Vancouver Courier February 14 2019 by Vancouver Courier

12TH & CAMBIE MAYOR MEETS THE PEOPLE... ONE AT A TIME 4 OPINION REMEMBERING ED JURAK AND END OF AN ERA IN RADIO 10 ENTERTAINMENT MOCKUMENTARY IS BADMINTON TO THE BONE 23 COMMUNITY SHAKEDOWN CITY’S SNOW REP IS UNWARRANTED 14 February 14 2019 Established 1908

There’s more online at vancourier.com PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

THURSDAY

Art movement Byron Dauncey, Sally Buck, John Goldsmith and Kent Lins are protesting the loss of gallery space the best way they know how — by making art. SEE PAGE 15

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9

News 12TH&CAMBIE

Vancouver mayor gets earful in one-on-one sessions Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

It was “talk to the mayor” day at city hall Feb. 5. Coincidentally, it was also reporter-talks-to-peoplewho-talked-to-the-mayor day at city hall. Yep, I spent some time outside the mayor’s office last week as about 20 people filed in and out of a room to have 15-minute chats with Kennedy Stewart. This was the event Stewart announced back in January where people could bring their gripes, concerns and ideas directly to the mayor in an intimate oneon-one conversation. Cookies were even provided. Topics included broken sidewalks, the need for a stop sign at an intersection, housing, homelessness and climate change. At least those were the ones the mayor identified in my interview with him the day after the sessions. “From global issues and how the city can tackle them right down to the nuts and bolts of day-to-day living,” is how Stewart summed up his

afternoon of meetings. “It was really good,” he said, noting none of the people he met had ever spoken or presented to city council. “Many of them voted but lots of them have never done anything else to engage in politics. So this is hearing from voices that don’t normally get heard.” He heard from Moonhee Han, who told him how her suite in a non-proﬁt-run social housing building in Mount Pleasant was uninhabitable because of black mould. She had the inspection reports to prove it. Han told me before she met with Stewart she reached out to Premier John Horgan and MLAs to help, but hasn’t heard back. She also said B.C. Housing was involved and had not taken any action to remove the mould, or ﬁnd her a new place. For now, she said, she’s living in a place she found through Airbnb. “I’m scared to be a homeless person,” said Han, noting she has “cashed out all my savings.” When she emerged from

Mayor Kennedy Stewart met with concerned citizens at city hall last week. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

her meeting with Stewart, Han said the mayor would investigate what the city could do about her plight. This is how she described having a one-on-one with the mayor: “It’s an amazing change, it’s like a revolution.” Stewart’s predecessor, Gregor Robertson, never hosted an event in his 10 years as mayor where residents were invited to one-on-one conversations. I don’t believe this happened under the mayorships of Sam Sullivan or Larry Campbell, either. Gaurav Mehra had a piece of paper in his hand with a list of things he spoke to Stewart about, including the need

to improve conditions and create long-term solutions for people living in poverty in the Downtown Eastside. A self-described civic politics geek who wants to start his own political party, Mehra said he questioned the mayor on why $66 million was spent on building 600 units of modular housing for homeless people. He told Stewart cheaper housing could have been built with that money—which came from the provincial government — to accommodate a lot more people than those living in or destined for modular housing. “He went on and on

defending the reason they did this,” said the 37-yearold Mehra, who voted for ProVancouver mayoral candidate David Chen in last fall’s civic election. “I didn’t really fully understand it.” Was the meeting worthwhile? “It was OK, it was alright. I’m skeptical that they’re going to listen to anything I said.” Peter Hayes, who described himself as a climate change specialist, said he would have preferred more time with the mayor but understood Stewart had a busy schedule. He said the meeting was helpful. “It’s a second-best alternative of not being able to provide time for all parties in the city, and there are a lot of different interest groups [who want to speak to the mayor],” said Hayes, noting his meeting with Stewart was more about an exchange of information and ensuring he was committed to ﬁghting climate change. Added Hayes: “Certainly no promises were made other than the promise to continue to support the climate change

agenda, which Vancouver is well known for being one of the most progressive cities in Canada and internationally for pushing the climate change envelope.” Stewart said at least 50 people are on a waiting list to participate in further 15-minute chats. Another session is planned for April. Having translation services and someone who can perform sign language may be added for that session. Until then, Stewart said he will meet with city manager Sadhu Johnston to see what action the city can take to help some of the people he met. “Now it’s just how far can we go to get those stop signs and sidewalks ﬁxed and help the woman who’s got black mould in her apartment,” said Stewart, who offered the same type of meetings when he was an MP in Burnaby. “The test for me in this new role [as mayor] is to learn how far I can go to help folks. Once an MP gets involved in a case, often things move ahead pretty quickly, so I’m hoping I can have the same effect here.”

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T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

Park board unanimous on getting 4/20 out of Sunset Beach

Commissioners voted in favour of asking organizers, council to ﬁnd a ‘more appropriate location’ Jessica Kerr

jkerr@vancourier.com

Vancouver Park Board commissioners were unanimous Monday night — they want to see the annual 4/20 pot protest move out of Sunset Beach. “This motion, for me, is about respect,” said commissioner Tricia Barker, who introduced the motion directing staff to send a letter to city council, Mayor Kennedy Stewart and 4/20 organizers asking that they look into ﬁnding “a more appropriate location” for the event starting in 2020. Barker said that in speaking to residents during last year’s election campaign she heard a lot of concerns around the annual event and the fact that the park board’s bylaw prohibits smoking in parks and on beaches. She previously told the Courier that she has nothing against cannabis or the movement; it’s just about following the rules. “For me, it is a pretty simple premise — there’s

no smoking in parks and we should actually go along with that.” The rest of the park board commissioners agreed, unanimously approving most of the motion. “I think the board has been very consistent that no smoking bylaw needs to be upheld,” said commissioner John Coupar. “When you have a bylaw it needs to apply to everyone.” Green commissioner Camil Dumont said that while he respects the event as a protest, he decided to vote in favour of looking for a new location. “I understand that we have a right to protest in this country and I’m very glad for that. I will be supporting this motion but not because I didn’t think about it and think about it long and hard.” Board chair Stuart Mackinnon said that in the 1970s he worked with a group that was pushing to reform the country’s marijuana laws. “This issue is not about cannabis, it’s not about the legalization of cannabis, it’s not about the sale of

The annual 4/20 “smoke out” has been held at Sunset Beach since 2016. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

cannabis. It’s about what’s appropriate in our parks, what’s appropriate in a public space,” he said. “I support and have always supported the legalization of marijuana, cannabis... For me this has always been about the appropriateness of this protest at this location, or any location in Vancouver parks.” Barker’s motion also asked staff to look at options

to prohibit the sale of cannabis and related products at the event. General manager Malcolm Bromley told commissioners that that is outside of the park board’s jurisdiction. “We don’t have the capacity to do that, we don’t have the tools. That would be VPD or provincial law…” he said. However, that part of the motion passed in a 5-2

vote with commissioners John Irwin and Gwen Giesbrecht in opposition. Bromley said that even though the event does not have a permit, staff will work with organizers to minimize any risk to participants, residents and the park. “Over the last three years, since this event’s been at Sunset, we as part of an integrated team with engineering, transportation, ﬁre, police, have worked with the organizers,” he said. “We’ve made it clear to the organizers that we prefer that they’re not there, we actually send a letter of expectation saying, ‘Please don’t come here, please don’t smoke, you know our rules,’ but having said that if they’re going to come we want to minimize public risk… I think we’ve done a very good job of that, of mitigating risk, doing our best to avoid any personal or property harm.” The annual event, which has been taking place in the city since 1995, moved to Sunset Beach from Vancouver Art Gallery in 2016.

Last week, 4/20 organizer Dana Larsen said that other locations have been considered but finding another suitable spot for an event of its size is difficult. An estimated 40,000 people attended last year’s event. “We thought about a lot of different parks in the city, really, there was a few different spots that we looked at and thought about but mostly they were either too small or not particularly accessible or difficult for safety purposes,” he said, adding the PNE was considered as a potential location back in 2017 but the idea was ultimately rejected by the PNE board. “In my opinion, that’s one of the only other places in the city that would be suitable for something like this…” Larsen said. “We’re fine at Sunset Beach. It’s a great venue. If it was any other kind of event they’d be happy to give us a permit. It’s really just bias and stigma against users that is the root of the issue here, in my opinion.” @JessicaEKerr

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9

News

Illicit drug overdose deaths in 2018 likely to surpass 1,500

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority had the highest rate of illicit drug overdose deaths in the province John Kurucz

jkurucz@vancourier.com

While the number of opioid deaths appears to be levelling off, massive and systemic changes across multiple levels of government and service providers are needed just to catch up with the tide of death washing across B.C. and Canada. That was the consensus of health practitioners across a number of disciplines Feb. 7, as preliminary totals were unveiled for illicit drug overdose deaths in 2018. The numbers aren’t final, but 1,489 people in B.C. died last year from illicit drug overdoses — more than homicides, car accidents and suicides combined. That statistic will rise as more toxicology tests are finalized. The death toll in 2017 was 1,486. Fentanyl was found in 85 per cent of toxicology tests last year, compared to 82 per cent in 2017. In 2012, that figure sat at just four per cent. By 2014, fentanyl

A memorial was unveiled on the Downtown Eastside in 2017 for people to honour friends and family members who have died from a drug overdose. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

was found in 25 per cent of illicit drug deaths. Other substances found in 2018 toxicology tests included cocaine (49 per cent), methamphetamines (31 per cent) and alcohol (26 per cent). New metrics available to the Coroners Service shed light on those who died: • 77 per cent were described by family or healthcare providers as regular or

chronic users of illicit drugs • 80 per cent of those who died had made contact with the health care system within the same year they died • 44 per cent were employed, predominantly in the trades, transport or service sectors • 45 per cent of those who died were dealing with pain-related issues, although the report does not specify whether that pain

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was physical, emotional or psychological. “That’s why we’re seeing these people continuing to die — because they’re struggling,” chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said. “They’re looking for help. And, right now, the illicit substances look attractive.” As was the case in previous years, the majority of those who died were men between the ages of 30 and 59. Most

of them died in private residences and used alone. Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria saw the highest number of overdose deaths and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority had the highest rate of illicit drug overdose deaths: 37 deaths per 100,000 individuals. Last year was the ﬁrst time in 30 years that life expectancy in B.C. was expected to drop. “That’s largely because of this preventable overdose crisis,” said provincial health ofﬁcer Dr. Bonnie Henry. More than 140,000 naloxone kits are in circulation in B.C., and they’ve been used 36,000 times. BC Centre on Substance Use executive director Dr. Evan Wood suggested “massive gaps” exist in both provincial and federal health policies surrounding opioids: doctors aren’t adequately trained, not enough prescription-grade alternatives are available and treatment practices have failed to keep up. Wood cited a U.S. study that suggested doctors in 100 schools down south received one hour of addic-

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T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

There are more than 147,000 street trees in the city, and each one is inspected on an annual basis

Jessica Kerr

jkerr@vancourier.com

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from residents with concerns about particular trees, and sometimes when there is construction on a street, a private arborist will alert the city to any concerns about a nearby tree. In those cases, a city arborist will follow up and do another inspection of the tree to corroborate the claims. Any work that needs to be done is then prioritized based on the level of risk and potential damage. “We want to take care of anything that’s hazardous prior to any, say, cosmetic pruning,” Gandha said. “We want to make sure that we get those things done ﬁrst prior to anything else.” Trees are removed if they are dead, diseased, or if major sections are split or cracked. If more than a third of a tree is considered “ready to fail” it’s removed. “There’s no point in sometimes leaving a tree that’s going to be half removed… you’re better off to just remove the tree and get a new one in so we can get it growing,” Gandha said. Roughly one per cent of the total number of street trees in the city are removed on an annual basis — that number includes trees that are diseased and/or dying, those that come down, or are heavily damaged, during storms, or in car crashes. Gandha added that occasionally trees need to be removed due to conﬂicts with underground transmission lines or gas mains. “Sometimes when there’s issues with the systems underground the tree needs to come out,” he said. “That’s infrequent but things like that could happen.” Any tree that comes down is eventually replaced as staff

looks for any opportunity to increase the number of street trees in the city. “So if, say, the spacing wasn’t quite adequate and now we can fit two trees into the same area, we’ll try to do that as well,” Gandha said. There are more than 500 species of trees planted throughout the city and maintaining diversity in the types of trees is a way to keep the tree stock healthy and minimize the risk of one disease coming in and wiping out a large swath of trees. However, in some cases where a neighbourhood has historically had more of one type of tree, staff will try to maintain that aesthetic. “There are certain streets that we would probably keep that look because it almost identifies some parts of Vancouver. For example, cherry trees line certain streets,” Gandha said. “Things like that we try to retain that as much as possible but for any new blocks or streets, redevelopment, we’re always trying to diversify the species.” As for what happens to the trees that come down, most of the wood is chipped and reused for pathways or restoration where staff is trying to eradicate an invasive plant. However, since most of the street trees in the city are hardwood, Gandha said staff is currently looking at ways to make some of it available to local residents. “If there’s people that are interested in woodworking, or doing things like that, we’re trying to figure out a way to actually have a site where we can take it to and then people can basically take the wood and use it.” @JessicaEKerr

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One resident raised concerns over the recent removal of two large oak trees on East 43rd Avenue. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

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Trees have been making a lot of news around Vancouver lately — between last year’s big wind storm bringing down some of the larger specimens along 12th Avenue, vandals topping trees near Spanish Banks and, more recently, on Langara Golf Course. So when Peter Francis saw two mature oak trees near his home on East 43rd slated for removal, he sounded the alarm. He said he was told by city staff the trees were rotting, but he questioned that statement after the ﬁrst one was cut down last month. He said he didn’t see any signs of rot. He also noted the trees survived December’s windstorm that toppled more than one tree and brought down branches across the city. The two oaks were cut down in mid-January. “These recent actions have denied us the shading these 60-ft [tall] trees provided, homes and foods for the squirrels,” Francis said in an email. “My house and our block is much poorer for this.” City arborist Amit Gandha said the trees had to be removed because they had “extensive fungal fruiting bodies” on the trunk, which caused concern about the stability of the trees. “Every tree has different diseases that attack it, but for oak when you start to see fruiting bodies, then there’s major concerns about the root system underneath,” Gandha said. “Sometimes from above ground it doesn’t look like much, but what happens is the roots are actually dying and so the stability of the tree is being undermined… if we wait too long for oaks they basically just fall, they don’t die back.” The two oaks were among the more than 147,000 trees lining the streets and boulevards of Vancouver, and each and every one is inspected on an annual basis. “What we’re looking for is anything that is obviously hazardous, dangerous or [signs] of disease, and also just maintenance,” Gandha said. Staff also responds to calls

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9

News Krishna hired as B.C. deputy minister of municipal affairs and housing Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

After less than three years on the job, a senior city hall staff member who oversaw departments related to development, permits and licensing has taken a “dream job” in Victoria where she will become the deputy minister of municipal affairs and housing. Kaye Krishna, the city’s

general manager of development services, buildings and licensing, was hired in August 2016 and will begin her new role March 4 with the ministry led by Selina Robinson. Krishna leaves only three months after the election of a new mayor and council. “It had nothing to do with that,” she said of the timing of her departure. “I’ve been really excited

and really enjoyed working with this council and the new mayor, so it’s not related. I’m an urban planner — that’s my training, that’s my passion and the scale and breadth of this work and the opportunity to work with all of the cities in British Columbia is just so compelling and really exciting.” Added Krishna: “This is like my dream job, really,

and what I love to do.” Krishna was hired to “transform” the city’s permitting and licensing processes and improve service and turnaround times for applicants, according to the initial city news release that announced her hiring in August 2016. Did she do that? “I think that we’ve made a real dent in [building] permit times,” she told the

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Courier. “We’ve also built and improved our relationship with industry on the development side of things, and really tried to listen to them and work with them in a fresh way and that has proven very valuable.” Krishna also helped oversee the new shortterm rental rules implemented by the city, updated the city’s liquor policies and continued to work on the marijuana dispensary ﬁle and align regulations with the provincial and federal governments. She was also involved in shaping the city’s housing strategies, including a focus on enforcement against owners of singleroom-occupancy hotels. As examples, Krishna pointed to the Balmoral and Regent hotels, which are both closed while the city looks to expropriate the dilapidated buildings near Main and Hastings streets. Prior to landing a job in Vancouver, Krishna worked as a consultant at a real estate and planning ﬁrm, where she worked with cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, Boulder, Colo. and El Paso, Texas.

Previous to that work, Krishna was chief of staff and deputy commissioner of strategy and operations for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. She will rely on that experience and what she learned in Vancouver in beginning her new role in Victoria, she said. “I had exposure and experience working with leaders in other cities, so I really hope to bring that perspective,” she said. “And I’m excited to really understand the other municipalities and what their needs and issues are, and hopefully I can bring some of the common things I’ve learned from a lot of these other cities, including Vancouver, to bear in my new role.” Krishna earned $265, 743 in 2017, according to the city’s Statement of Financial Information. Krishna said she will not receive a severance from the city. Krishna is originally from Ohio and is married to a Canadian, who is a former CBC journalist. City hall has not named an interim replacement for Krishna’s job. @Howellings

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Kaye Krishna, the city’s general manager of development services, buildings and licensing, begins her new job March 4 as deputy minister of municipal affairs and housing. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

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T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

PM Justin Trudeau announces $20 million for housing projects Union Gospel Mission’s Women and Families Centre gets more than $11 million to support women living with addiction

John Kurucz

jkurucz@vancourier.com

On a day where white stuff dominated all the talk in town, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau was in Vancouver Feb. 11 to move the conversation towards green. Eight months removed from the federal election, Trudeau doled out close to $20 million in funding promises aimed at housing and affordability for the middle class, renters and those living below the poverty line. The big winner of the day was the Union Gospel Mission’s Women and Families Centre, which received an $11.3-million cash injection to aid expansion plans: more beds and more programming options that include trauma counselling, recovery support, job prep classes and licensed childcare spaces. The Women and Families Centre is a three-storey building in the Downtown Eastside that has outreach workers and offers supports such as emergency food hampers and an afterschool program. On the second ﬂoor is what’s called “The Sanctuary,” a stabilization program for women and mothers with babies. It’s for women who want to overcome addiction or get into recovery from addiction. Currently, there’s room for up to 15

women and up to six babies in the live-in suites. Monday’s announcement will help the facility to house more than 60 suites in a new building. “Folks in the area know that his hub has been a refuge to countless women struggling with addiction as they work towards recovery,” Trudeau said. The Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency also got a $1.5-million top-up for modular homes that will house 600 people. The third piece of Monday’s announcement was a $6-million contribution to Vancity’s Pre-construction Equity Loan Fund to support the development of 2,500 new rental units across Vancouver and the province. The fund provides low interest funding for affordable housing projects, offering a lower rate than other ﬁnancial institutions, according to a news release from the Prime Minister’s ofﬁce. “Families who have lived in the Lower Mainland for years are forced to leave the communities they love. I hear these stories and my heart breaks,” Trudeau said. “These are hard-working Canadian who just want what their parents and grandparents had before them. In a country like Canada, we can and must do better.”

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9

Opinion

Farewell to Ed Jurak, and the spirit of radio

Mike Klassen

mike@mikeklassen.net

Just a few weeks back on Jan. 26, I lost an old companion named Ed Jurak. Ed was 75 years old when he passed, discovered by a friend in his small West End apartment. His health had been declining for some time, resulting from Jurak’s lifelong struggle with obesity. You have probably never heard of humble Ed Jurak, but if you ever switched on a local sports or news talk radio station in the years preceding 2009 when he retired, you beneﬁted from his work. He was one of those unsung, behind-the-scenes heroes of broadcasting who are usually underpaid and underappreciated. None of this ever seemed to faze Jurak, who was just happy when things would work. He told me stories of driving long distances on cold nights when 50,000-watt broadcast antennas would begin to sputter, just so he

could keep a station on-air. I reflect upon Jurak’s life during a time of significant upheaval in the arenas of broadcast communications, internet, podcasting, streaming media, and disruptive services such as Netflix. The delivery medium has been revolutionized by server farms moving terabytes of data every second to our homes, businesses and mobile devices. In the next two years, it is anticipated we will see widespread adoption of super systems, such as the often discussed 5G networks the major telecommunications carriers are all preparing for. These are the ones that supposedly will run our home appliances and provide the capacity for autonomous vehicles. Gone are the days when an Ed Jurak could get a channel back on-air by giving the console a swift kick. Someone going by the handle “Cart Machine” on the radiowest.ca bulletin

Ed Jurak, who died Jan. 26, represented an era and spirit of live radio that seems like a distant memory.

board described Jurak’s MacGyver-like talent for keeping stations on-air. “Once part of the vast CKO [radio] complex had a power failure, including the control room,” writes Cart Machine. “Ed simply went out to his VW van, grabbed a long lawnmower extension cord (Ed had no lawn) plugged it into the board and ran it down to the end of the hall where a government ofﬁce still had power. The station was back on the air.”

Radio stations are notoriously cost-conscious, which is why Jurak the engineer would often be required to sit behind the microphone and work as a ﬁll-in host. Luckily, he had a pretty good voice for it. He told Cart Machine a story of working at a station in Prince Rupert when he was forced to do a sportscast. “Ed knew nothing about sports or the teams involved, so he simply gave the scores: 4-3, 2-1, 6-4. He

didn’t name any teams; he just gave the scores.” That spirit of improvisation (and mischievousness) seems like a distant memory now in the shows we watch and listen to today. While YouTube, Facebook, Spotify and Instagram now make up much of our media diet, it cannot compare to the excitement of live radio. Jurak once played me a slick-sounding radio commercial he produced promoting bogus condominium developments going up inside Stanley Park. The very idea of developing in any park, especially that park, could easily trigger public outrage. “You could be living beside Third Beach, the Lost Lagoon, the Zoo, or one of the other prime locations. Think about which location suits you best this weekend — more details are coming Monday,” so the ad went. Jurak would not conﬁrm whether he ever played the spot on air during one of

those thankless weekend evening shifts he would often be asked to do. Knowing his sense of humour, however, I suspect he did. When you think about how fun and creative broadcasting has been, you ask what we have lost in the age of social media. Twitter increasingly feels like a swamp ﬁlled with trolls and fake accounts, while Facebook shamelessly mines its user base for marketing data. Radio fans did not have to check their privacy settings. Gen Xers, boomers and beyond who grew up in Vancouver will remember iconic talk radio hosts such as Pat Burns or Jack Webster, DJs such as Red Robinson, Fred Latremouille, Roy Hennessey or Terry David Mulligan, and FM announcers such as Ellie O’Day or J.B. Shayne. They all tower in the memories of radio fans, thanks to guys like my dear Ed. Rest in peace, old friend. @MikeKlassen

City speeds up development process, but it could be doing more Michael Geller geller@sfu.ca

One of the most common complaints from developers, homeowners and local business owners in Vancouver is the amount of time it takes to get a project approved at city hall. Last April, I wrote a column about the impacts of “red tape” on the cost of housing, which included a photograph of rolls of architectural drawings, attaché cases and knapsacks lying on the pavement outside of the city’s Development and Building Department ofﬁces. They belonged to people who were holding their early morning place in line outside in hopes of submitting permit applications that day. Processing delays are not a new problem. I recall discussing this matter while

president of the Urban Development Institute with former city manager Ken Dobell in the 1980s. At one meeting, following a litany of complaints about how long it was taking to get permits, a frustrated Dobell exclaimed, “What do you want us to do? Work weekends?” “Yes,” we replied and offered to pay overtime rates if necessary. Soon most developers were paying the overtime rates. And while approval times were initially reduced, it wasn’t long before processing times returned to what they were before. Another innovation was the introduction of “certiﬁed professionals” to review plans on behalf of city staff paid for by the developers. While the union didn’t particularly like this practice, it did work, and

to this day the city continues to allow certiﬁed professionals to assist with the review of applications. However, since then, the number of items reviewed by city staff has increased, and conﬂicting demands by an increased number of city departments are causing further delays. Two years ago, the city hired new senior staff, including Kaye Krishna, general manager of development, buildings and licensing, to help solve the problems. She quickly impressed many with her acknowledgement that too often the city unnecessarily prepared “bespoke” documents and legal agreements. She also proposed a “Nexus Lane” for experienced consultants and developers. While Krishna was achieving encouraging results, sadly she will soon be leaving the

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city to join the provincial government. To his credit, Mayor Kennedy Stewart identiﬁed the need to speed up the permitting process as one of his campaign promises. This week, under his leadership, the city tabled a staff report and released a press statement proclaiming signiﬁcant results in reducing processing times. It noted that permits for 900 affordable housing units were issued in as little as 12 weeks, and some single family and laneway home permit processing has been reduced from 38 weeks to six weeks. This has been accomplished by moving more permit applications online, training more than 230 staff in new development policies and procedures, and hiring 42 new staff in 2018, with a further 43 planned for 2019.

Gil Kelley, general manager of planning, urban design and sustainability has promised that the city will do more. To help him, I would like to offer a few suggestions. A recent press release from the city noted the number of rezoning applications has increased 97.5 per cent since 2010. Why? Because the city continues to improperly zone land in order to charge developers rezoning fees and Community Amenity Contributions. For example, every new building along the Cambie Corridor has been the subject of a separate rezoning. This is not necessary. If the city wants to impose charges, ﬁne. But why put everyone through a two-year process? Secondly, staff should write shorter reports to council. Most Cambie

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Corridor reports exceed 50 pages, and many reports are much longer. While I wouldn’t dream of commenting on the current councillors, I know for a fact that in the past, few councillors read the entire reports. Thirdly, make more use of certiﬁed professionals. In many instances, they are more knowledgeable than city staff when it comes to the building code. Speaking of the building code, why is Vancouver only one of two cities in Canada with its own building code? Finally, become more sensible in terms of what is being asked. For example, my friend was recently asked for an arborist’s report for trees in the front of his house, even though his application was for a laneway house at the back. Is this really necessary?

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T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Inbox letters@vancourier.com LETTERS

Bowled over by the Courier Re: “Vancouver’s Ethel Morley is 99 years old and still on a roll,” Jan. 15. I want to thank reporter John Kurucz and photographer Dan Toulgoet for the article celebrating my mom’s 99th birthday. It was a very thoughtful interview and I even learned something new about mom. In all my 71 years, I never thought to ask her what she did while Dad was in the air force stationed at Jericho. I have heard lots of stories of how much they loved Vancouver, the long walks at Spanish Banks, the street car rides and lots about friends they met who I knew

growing up. I did not know she worked at the Bay! My brother-in-law knew that, as did my son. Just goes to show what happens when you ask the right questions. Anyway, thank-you for all that. She is a standout in our family for sure. As we were talking about all this, we also remembered that my husband Bryon’s last job came in response to an ad in the Courier in the late ’70s. He retired 24-and-a-half years later and here we are. Oh, and then I remembered that I responded to an ad in the Courier as well. It read “Mature, non-smoking...” and I thought “That’s me!” That turned out to be my last job as well, lasting 10-plus enjoyable years until my retirement. Thanks for all the Courier has done for us over the years! Toni Crittenden, Vancouver ADVERTISING

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9

News

Heritage Week explores Vancouver’s Jewish community in Oakridge Naoibh O’Connor

noconnor@vancourier.com

Buildings such as the Jewish Community Centre, King David high school and Temple Sholom synagogue are among landmarks in the Oakridge neighbourhood, but alongside their architectural importance, it’s the history and stories associated with them that help imbue them with life and meaning. Michael Schwartz, director of community engagement at the Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C., will host a walking tour of the area Feb. 24 to share how such buildings provided foundations for the community. The walk is among several events Vancouver Heritage Foundation is holding to mark Heritage Week, which runs from Feb. 18 to 24. “The Tie that Binds” is the theme of this year’s Heritage Week, which is celebrated in B.C. and across Canada. Kathryn Morrow, Vancouver Heritage Foundation spokesperson, said the idea behind the theme is to look beyond places or landmarks

City of Vancouver accepting late Empty Home Tax declarations

Ninety-seven per cent of Vancouver property owners can pat themselves on the back for making their Empty Homes Tax declaration by the Feb. 4 deadline. As for the remaining three per cent — or 4,979 property owners — they can make a late declaration, says the city. In a press release, the city reminds residents that those

and think about intangible heritage such as food, storytelling, music and culture, which add community and a sense of belonging to a place. “It’s important to be able to relate to a place. For most people, it’s easier to feel connected to a location, building or a site if you have a personal history that’s related to it…” she said. “If there’s something that makes it more signiﬁcant, more personal to your own life, you’re more likely to be attached to a place.” Schwartz said his organization, whose mission is to collect and preserve the history of Jewish life in B.C. going back to the Gold Rush, frequently offers walking tours in various neighbourhoods populated by the Jewish community over the decades. While the Jewish community emerged in Strathcona and Gastown around the turn of the century, the population moved to Fairview in the 1930s before shifting to Oakridge in the post-war period. Community institutions such as the Jewish Commu-

nity Centre, which had been located at Oak and 11th, moved to a new site at 41st and Oak in 1950. The construction of the mall in the late 1950s created an anchor for the new residential neighbourhood and, over the years, places such as King David high school, Temple Shalom synagogue and the Peretz Centre emerged. Schwartz’s tour will address the movements of the Jewish population within

who do not declare will have their properties deemed vacant by the city, and be subject to the tax at a rate of one per cent of the property’s 2018 assessed taxable value. They will also be charged a $250 bylaw ﬁne. This year — the second year of Vancouver’s Empty Homes Tax — the city is making late declarations available. Once the property owner pays the $250 late fee (or disputes

the ticket), they can make their online declaration. Bylaw tickets can be paid at vancouver.ca/pay-ticket. Once a late declaration of occupied or exempt has been submitted, the tax bill will be cancelled. How to submit a late declaration for Vancouver’s Empty Homes Tax: • One declaration per property is required. You can declare in a number of ways, including:

the city and how notable buildings reﬂect the roots of the community. “We’re going to talk about the waves of community growth and the way the community outgrew a neighbourhood and moved on to another one,” he said, while adding, “It’s what happens in those buildings that’s far more important than what they look like from the outside. Things like schools, community centres, synagogues are places where we

educate the next generation, where cultural traditions are passed on. In some cases that is religious, but more broadly speaking it’s cultural — the food, the literature, and what it means to be part of the community.” Based on previous tours, Schwartz said while many people have a broad sense of the history of the neighbourhood, they may lack knowledge of the details and he has many anecdotes to share. He’s not surprised by holes in people’s knowledge, however, as the Jewish community only makes up about one per cent of the city. “That’s pretty tiny. So I can appreciate people haven’t encountered the Jewish community or aren’t aware of our history,” he said. But Schwartz maintains it’s crucial for Vancouverites to understand how the city has changed and grown through the years. “It’s important for Vancouver to understand how young the city is and how different communities have made a home here, especially in a time when real estate and property value are such

volatile subjects and people are quick to accuse certain communities of disrupting things and making it difﬁcult for other people to continue living in the city,” he said. “It’s important to have a broader perspective, a more long-term perspective on that, because it’s always been the case… there’s always been different communities arriving and shifting. To think that some neighbourhoods are sacrosanct, that some people should always live there, is just against the nature of how a city as an eco-system grows, changes and evolves.” Vancouver events for this year’s heritage week include a Places that Matter community celebration Feb. 20, Tea at Chinatown House Feb. 23, and the Oakridge Community History Walking Tour Feb. 24. Note: the Oakridge Walking Tour is at capacity, but a waitlist has been started. @naoibh

• Online at vancouver. ca/eht-declare. The online declaration process is simple and takes most people only a few minutes to complete. Online chat with an EHT representative is available. • In person at city hall. Residential property owners may visit city hall where staff will be available to assist them with online declarations. City hall regular hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Over the phone by calling 3-1-1. Residential property owners who need assistance making their online declaration can call 3-1-1 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily (outside Vancouver: 604-873-7000) and speak to a citizen service representative. Translation services are also available at 3-1-1. Payment of the Empty Homes Tax levy is due by April 12, 2019 or an additional ﬁve per cent

penalty will be applied. If payment is not made by Dec. 31, 2019, the amount will be added to your property tax bill. The City of Vancouver’s Empty Homes Tax is separate from the provincial government’s Speculation and Vacancy Tax; inquiries regarding the province’s tax may be directed to gov. bc.ca/spectax or by calling 1-833-554-2323. —Courier staff

Michael Schwartz, director of community engagement at the Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C., will be hosting an Oakridge Community History Walking Tour Feb. 24. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

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T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

LIVE ON THE EDGE

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9

Community VANCOUVER SHAKEDOWN

Eastern Canada has slippery grasp on realities of Vancouver snow Flat earthers wouldn’t stand a chance in hilly West Coast winter Grant Lawrence

grantlawrence12@gmail.com

“Oh look,” sneered my co-worker from Toronto. “It’s a Vancouver blizzard.” I pivoted to look outside our ofﬁce window with excitement, only to see it ever so lightly snowing. You know the drill: when and if snow falls in Vancouver in any given winter, you can be assured that every smug easterner you know will inevitably tease you for it, lording their decades of weather suffering over you. “Vancouverites have no clue how to deal with winter,” a friend from Winnipeg attempted to explain to me over burritos at Tacoﬁno. “A little bit of snow should not cause chaos in the streets.” Now wait just a West Coast minute. I have news for you, Prairie Princess: Winnipeg is a FLAT city. Here’s another bulletin: that tony Winnipeg neighbourhood of River Heights? It’s at the exact same

elevation of the rest of your city! You’ve been duped! Vancouver Heights between Highway 1 and Boundary Road? That’s a Heights! In fact, most major Canadian cities outside of Vancouver, Halifax and St. John’s are all pretty ﬂat. Here in Vancouver, we have these things called hills and mountains to contend with. I would love to put a recently planted winter warrior from Oakville onto Oak Street, driving north to West Sixth Avenue on a blanket of fresh snow (if only for the satisfaction of seeing them plow into the duck pond of Charleson Park). You see, I actually think that born-and-bred West Coasters are pretty damn good winter drivers. Many of us have grown up frequenting the local mountains and, in turn, have dealt with steep, wet, snowy conditions every winter for our entire lives. I’ll never forget the time a band from Saskatchewan stayed over at my parents’

Torontonians might mock us, but Vancouver handles its snow days just fine, thank you very much. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

home in hilly West Vancouver during my years as a teenaged promoter. It had snowed, and when the band attempted to steer their van onto my parents’ steep street, they lost control and smashed through a neighbour’s fence. They came to rest in the middle of our neighbour’s front lawn, the van completely

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entangled and illuminated in a holiday light display. The only one hurt was a ﬂattened snowman. When I found the band, they were still sitting inside their van. “What happened?” I asked. “We started sliding so I hit the brakes,” the driver/

drummer told me. “But… we kept going!” “You mean you didn’t lightly pump the brakes, gear down, and turn into the skid?” The Saskatchewanian rocker stared at me with a blank expression. What many Canadians living east of the Rockies also fail to acknowledge is that our West Coast white stuff is often heavy, wet and slick, which is great for snowmen and toboggan runs, but not so fortuitous for driving down Thurlow Street to the Burrard Bridge. On the rare snow day here in Vancouver, there is often a crackling of excitement from locals. You can hear it at work, on the radio, and especially if you have young kids. On Sunday afternoon, mine were pressed against the living room window marvelling at the delicate ﬂakes falling from the sky, eager to get outside and play, play, play and play some more. We’re lucky enough to

live close to a park that boasts a big, broad hill that becomes the neighbourhood toboggan course with every signiﬁcant snowfall. Local kids have gathered here through the generations, and now my children partake in the joyful tradition. And with a fresh snowfall the likes of which Vancouver saw on Sunday evening, with it comes a layer of still beauty that we see so little of in our dark, blustery and rainy winters. There is a special kind of light that a blanket of snow gives off at night, reﬂecting the street lights and the moon, allowing kids to stay out just a little bit later than usual on these special snowy occasions. So ignore those glib easterners, Vancouver. We shall continue to embrace our city’s rare snow days with a happiness usually reserved for the kids. Just avoid driving Tolmie Street down to Spanish Banks — you could end up in Burrard Inlet. @grantlawrence

T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Feature

Protest, art show staged as a tribute to disappearing gallery space False Creek Flats galleries to be demolished for Broadway SkyTrain extension John Kurucz

jkurucz@vancourier.com

There’s a small stretch of Great Northern Way that’s teeming with huge amounts of irony. An old building constructed in the 1960s is the lone vestige of the area’s industrial past. Next to it is a 21st century, multi-million dollar building that houses tomorrow’s tech trendsetters and artists. Less than 100 feet away from that urban dichotomy hangs four photos, placed there specifically because they have nowhere else to go in a city that’s losing art space at a frenetic pace. Hung last week, the four photos are part protest, part art show, part funeral dirge. The collective works of Vancouver artists Kent Lins, Sally Buck, John Goldsmith and Byron Dauncey are bolted to a fence outside of two art galleries that are smack dab in the middle of the proposed Broadway SkyTrain extension route. Located at 525 Great Northern Way, Equinox and Monte Clark galleries will be gone at some point in the next few years, though no one — the artists, the studio owners or even the province — knows exactly when. With land prices and rents going up and art spaces going down, the four artists are losing space to show their work or see what their contemporaries are up to. Late last week, the loose collective took lemons and made lemonade. “We are displaying art, first and foremost,” Buck told the Courier by phone. “I think it’s important to remind people of the significance of art in our society. It is a form of the newspaper or the nightly news for many people.”

Left to right: Artists John Goldsmith, Sally Buck, Kent Lins and Byron Dauncey have placed four photos near 525 Great Northern Way as a way to show their work and protest the eventual demolition of two nearby gallery spaces. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

There’s no deﬁnite theme linking up the four images, though each displays some degree of commodiﬁcation, environmental damage and urban decay. Only Dauncey has had his work shown in either gallery. “As developers and city hall decide a fate that we must all abide by, we, as citizens, also want a say in how our land gets used,” Goldsmith told the Courier. “This is especially poignant here as development encroaches on established art land.”

Train in vain

News broke late last year that the land on which both galleries sit will be razed to make way for the Broadway SkyTrain extension. The galleries take up about 15,000 feet of space, with Equinox accounting for the majority of that footprint. Gallery owner Andy Sylvester said he met with the previous council and

high-ranking TransLink ofﬁcials last year to state his case for the SkyTrain track to be laid further to the east, which would have preserved the building. “There was no elasticity in any of the conversations,” Sylvester told the Courier. “And frankly, there wasn’t a desire to think about change. The desire was to placate the development that’s happening along the transit line.” The ministry of transportation and infrastructure issued a statement to the Courier Tuesday afternoon, suggesting the planning process for the area goes back more than a decade, long before the galleries arrived in the area. “Unfortunately, there is not a feasible alternative alignment for the future subway at this location because of the adjacent active rail right-of-way and the new Emily Carr University building to the south,” a ministry spokesperson said.

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In transition

Equinox’s history in Vancouver goes back nearly ﬁve decades, with previous locations on Robson and South Granville streets. Hundreds of artists have shown their works in the galleries, including Douglas Coupland, Gordon Smith and Jack Shadbolt. One local artist has had recurring shows at Equinox since the late 1970s. “These are like the Margaret Atwoods, the Chris Hadﬁelds or the Wayne Gretzkys of the art world,” Buck said. The False Creek Flats became home to Equinox

about seven years ago when it took up residence in a building that once served as a paint and mechanical shop for the tractor company Finning. The galleries sit within an 18-acre parcel of land that was essentially gifted to the arts and academia sectors in the early 2000s when Finning helped establish the Great Northern Way Trust alongside UBC, BCIT, SFU and Emily Carr University. The intent was to create an academic tech hub for the 21st century learners and beyond. “I don’t think what Finning wanted was for this

to be a real estate development,” Sylvester said. “As a society and as a city, you don’t get a site like this to do over. You get it once and if you lose it, it’s done.” Responding to Vancouver’s ever-changing arts climate is almost old hat for Buck and Lins. Lacking affordable art space for displays last year, they took their show around town in the back of a van. “We used to have an amazing arts community in this city. Somehow or other it’s been snatched from us and it’s time we snatched it back,” Lins said. For its part, the province says it’s working to ﬁnd another spot in Vancouver for Sylvester’s gallery. He’s been doing the same and expects at least another couple years at his current location before shovels hit the ground. But that’s not the point, according to Sylvester. He’s looking at land in North Vancouver and points east. He wants to stay where he is and build upon an interface that mixes Vancouver’s past, present and future. “I like the idea of continuing what was here before and I especially like the idea that art and culture repositions itself within that conversation,” Sylvester said. “When you arrive at a transit stop that’s outside of a university and a centre for digital media, it can’t just be grey. It can’t be another coffee shop or a condo development for God’s sake.”

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9

BORABORA

Bora Bora bucket list

Sandra Thomas sthomas@vancourier.com

A STAY AT THE ST. REGIS BORA BORA RESORT WAS A HIGHLIGHT OF TAHITI CRUISE Climbing into a water taxi on the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora in December, I had goose bumps — despite the “35, feels like 45-C” temperature that day. Part of the reason was, well, Bora Bora, and the other was that my husband and I were headed to the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, which is only accessible by boat or helicopter. One of the pitfalls of being a travel writer is what I like to refer to as “Travel Writer Envy,” which I tend to suffer after reading beautifully crafted stories written by friends and colleagues. And

it was after reading such a story about the St. Regis Bora Bora several years ago that I became fascinated with this South Pacific paradise. Another pitfall of travel writing is when a destination doesn’t live up to its hype, but I knew that was certainly not the case with the St.

St. Regis Bora Bora Resort PHOTO: ST. REGIS

The St. Regis Bora Bora can only be reached by boat or helicopter. PHOTO: ST. REGIS

Regis from the moment we entered the stunning lobby of the resort, which at the time was decorated in an upscale, Christmas in French Polynesia theme. Once we checked in, we were driven by a golf cart to our suite and along the way our young, female butler gave us a tour of the property past the private lagoon, which is stocked with fish for guaranteed colourful

snorkelling, and along the boardwalk to our deluxe onebedroom overwater villa. We were spending the night on Bora Bora as an overnight excursion from our sevenday Tahiti Dreams luxury cruise on the Wind Spirit, a small Windstar cruise ship that during our trip hosted just 140 passengers. Windstar passengers had an option (at a cost) for a variety

of excursions during our two days on Bora Bora, including overnight stays at bucket-list worthy overwater bungalows, including Le Meridien and the Conrad Nui. We arranged our stay at the St. Regis on our own. Also included with our cruise (at no extra cost) was the Bora Bora: Celebration Festival event on a private motu (tiny islet) we enjoyed after returning to the ship from the St. Regis. Upon arrival to this tropical island by tender boat, we were greeted with leis before enjoying drinks and a luaustyle barbecue. But it was after dinner, as the sun began to set, that the real action began and we were treated to graceful performances by Polynesian dancers and, as the grand finale, the gaspworthy acrobatics of athletic fire dancers.

With the fire dancers wearing nothing but loin cloths, I had to wonder how they avoided serious burns when I could feel the heat from the flames leaping from their props from my seat some distance away. But the dancers remained unscathed as they brought the show to a dramatic close. As we clambered aboard the tenders for our return trip to the ship, in the distance we could see the Wind Spirit, which for the first time during our cruise was glowing with white lights from deck to sail against the night sky — another dramatic highlight of a trip already full of firsts. To read more about Bora Bora and the St. Regis, visit vancourier.com. Sandra Thomas was a guest of St. Regis Bora Bora, which did not read or approve this article in advance.

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T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9

News

Organ donors and recipients help make B.C. history More than 500 organ donations happened across the province in 2018

John Kurucz

is exchanged. In some cases, the parties can meet in person after a one-year buffer period. Tuason’s donor was deceased, but that’s all he knows. “How do you convey the gratitude for a life?” Tuason said. “I have this desire to say thank you, I owe you for everything I have now. I want to assure the person that this life you have given me will be used for something good.”

jkurucz@vancourier.com

Emerging from a 10-hour slumber and pain-free for the ﬁrst time in 14 years, Bet Tuason found revelatory delight in the most basic of human functions. With a new kidney in tow, Tuason could pee without agony. He could drink as much water as he wanted. From the period spanning 2004 to 2018, both activities were laborious, painful concepts that required a lot of upkeep and monitoring. An East Vancouver resident of close to 50 years, Tuason received regular kidney dialysis treatments from 2014 to 2018. His water intake couldn’t exceed more than a cup and a half per day, his appetite was shot and fatigue was a constant. All that changed in March 2018, when Tuason underwent a successful kidney transplant. “To be able to urinate, to feel that water is now passing, that sensation alone gives you a feeling of ‘Yes, I’m alive,’” Tuason told the Courier. Tuason spoke the Courier just days after B.C. Transplant announced that a series of record-setting milestones were achieved last year: 502 transplants overall, 339 kidney transplants and 28 heart transplants. Now 64, Tuason has lived through numerous health setbacks for 40 years. Car accidents 10 years apart — in 1977 and 1987 — did

Compelled to donate

East Vancouver resident Bet Tuason underwent a successful kidney transplant in March 2018. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

immeasurable damage to Tuason’s back. He’s been in a wheelchair since the late ’80s, but it wasn’t until 2004 that the cumulative effect of those accidents caught up with him. Complications in Tuason’s bladder would later reveal his kidneys “only had a bit of life left.” Routine hospital visits became the norm and Tuason would regularly lose consciousness — or “crash” as he calls it — as his health deteriorated to the point of near death. During one of the Tuason’s more serious episodes, he claims to have seen a light ﬂash before him as he believed he was dying. In the moments after Tuason’s crash, paramedics were called and he was at Vancouver General Hospital. As his life faded, Tuason described

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an intense light — like a “really, really bright LED” — permeating his senses. “There’s this feeling of peacefulness,” Tuason recalled. “With that feeling, it draws you into that space because there’s no pain, there’s no worry, there’s nothing. As a Christian, I prayed. I was reminded that life has an end, life has a beginning and that maybe there’s life somewhere else.” Those episodes are now in the rear view. Tuason recalls being on the operating table before undergoing his transplant and the surgeons showing him the kidney he’d soon receive. “They told me, ‘We have a good one,’” Tuason said. “There is fear, but at the same time, how do you explain the feeling of winning the Lotto Max 10 times over in one ticket? I couldn’t help it, but tears came down.” Transplant B.C. has strict regulations in place to protect the privacy and conﬁdentially of all parties involved. Letters can be exchanged between donor families and recipients but no personal information

Corey Nislow is at the other end of the transplant spectrum. He’s a UBC researcher, avid runner and, by all accounts, a very healthy dude. Much like close to 100 other living donors in B.C., Nislow is also less one kidney. He donated in January 2018 and ran a full marathon four months later. Coincidentally, Nislow ran a half marathon — and won his age group — the day before sharing his story with the Courier. “Me making this decision was one thing,” he said. “But me conveying to my family that this was something that was really important to me was the biggest hurdle in the entire process.” About a year passed between the time Nislow indicated his interest in being a donor and going under the knife. Family and friends were understandably concerned, with many suggesting Nislow was withholding information from them around his motivation. Paying it forward was the 52-year-old’s main driver, although a book around selﬂessness and helping others compelled Nislow to act when he did — he’d just turned 50 at the time, was in fantastic shape and had no kids to worry about.

The procedure happened on Jan. 22, 2018. Nislow was out of the hospital in under 48 hours and recovered within two and a half months. “I did get some hints that my kidney, wherever it is, it’s functioning. So that made me happy,” Nislow said. “But I know zip about the recipient. I feel like my piece is done.” The post-operation conversations he has with fam-

So you want to donate an organ John Kurucz

jkurucz@vancourier.com

Year-over-year statistics suggest more B.C. residents are becoming organ donors than ever before. The most recent numbers from 2017 point to B.C. as having more organ donors than anywhere else in Canada. Here are some fast facts for anyone contemplating the decision to become an organ donor. Where you go: All organ transplants in B.C. happen at one of three Vancouver hospitals: Vancouver General, St. Paul’s or B.C. Children’s. Long before the procedure takes place, an organ donation specialist from B.C. Transplant meets with each family of a potential organ donor, fully explaining the process and answering any questions they may have about organ donation. What you need to register: • your B.C. Personal Health Number (PHN) • your name, birth date and address • to be at least 19 years old or have a parent or guardian sign on the minor’s behalf. What are the parameters around registering? There are no restrictions in terms of age, sexual orienta-

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ily and friends are decidedly different. Apprehension has given way to pride. “My wife and my mom have told me I’ve done a good thing… that was kind of cool,” Nislow said while holding back tears. “I feel like it’s an accomplishment. It’s something you can reﬂect on and think ‘You know, that was just an unequivocally decent thing to do.’ And I’m glad I had it in me.” @JohnKurucz

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tion, previous or current medical conditions, or where you’ve previously lived. Both organs and tissues can be donated: Organs: • heart • kidney • liver • lung • pancreas • intestines Tissues: • corneas • skin • heart valves • bone • blood vessels • connective tissues, such as tendons Are there religious or spiritual concerns associated with organ donation? This excerpt is taken from the Transplant B.C. website: “All major religions allow organ donation. The Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu faiths encourage organ donation or leave it up to individual choice. Ask your spiritual advisor if you have questions about your religion’s views on organ donation.” If you’re already registered as a donor, can you change your mind and opt out in the future? Yes — the decision can be changed online with your PHN or via completing a paper form. How has the opioid crisis affected donation levels and what does a transplant recipient and his or her family need to know before receiving an organ from someone who has died of an overdose? “We have seen an increase in organ donors that have died as a result of an overdose. These deaths are truly tragic. These patients tend to be young and otherwise very healthy. They undergo the routine intensive screening of all potential donors as well as more extensive testing as indicated.” — Dr. Sean Keenan, provincial medical director of donation services

T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Arts & Entertainment THE GROWLER: DRINK THIS

Midnight Train by Boombox Brewing Company Rob Mangelsdorf

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T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Community

Vancouver’s drug overdose crisis gets its own podcast Crackdown’s mission statement is to ‘tell the story of a community ﬁghting for their lives, and point to a way out of this crisis’ John Kurucz

jkurucz@vancourier.com

This is Garth Mullins’ pay-it-forward moment, though he admits it could all fall apart at the whim of a piece of paper. Mullins is executive producer of the recently launched podcast, Crackdown. It’s like a for-thepeople, by-the-people account of lives shaped by drug use. An award-winning journalist who’s scribbled for 24 Hours and CBC, Mullins is ﬂanked by editorial board colleagues whose lives have been devoted to drug and harm reduction advocacy. Mullins has been on methadone since the mid2000s and lived through the pure heroin and HIV days of the 1990s.

“I used all the way through it,” Mullins tells the Courier. “It’s f***ing incredible that I survived.” Mullins estimates the death toll of people close to him to be somewhere around 50. The point of the podcast is to tell the story of those who are still alive, or as the mission statement reads: “Each episode will tell the story of a community ﬁghting for their lives, and point to a way out of this crisis.” Crisis is the operative word, and Mullins doesn’t try to pretend it’s not. Statistics released in the ﬁrst week of February pointed to 1,489 deaths in B.C. in 2018 due to illicit drug overdoses. Fentanyl was found in 85 per cent of those cases.

“We are dying in massive numbers… I want to stay alive. I want my friends to stay alive,” Mullins said. “I’m one poorly faxed methadone prescription away from being dope sick.” On the technical side, the podcast represents a partnership with Cited Media Productions, which takes care of recording logistics. On the practical side, the podcast’s editorial team is made up of drug user activists, along with reps from the B.C. Association of People on Methadone and the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU). “We’re drawing out community experience and laying out evidence

based solutions to the overdose crisis,” said Ryan McNeil, a research scientist with the BCCSU and assistant professor in UBC’s faculty of medicine. “We want to leverage this to effect change. It’s not voyeuristic storytelling, it’s storytelling with purpose.”

Mullins already has hours of interview material on tape for future episodes, in which he talks to people from both sides of the proverbial tracks. “We’ve talked to people who had a butler when they were growing up,” he said. “We try to ﬁnd all the differ-

ent ways that the crisis affects society. We’re not just talking to people on the Downtown Eastside because the crisis is everywhere.” @JohnKurucz Crackdown is available via free download on iTunes.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, F E B RUA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 9

Arts & Entertainment

Left: Vancouver Opera’s production of La Bohème is — literally — an enormous vintage picture postcard of Paris. Right: Beaumont Studios celebrates father figures in all their tacky glory at its Suburban Dads on Vacation Theme Party.

Vancouver Opera gets romantic And four other reasons Vancouver is awesome this week

Lindsay William-Ross

lindsay@vancouverisawesome.com

Puccini’s La Bohème

It’s considered opera’s most enduring love story, and it’s on stage in Vancouver on Valentine’s Day (and a few other days, too). Enjoy the Vancouver Opera’s presentation of Puccini’s celebrated La Bohème. This new production is — literally — an enormous vintage picture postcard of Paris. Sung in Italian with English surtitles... che romantico! When: Feb. 14, 16, 19, 21 and 24 Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton St. Link: vancouveropera.ca/boheme

JFL Northwest Pop-Up Parties

Did you score tickets to any of the Just for Laughs Northwest comedy fest shows? Don’t have FOMO — they are doing some fun pop-up parties that are free and open to the public. For

the first time in JFL NorthWest history, pop-up parties will be taking place in Ackery’s Alley. On Feb. 14, show some love for comedy with $5 cans of Bomber beer, free Tim Hortons coffee and live music from Adam Bailie, Chersea and DJ O Show. Then on Feb. 19, in addition to the drinks, there will be free performances from the New Shackletons and Derek Pitts. Fake Ghost Tours, with comedians Abdul Aziz and Shawn O’Hara and musician Aaron Read, will leave every hour, on the hour. When: Feb. 14, 5 to 8 p.m. and Feb. 19, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Where: Ackery’s Alley, off Smithe between Granville and Seymour Link: jflnorthwest.com

Enhancing Psychological Health and Resiliency

What are some key ingredients for psychological health and resilience? Explore this question, as well as the role of art and

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creativity in enhancing resilience with guest speaker Dr. Alina Sotskova. She is the artistic director of Voirelia: a non-profit dance, psychology and philosophy hub. She will draw from examples in art to talk about how creativity can help strengthen mental health. Her talk is part of several events taking place around the region for Psychology Month. When: Feb. 16, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Where: Vancouver Public Library Britannia Branch, 1661 Napier St. Link: psychologists.bc.ca/blog/ psychologymonth

Suburban Dads on Vacation Theme Party

Put on your finest Hawaiian shirt, socks with sandals, and Members Only jacket to this fiesta of appropriating suburban dad culture. This goofy 19-plus theme party will have all the best dad drinks, dad games, dad activities, a corny dad inspired photo booth and dad music to make it a night just like the family vacation dads have dreamed of.

When: Feb. 15, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Where: Beaumont Studios, 316 West Fifth Ave. Link: eventbrite.ca

Places That Matter: Community Celebration

Celebrate Vancouver Heritage Week with this popular annual gathering. Get together with other Vancouverites to honour the people and places that make — and have made — our city so awesome. Check out the displays, open house, music and refreshments. Plus it’s totally free. When: Feb. 20, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Where: Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St. Link: vancouverheritagefoundation.org For more events, go to

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Arts & Entertainment THE SHOWBIZ

Cocksure mockumentary serves bawdy badminton comedy Short ﬁlm Shuttlecock screens at Just For Laughs Comedy Film Festival Sabrina Furminger

sabrina@yvrscreenscene.com

One of Rhona Rees’ favourite things to do after screenings of her short film Shuttlecock is to engage in a call-and-response game with the audience. “I grab the mic and say, ‘When I say shuttle, you say cock,’ and people love it,” says the Vancouver-based actress, who stars in and produced the short film. “There’s an inherent joy in having a theatre full of adults just screaming, ‘Cock!’ I think people feel safe doing it because they’re doing it in a group. It’s freeing.” Shuttlecock’s humour begins with its title — which refers to the projectile that badminton players hit back and forth — and careens on from there. The film was written and directed by

Melanie M. Jones (FSM) and was created as part of 2018 Crazy8s, a filmmaking competition in which teams compete for the chance to shoot, edit and lock their films in eight days. Rees stars as Winnie, a washed-up badminton player whose Olympic dreams are dashed when her rival smashes a shuttlecock into one of her eyes. Winnie’s shot at redemption — a charity tournament that will pit her against her rival — is being filmed by a documentary crew, making this mockumentary (dare we say cock-umentary?) one of the most audacious comedies screening at this weekend’s Vancouver Just For Laughs Comedy Film Festival. Shuttlecock isn’t just funny. It’s also empowering, according to Rees, because it wields a type of humour that’s typically the domain of men. “If you were to read the script and not know who wrote it, you might think that it was a man writing it because there are so many cock jokes, and I find joy in that it’s four women

Rhona Rees plays a washed-up badminton player looking for a shot at redemption in the Vancouver-shot short film Shuttlecock.

who did this and it’s a cock story,” says Rees. Even the type of character she plays — a sarcastic, smirking, problematic loser — isn’t usually written for women. “We’re so used to seeing Seth Rogen in this type of role,” says Rees, who describes Winnie as a female Kenny Powers. “We forgive these males for being overweight and rude and not

having their lives together, because they’re quirky and lovable, but we don’t see as much of that representation with women. Although we don’t necessarily want our girls to aspire to be like Winnie, it’s refreshing to see that kind of diversity of female characters being portrayed on our screens.” Rees — who’s been working in the entertainment industry for 24 years, both in

front of the camera and behind the mic as a voice artist — learned a lot during her Shuttlecock experience, such as shooting under the gun, producing and badminton. “We found out that badminton is really freaking popular in Vancouver, and people play badminton from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m., seven days a week,” says Rees. “In pre-production, 100 per cent our biggest challenge was finding a court, because people are playing around the clock.” Rees also learned that not everyone knows that a shuttlecock has nothing to do with genitals. “Unless you’re someone who’s had some experience playing badminton at some point in your life, then you might not known what the word shuttlecock means,” she says. “People ask, ‘What’s the film about?’ And I go, ‘Um, it’s called Shuttlecock, it’s about badminton, isn’t that clear?’ I wonder what they think the film is about —some kind of transportation penis?” Shuttlecock screens this weekend as part of the

Vancouver Just For Laughs Comedy Film Festival, which runs Feb. 14 to 23 at Vancity Theatre. The fest opens with Laura Steinel’s Family and closes with Never Be Done: The Richard Glen Lett Story, a documentary about the fall and rise of the controversial Vancouver stand-up comedian. The fest also offers conversations with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Ken Jeong, industry panels for emerging comedy filmmakers, screenings of the feature-length films Bernadette, Banana Split, Pork Pie, Thunder Road, I Killed My Husband, Sorry For Your Loss and An Innocent Kiss, and two showcases of short films — one spotlighting films from abroad, and the other spotlighting films from the Pacific Northwest. Shuttlecock screens at the latter. So if you’ve ever wanted to yell “Cock!” at the top of your lungs in a crowded theatre, Feb. 17 is your day. Details at jflnorthwest.com.

KUDOS AND KVETCHES

How to survive Vancouver’s ﬂake-ﬁlled snowmageddon

Just like every snowflake is unique, so, too, are Vancouverites’ reactions to snowflakes, particularly when the white stuff blankets the city — at first transforming the streets into a winter wonderland, then plunging society into a snowy hellscape of terrible driving and personal inconvenience. To help you get through Vancouver’s winter of discontent, here are a few tried-and-true tips to guide you on your snow-capped journey. Take photos of the freshly fallen snow and post them to your social media feeds ASAP Your childlike wonder towards snow will be shortlived, so harness that fleeting

sense of innocence and share it with the world until it becomes tiresome. Sure, everyone else is posting the exact same photos of snowy streets, snow falling in slow motion and porches, railings, bushes and trees covered in a marshmallowy quilt of winter weather, but for a brief moment you will be part of a whole. A brief, happy whole. Let indignation with the powers that be creep into your heart Peruse Facebook and Twitter and join in the public’s growing condemnation of buses that aren’t running, SkyTrain stations that are crowded, city streets that are unplowed and people who don’t shovel their sidewalks. If possible, shake your ﬁst

Can this be recycled? Check the BC RECYCLEPEDIA www.rcbc.ca RECYCLING COUNCIL OF B.C. MEMBER

Need to express yourself during your winter of discontent? We’ve got some suggestions for you. PHOTO iSTOCK

at the clouds. Better yet, call out TransLink or the city on social media for their questionable response to inclement weather. It’s cold outside, so let that resentment and anger burn

brightly and warm your cranky body all damn day long. And if the mayor is taking a holiday during this natural disaster? You’ll have enough bad mojo to heat your house all week. Dang.

Block any of your friends or family members on Facebook who are currently on a sunny vacation and will undoubtedly post a photo of a tropical beach or a sweaty bottle of Corona poolside and quip, “How’s everything in Vancouver?” like they are the funniest, most original person in the entire effing world It’s got to be said: Corona is a s*** beer, and anyone who drinks it is a s*** person, even if it’s your mom. This is why you should have never accepted her friend request on Facebook. Plus she keeps inviting you to play Candy Crush with her.

The next time it rains, forget how inconvenienced you were and wish it was snowing again Grey skies, soaked feet, stinky buses. Rain is for chumps. Bring back the white stuff. It makes everything look so much cleaner and Instagramable. Plus you don’t have to pound back the Vitamin D like Skittles when everything’s so bright and ﬂuffy. You also look so much cuter in that parka and boots combo. Damn, you didn’t know how good you had it. Thankfully, you have an intense game of Candy Crush with your mom later to distract you from how empty your life has become without snow. Beautiful, restorative snow. @KudosKvetches

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Pass It to Bulis

The hockey blog that knows who needs the puck

Games against Flames and Sharks should be a wakeup call to Canucks Top two teams in Paciﬁc asserted themselves in Vancouver

Backhand Sauce

• I’m dropping the gloves with Jim Benning and the Canucks for putting Michael DiPietro in an impossible situation against the Sharks. They’ve had over a month to address their goaltending depth since losing Mike McKenna on waivers; DiPietro never should have been forced into action. • A tap of the stick to DiPietro, however, who rolled with the punches and was relatively upbeat and positive after the game. “Deﬁnitely a dream come true getting the start,” he said. “It was a good experience.”

Daniel Wagner

The Vancouver Canucks are on the edge of the playoffs, just a couple points back from the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. The players in the room, they’re believers. They can see the standings and know they’ve got a chance to prove the doubters wrong. The Canucks’ management seems to believe in the team as well, or at least believes that there’s value in a young team playing important games down the stretch, gaining experience for the future. If the Canucks make the playoffs, however, they’ll then have to face one of the top teams in the Western Conference in the first round. This past week, they saw just how poorly that could go when they faced the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks. On Saturday, the Canucks faced the Flames, who have the best goal differential in the West. The Flames boast four forwards with more than 20 goals and five players producing more than a point per game, including defenceman Mark Giordano. They’re a dominant offensive powerhouse. It showed against the Canucks. The Flames dominated the game, including a 20-shot second period that was seemingly spent entirely in the Canucks’ end of the ice. The Flames finished with a whopping 47 shots on goal, with the vast majority coming from dangerous areas around the net and in the slot. It took one of the best games of Jacob Markstrom’s career to keep the Canucks in the game and a couple marvelous plays by Elias Pettersson to tie it and force overtime and the shootout, where Pettersson scored the only goal for the Canucks and Markstrom shut the door at the other end. Markstrom and Pettersson were magnificent, but if it was a playoff preview, the Canucks are in serious trouble. Generally speaking, you can’t get out-shot by a two-to-one ratio and expect to win a

Stick-taps & Glove-drops

Big Numbers • 19, 7, 15 Michael DiPietro isn’t the youngest goaltender to play a game for the Canucks. Troy Gamble was 19 years, seven months, and 15 days old when he made his debut in 1986, 18 days younger than DiPietro.

Michael DiPietro’s debut with the Canucks, in which they lost 7-2 to the San Jose Sharks, was also a wake-up call to the team. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

• 7 DiPietro’s debut wasn’t the first time this season the Canucks have given up seven goals. The Flames scored five on Jacob Markstrom in the second game of the season, then added two empty net goals in the final minutes.

playoff series and there’s no shootout in the playoffs as an escape hatch. Monday’s game against the Sharks was even worse. Thanks to injuries to Markstrom and Thatcher Demko, the Canucks were forced to start 19-year-old goaltender Michael DiPietro. They then proceeded to hang him out to dry. It wasn’t just that DiPietro was a raw rookie, who clearly wasn’t ready to make his first NHL start, but that the Canucks looked completely out-classed by the Sharks, who seemed to create Grade-A scoring chances at will. The Sharks picked apart the Canucks’ defence and the Canucks seemed unable to move the puck into the Sharks zone until halfway through the first period and it was already 3-0. There are certainly plenty of excuses for the Canucks, but they can’t afford to use any of them. Yes, Alex Edler was out with a concussion for both games and Brandon Sutter missed the game against the Sharks with an injury of his own. But every team deals with significant injuries

Michael DiPietro. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

late in the season and in the playoffs. The Sharks were even missing Erik Karlsson on Monday, as he’s missed a couple weeks with a lower body injury. Instead, the Canucks need to take these games as a wake-up call. The players need to recognize the level of performance that will be required to compete with the likes of the Sharks and Flames, and work to elevate their games. Management, on the other hand, needs to recognize that the team simply isn’t at that level yet and the rebuild isn’t over. The Canucks could still make the playoffs and, with this wake-up call, maybe they’ll be more competitive against one of the top teams in the West in the ﬁrst round. But there’s still more work to be done before this team is a legitimate contender.

For daily Canucks news and views, go to Pass It to Bulis at vancourier.com.

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