Vancouver Courier February 28 2014 by Vancouver Courier

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2014 Vol. 105 No.18 • Established 1908

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WEEKEND EDITION

THE VOICE OF VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS

INSIDE: Stars of Vancouver revealed / OPINION: Vancouver Native Health 10

photo Dan Toulgoet

OVALTINE SPIRIT: In the latest instalment of our Vancouver Special neighbourhood series, the Courier visits the Downtown Eastside, home of the Ovaltine Café where

Bernie Pleskach (l) and John Turgeon enjoy a laugh. See feature story on page 25. To view a photo gallery, scan this page with your smartphone or tablet using the Layar app.

Chico and the man whose life he saved SANDRA THOMAS Staff writer

“

Nice dog, man.” “Hi Chico. He’s so cute with his little coat on.” “I love that dog Chico.” It’s hard to walk more than a few steps along

East Hastings Street without at least one person stopping Rob Dumas to compliment him on the multi-coloured shih tzu wandering along the sidewalk at his feet. On a street notorious for its open-air drug dealing, and sometimes public intoxication, the ﬂuffy brown and white dog got a smile or a pat from many passersby on a recent sunny Tues-

day afternoon in the Downtown Eastside. And the shih tzu took it all in stride, sometimes gracing a man or woman with a quick stop as if to say hello. Sometimes not. “Chico has attitude,” explained Dumas. “But he makes people smile.” The person Chico brings the greatest joy to is Dumas, who admits he was not in a good

place a year ago, just months before buying the dog off a fellow tenant in Tellier Tower on East Hastings Street. Dumas still feels the pain of his girlfriend’s death a year ago, which prompted him to give up drugs. He lost his job around the same time. See MAN’S BEST FRIEND page 15

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

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F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

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Saturday, March 1st 1:30 – 4 pm 1570 West 7th Ave. Start your spring off with a visit to Terraces on 7th to see our wonderful renovations. Relax and enjoy refreshments in our new Bistro and Skyline Lounge for a taste of why residents love to call Terraces home! Lex Vides and Jenifer Ayala welcome patients in the Downtown Eastside.

photo Dan Toulgoet

Free dental clinic offers help with a smile VANCOUVER NATIVE HEALTH CLINIC FACED WITH LARGE DEMAND JENNIFER THUNCHER Contributing Writer

he interior of the East Side Walk-In Dental Clinic looks like any other dental clinic. There are a long line of chairs in the waiting room, thank-you cards from grateful clients on the wall and a smiling receptionist ready to welcome anxious patients. But this isn’t your average dental office. The clinic, part of the non-profit Vancouver Native Health Society, is in the heart of the Downtown Eastside and treats patients who often haven’t seen a dentist in years. They don’t pay a dime. The clinic is supported primarily by donations from organizations and individuals. To see a dentist, a person needs only to be living in poverty in the Downtown Eastside. According to receptionist Jenifer Ayala, who’s worked at the clinic for three years, about 45 patients are treated over the two days dentists are available on Mondays and Fridays. Most patients are men in need of extractions due to infections, she said. The goal of the staff is to treat patients with the utmost respect and provide them with the same level of care found in any dental office in the city that serves more well-heeled clients. “Just because we see patients who are homeless doesn’t mean that they should not get good service,” Ayala said. “The patients who come here always tell us the same story, that they don’t like dentists and they have had bad experiences in the past. They come here and they tell us this

is the best experience they have ever had.” According to Lou Demerais, the society’s executive director, the need in the community has always been greater than the clinic can meet. The project began eight years ago to complement the medical and addiction services offered at Vancouver Native Health Society. At first it was open only half a day a week. “We were warned from the beginning, once the word got out that this was all free dentistry that we were going to have some difficulty with crowd control and of course that came to pass,” he said. The first day it opened a line-up formed down the street with people waiting for an appointment. Though the clinic now has dentists two days a week and hygienists available four days, waiting times can often be an hour and a half or longer and patients have been turned away. Finding enough volunteer dentists and a manager who has the skills and dedication to stick around have been ongoing problems. Ayala said there are a lot of misconceptions about the clinic and the community it serves. “A lot of people are scared to come to the Downtown Eastside because it has its history and it is not like that here. It is a safe environment here,” she said. Demerais said the clinic might have finally found the right manager in Lex Vides, 32, who was on his second day at the clinic when the Courier visited Tuesday. A smiling Vides was excited to get started. “I like it because it reminds me a lot of my country. In [Venezuela] I was a dentist and I used to do a lot of voluntary work,” he said. His main goal is to round up more dentists so more patients can be seen. He said dental health is more important than people realize. “Everything goes into your body through your mouth,” he said. For more information on the clinic go to vnhs.net. thuncher@shaw.ca twitter.com/Thuncher

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

Emergency phones give seniors a lifeline PROJECT BY PARK BOARD COMMISSIONER RECEIVED OVERWHELMING SUPPORT SANDRA THOMAS Staff Writer

itting in the ground ﬂoor window of Tellier Tower on East Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside, Tom Ryan pulls a dark-red cellphone out of his pocket. “So far I’ve just used it to tell time and listen to the radio,” explained Ryan, who turns 80 in March. After retiring 15 years ago, the former seaman moved into the Downtown Eastside and since then has seen it all but had no way to help. Ryan’s new phone will now act as an emergency lifeline should he witness someone in trouble or need assistance of his own. Ryan, who walks with the help of a cane, received his phone through a project launched by Sarah Blyth, a senior outreach worker with the Portland Hotel Society. Blyth, who also sits as a park board commissioner, came up with the idea to equip low-income seniors with a phone programmed to call 911. She found support from the Vancouver Police Department, Vancity, Telus and Free Geek, a technology-recycling group. It’s Free Geek’s job to ensure the phones work, to program them to dial 911 and to delete all personal information from previous owners. Donors are reminded to remove their SIM cards prior to giving away old phones.

photo Rebecca Blissett

A project started by Sarah Blyth collected more than 1,700 used phones for seniors. “Some of the phones are new, so besides dialling 911, you can listen to the music or play games,” said Blyth. “Each phone is different so I’ve had to sit down one-on-one with everyone to show them how to use them.” Blyth began with a campaign last fall to collect 500 phones and chargers, but was overwhelmed when the count reached more than 1,700.

“I went to Vancity and looked in the collection box expecting to see a couple of phones, but it was full,” said Blyth. “It was really awesome. I asked for help and people gave it.” Blyth said some residents of Tellier Tower are in their 90s and until now, had no way to call for help when they were injured or ill. They were forced to try to make their way to the lobby of the building. A recent

survey conducted by the Portland Hotel Society showed 20 per cent of residents living in the Downtown Eastside are seniors, with 97 per cent living below the poverty line. Blyth said few seniors living in the Downtown Eastside can afford a phone or Lifeline medical alert services. The phones were donated from neighbouring municipalities and from across the city, including 300 from Wavefront, a wireless company on West Hastings Street, which has a mandate to help communities at home and in developing countries. The Wavefront donations were given to seniors in December, just prior to their departure on a special bus tour of the Bright Nights Christmas display in Stanley Park. The city also donated 75 BlackBerry phones to kickstart the campaign. Blyth has plans for the extra phones collected. “We donating them to anyone who’s vulnerable,” said Blyth. “That includes the police so they can give them to sex-trade workers and victims of domestic violence.” Ryan is happy to use his new phone as a radio. “But I’m prepared for an emergency,” he added, patting the pocket covering his new cellphone. sthomas@vancourier.com Twitter.com/sthomas10

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F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

Love Your Smile!

Blyth lobbied to run for council as Sharma enters fray DUDE CHILLING SIGN RECEIVES OFFICIAL UNVEILING

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was surprised this week to see a Facebook page dedicated to Vision Vancouver park board commissioner and former chair Sarah Blyth and a possible run for council in the November civic election. Initially I thought Blyth had created the page, but upon further examination, and a phone call, discovered it’s the work of supporters — 212 since Feb. 24. The creator of the Facebook page had this to say on the site: “Friends and supporters of park board commissioner Sarah Blyth, this page is to show our encouragement for Sarah to seek a place at the table as a council person in the upcoming civic elections. She has fought hard for those with little or no voice and has delivered her mandate against very difﬁcult opposition. Thank you commissioner Blyth!” Other comments on the Facebook page include, “Friends and supporters of Sarah Blyth, community champion and parks board commissioner, would like to encourage her to run for Council! GO SARAH!” and “Let’s keep the momentum going! Run for council commissioner Blyth! The people have spoken!” The page also list some of Blyth’s recent accomplishments, including the return of the Dude Chilling sign

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“DUDE” REDUX photo Dan Toulgoet

The Dude Chilling Park sign is back up again in Guelph Park.

to Guelph Park (see below) and her recent initiative to offer cell phones to seniors so they can dial 911 for help (see related story at vancourier.com). Blyth said while she didn’t start the page, should the campaign receive enough support she would consider seeking a Vision Vancouver nomination for council. “I consider it up to the public,” says Blyth. “If they want me to represent them then of course I will. I’m a grassroots person. But I also really love my work at the park board.” Vision Vancouver park board chair Niki Sharma announced Wednesday that she will ofﬁcially seek a Vision nomination for council.

An East Side art instillation that recently caught the attention of Big Lebowski fans across the globe, as well as late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, will be permanently resurrected in Guelph Park as of Thursday morning. The Dude Chilling Park sign mysteriously appeared in Guelph Park on Brunswick Street at East Seventh in November 2012, as an exact replica of an ofﬁcial park board sign. The name pays homage to the Reclining Figure sculpture by Michael Dennis that lies in the park. Parks staff immediately removed the sign, but following public consultation the board decided to return it to Guelph Park for good. A ceremony and unveiling was to take place Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. with remarks by Blyth, who was the catalyst for bringing the sign back to the park. sthomas@vancourier.com twitter.com/sthomas10

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Sharma said, in a prepared statement, she wants to be a councillor because “as a city we can always strive to be more just as a society, to innovate and to listen to one another.” Sharma, elected to park board in 2011, has been endorsed by several Vision Vancouver elected ofﬁcials, including school board chair Patti Bacchus and city councillors Geoff Meggs and Andrea Reimer. Sharma, the mother of a ﬁve-month-old girl, is a lawyer specializing in aboriginal law, through which she defends residential school survivors and works for band councils across B.C.

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F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

School creates digital code ONLINE BEHAVIOUR HAS CONSEQUENCES CHERYL ROSSI Staff Writer

eenagers and teachers at John Oliver secondary have just completed the school’s Digital Code of Conduct. Acting responsibly, respectfully and safely are the three keys of the code the school has worked on for nearly a year. “Co-creating a code of conduct like this with students is a really powerful experience,” said principal Tim McGeer. “It really speaks to the idea of… reflecting the inner values and desires, hopes and dreams of our learning community.” The first point of the code states, “I will demonstrate ethical behaviour in the digital world just as I would in the real world.” Grade 11 student Ben Segall said he was struck by the disconnect some students and teachers felt between their online and offline personalities. “And how really it is the same thing and should be the same thing,” he said. “When you realize that, that they’re both the same thing, it’s much easier not to bully online, not to harass people, not to do those things. It’s much easier to realize ‘that’s me.’” McGeer and Segall say racial and other negative remarks made online by J.O. students have virtually vanished. Social media expert Jesse Miller showed

J.O. students last spring how swiftly a text message can spread. He had one student text a message to one friend who forwarded to another and so on, with 90 per cent of up to 650 students in one assembly receiving the text within 80 minutes. All 1,100 students at the school wrote 10 statements about how they would act online. Each classroom submitted its top 10 statements, and student leaders and teachers synthesized the ﬁnal statements for the code. “Going through the process of having that school-wide conversation, that’s not just about awareness, it’s about creating a community set of standards and really letting kids take a major role in that,” McGeer said. “We can attribute that to a lot of the decrease in the behaviour.” He noted students have not only considered how inappropriate behaviour could hurt themselves when applying for jobs and scholarships and also hurt the subject of their comments, but also how wired they want to be all the time. To that end, the code of conduct states: “I will work to have a balanced, healthy lifestyle relationship with technology,” under its safety category. The code was serendipitously ready for the anti-bullying Pink Shirt Day, Feb. 26, McGeer said. crossi@vancourier.com twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

Dr. Penny Ballem, medicine woman CITY MANAGER WORKS ONCE A WEEK UNPAID IN RICHMOND CLINIC 12TH & CAMBIE with Mike Howell

s many of you know, Penny Ballem is a doctor. A hematologist, actually. And, of course, she’s Vancouver’s city manager, a $300,000plus-a-year position she accepted way back in December 2008. She took the job after the new Vision Vancouver-dominated council got rid of then-city manager Judy Rogers. No doubt she works long hours and is essentially the CEO of a large company that happens to be funded by taxpayers. But as it turns out, Ballem still ﬁnds time to practise medicine. How do I know this? I’ll let the city’s director of corporate communications, Rena Kendall-Craden, explain to you what she explained to me in an email: “She works for a colleague in Richmond one half day a week, usually Thursday mornings, using her earned days off and does not accept compensation.” Ballem’s employment contract says she will “beaffordedtheopportunitytomaintainherstatus with the College of Physicians and Surgeons by practising medicine on a limited basis.”

photo Dan Toulgoet

City manager Penny Ballem still practices medicine on the side in Richmond. Her contract also says “this arrangement is supported with the clear understanding that there will be no conﬂict of interest that shall arise from this work, that this work will not impact her devotion to her primary duties and that she can accept the fees remitted for this service.” So, there you have it. Now, how do these so-called earned days off work? The city allows Ballem and other exempt staff the ability to earn up to 15 days off every year for working extra time. As Kendall-

Craden explained, the purpose of the provision is to “create a balance between the work and lifestyle interests of employees and the operational and customer service requirements of the department.” The earned days off are to be scheduled over the course of the year, ideally one day per month with three days at Christmas shutdown. They can’t replace vacation time and cannot be taken in blocks of days, unless the entire annual vacation entitlement has already been taken. Also, medical and dental appointments

and other personal or family matters should be scheduled on earned days off whenever possible, said Kendall-Craden, who happens to know a little bit about the life of someone who practises medicine. Her spouse is Dr. Perry Kendall, the provincial health officer. So with Ballem’s medical background, it was no surprise to find a write-up posted Feb. 19 on the city’s website that has the city supporting a campaign to match doctors with residents. It’s dubbed “A GP for Me.” (Check out Allen Garr’s column on page 10 for more on this topic). Apparently, one in six Vancouver residents are actively looking for a family doctor and 93 per cent think it is important for everyone to have a family doctor, according to the information on the website. Over the next 12 weeks, Vancouver family doctors will launch a series of “patientdoctor summits,” something called “online engagement” and community meetings to improve health care for residents. What it doesn’t say on the website is participants will likely wait a long time in a room and resort to leafing through old copies of Maclean’s and Sports Illustrated before the doctors make themselves available. Yes, I know, they’re busy. Good thing I never am. mhowell@vancourier.com twitter.com/Howellings

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F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Teachers holding strike vote while negotiating PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SAYS IT WAS ONLY A FIRST OFFER CHERYL ROSSI Staff Writer

he B.C. Teachers’ Federation will hold a strike vote March 4 to 6 and announce results on the evening of March 6. BCTF president Jim Iker told reporters Tuesday morning “it’s very, very likely” the vote will pass. Iker said the teachers’ federation opted to put pressure on the government with a strike vote after a year of bargaining and more than 40 sessions at the table to push back against unreasonable offers. He said the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association tabled language that again would strip provisions on class size, class composition and staffing levels for teacherlibrarians, counsellors, special education and other specialist teachers. The government has offered a 0.5 per cent increase on the date of ratification that’s not retroactive. The government’s contract with teachers expired last June, so Iker said this means teachers received no pay increase in 2013-2014, would receive no increase for 20142015, with various 1 per cent and 0.5 per cent increased over the following four years. He said Premier Christy Clark has told the public the province wants a 10-year deal with teachers but the BCTF sees a different story behind closed doors. BCPSEA chief negotiator Peter Cameron said the BCTF broke protocol by revealing details of a first offer. “If the union wants to get into that kind

of debate they do have an obligation to put their position forward for public discussion,” he said. The announcement of a strike vote follows last month’s B.C. Supreme Court decision that provincial legislation limiting teachers’ bargaining rights is unconstitutional. Justice Susan Grifﬁn ruled the government must restore collective bargaining provisions that relate to class size and composition and the number of supports provided in classes for special needs. Language will be returned to their collective agreement retroactively but would likely be the subject of ongoing collective bargaining, she wrote. The government is appealing the decision. Cameron said the government wants to reach a 10-year agreement with teachers to counteract the long-term toxicity between teachers and the government with stability. He said a 10-year agreement includes the right to negotiate mid-contract. “The only difference between a full expiry and the right to strike would be for that one set of re-openers, that would go to a third party instead of a right to strike or lock-out,” Cameron said. The strike vote coincides with the BCTF’s return to the bargaining table with the provincial government. Negotiations are scheduled for March 4 to 7, 11 and 12. Vancouver School Board chairperson Patti Bacchus says agreements made in bargaining must be fully funded by the government. The district has struggled to fund previously negotiated wage increases. Once a strike vote is taken, a union has 90

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days to activate it with job action. Iker says no matter what happens, the BCTF will continue to negotiate at the table. Any job action would happen in stages. Iker said initial action would not include immediate school closures or interruptions for students, teachers halting participation in extra-

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curricular activities or disruption with report cards or communications with parents. The BCTF says any escalation of job action would depend on progress at the negotiating table. crossi@vancourier.com twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

THE VANCOUVER COURIER

1574 West Sixth Ave., Vancouver, BC V6J 1R2 604-738-1411 Twitter: @vancouriernews vancourier.com

Nativehealthclinicmeets needsbutlacksmoney

he Vancouver Native Health Society clinic is not accepting any new patients unless, that is, they are children, or have HIV/AIDS or have an emergency — as Jack did. He’s a 79-year-old who recently moved here from Victoria. He suffered a stroke on the street, got shipped to St. Paul’s Hospital only to discharge himself. Monday — apparently with nowhere else to go — he turned up at the Downtown Eastside clinic at 449 East Hastings. And, of course, they took him in as a “one time visit” but you can bet he’ll be back. And so will some 4,000 residents of the Downtown Eastside, 60 per cent of whom are First Nations. They view the clinic as their primary health care provider. And about half of them have been assigned a specific doctor who manages their file. What Jack found and what I saw when I visited a few day later was a building that looked a bit rough on the outside, but inside is, as clinic administrator Tina Braun pointed out, it had “all the bells and whistles” you would find in most any doctor’s office anywhere in the city. The clinic’s executive director Lou Demerais has been with this project from the beginning. He recalls the days when he was working for the Union of B.C. Chiefs and formed an organization in 1991 to inherit what was a small medical clinic on Main Street. It was only open evenings and was being run by a brash young social worker named John Turvey who gave Vancouver its first needle exchange to confront the spread of HIV/AIDS. With Demerais and his society’s board, the clinic expanded its hours and moved to its present location. It includes a satellite clinic across the street that manages 575 HIV/AIDS patients. Demerais considers its mission is to deal with all aspects of “wellness.” Braun says it is a “one-stop-shop” that includes everything from nutrition advice to housing assistance. While they are splitting at the seams, the society’s ambition is to take care of anyone who walks through the door. There are now a dozen doctors on salary rotating through three at a time and funded by Vancouver Coastal Health. (There are many more doctors who have offered their services but there is just no more room.) There are elders available to smooth relations between patients and doctors. There are special clinic hours on Wednesday afternoons to serve women and children. And not to be out done, the men created a Dude’s Club which meets with Dr. Paul Gross every other Thursday to deal with men’s issues — everything from prostate problems to relationship issues. The clinic also has a mental health team and childcare specialists who are deployed to local community centres to run early childhood development programs. There are also nurse practitioners, and aside from the space problem, more would be taken on but there is no sustainable funding available from the province to make that happen. There’s a small well equipped kitchen that can feed 200 people a day. There is also an agricultural program out at the UBC farm (which has recently run out of funding) where First Nations folks are brought out from the Downtown Eastside, learn to grow their own food, smoke salmon and cook communal meals in the farm’s kitchen. There was a diabetes program to deal with the many First Nations people who suffer from this disease in part as a result of poor diets. (Demerais says there are native communities in B.C. where 90 per cent of the population is diabetic.) That program, too, is no longer being funded by the federal government. In the same way Jack found this place, people from all over the province — and beyond — but particularly in aboriginal communities know about Vancouver Native Health. There is, in fact, an informal network of these clinics in B.C. But as successful as this clinic is, if it is to meet the needs of the community it serves, it requires more space and considerably more funding. This is particularly the case if it is to be part of achieving the province’s long-promised but now seemingly exaggerated goal of providing a family doctor for every British Columbian that needs one by 2015. agarr@vancourier.com twitter@allengarr

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F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

WE WANT YOUR OPINION

Hate it or love it? We want to know... really, we do!

Reach us by email: letters@vancourier.com

The sun also rises on myths and lies

n a recent survey from the National Science Foundation, a full quarter of 2,200 surveyed Americans responded incorrectly to the question, “Does the Earth go around the sun, or does the sun go around the Earth?” That both intrigued and disturbed me. I once taught astronomy at the HR Macmillan Space Centre and in the Vancouver school system, and have always assumed that almost every adult’s mental earthquake kit includes the heliocentric model. Seventy-four per cent of the respondents got the 471-year-old memo from Copernicus — so you could say that’s a solid Bgrade. But I wonder if the other 26 per cent were puzzled by the correct answer. If the Earth orbits around the sun — while spinning its axis, for Gawd’s sake — what keeps everyone from flying off the planet like unbuckled riders on Space Mountain? At minimum, wouldn’t there be a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on at the local Hooters? In another question on the NSF survey, 52 per cent disagreed that human beings evolved from prior forms of animal life. Such numbers aren’t likely to change anytime soon, given organizations like Responsive Education Solutions, Inc., a state charter school that currently has jurisdiction over 65 campuses in Arkansas, Indiana and Texas. “The biology workbook used by students in the [RES] program teaches that evolution is ‘dogma’ and ‘unproven,’ that the fossil record is questionable and that basic scientific facts such as the age of the earth are disagreed upon by leading scientists when this is simply not the case,” notes Nicholas Maletskas in Liberty Voice. I can imagine the brain trust behind RES working the optics of this. “OK, we’ll go with the helio-whatever system. But the Earth is only 6,000 years old, and men once walked with dinosaurs. OK, OK — ran from dinosaurs.” Education aside, the U.S. culture wars are dominated by two solitudes: religious fundamentalists and zealous atheists, both tone-deaf to anything other than their respective echo chambers. In the 2001 essay collection Thou Art That, the late American mythologist Joseph Campbell described a visit to a U.S. radio station to promote a book. A young interviewer warned him, “I’m tough, I put it right to you. I’ve studied law.” The red “on air” light went on and off he went. “The word ‘myth,’ means ‘a lie.’ Myth is a lie,” he told Campbell. “No, myth is not a lie,” Campbell responded. “A whole mythology is an organization of symbolic images and narratives, metaphorical of the possibilities of human experience and the fulfillment of a given culture at a given time.” “It’s a lie,” the man insisted. “It’s a metaphor,” Campbell responded. “It’s a lie,” the man repeated. This went on for about 20 minutes, and Campbell soon realized that the interviewer didn’t have a clue what a metaphor was. So he turned the tables, asking him for example of one. The agitated interviewer ducked and weaved, but with just a minute of airtime left, relented with an example. “My friend John runs very fast. People say he runs like a deer. There’s a metaphor.” Campbell replied, “That is not the metaphor. The metaphor is: John is a deer.” No, the interviewer, said, “That is a lie.” No, Campbell said, “That is a metaphor.” “It made me reflect that half the people in the world think that the metaphors of their religious traditions, for example, are facts. And the other half contends that they are not facts at all. As a result we have people who consider themselves believers because they accept metaphors as facts, and we have others who classify themselves as atheists because they think religious metaphors are lies,” Campbell concluded. In the NSF survey, only 39 per cent of Americans agreed that “the universe began with a huge explosion.” Actually, there was nothing to explode into — the event created space and time itself, according to the reigning theory of cosmological origins. This may be quibbling about being right for the wrong reasons, but the 61 per cent who disagreed with this statement were not wholly mistaken. The popular idea of a Big Bang is closer to a scientific metaphor than a literal truth. In other words, there’s all kinds of ways of being “right” and “wrong.” But the sun literally going round the Earth? That’s a whole different kettle of fallacy. geoffolson.com

GEOFF OLSON

MORE ABSURDITY OVER POINT GREY ROAD CLOSURE

To the editor: Re: “Lifestyles of the rich and furious,” Feb. 21. Mr. Garr seems to suggest that Mr. Skalbania’s wealth justifies characterizing him as a rich whiner displaying arrogant entitlement if he dares to comment on the “absurdity” of the closure of Point Grey Road. However, Mr. Skalbania’s observations should be considered with respect. Contrary to what Mr. Garr implies, no cars can travel east on Point Grey Road past the barriers at MacDonald. There is no longer direct access to Cornwall, Burrard Bridge, or MacDonald from Point Grey Road! Further, at the same time Point Grey Road was closed to vehicles, a traffic-calming barrier allowing only bikes to pass through was erected on West Third at Bayswater. This blocked some drivers from an easy direct exit from West Third to the major traffic light at Fourth and MacDonald where they could make a safe left turn to continue east.

Now many eastbound drivers must take a more circuitous route to exit from West Third or must take their chances at one of the ﬂashing lights along West Fourth. If lucky, a pedestrian or cyclist may trigger the light to allow a safe left turn; if not, drivers risk being t-boned by oncoming trafﬁc. The only other safe option is to drive four extra blocks by turning right on Fourth, then left through other neighbourhoods, then right again to travel east on Fourth. Note too, when West Third was blocked at Bayswater, a new light was erected at Third and MacDonald. A yellow sign with a bike symbol facing west is also at that site. This raises other questions: If West Third was already a designated bike route and is still being encouraged and enhanced as a bike route, why was Point Grey Road closed just two blocks down, at an unwarranted cost to the taxpayers, to public safety, and to public access? And with alternative approaches available, why did Vision Vancouver opt for the extreme, catering to a few while ignoring the overall impact not only on the neigh-

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bourhood, but on others as well? Is this “vision” or “tunnel vision?” Or, as Mr. Skalbania suggests, might this fairly be called “absurd”?

Joan Evans, Vancouver

QUESTIONING REIMER’S REASONING

To the editor: Re: “The truth about council and public hearings,” Feb. 26. If Councillor Reimer was quoted correctly, she was being just a tad disingenuous. Many public hearings, if not most, are to do with changing land use designations and as such are open to fair consideration. In fact, isn’t that the whole point of the hearing? Public outcry can certainly be an inﬂuence, and in many cases, should be. As to be being bound by “policy,” that is just a cop-out. Councils have disregarded policy before and sometimes with good reason. Denise Goodkey, Vancouver

ON YOUR MIND ONLINE COURIER STORY: “Bus service cut worries Champlain seniors,” Feb. 26. Heather McCain: Thank you for bringing attention to this issue. We sincerely hope that TransLink listens to the Champlain community and decides against cutting off access to our neighbourhood. As for the comment that only 5 per cent of the transit users use the stretch along 54th, I’m sure that statistic would be similar if applied to several neighbourhoods along the 49 route as it is quite a long route (Metrotown to UBC). That shouldn’t mean that those 5 per cent have their transit taken away from them. Those 5 per cent (myself included) rely on transit and a “longer walk” is not doable for a lot of people in our area, particularly as we have the highest percentage of seniors in Vancouver living here. COURIER STORY: “Computer training and brain health for seniors,” Feb. 26. Moira Stilwell @DrMoiraStilwell: The Public Library is changing— support yours! COURIER STORY: “Jokers wrestle with the odds to win,” Feb. 26. SD 39 Vancouver @VSB39: Great article in @VanCourierNews about @JO_School’s wrestling team & their provincial wrestling aspirations: COURIER COLUMN: “War doomed the elegant aircraft era,” Feb. 26. Stephen Rees: Perhaps you had not noticed that float planes do have a niche in B.C. They are just workhorses, not elegant at all, and cover relatively short distances. COURIER STORY: “The truth about council and public hearings,” Feb. 26. NAIOP Vancouver @NAIOPVancouver: Good explanation! COURIER STORY: “Survey says Vancouver a lonely place to be,” Feb. 21. Eoin Finn @Blissology: Isolation is the biggest concern worldwide. To be happy we need more connection to nature and community. myBestHelper @mybesthelper: This sadly makes sense — so many of us barely know our neighbors! We are working to bring back the sense of community. vancouverfirst @vancouverfirst1: Prob caused by matchbox size condos. Good work High-rise Robertson & his band of mushrooms #greenwashing #developersfriend Follow us on Facebook: The VancouverCourierNewspaper and Twitter: @VanCourierNews

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters may be edited by the Courier for reasons of legality, taste, brevity and clarity. To be considered for publication, they must be less than 300 words, signed and include the writer’s full name (no

initials), home address, and telephone number (neither of which will be published), so authorship may be veriﬁed. Send to: 1574 West Sixth Ave., Vancouver BC V6J 1R2 or email letters@vancourier.com

A12

THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

Burrard Bridge Improvements To ensure that the 81-year-old Burrard Bridge remains safe and in a state of good repair for many years to come, the City is replacing 27 bearings and 19 expansion joints, and performing concrete repairs and deck inspections over the next four months. Starting Monday, March 3, 2014, four vehicle lanes will be reduced to three, with one lane southbound and two lanes northbound. Work is expected to be complete July 2014. To enable this work, there will be some delays to traffic flow. Access for cyclists and pedestrians will be maintained. Vehicles are encouraged to use alternate routes such as the Granville Bridge. Work on the Burrard Bridge is being coordinated with construction at the north and south ends of the bridge to minimize traffic impacts and complete the roadwork as quickly as possible. FOR MORE INFORMATION: vancouver.ca/roadwork

Volunteers Needed:

Vancouver Heritage Foundation Board Take on a leadership role in conserving Vancouver’s heritage buildings by volunteering for the Vancouver Heritage Foundation Board.

The City is looking for volunteers from the general public to serve on the Board of Directors who will help guide heritage conservation in the city. The eight positions available will serve from April 2014 to April 2016. Learn more about the role of Heritage Foundation Board volunteers and eligibility requirements and apply for a position online at: vancouver.ca/volunteer All appointments will be made by City Council. You must use the online form to apply. The application deadline is Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 5 pm. FOR INFORMATION ON CIVIC AGENCIES AND APPLICATIONS: civicagenciesinfo@vancouver.ca or phone 3-1-1 (Ask to be connected with the City Clerk’s Department)

Public Hearing: March 10 Monday, March 10, 2014, at 2 pm City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue Third Floor, Council Chamber Vancouver City Council will hold a public hearing to consider zoning amendments for these locations:

1. Zoning and Development By-law –

Amendments to Permit Temporary Sales Office as Conditional Use in RS and RT (Residential) Zoning Districts To amend the Zoning and Development By-law to permit Temporary Sales Office as a conditional use in the city’s RS (OneFamily) and RT (Two-Family) zoning districts. The term Temporary Sales Office refers to the time-limited use of a building for the purpose of marketing and selling dwelling units from a nearby residential development. This proposed text amendment, if approved, will provide some limited flexibility for the marketing of projects to take place, on a time-limited and temporary basis, on sites in close proximity to the product that they are marketing.

2. 458-476 West 41st Avenue

To rezone 458-476 West 41st Avenue from RS-1 (One-Family Dwelling) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District to allow for a six-storey residential building, with two-storey lane-fronting townhouses,

containing a total of 50 dwelling units to be secured as market rental housing. A height of 20.1 metres (66 feet) and a ﬂoor space ratio (FSR) of 2.55 are proposed.

3a) 650 West 41st Avenue

(Oakridge Centre) To amend CD-1 (1) By-law No. 3568 for 650 West 41st Avenue (Oakridge Centre) to allow for a mixed-use development with a total ﬂoor area of 424,600 square metres (4,570,364 square feet), a ﬂoor space ratio (FSR) of 3.71 and a maximum height of 132.6 metres (435 feet). The proposal includes 2,914 dwelling units (including 290 social housing units and 290 secured market rental housing units) in 11 residential towers, with heights between 19 and 44 storeys, and three midrise buildings, between nine and 13 storeys in height. A civic centre with a community centre, expanded library, seniors centre and 69-space childcare facility, as well as a nine-acre rooftop park are proposed.

3b) 5733 Cambie Street (The Terraces) To amend CD-1 (1) By-law No. 3568 by removing 5733 Cambie Street (the “Terraces”) from the Oakridge Centre CD-1(1) By-law No. 3568 and to establish a new CD-1 zoning district for the Terraces, containing zoning that supports the existing Terraces development.

City-wide

3c) 635-659 West 45th Avenue,

688 Fairchild Road, 625 West 45th Avenue and 5926-6076 Tisdall Street (the Southwest Properties) To further amend CD-1 (1) By-law No. 3568 by removing 635-659 West 45th Avenue, 688 Fairchild Road, 625 West 45th Avenue and 5926-6076 Tisdall Street (collectively the “Southwest Properties”) from the Oakridge Centre CD-1 (1) By-law and to establish a new CD-1 zoning district for the Southwest Properties, containing zoning that supports the existing developments on the Southwest Properties.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE APPLICATIONS: vancouver.ca/rezapps or 604-873-7038

Anyone who considers themselves affected by the proposed by-law amendments may speak at the public hearing. Please register individually before 1 pm on March 10, 2014 by emailing publichearing@vancouver.ca or by calling 604-829-4238. You may also register in person at the door between 1:30 and 2 pm on the day of the public hearing. You may submit your comments by email to mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca, or by mail to: City of Vancouver, City Clerk’s Department, 453 West 12th Avenue, Third Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1V4. All submitted comments will be distributed to Council and posted on the City’s website. Please visit vancouver.ca/publichearings for important details. Copies of the draft by-laws will be available for viewing starting February 28, 2014 at the City Clerk’s Department in City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, Third Floor, and in the Planning Department, East Wing of City Hall, Third Floor, Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. All meetings of Council are webcast live at vancouver. ca/councilvideo, and minutes of public hearings are available at vancouver.ca/ councilmeetings. (Minutes are posted approximately two business days after a meeting.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PUBLIC HEARINGS, INCLUDING REGISTERING TO SPEAK: vancouver.ca/publichearings

Public Hearing: March 13 Thursday, March 13, 2014, at 12 noon City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue Third Floor, Council Chamber Vancouver City Council will hold a public hearing to consider zoning amendments for these locations:

1. 3323-3367 East 4th Avenue

(Beulah Garden) To rezone 3323-3367 East 4th Avenue (Beulah Garden) from RT-2 (Two-Family Dwelling) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District, to allow for a fourstorey residential building, with 54 life lease units targeted for seniors over the age of 60 years. A height of 14 metres (46 feet) and a ﬂoor space ratio (FSR) of 1.45 are proposed.

2. 2405-2445 Cornwall Avenue

(Point Grey Private Hospital) To rezone 2405-2445 Cornwall Avenue (Point Grey Private Hospital) from RM-4 (Multiple Dwelling) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District, to expand the existing “Community Care – Class B” facility by redeveloping the

properties adjacent to the existing facility with three-storey additions to the east and west. The proposal includes a total FSR of 2.08, a building height of 12.9 metres (42.4 feet) and 0.187 parking spaces per bed.

You may submit your comments by email to mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca, or by mail to: City of Vancouver, City Clerk’s Department, 453 West 12th Avenue, Third Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1V4. All submitted comments will be distributed to Council and posted on the City’s website. Please visit vancouver.ca/publichearings for important details.

3. 1920 Southwest Marine Drive

(Casa Mia) To rezone 1920 Southwest Marine Drive (Casa Mia) from RS-1 (One-Family Dwelling) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District, to allow development of a Community Care Facility – Class B. The proposal includes retention of the existing “Casa Mia” heritage building, a two-storey-and-basement addition with a height of 9.3 metres (30.5 feet), up to 62 beds, a total ﬂoor space ratio (FSR) of 0.70, of which 0.49 FSR is above grade, 16 underground parking spaces and three loading spaces. The class “A” heritage building on site would be restored, preserved and designated.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE APPLICATIONS: vancouver.ca/rezapps or 604-873-7038

Anyone who considers themselves affected by the proposed by-law amendments may speak at the public hearing. Please register individually before 11 am on March 13, 2014 by emailing publichearing@vancouver.ca or by calling 604-829-4238. You may also register in person at the door between 11:30 am and 12 noon on the day of the public hearing.

Visit: vancouver.ca Phone: 3-1-1 TTY: 7-1-1

Copies of the draft by-laws will be available for viewing starting February 28, 2014 at the City Clerk’s Department in City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, Third Floor, and in the Planning Department, East Wing of City Hall, Third Floor, Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. All meetings of Council are webcast live at vancouver.ca/councilvideo, and minutes of public hearings are available at vancouver.ca/councilmeetings. (Minutes are posted approximately two business days after a meeting.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PUBLIC HEARINGS, INCLUDING REGISTERING TO SPEAK: vancouver.ca/publichearings

F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

Exhibit on mental illness spreading the NEWS TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS TOLD THROUGH VIDEO AND AUDIO CHERYL ROSSI Staff Writer

oo often someone who feels terrible is made to feel worse by other’s reaction to their pain. Last year RainCity residents who cope with mental illness told the housing and support society they wanted to present their own stories to the world to counter misconceptions and meet people who face similar struggles but come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Now people with mental illness, their family members, co-workers and friends have shared their stories via audio and video for a free exhibit that runs at VIVO Media Arts Centre until March 1. The NEWS Exhibition (New Evolution of Wise Storytelling) includes accounts of people from across the Lower Mainland. Aaron Munro, manager of community development for RainCity, says the society sees how people suffer with lack of understanding from loved ones. “Or one of the worst parts about stigma is it really gets embedded inside people and people begin to believe the stories that are told about them,” he said. Angie Ingram spoke about her late friend

from small town Alberta in a video that’s part of the exhibit. Ingram’s friend struggled with symptoms of schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of childhood sexual abuse. The friend felt she’d let her family down by becoming unwell and believed she was powerless to control the negative thoughts and feelings she was experiencing. She committed suicide 15 years ago. Ingram hopes sharing this story will foster empathy among those who haven’t experienced mental illness and its feeling of having nowhere to turn to for help. Another video subject named Ryan echoes Ingram’s encouragement of gentleness and patience. “The reason that I recovered was because there were people that no matter how hard I pushed, they stayed next to me and loved me, no matter what I told them or how angry I got or how drunk I got,” he says in the video. “They recognized that it was illness and were just very dedicated to loving me and not giving me tough love because they knew I had been tough enough on myself.” Munro hopes NEWS will connect people who are feeling isolated and overwrite misperceptions. “The general belief in our society is that you’ve got to be a bit afraid of someone with mental illness,” Munro said. “But they’re way more likely to be victims of violence, two-and-a-half times. People don’t know that. I didn’t know that.” Members of the Vancouver Housing First Speaker’s Bureau, who’ve experienced

homelessness and mental illness, will be on hand to share their tales of trials and triumph. The exhibit will also include a preview of an app made by digital marketing agency Work At Play to host the NEWS stories and show how communities thrive when they’re supportive and accepting of people with mental illness. “We can be a community that’s afraid of each other and about making change,” Munro says in a video. “Or we can be a community that’s excited about all the possibilities of treating each other better.” NEWS runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1965 Main St. crossi@vancourier.com twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

Angie Ingram.

photo Dan Toulgoet

Recognize the people that make Vancouver excellent.

Featuring six award categories for youth and children, adults and organizations. AWARD CATEGORIES

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

Canada’s ‘most famous junkie’ comes clean ACTIVIST DEAN WILSON SAYS HE’S NOT LONGER A DRUG USER MIKE HOWELL Staff writer

ean Wilson is having a good laugh as he recalls the time a popular Canadian author assessed the drug activist’s celebrity status way back in the day. “Michael Ondaatje told me I was Canada’s most famous junkie.” Famous because of his real-life role in Fix: The Story of an Addicted City, a documentary film by Nettie Wild that captured Wilson’s battles with addiction and his fight with city hall to do something about the mounting drug deaths. That was in 2002. More than a decade later, fewer people are dying of drug overdoses and the number of injection drug users contracting HIV/ AIDS has dropped dramatically. And Wilson, well he’s still on the job, so to speak. But get this: He says he hasn’t touched cocaine in five years and stopped using heroin more than a year ago. He’s on the methadone program, has put some meat on his bones and volunteers three times per week with the PHS Community Services Society. “I don’t even consider myself a drug user at all anymore,” he said from an office at the drug users’ resource centre on Cordova Street, across from Oppenheimer Park. “Four or five years ago, I was down to 110 pounds and I said this is bullshit. So I said to myself, ‘Let’s get high and die, or let’s figure something out because this isn’t working.’”

photo Dan Toulgoet

Life is good, says Dean Wilson, one of the country’s most prominent drug activists. What Wilson ﬁgured out is that he is 59 years old, has two adult children and an 11year-old son who want him to be around. He’s also learned having a permanent residence at the Woodward’s building, working with addicts and using his brain to make change is the way to go for him. A few years ago, Wilson and Shelly Tomic, along with the PHS, fought successfully in the courts to keep the Insite drug injection site open indeﬁnitely. They took their case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Wilson spent some time this week with the Courier to talk drug addiction and what life is like for a recovering addict pushing 60. You mentioned you went through detox and got on the methadone program. But how have you managed to stay off drugs in a neighbourhood where they are so readily available? “It’s like Nancy Reagan said, ‘It’s as easy as just saying no, and it’s as complicated as just saying no.’ That’s what it comes down to — you either want to do this, or you want

to do that. And I’ve done that for 40 f***ing years and it hasn’t worked out very good for me [laughs]. So I thought maybe I’m going to do this, and it worked out.” Where does your activism come from? “You know, it really comes from my mother and her real sense of fair play that was drilled in to me as a kid. That’s, I think, why I got into doing this [activism] because I didn’t think that there was a lot of fairness going on with the people who were addicts.” One of the biggest critics of harm reduction and Insite has been the Harper government. What do you say to the feds? “I’m going to be around and harm reduction is going to be around a lot longer than Prime Minister Harper will be prime minister. It was there before he came and it will be there after he leaves. If he wants to be this right-wing Christian guy, that’s fine. But what I would tell him is that Jesus Christ would have supported injection sites had he been alive today.” The Downtown Eastside is seeing more new businesses and more construction and there are those worried about gentrification. What’s your assessment of the change in the community? “Gentrification isn’t coming, it’s already here. We want to work with all our neighbours and find positive things that we can work together on — because we can always find something we don’t like about each other.” So life is good after all these years? “I can’t say enough about how my life is now. I’m just really, really happy and I’m content. And it’s probably the first time in my life that I can actually say that. I laugh now and tell people I even have a junk drawer at home in my kitchen like normal people.” A longer version of this interview appears at vancourier.com mhowell@vancourier.com twitter.com/Howellings

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Rob Dumas says when he ﬁrst saw Chico, he knew they needed each other. “He saved me and in return I promised him I would never abandon him.”

Man’s best friend one popular pooch

Continued from page 1 “I was so depressed,” said Dumas. “I lost my job, I was sad about my girlfriend and I had to give up all my friends because I was trying to stay clean. Chico came at the right time in my life.” Chico had belonged to a man who gave the dog away to another tenant in their building because he was heading to jail. Not long after Dumas saw the mop-topped shih tzu and offered the new owner “a couple of bucks” for him. Man and dog have been inseparable ever since. “I knew when I saw him that we needed each other. He saved me and in return I promised him I would never abandon him,” said Dumas, who’s taking part in a methadone program. “That means I can’t steal or do drugs because I might go to jail and I can’t leave him.” Dumas moved to Vancouver from Montreal in the 1990s to get away from the drug scene there. He’s lived in Tellier Tower for one year. He says Chico is the reason he gets so much exercise these days, whether he wants it or not. Their ﬁrst walk of the day is at about 9 a.m., an

activity they’ll repeat every three to four hours of every day. If it’s raining, Dumas carries Chico to a covered grassy area in Chinatown just behind his building. “Chico doesn’t like the rain,” said Dumas. “He’s also taught me a lot about patience, something I’ve never had before. Despite his dislike for inclement weather, on Tuesday Chico sported a plaid raincoat, one of four randomly given to Dumas. He noted one was offered by a complete stranger who called out to him on the street. “She said, ‘Sir, sir, here’s a coat for your dog,’ for no reason,” said Dumas. “He likes his coats.” He described Chico as “self conscious,” adding the dog won’t eat if anyone’s watching. “When I had him shaved in the summer he didn’t talk to me for four days,” said Dumas, laughing. “And sometimes when I call him he just stays where he is and stands his ground. But I love him for that.” sthomas@vancourier.com twitter.com/sthomas10

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across any forgotten or concealed items left behind by the previous tenants. In other words, no drugs, no weapons — or, as Fast said, “no surprises” in the building that connects to the smaller Vancouver jail, the community court and provincial courthouse. The pre-trial centre opened in the early 1980s and was closed in 2002 by the government because of a declining inmate population, although the number of inmates has since increased and a new centre opened this year in Surrey. B.C. Housing’s plan, in collaboration with the City of Vancouver and the nonproﬁt Bloom Group, calls for most of the units to be in the 300 square-foot range, along with some bigger suites. The old gymnasium will be converted into a multipurpose room, the outdoor exercise area will become a community garden and communal decks will be featured on each ﬂoor. Some of the tenants will have spectacular views of the Vancouver Harbour and North Shore mountains. The Bloom Group, formerly the St. James Community Service Society, will manage the building once the units are built and anticipates women from its shelters and other low-income residents will reside in the complex. “People who live and work in the community will have preference in terms of the application,” said Lesley Anderson of the Bloom Group.

photo Rebecca Blissett

Construction workers are busy turning a jail into a new DTES social housing complex. BladeRunners, an organization that provides job training primarily for young homeless aboriginal people, will occupy 37 of the units. In fact, at least four members of BladeRunners assisting with labour duties and ﬂagging on the project will become tenants. “If we can have just one kid who has their own self-

contained housing, that’s a bonus for us,” said Gary Jobin, senior coordinator of BladeRunners. “Most of our kids are couch surﬁng, living in shelters or [singleroom occupancy] hotels or don’t know where they’re going to sleep. ” Initial cost estimates put the complex at $13 million but the Courier has learned

those costs have increased. The City of Vancouver has committed $2 million and the provincial and federal governments are expected to fund the bulk of the project. An announcement is expected in March. The complex is scheduled to open in the spring of 2015. mhowell@vancourier.com twitter.com/Howellings

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that held up to four cell beds and were built on the sides of the building in a cantilever-style. “The biggest challenge has been these pods,” said Fast when asked about the difficulty of modifying a building versus demolishing it. The Courier watched Tuesday as crews, with the help of steel-cutting saws and a crane below on Cordova Street, removed a pod on the sixth floor and lowered it to the street. The pods will be recycled and probably used for building roads, Fast said. The floors of the building were littered with old pipes, pink insulation, toilets, stacks of steel cell doors and steel cell beds, rubble from demolished walls, bags of asbestos material and piles of metal and miscellaneous debris. So far crews haven’t come

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Look beyond real estate investment

LORI PINKOWSKI Contributing Writer

he ever-popular topic of real estate in Vancouver is showing no sign of letting up, as it continues to dominate headlines. For example, the longtime controversial program that gave immigrant investors a fast-track to citizenship has now been abolished as of the 2014 federal budget. Most applications were headed for B.C., and as a result I expect Vancouver’s highend housing and condo markets to see downward pressure on prices. This is yet another reason to think twice before buying real estate for investment purposes. Contrary to what investment industry professionals recommend, Statistics Canada shows that half of our country’s personal wealth is now sunk in property. Many Canadians continue to feel that the real estate market is safer and will give a better return over the long run compared to the stock market; however, there are a number of reasons why investors should reconsider this notion. There have been times in the past, particu-

photo Wikimedia Commons

Real estate investors need to be prepared for lower returns over the next decade. larly in Vancouver, where one could see annual double digit returns from property. Unfortunately this appears to be changing and real estate investors need to be prepared for lower returns over the next decade. For those in disbelief, consider a report from TD Bank projecting an annual rate of return to be roughly two per cent for real estate over the next decade when taking inﬂation into account. In my opinion, better returns can be achieved by investing in stocks over the same period. When it comes to rental properties, many believe you can generate a great deal of extra

income from this type of investment. Unfortunately many rentals are barely cash ﬂow positive, as the expenses and mortgage payments are higher than the income generated. The trouble is, the amount you get paid from your tenants isn’t necessarily your return, it’s what you are making after expenses and mortgage payments. Once you’ve factored in the headaches of being a landlord, it can make the experience all the more undesirable. When you look at your ability to “get defensive,” a stock portfolio is actually safer.

For example, when the U.S. housing market crashed, many people were stuck with real estate that they couldn’t unload. Consider how long it can take to sell a home and the actual cost in selling it? With an investment portfolio of stocks and bonds, you can quickly sell at any time, raising cash in a single day if necessary. Many investors worry about possible volatility and the uncertainty associated with investing in the stock market. It’s a strange love affair Canadians have with real estate — no one worries about the value of their home daily, therefore why stress out over the ﬂuctuations in stocks on such a regular basis. It’s normal and healthy for the stock market to rise and fall (as we’ve seen recently) and as long as you have an active investment strategy in place to protect your portfolio from a signiﬁcant decline, then you should feel comfortable with your investments in the long run. The bull market for real estate may be losing steam, so re-evaluate your investments going forward and don’t get stuck attached to the rear view mirror. lori.pinkowski@raymondjames.ca

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DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE a journey through our city’s neighbourhoods Vancouver Special is a year-long journey through each of Vancouver’s unique neighbourhoods. Join us every two weeks in our weekend issue for another look at a different community in our city.

‘It’s just the Ovaltine’

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD AT A GLANCE It’s the Vancouver neighbourhood with at least six live music venues, a theatre, museum and an arts festival. But that’s not how the Downtown Eastside is typically viewed. This gritty part of the city is often seen as synonymous with drug addiction, homelessness and murdered women, and cited as one of Canada’s poorest communities. The Downtown Eastside (DTES) as deﬁned by the City of Vancouver traditionally includes Gastown, Victory Square, Strathcona, Chinatown, Railtown, industrial lands and Oppenheimer and Thornton parks. The port lands bound it to the north, Malkin Street to the south, Richards Street to the west and Clark Drive to the east. This broad area is home to more men than women, more aboriginal people and seniors than across the city but half the proportion of children and youth. More than half of the population in the DTES was low income and the proportion of low-income families with children under age six is nearly two and a half times higher than in the rest of the city, according to census data from 2006. The mean household income in the areathen was $13,691. Statistics Canada found high crime rates disproportionate to the rest of the city in 2006, mainly with serious assaults, robberies and public intoxication. The rates of physical and sexual violence against women in the DTES are reported to be double that of other regions in Vancouver. But there’s resilience beyond the poverty and crime. The Downtown Eastside is rich with art and history. The swathe from Carrall Street to Clark Drive and the port to Great Northern Way, boasted the second highest concentration of artists in Vancouver in 2010, almost double the concentration in the city as a whole. The Downtown Eastside is one of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhoods, home to 20 per cent of the buildings on the city’s heritage register. Oppenheimer Park area was once home to founding Japanese immigrants and labourers. While the aforementioned statistics apply to the broad Downtown Eastside area, the Courier has previously focused on Gastown, Strathcona and Chinatown in Vancouver Special issues, so this edition will concentrate on the area loosely bordered by the port and Carrall Street to Clark.

The Ovaltine has served the Downtown Eastside for 72 years. CHERYL ROSSI Staff writer

ohn Turgeon’s ﬁrst taste of the Ovaltine Cafe was in 1986. “I was in jail for the ﬁrst time and they got [us] some food from the Ovaltine,” he said to the amusement of his lunchmate, Bernie Pleskach, at the cafe last week. The pair had rolled in half an hour earlier Feb. 19 looking like rock stars. Turgeon in a black leather jacket, Ples-

kach with a lengthy salt and pepper beard and long hair beneath a suede cowboy hat. Both wore shades. An outreach worker for RainCity Housing and Support Society in the Downtown Eastside, Pleskach eats two or three times a month at the café he ﬁrst visited in 1984. “I like the atmosphere here and diner food for me is the same as homecooked,” he said. “The food is good, it’s functional… and I want to come as much as I can because the neighbourhood seems to be changing a lot.”

photo Dan Toulgoet

Last week, calm infused the 72-yearold Ovaltine, with its wooden booths bordering one side, a diner counter stretching down the other. Sunlight poured in the vintage neon-lit windows while lone men visited the clean but worn diner for a $3.95 breakfast, burgers and soup. John Atkin, a historian who lives in Strathcona, says he no longer gets to the Ovaltine “as much as he should.” But he has supported the neighbourhood institution for decades. Continued on page 26

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DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

Patrons revel in legendary diner’s calm simplicity Continued from previous page Atkin first visited the Ovaltine in 1975 when an art school pamphlet told him the area should be avoided. Instead of trouble, the kid from Victoria found cafés lit by neon, theatres screening Chinese films and an amazing magazine shop. Loggers, horseracing enthusiasts, fading hippies, cops and suits crowded the Ovaltine’s coffee counter. Police entered through the back door and the smoking ban wasn’t enforced because some of the officers smoked. Perched on a red vinyl stool near the far end of the Arborite counter, Atkin handwrote half of his book Strathcona: Vancouver’s First Neighbourhood in 1994. A tailor and two other cafes occupied the ground-floor space at 251 East Hastings St. before it became the Ovaltine. It was one of many cafés in a thriving business district decades before Atkin discovered it, a place where families went for a treat in the 1940s and ’50s. The city felt the first decline of

photo Dan Toulgoet

Nick Chyzyk has been a loyal customer for the past 50 years. the area after the loss of the interurban streetcar station at Hastings and Carrall in 1958-1959. “They estimate that that station alone generated 10,000 pedestrians a day,” Atkin said. When drug addicts swapped heroin for crack in the mid 1980s and petty crimes ramped up, Atkin said opinions of the area unjustly declined. But amid decades of ﬂux, the Ovaltine’s décor remained frozen

in time and was featured in the TV shows Da Vinci’s Inquest and The XFiles and the movie I, Robot. The only notable alterations that Atkin recalls accompanied a change of ownership in the early 1990s when the quality of the cheeseburgers improved and the elderly Chinese-Canadian servers in their grey jackets that read “Ovaltine” over their breasts disappeared. With some of the neighbour-

hood’s employees departed and new eateries sprouting up, the Ovaltine no longer enjoys the same clientele base. More change looms. The former police station could become a tech hub and six ﬂoors of the former jail are being renovated for social housing. Nick Chyzyk doesn’t anticipate a long life for his favourite haunt. “I imagine they’ll tear it down any day now, like everything else,” said the 80-year-old with sunken cheeks. Chyzyk, a former commercial trailer mechanic who lives at the nearby Patricia Hotel, has frequented the diner since 1953 and visits every day. He likes the Ovaltine because it’s quiet. “I usually come down here, have a beer and nobody bothers me,” he said. “No bums come to borrow cigarettes or money. If they come in they kick them out.” Atkin worries about the Ovaltine’s chances for survival with scant customers and low-priced fare. Diminished evening hours mean customers no longer see

neon reﬂected down the long counter, but he doesn’t want the cafe “hipsterized” and serving craft beer. “What I like about it is it sits in the neighbourhood, it’s a reminder of what the neighbourhood was like in its heyday and yet it’s still here and it’s not trying to be anything. It’s just the Ovaltine,” he said. Atkin hopes the Downtown Eastside will morph into a neighbourhood that includes healthy businesses, old and new, alongside affordable housing, service organizations, artists and cultural venues. “If this neighbourhood continues to evolve and returns to what it was in 1978, that’s the perfect balance because you had the hotels serving a certain type of clientele — now you’ve got a ton of social housing here — but you had vibrant and viable retail and you had a slight edge to the neighbourhood,” he said. The owner of the Ovaltine declined an interview. crossi@vancourier.com

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F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

photo Dan Toulgoet

Susan Edwards’ tiny home offers a great view of the North Shore mountains.

OPEN HOUSE

For more photos of Oneesan, scan this page with

Property: Oneesan, 502 Alexander St. Susan Edwards has previously lived in both a converted church and grocery store over a long nomadic life but admits she never expected to ﬁnd herself residing inside a former shipping container. The 70-yearold moved to Vancouver from Ontario four years ago to be closer to her daughter but soon found herself on the receiving end of a number of renovictions. Last year she came across news reports about a new 12-unit social housing complex opening up in the Downtown Eastside and operated by the Atira Women’s Resource Society that uses modiﬁed shipping containers stacked like Lego. “I was just fascinated by the idea of turning them into houses,” Edwards said. “I applied for the intergenerational mentorship program but I wasn’t eligible for that, so instead I am here as a renter.” The housing complex is named Oneesan, a Japanese word meaning “elder sister” chosen in honour of its location in an area formerly known as Japantown, and because many of the women provide guidance to residents of the Imouto Housing for Young Women building next door. The units are each approximately 290 square feet and cost $82,500 each to build, although each one is slightly different, with doors, windows and kitchens in different spots depending on how they were assembled. “I don’t have a lot of furniture and I really love it because living very simply is kind of my thing,” she said. “I love the little apartment.” Edwards, a former teacher, publisher and CBC employee, admits she had some initial concerns due to the neighbourhood’s reputation but feels much more at home since moving in Sept. 1. “I had never been in the Downtown Eastside and I had not wanted to come even look at it, but suddenly here I was living right here. It’s been incredibly educational and fascinating.”

neighbourhood numbers

62 3.50 47 35 4 25 100.5 260

Number of steps that make up the circular staircase inside the three-storey Carnegie Centre. A separate circular staircase leading to the basement has 20. In dollars, the hourly honorarium for volunteers working at the weekly binners market on Carrall Street. In dollars, the cost of a shot of Balblair 1979, the most expensive single malt at the Shebeen Whisk(e)y House on Carrall Street. In km/h, the reduced speed limit along Hastings Street introduced to curb the number of injuries and fatalities caused by rampant jaywalking. Percentage of rooms in privately run SRO hotels rented for the welfare shelter rate of $375, according to a new Carnegie Community Action Project housing survey. In cents, the cost of a crack pipe from new vending machines installed in the Drug Users Resource Centre and the Shaldon Hotel. The FM radio frequency signal of Vancouver Co-operative Radio CFRO, a non-commercial station that has been broadcasting from the neighbourhood since 1973. In hundreds of thousands, the average number of free meals served each year by Union Gospel Mission.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

feature

Then and now...

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

Then: Looking east on Cordova from Carrall Street in 1889. Then photo: Bailey Bros., courtesy Vancouver Public Library, 13235. Now: Looking east on Cordova from Carrall Street in 2014. Now photo: Rebecca Blissett

Then: Looking north on Main Street in the winter of 1904. Then photo: Photographer: Philip Timms., courtesy of the Vancouver Public Library, 3424. Now: Looking north on Main Street in the winter of 2014. Now photo: Rebecca Blissett

For more photos, scan this page with your smartphone or tablet using the Layar app.

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F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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GOT ARTS? 604-738-1411 | events@vancourier.com

OUR

PICKS FEB. 28 TO MARCH 4, 2014 For video and web content, scan page using the Layar app.

1 2 3 4

Legendary trumpet player and jazz ambassador WYNTON MARSALIS performs with 15-piece New York City big band JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTRE ORCHESTRA March 1, 8 p.m. at UBC’s Chan Centre. Audiences will be treated to the full jazz spectrum including modern renditions of traditional favourites by Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and others. For tickets and details, go to chancentre.com. Canadian ﬁddler, step dancer and singer-songwriter APRIL VERCH and her band of beards drop by St. James Hall for a stomping good time Feb. 28, 8 p.m. She’s currently touring in support of her ninth album, Bright Like Gold. Tickets at Highlife Records, Rufus’ Guitar Shop or by calling 604-736-3022. Details at roguefolk.bc.ca. Local blues-rock duo who aren’t the Pack A.D., THE HARPOONIST AND THE AXE MURDERER bring some grit, grime and a sack of harmonicas to The Imperial for a sure-to-be greasy show Feb. 28, p.m. Rich Hope opens. Tickets at Red Cat Records and all Ticketmaster outlets.

Every year a group of aspiring Vancouver filmmakers who’ve survived a series of Hunger Gameslike elimination rounds are given use of equipment, a small budget, mentorship and eight days to make a short film. The impressive results can be seen at the CRAZY8S GALA SCREENING, hosted by Ken Hegan, March 1, 7 p.m. at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. This year’s films include Matthew Kowalchuk’s Bed Bugs: A Musical Love Story, Body Language by Maeva Thibeault, Dial Y For Yesterday by Greg Crompton, Mattress by Michelle Kee, Sacrifice by Ryan Atimoyoo and Tony Mirza’s EARTHLICKERS, which we’re particularly intrigued by for some reason. Tickets at the Rio Theatre, Videomatica (Zulu Records), Beat Street Records or brownpapertickets.com. Details at crazy8s.cc.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

FROM

Now Playing!

$29!

DRIVING MISS DAISY

“A ﬁne and indeed noble piece of work”

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

By Alfred Uhry

—The Telegraph PLAYING AT

screenshot Michael Kissinger

IN TUNE WITH ONE ANOTHER: Every Tuesday, musicians of all abilities meet at the Carnegie Community R E S T A U R A N T

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Centre at Main and Hastings to make music together as part of the Carnegie Jazz Band. To watch a video about the group, go to vancourier.com/entertainment or scan this page with your smart phone or tablet using the free Layar app.

Enjoy a seasonal 3-course menu every month!

$32 PER PERSON

not including tax or gratuity Available Monday to Thursday nights

APPETIZER Caesar Salad or Winter Soup MAIN COURSE Spring Lamb Ale Stew or Seafood Cioppino DESSERT Chocolate Milano Cake or Crème Brûlée Reservations at: 604.669.3281 vancouverdine.com

Hallelujah, Praise

d Su Gail

3rd Annual Gospel Music Concert

er ma n

Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir Hi ck s

Gail Suderman, Artistic Director With Special Guest Crystal Hicks, 2013-2014 Artist In Residence

l sta Cry

Voted “Best Choir” in the Vancouver Courier’s Stars of Vancouver Reader’s Choice Awards.

Adults/Students/Seniors $15 Children 12 & under $10 Purchase tickets at brownpapertickets.com or call 1.800.838.3006 For ticket information email tickets@goodnoisevgc.com goodnoisevgc.com

Featuring the 140 voice “Hallelujah Praise” Mass Gospel Choir singing folk-inspired gospel music from the Civil Rights Movement. Sunday, March 2, 2014 | 3:30 pm Ryerson United Church 2195 West 45 Avenue, Vancouver BC Tickets available at the door

VAN MAN

with Andrew Fleming

A ROSÉ BY ANY OTHER NAME

It makes a certain sense that the Vancouver International Wine Festival chose Bard on the Beach as their new charity case after the Vancouver Playhouse called it curtains two years ago. The local Shakespearean troupe stands to gain around a quarter of a million bucks

from the latest annual gathering of wealthy oenophiles, and it’s unlikely William Shakespeare would disapprove of the ofﬁcial sponsorship. Bard’s artistic director Christopher Gaze expressed his gratitude for the windfall to a crowd of industry insiders, wine bloggers, and various and sundry media types at a launch party at Joey Bentall One on Monday. “What can we do at Bard with the world of wine to increase the love and knowledge and delight of good vino in British Columbia?” he asked. “Well, we will support it with all our might as you support us.” Fermented grape juice was as popular in the Elizabethan age as it is today — perhaps more so given

that clean drinking water was often hard to come by — and every single one of his plays contains at least one reference to alcohol. Wine in particular gets a lot of mentions, with variants such as mead, sack, malmsey and canary all getting individual shout-outs. Richard III calls for a bowl of wine to help restore his “cheer of mind” while the hard-partying Falstaff complains a buzzkill companion is so “soberblooded”thatnobodycaneven make him laugh. “But that’s no marvel, he drinks no wine.” However, being the smart person that he was, Shakespeare was also well aware of the downsides of loving wine a bit too much. One of his best known passages about heavy drinking comes from

Twelfth Night, a play about a shipwrecked woman named Viola who disguises herself as a dude because hilarity. Feste, by far the play’s sharpest character, describes drunks as being “like a drown’d man, a fool, and a madman. One draught above heat makes him a fool, the second mads him, and a third drowns him.” In Othello, a soldier named Michael Cassio ﬁnds himself in deep trouble with his boss after getting hammered on the job, prompting him to declare: “O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name let us call thee devil.” And surely King Duncan’s night staying over at the Macbeths would’ve gone much differently if he and his men had gone easier on the sauce. Shakespeare was also familiar, possibly from personal experience, with the boner-killing consequences of overindulging — “it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance.” Something for men to keep in mind if attending any of this year’s festival’s dozens of events across the city. It is possible, though, that the Bard might’ve had a problem or two with this year’s ofﬁcial theme country — France — given his own country’s time-honoured custom of being at war with them. Although he’d probably have to admit the French make much better wine .

F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

FRED

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EMAIL: yvrﬂee@hotmail.com TWITTER: @FredAboutTown

UNLEESHED

PRETTY IN PINK: Pink Shirt Day is celebrated on various dates around the world after originating in Canada as a protest against a bullying incident at school in Nova Scotia when a Grade 9 student was bullied after arriving to school wearing a pink shirt. Two friends then distributed 50 pink shirts to classmates in solidarity. Some of the city’s most prominent businesswomen gathered at the annual Pink Shirt Luncheon to raise money for local antibullying programs. PODIUM PRETTY: Against the backdrop of the lit Olympics cauldron, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra played at the 24th-annual Lovers’ Ball. Led by maestro Bramwell Tovey, the Juno and Grammy award-winning band fronted the organization’s signature soiree. Chaired by Mary Ann Clark and Laura Hansen, nearly 500 guests filed into the Vancouver Convention Centre for the royal repast and auction. The affair generated a reported $640,000 for the venerable arts institution’s education and community programs.

PERFECT PAIRINGS: The Bacchanalia Gala Dinner and Auction is the centerpiece event of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, and the largest fundraiser of the year for Bard on the Beach. The charity dinner and auction welcomed more than 500 oenophiles to the ultimate showcase in wine and food pairings — a Champagne reception and nine wines married with a decadent five-course dinner prepared by executive chef Cameron Ballendine. The event kicked off a week of wine tastings, seminars and red carpet romps.

Hong Kong’s Economic Trade Office’s Gloria Lo, left, and Catherine Yuen, front, along with Hong Kong Tourism Board’s Michael Lim and Karisa Lui, hosted a Lunar New Year dinner with business leaders at Peninsula Seafood Restaurant hyping the city.

Maestro Bramwell Tovey and his wife, Lana, greeted guests to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s 24th-annual Lovers’ Ball held at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Bacchanalia chair Brenda McAllister (centre) feted her sisters Sheri Keeman, left, and Cynda Heward at the Vancouver International Wine Festival’s signature soiree benefitting Bard on the Beach.

Meredith Carr and Michael Preuss celebrated their recent engagement at the Vancouver Symphony’s Lovers’ Ball.

Fiona Forbes (l), Jillian Harris and Jen Schaeffers (r) helped raise $15,000 for local anti-bullying programs at the Pink Shirt Day Ladies Luncheon.

Carolyn Tuckwell and Marcie Mark’s Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast BC were one of the beneficiaries of the Pink Shirt Day Luncheon benefit at Blue Water Café.

Helping christen Richmond’s new Hugo Boss store were David Labrecque, Lanita Layton and Marina Krasnogolov.

Global TV’s Sophie Lui and Bard on the Beach’s Christopher Gaze fronted the Bacchanalia Gala, the centerpiece of the Vancouver International Wine Festival.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4

arts&entertainment

And the Oscar should go to... nominees are Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street) and ﬁrst-time actor Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips).

NO REAL SURPRISES WITH THIS YEAR’S ACADEMY AWARDS NOMINEES

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Jennifer Lawrence and Lupita Nyong’o duke it out for the trophy in two vastly different roles. Lawrence delivered a potent mix of brassy, jiggly and vulnerable in American Hustle, while Nyong’o was all raw emotional power in 12 Years a Slave. No chance: June Squibb (Nebraska), Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine) and Julia Roberts (August: Osage County). Scarlett Johansson’s voicework in Her was the subject of much debate before nomination time, but wasn’t nominated in the end.

JULIE CRAWFORD Contributing writer

ut on your best dress, get your ballots ready at home and prepare to stiﬂe a yawn: there isn’t much suspense to be had from this year’s Academy Awards, airing March 2 and hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. What fun is an Oscar show if there’s no suspense, no heated arguments, no throwing popcorn at the TV? The only gasps this year were heard when Tom and Oprah’s names weren’t called on nomination day. Let’s hope Bradley Cooper shows up in full American Hustle perm to liven things up… Here are your nominees and who was passed over this year.

BEST PICTURE Best Picture is often a foregone conclusion by this point, but this is the only category remotely up for grabs, between 12 Years A Slave and American Hustle. 12 Years should take it. Snubbed was Rush, the enjoyable Formula One ﬂick from Ron Howard. And while critics loved the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis, Academy voters weren’t impressed. Who else is nominated: Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Captain Phillips, Philomena, Nebraska, Her, The Wolf Of Wall Street.

BEST DIRECTOR People want to recognize director Alfonso

3243 Main St

David O. Russell’s hair-tastic American Hustle goes head to head with Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards on March 2. Cuaron for his Gravity feat but don’t love the ﬁlm enough to give it Best Picture. It’s a sure thing that he’ll win. Also nominated: Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave), Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street), David O. Russell (American Hustle), Alexander Payne (Nebraska). Snubbed: Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips).

BEST ACTOR We love it when actors transform themselves for a role, that’s half the battle right there. Matthew McConaughey had two great roles this year (Mud and Dallas Buyers Club) and he’s a cinch this year. I’d like to see Chiwetel Ejiofor win, if only because presenters have been practising his name for weeks! Other nominees: Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Christian Bale (American Hustle). Inexplicably shut out was Robert Redford,

for his riveting solo voyage in All Is Lost. Also absent: Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station) and Tom Hanks, despite his best work in years (Captain Phillips).

BEST ACTRESS Sandra Bullock may have had a shot had she not so recently won an Oscar for The Blind Side. But Cate Blanchett is unbeatable for her role in Blue Jasmine, even by Meryl Streep (August: Osage County), a nominee 18 times over. Also up: Amy Adams (American Hustle), Judi Dench (Philomena). Snubbed: Oprah Winfrey, along with everyone else in The Butler.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR No suspense here either: Jared Leto all the way for his poignant performance in Dallas Buyers Club, though I would’ve voted for Fassbender’s unforgettably psychotic performance in 12 Years A Slave. Fellow

BEST ANIMATED FILM Disney’s Frozen will beat out the Miyazaki ﬁlm that few people saw (The Wind Rises) and those cute minions in Despicable Me 2. Also nominated were The Croods and Ernest and Celestine. I just sat through a school talent show where ﬁve different kids sang terrible versions of “Let It Go” — count on the song from Frozen to win, too, after Idina Menzel sings it live during the telecast.

BEST DOCUMENTARY The Act of Killing challenges Indonesian death squad leaders to recreate some of their crimes, with memorably chilling results. It will win over the lively love story Cutie and the Boxer, about the 40-year marriage between “boxing” artist Ushio Shinohara and Noriko Shinohara. Dirty Wars explores the U.S. government’s covert wars; The Square chronicles the toppling of Egyptian president Mubarak; 20 Feet From Stardom is the must-see story of music’s unsung heroines: the back-up singers.

F R I DAY, F E B RUA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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CIRCLE THE WAGON by Maria Tallarico

START NOTHING: 3:04 a.m. to 7:40 a.m. Sunday, 9:31 a.m. to 11:12 a.m. Tuesday, 5:55 a.m. to 6:37 p.m. Thursday, and after 11:53 p.m. Saturday. LIBRA’S LOVE FORECAST: Until late July you are packed with romantic courage, assertiveness and impatience. Usually you like to quietly radiate your charms and see who responds. This way you can judge a person’s suitability before the relationship develops. But from last December through this July, you’re too ﬁery and impatient to wait — you’ll chase someone. This is a blessing if you’re usually too shy to attract love but it can also turn your usual kind of lover away as the people who really appreciate you often are attracted to your calm, gracious demeanour. For once, Libra, you’re in charge in love — be a wise leader.

For every diner there must be a bistro - well, that’s our new philosophy since trying Bistro Wagon Rouge, sister restaurant of popular East Village breakfast spot Red Wagon. The brightest stars in the standout meal included the steak tartare (made fresh behind the bar, a creative way to squeeze the most out of the small space) and topped with an egg yolk as bright as the sun ($10) and tender beef cheek bourguignon ($19), which is sure to become the staple crowd-pleaser. A taste of France in East Van? C’est bon. 1869 Powell St.,Vancouver Read more on vitamindaily.com

HEALTH BEAUTY DINING &&NIGHTLIFE

MIND THE GAP by Alexandra Suhner Isenberg

Continue to lie low, rest and recuperate. You can safely contact (or begin projects aimed toward) the government, your own head ofﬁce or any large company or institution. Be charitable, in money and in assessing others. This is a great time to make plans for the 12 months ahead, especially for next month when your energy will be high.

Work hard this month, Libra, tackle chores, wrap up tasks that have been neglected. Your career and relations with higher-ups get a once-in-a-decade boost now to July. What you accomplish in the next three weeks will play a signiﬁcant role when you’re considered for promotion or a plum assignment, etc. Protect your health: eat, sleep and dress sensibly. Also until July, if in doubt, be diplomatic, soft — you will have assertiveness to spare.

It’s wish fulﬁlment time! You’ll feel popular, optimistic, playful and ﬂirtatious. A “long, dark night” is behind you (Sept. 2012 to Feb. 2014). Now your future brightens, now social delights await you. You’ve been “karmically cleansed” and can now go forth with a clean heart and free conscience. You’re beginning a nine-year journey toward one of the nicest peaks in your life.

Romance, pleasure, beauty, charming kids, sports/games, creative and speculative urges — these fill your days this month. Until July, you are favoured to find a marriageable love, and March can go a long way toward finding it. However, an intimate secret or health factor might hold you back over the same time (to July). It’s probably best to be open with someone you want to keep. Health and work are on the agenda Sunday to Tuesday noon.

The accent lies on career, prestige relations, reputation, ambition and the “outside world.” Be forward, diligent, active and hopeful, especially Thursday night through Saturday, when you could impress someone powerful! (You might also impress a sweet Libran Thursday eve or Saturday – perhaps someone met in the last several weeks/days.) Now to July, chase money, cultivate clients, improve your earnings and pay down debts.

The accent lies on home, parent/kid relations, property, security, retirement planning, garden, nourishment, cooking and Mother Nature. This is a slow-down month, Sage, so don’t be reluctant to nap, to veg out or let non-essential time wasters go. It might be time to decide who and what stays in your life, and who/what to abandon. Until July, you’re in an excellent phase to change your life in major ways, in lifestyle and health.

A mellow, wise mood steals over you until late March. Circumstances will favour far travel, higher education, publishing/broadcasting, religion, culture, intellectual pursuits, legal matters, and love. A bold Pisces might pursue you. If you’re single, accept gladly! Your personal luck and good mood remain high and rewarding through July.

Until July, single Capricorns could meet a very viable, cheerful marriage prospect, but married Caps might have to decide whether they want to stay or go. For all, single or attached, the same period (to late July) brings a friction-prone inﬂuence also so, if contemplating as life together, ask yourself: Do we argue too much? This same period needs caution and a light humour on the career front, as bosses tend to be temperamental.

The accent remains on large ﬁnances (investments, mortgages and other debts) and on sexual intimacy, lifestyle changes and health diagnoses, commitment and its consequences. Research, dig deep, ask questions. You could ﬁnd a treasure — of information or other stuff. Now to November 2015, strictly avoid legal matters, especially lawsuits.

March emphasizes money, earnings and spending, which ﬁts in well with a larger cycle of expanded work (to July). It’s quite possible you’ll receive a promotion or pay raise in the next 5 months, or that a higher-up will open the door (August onward to 2015) to an opportunity. Your career reputation is good, but home life has been a drag for over a year.

Relationships ﬁll your horizon this month, Virgo. You could fall in love, if single. You can also form valuable friendships and group contacts, and grab opportunities in business, in relocation, in dealings with the public. You’ll face a challenge or two, but nothing huge: smile, defuse the competition — make love, not war. You’re popular until July (and optimistic) so soak it up!

Your energy, charisma and effectiveness hit a yearly high this month. Start important projects, see and be seen, tackle tasks that formerly intimidated you. You’re a winner now! You’re also in a lucky romantic and creative period until July, so use your present high energy period to impress someone, to chase the person you want. One thing, Pisces: until November 2015, you’ll make good investments, but your earnings might lag.

Monday: Jessica Biel (32). Tuesday: Chaz Bono (45). Wednesday: Eva Mendes (40). Thursday: Shaquille O’Neal (42), Friday: Rachel Weisz (44). Saturday: Micky Dolenz (69). Sunday: Juliette Binoche (50).

While we’ve always been a fan of Gap’s reliable basics, it has been awhile since we have been giddy with excitement over one of its collections. But now that Rebekka Bay (known for having launched one of our favourite brands, COS) is in charge, we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new spring stock. Scando-American style for spring