FRIDAY
April 10 2015
Vol. 106 No. 28
PACIFIC SPIRIT 12
Vaisakhi celebrations DINING 22
Campari shortage hits home SPORTS 23
Resting with karate There’s more online at
vancourier.com WEEKEND EDITION
THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908
Bank land, sell high
Realtor groups lots for big profit Frank O’Brien
Danny Maloney, 62, was a fixture in Kitsilano, where he sold the Megaphone newspaper and its predecessors at Fourth and Vine for more than 20 years.
PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
A humble presence in Kits Street newspaper seller remembered by community Mike Howell
mhowell@vancourier.com
To many who passed him by on the sidewalk, he was the rough-and-tumble guy in the big sweater at the corner of Fourth and Vine hawking the Megaphone street newspaper. To those who stopped to give him two bucks for the paper and stayed long enough to exchange more than a hello and a goodbye, they found a new friend in Danny Maloney. He had many friends. About 100 of them, including his sister Debby, turned out Tuesday to a lounge in the Kitsilano Community Centre to pay tribute to the 62-year-old man. He $
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died last month of lung disease at his Commercial Drive apartment. “Danny wasn’t big on sharing his feelings, though I think he would thank the Kitsilano community for providing him with a home and making it a place where he felt safe and accepted,” said Janice McTaggart, who spoke to the crowd on behalf of Maloney’s overwhelmed sister, who wiped away tears as she stood next to her friend at the front of the room. An enlarged photograph of her brother, a large bouquet of flowers and an urn containing Maloney’s ashes filled the space to her right. A short movie about Maloney played in a loop on a back wall. Before her, were rows of people in folding chairs, some she knew, some she
didn’t and others, such as Sean Condon who had a special relationship with Maloney as executive director of Megaphone, she met for the first time. A mix of men and women, including workers from the Whole Foods on Fourth where Maloney became a friend to the staff, listened and shared stories for more than an hour about their favourite street vendor. Stuart Rush, a 20-year Kitsilano resident, described Maloney as a “welcoming sentinel” to many in the neighbourhood, saying that “Danny’s passing has left a hole in Kits.” The Maloney he knew was “a visible conscience” to a homogeneous Kitsilano, bringing street life, poverty and “part of everyday existence” into the community. Continued on page 5
Two of Vancouver realtor Michelle Yu’s clients flew all the way from Taiwan to give her a hug when she sold their Cambie Street residential lot for $4.3 million after other realtors had estimated its value at $1.8 million. Yu, born in Hong Kong and educated in Toronto, is a Re/Max specialist in selling multiple adjacent residential lots — referred to as assemblies — in Canada’s mother of all housing booms. By keeping acutely aware of Vancouver’s official community plans, forging close ties with developers and working exclusively for vendors, she is known for doubling the values of houses along the hot real estate corridors of the West Side. An example is nine contiguous lots she assembled recently along the south end of Granville Street, the airport-to-downtown artery. In July 2014, the B.C. Assessment Authority said the single-family lots were worth about $1.7 million each. Yu banked them into a single development parcel that sold this year for $33.4 million, or an average of $3.7 million per lot. Doubling of values is common if a land assembly is successful, Yu said. Often, a block of Vancouver house owners will get together and agree to sell their properties as a single land play, she said. “Then they call me.” Yu meets with her architect and city planners to ascertain the land’s development potential. She notes that the city’s official community plan is posted online so it is easy to determine if higher-density zoning is possible. The official community plan, for example, may suggest the land could be developed to a 2.5 floor space ratio, meaning that a 10,000-square-foot single-family lot is suddenly 25,000 square feet of potential townhomes that can sell for $900 per square foot. While the profits can be startling, land banking does present challenges, said Yu and other agents familiar with Vancouver lot assemblies. Continued on page 4 $
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Green ThIngS come to tHosE who WAit THE VANDUSEN PLANT SALE
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F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
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News
Housing to replace Downtown Eastside garden
12TH&CAMBIE Mike Howell
mhowell@vancourier.com
Around this time last year, the PHS Community Services Society was making news for a scandal that rocked the nonprofit. Remember? This story broke in the spring of 2014 when the provincial government released a torpedo into the good ship PHS that sank its good name in the Downtown Eastside, where the nonprofit manages hotels, the city’s supervised injection site, needle exchanges and other services for the city’s most vulnerable. Four of its managers resigned. The audits, conducted by Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and B.C. Housing, revealed lavish spending practices by PHS staff, including trips to Europe, New York, Disneyland and Hawaii, where they stayed in expensive hotels and travelled by limousine. I could give you more from the audits, but the re-
A Downtown Eastside property on West Hastings, which is owned by the city, will continue to be used as a garden until at least November. The city has plans to build housing on the site. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
porting on this is old news. What’s new is the City of Vancouver wants to work out a deal with the PHS — which still exists under a government-appointed board — on a piece of property at 58 West Hastings St. The property was once owned by developer Concord Pacific, which gave it to the city as a community amenity contribution in
return for the rezoning of its property at 10 Terry Fox Way. Some of you are likely familiar with the chunk of land on West Hastings, which was turned into a garden a few years ago. The PHS had operated the garden under an agreement with Concord for at least three years. Now that the city recently took over title of the
property, the PHS wants to ensure it can continue to operate the garden. The city has suggested a nominal rent fee of $10 that will carry the nonprofit until at least November 30, 2015. A city staff report going before council next week recommends the partnership with the PHS, saying the garden and urban agriculture programs, along
with bee hives managed by Hives for Humanity, “add positive contributions to the neighbourhood and contribute to many of council’s priorities and goals outlined in the city food and healthy city strategies, as well as the Greenest City Action Plan.” But why only have an agreement in place until November? “The garden is an ideal
use of the site until the site is redeveloped for housing purposes anticipated in 2016,” the report said. The report didn’t specifically say what type of housing it has planned for the site, which at one time served as a protest camp during the 2010 Winter Olympics. So I phoned up Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs to see if he could shed some light on what “housing purposes” actually means. Meggs said the city hasn’t decided whether it will be social housing, marketing housing or a mix. “Everything I know about it is in the report and that’s all that’s been decided by council,” Meggs said. “Under the Downtown Eastside plan, [staff] would obviously prioritize affordable housing as a key goal but we haven’t seen any specific staff proposal.” Added Meggs: “I know that various people have expressed an interest [in the redevelopment of the property] but I don’t think it’s gone further than that.” Meanwhile, the garden grows. twitter.com/Howellings
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
News
East Side resistant to block sales Continued from page 1 Yu said the house owners have to wait at least a year as rezoning applications inch through the jam-packed Vancouver planning office. While the homeowners can’t sell the properties in
the meantime, they can reap even more money if the rezoning results in a higher density than was expected, Yu said. Yu, who often deals with investors from China, said the majority of such buyers finance their Vancouver
real estate through Canadian banks, even if they have enough cash for the purchase. Mark Goodman, a principal at HQ Commercial, who sold a five-building city block in affluent Kerrisdale to a developer in mid-
March for $26.3 million, said individual owners are not always on board with development plans. Goodman is working with a developer on a controversial 11-lot land assembly in East Vancouver that shows how land banking is being done when there is “resistance.” When some of the single-family house owners balked at selling into the land assembly, the developer swooped in to buy the two key corner lots, “which locked down the site,” Goodman said. The developer paid $1.6 million per lot, or about $600,000 above neighbourhood values. All the other owners then agreed to join in. “It’s a gamble for the developer,” Goodman said, since city rezoning has not been finalized. Meanwhile, the two house owners that sold first continue to live rent-free in their homes while the rezoning process drags on. In other cases, Goodman said, homeowners who agree to sell as part of an assembly within a year
A total of nine houses in the 6100-block of Granville Street, appraised in 2014 for $1.7 million each, sold as a group $33.4 million, or an average of $3.7 million for each lot. PHOTO CHUNG CHOW
can be paid up to $100,000 to remain in the queue if the rezoning is delayed. “And that is non-refundable,” Goodman said. Homeowners have also negotiated bonus payments of $75 to $150 for each square foot of density achieved through rezoning. “All that flows right
back to the house owner.” Yu, who has handled about 20 Metro Vancouver land assemblies over the past two decades, expects the exuberant pace of land banking — and price acceleration — to continue. “It is up and up,” Yu said, “for 10 more years or even more.”
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F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
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News ‘Danny’s passing has left a hole’
Continued from page 1 “But it wasn’t just his presence, it was his demeanour — his smile, his humility and his interaction with people, which was genuine and engaging,” said Rush, one of the first speakers who took a turn at the microphone. “It is sad that Danny will probably never know that his modest presence on a busy street corner would have the impact that it has.” Maryam-Val Morris said Maloney was her best friend, the two of them regular bingo players. Maloney shared bingo winnings with Morris and paid for the funeral of her mother’s boyfriend. He also saved her life, she said, telling a story about how she passed out at bingo one night and no one came to her aid but Maloney, who called an ambulance. “After that, we became really close,” said Morris, her voice breaking. “He was an angel.” Condon also had trouble getting through his turn at the microphone. He said he met Maloney on the street corner and soon got involved with the newspaper.
“Danny had a rough beginning in life, he didn’t get to start out...,” he said, pausing to regain his composure. “He didn’t have it easy, he didn’t have it easy, but it was through the paper that it really did change his life. And that’s because of the people here — his customers, who made him feel valued.”
his customers recalled how Maloney always addressed them as “miss” or “sir.” “As much as he received from all of us, he gave so much more,” said Maria Coelho, who recalled how Maloney gave her a hug on a day that she needed more than counsel from a priest. “I would like for Danny’s legacy to be that we share
“As much as he received from all of us, he gave so much more.” —Maria Coelho Maloney sold Megaphone magazine and earlier versions of the publication, including Spare Change, for more than 20 years on the corner. He also sold the Hope in Shadows calendar, which was advertised on his baseball cap. He was there year-round, his friends said, in the rain, sun and snow. He loved to talk politics, was up on the news, enjoyed 1960s music, vanilla ice cream, HungryMan dinners and smoked like a chimney. Some of
more than an exchange about what the weather is like.” The crowd heard how Maloney’s job gave him a purpose in life and helped him put a past of drugs, alcohol and prison behind him. It also led to a reunification with his sister Debby, who lost touch with her brother for 35 years. Both of them were born in Ontario, where their mother still lives. As the story goes, Coast Mental Health, which has for years helped Maloney
with his mental health and subsidized his apartment, awarded Maloney its Courage to Come Back Award more than 10 years ago. Spare Change published a story about Maloney’s achievement, which was featured in an edition of the paper. A friend of Debby’s happened to pick up the paper while in Vancouver. She took it back to Debby, who lives in Langley. Debby contacted her brother over the phone, bringing the two of them together after more than three decades. They could have reunited earlier, Debby discovered, after realizing she lived in Kitsilano for a period of time when her brother was working the corner. She remembers walking by that same corner but never gave the man with the newspapers a second look. “If it wasn’t for the award and the paper, then I’d still be looking for him,” said Debby after the ceremony, which concluded with the crowd singing an impromptu version of “Amazing Grace.” “I’m glad I found him.” twitter.com/Howellings
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
Opinion Vote Yes if you want highrise congestion SOAPBOX Hubert Culham
hculhambarch@gmail.com
Committing to our planet’s future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. That’s why the EPRA, an industryled not-for-profit organization, works to keep 100,000 metric tonnes of end-of-life electronics out of landfills each year through convenient and regulated e-recycling programs. Technology advances fast, but we only get one earth.
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The transit plebiscite is not just about “transit.” It’s about politics, and the manipulation of the public with missing or incorrect information. It’s about incompetent leadership, and ultimately the destruction of our city and our whole valley. We have seen the big names who say “vote yes,” from Jimmy Pattison to the Mayors’ Council, to the B.C. government. In spite of that, the citizens smell a rat. It’s a total distrust of TransLink and its fat cat CEO, board of directors, and everybody else in the top positions; and at the nuts and bolts level: idle, costly turnstiles, everything going wrong and costing a fortune to fix. Who could possibly trust these same people to guide the huge expenditure proposed? The actual amount of money to be raised by the tax, or the total cost of the work, keep changing, and are strangely not on the ballot. How can this be tolerated? Perhaps the worst misinformation is stating that if you vote “no” you will be forever stuck with an inadequate transit system. Don’t worry. When our provincial government feels the heat and is ready, it will simply push through transit expansion like it always did, without asking for our opinion. We are told that improving and extending transit will improve air quality. It’s good for our lungs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. But in fact, transit will accelerate housing development right up the Fraser Valley, and no, the lines will not stop at Langley City; they’re headed for Chilliwack. Every new dwelling in the Fraser Valley brings a car with it. Our government tells us that a population explosion of a million people or more is coming into the Lower Mainland and is unstoppable. If that is true, our beautiful valley will be congested, polluted, destroyed. Highrises will stretch from here to Chilliwack. But such cancerous growth can be controlled if that is the will of the people. It is not easy, but it can be done. Because Vancouver is the focus of the transit initiative we should look closely at that city. No citizen of Vancouver in recent times has seen a
true, comprehensive, and professional plan for its growth, because such a plan does not exist. Some of us have seen fragmented pieces of a city plan; but nothing that ties it all together, nothing credible, nothing that we had the slightest influence upon. But if you ask a city planner, he will tell you that the proposed increased densities for city growth parallel and must reflect the transit system. So, the transit tail is wagging the city dog. TransLink and its designers lay the lines and our council happily surrounds them with highrises. This notion totally obstructs any creative, sophisticated city planning, and will inevitably replicate Manhattan. The streets become tunnels between highrise walls. The single family residences behind these tunnels are destroyed, their owners move out, and no community is possible any longer. Long ago there was something called the Livable Region Plan for the Fraser Valley, whose title tells its intentions, now scrapped by the government as obsolete. Then there was the Agricultural Land Reserve: brilliant, far-sighted, intuitively accepted by the public, even in those days before science showed us the peril we were in from global warming and world population explosion. The ALR has been under vicious attack for some time by governments determined to black top our farmland and help out their buddies. None of the above regional planning stuff is referenced in the plebiscite material. The first, most critical issue to be considered is long term population growth in the Fraser Valley. How many people can we handle without destroying our environment? How exactly will we impose these limits? What should it look like? A new scheme should be clear, explicit, phased, and not stop at Langley. Citizens must be involved. To achieve this we must first reject the transit plebiscite as it stands. Tell our government to come back to us in one year with a new team, and a believable, comprehensive scheme of regional planning that respects our city and valley, that controls population growth, and the transit lines and other facilities to service it. Hubert Culham’s professional career has been in architecture and planning. He is a Vancouver resident.
F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
News City looks at next step for Cambie
Phase two produced 6,600 housing units DEVELOPING STORY Naoibh O’Connor
noconnor@vancourier.com
A report which, if approved, will kick off phase three of planning for the Cambie Corridor and focusing on family-oriented housing goes before council April 14. The overall study area includes 16th Avenue to the Fraser River between Oak and Ontario Streets. Within that area are proposed focus areas where potential land changes would be considered. “It captures lands within about 800 metres of Canada Line stations, which is commonly accepted as a reasonable walking distance to high quality transit,” head planner Brian Jackson told the Courier Wednesday. Phase one of Cambie Corridor planning identified goals and objectives for the corridor, while phase two focused on properties facing onto the Cambie Corridor. The adoption of phase two in 2011 sparked considerable development — 33 rezoning applications, 26 of which were approved, as well as 16 active enquiries, according to the staff report to council. Approved projects will produce 6,600 new housing units. “The amount of development [after phase two] has happened quicker than we’d anticipated the take-up, but it just reinforced the adage that it’s not location, location, location, it’s transit, transit, transit that’s where people want to be located along,” Jackson said. Jackson said reaction to phase two hasn’t changed the proposed approach to
The city says phase three of planning for the Cambie Corridor will be different than the previous two phases. “It’s primarily geared to family-oriented, grade-related housing opportunities in the shoulder area,” says head planner Brian Jackson. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
phase three. “Phase three is really going to be quite different. It’s primarily geared to family-oriented, grade-related housing opportunities in the shoulder area. So we anticipate those properties will take longer to assemble, and because the price of land has gone up in the meantime, developers will have to take more time. We hope that it will be taken up as quickly because, quite frankly, that is a piece of the housing continuum that’s missing in Vancouver — townhouses, stacked townhouses and row housing,” he said. Jackson pointed out that changes are not proposed for the interior of the neighbourhoods. “It’s really the periphery along the arterials, especially along Cambie, as well as 49th and King Edward, and 41st as well. So it really is providing opportunities for redevelopment of those shoulder areas right in be-
hind the properties that are currently redeveloping,” he said. “So we’re leaving intact, and we’re not including in our study area, two of the areas between King Edward and 16th, both east and west of Cambie, that have a lot of heritage houses in them. We didn’t want to send the signal that we’re interested in going in there other than through another policy mechanism, which is our Heritage Action Plan. So we’re leaving those areas out of the opportunity areas for redevelopment.” Similarly, staff propose to leave out the single-family area south of Oakridge, to the west and to the east, from redevelopment opportunities. “We’re really trying to learn from the Marpole experience,” he said. When asked if he anticipates any pushback from residents, Jackson noted that interestedly enough, the city has already been contacted by landowners who want their property to
be included in areas proposed for change. Allan Biuim, of the Riley Park South Cambie Community Vision Group, said the group will keep watch and provide input on phase three of the Cambie Corridor process as it unfolds and he noted the boundaries have been enlarged. They used to be between Manitoba and Heather streets. He also questions several references to affordability in the staff report. Biuim points to a standard bungalow near his house that recently sold for more than $1.6 million. “You tell me where the hell is affordability. Things have gone insane. So when they’re talking row houses etc., I don’t know where they’re going to get affordable homes when the new development at 25th and Ash where the Hobbit House is — [those] townhouses are going to go for a million plus.” twitter.com/naoibh
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ROSE IN THE AIR Steven Rose catches some air Wednesday afternoon at the Hastings Skate Park’s quarter-pipe. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
Grow it, Show it!
A demo event on container gardening hosted by Tapestry at Arbutus Walk
Tuesday, April 14, 2015, 2:30pm – 4:30pm Who ever said apartment living meant giving up your garden?! At Tapestry Retirement Communities, we know better, and we’re bringing in an expert to share all the tricks of the container gardening trade. We have invited Sarah Nation of Blooming Designs, a boutique landscaping company, to mentor attendees with expert knowledge. Sarah is responsible for the creation of many container gardens at Tapestry Retirement Communities in Vancouver and elsewhere. This hands-on event will leave you feeling confident and excited about beautifying your patio! If the spring blossoms are inspiring you, our container gardening demo is a must attend event! Join us on the 8th floor with views of our beautiful rooftop garden patio in Kitsilano to learn how to create your own blooming designs.
If you are interested in this unique learning opportunity, please RSVP to 604.736.1640. Seats are limited!
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F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
Community Learn about Ukrainian culture
Deanna Cheng
dmwcheng7@gmail.com
Heightened interest in Ukraine thanks to its ongoing conflict involving Russia has led to a chance for Vancouverites to learn more about its culture. The Association of United Unkrainian Canadians will host its first Ukrainian Arts and Culture Fest, a series of cultural workshops, on April 18 and 19 at the Ukrainian Culture Centre in Strathcona at 805 East Pender St. Instructors will lead specialized workshops in bead jewelry, vocal folksong, orchestral folk music and pysanky, a type of Ukrainian Easter egg. Each workshop will have space for 30 to 35 people. Laurel Lawry, a member of the organizing committee, said interest in Ukrainian culture inspired the association to hold the event. “People are curious about what we do and what we’re about,” she said, noting political events in Ukraine have brought a lot of attention to the region. People who identify themselves as Ukrainian Canadians also feel strongly about what’s happening in the home country. So Lawry wanted to open the doors and say,
“Here’s the sights, sounds and smells.” A workshop on pysanky at one of the Ukrainian centre’s regular perogy luncheons drew a lot of questions, so the association wondered what other crafts neighbours and passersby would be interested in. There is a B.C. Ukrainian Cultural Festival in Mission, Lawry said, but it’s dance-focused. “There’s nothing like a workshop series, especially not in Vancouver proper.” She hopes participants will experience a fun day of activities, surrounded by artistic endeavors and craftwork. She also hopes those individuals will become familiar with Ukrainian culture and traditions. “For example, people in the fashion industry or with beadwork as a hobby will have a richer experience with the bead workshop, especially with someone who has a degree in the ethnic art and folk art. [Tetiana Zaruba] will be a resource for these individuals,” she said. “Traditions are very, very important in Ukraine and there’s different [academic] degrees to crafts.“ The association’s cultural director Debbie Karras said the organization tries to
focus on keeping Ukrainian traditions alive without stifling evolution. “Over time, since our forefathers came here at the turn of the century, the first to go is language.” Karras doesn’t know many young Canadians who speak Ukrainian. “The crafts, like egg painting, is something we can hang onto or pass onto the next generation. You don’t need to practice it over and over again like language.” Even though Ukrainian Canadians have grown up in this country, Karras said they continue to look back in history for identity and inspiration. “We continue to go home to our roots,” she said. According to Statistics Canada, in 2006, about 3.9 per cent of Canada’s population reported at least some Ukrainian ancestry. In B.C., about 4.8 per cent reported some Ukrainian ancestry. The Canadian Encyclopedia website estimates Canadians of Ukrainian descent are Canada’s ninth largest ethnic group and that Canada has the world’s third-largest Ukrainian population behind Ukraine and Russia. For more info, visit auucvancouver.ca
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Sunday, April 19, 2015 12 noon - 2 pm - Open to Langara Gardens residents 2 - 4 pm - Open to everyone Langara Gardens Social Lounge, 621 West 57th Avenue, Vancouver Tuesday, April 21, 2015 5 - 8 pm - Open to everyone Langara Golf Course Clubhouse, 6706 Alberta Street, Vancouver The City, at the request of the site’s owners, Peterson and Concert Properties, is initiating a one-year planning program to create a Policy Statement which will set principles and objectives for land use, sustainability, transportation, rental housing replacement, density, building types and heights, public benefits, and phases of development. At the open houses, you can learn more about the process, project background and City objectives. City staff and the project team will be on hand to answer questions and receive your feedback. FOR MORE INFORMATION: vancouver.ca/langaragardens or phone 3-1-1 Visit: vancouver.ca Phone: 3-1-1 TTY: 7-1-1
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
Opinion Budget squeeze may Monsanto cocktails lead to school closures and other news tidbits Allen Garr Columnist agarr@vancourier.com The annual staff report to a Vancouver School Board committee this week entitled the “K to 12 Enrolment Update” is neither surprising in its findings nor does it recommend any particular course of action. But the unintended consequences could likely be quite dramatic. The report notes a trend that has existed for some time: that East Side schools in particular have far more empty spaces than those on the West Side and downtown. And, most notably, many of those schools fall well below the provincial expectation that schools have fewer than five per cent of their spaces empty. In the political environment in which we find ourselves that may trigger actions that could very well lead to school closures and the possible sale of school properties. Let me explain why. During the six year period when Vision Vancouver held the majority on school board it supported a moratorium on school closures. In 2010, faced with a budget crunch, the board considered shutting down a number of underutilized schools to help their bottom line. The number was eventually pared down to five. But on further consultation with the stakeholders, staff recommended a continuation of the moratorium, along with a proposal to find creative ways to utilize any unused school capacity for the benefit of communities. In the most recent election, as you know, Vision lost its majority on the board. But in one of the first meetings in 2015, with yet another budget crunch looming, one of the four Vision trustees moved a motion to extend the moratorium on closures to 2018. That was defeated by the majority made up of four NPA trustees and the lone Green Party trustee. The NPA’s Fraser Ballantyne, who apparently saw the merit in closing those five schools back in 2010, now says the NPA had no intention of closing schools, but that the motion was amended so that the board could get more information. On Wednesday, Ballantyne and the other members of the board’s management coordinating committee (which incidentally has no Vision members) received the most recent enrolment update report. They would not be the only ones look-
ing at those figures. Just a month ago B.C. Education Minister Peter Fassbender appointed a “special adviser,” the accounting firm of Ernst and Young, to comb through the board’s books to find efficiencies and reduce costs. There should be no doubt that this report will be a critical element in their figuring. But there is more. The province is in tussle with all school boards over its commitment to provide funding to seismically upgrade schools. No board has more seismically challenged buildings than Vancouver. Yet the ministry most recently announced it would be delaying its deadline on that commitment — doubtless given its own budgetary squeeze and a desire to produce a surplus — until 2030. Now with Ernst and Young on the job and with this latest enrolment update, imagine the possibility of directing the board to sell off the most vulnerable building providing capital to work on the remaining stock. There is one other matter: the growing popularity and demands of the private or independent school sector in its search for space in which to grow. While the Vancouver school board has managed to hold about 85 per cent of the market over the past decade, within the Lower Mainland the number of students attending private schools is growing overall while the public sector is declining. The last time a public school here was closed and leased to an independent operator was back in 2003. That however was before Christy Clark was premier and in 2012 created a position to be an advocate to plead their case, parliamentary secretary to the minister of education for independent schools. Clark has both a personal and political interest in advancing the needs of independent schools. Her child attends one of Vancouver’s elite independent schools. And no matter what other effects meeting the demands of that’s sector may have on the social fabric of a community, the government saves money on each child moving out of the public system. Most independent school students are funded at a rate of 50 per cent of the public system. Elite school students receive 35 per cent. In all, it saves the government millions of dollars each year. twitter.com/allengarr
Geoff Olson Columnist mwiseguise@yahoo.com This week, a roundup of recent news items about the body and biology, starting with a Monsanto cheerleader who blew both his feet off with a rhetoric-powered grenade (RPG). In a March interview on French television, Dr. Patrick Moore was blindsided by questions about Monsanto’s flagship product, the herbicide Roundup. (Some background: the World Health Organization, a body not known for environmental scaremongering, has pegged the active ingredient in Roundup as a likely carcinogen. Other studies have claimed glyphosate disrupts the human endocrine in the parts per trillion range.) “You could drink a whole quart of it and it won’t hurt you,” Moore said of glyphosate on CanalTV. The interviewer was prepared, however. “You want to drink some, we have some here,” he said. “I’d be happy to, actually … not really, but,” Moore responded, his brain catching up with his talking points-powered piehole. The ex-Greenpeace member then claimed that farmers in India who commit suicide by drinking Roundup (in protest against Monsanto’s seed practices) do not in fact succeed in dying. But “I’m not stupid,” Moore added. C’mon, just because the guy drank the GMO Kool-Aid doesn’t mean he’s dopey enough to guzzle the glyphosate. In other health-related news, a “1,000-year-old treatment for eye infections could hold the key to killing antibiotic-resistant superbugs,” according to a BBC report. A ninth century Anglo-Saxon remedy found in an old English manuscript can wipe out methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The ancient remedy includes, garlic, onion or leeks, wine and cow bile. (Wow. Next thing you know, they’ll be telling us that leeches are useful in reconstructive surgery.) Perhaps the yellowed pages of “Bald’s Leechbook” contain more surprises. Here’s hoping that includes a topical balm made from eye-of-newt and wing-of-bat that is effective at warding off imps, slyphs and GMO spokestrolls. Sorry, Patrick, couldn’t resist. Canadian media critic Marshall McLuhan once defined technology as an extension of the human body and its sensory apparatus. Consider the “selfie sticks” that allow people to take pictures of themselves at greater than arms-length distances. It’s like having the elastic superpower of Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four, without
the gamma ray bombardment downside, to fool viewers you had a friend present to record your rad moment standing before Baltimore’s Giant Fibreglass Pineapple or Vancouver’s A-Maze-ing Laughter. Alas, the Coachella and Lollapalooza festivals recently banned selfie sticks. Will churches, U.S. military black sites, cuddle parties and ayahuasca ceremonies also follow in restricting these McLuhanesque wands? Will the so-called “narcissticks” go the way of lawn darts, ant farms, and airline hijackings? We can only hope. “Men are going nuts over Lululemon’s ‘anti-ball crushing’ pants.” Nope, it’s not something from the satirical news website The Onion, or another billboard prank from Chip Wilson. It’s a headline from CBC News, which is apparently on a hiring blitz for frathouse members as digital copy editors. In any case, yogawear manufacturer Lululemon athletica has finally addressed that burning question of healthy, breeding-age males: “Where can I find something more comfortable to wear than my cosplay chainmail leggings, that won’t squash my gonads into genetically compromised Silly Putty?” Translation: “Where do I find babe-friendly pants that make it look I’m smuggling a fruit basket through customs?” Finally, an item on everyone’s favourite red planet, Mars. “NASA finds evidence of a vast ancient ocean on Mars,” notes The Guardian. “A huge primitive ocean covered one-fifth of the planet’s surface, making it warm, wet and ideal for alien life to gain a foothold, scientists say.” Double wow. Mars, now cold and dry, is just on the outside edge of the so-called “Goldilocks zone” for habitable life. But that zone was conceived back in the ‘50s, decades before scientists discovered primitive “extremophiles” cavorting in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, floating high in the stratosphere, and stomping angrily out of television studios after retracting offers to drink poisonous substances. Whoops, sorry again, Patrick. Anyway, if there was an ocean on Mars, the odds are good there was life as well. Perhaps even multicellular life that evolved into intelligent beings. Are there any still around? God knows Monsanto could use a few sharper arrows in their quiver — and an extraterrestrial spokesthing might even have the biochemistry to withstand a glyphosate smoothie. I know, I know. Now I’m just being hurtful. geoffolson.com
The week in num6ers...
100 33.4 15 80 15
In thousands, the approximate number of people expected to participate in this year’s annual Vaisakhi celebration across the city.
In millions of dollars, the combined amount nine houses in the 6100-block of Granville Street recently sold for as part of a group sale.
The number of awards handed out at the city’s annual Awards of Excellence, which is accepting nominations until May 8.
The approximate number of bottles of Campari the False Creek Legacy liquor store sold per month prior to the Canadawide shortage.
The number of band members in Toronto’s Lemon Bucket Orkestra, who cram the stage at Main Street’s Fox Cabaret tomorrow night.
10
The number of months in a row the cost of an average detached home in Metro Vancouver has gone up.
F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
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Inbox LETTERS TO THE EDITOR No permit required for friendly neighbourhoods
Re: “Foolish not to learn from other major cities,” April 1. Michael Geller’s column had good ideas for creating physical environments that encourage interaction among neighbours. So did David Grigg’s [April 8]letter. But then they both mention permits and guidelines and municipal authorization for measures like crosswalks and green spaces. It seems strange that being a good neighbour is so difficult for people that we need to get the city involved. Can’t we just be friendly? What’s so hard about saying hello? I’ve lived in many Vancouver neighbourhoods, both west side and east side, and have yet to find an unfriendly one. Being open-hearted is not something a municipality can arrange. Do we really need the people at City Hall and all their various supporters (ie: developers) to get involved in this too? Pat Dobie, Vancouver
Put tracks on the trail
CO U R I E R A R C H I V E S T H I S D A Y I N H I S T O R Y
Canucks win their first playoff series
April 10, 1982: The Vancouver Canucks win their first NHL playoff series in team history after beating the Calgary Flames 3-1 in the Smythe Division semifinal to sweep the best-of-five series in three games. Both teams scored on power plays in a hard-hitting first period. Jim Peplinski put Calgary on the board first but Thomas Gradin soon knotted it by deflecting an Ivan Hlinka shot with Flames star Lanny McDonald in the penalty box. Canucks goalie Richard “King” Brodeur had to be sharp in the first two periods, fending off a total of 30 shots, including a dramatic stick save that blocked a shot by Kent Nilsson from the faceoff circle rim. Dave Williams fired a tiebreaking wrist shot through the fivehole of goaltender Pat Riggin at eight minutes and 17 seconds into the third period. Williams, who scored 17 goals in the regular season, beat Riggin from 20 feet after taking a Gary Lupul pass at the blue line and deking out Flames defenseman Charles Bourgeois for his second winning goal of the series. Gradin then scored his second goal of the game with two minutes remaining to assure the win. The Canucks went on defeat the L.A. Kings, who had managed a surprise upset over the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers, in the division final before making their very first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, where they were swept by the New York Islanders. Another Canucks-Flames battle is, as of the Courier’s press deadline, a distinct possibility for the opening round of the Western Conference’s 2015 playoff series. ADVERTISING
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Re: “CP’s ties that bind,” April 3. This is one of the world’s finest cities. However, in our midst on the Arbutus Corridor is the long abandoned and derelict CP spur lin, an awful blemish on our landscape. This railway company has a reclaim activation project on stream to drive a metal spike into the heart of our residential communities. They claim to establish an industrial storage zone to store empty or full cargo box onto 10 kilometres of our beautiful city. Box cars are dangerous, unsightly and violate our community environments. All levels of governments should be addressing the matter; after all, they all contributed to the century-old grants. Maybe it’s timely to rescind the grants. This is about people and where they live. It’s about a frontier city, maybe we have to take the lead. There is a vision to have the Corridor as part of the Trans Canada Trail for its finish in 2017. We should make it the most beautiful section of that classic project. Hans Finken, Vancouver
Turkish rewrite
Re: “Exotic Courier,” April 3. I don’t know if you really want to know the details but the photo you published in the April 3 edition is not Sultan Ahmet Camii (a.k.a. Blue Mosque), it is Aya Sofya Camii (Hagia Sophia Mosque). The [Istanbul] area/neighbourhood is called Sultanahmet. Two different
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ONLINE COMMENTS Create new park via removed viaducts, not just condos
Re: “Deadpool tests life without viaducts,” April 8. I’m all for removing the viaducts provided the city uses some creativity on how better to use that space. Unfortunately, they will be torn down and in their place will go another bunch of bland, featureless highrises. Frankly I’d rather have the viaducts than yet more highrises. Why not turn at least one of the viaducts into a park? Imagine how popular it would be if shut down to cars and planted with trees and grass. What a fantastic place to go for a walk or hang out on a sunny afternoon. Sadly, the developers would prefer high-profit highrises, so that’s what we’ll get. Jack, via Comments section
Deadpooling our resources
Re: Kudos & Kvetches: “An inconvenience truth,” April 8. [Deadpool] is employing a lot of people in our city. The people who are otherwise employed in this city can find other means of getting to work. Not a prob. Pat Johnson, via Facebook
•••
If Times Square can close down for Tom Cruise and one of his big budget films so can the viaduct. This movie is employing a lot of people in our city. Shabnam Jessa, via Facebook
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May have misread this but it sounds like Weekend at Bernie’s 3 is filming in Vancouver this summer. Matthew Lazin-Ryder, via Twitter
Rewriting NHL history
Re: This day in Vancouver history: “Millionaires lose Stanley Cup final,” online only. Headline of the Vancouver Sun on April 5, 1921: “Vancouver loses Stanley Cup, fans blame Luongo” The EffingEagles, via Reddit
•••
This day in history: Vancouver loses 2015 Stanley Cup Final to Ottawa. Please? BigRiggity, via Reddit
•••
Damn, not another cup loss story. Sportsnet just played the CanucksRangers final of ’94 on NHL Classics. All I have to say is play for Pat Quinn and get as deep in the playoffs as you can for the Big Irishman! mr_unsatisfied, via Reddit
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
Community
The annual Vaisakhi event draws not only Sikhs but plenty of other Vancouverites who enjoy the colourful displays and the abundance of vegetarian food handed out freely. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT
Vaisakhi an open door to community Annual Vancouver celebration expects turnout of 100,000 PACIFIC SPIRIT Pat Johnson
pacificspiritpj@gmail.com
On Saturday, South Vancouver will be packed with people of all cultures coming to celebrate one of the holiest and most celebratory days in the Sikh year. Vaisakhi is not only a huge day for the Sikh community, it is one of the most visible celebrations in the city. In Punjabi villages, a Vaisakhi procession called a nagar kirtan takes place, a festive parade of exuberant music and bhangra dancing. In Vancouver’s own Punjabi village, the annual event draws not only Sikhs but plenty
of other Vancouverites who enjoy the colourful displays and, not insignificantly, the abundance of vegetarian food freely handed out. This tradition, based on the Sikh concept of “seva,” selfless service, accounts for part of the popularity of the festival among non-Sikhs. Because this is a federal election year, expect plenty of politicians decked out in Punjabi garb. Vaisakhi is a Sikh celebration of the Khalsa — a term meaning “pure” but also interpreted as “free” —which represents the collective of all initiated Sikhs. Khalsa refers to the entire community and also to each individual. Vaisakhi is also celebrated as the new year
by Indian Hindus and Buddhists. Hindus believe that the goddess Ganga descended to Earth on this day and they honour her by bathing in the Ganges. For Sikhs, in addition to marking the founding of the Khalsa, Vaisakhi is a winter harvest festival and a day of thanksgiving. People will buy new clothes and there will be plenty of dancing and favourite foods. Since 1979, Vancouver Sikhs have taken to the streets in ever-larger annual celebrations. Ranjit Hayer of the Khalsa Diwan Society, which runs the parade, predicts a turnout of about 100,000. Surrey’s Vaisakhi a week later will be even bigger.
“It’s a very big event,” says Hayer. “One of the most important days in the calendar.” It dates back to 1699, when Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh guru, formalized religious practices and initiated the first five Singhs — “lions” — into the Order of Pure Ones, or Khalsa Panth. An initiated Sikh is identified by the Five Ks, articles of faith set out by the guru: a keski, turban; kangha, a wooden comb; kara, a bracelet of steel or iron; kacchera, an undergarment; and kirpan, a ceremonial dagger. Vaisakhi is one of three annual Sikh festivals, the others being Maghi, which follows the winter solstice and marks the
lengthening of the days, and Diwali, the festival of lights in which candles symbolize the triumph over spiritual darkness. Sikhism emphasizes good deeds above ritual and places special devotion to equality among all people. It is a religion, not an ethnicity, but since Sikhs do not generally proselytize, they have remained a solidly Punjabi community. The roots of the religion stem to about 1500, when Guru Nanak began teaching a practice that differed substantively from the Islam and Hinduism then prevalent in the area, which is contemporary Pakistan and northern India. There are about 27 million Sikhs in the world,
about 470,000 in Canada, of whom about 200,000 are in B.C. Plenty of them will be on the streets Saturday as the procession snakes through thick crowds beginning at the Ross Street gurdwara at 11 a.m. The parade goes along Marine Drive to Main Street, up Main to 49th, across to Fraser, down to 57th, over to Ross and back to the temple. Vaisakhi is one of the times of the year when the Sikh community is most visible to the rest of the city and Hayer, of the Khalsa Diwan Society, says this reflects the Sikh attitude. “Our doors are open for everybody,” he says. twitter.com/Pat604Johnson
F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
News Emergency crews respond to oil spill in English Bay
Nominations open for annual excellence awards
The City of Vancouver is seeking individuals and organizations to be recognized for their outstanding civic achievements in this year’s awards of excellence. Nominations are open to everyone, including organizations making a difference, social leaders, community groups, and enterprising youth and children. There are a total 15 awards in five catego-
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ries: Accessible City, Civic Volunteer, Diversity and Inclusion, Greenest City Leadership, and Healthy City for All. In each one, awards may be presented to one adult, one child or youth (21 years old or younger) and one organization. “The Awards of Excellence celebrate and recognize the amazing work that is being done to make Vancouver a healthier, happier, more prosperous, and harmonious city,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson in a prepared statement.“Over 130 nominations were received last year... I’d like to see even more names put forward this year.” Nominations will be accepted until May 8. Visit vancouver.ca for more information.
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Emergency crews are working to clean up a bunker fuel oil spill in English Bay. Port Metro Vancouver says it became aware of the spill shortly after 5 p.m. April 8. The City of Vancouver has warned boaters not to touch the oily water, and is asking residents to call the Coast Guard (1-800-8898852) if they see fuel on or near a beach. The incident follows a fire involving a toxic substance at the port March 4. Following that fire, the City of Vancouver and other municipalities said they were not getting enough information about dangerous goods moving through the region.
The city has also expressed concern about the possibility of a major oil spill if Kinder Morgan’s proposal to twin its existing Trans Mountain pipeline goes ahead and the number of oil tankers in Burrard Inlet increases.
$5
Recognize the people that make Vancouver excellent.
BUTTON
Featuring five award categories for youth and children, adults and organizations. AWARD CATEGORIES ACCESSIBLE CITY CIVIC VOLUNTEER DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION GREENEST CITY LEADERSHIP HEALTHY CITY FOR ALL Awards will be presented at a ceremony in July 2015 Submit a nomination by 5 pm on Friday, May 8, 2015 at
vancouver.ca/awards-of-excellence For more information vancouver.ca/awards-of-excellence
Phone 3-1-1 TTY 7-1-1
Nominations are welcome for children and youth 21 years old or younger.
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VETERINARY OFFICE & ANIMAL CARE (VOAC) 24-week certificate program
Attend our free information session Thursday, April 23, 6-7pm Room 1630, New Westminster Campus, 700 Royal Ave. (one block from the New West SkyTrain station) Call 604 527 5472 to register. To receive an application package, email carolina.dias@douglascollege.ca douglascollege.ca/VOAC
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
Make a
mark
that means
more.
Community
Hopeful play about stroke recovery Film highlights battle against sightlessness CALENDAR
Vancity Board of Directors’ Election
Sandra Thomas
Vote for the candidates you think will best: Impact the direction Vancity will take
Commercial Drive
Influence how Vancity meets your financial needs Support how Vancity invests in the community Vote online or by mail by Friday, April 24. Vote at select Vancity branches from Monday, April 13 – Saturday, April 18.
Annual General Meeting Results will be announced at the Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 7, 2015 at The Anvil Centre, 777 Columbia Street, New Westminster. Registration at 5:30 pm, Conversation with Directors at 6 pm* and meeting at 7 pm. Live webcast at vancity.com/AGM A broadcast event* will be hosted at Mount Tolmie community branch, 100-1590 Cedar Hill Cross Road, Victoria. *To attend the Conversation with Directors at the AGM in New Westminster or for the broadcast event in Victoria, register in advance by calling 1.888.Vancity (826.2489) by 5 pm on Thursday, April 30.
Visit vancity.com for further details Make Good Money (TM) is a trademark of Vancouver City Savings Credit Union.
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On July 1, 2013, Fringe Festival favourite Jacques Lalonde suffered a stroke that left him without the use of his right arm and right side of his face. But in typical Lalonde fashion, instead of feeling sorry for himself and retreating, he wrote a play dubbed Stroke of Luck, which of course debuted at the 2014 Vancouver Fringe Festival. Through this One Crazy Frenchman production, Lalonde uses his renowned storytelling skills to give the audience an inside look at how the brain works and the difficult road to recovery. Lalonde says he wrote Stroke of Luck to give the audience hope, inspire them to see the beauty of life in new ways — and develop their Christopher Walken impersonation. The play also delves into burning questions, such as, will Lalonde be able to use his right hand again? Will he ever be able to sing? What can he now do with his left hand that he couldn’t do before? All is revealed with the charm and wit Lalonde is famous for in his storytelling. On April 11, Lalonde is bringing Stroke of Luck back for a special one-night only show at the Havana Theatre, 1212 Commercial Dr., with partial proceeds in support of the Stroke Recovery Association of
Jacques Lalonde
B.C. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets at the door or by calling 604-812-1496 in advance.
Downtown
A Vancouver-based, social justice film society is teaming up with international eye health organization, Seva Canada to present An Evening of Sight, Wednesday, April 22 at SFU Woodward’s Djavad Mowafaghian Theatre. Reel Causes organized the event to highlight the work of Seva Canada and bring the exclusive pre-release screening of Highway to Dhampus to Vancouver audiences. Seva Canada’s ground-breaking blindness prevention work began in the Himalayas making it a perfect tie-in to Highway to Dhampus, set almost entirely in the stunning Annapurna Mountains of Nepal. The film follows the story of a socialite attempting to fix her image by visiting a remote Nepalese orphanage and raises questions about what it means to be
charitable. Attendees will also connect in person with the filmmaker as well as representatives from Seva Canada — and hopefully, come away with practical ideas on how they, personally, can make a positive difference. An Evening of Sight takes place April 22 at 7:15 p.m. at SFU Woodward’s Djavad Mowafaghian Theatre, 149 West Hastings St. For advance ticket information visit reelcauses.org. Tickets are also available at the door. Also downtown, the Vancouver Public Library presents Honey, Hives, and Poetry in the City, April 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 350 West Georgia St. Celebrate National Poetry Month by investigating food and poetry as a means of cultural and social activism and community building. The event features Vancouver poet laureate Rachel Rose, scientist and author Mark L. Winston (Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive), award-winning poet Renee Sarojini Saklikar (Children of Air India), author and poet Elee Kraljii Gardiner, and the Thursdays Writing Collective. This free event is presented in partnership with Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue and Hives for Humanity with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets. For more information visit 604-331-3603. For a complete list of events visit vpl.ca/events. Twitter.com/sthomas10
F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
Pet of the Week
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BRITISH COLUMBIA ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES COMMISSION
The BC Electoral Boundaries Commission is coming to town and wants to hear from you. The commission is proposing changes to the area, boundaries and names of electoral districts in B.C. The Preliminary Report is now ready for your views on the proposed changes at www.bc-ebc.ca/reports. Join a public hearing: DATE: CITY/TOWN: LOCATION: TIME:
Friday, April 17 Vancouver SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St, 1400-1410 Segal Centre 9 a.m.
Submit your views online at www.bc-ebc.ca or by email to info@bc-ebc.ca before May 26, 2015.
Now is the time to have your say and shape your province.
WEBSITE:
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
Community
MOTIVATING GIRLS: The Sparkle Project is a movement dedicated to inspire young girls to lead healthy, selfconfident and successful lives. Country singer, entrepreneur and founder Kristal Barrett-Stuart reached out to a community of accomplished B.C. entrepreneurs, artists and public figures to share their experiences and words of wisdom to the next generation of leaders, empowering young women to achieve their dreams. Funded solely on the generosity of community leaders and businesses, BarrettStuart and co-author Kristin Van Vloten collected the stories and sage advice of notable B.C. ladies over a six-month period in 2014. The result was Sparkle, a 165-page handbook of inspirational stories. Amongst the contributors: media personalities Tamara Taggart, Jillian Harris and Dawn Chubai; music artists One More Girl, Madeline Merlot and Victoria Duffield; and community leaders Maria Kritikos, Emily Chow and Brenda Adams. The group celebrated the book’s launch at the Shangri-La Hotel. Partial proceeds will go towards creating $500 scholarships for girls to turn their dreams into realities. For a copy of the book, go to thesparkleprojectbc.com. LEADER OF THE PACK: For a tiny surf town, Tofino has established itself as quite the culinary hub for visitors and locals alike. From the Pointe at Wickaninnish Inn, Sobo, Shelter and Tacofino, Wolf in the Fog is the latest culinary gem to appear on the scene. And what a first impression! Just months after opening, the two-storey casual fine dining eatery at the entrance of downtown Tofino was awarded Best New Restaurant in Canada by enRoute magazine. The restaurant is owned and operated by Tofitians Nick Nutting, Jorge Barandiaran and Andre McGillivray, all former Wick staff. The trio has skillfully created a warm and inviting environment, from the prowling wolf assembled from driftwood that greets you upstairs to the surfboard sundial that towers above the restaurant, to the mismatched dinnerware and plaidshirted servers. The food on the other hand is far from casual. Nutting’s dishes are masterful, a reflection of his formal training and the area’s abundant seafood and produce provided by local fishermen and foragers. Wolf in the Fog is the perfect ending to a day of surfing, trail blazing or sight-seeing.
email yvrflee@hotmail.com twitter @FredAboutTown
B.C.’s Minister of Finance Mike de Jong received an honorary inclusion in the Confrerie de L’asperge Limbourgondie (Asperge brotherhood) from president Pieter Smits.
Kinesis Dance founder Paras Terezakis and his school of young contemporary dancers performed at the company’s annual DecaDance food and wine benefit.
Gala chair Pam Bragagnolo and board director Roger Lee welcomed guests to Kinesis Dance’s signature soiree at the Miele Showroom.
From left, chefs Frederic Couton, Chris Whittaker, Denis Blais and Marc-Andre Choquette headlined the interactive evening of food, wine and performance in support of the 29-year-old dance organization Kinesis Dance.
Singer Victoria Duffield, left, and media personality Erin Cebula were among the contributors to the Sparkle B.C. Book Project. The pair joined fellow contributors at the book launch staged at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Executive chef Nick Nutting and front of house director Jorge Barandiaran front Tofino’s Wolf in the Fog, cited Canada’s Best New Restaurant of 2015 by enRoute magazine.
Kristal Barrett-Stuart, left, and Kristin Van Vloten launched their self-help Sparkle handbook, a collection of inspirational words and stories for young girls from some of B.C.’s most notable women.
Executive chef Chris Mill welcomed sommelier Terry Threlfall to the Joey’s Restaurants team. The sommelier will lead the wine program in Joey’s 21 locations and expansion into Los Angeles.
F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
Living Aphids and pigeon poop GARDEN
Anne Marrison
amarrison@shaw.ca
Q: Last summer an aphid infestation prevented me sitting on my apartment patio. It gets a little sun in late afternoon when surrounding buildings don’t block it. Most plants are in pots, but most of the sun shines on a small patch of dirt that includes peonies, roses, lavender, clematis a tree and some boxwoods. I have tried environmentally friendly things, chemicals and wasted money on ladybugs that flew away after they were full. I want to be able to enjoy my garden when days get sunny and warm. It’s a lovely spot in the middle of an urban jungle of noise and people. Virginia Edwards, Vancouver A: Surrounded by concrete and asphalt you likely have a major lack of aphid predators. I wonder what birds (if any) visit your area. Hummingbirds eat aphids but I’m sure there wouldn’t be enough food or flowers to keep birds around for long. A container pond might attract a wide variety of birds — but it could be all you’d get was pigeons.
I think a better tack would be focusing on plants that aphids don’t like. I wonder if your lavender ever gets aphids. Mine never have, nor my artemesias, rosemaries, santolina nor any of the Mediterranean -type aromatic herbs. Alliums/garlic seemed to be resistant too. The key to attracting aphids seems to be tender leaves and shoots. Once they’ve found these, they may gradually move to sterner fare if it’s available close by. But aphids seem not to feed on strongsmelling, shrubby plants, though shrubs can be a favourite over-wintering site. Since high-nitrogen fertilizer encourages excessive tender growth, you would be better to focus on balanced fertilizers (all three numbers the same). If you have any ant nests in your patch of soil it would be best to try to eliminate them. That’s because ants actually carry aphids up plants in spring so that they can ‘farm’ them for the sweet substance aphids excrete. There are a gazillion kinds of aphids. I do hope yours are the green ones that can be blasted off by hose. The black ones are so sticky the only resource can be to prune those branches off. Many aphids overwinter as eggs on shrubs, often
in the crevices between buds and the stem. In winter it would be best to examine your shrubs, your tree and especially the boxwoods. Being evergreen, the boxwoods would be a wonderful, warm place for the eggs to shelter — and very hard for you to examine. It might be best to cut your clematis about a foot (30cm) from ground level after flowering. Clematis handle pruning well. Your rose could handle a good pruning too. This will make your inspection work easier. Some aphids overwinter in plant debris in the top inch of soil. Removing this layer in pots and garden and replacing it with fresh soil or compost could help a lot It’s very sad to give up plants that you love. You may need to decide which matters most to you: fewer aphids or fewer of your favourite plants (boxwoods perhaps). News Flash: The Point Grey Chrysanthemum Association will sell rooted chrysanthemum cuttings Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to noon at the VanDusen Garden, 37th Avenue and Oak. Information is available at chrysanthemumsvancouver.com Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions via amarrison@shaw. ca. Please add your city or region.
May 1 – 31, 2015 Healthy, vibrant and clean neighbourhoods start with you. Lead or join a block cleanup. All cleanup teams receive garbage bags, gloves, cleanup tools and support for leading your cleanup. Sign up today: vancouver.ca/kvs or 604-871-6544 #kvs20th
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
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F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
Arts&Entertainment
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GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com
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April 10 to 14, 2015 1. Music legend Gilberto Gil is a force to be reckoned with. A key figure in Brazil’s Tropicália cultural movement in the 1960s, Gil was imprisoned in 1969 along with his musical cohort Caetano Veloso by Brazil’s military government over the political content of their work. After two months, the pair was forced to seek exile in London, unable to return to their homeland until 1972. Gil eventually sought political office and served as Brazil’s Minister of Culture from 2003 to 2008. The Brazilian music icon performs a sold out show at UBC’s Chan Centre April 12. 2. Toronto’s self-described “BalkanKlezmer-Gypsy-party-punk-super band” the Lemon Bucket Orkestra haul their carcasses, all 15 of them, across the Fox Cabaret stage April 11, 7 p.m. MAZ opens. Tickets at ticketzone.com or by calling 604-602-9798. 3. Käfig Brasil consists of four choreographers with very different styles, 11 dancers from the slums of Brazil and an artistic director steeped in the culture of hip hop. See what all the fuss is about April 10 and 11 when Käfig Brasil performs at the Vancouver Playhouse. For tickets and details call 604-801-6225 or go to dancehouse.ca. 4. Scott Crawford’s documentary Salad Days examines Washington, D.C.’s DIY punk scene during the 1980s, which spawned the likes of Minor Threat, Fugazi and Bad Brains, among others. The Vogue Theatre hosts a screening April 10, 7 p.m. Tickets at Red Cat, Zulu and northerntickets.com. 5. In many ways, the Rolling Stones’ ill-fated Dec. 6, 1969 concert at Altamont Speedway four months after the lovein at Woodstock signalled the literal and metaphorical end of the 1960s. The free concert, in which Hell’s Angels were hired as security and paid in beer, ended with the stabbing death of an audience member. Albert Mayles’ landmark documentary Gimme Shelter, which captures the music, chaos and ultimate tragedy of this poorly conceived event, screens April 13, 8:30 p.m. at Vancity Theatre.
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
Arts&Entertainment KUDOS & KVETCHES View to a spill
Although the Vancouver Sun and the Province newspapers let us down with their measured response to last month’s chemical fire at the Port of Vancouver by neglecting to run awesome headlines such as “Smoke on the water,” “Port land blazers,” “Chemical reaction” and “Cloudy with a chance of death,” we still have hope. Namely because of Thursday’s oil spill in English Bay. According to early reports, a tonne of toxic bunker fuel is believed to have leaked from a freighter with the level of containment and environmental damage unknown. Granted, an oil spill in English Bay, or anywhere for that matter, is serious and alarming stuff. But it is also the lifeblood of a daily newspaper, and serious and alarming headlines can sometimes be gorgeous poetry to our ears. Here are a few front page headlines we’re hoping we might see on Friday morning: • Oil’s well that ends well • Leak and destroy
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• West End oils • And justice for oil • Everything’s not going to be oil right • April fuel’s day • Ship of fuels • When the ship hits the fan • Where there’s a spill, there’s a way • Spilling me softly.
James Bonding
Shocking news from the entertainment/scientific community. According to a totally necessary article in the Vancouver Sun, a panel of “medical professionals”
have put their years of training and expertise to good use and determined that the character of James Bond, played by actor Daniel Craig, would have died within the first seven minutes of the 2012 movie Skyfall. What happens in the first seven minutes of Skyfall? We have no idea. Partly because we haven’t seen it, but mainly because… it’s a fictional film. No word yet, if the same team of medical professionals will carefully examine Toy Story 3 to finally determine once and for
all if toys can or cannot in fact talk and take part in exciting, comedic adventures without the manipulation of their child owners. All of which raises several equally important questions. Why is a three-year-old James Bond movie suddenly under the microscope? Why is the Vancouver Sun posting these kinds of stories? And aren’t there more pressing issues that medical professionals should be studying… like cancer or something? Daniel Craig is pretty hot, though. twitter.com/KudosKvetches
2015 METRO VANCOUVER
TRANSPORTATION AND TRANSIT PLEBISCITE
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A Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older, on or before May 29, 2015 A resident of B.C. for at least six months, on or before May 29, 2015 Registered to vote in B.C. Living in Metro Vancouver
You can ask for a voting package to be mailed to you by calling 1-800-661-8683 or online at elections.bc.ca /ovr. You can ask for a voting package until midnight on Friday, May 15, 2015. Elections BC must receive your completed ballot package before 8 p.m. on Friday, May 29, 2015. Visit elections.bc.ca or call 1-800-661-8683 for more information. 080613
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F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
Arts&Entertainment
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From its interior design to its food, Sai Woo continues Chinatown’s culinary rivival. PHOTO TIM PAWSEY
Sai Woo impresses THE HIRED BELLY
Tim Pawsey
info@hiredbelly.com
I’m heartened by rumblings in slumbering Chinatown, which, eclipsed by Richmond’s glitz and threatened by encircling condos, many have prematurely written off. No more potent sign of the neighbourhood’s re-awakening exists than Sai Woo, a smart, softly modern Pender Street emporium that balances contemporary fare with a side of subtle nostalgia. Sai Woo is the brainchild of forward thinking restaurateur Salli Pateman — who you may remember (when Yaletown was still in diapers) was obliged to rename her Yaletown De Niro’s Supper Club, after the the actor threatened to sue. Just as De Niro’s — later Section (3) — was the harbinger of things to come, so too is her new venture, which this week was already playing to a full house. The name is an unabashed and inspired nod to the original Sai Woo Chop Suey, located here in the ’20s. It serves as the perfect muse for this expansive space, which has been transformed by Domain Creative. While the front of house — with its long bar, cozy booths, gorgeous “button” lights, ironwood trees, tiled floors and high ceiling — is beautiful, I doubt there’s a chef in town who wouldn’t be
jealous of chef Douglas Chang’s kitchen. Capacious and flooded with daylight during prep hours, at night its bustling, open activity becomes the end focal point of the establishment. Chang (who cooked previously at Bambuddah and West) seeks out and achieves a balance between influences of east, west and elsewhere. His dishes are inventive without being precocious — and occasionally dazzle. Chang’s background spans Canadian, Chinese and Jamaican heritages, all influences comfortably brought into play. “Cheek to cheek” combines morsels of pork jowl with pea angolotti with classic Chinese Jinhua ham broth, and herb and fennel salad, that adds up to one tasty salute to spring ($19). More showstoppers range from baked sablefish with lotus root, Chinese radish and Kombu broth ($25), and vegetarian “sausage,” with crispy tofu and charred eggplant, bumped up with chili oil ($9). In a city too long under siege from “also ran” pork belly plates, Chang’s tender offering comes glazed with fermented red tofu, with a delicious taro purée ($19). It alone is worth a visit. Oh, that and the gooey and addictive “Cola wings”— Coca-Cola chicken wings on shredded lettuce ($13). There’s plenty more on this menu, which, while broad in scope, contains nothing superfluous. Whether you fancy a night at the bar (under Justin Anello) for a few shared
plates (try salt cod fritters and Meyer lemon cream) or a full blown romp including a platter of Chinatown Jerk, there is something for everyone. Same goes for Anello’s bar list, which sports a “Sai Woo Sour” and a “Beijing Sling,” with green apple and melon liqueur. Not to mention a tall and refreshing 05 Kombucha, from the town’s only Kombucha tap. Sai Woo, 160 East Pender St., 604-586-1117. Open Monday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.
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Eat it
EAT Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival (B.C. Place, May 1 to 3) is now a three-day show that closes out what has become Canada’s largest foodie gathering of its kind. Events take place throughout the week of April 26 across Vancouver, with appearances by several luminaries at top restaurants, while EAT itself features the likes of Susur Lee, Vikram Vij, Mark McEwan, Anna Olson, Rob Feenie, Ned Bell, Angus An, Trevor Bird and others. Tickets can be purchased at the door or at eat-vancouver.com.
Belly’s Budget Best
• Gunderloch Fritz’s Riesling 2013 This juicy, peachy-citrus Riesling with nice fruit-acid balance, will get you in the mood for spring just by looking at the label. Think grilled pork chops and apple sauce. BCLS, Everything Wine $14.69 (before taxes) through May 2. 90 pts. More at hiredbelly.com.
Youth & Music 2015 New Choral Creators 8 pm | Friday, April 24, 2015
Ryerson United Church (Kerrisdale) Vancouver Chamber Choir | Vancouver Youth Choir, Carrie Tennant, conductor Stephen Smith, piano | Jon Washburn, conductor Our Youth & Music event highlights the finalists and winners of our 12th biennial Young Composers’ Competition. Jon Washburn and the Vancouver Chamber Choir host the Vancouver Youth Choir conducted by Carrie Tennant, premiere four new compositions by alumni competition winners and perform Bob Chilcott’s lively Aesop’s Fables!
www.vancouverchamberchoir.com
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
Arts&Entertainment
Campari shortage leaves bitter taste Distribution problems blamed for countrywide drought of popular Italian aperitif
Michael Kissinger
mkissinger@vancourier.com
Last month when Colin Bradley dropped by his local liquor store in search of bottled relief, he found himself staring into the dark, lonely abyss of nothingness. But it wasn’t his bearded, 37-yearold, plaid shirt-cloaked soul he had finally come face-toface with — it was the barren shelf normally reserved for his beloved Campari. So he travelled to another grog shop. No luck there, either. Then he checked his smartphone’s B.C. Liquor Store app, which he joyously describes as “the greatest government software ever created,” only to discover that every provincial liquor store, from Victoria to Vanderhoof, was bone dry. That’s when Bradley started to hear murmurs, worried grumblings in the liquor store aisles, foreboding pronouncements from inthe-know bartenders. There was a Campari shortage — not just in Vancouver, but across the country. The bitter-tasting, rubyhued Italian aperitif whose origins date back to 1860 is an acquired taste, to say the least, but an essential ingredient in the classic Negroni cocktail, which is rounded out by sweet vermouth and
gin. It also represents a liquid line drawn in the cocktail culture sand, dividing casual imbibers from alcohol aficionados, beer slingers from mixologists. Campari can also be enjoyed on its own with ice and a twist of lemon, served up with soda water or orange juice, or employed in an old school Americano cocktail. “There’s some off-brand types of Campari out there, but they’re a little too sweet, a little too orangey,” says Bradley who maintains a respectable three Negroni a week regimen. “Campari is more like Goldilocks. It’s just right.” Despite his easy-going nature, Bradley says he can’t help but feel he’s getting the short end of the swizzle stick. “I feel like big business is getting in the way of me having a relaxing evening.” Darryl Lamb understands his pain. The brand manager of the exceptionally stocked Legacy Liquor Store in the Olympic Village consoles approximately 10 customers a day looking for Campari and has even heard of opportunistic disaster capitalists selling half-downed bottles of the liquid gold on Craigslist. However, unlike the “Great Campari Shortage of 2012,” which was triggered by the sudden popularity
Sometimes the Campari bottle is half full, sometimes it’s half empty for Negroni fan Colin Bradley. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
of the Negroni during the emerging cocktail revival and a lack of product worldwide, Lamb says the current drought can be blamed on that most unsexy of alcoholrelated circumstances next to equipment malfunction — distribution woes. Late last year, Milan-based Gruppo Campari announced it was streamlining its distribution by establishing Campari Canada, which would also
handle its other brands, including Aperol, Wild Turkey, Sky Vodka, Cinzano and Appleton Estate rum. Although Campari’s soon-tobe ex-Canadian distributor was given several months’ notice, it neglected to order any more Campari leading up to the April 1 changeover. “So it’s all on the water,” says Lamb, who anticipates Campari hitting shelves by the end of the month or
Not hearing clearly when many people are talking?
Many people find that they are no longer able to understand everything, particularly when in the company of others. Engineered in Switzerland, System Audéo V has been designed specifically to understand in group situations.
The majority of those surveyed stated that when exposed to considerable background noise they are able to hear that something is being spoken, but can no longer discern precisely what is being said. The words seem blurred and indistinct. But why is that? The effect tends to manifest itself in company, or in the restaurant. It is the high-pitched tones perceived at the entrance to the cochlea that are decisive when it comes to hearing things accurately. In the majority of cases these parts of the inner ear are the first to be affected by noise or aging. As the high-pitched tones are no longer perceived well, the auditory center of the brain begins to struggle to decode language. It’s a bit like an image that doesn’t have enough pixels.
nate Italian liqueurs, such as Aperol, which is sweeter, or Punt e Mes, which is pricier and requires a shot of walnut bitters to resemble Campari’s distinct flavour. In fact, sales of Aperol and Punt e Mes more than doubled in March at Legacy, which is currently sold out of Punt e Mes. But for dedicated Campari fans such as Bradley, there is no substitute. Which explains why this seemingly upstanding citizen, president of a professional AV equipment installation company, loving husband and father of two young daughters found himself in the sketchy border town of Blaine, Wash. a few weeks ago. That’s where he finally got his quaky hands on a bottle of the ruddy nectar of the gods, though he had to pay double the sticker price in duty thanks to the sober, unsympathetic souls at Canada Border Services. He admits he’s already halfway through the bottle, rationing his dwindling stock as best he can and counting the days until Campari returns to the loving shores of Vancouver. “It’s going to be like Boxing Day at Walmart,” Bradley says of that fateful day, his voice noticeably perking up. “I’ll probably be pushing down old people who get in my way.” twitter.com/MidlifeMan1
early May. “Now we we’re just dealing with the [B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch], which is wildly inefficient… This is the same organization that takes 14 to 21 days to move a box of wine from Richmond to Vancouver.” Lamb says prior to the shortage, Campari sales at Legacy were “monstrous”— approximately 80 bottles a month. Since then customers have had to settle for alter-
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New hearing chip developed Swiss audiologists have developed a new hearing chip that is designed to restore speech comprehension, particularly with hearing loss in the high-frequency range. People can test the new Audéo V system by Phonak simply by calling now to do so. The test phase in particular is designed to clarify how speech comprehension can be improved in various situations and what role a new technology called “Autosense OS” plays. The chip recognizes where the person being
spoken to is located and amplifies only his or her voice, while ambient noise is lowered and the optimum hearing programs are seamlessly adjusted. Thanks to several synchronous microphones, the hearing system can detect sound in all directions and select the direction that speech is coming from within milliseconds. According to Swiss researchers, this significantly augments speech comprehension, especially in conversation. Interested people can register for a no-obligation demonstration of the Audéo V by calling 888.408.7377
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F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
A23
Sports&Recreation
GOT SPORTS? 604.630.3549 or mstewart@vancourier.com
Black belt works hard, rests smart Kenneth Lee nabs silver in North American Cup
Deanna Cheng
dmwcheng7@gmail.com
If Kenneth Lee is going to win at a higher level of karate, he needs to rest. For the first time in his career, the Vancouver black belt qualified for the North American Cup and the USA Open Karate Championships after placing in the top three at the 2015 nationals and Team Canada’s selections tournament. To prepare for the highcalibre lineup, which ran in early April in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lee trained at least four times a week, varying his focus between physical conditioning, resistance training, cardio exercise such as running and biking, speed work and plyometrics. On Friday and Sunday, he rested. “Right now, it’s my tapering down period,” said Lee, who trains at Vancouver’s Odokan Shito-Ryu Dojo under sensei Kaz Hashimoto and sensei Mark Stacey, before the tournament. “Just because we’ll have a lot of team training and a lot of competition in the next week, we need a lot of rest. Without proper recovery, your performance suffers.” The strategy worked. Lee won silver in the North American Cup. He did not place in the USA Open. Lee, 25, has trained for 19 years and competes in kata divisions. Japanese for “form,” kata is a choreographed set of techniques, stances and transitions. Each kata has its own rhythm and timing. In the North American Cup, his toughest competitors were Joseph Martinez from the U.S., Mexican Waldo Rameriz, and compatriot Toshi Uchiage. The large U.S. Open large tournament drew anyone and everyone, according to Lee, including Venezuela’s Antonio Diaz, the 2010 and 2012 world champion. Lee embraces the attitude of Steve Jobs who famously said, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish,” and aspires to open his own dojo and pharmacy, as well as win a world championship. At 5’7,” Lee typically competes in kata divisions, the experience with which led him to write the KFX: Workout and Nutrition Manual. The release date has not yet been announced. A graduate of UBC, he is also a full-time pharmacy manager for Labpharma
Kenneth Lee credits karate with giving him perserverance and discipline: “It’s given me improved physical fitness and strong mental strength.” PHOTOS DAN TOULGOET
Health Solutions Inc. in the Downtown Eastside. He works with an outreach program to provide clients with one-on-one consultations with the intent to optimize their care and treatment. “We’re different in the sense that we go, physically, into the community where our patients live and eat and we provide clinical pharmacy services like consultations, medication reviews, immunizations and education sessions,” he said. One of Lee’s training partners, Mai Hasegawa, has trained in karate since she was three and was raised by two international competitors, including her father and six-time world champion Shinichi Hasegawa. Her mother Yumi Hasegawa also won silver in kumite, or sparring, at the world championships. When elite Japanese competitors arrived for the Annual Steveston Invitational, Lee took the opportunity to learn all he could about training for kumite. “He’s always asking questions. He doesn’t stop.
Always learning,” said Hasegawa, who is also his girlfriend. “If there’s one technique he can’t do, he’ll train a lot, doing it again and again.” Hasegawa said Lee’s strengths are his speed and power. His weakness is his stances, she said. “He needs a stronger lower body. He uses his upper body a lot,” she said. Of the four general styles of Japanese karate, shotokan, goju-ryu, wado-ryu and shito-ryu, Lee practices the latter, which combines both linear and circular techniques. He earned his black belt in 2007. “Karate has given me the ability to persevere and discipline in all aspects of my life. It’s given me improved physical fitness and strong mental strength,” he said. “Everything I do, I don’t do it unless I can stick with it consistently,” he said. “If you’re not going to do it every day, why waste your time doing it at all?” That attitude also applies to rest days. twitter.com/writerly_dee
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
Today’shomes
Detached homes hit record high for 10th straight month
High tech demand for office space
Glen Korstrom
pmitham@telus.net
Surging sales for Metro Vancouver homes pushed prices to all-time highs, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). Shoppers snapped up a total of 4,060 homes during the month, according to the REBGV. That’s 53.7 per cent more than in March 2014 and 32.6 per cent more than in February. The benchmark price for a detached home has risen each month consecutively since October 2013 and has crept to an all-time high for the 10th consecutive month. The new all-time high price for a detached home in the region is $1,052,800. The benchmark price for apartment properties is now an all-time high of $390,200 whereas the benchmark price for attached properties is now an all-time high of $484,900. “We’re seeing strong competition amongst
While the pace of office leasing picked up in 2014’s final quarter, CBRE Ltd.’s latest office market report indicates that it was driven largely by one sector: tech. “Tech companies account for 42 per cent of tenants pursuing office space,” reads the report, which appeared days before the local chapter of commercial real estate association NAIOP convened a panel to discuss the office market. And panellists concurred. “Outside of tech, there isn’t really a whole lot to hang your hat on,” said Steffan Smith, director of leasing for GWL Realty Advisors Ltd. “Demand is spotty in most of the other sectors.” While liquefied natural gas (LNG) was a great hope, Smith suggested that it’s been more of a letdown. “It has a large question mark next to it,” he said. “We’re hopeful that it’s going to drive demand, but
gkorstrom@biv.com
To the surprise of few, prices for detached homes in Vancouver continue skyward. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
Last month’s sales were 26.8 per cent above the 10-year sales average for the month. The sales-to-activelistings ratio is perhaps the best gauge of the strength of a market. In March, the ratio for Metro Vancouver sat at 32.8 per cent, or the highest that it has been since July 2007.
Past presidents of the REBGV have explained that conventional real estate wisdom is that a market is considered to be a buyers’ market when the sales-to-active-listings ratio is below 13 per cent. It is considered a sellers’ market when the ratio is above 21 per cent for at least a few months.
is it demand in Vancouver, is it Metro Vancouver, is it somewhere in B.C., is it in Alberta? I’m still waiting.” Nevertheless, approximately 90 per cent of the downtown space nearing completion will have tenants. It’s the demand for the space that follows that’s more difficult to determine. Panel moderator Mark Chambers, executive vicepresident at Jones Lang LaSalle, voiced optimism, but Smith noted that the space now completing has effectively served the market through 2017. Demand is less clear for the period following 2018, the earliest that any new building could complete. “The pool is a little bit more shallow than I think we’d like to see,” Smith said. While fellow panellist Bart Corbett said people are watching how late-breaking projects such as 475 Howe Street fare, CBRE’s Kevin Nelson was optimistic given that more than two million square feet of space is up for renewal in 2020 — enough to tempt an owner to build first and lease later.
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home buyers today,” said new REBGV president Darcy McLeod. “This is leading to more multipleoffer situations and some upward pressure on home prices. For sellers, this means that it’s taking less time, on average, for your home to sell if you have it priced correctly for today’s market.”
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F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
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IT STARTS WITH VISION. REMEMBER YALETOWN’S TRANSFORMATION? When Yaletown began it was just a few residential towers. Imagine if Urban Fare and Starbucks were there from the start. River District Town Centre will launch as a complete neighbourhood, with retail, restaurant, residences, parks and playgrounds. Now is your chance to become part of this new neighbourhood—built from the ground up on the last section of Vancouver’s waterfront.
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
SEMI ANNUAL FX BUILDING SAMPLE SALE Monday, April 13 to Friday, April 17 9 am to 6 pm
START NOTHING: 1:15 a.m. to 10:44 a.m. Sunday, 12:45 p.m. to 1:12 p.m. Tuesday, 2:37 p.m. Wednesday to 2 p.m. Thursday, and 11:57 a.m. to 2:31 p.m. Saturday.
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PREAMBLE: Decades ago, I said both democracy and communism would be replaced by a new, third “politic.” A year or three ago, I said the west’s leadership would be replaced by the rising east. This is self-evident, but look at this: in the last millennium, empires conquered the world by force of arms. Then, in the last half of the 1900s, the U.S.A. conquered the world by economic means, much of it through of a “conquering” nature: horse-trading, cunning, industrial and technological out-performance, and the famous Rooseveltian intimidation (“walk softly but carry a big stick”), etc. Now, a third phase: the east — that is, China — is starting to conquer the world, also by economic means but in a cooperative way. The new Asian Infrastructure bank, which will either replace or compete with the U.S.-controlled World Bank, is, at least on its face, cooperative. Already dozens of nations — many of them democracies from Europe — have joined China to become founding members of this new “world bank.” It’s a turning point.
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Your energy and charisma remain at a yearly high. Get things done, start significant projects. One of the most significant (and success-producing) things you can do is to seek partnership, relocate, interface with the public, engage in negotiations or seek love. (One of the worst things you can do is to take a secretive, selfish action.) Four weeks of “sweet friendship” begins now. Travel, errands, visits and communications will please you, could bring “friendly love.”
Relationships reach a climax this week but be wary. New horizons and opportunities, relocation, negotiations and contracts, litigation and forming new partnerships in love or business — all need a sober second look from you before you make any commitment. Look at the situation, but also at your own motives and the motives of the other. It’s likely a flaw exists, perhaps a buried or half-hidden flaw. If you see/sense it, don’t ignore it!
This is your last week of being under the weather — or under, period. You remain weary, contemplative, mildly sequestered. This is a good period for summing up — where you’ve been, and how you got here – and foreseeing where you’re going — or want to go — in future. It’s a great time for soul-searching. Be spiritual, charitable, visit shut-ins or institutions, deal with civil servants, the tax department, etc.
Now to May 7, investments, new financial arrangements or actions, intimacy and sexual congress, research or detective work all bless you with a sweet good luck. Now to May 1, relationships become talkative, swift, might involve travel and are sexually alluring. Now to May 11, relationships are also a bit like sandpaper and a bit frictional.
You remain hopeful, social, might even be surprised by some of the attention you receive. (Some of it might come from people you don’t really want to get closer to.) You’re a bit of a magnet to the opposite sex now to early May. But enjoy as much of this week as you can, for the last ten days of April and most of May will bring a weariness and mild inner solitude. This combination can bring extramarital temptations, so behave.
Romance, creative or gambling projects, raising/ teaching children and the pursuit of beauty or pleasure — these draw you now and reach a climax late week. However, this isn’t necessarily a good climax, so approach warily and be ready to “default” to the social. E.g., let a romance turn to friendship or opt for “creation by committee.”
You approach a climax — and an end — to an ambitious scheme, project or development. (Not an end to your career, except in rare cases. If you are unhappy with your bosses, the atmosphere, or you find your present position stultifying, boring, enslaving, unappreciated, you might be tempted to change jobs or employers — don’t. The present “cloud” over your career will dissipate by November.
Home, family, security, real estate, nature, garden, agriculture, nutrition, retirement and soul matters reach a climax this week (especially Thursday onward) but it’s not necessarily a good climax, so exercise a light touch and avoid important commitments. If you’re unsure, default to your nonhome ambitions. For example: your career, which is gently blessed this year.
Friendships become a sweet thing, now to early May. Issue and accept invitations. You could attract a flirtatious “invitation” from someone in a group. You could be accepted into a club or circle you didn’t expect to qualify for. Friends and networking contacts could also help your career, which might need some help now to mid-May, as higher-ups are impatient and temperamental.
Now to May 7, your romantic life (and/or relations with children) grow affectionate. If single, you might start an affair that could in a short time become a lucky marriage. (In astrology, “marriage” means living together, sharing life; “wedding” means the legal, social ritual.) Now to May 1, you grow restless at home (and of home). You want to be off on a trip or charge around town.
Financial and/or sexual situations could reach a climax this week but not a good climax, in most cases, so don’t push these matters now. Or if you must, examine yourself first — are your motives pure and clean? If not, you’ll be weaving your own trap. Be wary of investments, of taking on debt, of lifestyle changes and of intimate commitment. This advice lasts until mid-November, but is crucial this week. Sunday morning’s beautiful, but soon the day brings chores or minor health concerns, both lasting to midday Tuesday.
Money (income and outgo) matters and/or a sensual affair and/or a school course that demanded a lot of memorization –—these reach a climax, and perhaps an ending, now. Be cautious with all these, as they can hold traps or dead ends. If any of these withers and dies now, let it — even show it the door! This advice lasts until mid-November, but is crucial this week. Sunday starts with hope and optimism, but soon you grow a bit weary,and wish for privacy.
Monday: Al Green (69). Tuesday: Loretta Lynn (83). Wednesday: Emma Thompson (56). Thursday: Bobby Vinton (80). Friday: Sean Bean(56). Saturday: Tim Curry (69). Sunday: Jessica Lange (66).
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F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
Automotive
Boeing patents car-based force fields
Brendan McAleer
brendanmcaleer@gmail.com
“Up shields, Mr. Sulu! Or whoever’s supposed to be in charge of that bit.” Last week, Boeing engineers patented the rights to a piece of technology that’d be familiar to any Tribble-lovin’ Trekkie: the force field. The system is intended for military applications, and is still in conceptual stages. Well, as far as we know, anyways. There may be some super-secret test mules out there somewhere, raising shields and battling scientists dressed up like Klingons. Boeing’s device is a two-part system that works by first detecting the initial shockwave of an explosion, and then creating a laser-induced, ionized chunk of atmosphere between the vehicle and the source of the explosion. It wouldn’t
be enough to stop chunks of shrapnel entirely, but it would calm the buffeting of something like a roadside bomb, protecting the vehicle. Quite frankly, it sounds like straight-up science fiction — but what if 20 years from now your car had an invisible bumper? Battle stations everyone, it’s rush hour.
Toyota plans WRC-based road-car
Quick, name one exciting Toyota car. No, models from Scion and Lexus don’t count and neither do TRD versions of the company’s trucks. Not much going on there, hey? Whatever happened to cool stuff like the MR2, Supra, and Celica? Not to worry Toyota fans, because there’s something pretty darn cool coming. Toyota will be fielding a World Rally Champi-
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MINOR
Mobile Service in Vancouver, Richmond, & North Shore
onship team for 2017, one based on the Yaris. That’s right, a rally-spec Yaris, one equipped with a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive. That’s got your attention now, yes? Even better than the racecar is the rumour about a road-going version, one to be fitted with the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine out of the Lexus NX200. The Yaris is already pretty good fun thanks to a short wheelbase and feathery curbweight, so strapping in some boosted power should make it a riot. Toyota has also officially announced a new Nürburgring-themed version of the Corolla for the Thai market. Fitted with a CVT transmission and 141 horsepower 1.8-litre engine, this car is a lot less exciting, just some bodykit accessories and LED lighting. twitter.com/brendan_mcaleer
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© 2015 Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. Shown above is the 2015 C 400 4MATIC™ with optional Sport package and optional Active LED High Performance Lighting System for a total price of $58,460. MSRP of advertised 2015 C 300 4MATIC™ Sedan is $43,000. *Total price of $46,060 includes freight/PDI of $2,295, dealer admin fee of $595, air-conditioning levy of $100, PPSA up to $45.48 and a $25.00 fee covering EHF tires, filters and batteries. **Vehicle options, fees and taxes extra. Vehicle license, insurance, and registration are extra. Lease offer only available through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services on approved credit for a limited time. 1 Lease example based on $428 (excluding taxes) per month for 39 months (STK#Z1551806), due on delivery includes down payment or equivalent trade of $7,740, plus first month lease payment, security deposit, and applicable fees and taxes. Lease APR of 3.9% applies. Total cost of borrowing is $4,563. Total obligation is $27,365. 12,000km/year allowance ($0.20/km for excess kilometres applies). 2 Three (3) months payment waivers are valid on the 2015 C-Class for deals closed before April 30, 2015. First, second, and third month payment waivers are capped at $450 per month for lease. Only on approved credit through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. Dealer may sell for less. Offers may change without notice and cannot be combined with any other offers. See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Vancouver dealer for details or call the Mercedes-Benz Vancouver Customer Care at 1-855-554-9088. Offer ends April 30, 2015.
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER F R I DAY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
SPRING SAVINGS Prices Effective April 9 to April 15, 2015.
100% BC Owned and Operated PRODUCE
MEAT Organic Mini Seedless Watermelon from Mexico
Organic Choice Grade Lemons California Grown 907g bag product of USA
4.98 each
2.98 each BC Grown Organic Green Cabbage from Spicer Farms in Nakusp product of Canada
Fresh Whole Organic Chickens
Hot e! P ric
Old Country Pasta Ready To Eat Meals
680g/1.5lb
8.99lb/ 19.82kg
450g
6.99
4/10.00
One Coffee Organic Fair Trade Coffee Pods
assorted varieties
Olympic Organic Yogurt assorted varieties
assorted varieties
92g
650g • product of BC
12 pack • product of Canada
SAVE
27%
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38% 4.99
7.99
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39%
McVitie’s Cookies
assorted varieties
assorted varieties
assorted varieties
400g • product of Canada
10.99 SAVE
32%
200-400g • product of UK
2.495.99
assorted varieties 269-284g • product of USA
SAVE 4.99
27%
Annie Chun’s Roasted Seaweed Snack 2 varieties 10g • product of USA/Korea
Dr. Bronner’s Organic Fair Trade Castile Soap
15.99
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37%
assorted varieties 946ml • product of Canada
2/5.00 19.98
Amy’s Frozen Gluten Free Burritos and Wraps
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2.99
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11.99
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Gerolsteiner Carbonated Mineral Water
Pearl’s Frozen Perogies
750ml • + deposit + eco fee product of Germany
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Artisan Breads assorted varieties 250-500g
and New ious! c i l e D
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2/7.00
WELLNESS 944ml
Manitoba Harvest Hemp Bliss Organic Beverages
Artisana Virgin Organic Raw Coconut Oil
3/4.98
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1.792.99
Amy’s Frozen Indian Meals
Family Meal Pack: Roasted Specialty Chickens and Choices’ Own Family Sized Salad
2/7.50
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Salt Spring Organic Fair Trade Coffee
Kikkoman Soy Sauce 296-591ml • product of Japan
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value pack
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Organic Bone In Chicken Breasts or Thighs
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Canadian Baby Potatoes Red Blushing Belle, Yellow Boomer, Terrific Trio, Yellow Fingerling
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Pork Tenderloins
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14.99 Amazing Grass Superfood Powder Blends or Bars assorted varieties and sizes
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25th Anniversary Premium Giveaways:
Laundry Suite
Courtesy of Seventh Generation To celebrate our year of premium giveaways, Seventh Generation wants to give Choices customers a chance to win a Whirlpool® Duet® washer and dryer. Prize valued at approximately $3,000! Prize may not be exactly as shown here.
Skill Testing Question: (8 x 12) ÷ (18 - 6) = Name:
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Contest open from April 1 to 30, 2015. One entry per person. All entries must have the skill testing question answered correctly to be valid.
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