The Georgia Straight - Back To School - August 26, 2021

FREE | AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021 Volume 55 | Number 2793

KINGSWAY QUARREL Two candidates trade barbs

SWEET SURRENDER Singer sells Whistler mansion

BACK TO SCHOOL UBC Alma Mater Society vice president Eshana Bhangu and president Cole Evans launched a successful campaign for a mask mandate on campus

AUTUMN WINES • ART FOR TAIWAN • UBC OPERA • MANJOT HALLEN

NEWS

NDP vet and Liberal rookie trade barbs in Kingsway race

CONTENTS

August 26-September 2 / 2021

8

COVER

The B.C. government has responded to demands for stronger COVID-19 protocols on campuses, but some don’t believe the changes go far enough.

by Carlito Pablo

By Charlie Smith Cover photo by Shimon Karmel

4

REAL ESTATE

Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan tried to sell her three-storey Whistler mansion in the past, but she’s finally found a wealthy buyer.

By Carlito Pablo

16

MUSIC

Loig Morin’s musical journey from Britanny, France, to Vancouver has led to the release of several albums and some choice live bookings.

By Steve Newton

Left to right: Marius Alparaque, Idrenne Lim-Alparaque, Jean Joseph, Helen Angelita de la Rosa, Ana Marie Butcher, Phil Ceralde, and Bert Morelos honour the NDP’s Don Davies. Photo by Bert Morelos.

D

on Davies has held the federal electoral district of Vancouver Kingsway for the NDP since 2008.

The former Teamster lawyer has since been reelected thrice, cruising to easy victories.

Davies now faces what looks like a spirited challenge from Virginia Bremner, a Filipino Canadian woman with the ruling federal Liberal Party of Justin Trudeau.

But as far as the seasoned Davies is concerned, Bremner has no right to represent the riding in Parliament. He says Bremner neither lives in Vancouver Kingsway nor was she chosen in a nomination contest by her party as its candidate for the September 20 election.

Davies even went back to recall that this was the same case in the 2015 election, when the Conservative Party fielded Francisco “Jojo” Quimpo, a Filipino Canadian, as its candidate.

“There’s a real lack of community mandate for these people, regardless of what community they come from,” Davies said in a phone interview.

He added, “I’m more concerned about their inability to, you know, represent our community, because they’re not of our community and they don’t have any kind of democratic mandate at all.”

The Straight sought out Davies a day before he was to be presented a certificate of appreciation by the Filipino Seniors Club of B.C. The event happened on August 20 at Davies’s election campaign office on Victoria Drive.

The Straight wanted to know what the NDP incumbent thought about receiving a certificate of appreciation from a Filipino group while a Filipino Canadian is trying to unseat him.

Davies was also specifically asked about the practice by political parties of recruiting candidates from ethnic communities and mostly fielding them in ridings where they don’t look like they’re going to win.

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

“I think it’s a two-sided coin,” Davies said.

“On the one hand,” he explained, “every party seeks diversity in its candidate roster. And I think that’s to be commended.

“But on the other hand,” Davies continued, “I think that there’s a difference between genuine inclusion and exploitation of communities.”

“And…to me, when a party…essentially appoints a candidate that has no connection with the community—and they have no sort of mandate from their fellow community members—that, to me, speaks more of exploitation than a genuine sense of trying to reflect the diversity in the community,” Davies said.

The NDP politician also said that there’s an “element of opportunism” there, one that is known as “constituency shopping” or “carpetbagging”.

When sought for comment, Bremner said she was appalled to hear about Davies’s statements.

“I’m personally disappointed by Mr. Davies for choosing a divisive, nasty politics,” Bremner told the Straight by phone.

“He should be focusing on telling the community how after 14 years he’s going to finally deliver something meaningful for Vancouver Kingsway,” she said about the four-term MP. “And, you know, I’m also disturbed by his statement because I can only assume that what Mr. Davies is really saying is that women, and particularly women of colour, should not be invited to participate in the political system we have in this country,” Bremner said.

“It’s clear that he’s out of touch with real progressive values,” she continued.

Bremner said she grew up in Vancouver Kingsway, where she attended local elementary and secondary schools. She also said members of her family continue to reside in the riding.

“Wow!” Bremner exclaimed when told

AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

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ARTS ARTS EDUCATION CLASSIFIED ADS CONFESSIONS FOOD INDIGENOUS EDUCATION LAW MOVIES MUSIC NEWS SAVAGE LOVE WINE

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EDITOR Charlie Smith GENERAL MANAGER (ACTING) Sandra Oswald SECTION EDITORS Mike Usinger (ESports/Liquor/Music) Steve Newton SENIOR EDITOR Martin Dunphy STAFF WRITERS Carlito Pablo (Real Estate) Craig Takeuchi SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT Jeff Li ART DEPARTMENT MANAGER Janet McDonald

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

1 2 3 4 5

COVID-19 in B.C.: Vaccine card will be required to attend various events.

Luxury home sells for $17 million as demand sets Whistler market on fire.

Liberals make hay about Erin O’Toole’s videotaped comments on health care.

Kelowna Mountie charged in connection with wellness check on student.

Komagata Maru memorial vandalized in park near Coal Harbour. @GeorgiaStraight

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

3

REAL ESTATE

Sweet surrender: McLachlan sells Whistler retreat

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by Carlito Pablo

arah McLachlan has finally sold her Whistler retreat. The “I Will Remember You” singer and songwriter let go of the 5476 Stonebridge Place property for $11.5 million.

The luxurious mountain estate has a 2021 B.C. Assessment valuation of $10,954,000.

The assessment is broken down as follows: $4,905,000 for the custom-built house, and $6,049,000 for the 4.3-acre (1.7 hectare) lot.

Based on tracking by real-estate site Zealty.ca, the sale was made on June 11, 2021, and was reported on August 5.

Zealty CEO Adam Major told the Straight that McLachlan bought 5476 Stonebridge Place in 2003 for $3 million.

Later, Major continued, the writer of “Sweet Surrender” personally oversaw the design and construction of the threestorey home.

The realtor also recalled a chance encounter with McLachlan in West Vancouver.

“I was walking on a sidewalk in Ambleside five or six years ago with my kids and turned around and Sarah McLachlan was standing right behind us,” Major said. “She said ‘Hello’. I said ‘Hello’ back and then realized, ‘Oh, that’s Sarah McLachlan!’

“What surprised me about the experience is she was strikingly, charismatically beautiful,” Major continued. “Having grown up watching her on TV, I was taken

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan (photo by Sarah McLachlan) paid $3 million in 2003 for a mansion in Whistler that sold for $11.5 million. Photo by John Ryan/Whistler Real Estate Co.

aback by the brief experience of meeting her in person. I will remember her!”

Zealty.ca tracking shows that the Whistler Real Estate Company Limited served as agent for the singer and the party that bought the six-bedroom, seven-bath home.

The property was listed on January 14, 2021, for $12,950,000.

The “Building a Mystery” singer designed the residence well, as one can visualize from the listing description, which states: “Stone and timber bring the heart of the West Coast alive in this luxurious mountain estate. Nestled in the exclusive Stonebridge neighbourhood, this secluded gated residence sits on 4.3 acres of manicured gardens and offers dramatic panoramic views that span an entire mountain range, including Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. At the heart of the home, a

spacious kitchen and family area create a warm and inviting space, with more formal entertaining being offered in the grand room boasting vaulted ceilings and floorto-ceiling windows. Dine alfresco in the outdoor living area then submerge yourself in the cantilevered hot tub with a glass of wine from the private cellar and soak in the alpenglow.”

The residence was also listed for $12,950,000 on July 31, 2020; that listing expired on January 1, 2021.

A November 18, 2016, listing shows an asking price of $13.5 million. That earlier listing expired on May 19, 2017.

There was also a previous listing, on November 13, 2014, with an asking price of $15.9 million. That listing expired on November 16, 2016, with a reduced price of $13.5 million. g

from page 2

Vancouver city councillor and mayoral candidate. She was an aide to then–B.C. Liberal premier Christy Clark.

Marius Alparaque, a vice president with the Filipino Seniors Club of B.C., said that Davies has been “very helpful” to the organization. “Whenever we apply for grants, he gives us a very, very good reference letter and has been very supportive of our programs,” Alparaque told the Straight by phone.

Alparaque recalled that his group was supposed to present Davies with a certificate of appreciation before the election was called, but the event got delayed a number of times.

He maintained that the August 20 event was not an endorsement for Davies’s reelection.

“We are a nonprofit society,” Alparaque said. “This is not an endorsement; this is just a follow-up on what we have planned to do.”

Alparaque said members of the seniors association support different political parties and candidates in their personal capacities.

Before Davies’s first election in 2008, federal Liberals won Vancouver Kingsway in the 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2006 elections.

It is Bremner’s first time running for elected office. g

about Davies’s observation that political parties treat members of ethnic communities as political cannon fodder by fielding them in unwinnable election contests.

“I want to be very clear that I’m so grateful that the Liberal Party came to me and chose me and asked me to run in Vancouver Kingsway,” she said about her acclamation.

Bremner said that Davies is all about playing politics, or worse. “Hypocrisy,” Bremner said, meaning the NDP is doing what Davies is saying about other political parties.

In the 2019 election, the NDP fielded then–18-year-old Jaeden Dela Torre, a Filipino Canadian, in Steveston–Richmond East. Dela Torre finished a distant third.

Trudeau’s Liberals may likely win the September 20 ballot.

“Vancouver Kingsway needs to understand that in the last 14 years, we have not been at the table, and when it comes to infrastructure and the resources that families, seniors, our children need in the riding, we need to have a Liberal MP to be at the table with government,” Bremner said.

Bremner’s husband, Hector, is a former

LAW

Injury lawyer pushes for diverse judiciary in B.C.

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by Charlie Smith

anjot Hallen has two major passions as a lawyer. One is defending injury victims.

The second is promoting greater diversity in the legal profession and, in particular, among the judiciary.

Hallen also wants to improve the image of the South Asian community, which is repeatedly tarnished with negative media coverage as a result of gang conflicts in Metro Vancouver.

“There are more lawyers, doctors, and engineers who are South Asian and from the Sikh community than there are gangsters, if you just do the straight math,” Hallen recently told the Straight by phone.

“One thing we can be doing is highlighting these individuals and highlighting the contributions that they make to British Columbia rather than focusing on the negative.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently appointed a judge of South Asian ancestry, Mahmud Jamal, to the Supreme Court of Canada. While Hallen praised that move, he also acknowledged that B.C.’s superior courts still have a vast majority of judges with anglicized names. In fact, there are relatively few superior court judges of Indigenous, South Asian, Chinese, Latin American,

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or African ancestry—something pointed out last December in two blistering tweets

by Vancouver lawyer Veronica Cheng.

Hallen is a member of the South Asian Bar Association, which advocates for greater diversity at all levels of the legal profession, including the judiciary.

“The good news is that we’ve done better in recent years and we’re continuing to work toward that,” Hallen said. “But are we there yet? No. I think if you ask the courts—if you ask every level of government—they’ll agree with us that we’re not there yet.”

This year, Leonard Marchand became the first Indigenous justice appointed to the B.C. Court of Appeal, which is the province’s highest court. It’s a sign that the federal government is promoting more diversity on the bench. However, this appointment will barely put a dent in overcoming perceptions created by a photo of the B.C. Court of Appeal justices in its 2020 annual report—it’s a sea of white faces.

There’s more diversity at the Supreme Court level, with justices having surnames such as Ahmad, Basran, Choi, Dley, Iyer, Masuhara, Sharma, and Shergill. However, nonwhite and openly LGBT+ judges are still relatively rare in B.C. Supreme Court,

Lawyer Manjot Hallen thinks that all levels of the legal profession benefit from diversity.

which is the province’s highest trial court.

“The ideal thing would be to have a more diverse judiciary that would be able to relate to those different backgrounds and different upbringings that people may have,” Hallen said. “I personally would like to see a more diverse judiciary with different

499

ethnic backgrounds. I would like to see more women in the judiciary, and I’d like to see members of the LGBTQ community, more of them, on the bench as well.”

Hallen noted that he was attracted to practising law because he was “always sort of an underdog” growing up in Richmond and Surrey as a South Asian Canadian in the 1990s.

“It was a natural fit for me to represent accident victims, who really are in a situation where they’re David taking on the Goliath of a huge multimillion-dollar insurance company,” he said. “It’s something I’m quite passionate about: being able to help people in that situation.”

When asked if there are any misconceptions about personal-injury lawyers, Hallen replied that it’s a myth that they’re ambulance chasers or that people who launch ICBC claims are taking advantage of the system.

“People contact us when they’re genuinely hurt,” Hallen said. “They contact us when they’ve already had an opportunity to speak with ICBC or other insurance companies.

And it becomes apparent pretty quickly that they’re not being provided benefits or the compensation that they’re entitled to.” g

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

5

WINE /FOOD

Pinot Noir perfect as we get ready for a cool fall

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by Mike Usinger

ore so than most years, you can feel the change in the air.

For the past three sunbaked months it’s been nothing but T-shirt, shorts, and sandals all day, every day. It was a summer for garden-hose misting stations, cold midday showers, and running the Utilitech oscillating threespeed fan around the clock.

Suddenly there’s a noticeable chill to the nights—the kind when hoodies become mandatory toward the end of happy hour.

Get ready to move away from the Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc and reach for something that bridges the end of summer and the start of fall. Hello Pinot Noir, which has its roots in the clay soil of Burgundy, France but has since been embraced by winemakers from Australia and Austria to Chile and California.

Here are four offerings to help you embrace the cooler nights ahead. And admit it: more so than most years, you’re kind of ready for a change.

KIM CRAWFORD PINOT NOIR

Sauvignon Blanc normally gets all the glowing praise at Kim Crawford on New Zealand’s famously scenic South Island,

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California dreaming right about now?

Transport yourself with Meiomi Pinot Noir, which gets big points for its accessibility.

This is a bold, joyfully jammy wine bursting with notes of field-grown strawberries and falling-off-the-vine raspberries. Love wine, but don’t like the burn? Meiomi is your new best friend, going down like crushed-velour with whispers of freshly scraped vanilla beans and aromatic cedar. Given the price point, pure magic—kind of like California.

INNISKILLIN OKANAGAN PINOT NOIR If Pinot Noir offerings from Kim Crawford, Meiomi, Inniskillin, and See Ya Later Ranch have something in common, it’s a smooth and easy drinkability that is made for the end of summer.

but Pinot Noir has established itself as the breakout bottle to watch. The Marlborough region’s cool nights make for the next best thing to slopes of Burgundy—or British Columbia—resulting in a wine with bright acidity that pops with juicy dark cherries, plump blackberries, and light oak. Lamb—while insanely delicious—is too predictable, so instead serve with an earthy portobello mushroom pasta or classic beef bourguignon.

And don’t mention the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, which already gets more than enough attention around the dinner table.

MEIOMI PINOT NOIR

Ahh, California—arguably the most magical of all the states in the U.S.A. It’s the home of Hollywood and Disneyland and the birthplace of the Beach Boys, the Byrds, and Black Flag. The Golden State boasts endless beaches, dramatic parkland (Yosemite!), and a sprawling wine region with over 800 cellars. But, with land crossings at the Peace Arch border still a nogo, unless you’re getting on a plane with a negative COVID-19 test in hand, you’re not going there any time soon.

As in past years, you had plans. Loading up on fresh Blazing Star and Elegant Lady peaches at roadside fruit stands. Getting a clear iPhone shot of Ogopogo in Okanagan Lake. And hitting the Inniskillin tasting room, praying to the Gods above that someone’s going to bust out a Texas mickey of Riesling Icewine. Instead, thanks to stumbling blocks like heatwaves, wildfires, and a complete addiction to Gangs of London, it was another staycation summer.

Wash away the guilt with Inniskillin Pinot Noir, a medium-bodied and mildly spiced triumph with subtle oak and fruitforward washes of plump cranberries. Easy see next page

Downtown’s Honeybrew goes beyond the strudel

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

ver the years, Vancouver has seen sweet spots specializing in particular types of dessert, be it croissants, eclairs, macarons, cream puffs, Malaysian coffee buns, or Japanese cheesecake.

The latest entry into the market is based upon a specific dessert but expands far beyond it.

Honeybrew Strudel Bar, perched at 785 Davie Street (on the corner of Howe Street) in Downtown Vancouver, had its soft opening on August 3, and its grand opening is yet to be announced.

The interior design of the intimate space is sleek but vibrant, with a stimulating use of fuchsia, violet, and pink neon to provide visual dazzle amid a setting of dark brown and white. That’s in addition to an L-shaped patio, which includes seating built around modern firepit features on tables.

Situated in the nexus straddling the West End, the Granville Entertainment District, and Yaletown, the adaptable menu is well-suited to accommodate everyone from the comings and goings of

daily commuters or partygoers who are venue-hopping the night away.

While the establishment is based upon the strudel, offered in either apple or blueberry versions ($8, with $2 added for ice cream), the menu is light but versatile enough to span the various hours of the day, from breakfast on the go to lunch hour to evening cocktails.

In addition to the Austrian pastry, other baked goods ($3.50 to $5), such as the cheesecake bar, Danish, and a Super Cookie, are on hand, along with a range of caffeinated drinks, including espresso, latte, cappuccino, cortado, Americano, matcha latte, and chai latte.

There’s a range of small and shareable plates, from baked brie with toasted f latbread and spicy chorizo sausage to roasted red-pepper quiche, leek Parmesan bistro, chicken pesto f latbread, and a chicken-and-brie sandwich.

The drink menu covers cocktails and highballs—with spicy mango margarita, mint swizzle, and Aperol Spritz in the mix—as well as local beer and B.C. wines. g

FOOD / WINE drinking and velvety, it’s a natural when dinner plans include firing up the barbecue for thyme-crusted pork tenderloin with a sour cherry reduction. Make sure that those cherries are from the Okanagan, which you neglected to visit this year. Again.

SEE YA LATER RANCH PINOT NOIR

At this point in time, there’s nothing we’d love better than yelling “See Ya Later” on multiple fronts. See ya later COVID-19, face masks, and hand sanitizer that smells like pine-scented industrial rubbing alcohol. See Ya Later 2021, and don’t forget to take the horror show that was 2020 with you. And See Ya Later British Columbia forest fires, 38° B.C. summer days, and rolling evacuation alerts. But enough of all that—let’s focus on something positive.

Bold and pleasantly peppery, See Ya Later Ranch Pinot Noir offers dark-plum heaviness with a hint of cassis and smoky wisps of charred cedar. Consider See Ya Later Pinot Noir’s silky smoothness, and then factor in the $20 price tag, and you’ve got a great value wine that punches well above its weight class. Crack open a bottle, roll out a charcuterie board loaded with Spanish chorizo, French Camembert, and Greek Kalamata olives, and then say ‘“See ya later summer of 2021.” Fall is here—you can feel it in the air. And, more so than most years, that somehow seems like a relief. g

Beloved Vancouver diner put up for sale

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by Carlito Pablo

imitri Pantsios has a house on an island in Greece. However, the Vancouver restaurateur doesn’t have time to enjoy the sun and the sea over there. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, Pantsios’s diner in Kitsilano has been busy.

Pantsios has owned Sunshine Diner, at 2649 West Broadway, for almost three decades, and he feels it’s time for him to let it go.

Through realtor Jean Seguin’s Restaurant Business Broker agency, the 62-year-old restaurateur is selling the place for $999,000.

“Don’t forget, I’m a Greek,” Pantsios told the Straight in a phone interview. “I have a house in Greece for the last 15 years, and I don’t have time to enjoy it. I think it’s time for me for the next three, four years, you know, just to relax a little,” he continued.

If Sunshine Diner sells, Pantsios will be seeing less of rainy Vancouver. “I live on an island,” he said about his property in Greece. “I could take my little boat. I can do a little fishing and then go home, enjoy my meals, [and] enjoy the sun. A little travelling, and that’s it.”

As Pantsios noted, Sunshine Diner has been in Kitsilano “forever”. It started as the Sunshine Café in 1970, and Pantsios took

The Sunshine Diner in the 2600 block of West Broadway is famous for its breakfast offerings as well as its collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia and statues of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.

over in 1992.

Sunshine Café is famous both for its food and its retro décor. The establishment has a collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia as well as statues of the late King of Rock and Roll, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean. All of these are going to stay with the new owner.

When COVID-19 hit, the restaurant created an additional outdoor patio. It also started deliveries.

“Even with COVID, my clientele supported us very well. We don’t have a problem with that,” Pantsios said. He related

that ever since opening in 1992, the place operated only from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. He said a new owner can double receipts by expanding hours.

In 2018, Sunshine Diner came on the market for $1.3 million.

Pantsios related that he received and accepted a “beautiful offer” at the time. “Unfortunately, the Chinese, she can’t bring the money. That was the time when the [Chinese] government closed the doors for them to bring the money, and then the deal, it fell.

And I said, ‘Forget it now. Let’s go back to our regular lives.’ ” g

ONE BITE AND YOU’LL KNOW

SMASHING

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va n c o u v e r h o u s e • f r e s h s t. m a r k e t • 1 4 2 3 C o n t i n e n ta l S t. ta k e o u t o r d i n e - i n • O p e n E v e ry d ay 11 a m -6 p m AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

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7

EDUCATION

Students’ campaign for COVID safety yields results

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by Charlie Smith

ore than a month ago, two executives of the UBC Alma Mater Society released a letter with two straightforward demands.

“The student union, representing all 56,000+ undergraduate and graduate students, strongly believes that the University must do more than the bare minimum to ensure that we have a safe return to campus and that students feel comfortable attending UBC,” student president Cole Evans and student vice president of academic and university affairs Eshana Bhangu wrote on July 23. “The Alma Mater Society calls on the administration and the Board of Governors to address the concerns brought forth by the community through clear and comprehensive communication, mandating masks in lecture halls, and requiring vaccinations in student residences at UBC.” In an August 23 morning interview with the Straight—before the B.C. government announced plans for a vaccine card—Evans and Bhangu reiterated their position.

“Our ask has been the same since Day 1,” Bhangu said. “We’ve been asking for required vaccines in student residences and

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

I don’t think masks are enough to protect students.

– Katie Gravestock

UBC Alma Mater Society president Cole Evans and vice president academic and university affairs Eshana Bhangu were early critics of COVID-19 protocols on their campus. Photo by Shimon Karmel.

mandated masks in indoor spaces such as lecture halls and classrooms.”

Evans added that an AMS survey of its members demonstrated this desire.

AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

“There’s very broad support,” Evans said, “and I think that even beyond the student population, we’ve seen lots of support for increased measures from faculty and staff as well.”

Nearly two weeks after the AMS letter was released, SFU’s Teaching Support Staff Union issued its own public letter. It declared that the province’s return-to-campus COVID-19 guidelines issued on July 5 were “not consistent with the best available evidence”. Moreover, the TSSU claimed that they “do not follow the precautionary principle, and disregard key aspects of the Heirarchy of Controls that could prevent COVID-19 exposure and subsequent transmission in post-secondary environments”.

The TSSU, which represents about 3,000 workers at SFU, also claimed that the provincial guidelines failed to “acknowledge aerosol transmission and implement measures to prevent aerosol transmission in indoor settings”.

“If proof of vaccination were mandated for return to campus, it would provide much greater certainty and reduce infection risk on campus,” the TSSU insisted in its letter. “Many US post-secondary institutions are requiring proof of full vaccination for return to campus and Seneca College in Ontario has implemented a similar policy.”

The TSSU letter, which was signed by several other unions and student groups, acknowledged a caveat from B.C.’s human rights commissioner: a proof-of-vaccination requirement can only be imposed if other, less intrusive, means of preventing COVID-19 transmission are inadequate and if due consideration is given to people’s human rights.

“We have been told that requesting such proof is contrary to BC privacy laws and cannot be required, and this discrepancy in guidance is alarming,” the TSSU stated. “The lack of public health measures (e.g., masking, ventilation improvements, physical distancing, reduced class sizes) without any measurement of vaccination rates on campus is concerning and invites preventable risk.”

On August 24, both of the AMS’s demands were granted by the provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and Advanced Education Minister Anne Kang: as of August 25, masks would be required in all indoor public spaces across the province in response to higher COVID-19 case numbers as a result of the highly contagious Delta variant.

But the TSSU’s point about implementing more stringent measures to prevent aerosol transmission of COVID-19 in indoor settings was not addressed to the union’s satisfaction.

According to the B.C. government, mandatory vaccination would only apply to students living in residence or engaged in certain activities on campus.

“For campus life, the new provincial proof of vaccination requirement announced yesterday means people must be vaccinated in order to live in student housing, to go to a pub, to go to a gym—including varsity students—[and] to attend an indoor club meeting, like joining a choir,” Kang told reporters. “And, of course, that same proof of vaccination will also be required for activities that can be a big part of student life, like indoor concerts and attending sports events.”

Then Kang went further, declaring that “colleges and universities may choose to adopt their own vaccine policies or ask for proof for vaccination”, which went beyond the provincial health order. But later in the same news conference, Henry offered a slightly different take on this aspect of the announcement.

“I will say that we know that the inclassroom setting is not the risky setting,” see next page

EDUCATION Henry stated. “And it’s incredibly important that we don’t put barriers in place to people receiving education—and that includes postsecondary education. So it is a balancing [act] that we have had of where the risk is. And the risk really is in communal-living settings that we have seen transmission, particularly of COVID, and that’s why we’re focusing on…the importance of immunization in those settings.”

All things considered, it can be deemed a full victory for UBC’s AMS and only a partial victory for the TSSU. The AMS’s Bhangu told the Straight that some students had sent emails to the student association saying they were prepared to take the semester off had there been no mask mandate in classrooms. But she added that some international students were worried about the consequences of mandatory vaccinations for everyone who attends classes on campus.

According to Bhangu, these students could face discrimination and be racialized because others on campus might not know their country of origin and question how credible their vaccinations might have been. “That is why we’ve been asking for a mask mandate: to have one policy in classrooms and lecture halls to protect everyone and also to prevent the sort of xenophobic cases that we might see arise in classrooms,” she said.

Katie Gravestock of the Teaching Support Staff Union worries about the safety of her members.

After the province’s news conference, TSSU chief steward Katie Gravestock told the Straight by phone that the announcement didn’t go far enough, given the thousands of people who will be walking through hallways and hundreds in some lecture halls.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me why proof of vaccination isn’t being applied to all postsecondary settings,” Gravestock said. “It doesn’t make sense why classrooms and labs aren’t included. I don’t think masks are enough to protect students.”

Gravestock also emphasized that she strongly disagrees with Henry’s insistence that classrooms are low-risk settings. According to Gravestock, Henry’s position is rooted in evidence from kindergarten-to– Grade 12 classes before the Delta variant exploded across Canada.

“Also, from my understanding, almost all classes at postsecondary institutions were moved to remote learning since March 2020,” Gravestock added. “So we really don’t have any evidence from classroom settings in postsecondary institutions.”

Nevertheless, she believes that the TSSU’s public letter, which was signed by more than 800 people, had an impact.

“We sent the letter actually twice to the minister of advanced education: once when we first released it on August 5 and again yesterday,” Gravestock said. “So I’m really glad to see that there’s now a mask mandate in place for indoor settings.”

Andrew Longhurst, a geographer and health-policy researcher studying for a PhD at SFU, also agreed that pressure from students, staff, and faculty pushed the provincial government to impose stronger

measures. But Longhurst also doesn’t believe that they go far enough.

“It’s unfortunate because we’re two weeks from school starting and a lot of this could have been resolved much sooner,” Longhurst told the Straight by phone.

One of Longhurst’s biggest concerns is that the province is not doing anywhere near enough to educate the public about how COVID-19 is an airborne disease and why that should entail much more robust discussion about the impact of different masks.

“I think it is fundamentally their belief that it is not an airborne virus and that’s very alarming at this stage of the pandemic, 18 months in,” Longhurst said. “Key decision makers are not taking that evidence in. They’re resistant to it. Because we’re not going to get out of this with that kind of view.”

Several hours before deadline, the Straight directed this question to the Ministry of Health: “Recent research at the University of Waterloo shows that N95 and KN95 masks block exhaled aerosol transmissions at far higher rates than surgical masks and cloth masks. Why aren’t public health officials talking much more in briefings like this about the quality of masks to protect people from contracting airborne COVID-19?”

The Straight did not receive a response before this week’s issue went to the printer. g

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EDUCATION

White, male, cis settler zeroes in on Indigenization

L

by Carlito Pablo

PROGRAMS

ogan Lorenz was six years old when the last Indian residential school closed in 1996.

It wasn’t until his adulthood that the UBC student affairs and services professional learned about these boarding schools that constitute a dark chapter in Canada’s past.

While growing up and going to school in Alberta, Lorenz recalled that the history of Indigenous peoples was mostly presented in a “romanticized way”.

“Things like the fur trade was one of the main focuses of, at least at some point in, my K-12 education,” Lorenz told the Straight in a phone interview.

In this version of the past, people came from other parts of the world to “help or settle the land”, and that was “more or less seen as a positive thing”.

During his early years, Lorenz said, there was hardly a discussion of what Indigenous peoples went through following European colonization. These included the introduction of diseases for which they didn’t have immunity and the setting up of the Indian residential schools, where some 150,000 children were forced to attend and unlearn their culture.

– Logan Lorenz

Logan Lorenz grew up in Alberta hearing the history of Indigenous people presented in what he calls a “romanticized way”, so he set out to look more deeply into how this played out in education.

“I think things have changed a lot—or I hope they’ve changed a lot—but my memories of it were that it wasn’t much exposure,” Lorenz said.

Armed with a degree in psychology from the University of Calgary, Lorenz moved to Vancouver about eight years ago and pursued a career in student affairs and services.

Professionals in the field of student affairs and services play an important role in postsecondary education. They advise and

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guide students in colleges and universities in a wide range of areas, such as campus life and career development.

In the course of his young career and in the process of earning a master’s degree in higher education, Lorenz has come to know more about Indigenous issues.

Meanwhile, colleges and universities, in varying degrees and forms, are in the midst of a process called Indigenization.

What Indigenization means is the acknowledgment and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge and ways of learning in various components of higher education.

This involves an array of initiatives, which include student and staff admissions, curriculum development, and creation of spaces that reflect Indigenous culture. Indigenization also entails engaging all sectors on-campus, including staff in student affairs and services, like Lorenz.

When the time came for Lorenz to prepare his master’s thesis, he decided to look into how professionals in his field are making sense of Indigenization. He also wanted to find out what they are doing in line with this process, and how they are advancing this initiative.

“I started to think about…as someone that identifies as a white, male, cisgender

settler, what can I do or what can I know?

Is there some piece or some part that I can play in that?” Lorenz told the Straight.

Through interviews and data analysis, his thesis came to the conclusion that there is “much momentum and enthusiasm for Indigenization”.

But there are “still many questions and sensemaking to come”. As Lorenz’s thesis noted, some professionals in student affairs and services may “feel paralyzed to undertake Indigenization”. This is due to either “lack of perceived knowledge” or the “idea that their small action may have a minimal contribution”.

As someone who works in the field, Lorenz wrote, he can “relate to this feeling of paralysis”. But it also gives him hope that, individually and together, they can “take small actions to lead to more significant changes in higher education”.

The work he put into his thesis also became a part of Lorenz’s personal journey.

“I still consider my knowledge incomplete, but I have the skills and confidence to know where to look. I have grown so much as a researcher and a practitioner,” Lorenz wrote.

He successfully defended “The Indigenization of Student Affairs and Services in Canadian Higher Education” and earned his master’s degree at UBC in January 2021.

In March this year, Lorenz started his new job as a manager at the Sauder School of Business, where he advises students on career development. g

EDUCATION

Adler University educates agents of social change

A

(This article is sponsored by Adler University) dler University can legitimately state that it’s out to change the world for the better. That’s because it has a practicum program in social justice embedded in all of its postgraduate degrees. And it’s no newcomer to Vancouver’s postsecondary space, having had a presence in the area since 1978.

The university is also growing, with an anticipated enrollment of more than 500 students this fall term, which also speaks to its presence in the community.

The school is named after Austrian medical doctor and psychotherapist Alfred Adler, an early proponent of building strong communities to enhance mental health.

Adler faculty take this very seriously, and it’s not only reflected in their own efforts to enhance the community: all students must spend 200 hours partnering with an organization to advance social justice, and this work begins during their first term.

This provides authentic experience in addressing real-world issues in the community.

More than 200 organizations are working with Adler on these social-justice practicums—a sign of how respected this institution has become in Vancouver.

At Adler, the focus is on socially respon-

Adler University has a brightly lit campus that provides plenty of room for physical distancing.

sible practice, whether a student is enrolled in any of its programs. At the master’s level, Adler has degrees in I/O Psychology, Public Policy and Administration, Counselling: Art Therapy, Counselling Psychology—which also offers a concentration in School and Youth—and a new upcoming degree in Applied Psychology. Additionally, Adler offers B.C.’s only doctoral program at a private university through its Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology.

Justin Goodrich, a former chair of a B.C. public university board, admitted in an article on the Adler site that he used to have a “less than favourable” opinion of private

universities. That was before he joined Adler’s Department of Public Policy and Administration, where he came to appreciate the quality of the institution.

First off, Goodrich was impressed that the chair of the board was Joy MacPhail, a former B.C. minister of finance and health.

MacPhail had also been deputy premier and leader of the opposition and is the current chair of ICBC’s board. She’s respected across the political spectrum in B.C. “The next thing that struck me is that even though Adler is a private university, it still has to meet the academic rigour as required by the Degree Quality Assessment

Board (DQAB) under the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education,” Goodrich noted. “In other words, the quality of education provided by Adler must meet the same standards as that of a public university.”

In addition to its top-notch faculty, some of whom served in senior capacities in government, Adler has an annual Community Action Day. That’s when students and faculty volunteer for a worthy cause. In 2019, they all participated in National Indigenous Peoples Day. This year, the focus was on the relationship between memory, place, and social justice in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

In effect, Adler trains social-change agents who understand how to bring about improvements by connecting theory with practice. Capstone projects, thesis opportunities, and dissertations offer students an opportunity to delve more deeply into an issue.

It’s all done with an emphasis on five guiding values: social interest, pluralism, courage, excellence, and pragmatism.

It’s fair to say that Adler is offering education for the mind and heart to enhance community well-being. Think of it as Vancouver’s socially responsible university. g For more information on Adler University, visit its website at adler.edu.

Graduate Degrees for Social Change Master’s programs in Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Public Policy & Administration, Counselling Psychology, and Counselling Psychology - Art Therapy Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) Adler University’s mission to train socially responsible practitioners, engage communities, and advance social justice is built into every one of our programs. We invite students who share our passion to learn more about us.

Learn more at adler.edu/georgia 520 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC | vanadmissions@adler.edu | 236.521.2409

AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

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EDUCATION

UBC and SFU post surpluses despite COVID-19

F

by Charlie Smith

rom a purely financial perspective, B.C.’s two largest postsecondary institutions have weathered the pandemic quite well.

The University of British Columbia forecast a $225-million deficit in the 202021 fiscal year ending March 31. Yet the university actually posted an $81.7-million consolidated accounting surplus, according to its most recent financial statement.

Overall revenues of $2.92 billion in the last fiscal year were nine percent higher than forecast in the UBC budget. One reason was a $112-milllion spike in revenues from government grants and contracts over the previous year. In the financial statement, UBC vice president of finance and operations Peter Smailes and comptroller Karamjeet Heer noted that the bottom line was boosted by higher investment income than anticipated, one-time sales of two UBC spin-off companies, and lowerthan-expected costs related to sales and service revenues.

In addition, revenue from tuition and student fees increased by $30.5 million when it was actually forecast to fall by nearly $86.5 million. That’s a whopping $117-million difference.

SFU president Joy Johnson is pleased by how well the university responded to the pandemic.

Simon Fraser University also exceeded expectations in its budget for the first year of the pandemic. It forecast revenues of $802.1 million but ended the fiscal year at $825.4 million. Part of the reason was $19.7 million more than expected from the provincial government and $10.9 million more than expected from the federal government.

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Tuition revenue also exceeded expectations at SFU, coming in at $286.8 million rather than the $274.8 million that was anticipated. Other factors helping SFU’s bottom line included 36 percent higher-thanexpected investment income and a three percent drop in instructional expenses.

SFU’s annual operating surplus of $53.5 million was 3.8 percent higher than forecast.

“We began the year with news of a global pandemic, which resulted in moving our entire education, research and community engagement activities online in record time. At the same time, the university transitioned to a new president,” SFU president Joy Johnson wrote in the annual financial report. “In the face of these changes this past year, I could not be more proud of how the SFU community pulled together in creative and meaningful ways to support one another.”

Several of Metro Vancouver’s smaller postsecondary institutions also emerged from the pandemic with their finances in order. Capilano University ended up with a $7.7-million annual surplus even though tuition-fee revenue fell by more than $8 million. A major factor was a $16.1-million reduction in costs.

Emily Carr University of Art + Design anticipated a $754,956 deficit in the budget but ended up with a $1.7-million surplus.

That was due to higher-than-anticipated tuition-fee revenue and a higher-than-expected provincial grant.

The British Columbia Institute of Technology anticipated a balanced budget but ended up with a $4.6-million surplus, mostly thanks to a bigger provincial grant. At BCIT, tuition revenue was $5.1 million lower than expected. It was a similar story at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which posted a $4.2-million surplus despite an 11-percent drop in tuition revenue.

Douglas College recorded a $15.7-million annual surplus, despite $11.7 million less tuition-fee revenue than expected. The largest savings came in reductions in expenses on instruction and support.

The only Metro Vancouver public institution to post a deficit in its last fiscal year was Vancouver Community College. It had a $3.2-million shortfall on revenues of $122.7 million. As the Straight went to the printer, Langara College had not posted its 2021 financial statement on its website. g

EDUCATION

LaSalle College Vancouver’s new building provides optimal learning environment for applied arts students

The Kaslo building’s construction process is underway, and when it opens in the summer of 2023, it will offer a spectacular learning environment for students in a wide range of creative programs.

(This story is sponsored by LaSalle College Vancouver.)

A

t LaSalle College Vancouver (LCV), artistically inclined students learn applied skills that will prepare them for employment in the industry they’re passionate about. From game design, animation, and culinary arts to film, interior design, and fashion marketing, the college has a program that will teach students how to harness their creativity.

What separates LCV from other media and design schools is that it offers several degree programs, along with diplomas and certificates. The college is considered by some to be the top school in Canada for game design and is one of only four schools in the country where students can get a bachelor’s degree in fashion design.

Plus, LCV provides 12 months of continuous education for students eager to graduate quickly and enter the workforce.

“Our degrees have an applied focus, and early on in each program, we start connecting students to industry representatives, some who are alumni, to learn industry expertise and for work placements,” says Dr. Jason Dewling, president of LCV. “As students get closer to graduation, we start preparing them with résumés and interviewing skills. We even provide career services for students six to 12 months after graduation, supporting them along their journey to employment. No matter what credential a student earns, it should lead to three letters at the end—a job.”

LaSalle College Vancouver offers small class sizes in unique applied arts degree programs.

While it’s exciting to go to school for something you’re enthusiastic about, it’s even more exciting to gain meaningful employment in the field after graduation.

Other enticing programs, suitable for those with a knack for design and available at LCV include: Baking & Pastry Arts, Hospitality & Restaurant Business Management, Bachelor of Science in Game Programming, Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design, and the Associate of Arts degree. For a full list of programs, check out the college’s website.

“We are the only degree-granting arts college in Vancouver that also offers certificate and diploma options to inspired, motivated students,” Dewling says. “This really allows our credentials to be focused on job readiness. Our students have a very high success rate when it comes to gaining employment after completing their education with us.”

In August, the faculty held a ground-

LaSalle College Vancouver students will be able to take advantage of the new building’s meditation area, gaming lounge, and outdoor green spaces, as well as other amenities in the Renfrew District.

breaking ceremony in the college’s parking lot, as it will soon become one of the best learning environments in North America.

The new campus’s construction process near Renfrew Station is now underway and is set to open to students in the summer of 2023.

“It’s a unique opportunity for us to get to build a campus from the ground up,” Dewling says. “We had an excellent architect develop the plans and he engaged our students and faculty on three different rounds of evaluations. I believe we’ll end up with a building that’s going to exceed everyone’s greatest expectations.”

Our students have a very high success rate when it comes to gaining employment.

– LCV president Dr. Jason Dewling

At the new Kaslo Street building, students will have access to outdoor space, social spaces, indoor areas for physical activity, and a meditation garden. Its design was guided through the Fitwel certification system and the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification. Both programs ensure that the building is developed with students’ health and accessibility in mind.

Fitwel’s standards make sure that the building provides the optimal environment for student learning. The purpose-

built education centre will feature numerous parking stalls for carpooling, wider stairwells to encourage the use of stairs, and healthier dining options.

In terms of accessibility, the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification is a rating system that helps architects, urban planners, and contractors develop a site with an inclusive design.

“The new campus will be wired for hightech because of our game design, animation, and film programs,” Dewling says. “There’s a high demand for strong bandwidth, so the building itself will have a robust IT backbone to support the creative industries.”

It will also house ultramodern culinary kitchens, several makerspaces, a gaming lounge, and even a suspended theatre that will serve as a multipurpose space. LaSalle College Vancouver High School, a creative, independent high school, and Languages Across Borders (LAB) Vancouver will also call The Kaslo building home.

The mayor of Vancouver, Kennedy Stewart, stated that LCV’s new campus is one of the best things to happen in the Renfrew neighbourhood in a very long time. He strongly believes that the Renfrew Village and The Kaslo building will contribute enormously to the quality of life in the community. People from all walks of life come together to live, work, and learn in the Renfrew District. g To register for LaSalle College Vancouver’s next virtual open house on September 11, 2021, visit www.lasallecollegevancouver.com/events/.

AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

13

EDUCATION

UBC Opera equips students with rich experiences

I

by Alina Blackett

“

thought I hated opera,” UBC music professor Nancy Hermiston said with a chuckle when asked how she became interested in the art form.

“My dad and I used to watch The Ed Sullivan Show, and every once in a while there’d be an opera singer on there,” Hermiston told the Straight by phone. “My dad and I would just be horrified, and he’d say to me, ‘Nancy, go and turn down that television until she’s finished,’ ” Hermiston said, laughing. “I thought I wanted to do musical theatre.”

Hermiston reflected on the time she had to sing a solo in class while studying to be a music teacher. “My professor said, ‘You have a real voice; you should be going to Banff. I’ll give you a scholarship.’ ” Much to her dismay at the time, the scholarship offered was not for musical theatre but for opera.

Hermiston recounted that the pivotal moment happened on that trip to Banff, while watching a live professional rehearsal of Puccini’s Tosca. “I just thought, ‘Oh, my god, what is this beautiful music?’… and the drama of it all; the second act is so compelling…and in about 10 minutes, I was in love. I felt after that, ‘Okay, this is

So that’s my story— from not liking it to devoting my life to it.

– UBC professor Nancy Hermiston

German early classical composer Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice is one of many productions that have been staged over the years by UBC Opera. Photo by Tim Matheson.

what I want to do for the rest of my life.’ ” Hermiston is now in her 27th year of teaching at UBC Opera, one of Canada’s most robust opera programs. Since being appointed as coordinator of the voice and opera divisions in 1995, Hermiston has expanded the Opera Ensemble into a 90-member company that produces three

main productions every season, performs several concerts, and tours internationally.

Hermiston explained that the four-year undergraduate opera program at UBC is unique. “In many programs, the students don’t get to be in the operas until maybe their third or fourth years,” she said. “At UBC, students in their first and second

A R T S

years have the opportunity to come onstage and perform small parts.”

From first year undergrads to doctoral students, all levels work together in the operas, Hermiston told the Straight. “This builtin mentoring system makes sense because there’s so much to learn, and being on-stage is a marvellous learning experience.”

In addition to building a repertoire, Hermiston believes that getting early stage experience is crucial to fuel the enthusiasm that’s required for a career in opera. “They need that passion—they

U M B R E L L A

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ARTS

Artist highlights absurdity of “Chinese Taipei”

D

by Charlie Smith

uring the Paralympic Games and in the recent Olympic Games, athletes from Taiwan have not been allowed to compete under the name of their country.

Instead, they represent “Chinese Taipei”, a term promoted by the much larger People’s Republic of China to advance the fiction that Taiwan is its long-lost province rather than an independent country.

It grates on many Taiwanese Canadians, including Vancouver visual artist Lady Hao Hao. “During this Olympics, it was obvious that most of the people in Taiwan want to be known that they are from Taiwan and athletes want to compete for Taiwan,” Lady Hao Hao told the Straight through a translator.

In advance of this year’s TAIWANfest, she created a series of graphic images with text to demonstrate the colonial mindset that’s behind the “Chinese Taipei” name.

The exhibition is entitled Just Taiwan Please.

Each work of art carries the name of a major world city, with all but one preceded by the name of its former colonizer. Examples include English Vancouver, French Ho Chi Minh, Japanese Seoul, Portugal Macau, and Spanish Manila.

The design of five of the six images reflects characteristics of the city that’s represented, followed by the phrase “So No More Chinese Taipei Just Taiwan Please”.

“I try to incorporate elements people often find interesting to describe a culture,” Lady Hao Hao said. “However, the question with the name seems to change the tone right away. I guess that is the kind of feelings Taiwanese people have for a long time. Chinese Taipei just doesn’t do Taiwan justice.”

Lady Hao Hao has been to the countries highlighted in the series. The one image that doesn’t refer to a colonial past or make from previous page

Lady Hao Hao (right), a Taiwanese-born artist living in Vancouver, has created a series of images to demonstrate how China’s effort to rebrand her homeland is simply an exercise in colonialism.

reference to a city’s characteristics is Wei Ni Beijing. It shows a black bear, created to represent the Taiwanese people, telling Chinese president Xi Jinping to stop harassing Taiwan.

“With all the work in this series, Wei Ni Beijing is the only one that isn’t about my travel experience,” she said. “Instead, it is about the person who is making China not looking very friendly today.”

To her, the colonization of Taiwan over many centuries bears many resemblances to the colonization of other countries that have since become independent nations. Taiwan’s colonizers have included the Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, and mainland Chinese.

She emphasized that for decades, Taiwan was ruled by a government that had fled China following the Chinese Civil War. This government, led by Chiang Kaishek, only thought of Taiwan as a base from which to regain China. Taiwan held

can’t lose that passion—because that’s something you really need to be in this business.”

As part of their training, students learn other aspects of the business by working backstage on productions, another unique feature of the program. “It started out as a necessity,” Hermiston said. “But if you really want to do a fabulous production, there has to be…an admiration and appreciation of what each person’s job is.”

As well as fostering respect and teamwork, this gives the students—once they leave the program—more knowledge than most singers will have. “I always feel that makes them better opera citizens,” Hermiston added.

Going on tour is another important part of an opera education. “Opera singers travel all over the world to sing,” Hermiston explained. “Of course, the music side of it is wonderful,” she continued, “but the human side is very important.”

She elaborated by saying that travelling internationally creates tolerance, respect, and curiosity for other cultures and establishes relationships with future colleagues. “I

Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do to you!

– Lady Hao Hao

its first full elections to parliament in 1992 after Chiang and his son, who was also a president, had both died.

Lady Hao Hao pointed out that Taiwan has its own currency, passport, and military, and that it has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China. Yet she acknowledged that raising the issue of “Chinese

think people don’t realize the breadth of the experiences opera students get…and how that affects them as people for the rest of their lives.”

Hermiston also noted the discipline needed to pursue a career in opera. “You have to be almost like an Olympic athlete,” she declared. “You have to keep your body in shape and take care of your voice, because that’s what your capital is.”

She alluded to some developing research on opera training’s contribution to brain plasticity, because of the complex multitasking involved. Artists have to sing and act in multiple languages, learn choreography, follow the conductor, manage the props, and contend with costumes that can weigh up to 45 pounds.

An extra layer of discipline was needed in order to forge ahead with the program’s season during the pandemic. The company was able to keep the productions going by wearing masks, keeping apart, forgoing an orchestra, and filming the shows. “A performer really feels the energy and the emotion of the audience,” Hermiston said. “We sure missed them.”

The Opera Ensemble is preparing to welcome back live

Taipei” can get on some people’s nerves.

“I see friends turned into enemies, and we can’t really have a fair discussion without getting emotional,” she noted.

She believes that the arts can give people more space to consider new ideas. And she maintained that her work is a way to help Taiwanese people decolonize themselves.

“Through the lens and experiences of other countries, such as [their] colonial histories around the world, there may be a different way to understand Taiwanese people’s position,” Lady Hao Hao said.

“Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you!”

Lady Hao Hao grew up learning Chinese rather than Taiwanese history. Her parents were born in China and moved to Taiwan to escape Communist rule. That’s why she didn’t initially have strong emotions or feel strange when she heard the name “Chinese Taipei”.

It’s only since she came to Canada that she came to realize that Taiwan was colonized not just by the Japanese but also by people from China. She also learned that Indigenous people on the island were given Chinese names and forced to give up their mother tongues.

“In Canada, we are talking about decolonization and we are told to learn the horrifying treatment of the Indigenous peoples; we are trying to right the wrongs,” Lady Hao Hao said. “When it comes to Taiwan, why is the world going along with the government of China, a government that behaves like a colonial government to the Tibetans and the Uyghurs?” g TAIWANfest runs from September 2 to 12 and will offer virtual and live programming. To view Just Taiwan Please and other visual arts at TAIWANfest, visit gallery2021.vancouvertaiwanfest.ca.

audiences in November. The upcoming season opens with The Gondoliers from Gilbert and Sullivan and is followed

by Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. The second half of the programming presents Shadow Catch, which explores the history of Vancouver’s Oppenheimer Park, and the final show is a fairy tale sung in Czech, which Hermiston described as similar to The Little Mermaid.

Hermiston expressed gratitude toward her mentors and UBC Opera’s donors, and she attributed the program’s success to them. “It could not have gotten to where it is today if it hadn’t been for them. Opera is an expensive education…so in order to give the students what they really need, I needed help. And Vancouver people stood up and gave me that help.

“So that’s my story—from not liking it to devoting my life to it.” Hermiston concluded. “So when people say they don’t like opera, I always smile, because it’s like food: there’s so many different types…you won’t like every opera…but there’s so many things to choose from…You always have so many different things to experience in opera.” g

AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

15

MUSIC

Loig Morin looks to the seasons for inspiration

S

by Steve Newton

inger-songwriter Loig Morin has done pretty well for himself since moving to Vancouver from a small town in Britanny, France.

For one thing, when he got here he couldn’t speak any English, and now he’s fluent enough to give media interviews.

And when he arrived here in 2010 with his wife and their three-year-old twins, he had next to nothing. He’d had to sell his musical instruments in France in order to pay for the flight.

“We were not really happy in France,” Morin recalls on the line from his home in West Vancouver, “and we wanted a change, a new adventure. It was not the plan for

Scan to conffess

me to come to Vancouver and play music, but when we arrived in Canada, our life and the music just came like ‘Boom!’ After maybe four months, someone from Radio Canada heard I was here and he knew my music in France and he said, ‘Oh, can you come into Radio Canada and have an interview?’ And I said, ‘Oh, yes, why not?’ and it started again.”

Since embracing the musical life in Vancouver, Morin has released four full-length albums, including 2012’s Lonsdale, 2018’s La Rivière, 2019’s Citadelle, and Printemps, which came out in April of 2021. He’s one of the most anticipated acts at this year’s Festival d’été francophone de Vancouver, where 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.

I wish rehabs worked better They’re not that successful for many so we’re left to our own devices or nothing. Plus most cheap ones are mainly 12 step which isn’t for everyone.

C’est la vie I have never been single and have been in back to back long term relationships with several shorter ones as well. I’m at the age where many I know are married, some with children. I have those telling me to get back on the dating bandwagon, because my biological clock is ticking. I’m in my midthirties for a reference, but honestly after this latest one I just don’t feel attracted or physically turned on no more. I’m not sure why I end up with men who aren’t into anything serious, but I do regret wasting my time. Maybe love is just not meant to be for some? When I was younger I really did try to make things work out. That’s probably why they were longer relationships, but toxic. As of recently though, I’ve been the one to call it quits early when I feel it just isn’t for me.

I HAD SEX Today. With my wife. It doesn’t happen all that often.

I’m married Yesterday I visited an old girlfriend from before. She is ill, in the hospital, and all alone. When I held her in my arms, it was like I was 25 years old again

The vaccine alienated me from my family Choosing to get the vaccine and being honest about it has made me persona non grata. It hurts.

Visit 16

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

to post a Confession AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

Loig Morin had to sell his musical instruments to move his family from Britanny, France, but the prolific singer-songwriter has made a name for himself in Vancouver. Photo by Marc De Vinci.

he’ll perform on a bill with Montreal synthpop duo Paupière this Thursday (August 26).

Printemps (French for spring), is the first of four albums that Morin plans to release that will be loosely based around the four seasons. The idea came to him before the pandemic hit, as a way to get him out of his comfort zone.

“I just decided to work on the seasons to be able to produce a lot of songs,” he says, “and to know where I’m going. I do not want to spend one or two years on an album; I just want to produce music and produce song.”

Morin’s plan to put out one album per season hasn’t quite worked out chronologically, however. His next album, set for release on October 22, is titled Automne (autumn). So, his fans may well ask, what happened to été (summer)?

“Yeah, it was too short, actually,” he replies with a laugh. “I just released Printemps in April, and it was really too short, so I said, ‘Okay, I’ll jump to the autumn.’

Then I’m going back for summer, and I’ll put winter at the end.”

The first single from Printemps was “Romance a l’italienne”, a pop tune with hints of electronica. Morin performs it as a duet with local chanteuse Jill Barber, whom he first met when they both appeared on the francophone TV show Tout pour la musique.

“After that we played together at the Festival d’été,” Morin says, “and we started to be friends. I really love her voice, and we had something together—like we click, you know what I mean? So I said, ‘Maybe I’ll compose a song that you can sing on,’ and she was very excited about it. So we did ‘Romance a l’italienne’, and after that she decided to come back to do one song for each season.”

The video for “Romance a l’italienne” was shot at Whytecliff Park in West Van, but what might seem even more familiar to some listeners is the similarity to a hit song by the Police. So was Morin worried that he might get sued by Sting and the boys for

possibly infringing on the sound of “Every Breath You Take”?

“No, it’s kind of a—how do you say it— like a reverence? I really like this band, and when I found the chord I said, ‘Yeah, it’s kind of a Police song,’ but at the end it’s not the same because the melody’s different.”

One Morin-written song on Printemps that definitely has its own vibe is the second single, “La bête”, a bouncy number featuring a guest appearance by Vancouver vocalist Maude G. L., who will perform with Morin at his Festival d’été gig. He points out that the breezy spirit of that song can be traced back to his fondness, as a kid, for another British band that was big in the ’80s.

“I just want to write pop songs like some bands that I really like—like the pop period from the Cure. I like some singers in French, but I’m a fan [of] Anglo-Saxon music more than French music.”

When asked to name the last album he listened to for his personal enjoyment, Morin actually comes up with two: the latest disc by Lana Del Rey, and Lloyd Cole’s 2006 platter, Antidepressant. When it comes to Vancouver musicians that he most admires, he cites drummer Ashwin Sood, former Grapes of Wrath member Vincent Leslie Jones, and folk band Rio Samaya.

He’s also a big fan of local guitarist Vinay Lobo, who will accompany him and Maude G. L. at Festival d’été.

“Most of the songs will be from Printemps,” he says of the show’s setlist, “because when I released it last April, we didn’t play live in front of people because it was still the restrictions and everything.

I played it in front of cameras—like events on the web—but not in front of the people.

“And the concert sold out 10 days ago,” he adds, “so I was very surprised.” g Festival d’été francophone de Vancouver runs until August 29, with both in-person concerts at Studio 16 and streamed shows.

MOVIES / SAVAGE LOVE

Manny Jacinto’s physicality informs his TV roles

I

by Norman Wilner

t’s rare to see an actor turn up in two streaming shows in the space of a week, but it’s also kind of nice. Especially when that actor is Manny Jacinto, who spent four years playing the blissfully clueless Florida man Jason Mendoza in The Good Place and is now riding the momentum from that series into two high-profile projects.

The Manila-born, Vancouver-raised actor costars in Netflix’s absurdist horror series Brand New Cherry Flavor (which dropped on August 13) as Code, an old friend of Rosa Salazar’s protagonist, Lisa Nova.

In Nine Perfect Strangers—which premiered on Amazon Prime Video Canada on August 20—Jacinto plays Yao, an enigmatic attendant who works with Nicole Kidman’s equally mysterious guru, Masha, at Tranquillum House, a luxe California wellness retreat where everyone seems to have at least one secret—including Yao and his coworker and bedmate Delilah (Tiffany Boone).

In both shows, Jacinto communicates a lot about his respective characters through his physicality. The easygoing Code spends a lot of time sitting around

Manny Jacinto, here with costar Tiffany Boone, plays Yao in the series Nine Perfect Strangers.

slouched, helping set Cherry Flavor’s tone of deadpan weirdness and detachment, while Yao is poised and alert, moving through scenes on the balls of his feet as though he’s ready to jump on any problem that might emerge.

In an interview, Jacinto is quick to credit his movement training for Yao’s unpredictable energy.

“He needs to be calm and open to the clients of Tranquillum,” he explains, “but he has his own inner conflicts, especially

with his devotion to Masha and his love for Delilah; he’s kind of stuck within that trio. And then having to deal with the nine strangers, he’s keeping that together….So, yeah, with what’s happening in Tranquillum, he is on his toes a lot of the time until he has to run, that’s for sure.”

Jacinto immediately catches himself.

“Not that he’s going to run! No spoilers or anything! But, yeah, it’s like that, metaphorically speaking.”

The miniseries was shot on location in Byron Bay, Australia, from August to December in 2020, and Jacinto says the isolation helped everyone get into the right mindset for the show.

“It’s a story about being at a retreat, at a beautiful place on Earth,” he says. “And that’s what we ourselves were experiencing, going to this isolated, beautiful beach-town area. The fact that we can’t really interact with a lot of people outside of set, and the fact that a lot of us are thousands of miles away from our homes…whether we liked it or not, we got to hang out with each other,” he says with a laugh. g

Request pics in advance if package size matters

by Dan Savage

b I’M A WOMAN who recently went out on a third date with a man. I invited him back to my place and we started making out, which led to him going down on me. Moments later, he took off his pants and, to my surprise, he had a micro penis. I was shocked and turned off. I did not want to continue, but knowing how sensitive men can be, I maintained a poker face, did my best to not let on that I was turned off, and he was able to orgasm.

Is there a nice way to let someone know you do not want to continue to have sex because of their penis size? And is there a responsibility on the part of a person with a micro penis to disclose that fact before sex?

I think I would’ve been less turned off if I wasn’t so shocked.

- Smaller Men And Lessons Learned

you, SMALL. I don’t think you would’ve been any less shocked or turned off if this guy brought up the size of his dick between the start of the first date and the end of the third. And if he had, SMALL, you would’ve written me a letter about this weird guy who started telling you about his small dick and ended your letter with a shocked, “Who does that?”

(And I would’ve said, “Guys into SPH, because otherwise there’s no reason someone would bring that up in advance.”)

Look, dicks are a lot like labia: they

I don’t believe

Dan advises a woman who is turned off by small penises that she should be prepared for a variety of sizes when dating. Failing that, she should either request a dick pic in advance of the first date or be specific about exactly what size penis she requires. Photo by Getty Images/Grinvalds.

come in all shapes and sizes, and you usually don’t know what you’re gonna get when you go to bed with someone for the first time. While it’s fine to have a preference for larger or smaller, you should be

prepared for natural variance and prepared to roll with it. If you can’t bear the thought of winding up in bed with a guy whose dick is too small for you, SMALL, then solicit dick pics in advance of a first

date. Or make a disclosure of your own: you’re a size queen who requires a guy to be packing at least (however many) inches.

AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021

see next page

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

17

from previous page

But if asking for dick pics and/or disclosing your dick preferences in advance seems too forward, SMALL, you’re under no obligation to fuck a guy if you’re not into his dick. No one is obligated to go through with sex just to spare someone else’s feelings. We should try to be considerate of other people’s feelings, of course, which sometimes means offering up an excuse, however transparently false it might be.

But you can get up and go whenever you like. b I’M MARRIED TO a wonderful woman. I know that’s where the but comes in, but it’s the truth. She’s fantastic. The challenge is sex. My wife always struggled with physical intimacy. She doesn’t like to have her neck or ears touched or really any form of gentle touch. These were favourites of mine, but we were compatible in other areas, so it wasn’t a big deal. It got worse after our children were born, and now her body is almost totally off limits to me and I’m really struggling.

I’ve communicated that sex is important to me, and she makes a good-faith effort, but it’s strictly intercourse. I miss foreplay. I’ve tried to broach this subject and my wife gets very defensive. What are some baby steps I can propose?

- Touched Or Not

lot of baby steps between someone not kissing your neck and someone kissing your neck, TON, so unless your wife is willing to get into therapy and work

There aren’t a

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on identifying the root cause of her aversion to touch—and there may not be one— there’s not much you can do. She might just not like it.

If things got worse after the kids arrived, perhaps things will improve once they’re older. And if most of the childcare responsibilities fall on your wife’s shoulders, well, she might be all touched out by the time you come for her neck. But if you were sexually incompatible at the start of the relationship—if you never really clicked sexually—that’s a hard-borderingon-impossible thing to reverse engineer years or decades in. b I FIND WHEN I ride one of my dildos anally that my back pain will go away, or at the very least lessen. I know there are all kinds of great chemicals that get released when a person comes but is there more to this than that? Is it like acupuncture points, but in my ass?

I’ve had physical issues with my back that physical therapy hasn’t been able to help.

But stuffing my ass solved my back pain.

Any insights?

- Anal Makes Everything Nice

Maybe it’s physical ,

maybe it’s chemical, or maybe you’ve stumbled over (and impaled yourself on) a unique version of the placebo effect—only you’re taking dildos, not sugar pills.

Don’t waste time wondering why this works, AMEN, just be thankful it does.

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b MY HUSBAND AND I are opening our relationship. I’m good-looking enough to get a date easily, but my husband... Well, he’s ridiculously sexy to me, and he’s had enough hookups in his life to know he’s attractive to other women. But he’s in his late 30s now and—there’s no delicate way to put this—ear hair, long eyebrow hairs, nose hairs, receding hairline, long chest hairs that creep up his neck. Too much stray hair everywhere! From 10 feet away, he looks amazing, but close he just looks unkempt.

My question is this: how do I tell him?

I’m all about body positivity, but the kind of women he’s attracted to put time and care into their appearance and I think he should do the same! Hinting has not worked. I love him as is but don’t want to listen to him complain that it’s tough for a “middle-aged guy” to find a date. His age is not the issue!

b I’m a young gay man who likes to be spanked hard. I tried dating nice guys, but they didn’t want to hurt me. Now I want to give kinky-hookup apps a try, but I worry sadistic guys who do want to hurt me won’t be nice. I want to be hurt, but I’m worried about being with someone who enjoys it too much. Does that make sense? I’m kind of stuck and could use a little push.

- Hate Extremely Limp Paddling

vanilla nice guys to hurt you and that didn’t work, HELP, so it’s time to take a chance on kinky guys who do wanna hurt you. (That’s the push you wanted, right?)

Some kinky people are assholes, of course, so use your best judgment and trust your gut.

But I gotta say that some of the nicest guys I’ve ever met were sadists. It wasn’t just that these guys wanted to hurt me in safe, sane, and mutually pleasurable ways, and that was nice of them. They were genuinely sweet.

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THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT JUNE 25AUGUST – JULY 2 / 2020 2 18 GEORGIA STR AIGHT – SEPTEMBER 2 / 2021 GEORGIA STRAIGHT JUNE 25 – JULY 2 26 / 2020 2 THETHE

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