The Georgia Straight - Cycle City - May 28, 2020

FREE | MAY 28 – JUNE 4 / 2020

Volume 54 | Number 2731

HOT DINING ZONES Where eateries will thrive

PSYCHEDELIC MEDICINE Numinus explores new frontier

THIN OR FAT? It may be in your genes

Cycle City Vancouver already had the highest rate of commuter cycling in North America, but now recreational bike use is blowing up in the wake of the pandemic

TIKO KERR

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eSPORTS

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CANNABIS TEAS

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TIMBER TOWERS

HEALTH

UBC prof helped find thinness gene

CONTENTS

May 28 - June 4 / 2020

8

A

by Martin Dunphy

UBC biomedical researcher is part of a scientific team that has identified a human gene that appears to control thinness.

Josef Penninger, the director of UBC’s Life Sciences Institute and a professor in the department of medical genetics, is the senior author of a paper published on May 21 in the journal Cell that explains how a particular gene caught the team’s attention during a study of thinness. Further research on the gene revealed that it appears to play a role in resisting weight gain.

Genes are the physical units that are the basis for heredity. They are made up of DNA—a molecule that contains genetic instructions—and are found in chromosomes in our cell nuclei. Genes therefore constitute a set of instructions that determine everything from our hair and eye colour to our physical development to our reproduction.

Penninger, who is also a Canada 150 research chair, said in a May 21 UBC release that the study was a reversal of the usual scientific inquiries into obesity: “Most researchers study obesity and the genetics of obesity.

We just turned it around and studied thinness, thereby starting a new field of research.”

The study utilized data from an Estonian biobank that featured the genetic makeups of 47,102 healthy and thin (or normal weight) individuals between the ages of 20 and 44.

In that thin group, the research team—which included scientists from Australia, Switzerland, and Austria—looked for variations in the genetic profiles and found one: a muta-

By Charlie Smith Cover photo by Svensen

4

REAL ESTATE

Jean Seguin says the hottest restaurant-sales zones are West 4th Ave., Main Street, and Commercial Drive.

By Carlito Pablo

UBC researcher Josef Penninger says one percent of people won’t gain weight no matter how much they eat. Photo by UBC

tion in the gene called anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK).

Although ALK’s function in humans is not well understood, it is known to mutate in some cancers and is involved in tumour development. When the researchers took the ALK gene out of flies and mice in lab trials, the subjects were resistant to obesity during induced diets.

Mice that had no ALK gene weighed less and had less body fat than those that had the gene, even though they ate the same diet and exercised the same amount.

Michael Orthofer, the paper’s lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at Vienna’s Institute of Molecular Biology, said in the release that the gene in question worked outside of the digestive system. g

Farm school produces healthy food

H

by Gail Johnson

aving established a career in soft ware engineering, Vida Rose never imagined she would one day swap her laptop for a garden plot and eventually go to “farm school”.

But that’s exactly what happened after Rose’s tech job ended in 2014.

Before signing up for Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Farm School programs, Rose had acquired knowledge of food issues; the company she worked for imported and exported fresh vegetables and fruit.

And having become a vegetarian several years prior, she had a keen interest in healthy eating.

She loved using local and organic produce but found that store prices for it were high, and she often couldn’t find high-quality herbs she’d become so fond of, like tarragon and savoury. So she began puttering in her community garden.

“With no experience at all, just by watching YouTube and searching the Internet, I started to do direct seeding in June of 2016,” Rose tells the Straight. “I planted different herbs, beans, and potatoes given to me by another gardener. I also bought tomato and cucumber seedlings. The fi rst year went very well.

I saved my seeds and used them for the next year; this time, I planted 60 different plants.

“I had zero experience yet a strong will to grow food,” she adds. “Some other gardener told me I wouldn’t get any tomatoes or cucumbers since I hadn’t done it correctly, but at the end of the season, I had lots of cucumbers and tomatoes. The reason

COVER

Vancouver residents cycle to work more than people in any other North American city, but now they’re also doing a lot more recreational riding.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s yield includes locally grown veggies.

was I believed if I put my all effort into it and could think positively, it won’t fail—and it didn’t.”

KPU’s Farm Schools consist of the 11-acre Tsawwassen First Nation Farm School (a partnership between KPU and Tsawwassen First Nation that integrates mixed vegetable production, an orchard, and livestock production) and the Richmond Farm School (which teaches small-scale, intensive, high-value crop production on plots ranging from a quarter to half an acre on municipal land).

Each offers a seven-month-long experiential agriculture course with classroom and hands-on learning.

It just so happened that Rose’s community garden was situated not far from one of the KPU farm lots.

On Saturdays, students would be in the field, and, in 2018, one of the instructors, who had seen her in the

garden regularly from morning till night, suggested she consider looking into the program.

The following year, Rose enrolled.

“I was no longer interested in a soft ware-developer job, and growing food looked to me like a valuable job I could get into,” Rose says. “I started seeing how good food can play an important role not only in human life but in everything else: the animal kingdom, nature, global warming, local economy, mental health, the human immune system and more.

I started to think about how my job can be really useful for people and the community in which I live.”

At farm school, she learned about soil, compost, watering, bugs, bees, weeds, and many other related topics. Rose also enrolled in the school’s incubator program, where students can access up to half an acre of land to start their own farm business. She researched supply, fertilizers, seeds, plant planning, and more to come up with a business proposal.

It was accepted, and this past March, Rose launched Vida Farm. A new vendor for the summer season at this year’s Vancouver Farmers Markets, Rose uses natural methods to grow tomatoes, cucumber, beets, bell pepper, carrots, lettuce, hard beans, green beans, parsley, potatoes, corn, and some leafy vegetables.

There are no prerequisites for KPU’s Farm Schools. The programs are open to avid gardeners, novice farmers, and people who have never grown a vegetable before. For more information, visit www.kpu.ca/ farmschools. g

6

CANNABIS

Proponents of cannabis tea say these beverages can ease pain, help with insomnia, and quell nausea.

By John Lucas

7

ESPORTS

Every city has its Call of Duty culture, including Seattle, where an Aquilini-owned team has a mature audience.

By Mike Usinger

9

FOOD

Stay fuelled for your spring and summer adventures with energy-boosting bites that aren’t junk food in disguise.

By Gail Johnson

e Online TOP 5

e Start Here 10 6 4 2 10 11 8 10 6 11 8 9

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Air Canada’s summer schedule has almost 100 destinations.

Retail report: lululemon reopens; Pier 1 calls it quits.

SFU tech wizard Chao Cheng calls it quits after 38 years.

World’s third-largest whale spotted near Lions Gate Bridge.

CMHC boss sees merit in doubling minimum home down payment.

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2 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT MAY 28 – JUNE 4 / 2020

MAY 28 – JUNE 4 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 3

REAL ESTATE / FINANCE

Planner backs 12-storey Realtor predicts next hot dining zones mass-timber buildings

E

by Carlito Pablo

W

by Charlie Smith

hen the development company PortLiving began working on a 19-storey project called Terrace House in Vancouver, it was going to be the world’s tallest mass timber–concrete hybrid building.

At 71 metres, the Shigeru Ban–designed structure at 1250 West Hastings Street was going to climb even higher than the 53-metre Brock Commons Tallwood House student residence at UBC. Terrace House includes seven storeys of mass timber on top of 12 storeys of concrete. Brock Commons Tallwood House is a hybrid masstimber building designed by Acton Ostry Architects for UBC’s main Point Grey campus.

However, there are plans on the books for a 350-metre masstimber building in Tokyo and for a 304.8-metre mass-timber tower in London, England. And now, Vancouver city staff are advancing proposals to stimulate mass-timber construction.

Gil Kelley, the general manager of planning, urban design, and sustainability, has recommended that city council approve in principle amendments to the city’s building bylaw “to align with provincial regulation and National Building Code proposals”.

This would facilitate construction of mass-timber buildings up to 12 storeys for residential and commercial uses, taking effect on July 1.

Kelley consulted with the chief building official and Vancouver Fire Rescue Services in preparing a report going to council’s policy and strategic priorities committee on Wednesday (May 27, after this week’s edition of the Straight had gone to the printer).

Kelley has also recommended

Terrace House in Vancouver has seven floors of mass timber on top of concrete.

very now and then, a restaurant or a pub catches Jean Seguin’s fancy.

The food is good, the atmosphere is great, and perhaps, the commercial realtor thinks, he can buy it for himself. Maybe there’s an opportunity for him to invest.

“I dream about it,” Seguin confessed in a phone interview with the Georgia Straight.

As a realtor who focuses on the selling and buying of establishments in the food-and-beverage industry, Seguin knows the deals. He’s the founder of the Restaurant Business Broker agency.

What distinguishes him from other realtors in this business is that he used to be a restaurateur. Seguin knows both the joys and heartaches of running a restaurant. He can relate to his clients on a personal level.

“When I was an owner-operator, I loved watching the setup of my restaurant prior to getting busy and then simply watching the evening unfold with patrons coming in and out,” Seguin said, relishing the memory.

Seguin was a real-estate investor when he bought the Smoking Dog Bistro in 2004, a popular French establishment in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. The realtor sold the bistro after six years, in 2010, and returned to real estate.

Although he said he had the time of his life as a restaurateur, Seguin doesn’t think he’s coming back, although he’s tempted every now and then.

According to him, the food-andbeverage business is a tough one. The

amendments to the fire bylaw. This would ensure that the city adopts B.C. Fire Code measures related to “encapsulated” mass-timber construction.

These amendments have already been approved in Richmond, Surrey, the City of North Vancouver, and 10 other municipalities, according to the report. It explained that mass timber is created with several smaller pieces of lumber, which are laminated to provide the structural components for walls, floors, columns, and beams.

“Engineered to meet the minimum standards for structural performance, mass timber is also significantly more fire resistant than light timber construction,” Kelley wrote. “Further, mass timber is currently covered, or ‘encapsulated’ by one or more layers of gypsum board to meet the minimum fire protection performance required by the building codes.”

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Former restaurateur Jean Seguin is now a realtor. Photo by George Vivanco

margins are too tight, he said.

For those thinking of entering the food and beverage field in a world ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, the realtor noted that areas in Vancouver that do not depend on tourism are good places to look at.

“I’m not getting phone calls for Gastown anymore,” Seguin said, to drive home the point.

The top three locations on his list are West 4th Avenue between Burrard and Yew streets, Main Street, and Commercial Drive.

These areas have good foot and car traffic, a mixed clientele, and little dependence on tourism, according to Seguin. Plus, leases there are generally affordable.

In addition to his top three places, Seguin mentioned others, like Kerrisdale and Fraser Street at both King Edward Avenue and Kingsway.

Davie Street in the West End is also on Seguin’s list.

Top tips for income-tax filing time

M

the person has no receipts. Other employment expenses can only be claimed if the taxpayer has obtained from their employer a signed T2200 Declaration of Conditions of Employment.

STUDENT LOAN INTEREST

This can be claimed as a tax credit, which means it gets deducted directly from the amount of tax owed. But interest on private loans or lines of credit cannot be claimed on a tax return.

SEVERANCE PACKAGES

These are taxable as lump-sum payments. For very long-term employees, it’s sometimes possible to transfer some of this to a registered retirement savings plan, which would shield it from being taxed until it’s withdrawn from the plan.

HOMEBUYERS’ AMOUNT

It’s possible to claim $5,000 for the purchase of a “qualifying home” over the EMPLOYMENT EXPENSES previous year if you did not live in anThe Canada employment amount of other home owned by you, your spouse, $1,245 can be claimed to cover inci- or your common-law partner in any of dental employment expenses, even if the four preceding years. A qualifying

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4 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT MAY 28 – JUNE 4 / 2020

Outside Vancouver, Seguin pointed to the Lonsdale neighbourhood in North Vancouver. “These are all good areas to start your next food and beverage concept,” he said.

If food-and-beverage was a tough business before the pandemic, it’s going to get even more difficult now, according to Seguin.

“In the next three to nine months, we will see many operators not able to carry on,” Seguin predicted.

He said it’s all about leases and how establishments can generate enough revenue despite the pandemic’s physical-distancing requirements.

Under the federal Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance, small businesses are entitled to a measure of rent relief for three months, from April to June 2020.

This is for business tenants paying less than $50,000 per month in rent that have temporarily ceased operations, or that have experienced at least a 70 percent drop in pre– COVID-19 revenues.

Seguin does not expect full capacity to return in September or October this year. He also noted that a number of leases come with personal guarantees from operators, and this is also going to be a problem.

A personal guarantee means that an individual is required to pay an outstanding obligation if the person’s business collapses. “I was talking to a restaurant owner from a very popular group in Vancouver, and he said, ‘Yeah, I’ve got a personal guarantee on two or three,’ and he’s got seven or eight leases,” the realtor related.

“What is he supposed to do?” g

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home can be a single-family house, semidetached house, townhome, mobile home, condominium, or an apartment in a duplex, triplex, fourplex, or apartment building. It’s possible to make this claim if you buy a share in a cooperative-housing corporation that gives you an equity interest in the property. But no claim can be made if the share only provides the right to tenancy rather than homeownership.

PART-YEAR RESIDENTS

Everyone must report their world income after they move to Canada.

Moving expenses are not deductible except if a student is studying at a postsecondary institution. In this instance, moving expenses can be deducted against the taxable portion of scholarships, bursaries, fellowships, prizes, or research grants.

OUT-OF-COUNTRY TUITION COSTS

If the school outside of Canada is recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency, the taxpayer can deduct tuition costs. g

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CANNABIS

CBD herbal teas promote relaxation Psychedelics promising in addiction treatment

by John Lucas

by Charlie Smith

I

Proponents of cannabis-infused teas tout a number of health benefits. Photo by Creative-Family/iStock/Getty Images Plus

n the strictest sense of the word, tea refers to a beverage made from pouring boiling water over the cured leaves of an evergreen shrub called Camellia sinensis.

Originating in East Asia, C. sinensis has been cultivated by humans for centuries, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of known cultivars.

Those may be enough for tea purists, but others prefer herbal teas, or tisanes, made with fresh or dried flowers, fruit, leaves, seeds, or roots.

Common ingredients in herbal teas include ginger, ginseng, rooibos, chamomile, rosehip, orange zest, peppermint, fennel—and cannabis, of course.

What can our favourite green leaf do for us when brewed into a tea?

Cannabis-tea proponents say that it can ease pain, help with insomnia, and quell nausea, among other effects.

Tee Krispil is a Vancouver-based

rapper, producer, and entrepreneur, and she is a true believer in cannabis tea’s benefits. In fact, Krispil believes in it so much that she started her own company, Fleurs, which produces CBD-infused tisanes.

“Tea has a wealth of benefits on its own—especially organic herbal blends that are designed to treat different ailments,” Krispil tells the Straight. “Infuse it with CBD and you’re now also including powerful anti-inflammatory constituents, which help to relieve pain.

“I like to use tea and cannabis to help relax my nervous system,” she adds. “My favourite herbs, like lemon balm and oat straw, are ‘nervines’, which means they have a calming effect on your body and mind.”

Fleurs produces several blends, each promising different benefits.

Woke, for example, is for energy and memory retention, and it includes

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.

Scan to confess I found her I was having a very rough time after a breakup. My ex sent me pictures of myself taken many years ago, where I looked young and happy. He said he misses that girl. I said I miss her too. He said I should tell him when I find her. So after thinking about it I’ve realized a few things: firstly, I aged just like he did, and I’ve never made him feel badly about his own physical changes. Secondly, one of the reasons I stopped being happy was because I was in a relationship with someone who constantly criticized me, judged me, and made me feel that I was never good enough to please him. And finally, I realized that I’ve found that girl again and all it took was to lose him. Will I be telling him? Hell no.

Urban wildlife One of the interesting things is that I did not leave Vancouver on good terms. I wanted to stay. I loved the city. I loved my neighbour hood of 10+ years. The place I worked at got bought out. The place I lived in did not desire me as they could only charge a small amount per year increase in rent.

I was temporarily evicted when the bank made an error in 1 rent payment in 5 years. and so on... I still long for a return but what pushed me out is what will inevitably cause a longer hardship for Vancouverites than BCers as a whole.

Text dissonance Maybe they’re just bored, these people who text you all the time asking how you are. That seems thoughtful and innocent, but when you need them offline, they’re not around.

They’re your best friend through the phone only, at their convenience. But I’ve learned to spot these players and don’t fall in their traps any more.

Visit

to post a Confession

6 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT MAY 28 – JUNE 4 / 2020

such herbs as lemongrass, ginkgo biloba, and yerba mate. Chill, on the other hand, combines cannabis with ingredients like damiana leaf and lavender flower to calm anxiety and relieve tension.

Each variety is made with seven milligrams of full-spectrum, organic industrial hemp. From a medicinal standpoint, the teas contain mainly CBD, with only trace amounts of THC. “We keep the dose light so the tea can be enjoyed throughout the day,” Krispil says. “You won’t feel any intoxicating effects.”

There are other brands taking a similar approach. Toronto-based Fluent Beverage’s line of Everie teas (which includes lavender chamomile, decaf peach-ginger green tea, and vanilla rooibos) contains 10 milligrams of CBD per cuppa.

HighTea, on the other hand, delivers 10 milligrams of THC in each serving of its blends, which include Majestic Mint and Chamomile Smile.

If you would prefer the DIY route over purchasing commercially made cannabis teas, it is possible to brew your own.

“I think it’s really potent to experiment with herbs on your own,” Krispil says. “It can be an enlightening and meditative practice. However, some commercially available teas are really well-thought-out and crafted by herbalists who have been practising for some time, making their blends really synergistic and effective.”

When it comes to home-brewing your own cannabis tea, Sandra Hinchliffe literally wrote the book.

The author of High Tea: Gracious Cannabis Tea-Time Recipes for Every Occasion cautions that simply pouring boiling water over flowers, leaves, and/or stems will not make for a particularly tasty beverage. By itself, cannabis can have an overpoweringly bitter, grassy taste. Instead, Hinchliffe recommends adding cannabis oil to your tea of choice, which will also allow you to control the dose of CBD or THC you’re ingesting.

For those just starting to explore medicinal teas—whether they contain cannabis or other potent herbs— Krispil has some helpful suggestions.

“You could go to a local herb store and start seeing which herbs call out to you,” she says. “Do some research, look up things like plant synergy, plant actions, and growing practices.

Then blend the tea according to the research you’ve found. Herbalism is a folk tradition, and many lineages have different techniques for using herbs in tea. Find one that resonates with you and then get brewing!” g

MORE CANNABIS ONLINE AT CANNCENTRAL.COM

Vancouver-based Numinus Wellness Inc. has been licensed by Health Canada to test, sell, and distribute psychedelic substances. Photo by Paul Levy

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r. Evan Wood has been on the leading edge of addiction research for almost two decades. He was the principal investigator evaluating Insite, which was North America’s first legal supervised-injection site. It’s in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

In addition, Wood is an adviser to the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the founder of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (now the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation).

In recent years, he’s been focusing more attention on a growing body of research showing the benefits of psychedelic substances, such as MDMA and psilocybin, in the treatment of mental illness, addiction, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

In a phone interview with the Straight, Wood said that a group in New York has conducted several trials on the efficacy of psychedelics in the treatment of alcohol misuse.

At Johns Hopkins University, another group is focusing on the effects of psychedelics in helping people kick the smoking habit.

“It’s not a cure for everybody,” Wood cautioned, “but in comparison to the best available treatments we have for alcohol or nicotine addition—and there’s some work being done in cocaine addiction as well— the rates of remission are pretty dramatic over the best available standard of care that we have to offer for those conditions. So it really looks like something is there.”

In addition, he said, a Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies phase-three trial of MDMA showed that it “had a greater than 90 percent likelihood of showing a statistically significant benefit on treatment of PTSD”.

“The other phase-three trial is the Compass [Pathways] trial of psilocybin for treatment-refractory depression, which, to my understanding, is also in the late stages,” Wood noted.

On May 21, Wood was named chief medical officer of Vancouver-based Numinus Wellness Inc., which is licensed by Health Canada to test, sell, and distribute psychedelic substances.

He explained that psychedelic molecules do not behave like antiviral drugs that might target a receptor to induce a physiological change. Rather, Wood described it as a therapeutic process that involves taking people through an experience, which can lead to long-lasting personality changes.

According to Wood, neuroimaging studies suggest that when people are under the influence of certain psychedelics, like LSD, the prefrontal cortex—a.k.a. the brain’s CEO—and more primitive parts of the brain interact in ways that they wouldn’t do ordinarily.

And he suggested that when these new connections are forged, it can lead to the creation of more neurons in the brain. (Neurons are nerve cells that transmit information.)

“It’s a promising area, from a sci-

entific perspective,” Wood said. “I’m really excited about it.”

The Numinus website lists the devastating toll of mental illness by the numbers: a $51-billion burden on the Canadian economy; a halfmillion Canadians unable to work due to mental-health problems; 4,000 suicides per year; more than nine percent of adults who will suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder in their lifetime; and one in two who will be affected by mental-health issues by their 40th birthday. The company went public on the Toronto Venture Exchange this month following a reverse takeover of Salvation Botanicals Ltd. Most recently, Wood was executive director of the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, which conducts research, education, and training and offers clinical guidance around addiction to medical practitioners.

It’s not a cure for everybody, but.…it really looks like something is there.

– Dr. Evan Wood

In his new position with Numinus, Wood will help the company develop treatment centres. The first is planned in Vancouver next year.

Numinus CEO Payton Nyquvest told the Straight by phone that there are “really big opportunities” to use psychedelics in treating mental health.

“We’re talking to a number of other clinics that would be interested, potentially, in acquisition, and that’s where we will be doing some of our focusing in terms of growth: going out and acquiring other clinics that are looking to get into this space,” Nyquvest said.

The company’s licence from Health Canada has been amended to allow it to test several psychedelics, including MDMA and psilocybin, in addition to testing cannabis. The licence does not authorize Numinus to produce psychedelic substances.

“But it does set us up to be able to distribute not only for our own trial work that we would like to be doing but also to be a distributor for other groups that are looking for the materials as well,” Nyquvest said.

Wood suspects that in the future, society will look back and wonder why these treatments took so long to be developed.

“I think this intervention would be commonplace if it weren’t for the historical cultural baggage, given how promising the research has been to date,” he said. g

ESPORTS

Seattle Surge connects with diehards

T

by Mike Usinger

o anyone who’s had their life altered this spring, it’ll come as no shock that the inaugural Call of Duty League season hasn’t exactly played out the way stakeholders and fans might have imagined a few months back.

That reality wasn’t lost on the Seattle Surge as it prepared for its first home series ever this past weekend.

The team is owned by the Aquilini Group, which also has the Vancouver Canucks and the Overwatch League’s Vancouver Titans under its umbrella.

In an interview with the Straight, Canucks Sports and Entertainment head of ESports team operations Alfred de Vera talked about how the season started, and the way things changed radically after the COVID-19 pandemic led to a worldwide lockdown.

At the beginning of the year, teams played in packed arenas before amped-up fans thrilled to be seeing Call of Duty League action in the flesh. The atmosphere and energy was palpable in Minneapolis when all 12 teams travelled there for the league launch in January.

“Opening weekend was fantastic, and it really set the stage for what this league could be and can be,” de Vera said. “It was a great introduction to what this new ESports culture and league could be. Then our team went to London, and to see how ESports did over there—it was on a different level and a different stage than I’ve ever seen personally. There was no dead space when you were in the crowd—everyone was chanting as if you were at a soccer game.”

If travelling to different cities at the beginning of the season showed de Vera anything, it was that every locale had its own Call of Duty culture.

The Seattle Surge had an easy time moving from in-person to online play in the Call of Duty League. Photo by Robert Paul

That had the Seattle Surge excited about what the Emerald City would be bringing to the party. Instead, like the rest of league and its fans, it’s had to adapt to an online model for all games and series.

Praising the competitiveness of the 2020 season, de Vera said: “It’s a little disappointing compared to what we initially thought, to where we are today, but just like the league, our team is pretty resilient and adaptable.”

The Surge is realistic about where it stands in the Seattle sporting landscape. And that meant keeping expectations in check for last weekend’s home series, which was the city’s first for the Call of Duty League.

“We’re not the Seahawks’ opening camp, and we’re not the Mariners opening spring training,” de Vera noted. “It’s far from that.”

That said, he and the Surge have

been amazed at the out-of-the-gate response. To help build street-level buzz after the team joined the Call of Duty League, Seattle did grassroots meet-and-greets featuring players like Sam “Octane” Larew and Ian “Enable” Wyatt. Fans showed up in the hundreds to line up for autographs.

“We have a very veteran and, I guess, star-studded roster that has years and years of championship pedigree from years of playing in various iterations of Call of Duty championships,” de Vera said. “So there is a following, and it’s very die-hard.”

That’s doesn’t surprise him.

“Seattle has a very good and a very mature ESports audience, just by virtue of Microsoft and Nintendo and a lot of those big gaming and technology companies established there,” de Vera said. “It’s definitely an

advanced one.”

Interestingly, the Surge was wellpositioned to pivot to the Call of Duty League’s online format. The roster features players who are spread out across the country. Many of them are vets, and some have families—which made hauling up stakes and moving to Seattle unfeasible, even before COVID-19. As such, the Surge was used to working by remote.

“From an online setting, they were already accustomed to that, so when COVID hit and the league switched to an online format, there wasn’t a huge learning curve or a massive adaptability issue for us,” de Vera said.

Figuring out how to make the most out of a home series initially scheduled to take place in Seattle’s 7,000-capacity WaMu Theatre required a bit of learning on the fly. The key was to appeal to both the curious

and the die-hards who’d hoped to be in the stands. That led to digital watch parties with celebrity guests and prizes. All games were viewable on the Call of Duty League’s YouTube channel. There was also the release of a special-edition Seattle Surge TShirt, which took its inspiration from the NBA’s fabled Seattle SuperSonics.

The fact that it sold out immediately was a pretty good barometer of fan interest.

“It’s a little bit different to see something live and in-person—to be able to touch it and to be intimate with it,” de Vera said. “When it comes to an online setting, the question became ‘How do we engage local fans, but also not ostracize fans that might not be specific to the Seattle area?’ ” As for the local fans, Seattle was there for the Surge before COVID-19, and de Vera has no doubt they’ll be there big-time once the world returns to normal. Things haven’t played out as imagined—Seattle had a rocky home series, losing to the New York Subliners and the Los Angeles Guerrillas. But that’s no reason to get down on the future.

“We want to thank the Seattle market in general for their support,” de Vera says. “When COVID hit, they were one of the first markets hit, and they were hit hard. They’re from a really resilient city, and we’re proud to represent them.” g

MORE eSPORTS ONLINE AT ECENTRALSPORTS.COM

MAY 28 – JUNE 4 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 7

LIVING

Vancouver sets standard for cycling

A

by Charlie Smith

s the nonprofit HUB Cycling was preparing for its Go by Bike Week, from May 25 to May 31, the volunteer chair of HUB’s Vancouver committee was in an ebullient mood. In a phone interview with the Straight, Jeff Leigh pointed out that there were more people riding bikes in Stanley Park on a Wednesday this month than on the Burrard Bridge cycling lanes, which he called the busiest bikeway in North America.

“There’s a lot of pent-up desire for people to get out and move in space,” Leigh said.

Data from the park board reveals that 168,000 cyclists travelled through Stanley Park from April 8, when the park board closed the road, until May 10. On that day, 8,301 cyclists rode through the park, compared to a daily average of 3,000 in 2019.

According to Leigh, this shows what can happen when safe cycling routes are provided to the public. It was a similar story in 2017 when the Point Grey Road two-way bike route opened, protected from motor vehicles. Despite a raft of controversy in advance and predictions that few would make use of it, this bikeway became an immediate hit. Leigh noted that between 2,500 to 3,000 people cycled along the road on the first weekend after it opened.

“No engineer has ever determined the need for a bridge by counting the number of people swimming across a river,” Leigh quipped.

The city’s general manager of engineering services, Lon LaClaire, told the Straight by phone that Vancouver has the highest rate of commuter cycling of any city in North America. Between 1996 and 2016, cycling trips to work rose 85 percent in Vancouver, according to census data, whereas driving to work went down 20 percent over the same period. The

The growing number of protected bike lanes in Vancouver, including this one along Hornby Street, helped the city achieve the highest rate of commuter cycling in North America. Photo by Coppola Photography

latest Greenest City Action Plan update shows that 53 percent of all trips in Vancouver were by bike, transit, and walking.

As part of the city’s declaration of a climate emergency last year, the goal is to increase that modal split to two-thirds of all trips by bike, transit, and walking by 2030. LaClaire attributed a lot of the increase so far to the growth of protected bicycle lanes, including those on Hornby and Dunsmuir streets.

“It wouldn’t be unusual now to see a father with a young son or daughter biking through the downtown,” LaClaire said. “You would never have seen that before.”

The city’s top engineer acknowledged that there has been a dramatic drop in trips into the downtown core since the pandemic was declared in March, including on bicycles, because far fewer people have been going to work. He said that the city’s office-occupancy rate was

only about 10 percent. Yet there’s been a sharp increase in the number of recreational cyclists over that period, not only in Stanley Park but along the Arbutus Greenway, Point Grey Road, and the seawalls.

“I would say, broadly, we’re up about 50 percent across all of the routes that don’t head to the downtown,” LaClaire said. “Cycling is a great way to get some exercise. Of course, the gyms—broadly, across the city—are closed. So we’re very mindful of that.”

City officials are proud of their record in increasing the cycling rate, but it still isn’t enough for many activists who feel more must be done to address climate change. One of those who feels the world is burning is Lisa Corriveau, who tweets about her rides every day with the hashtag #Bike365. When the city recently announced the first 12 kilometres of “slow streets”, with barriers and signs along

Wall, Lakewood, and Gladstone streets, she declared that this will do “nothing for anyone trying to shop or run errands by bike”.

One of HUB Cycling’s chief concerns is addressing interruptions in the network of bike lanes across the region. Its campaign, #UnGapTheMap, has identified more than 400 priority areas that it wants to be addressed to promote safe cycling.

Leigh said that one of his group’s most pressing issues in recent years has been along Powell Street in the northwest quadrant of Vancouver.

Commuter cyclists from the North Shore travel over the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, passing alongside New Brighton Park on their way toward Vancouver. But they hit a “dead end” at Powell, often riding along the sidewalks to avoid the heavy traffic.

A new overpass at Clark Drive, financed by the federal government as part of a port expansion project, has now made it safe for cyclists to cross there and then get into Gastown along Alexander Street. “But there is a gap from McLean Drive to Wall or Semlin [streets],” Leigh said. “I won’t call it a death trap, because I don’t know if people die there, but it’s a very uncomfortable place to cycle.”

According to Leigh, the city won’t be making changes to this section of Powell Street for many years, so in the meantime, HUB Cycling has convinced officials to create a “Powell bypass”. This enables cyclists to travel along Pandora Street all the way to Hastings Park, facilitating connections with the north-south McLean and Lakewood bikeways.

“What that does is give some access to that whole neighbourhood, which in the past didn’t want to go to Powell,” Leigh said. “It wasn’t a nice place to cycle.” g

Two-wheel style, from neon to sleek

by Janet Smith

Left to right: The Endura Women’s Urban Luminite will get you noticed; Kit & Ace’s tailored Commute Pants move easily from bike to work; and lululemon’s City to Summit Cycling Short has unexpected pocket storage for such a second-skin look.

F

irst this: you don’t need any special attire to take part in the bicycle boom. Whether you’re pedalling to the vegetable market to stock up on supplies or just getting some fresh air between Zoom meetings, you don’t need a lick of fancy gear or reinforced pants.

But as you work up your endurance and start to get more ambitious about

now but what is going to help you be seen by cars whipping by the bike lane amid the misty May weather. In this case, think of screaming neon as the new black. We like the Endura Women’s Urban Luminite Jacket, about as lightweight and breathable as THE BRIGHT STUFF waterproofing gets, in hues aptly called Your foremost concern may not be Hi-Viz Blue or Hi-Viz Yellow ($239.99 which colour is fashion-forward right at West Point Cycles). Added bonus: reflective Velcro wrist adjusters and panels for “360-degree nighttime visibility”. Crank the electric glow below the waist with MEC’s Aquadash packable, women’s waterproof cycling rain pants in unsubtle acid yellow; we found them on sale at $67.18. Pack these lightweight babies into their own rear zip pocket for those typical Wet Coast days when the weather forecast promises sunshine but you know better. Ankle zips pull over your cycling shoes when it really pours. Other features: an elastic waist with an adjustable internal drawcord, and ankle reflective strips.

And you can save pannier space and cut an extra-visible swath with the MEC World Tour Seat Bag in bright orange ($21), a small tote with big reflective panels that stows anything from gloves to helmet liners.

Two hook-and-loop straps secure it to your seat rails, and check out the bottom loop that holds a blinky light.

your cycling—a 15-kilometre ride to safely distanced back-yard drinks within your social bubble, say—you want to stay comfortable and safe.

Here are some two-wheel-friendly pieces to send you on your way.

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in from the Tour de France. Luckily, a range of brands disguise bikewear as streetwear—in other words, Spandex-free. Guys will like the laid-back Sombrio Vagabond Riding Shirt at MEC ($109.95), in either blue or red plaid. Despite its Seattle-circa-1992 flannel look, it’s made of mobilityfriendly, moisture-wicking stretch fabric with stow pockets, with underarm vents and reinforced elbows. The black Diadora Men’s Mountain Bike/ Commuter Bike Shorts with Chamois ($74.99 at SportChek) look like normal shorts, thanks to a snap and zipper fly, but they’re moisture-wicking and hide a detachable inner mesh short. There’s an adjustable waistband and perforated panels for ventilation. Elasticated grippers on the hems keep them from riding up. And, should you need to risk heading into the office any time soon, look to Kit & Ace’s sleek and surprisingly tailored-looking Commute Pants ($188, men’s). The slim style belies a lot of technical function—including cuffs whose hidden reflectors become visible when you flip them up. The quick-dry Navigator fabric is water-repellent and moisture-wicking. We like them in colours like black, cove grey, and dark denim. And for women, there’s only one word you need to know to go from your Brodie to the patio bar: skort.

Columbia’s Anytime Casual mid-rise version ($60 at the Bay) stretches, has built-in UPF 50, and drawstrings at the side to adjust the length.

Cycling Jacket ($178)—it’s water resistant and windproof,. Together they’re sleek, practical, and probably all you’ll need to pedal through the pandemic— and hopefully far beyond. g

IN SHORT

c STEADYRACK FAT TIRE BIKE

Biking

TIP SHEET

STORING YOUR BIKE, while also displaying it like a piece of fine art: it’s a thing. Investing in an apartment-storage rack also keeps your tight Vancouver space uncluttered. Note that there are copious bike hooks out there for under $20 at your nearest hardware store; grab a few tools and hang it right there over your couch. But here are three designs that may make showing off your two wheels a little easier. c INDUSTRIAL BIKE RACK ($70 at Etsy.com) BLRdesign’s hooks (above left) look loftcool, crafted from industrial black gas pipe, with a bit of leather to protect your rims, and a solid oak base.

Finally, let’s acknowledge that we may RACK ($99.99 at Amazon. be overcomplicating things. You might ca) Store your bike vertically by pulling down the metal just need a hard-working pair of bike rack, upending your ride, and shorts, either to wear on their own for wheeling it in. The rack swivels your race up the Adanac hill or to slip almost 180 degrees right or left on under your favourite sundress for a to fold almost flat against the trip to whatever local beach seems least wall to maximize space. populated. Vancouver’s lululemon offers the cycling market the practical c BIKE NOOK BIKE STAND ($59.99, CanadianTire.ca) City to Summit Bike Short in basic Here’s a free-standing bike black ($128). As you’d expect from rack (above right) that allows the yoga masters, the design is quickfor vertical storage but doesn’t dry, light-weight, and low-friction. require hooks or holes in your The surprise is in the amount of hidwall. Slide it into the corner SEAT TO STREET den storage that comes with such a of your condo; it fits most If you’re headed somewhere socially- second-skin style—both via side pockmountain and road bikes up to distanced-social, you won’t necessar- ets and a secure back-pocket zip. Pair a 29-inch wheel. g ily want to look like you’ve just cycled them with the black City to Summit

FOOD & DRINK

Homemade best for active snacking

by Gail Johnson

On the Vancouver With Love blog, Elizabeth Emery—a recipe developer and keen hiker—touts vegan granola bars with protein, in order to avoid energy crashes.

W

hether you’re cycling to Whytecliff Park or White Rock Pier, long bike rides are an ideal way to spend a summer day. Or maybe hiking the Stawamus Chief or splashing in a pool is more your summertime speed. No matter what your outdoor activity of choice, bringing healthy onthe-go snacks with you is essential.

You want to stay fuelled for your adventure. You also want energyboosting bites that taste great and aren’t junk food in disguise.

For registered holistic nutritionist Martina Marshall, hiking or biking to a lake and going for a dip is the ultimate in summer fun. She says foods that are easy to eat, that boost blood sugar quickly while providing sustained energy, and that aren’t messy are a necessity.

“For me, this is usually a whole piece of fruit, like an apple or banana, with a handful of nuts, dates stuffed with nut or seed butter or whole almonds, home-made bars

or store-bought versions with few ingredients, and fresh-cut veggies sticks with a little container of hummus,” says Marshall, who works with Fresh in Your Fridge, a local mealprep and cooking service.

You should steer clear of storebought snacks that are loaded with refined sugars, she suggests. Marshall recommends bars or power cookies that balance carbs, fat, and protein “in a way that is, most importantly, delicious but also provides sustained energy to avoid a plummet in energy levels while you’re active”.

She says that simple carbs, such as dried fruit or maple syrup, provide quick energy; complex carbs like rolled oats give you sustained energy; and fat and protein make you feel satiated while packing the calorie punch you need to fuel your sport.

“I like mixing rolled oats with coconut or almond flour, a mess of seeds—including sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin—with raisins, dried cranberries, or dried tart cherries.

Add in tahini, maple syrup, or puréed dates and banana; and coconut oil,” Marshall says. “An egg or flax egg is helpful to bind it all together, with a touch of baking soda for a little lift.

“Make sure to pack a big bottle of water to stay hydrated, but also bring along fruits and veggies that are high in water, like sliced watermelon, cucumber, and celery,” she adds. “They’ll also provide some electrolytes to help replenish what you’re sweating out.”

West Vancouver-based registered dietitian Jess Pirnak of Food Yourself loves the physical and mental boost that hiking offers. Her go-to snacks always consist of a combination of protein and fibre in the form of trail mix, whole-food nutrition bars, roasted chickpeas, protein balls, or fruit with a peanut-butter sandwich. “These two nutrients fill me up and keep me going,” Pirnak tells the Straight.

Her favourite recipe for protein balls comes from the blog Texanerin Baking. With just six ingredients, they’re gluten-free and can be made in a vegan version. “I switch out the peanut butter for pumpkin-seed butter, as pumpkin seeds give us a nice dose of iron and zinc,” Pirnak says.

“Also, to make your own trail mix, just keep the ratio at 1 ¼ cup of dried fruit to 2 ¼ cup nuts, seeds, or nonsweet additions.”

Pirnak, who is also a clinical instructor at UBC, avoids bars with large amounts of sugar and excessively long ingredient lists. She also reads labels to watch out for soy-protein isolates or soy-protein concentrate.

“Until more information is available, women are being advised to avoid soy supplements: soy products in concentrated or pill form,” she says.

Elizabeth Emery, a plant-basedfood blogger and recipe developer

at Vancouver With Love, is an avid hiker. She’ll pack foods that are light to carry but that give her energy for the day ahead: energy balls, granola bars, dips like hummus, veggie sticks, crackers, and fruit.

“I love making my own energy balls, as they’re so delicious and packed with whole-food ingredients like nuts, seeds, berries, and cacao,” Emery tells the Straight. “For me, a good granola bar or power cookie has to have protein in it. I learned the hard way that I need to have balanced snacks with a source of protein, otherwise I get a major energy crash. Adding plant-based protein powder or nuts and seeds to my bars

and cookies works really well to make them extra-filling.”

As for fruit, Emery packs bananas for energy, as well as berries and apples. For veggies, celery, bell pepper, cucumber, and carrot are her go-tos.

She encourages people to try making their own snacks. Store-bought versions often contain a lot of filler ingredients and added sugars. “If you can make them at home, they’ll probably be cheaper and better for you,” she says. “When you make snacks like granola bars at home, you can control exactly what goes into them and pack in nutritious ingredients. They usually taste better and last longer, too.” g

S plash OF WINE

and Puccini helps vines become robust. With Winemaker’s Cut 2019 Rosé, there’s no denying that some kind of musical-winemaking harmony happened here.

WINEMAKER’S CUT 2019 ROSÉ Deadman Lake Vineyard, situated between Oliver and Osoyoos, is where Winemaker’s Cut Estate Winery grows the grapes for its Cut wines. It’s one of three labels by winemaker Michal Mosny and his partner and wife, Martina, and consists of a Syrah, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a rosé.

The Mosnys, lifelong lovers of the genre, have installed speakers in the vineyard and cellar, believing that playing masterpieces by the likes of Bach, Mozart, Haydn,

TECH SHEET: A blend of 90 percent Cabernet Franc and 10 percent Syrah, this medium-bodied wine has stone-fruit, citrus, cherry, and berry flavours.

FIRST SIP: Soft and gentle, this elegantly crisp wine feels like a tender embrace.

NEXT LEVEL: Serve it with

a vegetarian mezze platter while playing Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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MOVIES / ARTS

Haida Modern carries timely messages

S

by Janet Smith

pending pandemic lockdown in his White Rock studio, artist Robert Davidson sees the world playing out one of the main messages in Haida Modern, the documentary making its broadcast and streaming debut on the Knowledge Network.

The film, which traces the septuagenarian’s life and role in the renaissance of Haida and Indigenous art, shows how the meticulously rendered creatures on Davidson’s totem poles, masks, paintings, and prints are inextricably linked to nature and its spiritual presence.

“When the pandemic was declared I said, ‘Holy shit! What a brilliant idea.’ Because we have been in this journey of destruction, destroying this incredible world we live in,” the legendary artist and activist tells the Straight during a conference call with Vancouver director Charles Wilkinson. “The one percent’s been raking it all in with no regard for the future. I think of my grandchildren and what we’ve left for them.

“Sure, a lot of people are hurting from this pandemic,” he adds, “but I hope we will learn the lesson—and if we don’t get the lesson now, there will be another one.”

Davidson sees the pandemic as nature hitting the pause button, throwing us into a state of ’iihldaa, the Haida word for “transformation”. “Nature keeps being the victim,” Davidson laments, pre-COVID-19, in the film, which intercuts studio sequences, artworks, and Davidson’s high-profile American museum appearances with shots of the pristine coastal landscapes of Haida Gwaii. “I am very concerned for the state of western culture.”

“To me, it’s really the core of the film and the core of the message that Robert has been putting into his work for his whole life,” says Wilkinson (who has directed other films like Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World and Vancouver: No Fixed Address).

Spending hours with Davidson in his studio as he carved a massive totem pole, Wilkinson drew a new appreciation for the patience and quiet reverence for nature the artist channels.

In Haida Modern, legendary artist Robert Davidson carves in his studio. He’s been working there during the pandemic, which he sees as a forced pause on our “journey of destruction”. Photo by Tina Schliessler

“You have your own speed, Robert,” Wilkinson, also a seasoned TV director, says with a laugh. “It was a tremendous delight to just watch, slow down, and shut up. It was a very meditative experience—a shoot unlike anything I’ve ever done before.”

Some of the documentary’s most mesmerizing moments are wordless, with Wilkinson or cinematographer-producer Tina Schliessler’s camera only inches from the razor-sharp tools Davidson wields to conjure stylized images out of timber. Watching the precision and artistry so close up was “breathtaking”, Wilkinson says.

“I do have my moods, sometimes I’m deep in thought and sometimes it gets irritating,” admits Davidson, laughing, as humble in conversation as he comes across in the film—despite artists like Vancouver’s Shawn Hunt calling him a “rock star” on-screen. “Sometimes I’d say, ‘You’re only allowed one question.’

“I know it comes from my background,”

  

Tom Thomas, who passed away at his T

h home on May 1 at 45, was a lifelong music lover and a enc walking encyclopedia of his favourite genres. From the age of six, he immersed himself passionately in the music that resonated with him - rap, hipho rock, reggae, house. Later in life, this hop, k musical sense and a sharp memory - he keen c could recall whole drum sequences and even c complex bass lines - contributed to his great su success as a DJ. But Tom’s passion for music was just one of his many admirable traits. He also loved sports and played admir hockeyy from elementary school days through his early 20s. He his eleme was on the basketball team at Sutherland Secondary High School in North Vancouver and was an avid sports fan, especially when it came to the Canucks. After high school, Tom attended the University of British Columbia, where he was a fixture on the Dean’s List and obtained a B.A. and a Master’s degree in Education.

Tom met his partner Alison in 2001 at the Lotus Sound Lounge, where the pair quickly bonded over their mutual love of electronic dance music. When he subsequently co-founded the “Overproof” and “Lotus Long Weekend” party series, he brought his usual curatorial zeal to the music, the guests, and the space, creating an inimitable, transcendent vibe for all in attendance. Alison joined the team as a DJ alongside Tom, cementing a personal and artistic connection that endured for nearly two decades.

The Overproof parties originated at the Anza Club, which Tom adored, and moved to the Lotus Sound Lounge in July 2003, enchanting house music lovers and revelers every Thursday until early 2006, with the Lotus Long Weekend parties continuing for a few more years. Tom was himself an extremely popular DJ and tastemaker, playing at clubs all over Vancouver in addition to his own residencies at the Lotus. He will also be remembered in the house music community for his generous support and mentoring of new DJ talent.

Tom was an independent thinker and had the strength of character to live life on his own terms. He was a man of modest means, never driven by money, yet was notably generous, readily sharing what he did have with his family and friends.

Those who were fortunate enough to know Tom will remember his genius for storytelling and his hilarious monologues. He was also unstinting with compliments and never shied away from providing honest positive feedback, the kind that builds people up and makes them want to do even better.

Tom’s gift for music and comedy delighted and entertained Alison every day. They laughed together daily, right up to the end. He also loved animals and spoiled his two cats with special cuddle routines and brushing regimens. Local felines were known to clamour for Tom’s attention (and his stash of treats) and he was affectionally known to neighbours as “the Cat Whisperer.”

Tom was predeceased by his father, Morton Thomas. He will be lovingly remembered by his adoring wife, Alison; his mother, Florence; biological parents, Geoff and Eroca; sister Darcy; uncle Pete; aunt Heather and her husband Stephen; his cousins Kyle, Caleb, Eli, and Aylah; aunt Carol, and many friends.

A private family celebration of life service will be held. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the BC S.P.C.A. 10 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT MAY 28 – JUNE 4 / 2020

the artist reflects. “When I would be learning from my grandfather, I would always have all these questions and he would give me a really dirty look, like ‘Just watch what I’m doing!’ So I learned to watch something unfold.”

Haida Modern, which won the prize for most popular Canadian documentary at its Vancouver International Film Festival debut last year, traces the artist’s development, from growing up in Masset to moving to Vancouver to attend Point Grey Secondary School, then apprenticing with master Haida carver Bill Reid and studying at the Vancouver School of Art. Some of the most striking archival footage comes from 1969, when he carved and raised the first totem pole on Haida Gwaii in almost a century—in part, his answer to the aching absence of art there growing up. What strikes you most is how young and boyish he is for such a seminal act—one that spurred a movement that would make Haida art a global force.

“When I meet someone now who’s 20 years old, I realize how young I was,” he says. “But I didn’t think I was young then. It was just an idea I wanted to pursue; I had no idea what would come of it.”

Davidson also builds enough trust with the filmmakers to open up about some of the more painful parts of his past—his struggles with alcohol, his reckoning with his father, and his awakening to the generational effects of residential schools—another theme that works its way movingly into his artwork in the film.

“I think being able to express that more freely now has to do with the comfort I have in my own history,” Davidson says. “I have no reason to hide, because so many people around me keep me honest.…I remember working to resolve the relationship with my dad. My aunt said, ‘Why are you always blaming your dad?’

And having that question thrown at me, I had to question why I was blaming. And it got me to stop blaming and take responsibility.”

Haida Modern reveals the close ties Davidson has forged with his own children (including artist Ben Davidson, who has a gallery in Skidegate) and grandchildren—family he misses during quarantine. He has to stay away from Haida Gwaii, for now; a visit would entail a 14-day quarantine. But he is staying connected with his family there. “Ben thought it would be good to do a Zoom call with the grandkids and tell them the old stories,” Davidson says.

As for this time away from the landscape and ecosystem that so inspires his work, he says it’s ingrained enough that he has a rich “image bank” to draw from during the pandemic. As he says before heading back to putting the final touches on the yearlong totem-pole carving that features so prominently in the film: “It’s working on intuition, like the images are already there, and the artist’s role is to make that visible for this world.” g Haida Modern airs on the Knowledge Network on Monday and Tuesday (June 2 and 3), and streams for free at www.knowledge.ca/.

The Isolation Diaries: Tiko Kerr stays creative

W

by Janet Smith

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

THE ARTIST

Arts

STREAM

THOUGH COVID-19 measures continue, here are some of the must-watch streaming and digital offerings this week.

c IT COULD BE VERSE:

POETRY FOR A PANDEMIC

(May 30, 7:01 p.m. via indiansummerfestival.ca/) Indian Summer Festival streams intimate readings by poets who hail from across the globe, including Indian icon Shabana Azmi and local names like Jillian Christmas, Shazia Hafiz Ramji, and Ivan Coyote.

Tiko Kerr is a multidisciplinary visual artist and social activist. He’s presently painting a 5,000-square-foot outdoor c COREY PAYETTE (May 31, 3 patio mural at B.C. Children’s Hospip.m., via Facebook, Instagram, Tiko Kerr is exploring the COVID crisis Youtube) The Vancouver talent tal’s Sunny Hill Health Centre, as well through collage. Photo by Dan Toulgoet behind some of the country’s as art-directing a new documentary most exciting new musicals titled Undetectable, on the nature and my quarantine soundtrack varies depresents songs from Children social impact of viral infections such pending on the work that I’m doing, of God, Les Filles du Roi, and whether I’m creating detailed works as HIV/AIDS and COVID-19.

Sedna via his Facebook @ on paper or large oil paintings. So I coreypayetteofficial, as well as NO. 1 THING GETTING YOU THROUGH oscillate between listening to ColInstagram @coreypayette and “I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve trane and Miles, to Handel operas, to youtube.com/payette, as part been able to come into my studio Steely Dan and Jobim. ” of the National Arts Centre’s and work every day as I normally do #CanadaPerforms initiative. throughout the course of the COVID CREATIVE OR LEARNING OUTLET c JOSEPH TISIGA (June 2, 8 p.m., lockdown. Functioning in the studio “I’ve been studying painting and Zoom via the Audain Museum) and keeping my imagination fired literature that were created during Oversized cigarettes carved epidemics in the past and I’ve disup has helped me tremendously. from ash logs and massive “I’m enjoying the pace of life and covered a new and powerful poigncollages with images culled the quiet in the world. There is so ancy in those experiences, which I from anthropology texts and encyclopedias: those are just much to think about right now, so believe has triggered a new moral some of the works that have many things that are affecting my imagination, sympathy, and solibrought this Kaska Dene, practice. I believe this is the time when darity in my work. I was especially Whitehorse-based artist huge artists and other creators do their struck recently by the potency of attention—including a coveted most important work, while everyone Jacob Lawrence’s ‘Migration Series’ 2020 Sobey Art Award. He’ll else has been forced to stop what they at MoMA, which is a visual docugive insight into his work as ment of specific events describing a do. Artists cannot not work. part of the Whistler museum’s “My home life has equally kept terrible human tragedy. compelling Tuesday Night “I’m now creating my own series me well and positive. Being able to Talks series. spend so much quality time with my in paper collage which documents c LUCKY GRANDMA (Now husband of 37 years, cooking meals, our contemporary moment with streaming, viff.org/) Rave working together in the garden, cyc- the coronavirus. The source of reviews for this black comedy ling the trails in Stanley Park, is such a these works is current print media about a chain-smoking gift. I think we’ve fallen a little more in as well as paintings and engravings grandma (an outstanding Tsai love with each other, if that’s possible.” from art history. The series is enChin) who goes all-in at the titled ‘The Corona Diaries’ and I’ve casino, only to find herself QUARANTINE SOUNDTRACK been posting images as they detaking on the Chinese mob. g “When I’m not working in silence, velop on my social media.” g

DRINK

SAVAGE LOVE

The dumpee will meet someone else Bitters a sweet addition to your cocktail game

by Dan Savage

b I DON’T WANT to become one of those people who write to you complaining about how I married someone I wasn’t sexually compatible with 10 years ago and now my sex life still sucks. I already know I need to break up with my boyfriend, and I was about to do it when he got sick with the flu. This was at the beginning of March. I assumed he’d be sick for a week and then we would have an unpleasant conversation. But then the entire country shut down and my boyfriend was officially diagnosed with COVID-19. So I haven’t seen him since the last weekend in February and I’ve been playing the role of the supportive and worried girlfriend from afar. But it’s been hard. Both my parents are in high-risk groups and my mental health has been battered. My boyfriend is finally getting better, and I don’t know what to do when I finally have to see him again. I’m not breaking up with him because he’s a bad person, and I don’t want to hurt him, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen. I feel guilty because I’m choosing my happiness over his. I know I shouldn’t, Dan, but I do.

- Feeling Resentful About Uncoupling Dilemma

pandemic, FRAUD, you can’t stay with someone forever— you can’t be miserable for the rest of your life—to spare that person the routine and surmountable pain of getting dumped. Not breaking up with your boyfriend while he was fighting COVID-19 was the right thing to do, of course, and I don’t for a minute question the sincerity of your concern for him. (You want to see the relationship end, FRAUD, not him.)

But don’t wait until you see him again to break up with him. It’ll suck for him, of course, but the world is full

Pandemic or no

Employment EMPLOYMENT Careers

Golden Owl Construction Inc.

is looking for Carpenters,Greater Vancouver, BC. Perm, F/T, Wage - $ 27.00 per/h Requirements: Experience 3-4 years, Good English.Education: Secondary school Main duties: Read and interpret construction blueprints, drawings, specifications; Prepare layouts in conformance to construction blueprints; Operate and maintain measuring, hand and power tools;Build, repair and renovate different wooden forms and structures;Measure, cut and join lumber and wood materials or lightweight steel; Install structures and fixtures, such as windows and moldings;Supervise helpers and apprentices; Follow established safety rules.

Company’s business address: 12721 227 Street, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6K5 Please apply by e-mail: hrgoldenowl@gmail.com

Zoe Zhong dba Secret of Beauty

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Job location: «Secret of Beauty» store at Metropolis in Metrotown, 4720 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 4N2.F/T, Perm, Shifts, Weekends. Salary - $ 22.00 /h Requirements: High school, good English, previous experience in retail sales, previous experience as a supervisor is an asset.

Main duties: Supervise and co-ordinate sales staff,Conduct interview, hire and train of new sales staff, Assign sales workers to duties, Resolve customer complaints, Control sales report and order merchandise,Authorize payments and the return of merchandise, Sell merchandise.

Company’s business address: 1301– 3111 Corvette Way, Richmond, BC V6X 4K3. Please apply by e-mail: secretofbeautystorebc@gmail.com

straight.com

Other than winning the lottery and moving out on your own tomorrow, HFATO, there’s no third option here.

You’re going to have to pick your poison: risk having an awkward conversation with parents who are likely to be supportive, or continue to wait—possibly for years—before you start exploring your gender presentation. The choice seems obvious to me.

b ARE SOME PEOPLE just bad at sex?

My partner has been overwhelmed with work and our sex life suffered a major decline. He’s working with a psychotherapist who told him some Breaking up can create anguish on both people are just not good at sex and sides. Photo by Anthony Tran/Unsplash he should just accept that he’s one of people who got dumped and got over of those people. It broke my heart to it. And the sooner he gets over you, the know someone said that to my partsooner he’ll meet someone else. ner. Am I overreacting? b I’M 34, NON-BINARY but presenting female. Due to a series of personal tragedies (death, deportation, illness—it was not a Top 10 year), I’m sheltering with my parents. Long story short, I’m 100 percent financially dependent on my parents right now. The upside is, I’ve had a lot of time to become comfortable with the fact that I really, really want to mess around with cross-dressing.

I would love to get a binder and a masc getup and haircut and just see how that feels. My parents will want to know “what this means” and they won’t take “fuck if I know” for an answer. It will be a long time (maybe years) before I’m either eligible for disability or ready to work again, and I just can’t wait that long. Keeping masc stuff around the house means people will eventually see it.

Again, they’d probably be supportive, but I just want to keep this private. Is there a way to do it?

- Hoping For A Third Option

HERITAGE DRYWALL LTD

- Completely Undermining Negative Therapy

There are people out there who are “bad at sex” by objective measures.

But “good sex” is so subjective that I’m not convinced objective measures really matter. For example, I got a letter yesterday from someone complaining their partner is “bad at sex” because they just lie there, silent and inert, while the letter writer “does all the work”. But if the person who lies there was partnered with a necrophiliac, well, that “silent and inert” stuff would make them great at sex, not bad at sex, at least by a necrophiliac’s standards.

As for your boyfriend, CUNT, you’re in a better position to judge whether he’s good at sex—by your subjective standards—than a shrink. g Join us for the Savage Lovecast Livestream!

June 4, 7:00 p.m. Send your questions to Livestream@savagelovecast.com. Tickets at SavageLovecast.com/events. Email: mail@ savagelove.net.

LifeRing - Sobriety your Way

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

Sound Different? Men & Women supporting each other in a friendly, non-judgemental environment based on abstinence, secularity & self-help Van: @ Vancouver Daytox 377 E. 2nd Sat @ 4pm Maple Ridge: @ The CEED Centre 11739 - 223 St Sundays 1:30pm www.liferingcanada.org or www.lifering.org

Hospitality/Food Service

12-step fellowship of men & women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other, that they may solve their common problem and help others recover from their sexual addiction.

Membership is open to all who desire to stop addictive sexual behaviour. For a meeting list as well as email & phone contacts go to our website at

1 COOK Needed for PinPin Restaurant

Fraser St, Vancouver. At least HS Grad with 2 yrs.

Experience. Permanent F/T, $18.00 per hour Duties: Prepare/Cook complete meals or individual Filipino/Chinese dishes & Supervise kitchen helpers.

Maintain inventory, Records of food, Supplies and Equipment. May help clean work area.

To apply please send resume to pinpinrestaurant@gmail.com

Mind EMPLOYMENT Body & Soul

LIVING THROUGH LOSS COUNSELLING facilitated support group for people who are grieving the death of a significant person.

Monthly drop-in- last Wed of every month YLTLC #201 – 1847 W. Broadway Van. 604-873-5013 www.ltlc.bc.ca

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making lemon fish—you’re making the fish taste more of itself by adding that acid to it. So with cocktail bitters, you’re really bringing out the dynamics of your carefully chosen ingredients that you’ve put in your cocktail.”

Bitters can seem expensive; even though you only use a dash or three in most recipes, it can be hard to wrap your head around $20-plus for a 120-millilitre bottle. There’s a reason an affordable workhorse like Angostura has been around for almost two centuries: a couple of inexpensive dashes take things to a different level.

Try the below spin on a Barbados Rum Punch, where bitters really make all the difference.

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Bittered Sling is a B.C.-based company.

Photo by Jean-Félix Desfossés

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The Compassionate Friends (TCF) Burnaby TCF is a grief support group for parents who have experienced the loss of a child, at any age.

Meet the last Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m.

For location call Grace: 778-222-0446 "We Need Not Walk Alone" compassionatecircle@hotmail.com Burnaby@TCFCanada.net www.tcfcanada.net

Support Groups

EMPLOYMENT Music

www.saavancouver.org

Psychics

236-818-4444

ight now you might be feeling a little bitter about British Columbia flattening the COVID-19 curve more effectively than other Canadian provinces. Why? Suddenly, there’s a possibility you’ll be forced back into the office and—assuming you’re not living a real-life version of Mad Men—happy hour will no longer start at 3:01 p.m.

That makes this week a good one to talk bitters, the origins of which date back to when the Egyptians were building pyramids and perfecting the art of mummification. According to obscure yet reliable sources—a.k.a.

Wikipedia—it wasn’t uncommon for the mixologists of ancient Egypt to infuse wines with medicinal herbs.

The modern incarnation of bitters can be traced back to the Venezuelan city of Angostura. In 1824, Germanborn doctor Johann Siegert was serving as surgeon general to the armies of Simón Bolívar when he came up with a medical elixir for the troops.

So what are bitters? For a basic description, think of a mix of different roots, spices, and bark that is added in small quantities as a complex flavour booster to mixed drinks. And that caveat of “basic description” is important, because today bitters are a full-blown cottage industry, with companies like Seattle’s Scrappy’s Bitters and the Vancouver-spawned Bittered Sling limited only by the power of their imagination.

Bitters are now based on everything from lime, orange, and cherry to celery, habanero, and black walnut.

In 2018, Bittered Sling cofounder Jonathan Chovancek suggested to the Straight that they be treated like a seasoning. “It’s almost like when you add salt to a dish or lemon juice to a fish,” Chovancek said. “You’re not

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