Vancouver Courier August 6 2015

CITY HALL SPARKS POT SHOP APPLICANTS ON THE RECORD WITH FORMER VPD CHIEF JIM CHU GRANDVIEW-WOODLAND PLAN PANNED FEATURE PUBLIC HEALTH DOCTORS HELP SHAPE CITY POLICY THURSDAY

6 August 2015

There’s more online at vancourier.com

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

News

VPD to combat bike thefts with online registry Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

With more than 2,300 bicycles reported stolen in the city last year, the Vancouver Police Department is working with a Portland company to create an online bicycle registry in an effort to catch thieves and return two-wheelers to their owners.

Though police say they are reluctant to discuss details of the registry until an anticipated launch in the fall, a business plan submitted to the Vancouver Police Board last month indicates a partnership with Project 529, a bike security software startup led by Xbox co-founder J Allard.

“An opportunity was explored to partner with an existing bicycle registry program referred to as Project 529, as opposed to creating a new and local one,” the plan said. “This partnership opportunity provides a better solution, and work continues in this area.”

The Portland company — whose name is a play on words of nine-to-five — has already created a dedicated

More than 2,300 bicycles were reported stolen in Vancouver last year. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

VPD page on its website that will go live with the launch of the registry. It will be linked to the police department’s existing website and coupled with an app, which works like a panic button to notify other Project 529 members and police departments of a bike theft.

The purpose of the registry is to have a cyclist register his or her bicycle, log the bike’s serial number,

provide photographs and any other details that would help identify the bike, if it were stolen. The information will be helpful for a cyclist when making a police report and insurance claim.

The Courier contacted Allard via email, but he said he couldn’t discuss details of “any potential unannounced partnerships.

So, for the time being, any questions specifically addressing any partner-

ship with Vancouver is off the table for discussion right now.” But Allard added that his company has learned a lot over the last two years about “this epidemic” of bike theft.

“Today, the bad guys are more organized and are using technology more effectively than the good guys and we’re committed to help communities reverse that trend,” he said.

Bike thefts in Vancouver

continue to increase, with 2,347 bicycles reported stolen last year. That’s a dramatic increase from 1,178 in 2008. The statistics do not include bike thefts that owners couldn’t be bothered to report, possibly because they didn’t record the serial number, or the cost of their insurance deductible payment was more than the bike was worth.

The increase in bike thefts comes as the city is reporting record numbers of bike trips in June, with the most — 198,000 — recorded across the Burrard Bridge. That’s up from 148,000 trips in June 2014. Other notable increases in trips were recorded at Science World (146,000), Union and Hawks (103,000) and the Dunsmuir viaduct (60,000).

While Colin Stein, director of marketing and communications for the HUB cycling advocacy organization, is encouraged by the increases in ridership, he said cyclists need more adequate and safe parking areas and facilities to avoid getting

their bikes stolen. Cyclists also have to educate themselves on how to avoid their bikes becoming an easy target for thieves, said Stein, adding that a video on HUB’s website gives cyclists helpful tips on how to lessen the chance of a theft.

Stein said he is aware of the partnership between the VPD and Project529 and hopes the registry will be successful and cause other Metro Vancouver municipalities to get on board.

Bike theft is a regional problem, he said, noting HUB has worked with the City of Surrey to educate cyclists about how not to get their bikes stolen.

“You have people travelling between cities, so it’s really a regional problem that would be far more effective and efficient if we could have a common solution,” said Stein, who acknowledged a registry needs to be promoted well for it to work. “It needs a certain level of participation for it to be effective in this world of social media and mobile applications.” @Howellings

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T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

So you want to open a pot shop?

Mike Howell

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mhowell@vancourier.com

The City of Vancouver is holding private information sessions for current and potential pot shop operators to “learn how to make a successful medical marijuana business licence application” as it embarks on its plan to become Canada’s first city to regulate the illegal dispensaries.

The city is advertising the sessions on its website, saying “city staff will explain everything you need to know about the new regulations and how to successfully apply for permits and licences to run a marijuanarelated business.”

The first session, which allowed a maximum of 75 people in a room at city hall, was held July 30, with two more planned for Aug. 10 (already full) and 13. The Courier attended the first hour of the July 30 session to hear a presentation from Andreea Toma, the city’s chief licence inspector, but was told to leave for the question and answer portion because participants didn’t sign up anticipating media would be in the room.

Toma outlined much of what has already been made public about the new bylaws, which city council approved in June after a marathon public hearing. The city has made it clear its aim is to regulate the businesses — not the product — by implementing $30,000 annual licence fees ($1,000 for non-profit “compassion clubs”), criminal record checks and zoning regulations that prohibit pot shops from operating within 300 metres of schools, community centres and each other.

Under the new regulations, applicants have to undergo a series of steps and reviews before being granted a business licence, with the first requirement to have an application completed by Aug. 21. Toma emphasized the need for operators to not allow minors in the shops or advertise to them and sign a “good neighbour agreement.”

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Marijuana advocates were outside city hall July 30 as city staff held its first of three sessions to help current and potential pot shop operators successfully apply for a business licence.

PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

“The more complaints we get against you, the more you’ll see of us,” she told the crowd, which included marijuana advocates Don Briere, David Malmo Levine and Jodie Emery. “So it’s really in your best interest to do your best to manage that.”

Briere, who co-owns nine Weeds Glass and Gifts, told the Courier during a break in the session that he still doesn’t agree with the $30,000 annual licence fee, saying casinos and liquor stores pay about 10 per cent or less for a licence.

“How is that fair in any way, shape or form?” he said. “If they want $30,000 each for, say, 10 stores, that’s $300,000. It’s just not feasible. The rents are high, you want to pay a decent wage for the people working there, and the product is expensive.

It’s $2,000 a pound.”

The $30,000 fee has Briere and his partners considering turning their dispensaries into compassion clubs to avoid the expensive cost of a licence. But in adhering to the city’s definition of a compassion club, Briere would have to register his stores under the province’s Society Act and offer at least two health services for 60 per cent of operating hours or more per month.

“They’re forcing us to do it,” he said.

Realtor Setti Java, who attended the session, said she was there on behalf of a client interested in setting up a dispensary. Java said her

client is a university professor and willing to pay the $30,000 fee. She said she didn’t anticipate any problems getting a licence. The bigger problem, she said, is finding a landlord willing to rent a space for a dispensary.

“I have called so many places and they say, ‘no,’” she said, noting the 300-metre restriction is also proving a problem to locate a suitable storefront.

Norma, who wouldn’t provide her surname, said she opened a dispensary six weeks ago on East Hastings. She wouldn’t provide the address but said her plan is to expand the business by setting up a cannabis “educational centre” with a doctor on the premise every Thursday.

Regardless of what Norma does with the business, she said the fact the federal government still continues to consider marijuana illegal — except for patients approved to use the drug — is causing her problems.

Recently, two employees stole cash and marijuana from the store.

“The police said there’s nothing we can do, it’s still illegal,” she said, noting a $30,000 fee doesn’t included “police protection.”

The city will not say how many applications it has received since council passed the new bylaws in June, although the city estimates there are close to 100 pot shops in Vancouver. @Howellings

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

News

Former police chief Chu discusses

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ON THE RECORD

Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

Jim Chu has a new job.

Three months after retiring as Vancouver’s police chief, Chu has joined Aquilini Investment Group as vicepresident of special projects and partnerships. The Aquilini family is best known for its ownership of the Vancouver Canucks. Chu began his job this week. The Courier caught up with him by telephone to discuss his new gig, what he’s been up to since leaving his post and how he broke his wrist.

I know you love hockey and play on a recreational team. Now that you’re

working for the Aquilinis, I guess the first question is whether the job offer included season’s tickets to Vancouver Canucks games?

Everybody that hears about this position asks me that question.

And what’s the answer?

I don’t have any affiliation with the Canucks. I’m working with the Aquilini Investment Group.

So how did the job come about?

When I announced my retirement near the end of my tenure as police chief, I received some calls from different people. One of the calls was from the Aquilini family. I had some positive

meetings with them, including with president David Negrin and I really felt this was the best fit for me.

If anything, I was looking more to private sector opportunities. I do have an undergraduate degree and master’s in business. I’ve done the public sector work all my life.

What happened to a run at politics?

When I was unemployed, I didn’t want to rule anything out. As I said, this was a great opportunity in the private sector, and I want to thank the Aquilini family for thinking that I had something to contribute.

OK, but what about politics?

I’ve ruled out politics. I’ve made a long-term commitment to the company.

What’s a long-term commitment?

Well, longer term. I’m only 55 years old, so I’m going to start a second career.

Was your retirement connected in any way to this job — that you announced your retirement knowing the Aquilinis had a job for you?

No. When I announced my retirement, I had nothing lined up. I had no offers, although there always was political discussions. There were no private sector options. I didn’t want anybody to say that I was using my current position to lobby for another job.

My understanding is that your new job will see you as a point person for relations with First Nations. Can you elaborate?

There’s more to it than that. The Aquilini Group is a diversified company and so there are many areas where they’re going to have to deal with regulatory and health and safety issues. So that will be something that I work on right away. There’s the area of government relations. And there are many other communities that the Aquilini Investment Group deals with. In terms of the First Nations’ file, I’ll be in a secondary role to president David Negrin.

So your prime responsibility will be what, then?

To begin with, there’s some regulatory and health and safety and environmental safety issues that I will work on.

So when you say health and safety, is that safety of a building to ensure it doesn’t collapse in an earthquake, or the safety of a building to prevent crime?

All facets of safety.

So how do you see making the transition from policing to the business world?

It’s exciting for me and I think I’ve got a little extra motivation because it’s something different. I did get some phone calls about continuing to work as a police chief.

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T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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News

new beat, tired of talking Canucks Even though a new city might be different, it wasn’t different enough. I also believe in life-long learning.

I’ve got a lot to learn about the business world and I’m looking forward to working with some very experienced business people who’ve been very successful.

Which cities were calling for you to become their police chief?

With all these calls and opportunities, I hate to be a name dropper. I can just say there were some calls. I got calls from national and international search firms related to policing.

But did you get any other job offers that were not related to policing, besides the offer from the Aquilinis?

There were other opportunities presented to me and this was the most suitable for me.

Do you miss being the police chief?

Well, if there’s one quote I’d like you to use it’s that I think Adam Palmer is doing a great job, and my job as re-

selected Stock

How did you do that?

It was a pathway in the middle of nowhere. And for miles, there was only me and this pedestrian. The pedestrian was looking up hill. So I thought he saw me. There was road noise from a highway nearby. At the very last minute, he jerked in front of me. He was daydreaming but he was also painting a line marker. So I went around him, into the bushes, braced myself and ended up with a cracked bone in my wrist. I want to point out, I was wearing a helmet.

Former VPD chief Jim Chu has been hired as vice-president of special projects and partnerships for Aquilini Investment Group.

PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

tired chief is to stay out of his way. So I haven’t been checking up on things, I haven’t been talking to anyone at the VPD. But what I’ve heard is very, very positive. Nationally, I’m still on the board of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police as past president. And the Aquilini Investment Group supported me staying on the board. So I do get to weigh in on some national issues.

What have you been up to since you left the police department?

I had a daughter in New Zealand who was working there, so I went to visit her. And here’s a scoop for you: I was riding my bike in Oregon and I fell off it and broke a bone my left wrist.

Fortunately, I’m righthanded. I had a cast on it for four weeks.

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Are you still playing ice hockey?

The summer break is here, but I do look forward to returning to the ice in late September.

Is this job with the Aquilinis really a plan for you have them get you a tryout with the Canucks?

Let me repeat: I have nothing to do with the hockey club, which is a good thing.

This interview was edited and condensed. Full version at vancourier.com. @Howellings

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

News Iris, avid outdoors enthusiast, PARC resident

Community plan concerns DEVELOPING STORY

Naoibh O’Connor

noconnor@vancourier.com

The Grandview-Woodland Area Council isn’t convinced the East Side neighbourhood needs more density. That’s among the issues the resident group raised in its recent response to the citizens’ assembly recommendations for Grandview-Woodland’s community plan.

GWAC is worried some recommendations will lead

to the loss of affordable, three-storey walk-up apartment buildings in favour of expensive condos and that the prospect of community amenity contributions (CACs) from developers is behind some recommendations for more development.

Jim Fraser is a member of the area council.

“I think it’s a really debatable point amongst everyone to what extent community amenity contributions should be used to fund

social services,” he said.

“Secondly, it’s a concern that the uses of CACs has become inverted, if you will… there’s a feeling now that it’s become more a negotiation about how much CAC the city can get from the developer and it’s a negotiation between how high and how much the CAC can be and that there’s very little or not enough concern for what the appropriate design for the community should be.”

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T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

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www.BCBOTTLEDEPOT.com

Grandview-Woodland group

GWAC maintains all levels of government should fully fund community amenities, but if CACs remain a key revenue source, communities should be involved in negotiating them.

The citizens’ assembly’s report, which council accepted in June and referred back to staff for analysis, outlined a total of 270 neighbourhood-wide, as well as sub-area recommendations for the seven districts within Grandview-Woodland.

The recommendations, which aren’t binding on council, focused on themes ranging from housing to community well-being and health.

Mainly mid- and low-rise buildings, as well as one 12-storey building, were recommended around the Broadway-Commercial Drive SkyTrain Station rather than towers, which had been proposed two years earlier in the community plan’s controversial emerging directions.

The assembly called for some higher buildings along Hastings Street than were initially proposed in 2013, with heights of up to 15 storeys, with opportunities for 20 storeys on the north side of Hastings between Clark and McLean drives.

Between McLean and Commercial, it recommends up to 15 storeys on the north side and 12 on the south side. Proposed heights decline heading eastward towards Nanaimo.

GWAC member Garth Mullins calls the citizens’ assembly’s report a “fine start,” but the community needs to “dig into it.”

Mullins said the neighbourhood has traditionally been working class, but residents are being driven out by development, which will accelerate if some recommendations for rezoning are accepted.

“The community of East Vancouver heard about this idea for the city to expand towers around GrandviewWoodland two years ago

Grandview-Woodland Area Council member Garth Mullins says residents are being driven out of the neighbourhood by development. He is concerned that will accelerate if certain rezoning recommendations are accepted. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

and they angrily rejected them, so the citizens’ assembly happens and we get much of the same coming out of the other end of this thing,” he said. “We get allowances for expensive towers that are just shifted to the north. You get shorter buildings but more of them in the south around SkyTrain.

And this really doesn’t get at the main problem — that putting expensive condo projects all over GrandviewWoodland is going to make it an ever more expensive place to live.”

Mullins said if areas of the neighbourhood are to be rezoned, the city needs to make an argument for it that shows how it will make Grandview-Woodland a better or cheaper place to live.

“Where are the numbers and what is the rationale for what would be a major change in the neighbourhood?” he said.

When asked if he’s concerned he or GWAC will be regarded as NIMBYs, Mullins said: “If you say, ‘Do you want to make a playground for billionaires, do you want to increase the inequality in

Erin Cebula, Global BC

Say YES to BC

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the neighbourhood, do you want to abandon a sense of social justice in the place’ — then I’d say damn right not in my backyard.

“It really isn’t about more people, it’s about the place becoming more exclusive. If you want to build an exclusive enclave for billionaires and real estate speculators, sure, I’ll say we don’t want to do that in East Vancouver, but I’ll say probably people don’t want to do it in Vancouver. You can see this same process happening all over the world. So it’s not just about one backyard, it’s about the backyards of communities around the world fighting the same process of hyper-gentrification.

So, it’s something we have to look at quite broadly.”

Kent Munro, the city’s assistant director of planning, told the Courier in an email that it’s too early to respond to GWAC’s comments. He noted the citizens’ assembly issued 270 recommendations, which city staff are now studying.

“That review must be completed before staff is in a position to provide further comment. That is

HURRY!

an appropriate approach that is respectful of the significant effort put into the citizens’ assembly process,” Munro wrote. “The citizens’ assembly process was a very comprehensive and thorough consultation that not only involved the assembly members but reached out to and included thousands of GrandviewWoodland residents over the past year. Many, many perspectives have been shared and many more will no doubt be forthcoming from all who continue to be engaged. We always welcome input. However, given the need to take stock of where things are at and to have some time to consider and to reflect on all that has been put forward through the process, it would be premature at this stage for staff to comment on any particular perspective.”

Munro said there will be further opportunities for public comment after the staff review is complete and all of the input over more than three years, including the assembly’s report, is considered and synthesized. @naoibh

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

Opinion GEOFF OLSON COLUMNIST

mwiseguise@yahoo.com

Real estate market shines light, casts shadow

T

hree recent scenes involving light and shadow from Vancouver.

The first scene: a luminous Sunday evening at the 38th Vancouver Folk Festival. The aptly named band Phosphorescent is dealing with feedback issues at the main stage, but it doesn’t seem to be hurting the crowd vibe. The western sky resembles a crushed set of pastels, with a crescent moon adding a stroke of white.

The second scene: I step from the Burrard SkyTrain Station late one afternoon

Most home and condo owners don’t think a great deal about light — beyond exposure to the four cardinal directions — until they lose it to a nearby development. to find a shadowy Gotham on Dunsmuir.

Having somehow avoided this spot for years, I marvel how towers in the area have cut the sky down to a few slivers of light.

A visit to some places in the downtown core can feel like a walk through a Vegas casino floor: plenty of artificial light with no indication of the time of day. In contrast, the grassy amphitheater of Jericho Park, with its exposure to the sun, moon and (a few) stars, can give you a sense of riding spaceship Earth.

Third scene: some time ago I spoke with a “geospatial engineer” at a public hearing for a high-rise development in a Lower Mainland neighborhood. He tells me that at certain hours on sunny days, a pro-

posed 22-storey highrise would result in a kilometre-long shadow across suburban homes to the east — but he’s not prepared to be interviewed about his findings.

It’s a touchy subject. Our Tulipmania real estate market is creating a Jack in the Beanstalk skyline, with pinnacles of light for the players and a canyon of shadows for everyone else.

Most home and condo owners don’t think a great deal about light — beyond exposure to the four cardinal directions — until they lose it to a nearby development.

As noted in a Washington Post story about the gloomy consequences of high-rise construction in the U.S., “shadows even turn light into another medium of inequality — a resource that can be bought by the wealthy, eclipsed from the poor.”

Controversy over civic light and shadow has a long pedigree south of the border.

Public outcry in 1915 over the seven-acre shadow created by the 42-storey equitable Building in Lower Manhattan influenced the architecture of subsequent developments in New York. Skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and Chrysler building were conceived with tapered designs; setbacks at higher floors that allow more sky to be seen from the ground.

This contextual approach went sideways for a stretch. The modernist credo, expressed in Le Corbusier’s description of a house as a “machine for living,” led to writer P.J. O’Rourke’s ’90s-era estimate of rectilinear additions to the North American skyline: “That’s not a building, it’s the box it came in.”

Developers habitually lose the plot with light — but the public is always there to remind them what they are really doing: constructing immense sundials. In 1984, San Francisco introduced a “sunlight ordinance” that requires the municipal review of proposed structures over 40 feet that might shadow public parks.

Today, geospatial engineers and “enlightened” architects use sophisticated 3D modelling software to measure “shadow impacts” of proposed developments. As a bargaining tool, developers might negotiate the elimination of a few storeys from high-rise development proposals, so neighbouring developments receive a few extra minutes of sunlight through the day.

Big buildings don’t just generate shadows. The speculative enthusiasm for all-glass towers, which shows no sign of abating in the world’s urban hotspots, can result in unintended consequences. One such example is London’s “Fryscraper,” an infamous high-rise with a concave surface that has reportedly cooked cars parked in its focal point.

Yet the reflective property of such struc-

tures can also be used intentionally and intelligently. As recently reported in the Guardian, architects at NBJJ in London “used computer modeling to design a pair of buildings, one of which works like a gigantic, curved mirror. The glass surface of the northernmost building reflects light down into the shadow cast by its southern partner. And the carefully defined curve of that glass allows the reflected light to follow the shadow throughout the day.”

The above scheme is intended to create more ambient urban light, rather than a summertime death beam or all-season twilight.

City of Vancouver, take note. With a gravity-defying real estate market sending condos and prices into the troposphere, the streets below could use some brightening up. @geoffolson Allen Garr is on vacation.

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

letters@vancourier.com LETTERS

Olson misses target lampooning aquarium Re: Cartoon, July 22.

Generally I find Olson’s commentary whether in words or graphic art to be clever and on the mark. Not so with his lampooning of the Vancouver Aquarium’s CEO, in regards to breeding in captivity. My understanding of the way the Vancouver aquarium operates is that it is solely on the basis of rescue and rehabilitation — in fact, the only scenario under which keeping wild animals is acceptable to my mind. The fact they would be allowed to do what comes naturally, or be used for educational or even entertainment purposes while captive seems beside the point as they would otherwise have perished in their natural habitat. We go to great lengths to try and protect other species of wild animals and birds, so why not cetaceans and dolphins and other sea mammals?

Those opposed to the excellent work of this non-profit group should give their heads a shake.

Charles Leduc, Vancouver

View of tower proposal limited Re: Inbox, “Dour over No Tower campaign,” July 24.

Thank you Eileen Mosca, I am so tired of the miss information promoted by the “No Tower” campaign that this is all about stopping developers.

The only mention of the Kettle Society in the latest flyer stuck in my front door this week suggests that the Kettle hasn’t put adequate funding in place and it is available if only they asked.

I have worked in the world of nonprofit services for many years and the money provided for supportive services is a fraction of what it once was and a fraction of what it should be because the focus now for every level of government is how best to save money and cut taxes. I have been involved for more than 20 in programs providing employment support and services to thousands of participants. The Kettle has been available to provide much needed additional services for hundreds of those participants.

Inbox

Eileen points out that the “No Tower” campaign chooses not to acknowledge that the Lion’s Seniors housing at Adanac and Commercial is a 12-storey tower. I have lived three blocks away from that tower for the past 18 years and it has never been a problem. The “No Tower” makes no mention of the towers west of Commercial Drive that house more seniors and I believe the Citizens Assembly have suggested the development of 10-storey towers for the Hastings corridor, so much for “our beautiful lowrise residential neighbourhood.”

The “No Tower” campaign suggests that the proposed tower will “change the cherished character of our Drive.”

I suggest that not supporting the Kettle Society housing proposal will destroy the cherished character of a neighbourhood that is no longer willing to support their less advantaged neighbours who rely on the Kettle for much needed support and services.

Lynda Hurst, Vancouver ••• Eileen Mosca’s letter makes useful points as she criticizes opposition to the Boffo-Kettle tower that is proposed for a crucial prominent parcel at Commercial and Venables. While pursuing her specifics, however, she sits atop an invisible elephant.

The City of Vancouver has a history of blockbusting local areas with large projects that somehow escape and usually precede or parallel local area planning. The tactic is to front-run the “planning” with a massive fait accompli.

In the recent big-developer shift out into residential Vancouver, this approach began with King Edward Village taking shape outside of the never completed Kingsway and Knight Neighbourhood Centre Plan. Next up was the 22-storey tower at Kingsway and Nanaimo, signed sealed and delivered scant months ahead of the 2006 start of planning for Norquay. The 2010-2013 Norquay Plan covers hundreds of acres and allows for no height greater than 16 storeys. The evidence is stark.

Joseph Jones, Vancouver

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Unfortunately, the BC Prov off-loading hurts #socialhousing & non-profits as are City Council’s redefinitions & rezonings @mtnbvan

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

Attention: Unrepresented ICBC Injury Claimants NO LEGAL FEE - unless we increase your compensation

Opinion

Have friends, family or a health professional urged you to see a lawyer before accepting an offer from ICBC? Call us for a free consultation.

We have spoken to many people just like you. We have learned that ICBC does not base its settlement offers on how well an injury victim feels.

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Gender discrimination puts kids on the streets

We are so confident that we can increase your compensation that we guarantee you will pay no fee unless you receive more than ICBC is offering when you hire us to be your lawyers.

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Trish Kelly

trishkellyc@gmail.com

There was plenty to celebrate at last weekend’s Pride Parade, on this the 10th anniversary of the legalization of same sex marriage in Canada. Heck, marriage equality is even legal in the United States now.

And finally, the fight for transgender rights and visibility are becoming part of the common discourse in our country. With the number of victories being celebrated this year, a casual observer might think we’ve got homophobia and transphobia beat.

While there was much to celebrate in the advancement of equality for the LGBTQ community this year, some parts of the community have advanced further than others. For youth, especially those whose gender expression or sexual orientation doesn’t conform with what their families expect, a tough road lies ahead of them, and it’s one that brings them to homelessness at a disproportionately higher rate.

Aaron Munro, manager of community development for RainCity Housing and Support Society, has been working with homeless youth for many years. Munro says that broader societal acceptance of LGBTQ2S* identities means the age that youth are coming out is younger than ever before. For those with supportive families and communities, this is great news.

Today’s LGBTQ2S* kids are spending less time in the closet compared to previous generations, when LGBTQ people often waited to come out until after they were finished school and living independently from their families.

But, for youth who find they don’t have the support of their families, coming out when still at home has high stakes.

Disapproval often means more than emotional rejection, and can snowball into street involvement, mental health issues and homelessness.

(The 2S* in the acronym refers to Two-Spir-

ited, an aboriginal term encompassing gender variance and sometimes sexual identity. It’s an important inclusion considering a recent B.C. survey of homeless youth indicated a staggering 53 per cent of respondents are aboriginal.)

Transgender and gender non-conforming youth face even steeper barriers, finding that temporary shelters either reject them or are simply not equipped to deal with them. Shelter staff may have only minimal training about the needs of transgender and queer youth. Shelter life basics such as shower rooms and sleeping quarters are often sex segregated, with separate rooms or floors

health care professionals who understand issues LGBTQ2S* youth may be experiencing. They also get social time with their peers, which helps them overcome feelings of isolation that are a common part of coming out.

Munro is also building a mentorship program for youth in the housing program. Munro is a firm believer that a strong community around youth will help keep kids moving towards selfsufficiency and prevent a slip back into street homelessness. RainCity is looking for mentors who are members of the LGBTQ2S* community, who understand what exclusion feels like, and

Transgender and gender non-conforming youth face even steeper barriers, finding that temporary shelters either reject them or are simply not equipped to deal with them. for men and women. A youth who doesn’t easily fit into one or the other chooses between staying and risking higher rates of gender violence and aggression, or sleeping on the street.

Several years ago, Munro began working on a RainCity initiative to provide housing and support specifically for chronically and episodically homeless LGBTQ2S* youth — the first program of its kind in Canada.

With support from the Vancouver Foundation, RainCity began its youth housing program in January. Youth in the program are offered placement in a communal living situation or support finding their own apartment in the neighbourhood of their choice.

Once housing is taken care of, other supports are put in place. The youth connect with RainCity staff weekly and are invited to a weekly dinner at the communal house.

Here, they get access to

who are willing to share their experience to foster hope for the youth.

The catch to the excellent program is that it’s a pilot. Current funding is expected to last through September 2016, but the program is already proving its value.

RainCity hopes to share what it learns from the pilot with other housing organizations across the country. But let’s hope funding surfaces to keep this Vancouver initiative going.

It would be a cruel twist of fate if this successful model that’s proving so helpful were to be adopted in other cities, but ceased to run here in Vancouver.

Actually, we can do better than hope. RainCity welcomes donations through its website.

Weekly dinners cost about $200 a week.

Those with means can donate to ensure the weekly dinners continue, now and beyond the pilot phase. @trishkellyc

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Courtesy of the Vancouver Archives

Vanishing Vancouver

A seminar hosted by Tapestry at Wesbrook Village

Tuesday, August 11, 1:30pm – 3:00pm Vancouver is a rapidly changing city. Join us at Tapestry at Wesbrook Village to learn often forgotten aspects of the city’s rich heritage.

You are invited to join us along with Michael Kluckner for an afternoon of local history. Michael is an artist and writer best-known for the book Vanishing Vancouver, published in 1990, and its 2012 sequel. He is president of the Vancouver Historical Society and volunteers on the city’s Heritage Commission.

Learn something new. Come share your Vancouver stories.

Space is limited! RSVP to 604.225.5000 to reserve your spot.

DiscoverTapestry.com

Tapestry at Wesbrook Village 3338 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver

604.225.5000

Fresh Garden Possibilites A rooftop herb garden demo presented by Tapestry at Arbutus Walk

Thursday, August 13, 2:00pm – 4:00pm The long summer sun means herbs and vegetables are already ready for harvest and incorporation into Tapestry’s daily menu!

Join us at Tapestry at Arbutus Walk as we showcase our fabulous rooftop garden and teach you how you can grow your own.

Tapestry Chef Scot Roger will discuss the benefits of fresh organic foods and provide a delicious sampling of snacks and beverage prepared from our own garden! Elvira Hufschmid from Farm City Food Garden Construction will share her expertise on creating your own city garden.

Brush up on your city gardening skills and taste the difference Tapestry fresh home grown herbs and vegetables can make.

To join us at Tapestry at Arbutus Walk, RSVP to 604.736.1640 to book your spot today. Space is limited.

DiscoverTapestry.com Tapestry at Arbutus Walk 2799 Yew Street, Vancouver

604.736.1640

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

Community 1

2

3

4

1. Nana Tamura of Vancouver Rakuichi stands on top of the omikoshi during the 39th annual Powell Street Festival that took place at Oppenheimer Park this past weekend. The festival celebrates Japanese Canadian arts, culture and heritage. 2. Yukiko Tosa of the Paperfolders Around the Lower Mainland club gives Pauline Nicole Wilson a lesson in origami. 3. Young and old flocked to Oppenheimer Park and the surrounding area to celebrate Japanese Canadian arts, culture and heritage. 4. Kisyuu Calligraphy offered their services at the annual festival.

See photo gallery at vancourier.com. PHOTOS REBECCA BLISSETT

CITY LIVING

Lifting spirits at Powell Street Festival Rebecca Blissett

rvblissett@gmail.com

The moving parts of the 39th annual Powell Street Festival, which took place this past weekend, included a number of different styles of martial arts, dance and performance. It also included a portable shrine, better known by its Japanese name of omikoshi, that cut a path through the masses of cheering people at Oppenheimer Park early Saturday afternoon.

The omikoshi itself looks like a miniature Japanese temple with a figure of a gold phoenix on its roof. It’s lavishly

decorated with purple and gold colours and sits on horizontal poles so the carriers, made up of members of the Vancouver Rakuichi and friends, can hoist it on their shoulders.

“It’s an essential part of any festival in Japan,” said Mayu Takasaki, one of the festival volunteers. “It houses a deity — a spirit — and it resides in that palanquin. Once a year it comes out and carries out blessings.”

It is said the more raucous the parade, the more good fortune. While the procession advanced, a man in a traditional hapi with a megaphone shouted, “Wa shai!

Wa shai! Wa shai!” which

was then repeated by the carriers as well as the crowd, some of whom chased after the rocking omikoshi that moved in jerky, random directions like a slow-moving animal trying to escape potential captors.

It’s not just the shrine and carrying poles that need to be lifted — there’s also the person who rides on top, standing in front of the shrine and often holding on with just one hand. Today it was Nana Tamura’s job to chant and relay directions at the top of her lungs from the front carriers to the rear.

“It’s pretty tough to do, actually,” said the 26-yearold after the march ended

and Vancouver Rakuichi members were efficiently disassembling the omikoshi. “I did cheerleading for a long time and [the group] thought it was going to be much of the same movement. It’s nothing like it! I thought it would be, too, balancewise but nothing like it.”

Tamura has been part of the celebration for three years, recruited by her father Fujio Tamura who is one of the group’s leaders.

She said she is not only part of the group’s next generation, but she’s also a little easier to carry than one of her dad’s friends.

“The men are getting older and were feeling

a bit uneasy being up there,” she said with a laugh. “It’s extremely tiring but a lot of fun. It’s using a lot of my legs for me, just to keep the balance.

Also, when they move, it’s supposed to move like a wave, so it’s hard to predict. But when I look down and I see everyone working in one unit and everyone’s passion — it’s wonderful to see.”

The Powell Street Festival celebrates life as it once was, and life as it now is. It is an important arts, culture and heritage celebration that remembers a Japanese Canadian neighbourhood that once thrived in the area but was sud-

denly uprooted during the Second World War. It also acknowledges and brings together the community that is now spread across the Lower Mainland. It is common to hear participants treat the festival as a family reunion of sorts.

Tamura is one of the many who treat the festival as a part of life, and plans on being a part of the omikoshi — and its appearance at the Powell Street Festival — for as long as she can.

“I’d like to do this for a long time,” she said.

“At least until my kids are born. I would like to show them what it’s like.” @rebeccablissett

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

Community

Hannes van der Merwe (left) and Lonnie Delisle grew up on opposite sides of the world, but the religious paths that brought them together are similar. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

PACIFIC SPIRIT

Couple finds love, spiritual community Second of two-part story follows journey of rejection, acceptance and reconnection

Pat Johnson

PacificSpiritPJ@gmail.com

After being publicly humiliated for “moral failure” in front of one of Canada’s largest mega-church congregations, Lonnie Delisle eventually abandoned the Christianity that had been central to his life.

“I went through a sort of angry phase,” he says.

“If that was God, then no thanks, was my opinion.”

A professional musician, Delisle took a job on a cruise ship, for money and to figure out what to do next.

Unbeknownst to him, a young man he had met years earlier at an evangelical conference in South Africa was experiencing a similar disruption.

Hannes van der Merwe grew up on a remote sheep farm in South Africa’s Karoo, a sparsely populated semi-desert, the grandson of a Dutch Reformed minister.

Among the white population — Van der Merwe was 14 when apartheid ended in 1994 — the Dutch Reformed church

permeated life and culture.

“Dutch Reform was allpervasive throughout the nation,” he says, but it was even more so in his family.

Like many farm kids, he attended boarding school from Grade 1, but even though it was a public school, it was heavily imbued with Dutch Reformed theology, including private and public prayer times. In high school, young Hannes was chosen as chair of the Christian student movement and was deeply involved in the church. He recalls himself at that time as being “very earnest about my faith.”

His family thought — hoped — he might become a minister. Instead, he went to Cape Town to study graphic design, but carried with him his religious devotion.

“When I went to Cape Town, in my earnestness, I just started asking more questions,” he says. “I started reading my Bible a little more earnestly.”

His searching led him away from the Dutch Reformed church and into a Pentecostal one. It was

mostly theological differences that led to the break, but in retrospect, he says, part of it came from his realization of how Dutch Reformed theology had underpinned the apartheid regime. His church-switching might seem a minor move to an outsider, but it was quite revolutionary for the time and place.

He joined a ministry that counselled people experiencing, as they called it, “relational and sexual brokenness.” This could involve adultery, pornography, sexual addictions or any number of mild to hard-core indicators. It also included homosexuality, which was invisible in Van der Merwe’s world.

“There were no gay people around to be seen,” he recalls. “It wasn’t talked about. It was so evil you will not find it close to us.”

He knows now that his interest in the ministry had as much to do with his own seeking as seeking to help others.

“Even though I realize I had kind of attractions to

guys in late high school, I could never, never allow myself to believe that I am actually gay, that I’m attracted to guys,” he says.

“There was this complete disconnect of what I felt and what I wanted to be.

And what I wanted to be was this good Christian guy. I just wanted to make God happy, please people around me. I didn’t want to be perverse. I didn’t want to be bad.”

At one point, Van der Merwe decided to take a job as a photographer on a cruise ship. (No, this is not where the story converges.)

There, the still-sheltered South African met hundreds of coworkers from around the world, people who became friends but whom, his theology told him, were going to hell because they had not accepted Jesus.

“But I loved them so much, I realized there is no way that God is going to send these people to hell,” he says. “So that’s where my faith started changing.”

He returned to South Af-

rica, but not to church. He made diverse new friends, one of them was gay.

“We had so many discussions about faith and Christianity and sexuality,” he says. “Suddenly the penny dropped for me that I live my life according to what other people wanted me to be.”

People might reject him now, he understood, but he was confident God would not. He told his family and friends he was gay. And he remembered a man he had met at the Living Waters conference five years earlier.

He found Delisle on Facebook and told him of his journey. Their reconnection was powerful and instantaneous. On opposite sides of the globe, the two had undergone remarkably parallel evolutions. Things moved quickly, thanks partly to Skype. Delisle flew to South Africa for Christmas and their love was affirmed. Van der Merwe moved to Canada in 2012 and they were married later the same year.

Together, they have also

found a spiritual community. Delisle is the music director at Canadian Memorial United Church as well as the Universal Gospel Choir, a multi-faith musical ensemble. Van der Merwe is in both choirs.

He admits that when he came to Canada, he was done with religion, as Delisle had been earlier. But they found a place, they say, of open hearts and open minds.

“I didn’t see the point in going to church anymore because if you want to be a Christian you have to believe in something in a specific way,” Van der Merwe says. The open theology he found at Canadian Memorial “was such a fresh breeze, a new way of thinking about faith.”

“I can ask questions,” he says. “I’m of the belief that the more perspectives are out there, the more you are open to, the more you listen to, the more you hear — what’s real and what matters will percolate from that.

“And that’s where I’m at.” @Pat604Johnson

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A17

Feature

Dr. Patricia Daly and Dr. John Carsley of Vancouver Coastal Health have been a regular visitors to city hall, where their recommendations on issues such as gambling expansion have influenced decisions of city council. PHOTOS DAN TOULGOET

Public health doctors having major effect on city policy

Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

First, it was the debate over gambling expansion in 2011.

In June, it was how best to regulate illegal marijuana dispensaries.

Two weeks ago, it was whether city council should approve some form of barrier on the Burrard Bridge to prevent suicides.

The theme linking these major public policy decisions together at city hall is how they were influenced or, at least, informed by the expert opinions and research conducted by Vancouver Coastal Health’s public health and preventive medicine doctors.

Though Vancouver once had its own chief medical health officer in now-retired Dr. John Blatherwick, the move some years ago to create regional health authorities removed the direct connection to city hall. But that changed in 2009 when the newly created Public Health Act required doctors to advise local governments on matters that affected the health of the public.

That’s why Dr. Patricia Daly and Dr. John Carsley of Vancouver Coastal Health have made regular trips to city hall to provide council with research, opinions and recommendations

on issues such as gambling, marijuana and suicide.

“They’ve been very receptive and want to hear that independent public health viewpoint on a lot of their decisions, but not all governments do that,” said Daly, who downplayed the health authority’s influence on public policy in Vancouver. “But they’re still making the decisions.”

Vancouver is unique in its acceptance of the health authority’s views since its city manager, Dr. Penny Ballem, is a former deputy minister of health and a trained hematologist. One of its city councillors, Kerry Jang, is a professor of psychiatry at the University of B.C. Jang recalls that when he and his Vision Vancouver colleagues won government in 2008, there was a need to connect with the health authority to better inform decisions on homelessness, mental health, addictions and other social issues taken on by the administration. That relationship was also important as council embarked on its healthy city strategy, said Jang, noting the city now has a memorandum of understanding with the health authority to work together on public health issues, including implementing the second phase of the Downtown Eastside health plan.

George Affleck

Kerry Jang

“It’s a very deliberate relationship that we have,” said Jang, pointing out advice from Daly and Carsley influenced his decisions at council on gambling, marijuana and the need for a suicide prevention barrier on the Burrard Bridge. “I take their advice very seriously. It’s data driven and it’s about providing that extra information that people don’t think about.”

The first real notice of the doctors’ presence at city hall was in March 2011 when Carsley showed up at a public hearing — a visit Vision Coun. Andrea Reimer recalls being “so out of the box at the time” — to recommend council reject a proposal from a Las Vegas company to build a mega casino adjacent to B.C. Place Stadium. Paragon Gaming Inc.’s proposal

called for doubling the number of gaming tables and tripling the number of slot machines as it shuttered its Edgewater Casino to build a new facility.

Carsley’s recommendation to sink the proposal was based on research and literature he reviewed on whether the expansion of gambling would create more problem gamblers.

Though he found the available information contradictory, he told council that “once you make the decision to go ahead in the hope that one theory is better than the other, you can’t really go back.”

Daly said she and Carsley were pleased that council listened to their advice, given all the views of people who spoke during several days of hearings.

“That was something that

we brought to them,” she said. “They didn’t ask us to comment on this. They hadn’t made the link that this is a public health issue.”

Paragon, meanwhile, is building a new casino but not with the number of tables and slots it wanted.

Carsley’s most recent visit to city hall was two weeks ago, when he recommended council include some form of barrier on the Burrard Bridge to prevent suicides. The majority of council agreed to the recommendation as part of the city’s plan to renovate the crossing, which sees an average of one suicide each year.

NPA Coun. George Affleck, who voted against the need for a barrier, accused the ruling Vision party of using information from public health officials to strengthen its arguments which are based on a “we’re all going to die mentality.”

When asked if information from Daly and Carsley is helpful to council debate, Affleck said he is open to all people speaking at a public hearing and sharing their views on issues. What he’s not open to, he said, is “Vision managing the conversation.” “[Vision] has found an effective way to argue — to get the things they want done — and will use health

as an excuse, as a reason,” he said. “And I don’t think it’s always necessarily the correct reason to make a decision about policy.”

In the marijuana debate, which ended with council passing a series of bylaws to regulate the city’s 90-plus pot shops, Daly told council that marijuana-infused goods — commonly referred to as edibles — should be banned from the dispensaries because of their link to poisonings of children.

Carsley and Daly were also very public about their support for a Yes vote in the recent transportation and transit plebiscite, with Carsley campaigning alongside Mayor Gregor Robertson.

Carsley has also attended press conferences where the mayor has opened new childcare facilities.

Daly explained their roles are more than representing the health authority.

“I work for [the health authority] but I also have that role to independently advise all local governments within the geographic region that I’m responsible for,” she said.

“It’s not as if our viewpoints have to be approved by the Vancouver Coastal Health board. We have independent powers under the Public Health Act to provide the best advice.” @Howellings

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

Feature

Joel Alaouze says graffiti is both a platform for expression and a stepping stone for further artistic pursuits. PHOTOS DAN TOULGOET

Art or vandalism? It depends who you talk to Social media helps spread word on local graffiti

Elizabeth Lu

betty_lu2@hotmail.com

The Leeside Tunnel skateboard park, one of the more popular — and only legal — spots for graffiti artists to display their work in Vancouver provides visitors a small glimpse into the local underground world of graffiti. Despite the rebellious nature of non-commissioned street art, some artists have managed to turn their work into a livelihood while others have remained anonymous within the graffiti community.

Joel Alaouze has been developing his painting skills for more than 10 years. The 25-year-old “writer,” a term preferred by some graffiti artists, lives two lives — one as a restaurant manager and the other as an artist painting murals and pieces on public walls, both legally and illegally.

Ultimately, he hopes more public walls, besides Leeside, will be made available for artists to paint on in Vancouver.

“It’s been a very large aspect of my life over the last eight to 10 years — more or less it was a good escape for me,” said Alaouze, whose parents divorced when he was younger. With his mother out of work and battling drug addiction, Alaouze dropped out of Grade 10 to work full-time to support his mother and two sisters. He said graffiti provided him with an outlet and allowed him to keep his sanity.

“It’s more a lifestyle than a hobby for a lot of us,” he said.

Another local artist, iHeart, who prefers not to use his real name, had the Internet buzzing about his stencil pieces when he pulled off an unsanctioned art show called #asignofthetimes at the Granville Loop Park at the south end of the Granville Street bridge in June. The exhibition highlighted the heightened role social media plays in graffiti culture.

“Social media can be really awkward and that’s the product of giving every person a platform to be heard,” said iHeart via email. “However, a lot of what people say should fall on deaf ears. I really like highlighting the awkward parts of social media that people seem to overlook.”

Some of iHeart’s pieces, which have drawn comparisons to the work of Banksy, incorporate or comment on aspects of social media, such as how many “friends,” “followers” or “likes” someone might get, or status updates about heading to the gym or feeding their cat.

The “buff,” a term used for graffiti cleaners and removers, wiped out the exhibition shortly after it went up.

Thanks to social media, graffiti subculture has grown and provided a way for artists to share and promote their art.

Artists such as Banksy, a world-renowned artist from England whose stencil

graffiti work often involves a statement on a controversial issue or political problem, turned his work into a lucrative business, selling canvasses and making books and documentaries featuring his art, all the while keeping his true identity anonymous. His most expensive piece, “Keep It Spotless,” sold for $1.8 million in 2008.

Despite the popularity of artists such as Banksy and growing appreciation for graffiti as an art form, having it pop up on walls and public spaces is not necessarily appreciated.

Kendra Klemke, vice president of sales for graffiti removal company Goodbye Graffiti, said illegal graffiti affects how people perceive a neighbourhood.

“When there’s graffiti, there’s obviously a lot of negative impact within communities with regard to overall safety and perception of an area or a neighbourhood. So it’s important to keep them clean.” She also said Vancouver is one of the company’s largest markets because the city has been proactive in keeping its streets clean, especially compared to Toronto or Montreal where graffiti is more pervasive.

Vancouver also developed the Integrated Graffiti Management Program more than 10 years ago, which works to prevent illegal graffiti.

Scott Edwards, manager of street activities, which includes the Graffiti Management Program, said the

city has recently developed an app that allows people to report civic issues such as graffiti. The management program sponsors murals on specific public places around the city to nourish artistic skills and steer writers away from vandalism.

“We support some of the up-and-coming artists in development of murals and we also work closely with the VPD and the court system to try and encourage those individuals that may be caught tagging, defacing, damaging and vandalizing property to encourage them to provide opportunities for a better outlet for their artistic capabilities,” said Edwards.

Constable Derek Wong of the Youth Squad and Anti Graffiti Unit of the Vancouver Police Department said that taking preventative measures is just as important as catching the suspected defacer.

“Definitely we’ve been putting some more emphasis on trying to determine the culprits. But [we’re] also trying to discover new ways and new programs where we can try to educate or remediate or try and curb the graffiti,” Wong said.

According to Alaouze, compared to other cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Australia, Vancouver has been slow to accept graffiti in public spaces like alleyways but he hopes that will change.

However, that option is already here, said Edwards, as long as the property owner is involved.

“We actually support those property owners to either keep it clean or actually work with people who might have an artistic skill to put a mural up, and it not only beautifies the city but it also invites the property owner to work with the artist on something that they might both appreciate doing,” said Edwards.

“When it’s not invited on the property, it can often elicit concern from the property owner…We would prefer to have a more collaborative approach.”

Alaouze explained there’s a certain hierarchy for writers that many “toys” or newcomers in the subculture don’t understand but will eventually learn. It’s about respecting other people’s art and even the places where writers choose to display their art. “I wouldn’t go up and hit the front of a bank or hit something like that. I might do some SkyTrain stations because everyone hates the SkyTrain. You just don’t be stupid with it.”

Const. Wong added that the spots defacers choose to mark can have larger repercussions on business owners.

“For the suspects, there’s no monetary gain, however for the victims, there’s a huge financial loss. Not only do they have to suffer with regards to the remediation of the paint, depending if it’s on glass or stone, or how easy it’s to come off. For a small ma and pop shop at the corner store or those small businesses that aren’t making

loads of money, it’s a lot of money off their bottom line,” said Wong.

Take5 is one of Vancouver’s most legendary and respected graffiti artists.

Despite being paraplegic, he’s produced large, elaborate pieces that are highly regarded around the city. According to Alaouze, Take5 has earned a certain level of respect among the graffiti community, and his work largely remains untouched by other writers.

Alaouze hopes a better understanding of the subculture might promote some change in city bylaws and turn more alleyways into open spots where graffiti artists can showcase their work. He understands many taggers and “bombers” (graffiti writers that tend to do smaller, quicker types of work in larger quantities) may not share his viewpoint, but he thinks it would lessen the amount of graffiti on private property.

Alaouze is working on transferring his graffiti chops to canvas. Whether he’s successful or not, he said he’ll still be painting in public for a long time.

“Don’t just pass graffiti art as not an art form because it’s a stepping stone. It’s a stepping stone for many graphic artists that are worldwide now, for many digital artists, and musicians, and hip hop artists. This is an art form and an expression, just like any other. Give us the space and the time to do it.” @bettylu_2

T H U R SDAY, J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

SPACE home design + style

Crosstown: Where It’s At PNE Prize Home In a Nutshell Ask Anne

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

CROSSTOWN:

Two key condo developments in the current transformation of Crosstown are Concord Pacific’s projects Arc Vancouver (shown left in pale blue) and One Pacific (in darker blue, immediately left of B.C. Place).

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T H U R SDAY, J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

WHERE IT’S AT

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What’s happening in Vancouver’s “Entertainment District” Crosstown

WORDS BY SUSAN M BOYCE REW.CA

A central point where B.C. Place and Rogers Arena are the big draws, Vancouver’s sports and entertainment district is finally coming of age.

I

t’s where five of Vancouver’s favourite neighbourhoods rub shoulders – the convergence of Yaletown, Gastown, Chinatown, False Creek and downtown.

Yet despite its unique waterfront setting, Crosstown has as yet never developed a clear sense of identity.

One Pacific

MIXED-USE AND RESORT DEVELOPMENT The company has already completed Aquilini Centre West, a 26-storey tower that connects directly to the Rogers Arena concourse and is the first of three purpose-built rental buildings with lowerlevel retail and commercial components.

The south tower has broken ground and the east tower, which will rise above the location of the current Canucks Store and give enhanced access to the stadium, is expected to be underway soon. Hoffman also notes there is a strong possibility of a fourth tower, although there are no details yet available.

Poised to become a neighbourhood highlight is Parq Vancouver, a $600-million joint venture between Paragon Development Ltd., Dundee Corporation and PBC VUR Limited Partnership. Laying claim to become the province’s largest private development, this 62,000-square-foot “urban resort” will be located adjacent to B.C. Place Stadium and will feature meeting, conference and special event space — including Vancouver’s largest ballroom. In addition to being the new home of the popular Edgewater Casino, it will house two luxury hotels — B.C.’s first JW Marriott hotel (288 guest rooms and 41 suites) and a Marriott International Autograph Collection hotel named The Douglas (178 rooms and 10 suites) — making it the city’s largest hotel convention facility. More than 1,000 much-needed new stalls will increase parking options at B.C. Place.

True, sporting and cultural events like the Stanley Cup, Cirque du Soleil or rock concerts attract big crowds to B.C. Place and Roger’s Arena — but few of those fans remain after the final curtain call or shootout. Eager Costco customers seldom hang around once they’ve filled their shopping carts with bargains. Even the siren call of Lady Luck at the Edgewater Casino isn’t enough to keep a consistent pulse to this enigmatic waterfront neighbourhood.

A VIADUCT-FREE VISION Causing a flurry of excitement is Vancouver’s anticipated decision to eventually remove the Dunsmuir and Georgia Street viaducts.

Brian Jackson, general manager of planning and development services with the City of Vancouver, says that after an intensive twoyear study, the process could receive final approval to move forward in September.

“We are meeting weekly with Concord Pacific to work out details for the new road system and other infrastructure.”

However, over the past few ...change years, change is definitely in is definitely the air. And Kevin Hoffman, With 43,000 vehicles in the air. senior vice president of the per day using the Aquilini Group, is one of the viaducts, city staff have many industry insiders who completed what Kevin is excited that, after well over McNaney, the city’s assistant three decades, Crosstown is finally director of planning, describes as finding its stride as the city’s sports and “extensive transportation modeling” – studying entertainment district.

Aquilini Development’s three new rental towers next to Rogers Arena will have fantastic rooftop gardens to take in the Crosstown and city views.

turns, signal systems and where the traffic originates — to ensure traffic chaos wouldn’t ensue without the elevated roadways.

detailed work and sunk our teeth into the transportation network, and it shows that it’s actually a better transportation system.”

McNaney told REW.ca’s sister publication Vancouver Courier, “We’ve really done the

For the full version of this story, visit REW.ca/news.

JULY 17 - AUG 17, 2015

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

Win a house, win a car!

PNE Prize Home still a popular ticket after 80 years WORDS BY SANDRA THOMAS STHOMAS@VANCOURIER.COM

I

t was in 1934, at the height of the Great Depression, when Pacific National Exhibition organizers came up with an idea for a lottery that would not only generate excitement about the annual fair, but also showcase the best B.C. had to offer when it came to building products, design and ingenuity.

Once complete, the prize included a fully furnished home that came with a free city lot and $500 in furnishings from Eaton’s Department Store. Dubbed the “Dream Bungalow,”

PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

the home, estimated at a total value of $5,000, was pulled to a lot on Renfrew Street by a team of Clydesdale horses. The prize marked the launch of the first home lottery in North America.

That first prize home was a crowd pleaser, and fairgoers flocked to the PNE to buy tickets and fantasize about life in the Dream Bungalow, which is still the case more than eight decades later.

PNE president Mike McDaniel believes the 2015

version of the PNE Prize Home will be one of the most popular in recent years. The spectacular 3,080 squarefoot contemporary home was inspired by the views from the lake view lot in beautiful Naramata in the Okanagan Valley where it will be relocated after the Fair at the PNE. “This home is unlike anything we’ve done before and we anticipate it will be extremely popular with our guests,” says McDaniel.

“The Prize Home is a very important part of our annual fair and its history, and to be able to offer such an incredibly beautiful home as part of the Prize Home Lottery is very exciting.”

The PNE selected Okanagan-based Karoleena, an awardwinning modular homebuilder, to design and build the modern and technologically advanced 2015 Prize Home.

And while the value of the two homes might be worlds apart, PNE organizers hope this year’s lucky winner will find as much happiness in it as Leonard Frewin, whose name was drawn for that first prize home.

Frewin was a mechanic The home features three from Vancouver bedrooms, courting a expansive young Emily windows, “This home Leitch at the top-oftime of that the-line is unlike summer finishes, anything fair. Leitch’s home father automation we’ve done insisted and a living before...”

Frewin green roof. couldn’t properly A far cry from its provide for his 1934 predecessor, daughter, so he did not the 2015 Grand Prize support the match. As fate Home Package is valued would have it, Leonard at more than $2.1 million.

attended the 1934 PNE on the last day of the fair, where he purchased a Dream Home ticket for 25 cents. After hearing his name announced as the winner on the radio that night, he went to Emily’s house, sat on the stoop until she emerged in the morning to go to work and proposed on the spot. The Frewin family lived in the original 800-square-foot Dream Home for more than 60 years until both Emily and Leonard passed away within months of each other in the 1990s and their children sold the home.

The Fair at the PNE runs Aug. 22 to Sept. 7. For a complete schedule of events, visit PNE.ca.

T H U R SDAY, J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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IN A NUTSHELL

WORDS BY ADRIENNE MATEI VITAMINDAILY.COM

New restaurant also a designer’s dream A new venture by popular local chef David Gunawan, of Farmer’s Apprentice and Grapes & Soda, opened its doors last week at 905 Dunsmuir St. – right below the Blackbird Public House.

Not only does Royal Dinette boast an open kitchen, fresh pasta, pastry and butchery stations and seating for 70 in the dining room and at the chef’s counter and bar, Royal Dinette marries the laidback, informal feel of a bygone diner with a polished standard of service.

Hot shop Portland-based luxury home decor store Ann Sacks celebrated the grand opening of its first Canadian boutique in June: a 2,000-square foot location at 1616 West Second Ave. adjacent to Livingspace, Mint and East India Carpets. The brand’s speciality is unique, beautiful tile and stone, including Beau Monde glass cut with water jets to produce stunning designs (mosaics, abstract florals and even palm leaves), 100 customized shades of hand-glazed Mexican tile and Cowden Bell Italian-embossed leather tiles, which comes in woven, alligator and even goat-skin finishes. The showroom is a veritable candy shop – you’ll be tempted to update your kitchen, walls, floors and outdoor spaces this summer. Ann Sacks’ five-screen digital wall is an addictive gadget that allows you to mix and match tile patterns in fantasy rooms – if not in real life. It’s safe to say you’ll be floored. Visit annsacks.com.

Beyond Beige Interior Design, Milltown Contracting and Glasfurd & Walker combined efforts to reflect Gunawan’s farm-forward, from-the-ground-up philosophy. Reclaimed, whitewashed cedar planks adorn the seats and stone-top tables and jars of canned goods and preserves take pride of place throughout the restaurant. Details of a traditional dinette are evoked by pairing upholstered seats and banquettes with local art pieces and accents of brass and light tile. Anchoring the layout is an exclusive chef’s counter seating area, which incorporates emperador dark marble, butcher block and stainless steel and overlooks the kitchen, allowing guests an up-close-and-personal interaction with Gunawan and his team as they prepare and present their signature dishes.

Royal Dinette is open for lunch Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and offers daily specials from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The diner is also open for dinner and late-night libations Monday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to late.

Natural gas prices When it comes to buying natural gas, it’s nice to have a choice. Compare your options: fixed rates and terms offered by independent gas marketers or a variable rate offered by FortisBC. Customer Choice: it’s yours to make.

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Adulting 101 Students hoping to eventually break into Vancouver’s hot housing market might want to sit in on this session that combines both financial advice and wine.

Learn how to manage your finances like an adult, while tasting wine, at Adulting 101 Sunday School class taking place Aug. 9, at the Settlement Building, 55 Dunlevy St., organized by online financial services provider MOGO. Just in time for September and back to school, Adulting 101 gives freshmen and returning students vital financial information before they’re bombarded by credit card companies waiting to sign them up on campus. The session also includes some wine tasting knowledge courtesy of Vancouver Urban Winery sommelier David Stansfield. For first-time credit card holders (and even longstanding users), Mogo’s Financial Literacy Advocate, Chantel Chapman, will offer tips and tricks to make the most of your credit.

Visit vancouverurbanwinery.com.

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For more information, visit fortisbc.com/choice. *Chart shows gas marketers’ rates for a range of fixed terms, valid as of August 1, 2015. Marketers typically offer a variety of rates and options.

Check gas marketers’ websites or call to confirm current rates. **Residential variable rate valid as of July 1, 2015. FortisBC’s rates are reviewed quarterly by the British Columbia Utilities Commission.

A gigajoule (GJ) is a measurement of energy used for establishing rates, sales and billing. One gigajoule is equal to one billion joules (J) or 948,213 British thermal units (Btu).

The Customer Choice name and logo is used under license from FortisBC Energy Inc. This advertisement is produced on behalf of the British Columbia Utilities Commission.

15-018.2

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

BLACK KNOT MANAGEMENT AND WHAT TO DO WITH A RAPIDLY GROWING DOUGLAS FIR WORDS BY ANNE MARRISON AMARRISON@SHAW.CA

Q

I have three beautiful plum trees two to three years old. One tree has a large number of growths. The other two trees are also getting this growth. Can this be managed or will I have to cut down the trees at the end of the season? DUNCAN CRONKHITE, ALDERGROVE

A

You won’t have to cut down your trees. All that’s needed is regular pruning each winter. The first pruning might be fairly extensive. But later prunings won’t be as bad because fewer spores will be able to spread.

Ask Anne

Your plum trees have black knot. It’s a common fungal disease, which in time can kill plum, damson and sometimes cherry trees. Black knot spreads from wild and cultivated cherries and plums when spores mature in spring and drift around on the wind.

Pruning out the black-knot infected area is the easiest and most inexpensive way of controlling it. You need to remove the small infected branches about three inches nearer the trunk than the knot extends.

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If you have any very large infected trunks or big branches that you don’t want to lose, you need to get a chisel or a dermal and hack the knot out. This often works, but not always — it depends how much extra wood you have room to take, because afterwards you could be left with a heck of a hole. In this year’s dry and warm summer, the crater may dry fast.

Gardeners in black-knot infested areas routinely check plum trees each winter and prune them if they find infection.

Q

Do you have any suggestions of who may want a small but rapidly growing Douglas fir tree which my husband planted in our flower garden. I would like to donate it before it gets to be too big. It is currently about four feet tall and has new growth on its branches.

GILL EDWARDS, VANCOUVER

A

If you can dig it up and get it in a pot without damaging the root, you might keep it for a few years as an outdoor potted Christmas tree.

Native evergreens such as Douglas firs grow far too large to be suitable or safe for the average city lot. Needles and cones plug gutters and litter patios. Big branches fall in storms and can dent cars (and people).

Because they also seed around abundantly, Douglas firs are often viewed as weeds. That’s why it may be difficult to arouse interest from plant clubs or landscapers.

Assuming you do get it potted-up in good shape, you might ask if the Vancouver Park Board could use it. VanDusen Botanical Garden may also have helpful advice.

Where Douglas firs fit in well is on large rural acreages away from houses. These trees freshen air and are a beautiful haven for wildlife.

Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to her via amarrison@shaw.ca. It helps if you include the name of your city or region.

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T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Health

Making fitness fun for kids

Shaun Karp

karpfitness.com

I am worried about the health of my children as they are starting to gain weight and they are not as active as they should be. Please help!

Many think of weight issues as a problem for adults, but according to the World Health Organization approximately onethird of Canadians aged five to 17 are affected.

And in our increasingly online world, it’s only becoming harder to get our kids moving, even in the summer.

Still, even though it might seem daunting at first, it’s actually as simple as 1, 2, 3.

1. Set goals Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.”

That’s why it’s so important to set specific daily goals and carefully track the results. A good benchmark for kids is 60 minutes of exercise daily, which could include many fun activities like bike riding, skipping rope, jumping on a trampoline, or anything that engages the muscles and raises their heart rate.

Any activity that involves relatively constant movement absolutely

counts toward the 60-minute total. But remember: “daily” means all seven days of the week.

2. Make it fun Some children take to organized sports right away, as if they were born to dribble a ball or snap a wrist shot. But not everyone enjoys that kind of exercise. If your child is more interested in hiking, kite flying, or just free play

If your child is interested in kiteflying, be supportive at the park, be just as supportive of that behaviour as any soccer parent would be when cheering on a great goal or amazing pass.

Also consider lessons in swimming, tennis, golf, dance or martial arts.

A paper route is a great option for more monetarily motivated munchkins.

The point is, everyone can find something active they love to do. Your goal is to find this niche for your

child to help ensure a lifetime of healthy activity.

3. Lead by example As everyone knows, it’s not enough to simply instruct your kids on the importance of daily exercise.

Or anything else, really.

You need to prove day-byday that you truly believe what you say. Do this by also prioritizing regular activity for yourself.

The great news is there are endless possibilities for exercising with your kids, which offers a ton of great benefits. After all, the family that walks together talks together — much more so than when they’re all staring at the TV, at least.

I know eating enough protein is important, but what are the best sources to consume early in the day?

We now widely understand that calories saved by avoiding fats and carbs must be replaced with protein, which builds muscle, keeps you full, and is not readily converted to body fat.

A healthy diet should include about one gram of protein per three pounds of bodyweight, or 50 grams/day for someone weighing 150 pounds, plus more if you want to gain muscle mass. But even meeting the basic amount can be a challenge for

some. The best approach is to eat lean protein throughout the day.

My two favourite sources of breakfast protein are egg whites and Greek yogurt.

Four egg whites contain nearly 15 grams of protein and six contain more than 20 grams. Greek yogurt contains approximately 20 grams per serving and comes in zero-fat varieties. Either provides a great jump-start toward 50 grams per day. For a complete, satisfying meal, eat with fresh fruit and a moderate serving of carbs, such as a piece of toast or a handful of granola.

To ensure you get enough protein in your lunch, plan and prepare it the day before. So, if you are having chicken or fish for dinner, just cook a little extra and you will have your lunch for the next day. Above all, planning helps ensure you eat less fast food.

If that’s not possible, natural chicken and turkey from the deli are great sources of protein (four grams per slice). For a between-meal morning snack, consider cottage cheese (28 grams per serving), almonds (six grams per handful), or even whey isolate protein shakes.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For more information, call 604-4207800 or visit karpfitness.com.

Good hearing but trouble with conversation? good solution for most people.

A lot of people have trouble catching what people say, especially in group situations, despite having good hearing. What a lot of people don’t know is that this may be caused by damage to the so-called motor or amplifier function of special cells in the ear. A new type of hearing aid can help balance this out.

A great many people have difficulty hearing others clearly on a daily basis.

Bad acoustics, unclear pronunciation, background noise and music often make it challenging to catch what people say. This results in them having to repeatedly ask questions, straining to hear and perhaps increasingly avoiding discussions in large groups. As mentioned earlier, this may be caused by malfunctions in special cells in the ear. According to a theory proposed by hearing researchers, “motor cells” are a type of hair cell responsible for amplifying quiet sounds. They vibrate up to 20,000 times per second. If these hair cells do not work properly then

Hair cells in the ear move very rapidly and can act as an amplifier or dampener. If these cells are damaged, they can no longer properly amplify speech and dampen loud noises.

This improvement in hearing can be achieved for some clients through the new Phonak Audéo V’s hearing aids.

This cutting-edge hearing technology comes in a miniature casing that can significantly enhance the user’s ability to hear speech in company. The hearing aids attune to the person you are speaking to and can also recognize if ambient noise increases in the background.

Connect Hearing is currently looking to improve hearing for people who experience these challenges and want to try this new technology. We are quiet sounds are no longer naturally particularly interested in candidates amplified in the ear and loud sounds who have trouble hearing speech in the situations discussed above and can no longer dampened. benefit from a demonstration to see This leads to more difficulty in hearing whether they notice an improvement. what is said in a lot of situations. If the hair cells have been damaged by noise Interested people can register for a free or blood circulation problems, hearing hearing evaluation and a no-obligation aids that amplify quiet speech and demonstration of the Audéo V hearing dampen loud ambient noise can be a aids by calling 1.888.408.7377.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

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There is a stereotype that older people can’t keep up with change.

Family members will laugh at the blinking display of the unset DVD player (or for the even less adaptable, VCR).

And the older we get, the more quickly time passes and trends change.

But there is wisdom in aging. With time, we see that change is con-

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stant and inescapable — in politics, technology, economics and fashion.

We learn to be cautious about taking anything for granted because everything changes.

With the insight of change, the wisest give up pinning their happiness to that which doesn’t last: material things, the hottest fashion, the latest Apple product, wealth, popularity and youth.

But for most of us, change is a source of suffering.

As we age, many lament the loss of vigour, the outward signs of aging, illness, and separation from loved ones. We have expectations and when these are thwarted, we grieve their loss. We may feel powerless and in despair.

But if we see life as it is, we will recognize that change is inevitable.

Instead we live with the unexamined expectations that our careers will run smoothly, our relation-

ships won’t change, jobs won’t end, we and those we love will live forever; we won’t age, suffer accidents, become ill or die.

We all know better. Yet we approach each day ignoring reality, taking for granted the beautiful gifts we hold for a moment, acting unkindly to those who may not be here tomorrow, and letting pass by even the smallest opportunities to make a positive difference in our fragile world.

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A21

Health

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When we recognize our intentions and actions can make a positive difference, we feel empowered.

An empowering psychological principle is the locus of control. Some, in the midst of change, feel helpless (and thus anxious) then hopeless (and ultimately depressed).

They do not feel a sense of control in a sea of change.

But if in a changing world, we recognize the ways we can exert control — where our intentions and actions can make a positive difference, we feel empowered.

If you had a limited amount of cash that had to be spent today, what would you choose to do with it? If you had just one more day to spend with someone you loved, what would you say

and what would you do?

If you had just this day to make a positive difference in the world, what would you do today?

Would you spend another moment holding onto the past, complaining, watching TV, doing meaningless work or shopping?

I bet you won’t.

Tsongkhapa wrote eloquently of the preciousness of a human life.

“The human body at peace with itself is more precious than the rarest gem.

Cherish your body. It is yours this one time only.

The human form is won with great difficulty. It is easy to lose.

All worldly things are brief like lightning in the sky. This life you must know as the tiny splash of a raindrop, a thing of beauty that disappears even as it comes into being.

Therefore set your aspiration and make use of every day and night to achieve it.”

In upcoming columns, I’ll explore practical strategies to embrace change and become an agent of positive change.

Dr. Davidicus Wong is a family physician. His Healthwise column appears regularly in this paper. You can read more about achieving your positive potential in health at davidicuswong.wordpress.com.

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A22

THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

Community

RAISING HOPE: The Foundation of Hope was originally born out of a desire by a group of friends to help a Syrian couple immigrate to Canada. After successfully helping the gay refugees settle in Vancouver, the group sought to do more. Realizing a queer refugee’s path is neither simple nor easy, the group formed a registered charity to provide financial assistance to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) actively supporting LGBT+ refugees and newcomers. Operated by a working board of volunteers, the charity recently hosted a Pride fundraiser. Local realtor Kevin Perra welcomed several hundred attendees to his West End party. An eclectic crowd that included divas, artists, philanthropists and community leaders made the scene to help raise funds for the fledgling organization, which celebrates its first anniversary this month.

HIGH LIGHTS: McLaren Housing hosted its 11th annual Sparkle Gala. Society chair Michael Hoche greeted nearly 100 lucky guests on the 34th floor of Scotiabank Tower for one of the best vantage points to view the Celebration of Light fireworks. The event supports Canada’s longest serving agency devoted to providing affordable housing for individuals and families dealing with HIV/ AIDS, addiction and homelessness in Metro Vancouver. Revelers enjoyed complimentary cocktails, fabulous bites and poured over auction items before the big light show from Team Brazil. A $5,000 cheque from Scotiabank got the philanthropic fires going.

And by evening’s end, a reported $20,000 was generated to support McLaren Housing’s portable subsidies program, providing clients financial assistance to remain in their own homes.

NIGHT MOVES: One of Vanhattan’s iconic gay spaces, the Odyssey Nightclub, reopened in time for Pride. Shuttered five years ago, the popular hangout resurfaces in Vancouver’s business district. Led by business operator Bijan Ahmadian, the lawyer and former UBC Alma Mater Student Society president welcomed community members to the grand opening of the new 5,000 square foot party palace located in the former Pop Opera space on West Hastings Street. A spiffier version of its former self, familiar elements such as the multi-purpose stage, dance poles and signature shower remain. Ahmadian is hopeful the new space — designed based on feedback from the community to reflect a diverse range of needs and uses — will be a gathering place once again bringing people together to dance, watch great performances, and to engage with one another.

email yvrflee@hotmail.com twitter @FredAboutTown

McLaren Housing chair Michael Hoche and executive director Kim Stacey fronted the society’s 11th annual Sparkle Gala atop Scotiabank Tower.

Bijan Ahmadian welcomed community members to the grand opening of the new Odyssey Nightclub located on West Hastings Street.

McLaren Housing past presidents Darren Kopetsky and Neil McDonald flanked party emcee Joan-E. A reported $20,000 was generated to support the charity’s portable subsidies program, providing clients living with HIV/ AIDS financial assistance to remain in their own homes.

Chambar’s Karri Schuermans and Jason Yamasaki celebrated Belgium’s national holiday with a medieval hands-on (no cutlery) 12-course feast fit for kings.

Chichas Restaurant’s Shelome Bouvette, left, and Kumiko Umeno marked Peru’s national holiday with the launch of their summertime menu. The Mount Pleasant hot spot showcased dishes made with local, sustainable and fresh ingredients.

Courier publisher Dee Dhaliwal got her Pride on with Vancouver Pride Society president Tim Richards and vice president Chrissy Taylor. More than 600,000 took in the superhero-themed parade, the fifth largest Pride celebration in the world.

Realtor Kevin Perras organized a Pride party in support of Patrick Rmeily’s Foundation of Hope. Proceeds will provide financial assistance to non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) actively supporting LGBTQ refugees and newcomers.

Wanting to help LGBTQ refugees establish residency in Canada, as well as provide funding for educational and employment services, Glen Hickey and Carl Meadows, Foundation of Hope founder, fronted the West End friend-raiser.

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A23

News Dunbar mural artists wanted

The Dunbar community can expect to see more colour pop up in Memorial West Park at 4701 Dunbar St. in the future. Artists of all ages are encouraged to apply for an open call to design a mural on three separate 36 ft. by 8 ft. sides of a mobile container for the Dunbar Community Centre Association.

The mural has to depict

some aspect of sports such as tennis, basketball or lawn bowling, as well as represent the community.

All 2015 murals will also have to contain an image of a train hidden somewhere in the design.

The job will include managing the project, engaging the community, developing a work and design plan within the $4,000 budget and providing labour to fix any dam-

ages to the mural for two years after it’s completed.

Any artists interested in the project should submit a cover letter, resume, a rough sketch of their ideas for the mural and any other information to Nathan Pope at nathan. pope@vancouver.ca by Sunday, Aug. 9.

Explore Underwater Chinatown History buffs might be

interested in the opportunity to delve deeper into the past and present of Chinatown and create their own digital story.

The Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver is partnering with Cinevolution Media Arts Society to present the program Underwater Chinatown, where registrants will dig into the roots of the area and uncover untold stories.

The program consists of five workshops every Saturday beginning Sept.

26 and ending Oct. 24, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The series, held at the UBC Learning Exchange (612 Main St.) and the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum (555 Columbia St.) will take participants through a tour of Chinatown and the process of creating their own alternative digital story. Spaces are limited

and anyone interested must register for all workshops, which are open to the public and will be conducted in English. The workshop is free with the exception of a $30 deposit for equipment that will be returned at the end of the last session.

For more information, email museum@cccvan. com, call 604-658-8880 or visit cinevolutionmedia.com.

“The standards we have – they’re second to none.”

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Trans Mountain employees are dedicated to continual improvement of pipeline and facility integrity to ensure the safest possible operation now and into the future.

Key components of our Pipeline Integrity Program include hazard identification, hazard prevention, ongoing monitoring of hazards, as well as pipeline control and monitoring.

Safety is our number one priority.

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In the unlikely event of a spill, an immediate and cooperative response is initiated regardless of the size and nature of the incident.

• Our robust emergency management programs are developed with input from local communities, First Nations and regulatory agencies.

For more information, go to blog.TransMountain.com Committed to safety since 1953.

A24

THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

Travel

Best of Bahamas found Sandra Thomas

sthomas@vancourier.com

Coconut trees line the beach in front of the colourful villas that make up Sandyport Beaches Resort and Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas. PHOTO SANDRA THOMAS

(closed Aug 24 & 31)

Farm Country From cute baby animals and massive Clydesdales to bee beard shows and more! Shop for honey and berry products or watch the classic pig races and bottle feed a baby calf.

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So what does one do when they win two tickets to anywhere WestJet flies in the world?

(Hint: we didn’t go to Disneyland.)

What my partner and I did do, after much research, was book a flight to Nassau, Bahamas, a place I’d never visited. And from there we carried on to Great Exuma, Bahamas, which had been on my bucket list for years.

(Those stories were published in the June 10 edition of the Courier.)

It was while dropping off donations to a holiday food drive at AIDS Vancouver last November that I entered a draw for the tickets. I almost fell off my chair a few days later when I received word I’d won the grand prize. We chose Nassau because we were looking for somewhere warm, somewhere further than we can typically afford and somewhere reasonably easy to get to from YVR. We then narrowed our search to the Sandyport area,

which is considered more laid back than many sections of Nassau. The question then became where to stay?

During our search I was repeatedly drawn to the website belonging, appropriately enough, to Sandyport Beaches Resort and Hotel with its colourful, waterfront villas located in a gated community on Cable Beach. I must have looked at those photos 100 times before we actually arrived. We also checked the resort out on TripAdvisor and liked what we saw. TripAdvisor recently presented the resort with a certificate of excellence, an award based on guest reviews, and ranked it among the top five hotels on the island of New Providence, of which Nassau is the capital. We also liked it because of its easy access to liquor and grocery stores and the waterfront restaurants in the Sandyport Marina Village, including Blue Sail, a beachfront bar offering Mediterranean French fusion cuisine alongside some Bahamian favourites.

But one of our favourite “dining” experiences of our entire two weeks in the

Bahamas was not exactly in a restaurant. As we walked to our coral-coloured villa after checking into Sandyport on our first night in Nassau, in the distance I could hear the unmistakable R&B sounds of Curtis Mayfield singing “It’s All Right.” I traced the music to a tiny blue-and-white hut on the beach where a row of barstools called our name and a bartending chef named Cleveland gave us a very warm and rum-filled welcome to the Bahamas.

The next day, when the fog cleared, we set out to explore Nassau by bus.

We’d heard the bus system was easy to navigate, which was true, so we headed out to Paradise Island where the rich and famous park their yachts and lose their money at the tables. Our plan was to visit what’s referred to as the “straw market” along v the way, but an unexpected tropical storm brought in wind and rain so heavy it was blowing sideways and the tiny kiosks selling everything from ball caps to Bob Marley T-shirts were closed.

Nassau is a city of

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A25

Travel

at Sandyport contrasts and nothing demonstrated that more than a trip across its nausea-inducing, potholed streets teeming with many low-income locals and moneyed visitors. We also travelled by taxi, which is an experience in itself.

Taxis in Nassau are supposed to be licensed, but we travelled in some pretty sketchy vehicles, making us doubt the validity of that claim. But we did arrive at our destinations safely.

Tip: always ask what the flat rate is, and if it seems inflated, barter.

We were lucky enough to arrive in Nassau the same week a new festival was about to launch, and the city was buzzing in anticipation of the big event, which included a carnivalstyle parade and concerts.

The Junkanoo Carnival is a celebration of all things Bahamian, including dance, food, arts and crafts and “rake ‘n’ scrape,” a style of music that’s thought to have its birth in Africa and was later brought to the Bahamas by slaves who

made instruments out of recycled objects.

But seeking some rest and relaxation, we stuck close to Sandyport where we wandered down the street to explore and experience the true laid-back vibe of the area. We also enjoyed making meals in our colonial-style villa and eating on our balcony overlooking the azure-tinted water and Champagnecoloured sand. When we weren’t lying by the pool or beach we’d visit Lady Sarah, a.k.a. “Queen of Fun,” in the main building of the resort for suggestions on everything from where to eat to what activities we should check out.

They say first impressions are everything so our initial reaction to Nassau and the Bahamas, based on our experiences at Sandyport Beaches Resort, was happily a great one.

And now I have my own photographs of those coral, green, blue and yellow villas to gaze at when I’m feeling homesick for a tropical local. @sthomas10

Some of the many perks at the Sandyport Beaches Resort and Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas include swimming pools, soaker tubs in the bedrooms, drinks at the beach hut bar with Chef Cleveland and fresh mangos for breakfast, eaten on the balcony overlooking the beach.

PHOTOS SANDRA THOMAS

(closed Aug 24 & 31)

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A26

THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

Exotic Courier

Courier reader: Lenora Hayman Destination: Mt. Vernon, Washington.

Favourite memories of trip: Lenora travelled across the border to the quaint town of Mt. Vernon

where she visited the indoor flower gallery and mural of Anthony and Jeanette De Goede’s Tulip Town.

She says outside a multitude of people gazed in awe at the fields ablaze with purple, red, white and yellow tulips.

Send your Exotic Courier submissions with your name, travel destination, a high-res scenic photo featuring the Courier and a short description of the highlights of your trip to letters@vancourier.com.

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T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Arts & Entertainment

A27

GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com

1 Aug. 6 to 12, 2015 1. Former Vancouver college basketball player and journalist Lia Grainger returns to town as part of the Ontario-based flamenco ensemble Fin de Fiesta. They’ll bring their new production Suerte to the Vancity Culture Lab at the Cultch, Aug. 9, 8 p.m. Details and tickets at thecultch.com.

2. The Cinematheque simmers with an assortment of dames, femme fatales, gumshoes and palookas for its annual summertime Film Noir series beginning Aug. 7. Featuring 12 hard-boiled classics from noir’s 1940s/1950s heyday, films include 1942’s This Gun For Hire, Gilda, The Blue Dhalia, Detour, Laura, The Big Heat and D.O.A., among others. For details and show times, go to thecinematheque.ca.

3. Last month, Wilco dropped a new album called Star Wars on fans out of the blue — for free on their website no less.

Expect to hear a bunch of the new stuff when the Chicago outfit performs at the Orpheum, Aug. 12, 8 p.m. The equally impeccable Jenny Lewis opens. Tickets at Red Cat, Zulu, Highlife and ticketmaster.ca.

4. Burnaby is not just a place where your friends move when they have kids, it also hosts the annual Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival, Aug. 8, 1 to 10 p.m., at scenic Deer Lake Park. This year’s lawn chair-friendly lineup includes the Sheepdogs, Lee Fields and the Expressions, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas, Jim Byrnes and Sojourners, Eagle Rock Gospel Singers, and Ruthie Foster, among others.

Details at burnabybluesfestival.com.

5. Winsor Gallery presents a new exhibition from photographer Brian Howell, brother of Vancouver Courier civic affairs reporter and truth warrior Mike Howell. Burnt Forests is a series of haunting, large-scale photographs taken during the winter months of 2014-2015 from Howell’s travels in the Thompson Okanagan region of the province. The exhibit runs until Sept.

5 with an opening reception Aug. 6, 6 to 8 p.m. Details at winsorgallery.com.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5

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Arts & Entertainment

Take those spirit points and shove it

Ultimate Frisbee’s Olympic nod flies in face of logic The day many of us at K&K headquarters have dreaded has finally arrived.

On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee officially recognized Ultimate Frisbee as an Olympic sport.

Sure, proponents of the feel-good game will claim that it’s the fastest growing sport worldwide, and point out the millions of active players around the world and how a simple disc has democratized sport. Well, we’re having none of it.

First off, the name. It’s terrible. Would a sport called Awesome Swimming or Wicked Speed Walking be allowed in the Olympics?

Of course not, even though speed walking is pretty wicked.

Secondly, it involves Frisbees. Lawn darts we would accept. Same goes for bocce, human pyramid building and crokinole, the most mysterious of fingerpropelled board games. But

once you allow Frisbees into the Olympics, you have to say yes to Slinkies and EasyBake ovens. And pretty soon, you’ll be allowed to marry your pet dog. It’s a slippery slope, folks.

And lastly, spirit points.

Any athletic competition in which opponents award each other “spirit points” is not a sport in our book.

It’s basically one hug away from a self-help class. If you lose, your team’s takeaway should be regret, shame, bitter infighting, blame, someone getting fired and

the consumption of an inappropriate amount of alcohol.

If there is any consolation to the IOC’s approval of Ultimate Frisbee it’s that it doesn’t mean Ultimate will be a part of the 2020 Summer Olympics. All it means is that it joins the ranks of other “recognized” sports that aren’t actually a part of the Games — sports such as American football, auto racing, chess and sumo. And all those are pretty lame as well.

At least hacky sack wasn’t even remotely considered. @KudosKvetches

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Arts & Entertainment

presents: The Giddy,Gutsy, Great-Big Broadway Sensation!

THEATRE REVIEW

Rumours run wild in riveting Children’s Hour

Jo Ledingham joled@telus.net

In Oleanna, it really troubles me how much playwright David Mamet is able to manipulate me to want John, the professor, to strike Carol, the student who wrongly accuses him of sexual harassment. In The Children’s Hour, presented by the Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC), playwright Lillian Hellman makes me want to smack adolescent Mary Tilford (Laura Geluch) before she destroys everyone around her.

But children aren’t born evil so why is wicked Mary so screwed up? Hellman doesn’t give us much in the way of a backstory except for a few possible clues: Mary doesn’t live at home with her mother and father — indeed, we don’t know if she even has living parents or siblings — and she’s an unhappy boarding student at a classy girls school run

by Martha Dobie (Alicia

Novak) and Karen Wright (Stephanie Elgersma). Mary has her rich grandmother Amelia Tilford (Barbara Ellison) wrapped around her little finger and it is to her grandmother she flees when she runs away from the school and begins spreading rumours about the “unnatural” relationship between Martha and Karen, who is engaged to Dr. Joe Cardin (Ryan Scramstad).

The play has echoes of Ibsen: a well-meaning but small-minded, puritanical busybody is a major player in this tragedy. And, smacking of Hedda Gabler, there’s an offstage gunshot.

One wonders if an actor ever really gets out from underneath a role as nasty as Mary. Geluch does an admirable job of bullying Mary’s school friends, manipulating her doddering-but-influential grandmother and throwing all-out tantrums. But Geluch must feel the waves of hostility night after night coming off the audience. You do just

want to smack her/Mary.

Barbara Ellison, stepping in for Rosie Frier-Dryden who was suddenly taken ill, does an admirable job as the easily duped grandmother; Scramstad, as Dr. Joe, is so delightfully fresh, boyish and pragmatic, it seems possible that the young doctor will save the day; Walters does well as the wildly dramatic drama teacher; and director Alison Raine, stepping in as Mrs. Tilford’s maid Agatha, is so clipped and no-nonsense it’s obvious that had Agatha raised Mary, the bad girl might have been a good girl.

Perhaps not as relevant as it once was, The Children’s Hour nevertheless is riveting and a reminder that rumours ruin lives — not only the lives of the victims but of everyone involved.

A longer review appears online at vancourier.com.

A29

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A30

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At 4:13 a.m. (PDT) August 11, 2015, Aries, Jupiter, your planet of great good luck, leaves your romantic and creative zone, and speeds into Virgo, your sign of work, machinery, daily health, and care of dependents (pets, kids, etc.). Doesn’t sound too exciting, but there will be benefits for the 13 months ahead (to early September, 2016) as Jupiter lights up this “work zone.”

The 13 months that begin August 11, 2015 will shift your luck from social zones to very personal, private areas. You won’t have much success in strident, competitive situations.

In fact, you’ll find it rather difficult to express yourself fully and smoothly. But your spiritual, contemplative side will blossom. This is a great time to join a meditation group or other divinityoriented circle.

The 13 months between August 11, 2015 and September 10, 2016, bring you a once-in-decade flood of luck in romance, creativity, risk-taking, beauty, pleasure, and raising/teaching children.

This luck will be highest 1) when the planet of luck, Jupiter, closely “trines” your birth Sun, a stretch of a few weeks which depends on your own birth date; and 2) generally, August 12 to September 16, 2015, October 10, 2015 to January 6, 2016.

August 11 begins 13 months of increased luck in social zones, Scorpio. This is one of the best “places” to feel a surge of benevolence. Your popularity will rise, earnings or monetary dreams can come true (you might buy something you’ve always wanted). Social delights will add a celebratory note to your days. Make and accept invitations. Join groups, from walking clubs to house parties, meditation circles to political conventions.

August 11 2015 begins a 13-month period of “slowing down.” Your security, property interests, and retirement options will blossom with luck. Your family will embrace you, and you them. Any family problems can be solved more easily now than at almost any other time. This would usually be a great time to sell and buy real estate – for example, to change homes. It is also a good time to find a better or more luxurious rental.

(Pick a place where the sun shines in the windows.)

I hope you had a peaceful, restful year just past, Sage, because the 13 months that start this August 11 will catapult you into some role demanding work, decisions, energy and optimism. In return, you’ll collect outstanding rewards – new prestige, an enhanced reputation, favours from higher ups, even promotion(s). (Yes, the plural is possible!) Parent-child relationships will be important, and could be a source of joy, good fortune, and enhanced self-image.

The upcoming luck cycle, August 11 2015 to September 10 2016, is not a hugely important one for you, Cancer. (That’s probably a good thing, as it’s one of the lowest or weakest luck cycles in a decade.) Mainly, you’ll find luck adds spring to your step as you travel, perform errands, deal with siblings or short-term acquaintances, communicate, do paperwork, or deal with details.

From August 11, 2015 to September 10, 2016, Cap, most of your luck will reside in the areas of far travel, international affairs, higher learning, science, intellectual pursuits, law, publishing and advertising, religion, philosophy, cultural venues and social rituals, and love. You’ll see further, understand more, and your compassion will deepen. (Understanding always breeds compassion.) Foreign-born people will gravitate to you, and aid you.

In luck terms, you began a whole new 13-year cycle over the past 54 weeks. You expanded, broke free of limiting conditions, perhaps took a whole new creative or romantic direction.

August 11 begins the second “year” of this new direction. (It actually lasts 13 months, to September 10, 2016.) This new phase favours your income, earnings and possessions, your memory, your ability to learn.

This August to September 2016 could change your life. It will be a bit of a tricky year, Aquarius, even though you will meet tremendous luck in finances, investments, debt reduction, intimacy and physical gratification, research and investigation, occult matters, health diagnoses, lifestyle changes/choices, commitment and consequences.

Jupiter, the planet of expansion and great good luck, enters your sign August 11 this year, and stays there 13 months, to September 2016.

The gloom, the weariness and in some cases poor luck that has blanketed you for the last 12 months, disappears. Problems that seemed insuperable will, in many cases, dissolve almost magically. It’s like undoing shoe laces – just the right tug on the right string frees your foot.

The next 13 months (August 11/15 to September 10/16) will bring you some of the best opportunities in a decade. There are likely to be at least two opportunities, perhaps four. These are opportunities to relocate, to divorce or marry, to deal with the public, to snag fame’s fleeting flag, to negotiate or form lucrative contracts, to form business or social partnerships and associations. The world is new and fresh, bright and filled with sudden potential!

Aug. 6: Regina Carter (49). Aug. 7: David Duchovny (55). Aug. 8: Dustin Hoffman (78).

Aug. 9: Melanie Griffith (58). Aug. 10: Betsey Johnson (73). Aug. 11 Viola Davis (50).

Aug. 12: Mark Knopfler (66).

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A31

Sports & Recreation

A lot of fun things happen in the summer that can cause havoc for your fitness routine. Don’t make excuses. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

COMMIT TO FIT

Don’t slack off for summer

Take the fitness challenge to exercise no matter the temperature or the number of out-of-town visitors

Darnelle Moore

darnelle@eastsidefitness.ca

Even the best, most committed athletes and fitness enthusiasts sometimes have trouble sticking to their workout and training plans.

There are illnesses, family obligations, travel days and periods of stress or low motivation. A cycling coach I worked with once gave me some good advice.

I am paraphrasing here but in general she said, “Don’t worry. When you have to miss a few days, don’t try to make up for it, just move on and look back at your training diary. Days, months, and years of consistency by far make up for a few missed training sessions.”

31

The number of strokes by which Brycen Ko, a junior golfer at Musqueam, won the PGA of B.C. Junior Championship July 29, the day he also turned 12. He went 78, 69, 73 for a threeround total of 220, just four over par at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey.

I really believe this and I always tell people that it’s consistency over time that will pay off with your health and fitness. That’s why I’m the first one to say, “It’s Christmas break. Take the week off!” Or, “Go out with your friend from out of town, don’t worry about missing your regular workout.” “Halloween?

Birthday? Kid’s preschool graduation? Have fun! See you at your next workout.”

However, summer is one time that I will never say, “Don’t worry about it.”

A lot of fun things go on in the summer that can cause havoc for your fitness routine: backyard barbeques and beach days, camping and road trips, wedding

season and out of town guests, heat and humidity, patios and pool parties. But rather than being a one-off, these occasions pop up all summer and the season is 13 weeks long.

Thirteen weeks is too long to let your fitness routine slide into oblivion.

And that is what will happen if you miss more than a few regularly scheduled workouts.

Since the majority of us are not professional athletes and are not paid to work out, I am not suggesting we give up on all the summer fun. What I am suggesting is to challenge yourself.

Find creative ways to fit in exercise. The challenge is not to stick to your routine

but to make sure you are getting enough exercise in spite of your summer plans and the summer heat.

Some things are no brainers. Go for a hike or trail run at a national park. Take a sight-seeing walk around a new city. Rent a bike and explore a new cycling route.

Other things are a little trickier. Try swimming, not splashing, wading or floating in an ocean or lake.

Rent a canoe, a kayak, or a stand up paddle board.

Some things are even harder to do. Swallow your pride and do some walking lunges and sun salutations at a roadside rest stop. Have you ever been the only one doing step ups and push ups on a log at the beach?

And the trickiest of all, get your friends, neighbours, kids, grandmother, out-of-town guests or hosts to do these activities with you. There are a million things you can do for exercise that don’t mean going to the gym, taking a yoga class or going for a standard 5km or 10km run.

Your summer challenge is to find creative ways to exercise a minimum of three times per week for all 13 weeks of summer.

Here are a few tips, just for summer: • Try to avoid the heat by exercising in the early morning or after the sun sets.

• Wear lightweight, breath-

: Star-studded and charitable

70

The number of gold medals won by Canadian athletes at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles July 25 to Aug. 2.

Canada also won 48 silver and 26 bronze for a total of 144 medals.

4

The number of Trevor Linden Scholarships given to graduating high school students in B.C. this year. The Canucks started the community award in 2008.

Among this year’s recipients of the $2,500 bursary is Hamber secondary’s Duva Karunakaran who created Kids for Kids Charity Initiative, which provides scholarships for young athletes.

The Giants’ 15th anniversary logo, which will appear on jerseys through the upcoming season. Since the 2001/02 season, the Vancouver hockey club has won five B.C. Division titles, two Western Conference championships and one Memorial Cup.

able clothing and a hat to keep the sun off your head.

• Drink plenty of fluids and drink an electrolyte replacement such as Gatorade or NUUN if you are sweating a lot.

• Cool off after your workout by sitting in the shade, taking a cool shower or swimming in a cool body of water.

• Include cardiovascular exercise, strength exercises, and stretching or range of motion exercises if not in each workout session, then at least one of each throughout the week.

Darnelle Moore is cofounder of Eastside Fitness.

She believes fitness is for every body. Reach her at darnelle@ eastsidefitness.ca.

5

The cost, in dollars, to attend the inaugural Celebrity Softball Classic, hosted by Brendan Gallagher, Giants alum and Montreal Canadiens forward, and studded with hockey stars and members of the national men’s and women’s baseball teams. The game is at 7 p.m. Aug. 12 at Nat Bailey Stadium.

Proceeds benefit the Shriners Hospital for Children.

T H U R SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A35

today’sdrive

20 15 Mazda 3

BY BRENDAN McALEER brendanmcaleer@gmail.com

Great styling, inside and out

Some time ago, I found myself behind the wheel of a rollcage-equipped Skip Barber MX-5, entering into the semi-legendary Corkscrew turn at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California. A real roller-coaster of a corner, it’s far less tricky than the turn that follows it, an off-camber sweeper with nothin’ but dirt waiting to catch you and ruin your day.

But I’m no racecar driver – as this was a learning lap, there was a quicker car out in front, one with a veteran instructor at the wheel managing to keep the proper line, calling out instructions on the radio, and keeping one eye on his rearview in case we missed the apex by a country mile and started drifting towards the gravel.

So what’d he have to keep a safe margin out in front? A Corvette? Boss Mustang? Nissan GT-R? Porsche product? Trackprepped RX-7?

Well no, actually; the gent in question had a small, fuel-efficient compact car with a four-cylinder engine.

In fact, he had one of these: A Mazda3. Permit me to tell you why that wasn’t a crazy choice.

Alfa-Romeo might build.

However, if you go for the basic model, the size of the alloys don’t quite balance out all that swoopy sheet metal. Here in the GT version, however, there’s 18” alloys to really fill out the wheel wells. It’s a greatlooking car, marred only by our mandatory BC license plates.

Design:

There are two engine options for the Mazda3, neither of which will seemingly light the world on fire. The base model carries a 2.0L four-cylinder making 155hp at 6000rpm and 150lb/ ft of torque at 4000rpm, and the upgraded GT gets a 2.5L engine with 184hp at 5700rpm, and 185lb/ft of torque at 3,250rpm. All those figures are on regular fuel.

So, no turbochargers, no turbodiesels, and just a choice of either a six-speed conventional automatic transmission or six-speed manual throughout the range (no all-wheel-drive either). However, Mazda’s

When the Mazda3 first replaced the venerable old Protege, everybody had to have one. Specifically, everybody wanted to have a Sport GT hatchback, with the zippy little 2.3L engine, preferably in dark grey. I distinctly remember parking between four such vehicles in a row along Broadway, and then seeing two more pass by.

The succeeding generation wasn’t quite as pretty, but this new one – hoo-boy, she’s a looker. The design language is called Kodo, or soul of motion, and it’s both very Japanese and somehow reminiscent of something

Your journey starts here.

Environment:

Inside, the Mazda3 has grown up somewhat, and is starting to overlap the lower-end versions of the premium brands. Step out of the interior of a Mercedes-Benz CLA into the all-black cockpit of the ‘3, and it’s actually very similar.

There are a few details which seem neat at first but might not age well – the small heads-up display and the flat-panel screen fixed on the dash stick out a bit.

However, the rest is relatively classy, nicer than most of the Japanese competition, and ready to go toe-to-toe with the Germans.

Overall cabin space isn’t quite as good as something more mundane and practical like a Toyota Corolla, but Mazda does still offer a hatchback for a little more space and flexibility. A rearfacing child seat fits without issue.

clever high-compression direct-injection engines are marvels.

As the 2.5GT revs straight for redline you’ll run right into the fuel cut every time if you aren’t paying attention. I figure Mazda’s hedging their bets here and keeping a few hundred rpm in check as this engine doesn’t slow one jot as it closes in on max-revs.

It pulls cleanly and strongly, and it’s a toss-up as to which is better, the cleanshifting manual, or the very well-tuned automatic.

Handling is very good, not overly stiff, but with a

definite positive feel to the way the ‘3 takes a set in the corner and carves through it. The electric power assisted steering isn’t as good as Mazda’s previous hydraulic efforts, but it’s still most definitely a driver’s car.

The 2.5L engine has enough grunt to dispatch most traffic with ease, but it’s the Mazda3’s chassis that really thrills. Mazda could easily bolt-in the turbocharged engine out of the old Mazdaspeed3 and have a real screamer here, one that’s not as lairy as stuff like the Focus ST, but more like a Volkswagen GTI for

people who want to avoid VW service bills.

But as it is, it’s got plenty of power and a finely-tuned handling that make it as home on the track as on the street. There aren’t many compact cars you can say that about.

Features:

Step up to a Mazda3 GT, and it’s a choice of whether or not to go to the luxury package. Power moonroof, push-button start, and Bluetooth handsfree are standard for the GT, with leather and a power driver’s seat optional. However, a

fully-loaded Mazda3 isn’t cheap: my luxury-package tester was $28,495 before freight and taxes.

Fuel economy for any of Mazda’s modern engines is excellent. Here, the 2.5 is rated at 9.2L/100kms in the city and 6.6L/100kms on the highway. The impressive part is the 7.0L/100kms it returned in mixed-use driving, despite a little extra throttle because it’s so much fun.

Unlike turbocharged options, Mazda’s directinjection system seems to deliver the goods in the real world too.

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A36

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