, often for the same day. You receive a notification once a doctor is available, and a patient chart for continuous care. A discussion and treatment plan follow. Follow-ups and referrals can be made, X-rays and blood tests can be assigned, and medications can be delivered.

Telehealth is more important than ever with doctors closing their clinics all over Canada.

– Tia Health CEO David Del Balso

With patients only going into a clinic when necessary, the process becomes more efficient offline as well, and health risks are also reduced for doctors, who can go in for urgent cases only.

“Telehealth is more important now than ever with doctors closing their clinics all over Canada,” says David Del Balso, Tia Health’s CEO. “Provinces across the country have been slowly rolling out virtual

care—COVID has accelerated this— and many plan to continue offering coverage after the pandemic ends.”

Ontario’s virtual health-care services include: the nonprofit Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN); Women’s College Hospital, on its way to becoming Canada’s first virtual hospital; a program at SickKids Hospital; and growing private services.

In B.C., the Provincial Health Services Authority has an Office of Virtual Health, which has a toolkit for clinicians to use. Meanwhile, WorkSafeBC and ICBC recently approved telehealth for anything that doesn’t require a physical examination or assessments, according to the Doctors of BC website. It states that new temporary fee codes were created for specialists, effective April 15, “as a response to the changing needs of the health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Telehealth is not a replacement for in-person treatment, but instances when a patient must be touched are rarer than you might expect. Seventy percent of medical conditions can be diagnosed without touching, according to Hamza. Most diagnoses are based on personal history, symptoms, and what a patient feels.

Many of the doctors behind these networks are hoping for sustainable public funding. Different telehealth services are covered in different provinces, often due to legislation that does not allow doctors to provide treatment to patients outside their offices or even their jurisdiction. In fact, many doctors are pushing for national licensure so they are able to provide virtual care to underserved communities across the country.

All health-care tech must be compliant with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act to protect patient privacy. g

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

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Gas prices plummet in Vancouver as a result of global oil glut.

Video: German schools reopen in ways parents never imagined.

There might be a cheque from CRA with your name on it.

Leaked VSB document recommends against masks in schools.

Province prepares for reopening as COVID-19 case numbers fall.

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CANNABIS

Research suggests CBD could treat brain cancer

by John Lucas

A

Researchers are looking at CBD’s usefulness in treating brain cancer and COVID-19.

KNOW YOUR WATERING TIMES Lawn sprinkling regulations are in effect starting May 1.

RESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES Even-numbered addresses: Wednesday and Saturday mornings, 4 am – 9 am Odd-numbered addresses: Thursday and Sunday mornings, 4 am – 9 am NON RESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES

new study out of Colorado State University has found that the nonpsychoactive cannabis compound CBD (cannabidiol) could prove useful in therapy for glioblastoma, a fastspreading form of brain cancer that is hard to treat.

In the study, researchers looked at glioblastoma cells from both canine and human brains, because the cancer affects both species in strikingly similar ways. They tested a 100-percent CBD isolate and a CBD extract that also contained small amounts of other compounds, including THC. What they found in treating cancerous cells with CBD was that targeting the mitochondria—the cells’ energyproducing structures—caused the mitochondria to dysfunction. Experiments showed that glioblastoma cells treated with CBD exhibited significant decreases in mitochondrial activity.

According to a news release from Experimental Biology (an annual meeting that brings together up to 15,000 scientists), “the researchers plan to transition from cell cultures to animal models to test CBD’s effects on glioblastoma. If the animal studies go well, the work could progress to clinical trials on dogs that are being treated for naturally occurring glioblastoma at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital.”

Researcher Chase Gross, a student in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine/ Master of Science program at CSU, said in the release: “CBD has been zealously studied in cells for its anticancer properties over the last decade. Our study helps complete the in vitro puzzle, allowing us to move forward in studying

CBD’s effects on glioblastoma in a clinical setting using live animal models.

This could lead to new treatments that would help both people and dogs that have this very serious cancer.”

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Lethbridge are exploring ways that CBD could be useful as an additional treatment for COVID-19. According to the university’s news page, a team of researchers led by biology professors Igor and Olga Kovalchuk “recently submitted a paper about their research study on the effects of medical cannabis on COVID-19 to a journal for publication and their manuscript has been uploaded to Preprints”.

The study focused on how 13 high-CBD cannabis extracts affected ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which are proteins in the cellular membrane that represent a key gateway by which the COVID-19 virus enters host cells. According to the article on the University of Lethbridge website, the findings show that the extracts “can modulate ACE2 expression in COVID-19 target tissues and downregulate TMPRSS2.”

The high-CBD extracts “could be used to develop preventative treatments in the form of a mouthwash or throat gargle product for clinical and home use”, the article says. g

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The push to decriminalize psychedelic plants begins

Odd-numbered addresses: Tuesday mornings 1 am – 6 am; Friday mornings 4 am – 9 am

petition has been initiated for the House of Commons to decriminalize the use of plants and fungi with psychedelic properties.

So-called magic mushrooms, or psilocybin mushrooms, are examples of such fungi containing hallucinogenic compounds.

The electronic petition was started by B.C. resident Trevor Millar, a founding member of the Canadian Pyschedelic Association.

Paul Manly, the Green Party MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, is sponsoring the petition.

The petition notes that there is “mounting peer-reviewed evidence that these traditional remedies support recovery from addiction, and mitigate mental health suffering”.

Magic mushrooms contain psilocybin and psilocin, which are hallucinogenic chemicals. Possession, sale, and use of these compounds are banned under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. According to Health Canada, psilocybin and psilocin produce effects similar to LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide.

The federal health agency notes online that psilocybin is being studied for its “potential to treat various conditions such as anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and problematic drug use”.

Water wastage, such as watering roadways and sidewalks, is prohibited at any time.

Watering outside of the permitted days and hours for your address or wasting water may be subject to a $250 fine.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: vancouver.ca/waterwise or phone: 3-1-1 Visit: vancouver.ca Phone: 3-1-1 TTY: 7-1-1 4 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 30 – MAY 7 / 2020

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by Carlito Pablo

Green Party MP Paul Manly is sponsoring a petition to decriminalize hallucinogens.

The petition asks for a stop in the enforcement of laws that prohibit or restrict “informed adult use, growing, or sharing of any plant or fungi, where an established record of traditional use exists”.

The petition also suggested amending the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Food and Drug Act, and other regulations to “distinguish and exempt these organisms when used for therapeutic practices, as adjuncts to medical care, for healing ceremonies or solitary spiritual growth and selfdevelopment”.

The e-petition can be found online at the website of the House of Commons.

If the petition secures at least 500 signatures, the sponsor, Manly, will present it on the floor of the House of Commons. g

ESPORTS

Player Gaming Challenge fills NHL void

I

by Mike Usinger

t’s not lost on the National Hockey League brain trust that the world we once knew has changed in dramatic ways. And we’re not just talking about what will be remembered as one of the most culture-shifting periods in the history of humankind.

One of the major things marking the 21st century is a radical shift in the way people consume their entertainment. Music is all about streaming, after decades of vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and 8-tracks. There’s no need to head to the video store or multiplex when you’ve got Apple TV, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. And why spring for Nancy Silverton’s Breads From the La Brea Bakery when YouTube will walk you through every step of making sourdough?

Sports are no different, with eSports video streaming being the main way NASCAR, NBA, and NHL fans have been getting their fixes this spring.

Like other major organizations, the NHL has taken our lockdown times and found a positive among the uncertainty.

Last week, the league gave traditional-hockey-starved fans something to get excited about by announcing the Player Gaming Challenge, a four-week charity tournament featuring players from every NHL team—including the Seattle Kraken! (And no, we don’t care if the NHL expansion franchise ends up being named the Seattle Grunge, Seattle Pioneer Squares, or Seattle Microsofties—there’s only one name that counts, and that’s the Kraken!)

But the league’s recognition of the booming world of eSports began long before the Player Gaming Challenge, starting with streamed NHL 20 video versions of cancelled COVID-19 games in mid-March.

When he’s reached by the Straight at his Connecticut home, NHL mobile

Players including Noah Hanifin, Matthew Tkachuk, and Brady Tkachuk will play NHL 20 to raise funds for COVID-19 relief.

marketing strategist Chris Golier is excited about how the league has successfully pivoted to eSports.

In some ways the shift isn’t new.

Golier notes the ongoing success of the NHL Gaming World Championship, the 2020 version of which got under way on March 11. That’s where hockey-obsessed gamers from around the globe compete in online matches for this year’s pool of $200,000 in prize money.

“The objective, right from the beginning, has been ‘Let’s use this gaming platform as a way to reach the younger fans,’ ” Golier says of the eSports tournament, which is now in its third year. “It’s a touchstone for fandom—some people start to learn the game based on playing the game, and in some cases that’s because of the video game.”

With folks turning to eSports in record numbers to pass the time— think everything from eNASCAR races to NBA2K20 to NHL 20—the challenge became capitalizing on that.

Giving hockey fans something to get excited about a time when the Stanley Cup Playoffs would normally be in full swing added an extra incentive.

It was out of this that the Player Gaming Challenge was born. Step one was reaching out to teams, and the response to the tournament was enthusiastic across the board. Fifty players from the 31 existing NHL franchises signed on, with Thatcher Demko and Adam Gaudette eager to represent the Vancouver Canucks.

The Player Gaming Challenge will see players from each team competing head-to-head from their homes, in games viewable on platforms ranging

from Twitch, Facebook, and YouTube to television broadcasts on Sportsnet ONE and NBCSN. Working with its teams as well as the NHL Players’ Association, the NHL had a good idea which players were already active on streaming platforms and social media. A short list of participants includes Ryan Reaves (Vegas Golden Knights), Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators), Evgeny Kuznetsov (Washington Capitals), and Zach Hyman (Toronto Maple Leafs).

A big goal of the tournament is to engage fans through in-game banter—and if you’ve ever heard players miked up during an on-ice NHL game, you know that what gets said behind the play and between the whistles is fascinating. Considering that participants include the famously

colourful likes of the Calgary Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk and his brother Brady from the Ottawa Senators, the NHL 20 gameplay in some ways seems like bonus content.

“The Tkachuk brothers were actually taped over the weekend, and you can imagine there was some good chirping going on,” Golier says with a laugh. “We tried to align the matchups in that way—either there was a common bond where they’d played together in the pros or juniors, or came from the same area and came up together in a province. In some cases we had college teammates. We tried to group them together in that way, so the actual matches themselves would be a whole lot of fun.”

Some games have already been taped for the tournament, which officially starts April 30, and Golier says there’s a major payoff for those who love hockey.

“It gives fans another point of reference for the players,” he suggests.

“The players are human—they have families, and they’re in this quarantine together. They’re working out the best they can, much like we’re all trying to get a run in. To see that side of the players they normally don’t see—gaming is the conduit here. It’s the conversation starter, and it also allows the players to get their juices flowing again. They don’t want to lose, even though all this is for fun and for charity.”

And yes, hockey fans aren’t the only big winners of the Honda-sponsored Player Gaming Challenge. NHL 20 game publisher Electronic Arts donated $70,000 to COVID-19 relief as part of the initiative, an amount matched by the NHL. The important message in a time of crisis is an oft-repeated one: we’re all in this together. g

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FEATURE

Henry is B.C.’s Great Communicator

The provincial public health officer has persuaded millions to stay home throughout this pandemic

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by Charlie Smith

obody said that fighting the COVID-19 pandemic was going to be easy. As the Straight went to press, the death toll in B.C. had risen to 105 and the total number of positive tests had surpassed 2,000. But the good news was that hospitalizations were down once again, according to the April 28 briefing, falling to 94 from 97 on the previous day.

Despite the growing number of deaths that have created so much heartache for B.C. families, the provincial public health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, remains a beloved figure across the province. It’s evident in comments on Twitter, Facebook, and media websites, and in calls to B.C. talk shows.

Henry’s mantra, “Be kind, be calm, and be safe,” is always delivered in her media briefings in a reassuring and maternal way, soothing British Columbians feeling anxious, upset, and disconnected by the pandemic.

She tugs at our communitarian heartstrings with her pleas to stay inside to protect the most vulnerable. And her command of the facts has astonished many reporters as she answers question after question after question without hesitation, rattling off scientific data with a precision that has made her a rock star in the world of public health.

There can be no doubt that Dr. Bonnie Henry is B.C.’s Great Communicator. And the B.C. NDP government’s decision to appoint her as the provincial public health officer in 2018 appears to be saving lives.

On April 25, CBC reporter Justin McElroy created a chart showing the number of COVID-19 deaths per

Everyone in B.C. deserves to feel safe, protected, and supported.

– Dr. Bonnie Henry

Dr. Bonnie Henry’s reassuring manner soothes British Columbians feeling anxious, upset, and disconnected by the COVID-19 crisis. Photo by the B.C. government

million residents in every jurisdiction in Canada, the United States, and Europe with more than five million residents. The lowest number of them all was in British Columbia. Here, there were just 19 deaths per million, which was even lower than the Czech Republic, which has gained international praise for its efforts to curb the pandemic. In contrast, New York recorded 1,085 deaths per million residents, Quebec was at 156, and Ontario had 58.

Unlike in Quebec and Ontario, B.C.’s premier has not stepped into the spotlight to become the main source of information on the pandemic. Instead, this has fallen on the shoulders of Henry. At her daily briefings, she’s usually introduced

by Health Minister Adrian Dix, who then gets out of the way and lets her speak uninterrupted.

On April 25, Dix took the day off and Henry held court with reporters on her own. Like on many other occasions, she brought forward some sad news: two more deaths had brought the provincial total to 100.

And one of those who passed away was in an unnamed First Nations community, which was later revealed to be Alert Bay. “Our elders, in particular in our First Nations communities, are culture and history keepers,” Henry said in a sad voice. “When they become ill and when they die, we all lose. And I want you to know that we feel that collective loss today. My thoughts are with her family and her entire community as I recognize the tragic impact this has on all of us.

“It’s particularly a challenging time to not be able to come together physically in the normal way that we

would to respect the customs that we have in communities at this time,” she continued. “And my condolences and my heart goes out to this community and to the family.”

It had the classic Henry touch, sensitively respecting the victims while exhorting British Columbians to feel their pain. But she wasn’t finished there.

“As we continue to move forward in our COVID-19 response, it’s important that we don’t leave anyone behind, particularly people who I know are dealing with many different crises, including people who use drugs, people who are underhoused and homeless,” she added. “Everyone in B.C. deserves to feel safe, protected, and supported through these crises. Safe physical distancing and self-isolation, if you’re ill, can be really difficult when your housing is precarious. And this is further compounded for people who may also be living with mental health and substance use or addiction issues.

“We have not forgotten that we have two public-health crises, two

public-health emergencies that we’re dealing with in this province.

The first of those has been going on for some time, and that is our overdose crisis. And now, compounding that, is the COVID-19 outbreak. For people who are dealing with both of these challenges, daily life can be very much a struggle.”

Politicians can say these words, but they’ll never have quite the emotional impact of a trusted publichealth official, even if B.C. has been abominably slow in providing adequate washrooms and hand-washing stations for the homeless living outside of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. The only real criticism that Henry has received has come in connection with early comments not to wear masks in public.

And Henry, the Great Communicator, rarely receives pushback from the media, even when B.C.’s level of testing didn’t come close to some other jurisdictions.

Dr. Joseph Finkler, a St. Paul’s Hospital emergency-room physician who survived COVID-19, credits Henry for repeating sound medical advice in easy-to-understand language. In a phone interview with the Straight, Finkler pointed out that B.C.’s success is also integrally linked to a bunch of experts—in fields ranging from epidemiology to mathematics—who have done impressive modelling work underscoring what Henry says.

“When Bonnie Henry speaks, her script is made by a whole bunch of background researchers,” Finkler said. “It’s like Hollywood. She’s not quite the actor, but a little bit…She’s done a great job.” g

APRIL 30 – MAY 7 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 7

Health

A salute to our frontline champions These are the physicians, nurses, and others working overtime to keep us safe from COVID-19 DR. JOSEPH FINKLER

St. Paul’s Hospital emergency-room physician One of the tragedies of the novel coronavirus pandemic has been the impact on frontline workers’ health.

Dr. Joseph Finkler considers himself one of the lucky ones—the St. Paul’s Hospital emergency-room physician is back at work after recovering from COVID-19 and coming out of quarantine just over a week before the Straight went to press.

He said the disease snuck up on him.

“I didn’t recognize the symptoms because I had been working a whole bunch of night shifts,” Finkler tells the Straight by phone. “I felt really crummy and tired.”

The 62-year-old doctor said he had a persistent cough for months.

But on March 26, he decided to stop working and get tested after experiencing fever, chills, and night sweats.

After being diagnosed, he worried for a “fleeting moment” that he might develop lower interstitial pneumonia.

That, he feared, could bring on a “cytokine storm”, in which immunesystem cells attack other cells in the body, perhaps forcing him to go on a ventilator. According to the New Scientist, these cytokine storms are common complications of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases.

Fortunately, he avoided that fate, but it still troubled him that he couldn’t help patients during his period of self-isolation. He even had to remain at a distance from his partner and two daughters, who all, amazingly, avoided infection even though they live in the same house. One of those daughters, Laura, is a palliative-care nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital, but she was restricted from going into the community because she was also required to remain isolated.

“My radioactivity not only resulted in their lifestyles being restricted for 14 days but also they were stigmatized by their connection with me,” Finkler notes.

He acknowledged that upon his return to work, some colleagues were not keen to be too close to him.

“I understand it,” he says. “There’s a disconnect between what we know in science and what we might feel.”

Finkler explained that because of the pandemic, it’s become far more complicated dealing with patients in the emergency ward. In early March, he says, staff were wearing gloves and sometimes wearing a surgical mask if they were swabbing patients. By the time he was diagnosed later that month, doctors and nurses were not

to protect themselves and others,” she says. “They need and deserve the tools to self-isolate and protect themselves. This includes a home, access to recreation and a safe supply, and basic human rights.

“My colleagues are working desperately hard to improve access to safe shelter and bring more resources to homeless people,” she adds. “This work is complex. We can and must do everything to protect society’s most vulnerable.”

by Gail Johnson

CHRISTOPHER LAM

Left: Dr. Joseph Finkler (pictured with his daughter Laura) had to step back from helping COVID-19 patients while recovering from the virus himself. Right: Meaghan Thumath has returned to her roots as a street nurse. Photo of Thumath by Martin Dee

only using surgical and N95 masks, but also wearing protective eye shields and disposable gowns over layers of clothing.

“It’s like walking in molasses, or underwater,” he says. “It’s so crazy because it’s so restrictive. It really slows down the process.”

At the same time, Finkler acknowledges that all this protective gear is necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to patients and colleagues. And he applauds the way that everyone in the health-care system has “locked arms and come up with creative solutions” to the crisis.

“Our planners did a ton of work— our department heads, operations managers, program managers, vice presidents of medicine, administrators, CEOs—they moved mountains to prepare us,” Finkler says. “Even though we’ve not had to deal with the tsunami [of cases], I think that was incredible.”

Health’s COVID-19 response, she then travelled to Trenton, Ontario, for a Canadian Red Cross deployment to support Canadian COVID-19 evacuees from Wuhan, China.

Now, Thumath—who, over the years, has also held roles at Insite and Sheway, a pregnancy outreach program in the Downtown Eastside— has returned to her roots as a VCH street nurse.

MEAGHAN THUMATH

In assisting vulnerable populations here in B.C. face the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s drawing on her experiences helping people confront Ebola.

“My time working on Ebola in West Africa has absolutely helped prepare me for the COVID-19 response,” says Thumath, who’s also clinician scientist at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity and clinical assistant professor at UBC’s School of Nursing. “Many of the principles of infection control, emergency management, and out-

The work feels so urgent, I am not good at taking time off.

– Meaghan Thumath

by Charlie Smith

Street nurse Meaghan Thumath started working as a street nurse in Vancouver with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control in 2008. Since then, she has been at the centre of some of the most extreme health crises at home and abroad.

Thumath recently returned from an Ebola deployment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as a humanitarian aid worker with the World Health Organization. A clinical advisor to Vancouver Coastal

break response are the same.

“The biggest lesson that sticks with me from Ebola is that we need an all-of-society approach to tackle COVID-19, from grassroots community organizations to the private sector, health care, and communications,” she tells the Straight. “In the Ebola response we learned the hard way that clear and transparent risk communication and community engagement were vital to tackling the outbreak.”

Her days involve writing policies to prevent COVID-19 transmission and visiting shelters to support improved prevention and control among the city’s homeless communities. Typically, Thumath is in the Downtown Eastside, teaching other health-care providers and housing operators about COVID-19; she also works in the mobile testing unit and helps do contact tracing of new COVID-19 clients.

She stays safe through the use of personal protective equipment and says the hardest part of her job is heading home.

“The work feels so urgent, I am not good at taking time off,” Thumath says. “But I also feel really fortunate to be working and to be contributing in this way. I absolutely love my work and it’s a great privilege. I feel very grateful to be a nurse.”

A deep commitment to human rights and health equity draws Thumath to her work.

“People in the inner cities of our province are doing their best

Student A change of plans was not going to keep Christopher Lam away from the fight against COVID-19. Lam, a Grade 12 student at J. N. Burnett Secondary School in Richmond, is a volunteer with St. John Ambulance, a first-aid and safety charity.

He was expecting to be deployed with one of its teams to the Vancouver Convention Centre. That’s where the provincial government has set up a temporary health facility to serve patients not sick with the virus, in case hospitals are overrun with COVID-19 cases.

But that situation didn’t appear to be happening, so Lam decided to focus his efforts elsewhere. The highschool student then began making face shields with a 3-D printer at home.

“I wanted to do something to help the community, to help those on the frontlines,” Lam tells the Straight in a phone interview.

Lam began in March, and before long he was able to produce hundreds of face shields, which he gave to hospitals and care homes.

Sean Uy, another Grade 12 student at J. N. Burnett, also started to make face shields at home. Lam says that he later inquired whether the school’s 3-D printers could be put into action as well.

School principal Wennie Walker supported the initiative and got in touch with the Richmond school district to get more printers for the cause.

Lam, Uy, and a third student, Adriano Carvalheiro-Nunes, are actively involved in this school-based project, with support from technology teacher Wes Bevan and other school staff.

The students are producing face shields and ear savers, a mask accessory that reduces skin irritation. According to Lam, they want health workers in care homes to get the devices. see next page

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“They’re a major part of what we’re supporting, because they don’t get as much provincial support as hospitals,” Lam says.

On Tuesday (April 28), Lam had made more than 100 ear savers that day.

Lam also says they need more materials to keep going. Specifically, these are PETG sheets and filament, and clear polycarbonate sheets.

(PETG is polyethylene terephthalate glycol plastic, a durable material used for 3-D printing.)

No one knows for sure where the world is headed with the COVID-19 pandemic, but that is not about to stop Lam. “For me, I’m already a licensed paramedic, so if all education goes down, I will just end up joining Freeborn of A Loving Spoonful has seen her community mobilized. Right: either the ambulance service or a Elyse Carmen Louie is a reassuring presence for many at Donald’s Market in East Van. private service to help with the situation,” Lam says. people with chronic health issues, fi- and became frontline workers alongby Carlito Pablo nancial barriers, and food insecurity. side volunteers. They also relocated “While that was going up, our the warehouse operations outdoors ELYSE FREEBORN funding was going down,” Freeborn (under borrowed tents, in case of Director of development and volun- says. The postponement of their an- rain) to ensure space for physical teer services nual fundraising events, such as distancing, and implemented new A local organization that arose dur- Dining Out for Life (rescheduled safety protocols, including increased ing a pandemic has faced some of its for October 15) and Project Empty volunteer communications by email. biggest challenges amid a new pan- Bowl, represented a loss of approxiAlthough they’re not handing demic. mately $200,000 in funding. bags directly to clients (dropping In 1989, during the AIDS crisis, Compounding these challenges, them off instead), they are maina Vancouver woman, Easter Armas, many of their long-term volunteers, taining a physical presence so those spotted an acquaintance, a lawyer most of whom are retirees and mem- clients don’t feel alone, which Freewho had lost his job for being HIV– bers of a vulnerable population, born says is “a big piece of what A positive, eating out of a Dumpster. began self-isolating for their own Loving Spoonful does regularly”.

Shaken by this sight, Armas organ- protection. The organization faced Freeborn also feels that while ized monthly volunteer-made din- further difficulties when personal health-care workers are being widely ners at McLaren House, a residence protective equipment, such as hand cheered, volunteers in the nonprofit for people with HIV/AIDS. sanitizer and masks, became scarce; sector also deserve applause.

From those gatherings the Van- these are essential to the organiza“There are a lot of really fantastic couver Meals Society arose, becom- tion, as all of its clients have com- people here in Vancouver working in ing A Loving Spoonful in 1994 and promised immune systems. nonprofit organizations still on the ensuring that HIV–positive people But help arrived to save the day— frontlines who maybe aren’t necessarwith coexisting illnesses in Metro from the community. ily top of mind, who are making sure Vancouver received free healthy New volunteers filled in the gaps; that folks are getting housed and bemeals and groceries.

East Vancouver distillery Odd Soci- ing fed and being cared for,” she points Then along came 2020. ety Spirits made hand sanitizer; and out. “There are a lot of people who have Elyse Freeborn, A Loving Spoon- someone donated nonsurgical masks. come out of the woodwork to volunful’s director of development and To adapt to their new conditions, teer and to be on those frontlines and volunteer services, tells the Georgia Freeborn explains, the organization’s make really important personal comStraight by phone that when the pan- five full-time staff members, includ- mitments to making sure our vulnerdemic hit, requests surged for “safe, ing executive director Lisa Martella, able populations are taken care of.”

by Craig Takeuchi healthy, stable, and free” food from shifted to volunteer management

CARMEN LOUIE

Grocery cashier Even before the pandemic lockdown, Carmen Louie was a well-known figure in the East End neighbourhood where she works and lives.

The Donald’s Market cashier is known for having memorized thousands of her customers’ names, which she has been attaching to a cheery greeting for the past 16 years as locals line up to pay for groceries.

She has been profiled in the pages of a city weekly and a community newsletter, and CBC Radio interviewed her.

Amazingly, Louie says she now can recall almost 11,000 names, which she diligently records in five notebooks that she reviews for several hours every two weeks or so.

“People say, ‘It’s music to my ears,’ ” she tells the Straight by phone.

“They come to my till just to hear me call out their names. It gives me so much joy, really, to hear them say, ‘Thank you for knowing my name.’ ” Now, during some of the most stressful times ever experienced by most Canadians—and in a district undergoing extensive change through redevelopment—Louie is an enduring and reassuring daily presence for locals who practise social distancing while queueing outside her busy workplace.

Although many of those same customers now limit human contact to only the most essential interactions, Louie conducts close personal exchanges all day long, every day, and many customers consider her a hero for her sunny dedication to serving their needs in recent months, heedless of personal risk.

“They’ve been very appreciative,” Louie says. “A lot of people. They say, ‘Thank you for working here.’ ” Louie—who was born in the Philippines and worked in Singapore before moving to B.C. in 1985—protects herself and the store’s clients by wearing gloves and a mask all day, and she doesn’t think of herself as heroic.

“I’m nothing special,” she protests. “I think the heroes are the doctors and nurses. They are the ones really dealing with the virus.”

Because Louie lives only a block away from Donald’s, in a house where she and her husband have raised three sons, she has an intimate knowledge of the area and can relate to residents’ concerns.

She is also very involved in her neighbourhood, having once organized free deliveries of day-old bread from a supplier to a local First Nations church and doing community gardening at another, where she organized a social celebration/barbecue after applying for a municipal grant.

She also parlayed her area popularity into a part-time greeter position at the local CIBC branch, and she privately solicits donations all year for the CIBC Run for the Cure cancer charity, for which she has raised almost $70,000 during her 10 years of participation.

But it’s her community involvement during this crisis that gives her the most satisfaction. “Now, with what is happening with the coronavirus, people are so compassionate for each other,” she marvels.

“This neighbourhood is very caring.

People are very kind to each other, and I rarely hear people complain.

“I’m so blessed to live in this community.”

And she repeats: “I’m nothing special.”

by Martin Dunphy

KELSI SHEREN

Jewellery designer Canadian military veteran Kelsi Sheren knows all too well what it means to be fighting on the frontlines during a crisis. That’s why she’s redeployed herself to a new form of action. As the designing force behind the Brass & Unity unisex jewellery brand, she’s tapped her packaging plant in China to manufacture desperately needed hospital-grade masks and PPE wear— millions of items every day—for North American COVID-19 heroes.

First, some background: Sheren was just 18 when she was sent to Afghanistan as an artillery gunner, and when an injury forced her to leave see next page

APRIL 30 – MAY 7 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 9

from previous page

in 2011, she spent years dealing with the fallout of PTSD and a society that didn’t fully appreciate what she’d sacrificed. “You come home from overseas to a broken system—I was literally spit on,” she says from her White Rock headquarters. “It was the idea that you go to fight for your country and people don’t really care.”

Now the COVID-19 crisis has people celebrating the importance of those who risk their own health to serve on the frontlines—from police to hospital workers. “It’s obviously amazing to watch our society come together at a time when the frontline workers are most needed,” she says. “I just wish this is how our veterans and police officers were always treated, in a way.”

In 2016, when Sheren launched Brass & Unity, it was as much about art therapy as it was about turning something ugly into something beautiful: she incorporates brass bullet casings with materials like blackonyx beads, Swarovski crystals, and even diamonds to make striking bracelets, rings, and necklaces. From the get-go, 20 percent of net profits has gone to rehabilitation, prosthetic, and mental-health programs for veterans.

The brand now sells globally, to more than 200 stores. And Sheren, who was just in China on business in January, knew that one of her massive manufacturers there could start meeting the needs of frontline workers. A first shipment of 182,000 masks has already arrived in Toronto, and she now has the Guangzhou facility filling private orders coming in from hospitals across North America, at cost.

In addition, Sheren has launched a Masks for All GoFundMe campaign to raise $15,000, enough to give about 50,000 to 100,000 PPE to workers like grocery clerks; delivery people; taxi, bus, and ride-hailing drivers; restaurant servers and cooks; and healthcare providers. “We can produce, but we need the funds,” she explains. All donors of $25 or more will receive a free Active bracelet from B&U—a

Larry Becker says that some First Nations healing ceremonies have adapted. Right: Anna Soriano turned making cloth face masks into a family activity.

flexible silicone version of the regular style. (Frontline workers can sign up directly to receive the PPE at the Brass & Unity PPE Program.)

“I said, ‘We should do something to benefit others,’ and we had a resource: one of the largest packaging factories in Asia that’s producing masks now,” Sheren says. Though she worries about how those struggling with mental health are coping, she hopes something good can come out of the pandemic: “You should focus on mental health and do the best you can either to help out by volunteering or making homemade masks.

The whole world has stopped for you to say, ‘Hey, am I doing enough for people?’ We can’t live in a society where everything is ‘me’ anymore; it has to be ‘we’ now, and the longer this goes, the more we can get connected.”

by Janet Smith

LARRY BECKER

Lead medical office assistant The scent of sweetgrass and sage, the way people drop by to chat, the homelike feel—it was this welcoming environment that drew Larry

Becker to Lu’ma Medical Centre in East Vancouver.

As the lead medical office assistant of the First Nations health centre for the past year, Becker, who grew up on the Musqueam Reserve and is Coast Salish, is part of a sizeable health-care team that includes physicians, mental-health professionals and counsellors, social navigators, and traditional medicine elders and healers.

“My goal is to be able to create a comfortable home environment where somebody feels comfortable to come in and be safe,” he says. “I think it definitely drops down one of many barriers that Aboriginal people face when it comes to health care.”

However, over a short period after the pandemic arose, the centre underwent a “really drastic change,” Becker says.

Consequently, he had to quickly develop a system of communication between staff working at home and at the clinic, which involved creating chatrooms, to ensure patients’ needs were being met by phone or video appointments.

“I think it’s introducing people

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into a new area that maybe not everybody might have been comfortable exploring in the beginning,” he says about telehealth, adding that some people have discovered they feel more open over the phone.

For visits to the clinic, Becker says, they introduced safety protocols, including screening visitors, preventing overlaps between highrisk patients, using extra sanitization, and ensuring supplies of personal protective equipment.

However, Becker says that the cancellation of First Nations healing traditions and ceremonies, including sweat lodges and longhouse events, has been particularly hard for Indigenous people. Not all events can transition to virtual means—Becker says some believe that cameras should not be allowed at traditional events. Yet some events have adapted, such as drum circles that incorporate physical distancing.

In terms of personal impact, Becker says he doesn’t realize how much the new circumstances affect him until he notices how much seeing a familiar face returning to the office boosts his happiness.

While he used to thrive in a busy environment, he’s realizing how the pandemic has helped him slow down to rediscover the “simpler things” in life.

“It’s making me appreciate things that I haven’t been focusing on for a long time,” he says of his culture, family, and values.

by Craig Takeuchi

ANNA SORIANO

Photographer As a portrait photographer, Anna Soriano shows people at their best.

With women, she likes to take it a notch higher through glamour. This is why she makes gowns for them to wear for the shoot.

“I want them to look like celebrities,” Soriano tells the Georgia Straight in a phone interview. “I want them to look like they just walked out of an Oscars awards night.”

Sewing is one of the survival skills she acquired as a young woman.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and masks fell into short supply, the craft became useful for the South Surrey mom and realtor.

Soriano began making cloth face masks, and she donated dozens of her creations to a seniors’ assistedliving facility in White Rock, where there was a virus outbreak.

Word spread about what the Filipino woman was doing, and soon her friends were paying for her masks so they could also give away face coverings to frontline health workers across the Lower Mainland.

Soriano recalls that she started before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. and the Public Health Agency of Canada in April recommended the use of nonmedical masks to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“I knew that it would be a preventative measure,” she says.

Soriano relates that she always reminds the people receiving her masks that the face covering is just one way of protecting everyone’s health. “You still have to wash your hands, and you don’t put your hands on your face,” she says.

In order to continue her personal donations of face masks to various institutions, Soriano sets aside a portion of what she gets from paying clients.

She has heard that a similar thing is being done by Winnie Tan, a personal fitness trainer and a common acquaintance with photographer-friend Dean Guzman, both also Filipinos.

Guzman provided the Straight with a copy of a letter from the Langley Food Bank, thanking the TriCities-area-based Tan and family for their donation of cloth face masks to the facility. “Your masks are wonderful and will help protect our staff as we are handing our food to the less fortunate,” the letter reads.

As someone with an economics degree, Soriano observes that shortages in medical-grade masks and protective equipment during this pandemic have exposed the risk of relying on other countries to produce essential products. “Why are we not making

these ourselves?” she asks.

She has raised six children, and three of them are living at home with her. Her 86-year-old mother is also with them. They’re tight-knit, and making masks has become a family activity that has brought them even closer together.

According to Soriano, her children have learned to live simply during this pandemic. They have also acquired a greater appreciation of the value of charity.

“We enjoy what we’re doing,” Soriano says.

by Carlito Pablo

KIM GALLOWAY

Social worker With health professionals finally getting the recognition they deserve as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the umbrella term frontline workers might initially bring to mind nurses, doctors, first responders, care aides, and so on. Likely far less often do people think of social workers. Yet these individuals are very much at the heart of the pandemic, supporting youth in foster care, sex workers, people dealing with addiction, those with developmental disabilities or mental-health issues, and still others who are vulnerable or in crisis.

Kim Galloway can attest to the complex challenges social workers are facing throughout the province—and to the rewards the role brings.

“Social work is hard work, but it is what gives me purpose,” says Galloway, chief operations officer of ASK Wellness Society. “Right now, we are dealing with the COVID pandemic as well as the opioid-overdose health emergency, so we have a lot going on. I am a believer that supporting folks who experience homelessness, trauma, and mental health [issues] and substance use find housing and connect to community resources is good financial practice and is simply the right way of doing things.

“Just get to know one of our client’s stories and peel away the layers, and you will find a mom, a dad, a child, an auntie,” she tells the Straight.

“These people have stories, and they are resilient. When I see our staff help people to work with caring community supports to stay out of hospital or criminal-justice services, I feel we are providing great community service.”

Based in Kamloops, ASK has nearly 240 staff members and more than 600 units of affordable and supportive housing throughout the province’s Interior, helping people when it comes to things like homes, health, employment, and food security.

To stay safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic, social workers have thorough protocols in place regarding on-site client engagement and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment. Even with best practices, however, there’s no denying the toll that the current circumstances can take on these frontline workers.

“I am reminded once again of the fatigue that social workers can experience,” Galloway says. “It is so important right now to accept that we all have different ways of dealing with personal fears or emotions around this pandemic. We are finding new ways of communicating and checking in.

Video conferencing is great.

“I need to genuinely express my gratitude for the workers at ASK,” she adds. “I am amazed by their commitment to the people we serve.”

When challenging situations arise, Galloway says, social workers strive to stay rooted in the belief that everyone has value and potential.

She sees herself as an agent of social justice, ensuring that everyone has access to resources to live their best life. She’s impassioned about educating people about homelessness, and she feels that a healthy community is one that works together to take care of its most vulnerable and marginalized members.

“I feel that sometimes I can give hope to folks that don’t have hope for themselves,” Galloway says. “I believe that as a social worker, if I can give hope and choice, then change can happen. God, I love this job.”

by Gail Johnson

URBAN LIVING

Prepping small patios for more living

by Janet Smith

REAL ESTATE Café owners plan their return to Main & 20th

by Carlito Pablo

S

Landa Global Properties is planning this new four-storey development.

Clockwise from left: Save space with the the Canvas Sherbrooke bistro set and the Rhino umbrella; boost atmosphere with vintage string lights and an ecofriendly Erbanica rug.

pring has sprung, and we are all still in lockdown—meaning we have to make the most of whatever postage-stampsized balcony or patio that our Vancouver condos and apartments allow.

Because it now ranks as one of the city’s only safe outdoor refuges, we need to find ways to make our minideck a place to lounge, work, and eat over the coming weeks. And that means finding versatile furniture that not only optimizes the square footage, but also turns it into an inviting oasis away from the COVID-19 storm.

Here are a few style-savvy furnishings to help you outfit a tight outdoor space.

INSTANT BISTRO

Folding bistro chairs and tables are your best bet for a squeezed highrise patio. We like the clean lines and eucalyptus wood of Canadian Tire’s Canvas Sherbrooke style ($99.99 for the table, $75 per chair). At 66 centimetres wide, the table may not

accommodate a feast, but it’s just right for your morning coffee and croissant, or evening hors d’oeuvres.

You can tuck the set away in the corner when you’re not using it, or into your storage locker over the winter months. Throw a bright outdoor cushion on the chair, grab your laptop, and you’re good to go for a 9-to-5 workday with fresh air and a view.

POUFS THAT POP

Small outdoor ottomans or poufs are a multifunctioning must-have, adding a blast of colour. You can use one as a footrest when you want to lounge in the sun, as an end table for your 5-o’clock tray of martinis and olives, or for extra seating when you’re allowed to entertain again.

Wayfair.ca has eco-friendly, brightpatterned beanbag versions in a variety of cube, rectangular-prism, and cylinder shapes; washable slipcovers are woven from outdoor-treated polyester, promising protection from both weather and UV rays. We like

the funky Nerys, the polka-dot Telly, and the geometric Harvard. Resist neutral grey for patterns that set white against vibrant orange or yellow ($113.99 to $159.99).

NOSTALGIC GLOW

Vintage-style string lights add instant old-school atmosphere to your patio in the evening. If you have an enclosed balcony, hang them in loose rows from the ceiling over your chairs; for a ground-floor deck, scallop them between fenceposts or trees.

We found an incandescent-bulb version with chunky moulded bases on Amazon.ca ($50.99); at 14 metres with 15 lights, it has enough wire to play with and creates a warm glimmer.

MADE IN THE SHADE

If you’re going to be living on your deck, you’re going to need shade. Consider a white umbrella, which helps a tight, enclosed balcony feel airy and bright, but still blocks out the UV rays.

Many of the umbrellas out there hit a

nine- or 10-foot radius; if your condo is Vancouver-scaled, you’ll need to search out something significantly smaller. Wayfair.ca’s Rhino market umbrella, in crisp white, clocks in at just six feet wide (1.8 metres), sporting a canvas-look polyester canopy with wood trim. You can pop it into the hole in your deck table or buy a base so it can stand alone. This one has a manual tilt function—a must as the sun sets ($145.99).

FUN UNDERFOOT

Complete your “outdoor living room” with a weatherproof rug, scaled to fit a smaller patio. Some of the freshest new patio palettes mix brilliant yellow with white and grey—the hues you’ll find in Lowes. ca’s Erbanica Fiesta striped rug. The eco-friendly style, which measures about 1.5 by 2.5 metres, is crafted from recycled plastic straws, tightly woven to resist moisture and mildew, to clean easily, and yet to feel surprisingly soft ($62.99 on sale). g

Natural-gas prices are ricocheting

T

by Charlie Smith

he recent crash in oil prices has been generating attention around the world, and for obvious reasons.

As this week’s Straight went to the printer, retail gasoline prices were hovering around 83 cents per litre in Metro Vancouver, less than half their peak in April 2019. This is linked to a global glut in supplies triggered by people staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What has received less attention has been the ricocheting price of natural gas.

That has significant consequences for the British Columbia government, which is anticipating $207 million in natural-gas revenues in this fiscal year.

Natural-gas prices rose sharply at the start of the week of April 20 before plummeting in the final three days of trading. There was a further decline on April 27 before a late-day rally offset most of the day’s losses.

At press time, natural gas was selling for the historically low price of US$1.85 per million British thermal units (BTUs) at the Henry Hub exchange in Louisiana.

There are many explanations for what is happening.

Some of them relate to the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.

Commentators who look at macroeconomic factors such as supply and demand, interest rates, currency markets, unemployment, and, yes, pandemics are employing what’s known as “fundamental analysis”.

Fundamental analysts might also take into account the political environment, global trade patterns, a company’s management and financial performance, and other issues when determining whether a stock or a commodity may go up or down.

But that’s not the only approach.

Others rely more heavily on “tech-

Fundamental analysis suggests that multiple factors account for the rise and fall of natural-gas prices—including supply and demand, interest rates, and COVID-19.

nical analysis”.

These commentators examine historical charts, looking for signs that a stock or commodity price might be on the verge of an upswing or downswing.

Writing on FXEmpire.com about recent gyrations in the price of natural gas, former Citigroup Commodity Group global trading manager David Becker delivered a classically technical observation.

He wrote that the “10-day moving average is poised to cross above the 50day moving average, which means that a short-term uptrend is now in place”.

That may seem like gobbledygook to novice investors, but it makes perfect sense to the technical analysts.

Another veteran trader, Chicagobased KKM Financial managing director Dan Deming, said on April 24 that traders have “seen resistance” this year on three occasions at US$2.10 per million BTUs of natural gas.

Like Becker, Deming was aware of the longer-term trends.

In that instance, he applied technical analysis in drawing conclusions about where the price of natural gas might go.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS has a storied history in the investment world. The founder of the Wall Street Journal, Charles Dow, laid the foundation through 255 editorials in the paper.

After his death in 1902, those articles gave rise to Dow theory. It postulates that market trends have three phases. Another cornerstone is that markets adjust so quickly to a news event that it has virtually no impact on the price of stocks in the future.

Dow theory also promotes the notion that price trends are confirmed by high trading volumes. And it focuses a great deal of attention to market trends, with proponents looking for clear signs of reversals.

Dow theory is not the only form of technical analysis.

Another approach is the Elliott Wave Principle, a theory that was popularized by writer and analyst Robert Prechter during the roaring bull market of the 1980s. Prechter, a Yale University psychology grad and former drummer in a rock band, was most concerned with the mindset of the masses.

Prechter leaned heavily on early 20th-century U.S. analyst Ralph

Nelson Elliott, who looked at longterm charts and wrote four books, including The Wave Principle in 1938 and Nature’s Law: The Secret of the Universe in 1946.

Long-wave theory was also promoted by Soviet economist Nikolai Kondratiev in his 1925 book, The Major Economic Cycles.

He maintained that capitalist systems have a long-term boom-andbust cycle lasting about 60 years.

These six-decade periods are marked by economic patterns reflecting the seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Former Bolder Investment Partners vice president and author Ian Gordon was perhaps the best-known Vancouver adherent to this longwave approach to economic analysis.

Just months before a global economic meltdown in the fall of 2008, Gordon told the Straight that he was seeing a “mirror image” of what happened in the U.S. stock-market crash of 1929. He linked both financial crises to debt bubbles that became embedded in the economy.

More than a year ago, Bloomberg reported that Canadian household debt was the highest per capita among the Group of Seven economies. By the end of 2019, Canadians owed more than $2.3 trillion, according to Statistics Canada.

With sky-high consumer debt, it’s surprising how little commentary there has been about this aspect of the current economic crisis.

There was a relatively quick recovery from the global financial implosion of 2008.

In light of that, it’s far too early to say whether the recession—or depression—of 2020 will indeed turn out to be one of those horribly long economic winters forecasted so many years ago by Kondratiev. g

F

or 16 years, Bean Around the World served coffee lovers at a corner of Vancouver’s Main Street and East 20th Avenue.

From 2001 to 2017, operators Amanda and Wayne Nicoletti nurtured their location into a beloved community hub.

Then development came, and Bean Around the World and its neighbouring shops had to go.

But after being away for a few years, the Nicolettis are coming back to their old corner in the neighbourhood.

Landa Global Properties, which is developing a new four-storey building at the site, has invited them to return.

The Nicolettis are planning to open a new location for Foglifter Coffee Roasters, the new business they started on Vancouver Island after closing down the old café in July 2017.

“From our first meeting with Landa Global’s Mr. Kevin Cheung, we were enthused by his vision to both honour and complement the neighbourhood’s history and unique spirit by inviting us to consider returning to the corner in their new building,” the Nicolettis wrote in a letter to the City of Vancouver.

The letter is part of an application for a development permit to change the use of a retail unit at the Landa Global Properties project, called Main & Twentieth.

Featuring 42 strata homes on the upper three floors, Main & Twentieth is a mixed-use building with commercial spaces on the ground floor. The development is expected to be completed this year.

“After nearly three years away, we greatly look forward to this new beginning with a business that feels very familiar to all,” the Nicolettis wrote.

It is everyone’s goal to return to the neighbourhood its beloved social hub.

– Amanda and Wayne Nicoletti

According to them, the name Foglifter Coffee Roasters may be new “but the ownership, the ethos, and the made-in-house products served will be what people have always loved and supported”.

“It is everyone’s goal to return to the neighbourhood its beloved social hub,” the Nicolettis stated.

They also wrote that like their old cafe, the new spot’s “operating hours are designed to serve the largest possible breadth of our community”.

The business at 209 East 20th Avenue is expected to be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

“Operational access to the space will be improved with the new building as deliveries and outgoing garbage, compost, and recycling will be made through an internal back door rather than through a streetside public entrance,” the letter stated.

The City of Vancouver is accepting comments from the public about the development permit application for 209 East 20th Avenue until May 6, 2020. g

APRIL 30 – MAY 7 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 11

FOOD / WINE

Businesses pivot to grocery service

W

by Gail Johnson

ho would have thought that grocery shopping would become such a major effort, a strategically planned outing requiring a laser focus, careful positioning, and just as much time to unload and sanitize goods as to get to the store and actually shop?

Pivot will turn out to be the word of the decade, with all sorts of businesses pivoting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are a few nontraditional places to find groceries.

CAFFE LA TANA Before the novel coronavirus brought a wrecking ball to the restaurant industry, Caffe La Tana (sister restaurant to Pepino’s Spaghetti House next door and Savio Volpe in Fraserhood) carried a small selection of pantry items; now it’s a full-on online grocery store.

Available for pickup or delivery is a huge range of goods: marinated half-chicken, amaretti cookies, Agostino Recca anchovies, Emerald Grasslands butter, spicy fennel sausage, Maple Hill Farms organic freerange eggs, Lucifora cherry-tomato sauce, all-purpose “00” chef’s flour, semolina flour, and Mulino Caputo’s dry active yeast.

There are oils and vinegars, treats (including Pepino’s cheesecake), meal kits (penne alla vodka and pizza among them), beverages, and household items like Nectrous soap and Nellie’s dishwasher nuggets.

You can still order dinners for takeaway or delivery at Pepino’s and Savio Volpe. Both eateries offer an option to purchase a Healthcare Hero Meal for $20: every meal goes to a health-care worker at St. Paul’s Hospital.

getting into groceries, with JOEY SPUD has recently deployed more Market. Available for pick-up or than 100 new delivery trucks in Caldelivery are foods like produce, gary and Vancouver. g certified Angus beef prime sirloin, pork ribs, fresh Norwegian salmon fillet, brown basmati rice, Earth’s Own oat milk, molten chocolate cake, Mott’s Clamato, blackening spice, toilet paper ($1 per roll), and tons more.

S plash OF WINE

Produce is popping up in unexpected places. Photo by Alexander Schimmeck/Unsplash

LEGENDS HAUL This is the name of a food-distribution service run by Jillian and Craig Sheridan, founders of Eastwood Cycle. In normal circumstances, it distributes “consciously sourced” ingredients to some of Vancouver’s top restaurants, including Chambar, Nightingale, and Kissa Tanto. Now it’s making many of those same items available via delivery to home cooks.

Examples: fresh dry-aged striploin New York steak from a small familyrun farm in PEI; the Meatless Farm Co.’s Meat Free Ground; Nanuk albacore tuna; Birchwood Dairy milk and yogurt; Livia’s sourdough loaf; Butter Baked Goods’ frozen chocolate cookie dough with butter-cream icing; and Cowichan Pasta Company noodles.

Then there are burgers, sausages, poultry, produce, bacon, and frozen açai purée (for your morning smoothies).

PROVENCE MARINASIDE The popular seafood restaurant is innovating in a few ways, with French Food Made Easy kits, cocktail kits, and chef de cuisine Sheldon Maloff’s online grocery store.

You’ll find produce, dairy (from Îlede-France Camembert to Upper Bench Creamery Double Cream Brie), seafood (including steelhead trout and frozen Hokkaido scallops), meat, poultry, and dry goods (such as assorted snack nuts and all-purpose flour, the latter going for $3 per kilogram), all available for pick-up. In the miscellaneous category are items like par-baked baguette, fresh yeast, coffee beans, herbes de Provence, tea, and toilet paper ($1.25 per roll).

BEETBOX The plant-based restaurant in Davie Village has launched a grocery line of all-vegan condiments called Beetbox Basics. It consists of plant-based sauces like Miso “Mayo”, Tahini Dressing, “Bac-un” Slices, Mushroom XO, and Miso Gravy. Prices start at $5 for 8-ounce jars. Spicy and sweet-and-sour pickles are also on the roster, as are new brown rice bowls, like Crispy Taco (with avocado, spicy black beans, and more).

Pick up and delivery.

SPUD The online grocery-delivery service is busier than ever and has just launched its Stay Home box program. For every $65 box ordered, it’s donating $3 to an organization that supports at-risk community members and frontline workers. There will be several versions, the first one being the #WeApplaud Box; others will include a baby box, a vegetarian-staples box, and a cleaning box.

Exact brands will be based on what’s in stock, but here’s an idea of what’s in the first box: pasta, diced tomatoes, two cans of soup, one package of crackers, a small bag of poJOEY MARKET tato chips, three pounds of organic Besides offering meal kits for apples, six organic oranges, and two numbers such as steak dinner and pounds of organic carrots, to name chicken Parmesan, the chain is just some.

CedarCreek Estate Winery’s 2019 Estate Sauvignon Blanc

TECH SHEET: Kelowna’s

CedarCreek is part of Mission Hill Family Estate winery owner Anthony von Mandl’s portfolio.

This Okanagan wine, made of 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc grapes, is fantastic value at $18.99. “Expect gooseberry and white grapefruit with subtle texture provided by a small amount of neutral oak and concrete fermentation,” the tasting notes say.

FIRST SIP: The taste of this bone-dry wine makes me think of the Prairies, where I grew up: tall, swaying grasses and giant rolls of hay. Now if we could only bottle that big, blue Alberta sky.

NEXT LEVEL: Pour some Kettle

Brand Sea Salt & Vinegar potato chips in a bowl, get out a board game, and kick back with your beloveds pandemic-style.

SWIRL THIS: Free shipping on

every order, even if it’s a single bottle. But, seriously, why would you get just one?

by Gail Johnson

Infusion is all about the art of balance Andina’s Cocolat is next best thing to Cancún

H

by Mike Usinger

ey there, house-bound barflies—welcome back to Liquor Nerd.

The last time we talked about upping your amateur bartending skills, we dealt with putting different spins on simple syrups to provide subtle accents in cocktails.

This week, let’s talk something a bit more challenging: infusing liquor.

What’s the big challenge, you might ask? That’s easy. When you’re concocting an Earl Grey or thyme simple syrup and make the mistake of overdoing things—either in quantity or steeping time—you’re only wasting a tea bag or a bunch of herb stems.

But misjudge how long a dried chipotle pepper sits in a mason jar of Old Rip Van Winkle “Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve” 15-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and you’ve got a choice to make.

It doesn’t take long for a chipotle pepper to turn beautiful bourbon into something that burns like a booze version of Professor Phardtpounders Colon Cleaner Hot Sauce.

So either you grimace and take it like a man while pretending you haven’t ruined your Honey Badger Cocktail with your overinfused Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve, or you pour the entire $2,000 bottle down the toilet while singing “Why do I keep fucking up?” just like Neil Young on Ragged Glory.

To put things in simpler terms, liquor is expensive, so you don’t want to waste it. But don’t let that stop you from having fun and experimenting.

Hit your favourite cocktail spot— assuming that it’s not the Grand Union Hotel on Hastings—and odds are pretty good you’ll notice what looks like an elaborate experiment behind the bar. Maybe it’s six sprigs of lemongrass and a dozen fresh-ginger coins in a vintage apothecary jar.

Or 24 dried apricots in a glass milk bottle of gin.

Orange-infused vodka is not triple sec, but it will do in these cash-poor times.

What you’re seeing is a craft method of creating flavoured spirits—think a DIY approach to making the raspberry, blueberry, and vanilla vodkas of Absolut. Or the cinnamon bourbons that have helped Jim Beam and Jack Daniel’s crash Fireball’s party.

What you choose to go with your (unflavoured/unspiced) base spirits of gin, tequila, whisky, or vodka is limited only by your imagination— the important thing to keep in mind is ratios.

With fresh-fruit infusions, it’s hard to overdo things, so go half-andhalf, whether you’re adding sliced or diced strawberry, mango, pineapple, or cucumber to your spirit of choice.

Mix in a mason jar, seal and shake, and then leave for three or four days in a cool place. The more it sits, the more intense the infusion gets.

Submerge a halved orange in a mason jar of vodka and after a couple of days you’ve got either (take your pick) orange vodka or a poor man’s triple sec (which comes in more

12 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 30 – MAY 7 / 2020

handy in these cash-poor days than rich man’s triple sec).

As far as vegetables go… Actually, what kind of goddamn animal wants their liquor tasting like asparagus, lima beans, or brussels sprouts?

Sorry, you’re on your own.

For herbs—sage, time, rosemary, basil, all of which can be overpowering—go with one part muddled herbs to two parts alcohol, checking to taste after a couple of days. Strong enough? Remove the herbs.

When it’s cocktail time, use your infused spirits wherever a recipe calls for regular spirits and you’re off to someplace new and exciting.

And finally, peppers. Jalapeño, habanero, and chipotle peppers can add a thrilling kick to any booze infusion, but they are best used with caution. Go with six hours to start, and in half the amount you think you need. Test, and either remove if you’re happy, or resubmerge for another three hours, depending on your heat tolerance—never forgetting, of course, that time you completely ruined that bottle of Pappy Van Winkle.

Here’s a basic daiquiri you can make with the fruits of your labour.

Keep in mind that the mango has been bathing in the rum for five days, and a chipotle for about six hours.

DAIQUIRI 2 oz. mango-chipotle-infused white rum 1 oz. fresh lime juice 1.5 oz. simple syrup Pour into a cocktail shaker over 2 cups crushed ice, shake, and strain into a glass. *If you want to get extra fancy, muddle three basil leaves in the shaker at the beginning of the process. g Mike Usinger is not a professional bartender. He does, however, spend most of his waking hours sitting on barstools.

by Mike Usinger

A

Andina Brewing’s Cocolat Toasted Coconut Chocolate Stout takes a subtle approach.

s a valuable public service, The art for Andina Brewing Comwe taste the latest in Lower pany’s Toasted Coconut Chocolate Mainland beers and then Stout could have been painted on the give you a highly opinion- balcony of that hotel. ated, pocket-sized review.

As for the beer inside, your first thought is “My kingdom for a GuinON TAP ness widget”—a heads up that purAndina Brewing Company’s Cocolat ists can expect a product mildly Toasted Coconut Chocolate Stout. fizzy rather than silky smooth. Go in dreaming of a coconut explosion and THEIR WORDS you’ll end up more disappointed than “This dark and rich oatmeal stout seven stranded castaways at the end of has been loaded with toasted coco- a Gilligan’s Island episode—Andina nut and cocoa nibs giving a real cold- definitely takes the subtle approach. weather treat.”

But the cocoa notes are there in spades and they’re wonderful—with a Terry’s TASTE TEST Chocolate Orange–like undernote as a It’s funny how a random picture—or lovely bonus. in this case a beer-can illustration— will sometimes take you back to a bet- DEEP THOUGHTS ter place. In this instance we’re talk- Google “challenges of working with ing a waterfront hotel in Cancún on coconut when brewing” and you’ll end up with all sorts of action, with the Mayan Riviera.

Normally the best part of any talk on everything from spoilage when holiday in Mexico is lying on the fresh meat is used to how oils torpedo beach drinking sweat-beaded cans head retention. In other words, more of Sol Limón y Sal from sunrise to so than apricots, chestnuts, or Tofino sunset. On one memorable visit, kelp, coconut can be unforgiving. the most powerful moment came Rather than dwell on what’s not there, at night, when the Carribean Sea love Cocolat for doing what a good went from azure blue to a squid-ink stout is supposed to do, namely deliver black, a giant yellow moon hanging a nice chocolate kiss. Don’t forget to heavy on the horizon. A majestic and drink in the beauty of the label. Oh beautiful memory, with the strange man, to be on the moonlit midnight thing being how unexpected it was. shores of Cancún right now. g

ARTS

The Isolation Diaries: Three’s company

Molly MacKinnon, Jiv Parasram, and Christine Quintana stream ballet, blast Shakira, and eat focaccia

by Janet Smith

W

Violin innovator Molly MacKinnon, Rumble Theatre artistic director Jiv Parasram, and actor-playwright Christine Quintana (with Chester the cat) have taken their artistic ventures online during COVID-19.

ith theatres, galleries, stores, and restaurants shuttered to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the Isolation Diaries reach out to Vancouver’s creative sector to find out what it’s watching, how it’s coping, and where it’s finding inspiration.

A lot of variety in there, but starting my day with the [devotional hymn] ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ feels quite good.

Otherwise, a whole lotta reggae.”

Molly: “Shakira’s 1993 classic album Dónde Están los Ladrones? has also really been hitting the spot, particularly while Christine and I sweat through our home-workout routine.

THE ARTISTS And the Hadestown original-BroadChristine Quintana, Jiv Parasram, way-cast album is another mainstay and Molly MacKinnon may be holed in our apartment.” up together in a tight two-bedroom apartment on Commercial Drive, STREAMING NOW but they’re taking on new projects Christine: “A few weeks ago the livein a big way. Parasram, artistic dir- streamed performance by local drag ector of Rumble Theatre, has just troupe the Darlings positively blew launched the company’s new fully our minds with its innovation and digital season from their digs, while incredible aesthetic within the digitplaywright-actor Quintana and her al form—their next show is on April frequent collaborator MacKinnon 26, and we can’t wait. We also loved have converted a show they pre- getting to watch the video of the miered in workshop form at the 2018 heart-breaking Ballet BC production rEvolver Festival into a digital at- of Romeo + Juliet—we got dressed home experience, produced through up, poured some wine, and pressed Rumble. (See goodthingstodo.ca.) play right at 8 p.m. Of course, it’s not You know Parasram as the founding as good as being there in person, but artistic producer of Pandemic The- for now it’s a great pleasure to supatre and the author and star of the hit port and acknowledge the work of show Take d Milk, Nah?. Quintana is our peers from our home. We also a writer of plays like Selfie and Sta- definitely cried through the finale of tionary: A Recession-Era Musical, Schitt’s Creek.” who was chosen as Marcus Youssef’s Jiv: “I tend to split off on my own, as protégé when he won the Sim- Christine and Molly have kind of set inovitch Prize in 2017; she starred up a good routine of watching stuff— as Dorothy in a wildly popular East sometimes digitally with friends Van Panto: Wizard of Oz two years across town, which is cool. I’m mainly ago. And violinist MacKinnon has brought the music to several theatre works, most notably through a collaboration with Quintana on Never the Last, a music-theatre exploration of the life of the Russian-Canadian composer and violinist Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté.

listening to LeVar Burton Reads. It’s it work and figuring new things out like Reading Rainbow but with more every week.” speculative fiction, and he really has SURVIVAL TIP tastes that hit home for me.”

Jiv: “Practically, for me, it’s not that CREATIVE OR LEARNING OUTLET bad. I’ve had pretty severe clinical Molly: “This week Christine and I depression since I was 14, so there’s open Good Things to Do, an installa- ups and downs—but just in the regution theatre piece we created in 2018 lar way. The hardest part is knowing which we’ve converted into a digital that I really can’t be with my family at-home experience. We’re really ex- (besides Christine and Molly) should cited to share this unique piece with something happen. Like, I couldn’t people, and to offer people an outlet just get on a plane. My dad had a mild to relax and find some calm.”

Jiv: “I’m learning a lot, quickly. I’ve been doing a lot of recording. My solo show Take d Milk, Nah? is coming out on CBC Podcasts’ PlayME I believe this week, and I recorded it all from home while battling a loud cat.

Rumble’s launching a digital season, which Christine and Molly’s Good Things to Do is part of. Meanwhile, I’ve been playing with a program called Isadora to create a digital rehearsal hall for Rumble’s upcoming show B, which is now being designed to be online. And Rumble has a podcast now called The Transmissions— so… I learned how to distribute a podcast pretty quick (iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, et cetera).”

Christine: “It can be really hard to focus these days, and not every day feels particularly creative or productive. Sharing work and living space isn’t always easy, but we’re making

heart attack shortly after I got back to B.C.; my brother’s a cop in Nova Scotia and so that mass shooting that just happened felt close to home for a lot of reasons. But these dangers are always there. The thing that gets me through is taking alone time to recharge, meditate, walk—so that I can have something to offer back to the people around me. Consciousness is important. If we all come out the other end being a bit more conscious, that would be a great thing.” g

Arts TIP SHEET

NO. 1 THING THAT’S GETTING YOU THROUGH

Christine: “Getting to walk through our East Van neighbourhood every morning and watching spring slowly arrive on Coast Salish territory is a really grounding reminder of time, impermanence, and patience.”

COMFORT FOOD

THE DANCE Centre is going

virtual to celebrate International Dance Day on Wednesday (April 29) amid COVID-19 socialdistancing measures. Here are just a few of the highlights happening online:

Christine: “Jiv has been making bread (including some legendary focaccias), Molly baked a truly exceptional raspberry-chocolate coffee cake, and c MICROCOMMISSIONS The I have perfected the classic Mexican centre has tapped P. Megan hangover breakfast: chilaquiles. Food Andrews, Jenna Berlyn (shown is both an activity and a ritual, and here, Mika Manning photo), has been important to us.”

Vancouver Samba School, and QUARANTINE SOUNDTRACK

Jiv: “I’ve been listening to a lot of bhajans, which are devotional songs in my tradition. Really solid music even if you don’t know what they’re saying.

Voirelia: Dance, Psychology, and Philosophy Hub for five new short works that will debut on the facility’s YouTube channel and Facebook page..

c ACTION AT A DISTANCE/

KINESIS DANCE SOMATHEATRO Turn to the

same platforms to check out these standout Vancouver companies, just two of the troupes providing classes and videos programmed throughout the day. Vanessa Goodman’s cutting-edge Action at a Distance is best-known for Wells Hill, a multimedia exploration that merged the ideas of Marshall McLuhan and Glenn Gould; Kinesis artistic director Paras Terezakis is an innovative veteran of the arts scene, and recently won the biennial Lola Award for his contributions to dance here.

c AMBER FUNK BARTON The creative force behind the company simply known as response dance. and such hyperkinetic visions as The Art of Stealing, Risk, and Vast will perform an improvised work on Instagram Live. g APRIL 30 – MAY 7 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 13

DATING / MOVIES

Pandemic highlights need to connect

I

by Sadhaf Ahsan

n his 2007 essay collection Sex and Isolation, critic Bruce Benderson analyzes the rise of the digital age and the extinction of the urban space. He recalls spending a prolonged period of time in his New York City apartment in seclusion, one day mutually masturbating with a stranger via video conference on his computer.

Without “the global noise called ‘life in America,’ ” he writes, “My life in America has radically changed.

In place of countless hunts in the streets of midtown New York for sex, I’ve succumbed to these continuous electronic swaddlings. Naked but cocooned, I stay home, virtually caressing a supposed world in images… Why have I fallen and turned from a courageous voyageur into an armchair voyeur? The answer to that is simple. I have nowhere to go.”

His screens project desire and become his new landscape as his cravings only build upon each other. It’s why, during what has only been a few weeks of self-isolation for most during the COVID-19 pandemic, many have felt such an itch—a horniness, if you will.

“Electronic swaddlings” like swiping right on someone you may not be able to see for months or FaceTiming with a partner who you may not be able to touch for months isn’t enough. Touch keeps us healthy and, in fact, functions much like a painkiller.

Countless studies have found that the more sex you have, the less stress you experience in daily life. A lack of it can contribute to depression. Even something as small as a hug can reduce physical and mental tension.

“It’s called skin hunger,” says Toronto physician and sex educator Dr. Kim Alexander. “That refers to our need for touch. Sex may help us live in the

Human beings have a real need for touch. Photo by Jonathan Borba/Unsplash

moment instead of worrying about the future. It may help us feel cared for and safe. It may help pass the long hours and be emotionally intimate in ways that our busy lives usually preclude.”

But being apart from your partner makes that kind of intimacy difficult.

According to New York City Public Health, the only public health agency to release sex guidelines during the pandemic, you can contract COVID-19 from a sexual partner who has it. While we know that it is spread through direct contact with saliva or mucus, it has not yet been found in semen or vaginal fluid, but “we still have a lot to learn,” the agency said.

The guidelines recommend avoiding kissing people who are not in your closest social circle, abstaining from rimming (as the virus has been found

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.

in feces), wearing protection, and washing hands and sex toys before and after sex.

But as the guidelines put it: “You are your safest sex partner.” The next safest partners are the people you live with. NYC Public Health also advises people to avoid sex with anyone outside your home and ensure you have as few partners as possible.

SO WHAT IF you do not have a livein sex partner or did not choose to quarantine with an early-spring fling? Video dates, sexting, chat rooms, phone sex, and masturbation are a few options.

The key, says Alexander, is maintaining a form of sensuality, which is what skin hunger is rooted in.

“Sensuality is important for well-

being,” she says. “When we’re alone, we create comfort with the sensuality of food, scented candles, nice soap.”

Sensuality can also be a good solution for those craving intimacy but finding themselves disconnected from their partners due to high levels of anxiety.

Alexander references sex educator Emily Nagoski’s “brakes and gas pedals” analogy to describe this dynamic: “Brakes on means no libido. If you’re not in the mood for sex, you don’t want your partner to approach you for it because that adds a layer of guilt and shame that you’re not fulfilling their needs. For some, the physical vulnerability of sex is what allows emotional vulnerability. So without sex, they feel alone and lost. Just be safe. If you’re not feeling sexual, at least be sensual.”

Paraphrasing Nagoski, she adds, “You might not want to go to the party but, once you’re there, you’ll probably have a good time. So drag yourself to bed, take your clothes off, put your skin next to your lover’s skin and see what happens.”

However, Toronto-based sex educator Samantha Bitty says that despite the number of rules and regulations we put on the table, there will always be those who cannot fight the urge and will come out of their 14-day selfisolation, suffocated by the prospect of no end to the crisis in sight, and decide to invite a hook-up over.

“We’re going to have a lot of people emerging, having communicated with people on dating apps or texted exes, who are still planning to meet up,” Bitty says. “They’re still negotiating risks, thinking, ‘Okay, so I’ve done my time, can I fuck now?’ ” At that point, our criteria for sexual partners will also change in terms of living situations, what they do for

a living and who they are in contact with. But what will remain constant is the most important criteria: trust.

What about people who live with or can’t resist reuniting with partners who are frontline workers?

“These intersections in our interpersonal arrangements in an urban place like Toronto is something we have to talk about; because if we don’t, people are going to make up their own rules,” says Bitty. “They are going to fill in the blanks and do whatever fulfills their needs based on their individual risk assessments. We can’t just talk about ideals and push abstinence.”

Public health’s priority during a pandemic is physical health. But mental, emotional, and spiritual health are important too. That’s where self-care comes in, which places a high value on not just touch, but relationships.

The hope, Bitty says, is that when we come out of all this, we will have gained perspective in regards to fostering intimacy. We might even see a dip in fuckboy-ery, ghosting, and catfishing.

“Living in a city…defined by a sense of constant hustle and movement, can be extremely isolating as it is,” Bitty says. “Because of that, particularly as it relates to dating and sex, it is a wasteland at times. If meaningful connection is what we want, we should all be asking ourselves, what do I have to give versus what am I trying to find?

Am I just trying to fill a void?”

As we become these reluctant armchair voyeurs, increasingly cognizant of our bodies and the lack of others around us, Bitty says “our understanding of the importance of these things will pivot. The literal trauma of it will inspire us to value connections in a different and hopefully better way.” g

Short film salutes hospital heroes Vancouver director helmed cross-country project to help raise funds

by Janet Smith

Scan to confess Curious mind Sometimes when I have a banana or cucumber around the kitchen, I suck on them. Don’t worry, I wash them. I am just curious what it would be like to give a blowjob, this is my way of fantasizing a little.

Be careful people!

I’m noticing now on social media a lot more friends and family getting involved in MLMs, perhaps because of lost jobs due to covid but please be careful everyone ! If people are asking you to join a business and be an entrepreneur for a low ‘startup’ cost and ‘be your own boss’, it’s likely a pyramid scheme. I’m trying to tactfully let my friends know that they’ve likely been tricked and I’m worried for all of you guys too!

Up With People Have you noticed a new sense of community? An invigorating spirit in the air? Wouldn’t it be nice to recast ourselves out of the ashes of this calamity into what we really are- a society of people whose first priority is to the care and welfare of each other

Don’t be a I am a woman but I have to say I find the whole Karen meme hilarious. I mean, who doesn’t know a Karen? Or who hasn’t been the target of a Karen? It’s gold! But then I again I find a lot of memes funny. In fact they may be the glue holding humanity together.

Visit

to post a Confession

14 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 30 – MAY 7 / 2020

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A still from St. Paul’s Hospital features prominently in Heartbeat of the Nation, the 80-second brainchild of director Ross Allen.

Vancouver filmmaker has tapped the talents of 24 filmmakers from across Canada to help raise funds for frontline health workers in the just-released Heartbeat of the Nation.

Director Ross Allen oversaw the making of the 80-second film that captures the nightly cheering for healthcare workers that happens on Canadian balconies. St. Paul’s Hospital and the clattering pots and pans of Vancouver highrises play a prominent role.

For a morale boost, check it out on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

“The only time I left my apartment for the entire shoot was to film health-care workers at St. Paul’s Hospital,” Allen said of his role in the announcement. “It was a special moment to be able to connect directly with some of the people we were making this film for. We filmed— with permission and press officers onsite—outside of the building as the healthcare workers were finishing

their shifts. We maintained physicaldistancing rules by using a long lens to get the tight shots.”

Everyone involved in the project volunteered their time, skills, and equipment.

Shots come all the way from Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary. Film artists were assigned to capture the eerily empty streets of their respective cities, and then the wild cheering, clapping, and pot-banging that happens at 7 p.m.

The footage was collected over the course of a single week, adhering to social-distancing guidelines. Cinematographer Mitchell Baxter also shot some of the footage in this city.

Heartbeat of the Nation was made in partnership with CanadaHelps and Gore Mutual to draw attention to their COVID-19 Healthcare & Hospital Fund. Gore is matching donated funds up to $1 million. This fund supports around 90 health-care initiatives related to COVID across the country.

Allen said he was inspired to launch the project when he found himself stuck at home during lockdown. “I felt a bit helpless as to what I could offer to help in this crisis,” he said. “I had such an immense gratitude towards the health-care workers who put their lives on the line each and every day, but what could I do to help? The only thing was to stay home and continue to say thank you at 7 p.m. But I wanted to do more. I wanted the ‘thank you’ to extend beyond 7 p.m. and my tiny balcony.”

The Georgia Straight also has a new animated video thanking healthcare workers, which is available on its Instagram account, Facebook page, and Straight.com. It was made

by Media Central Corporation’s director of video and animation properties, Lucas Renzo Giovannetti. And if you pay close attention, you’ll spot St. Paul’s Hospital there as well. g With files from Charlie Smith.

SAVAGE LOVE

Sexual arousal: not always a good thing

by Dan Savage

b I’M A 31-YEAR-OLD female. Last week, I suddenly started to experience an overwhelming, compulsive, and nearconstant state of physical arousal. I’ve masturbated so much, looking for relief, that my entire lower region is super-sore and swollen, and still it’s like my whole body is pulsating with this electric arousal telling me to ignore the pain and do it again. I have no idea if it’s normal to suddenly have such a spike in libido, and I know a lot of people will say they wish they had this problem, but it’s interfering with my daily activities because I can’t focus on anything else. I’ve even had to remove my clitoral hood piercing, which I’ve had for over 10 years! I feel like I have all of the reasons—high anxiety related to the pandemic, being stuck with alcoholic boyfriend in the house, tons of homework, finances are low—to warrant a lack of arousal, so why am I drowning in it? Everything I’m learning in class states that sexual desire lowers throughout the lifespan, so why am I literally pulsating with it?

I really don’t want to call my doctor if I don’t have to. Any insight would be appreciated.

- Chronically Aroused “There’s a general belief that sexual arousal is always wanted—and the more the better,” Robyn Jackowich said.

“But in reality, persistent and unwanted sexual arousal can be very distressing.”

Jackowich is a PhD candidate at Queen’s University, where she works under the supervision of Prof. Caroline Pukall in the Sexual Health Research Lab. Jackowich has published studies on Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD), a condition characterized by a constant or frequently recurring

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Five years experience in cafe. Specific Skills: Prepare dough for pies, bread, rolls and sweet goods, batters for muffins, cookies and cakes and icings and frostings according to recipes or special customer orders, Bake mixed dough and batters, Frost and decorate cakes and baked goods, Ensure that the quality of products meets established standards, Inspect kitchen and food service areas, Operate machinery. How to apply: By email: infopapparoti@gmail.com Vancouver, BC

Food Service Supervisor Permanent and full time. $14 to $15 per hour.

1 to 2 years experience. Specific Skills: Supervise and co-ordinate activities of staff who prepare and portion food, Estimate and order ingredients and supplies, Ensure food service and quality control, Maintain records of stock, repairs, sales and wastage, Prepare and submit reports, Establish work schedules. How to apply: By email: infopapparoti@gmail.com Vancouver, BC

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state of genital arousal—sensations, sensitivity, swelling—in the absence of sexual desire.

“In other words, there is a disconnect between what is happening in one’s body and mind,” Jackowich said, “and this can be both distressing and distracting.”

And while you would think stress would tank your libido—and preliminary research shows that the pandemic is tanking more libidos than it’s not—stress and anxiety can actually be triggers for PGAD. As you’ve learned, CA, you can’t masturbate your way out of this. So what do you do? Unfortunately, it’s the thing you’d really rather not do: call your doctor.

“It’s important to meet with a knowledgeable health-care provider to ensure there is not another concern present that may be responsible for the symptoms and to access treatment,” Jackowich said. “Research on treatments for PGAD is relatively new, so it can be helpful to meet with a team of different health-care providers to find what treatments would be most effective for you specifically.

This could include a gynaecologist, urologist, pelvic-floor physical therapist, neurologist, and/or psychologist with expertise in sex therapy.”

Talking with your doctor about this may be embarrassing, I realize, and it doesn’t help that many doctors are unfamiliar with PGAD. Jackowich actually recommends bringing printouts of information pages and research papers about the condition to your appointment and sharing them with your physician. And if your doc doesn’t take your distress seriously and/or refuses to refer you to the specialists you need

DOOR AID SOLUTIONS INC. is HIRING a Supervisor, garage door installers. Greater Vancouver area, BC. Perm, F/T (36 hrs/w) Wage - $ 35.00 per h Requirements: Good English,several years of experience in garage door installation, high school education. Main duties: Supervise and co-ordinate the activities of garage door installers;Create and monitor work schedules; Hire and train of new employees; Estimate and order necessary garage doors parts and supplies; Resolve work problems and customer complaints; Prepare and maintain work progress reports; Maintain records of stock for inventory control.

Company’s business address: 810-180 Switchmen St, Vancouver, BC V6A 0C7 Please apply by E-mail: dooraidhr@gmail.com

HERITAGE DRYWALL LTD is looking for Drywall Installers and Finishers.

Job location: Greater Vancouver, BC Perm, F/T, wage - $ 28.00 /h Requirements: Experience 3-4 years, Good English. Education: Secondary school Main duties: Preparation of the drywall sheets for installation; Installation of drywall sheets; Securing of drywall sheets in metal or wooden studs or joists; Filling joints, holes and cracks with joint compound; Applying successive coats of compound, sand seams and joints.

Company’s business address: 20448 – 90 Crescent, Langley BC V1M 1A7 Please apply by e-mail: heritagewall@gmail.com

Kitchen Manager Permanent and full time. $16 to $20 per hour.

3 to 5 year experience. Specific Skills: Supervise and co-ordinate activities of staff who prepare and portion food, Estimate and order ingredients and supplies, Ensure food service and quality control, Maintain records of stock, repairs, sales and wastage, Prepare and submit reports, Prepare food order summaries for chef, Supervise and check assembly of trays, Supervise and check delivery of food trolleys, Establish work schedules How to apply: By email infopapparoti@gmail.com Vancouver, BC

to see, CA, then you’ll have to get yourself a new doctor. (You can find those information pages and research papers at sexlab.ca/pgad.)

“More awareness of PGAD and research on this condition is needed to help understand the symptoms and develop effective treatments,” Jackowich said. “If you experience these symptoms and would like to contribute to ongoing research efforts, the Queen’s University Sexual Health Research Lab is seeking participants for an online study.” To take part in that online survey, go to sexlab. ca/pgad, click on “participate”, and scroll down to the “OLIVE Study”.

of death. I wish there was some way I could find a compromise, but this seems to be one of those “all or nothing” things. I also don’t like this feeling of not being trusted and fear it could lead to other problems down the line.

- Unhappy Girlfriend Has Sensitivities I can see

why your current girlfriend might feel threatened by your relationship with an ex, UGHS, seeing as she— your current girlfriend—was until very recently just another one of your exes. Since you got back together with her, the green-eyed monster whispers in her ear, what’s to stop you from getting back together with your other ex?

What the green-eyed monster doesn’t say, of course, is that you had every opportunity to get back together with your ex and didn’t. And cutting off your ex now doesn’t mean you can’t get back together with her later. And what’s to stop you from getting together with one of the 3.5 billion women you haven’t already dated?

You have to take a hard line on this.

Tell your current you’re happy to provide her with a little reassurance when she’s feeling insecure about your ex but you’re not going to unfriend or unfollow her or anyone else. You can make an appeal to reason—you wouldn’t be with your current girlfriend if you were the sort of person who cut off contact with his exes—but if your girlfriend is the irrationally jealous type, well, an appeal to reason won’t help. Irrationally jealous people are by definition incapable of seeing reason, which is why they must be shown doors.

b I’VE REKINDLED A romance with an ex from a decade ago. We are longdistance right now but getting very close. We have one recurring problem, though. She does not like that I am friends with another ex. That ex has actually been a close friend for a very long time and our friendship means a lot to me. Our romantic relationship only lasted a few months. But since we did have a romantic relationship once, my current girlfriend sees my ex as a threat. I have reassured her several times that the relationship is in the past and we are now only friends. But my girlfriend doesn’t want me to communicate with her at all. She wants me to unfriend her on Facebook and unfollow her Instagram, and at least once a week she asks if we have been in contact. It is hard for me to throw a friend away in order to be in a relationship. Even though I don’t talk to my ex/friend all that regularly, I would like the option to at least check in b THIS ISN’T A sexy question, but you every once in a while. Cutting her out are wise and I am confused. I have of my life completely feels like a kind been friends with a woman for about

MARKETING MANAGER Permanent and full time. $40 per hour 5 years or more experience Specific Skills: Direct and evaluate establishments and departments that publicize activities and events on behalf of businesses, governments and other organizations, Establish distribution networks for products and services, initiate market research studies and analyze their findings, Direct and evaluate establishments and departments that develop and implement communication strategies and information programs, Assist in product development and direct and evaluate the marketing strategies of establishments, Direct and evaluate establishments and departments that maintain media relations on behalf of businesses, governments and other organizations, Plan, direct and evaluate the activities of firms and departments that develop and implement advertising campaigns to promote the sales of products and services, Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the design, development and maintenance of Internet and Intranet sites to manage an organization's Internet presence.

Apply at: alexvisavancouver@gmail.com

SV Business Group Inc. o/a SV Yachts & Boats is seeking a Marine Mechanic. F/T 40h/w, Perm, wage $34.00 /h Main duties: Review work tasks with the Manager; Check and identify mechanical and electrical problems with heavy duty equipment, marine engines and systems, tools and machinery;Test, adjust, repair or replace parts and components; Clean, lubricate and perform other routine maintenance work;Install of new and add-on equipment and machinery on marine vessels; Report to the Manager in regards to work performed and prepare documentation.

Requirements: High school, 4+ years of experience or apprenticeship program, good English Business address and job location: 5908 Marine Dr. West Vancouver, BC V7W 2S2 Please apply by e-mail: hr.svbg@gmail.com

WEB DEVELOPER Permanent and full time. $29 to $30 per hour 5 years or more experience Specific Skills: Prepare mock-ups and storyboards, Develop Website architecture and determine hardware and software requirements, Source, select and organize information for inclusion and design the appearance, layout and flow of the Website, Create and optimize content for Website using a variety of graphics, database, animation and other software, Research and evaluate a variety of interactive media software products, Lead and co-ordinate multidisciplinary teams to develop Website graphics, content, capacity and interactivity, Plan, design, write, modify, integrate and test Web-site related code, Conduct tests and perform security and quality controls.

Apply at: alexvisavancouver@gmail.com

A MDABC peer-led support group is a safe place to share your story, your struggles and accomplishments, and to listen to others as they share similar concerns. Please Note: Support groups are not intended to provide counselling/therapy. ?

Please visit www.mdabc.net for a list and location of support groups or call 604-873-0103 for info.

AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS Does someone else's drinking bother you?

Al-Anon can help.

We are a support group for those who have been affected by another's drinking problem.

For more information please call: 604-688-1716 Anorexics & Bulimics Anonymous 12 Step based peer support program which addresses the mental, emotional, & spiritual aspects of disordered eating Tuesdays @ 7 pm @ Avalon Women's Centre 5957 West Blvd - 604-263-7177 Battered Women's Support Services provides free daytime & evening support groups (Drop-ins & 10 week groups) for women abused by their intimate partner. Groups provide emotional support, legal information & advocacy, safety planning, and referrals.

For more information please call: 604-687-1867 Distress Line & Suicide Prevention Services NEED SOME ONE TO TALK TO? Call us for immediate, free, confidential and non-judgemental support, 24 hours a day, everyday.

The Crisis Centre in Vancouver can help you cope more effectively with stressful situations.

604-872-3311 Support, Education & Action Group for Women that have experienced male violence.

Call Vancouver Rape Relief 604-872-8212

Parkinson Society BC offers over 50 volunteer-led support groups throughout BC. These provide people with Parkinson's, their carepartners & families an opportunity to meet in a friendly, supportive setting with others who are experiencing similar difficulties.

Some groups may offer exercise support.

For information on locating a support group near you, please contact PSBC at 604 662 3240 or toll free 1 800 668 3330.

www.alzheimerbc.org

16 years. She’s very funny, creative, loves to have a good time. She’s also intense, not very bright, and my family and friends do not like her around. Now that we’re grown we do not see each other often, but I’ve been glad to maintain a friendship with her and get together now and again.

Enter: my wedding. At the reception, she made a fool of herself (and me) by going on some strange racist rant.

The racist thing really surprised and disappointed me, and when I asked her about it, she shrugged it off, like, “Oh, just add that to the list of dumb things I do when I’m drunk.” Other things she’d done when she’s drunk: two DUIs, waking up in jail with an assault charge, having sex with strangers, et cetera. It’s been about seven months since my wedding and I’ve basically been ignoring her while trying to decide what to do. I love my friend, but I do not want her hurting anyone else on my watch. Do I call her up and end it? See her once a year when nobody’s around? Ignore her until she dies?

- Loyal To A Fault Tell your racist friend to give you a call after she gets sober and confront her about her racism then—you know, when she’s actually capable of remembering the conversation, reflecting on what you had to say, and perhaps changing for the better. If she can’t get both sober and better, LTAF, make sure she isn’t registered to vote and then ignore her until she dies. g On the Lovecast, pandemics and revenge porn: savagelovecast.com. Email: mail@ savagelove.net. Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage.

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