Vancouver Courier September 12 2019

12TH & CAMBIE COST OF TEMPORARY MODULAR HOUSING GROWS 4 NEWS CITY’S RENTAL CLIMATE TOUGH ON CATS 14 SHAKEDOWN BENNY’S MARKET TURNS 100 18 FEATURE LIFETIME VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR B1 THURSDAY

September 12 2019 Established 1908 There’s more online at vancourier.com

PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

A new life

Syrian refugee Hassan Al-Kontar gained international attention, spending seven months in political limbo in a Malaysian airport.

Now he’s embarking on a new life in B.C. SEE PAGE 12

Local News, Local Matters

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News 12TH & CAMBIE

Modular housing costs for homeless increase by $22 million

B.C. Housing cites design, programming as reasons for rise in cost Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

I’ll begin with a question: Do you think $66 million spent to build 605 units of temporary modular housing in Vancouver is good value for the money?

The tenants I’ve spoken to over the past couple of years will tell you it is.

So will the non-profit housing providers who operate the 10 sites.

You can add Mayor Kennedy Stewart to the same list and, of course, the provincial government, which announced in September 2017 that it would contribute the $66 million to get the housing built.

But what if I asked you the same question about value for money and told you the price tag for the 605 units was actually $88 million. That’s $22 million more than we were told in September 2017.

When divided over 10 sites, that’s roughly $9 mil-

lion per site, although some cost less and some cost more; 39 units were built in the 1100-block Franklin Street, whereas 98 were built on one property in the 600-block Cambie Street.

Why the increase?

A representative from B.C. Housing, the provincial government’s housing arm, emailed me some answers over the past month to answer my questions about the big spike in costs.

The explanation: “The cost of the modular projects in Vancouver, which are estimated to total approximately $88 million, came in higher than initially planned, following design changes to include commercial grade kitchens, as well as additional programming, support service and amenity spaces for people living in these homes.”

Which is interesting because the initial news release in 2017 from the B.C. government said each building would include “approximately 50 self-

The 605 units of temporary modular housing built across the city cost $88 million. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

contained units, complete with individual kitchen and bathrooms, share laundry, indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, plus programming space.”

The same release mentioned the sites would be staffed 24/7 by non-profit housing providers and include support services to help people in need stabilize and rebuild their lives.

All for $66 million.

B.C. Housing now says the $66 million was based on the design of the city’s first modular housing build-

ing at Main and Terminal, “which did not include these additional features and functions.”

(That project, by the way, cost $3 million and was built with $1.5 million from the feds and a $1-million donation from the estate of Jimmy Chow. The city owns the property.)

The $88 million doesn’t include the cost of relocating the buildings. Of the 10 sites, seven are on city land and three others are owned

by Onni Group (7400-block Heather Street), Holborn

(Little Mountain property) and the MST Development Corporation (5000-block Heather Street).

As the B.C. Housing rep pointed out, some of the leases for the sites are in the three to five year range, whereas others will be in place for up to 10 years; she didn’t say which ones.

But when it’s time to move them, she said, their relocation will be “much more cost effective than constructing a new building, as the cost of construction has already been paid, and relocation costs are significantly less than the construction budget.”

B.C. Housing also added that modular housing is “at least as cost effective as wood frame construction and far less expensive than a concrete build.”

For example, the average construction costs of purposebuilt social housing in Vancouver would be in the range of $300,000 to $400,000 per unit, while the 605 units

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were built at approximately $150,000 per unit.

The other advantage, B.C. Housing concluded, “is that we can move people into housing much sooner” — which is what the mayor pointed out when I asked him about the $22-million increase in costs.

“When you’re not in a housing crisis, it’s probably not the way to go — you would go with permanent structures,” Stewart said. “But when you’re dealing with record numbers of homeless, then it is the only way you can triage [people] quickly.”

So back to my question: Is $88 million spent on 605 units of housing, which has gone primarily to homeless people, good value for the money?

Keep in mind more than 2,200 people were counted in March as homeless in Vancouver — that’s even after the 10 modular housing sites opened across the city.

Discuss. @Howellings

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News

Thieves target firefighting equipment

More than 60 water connections have been stolen in six months John Kurucz

jkurucz@vancourier.com

A rash of thefts targeting life-saving infrastructure used by Vancouver firefighters is spreading throughout the downtown core and Downtown Eastside, jeopardizing hundreds if not thousands of lives.

Thieves have stolen components from more than 60 standpipe connections that are attached to high-rise buildings. Those connections are critical to firefighters, as they feed water to sprinkler systems and upper floors of a building.

“This poses a huge safety concern for the Vancouver police as well as our fellow first responders with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services,” said Vancouver Police Department media relations officer Sgt. Aaron Roed.

Police believe the connections are being targeted because of their metal components, namely brass and aluminum. Each piece of equipment can net a thief about $15 — or roughly one

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services fire prevention inspector Matthew Trudeau shows one of the standpipe connections stolen from the exterior of buildings downtown and in the DTES. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

dollar per pound — from a scrapyard. Roed said every scrapyard contacted by police has been cooperative in the investigation. No suspects are in custody.

Police and firefighters noticed an uptick in thefts about six months ago, though the problems worsened exponentially in August.

“Within the last month, it’s dramatically increasing,” said Matthew Trudeau, a fire prevention inspector

with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.

Trudeau said one building has been hit five times with the same type of theft.

Replacement costs and the subsequent need to flush the water line runs into the thousands of dollars. The replacement process can take upwards of a week.

Removing the connections is far from easy. Trudeau has seen surveillance footage of one theft that required the use of a battery operated

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While about 60 incidents have been reported, police believe more thefts have occurred but gone unnoticed.

Building managers and residents are asked to check their standpipe connections and call police if any of the metal fittings are missing.

There are numerous tactical challenges facing firefighters in the absence of those connections. Additional equipment is needed, hoses must be carried up stairwells or fed through elevator shafts, or ladder trucks are called in.

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News This firefighter makes

Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

The Vancouver fire department has embarked on an innovative project with health care workers that has a firefighter making house calls to people who recently overdosed to ensure they connect to treatment and support services.

Fire Chief Darrell Reid has delegated one firefighter — Capt. Jonathan Gormick — to work with outreach workers from Vancouver Coastal Health to track down overdose victims typically hard to find, like those who have not accessed health care or failed to make an appointment.

“We want to make sure they’re recovering and healing,” said Gormick, who spoke at a news conference Sept. 6 at the department’s main hall on Heatley Street, where speakers were briefly interrupted by the noise of a firetruck responding to an overdose call.

The team also searches out people who may have refused a trip to the hospital — which Vancouver Coastal Health says is on the increase — or checked themselves out of a hospital without getting referred to treatment or services.

In responding to an overdose, firefighters can often get a person’s first name, last known address and information that can help health care workers find people who would otherwise be lost from any continuum of health care.

Over a one-week period, the team of Gormick and outreach workers contacted 22 people who recently overdosed and 21 accepted help. The people were from across the city. The youngest was 18.

“The results of only four weeks of working together

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have far exceeded any expectations,” Gormick said.

“The results are immediate, impactful and this simple tool is addressing massive barriers such as homelessness, isolation and stigma.”

Chris Dickinson, an outreach worker with Vancouver Coastal Health who has worked alongside Gormick, said the majority of people referred for treatment come from St. Paul’s and Vancouver General Hospital.

“This [project] really increases our ability to contact people, and that is what we want to do — we want to improve our contact attempts and our meetings with people,” Dickinson said. “This really puts us on the ground.”

The team has connected people to income assistance, helped with filling out housing applications and getting them connected with drug treatment therapy.

Dickinson shared stories of finding people simply by firefighters knowing a person’s first name, including a man whom they found at an overdose prevention site on East Hastings.

In another case, the team located a person who had overdosed multiple times and was disconnected from health services.The person had overdosed a few days prior to the team’s search for him.

“After confirming their name and contact information, it became clear that this individual had actually been referred to our team several times and we were unable to connect with them due to missing and incorrect contact information,” Dickinson said.

“It’s these sorts of examples that really highlight the immense importance of this partnership.”

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T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

WEEKLY SPECIALS

house calls after an overdose

Capt. Jonathan Gormick of the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (far right) is working with Vancouver Coastal Health to connect overdose victims to health care and support services. Also pictured is Dr. Patricia Daly, Chris Dickinson of Vancouver Coastal Health and Mayor Kennedy Stewart. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

less people come into the emergency departments,” she said. “But the 911 calls are staying the same.

That tells us people are choosing not to go to the hospital. That’s probably because people in the community have become very good at treating these overdoses.”

Mayor Kennedy Stewart, who also spoke at the news conference, said he

met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week and reiterated his call to him for a safe drug supply — regulated opioids for chronic drug users — to reduce the number of drug deaths.

“I really believe he supports this policy track and I’m hopeful we can get there sooner than later,” the mayor said. @Howellings

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The project is the latest strategy that emergency responders and health care workers have implemented to combat the opioid crisis that saw 389 people die in Vancouver last year.

Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, said data from 2017 showed 75 per cent of overdose victims had previous contact with health care services but somehow got lost in the system before they died.

Daly didn’t have statistics readily available but said the number of people refusing to be transported to hospital after an overdose is on the increase.

She said that is probably linked to the amount of naloxone — the overdose reversing drug — available in the community, the increase in injection and overdose prevention sites and people trained to respond to an overdose victim.

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News

Rental building proposed for Granville Street in Shaughnessy Sides already at odds over proposed 83-unit rental building Naoibh O’Connor

noconnor@vancourier.com

Another developer is taking a crack at pitching a rental project along Granville Street in Shaughnessy.

Domus Homes held a pre-application open house Sept. 6 for a potential 83unit, three-and-a-half-storey purpose-built rental building eyed for 4750 Granville St. and 1494 West 32nd Ave. The developer is working in partnership with Stuart Howard Architects.

Two single-family homes currently exist on the twoparcel site.

The preliminary proposal includes 75 underground parking spaces, 154 bicycle spaces and a floor space ratio of 1.63. A rezoning application, if it goes forward, would be submitted under the city’s Affordable Housing Choices Interim Rezoning Policy.

The open house comes only two-and-a-half months after Vancouver city council rejected, in a 7-4 vote, a rezoning application for a development featuring 21 market rental townhouses at 4575 Granville St. beside the Vancouver Hospice Society’s facility.

Benefits of Domus’ project at 4750 Granville St. and 1494 West 32nd Ave, according to the proposal, include increasing the city’s rental housing stock, creating family-oriented housing that’s close to transit, and providing housing where older residents can age in their community.

Developer Richard Wittstock, a principal at Domus Homes, said it’s too early to say what unit rents would be. If the rezoning application is filed and ultimately approved, it could be five years before it’s built.

“It would be really hard for me to try to predict what they’ll be,” he said. “They’ll be market rents, so whatever the market is for one-, twoand three-bedroom homes at that time. We expect to comply with the city’s rental caps under their DCL [development cost levy] waiver policy.”

While rents may be at the higher end, Wittstock said new buildings, unless they get some sort of government subsidy, are always going to be at the higher end of the range.

“We’re not demolishing any old, existing rental stock here. To deliver affordability, it’s really the older apartment stock that delivers that. It’s pretty hard to expect a new market building to be affordable to the broad range of the market.”

Wittstock added he’s sensitive to residents’ concerns and it’s early days in the rezoning process.

“This is our first engagement for this combined site and we’ve had some positive feedback, some concerns.

We’re listening to concerns and we’re heartened by the positive feedback that we’re getting from neighbours,” he said. “We’ll analyze all that, distill it, work with city staff and, hopefully, navigate our way through this process successfully.”

While Wittstock said it’s impossible to convince everyone of a project’s merit, he expects a lot of people from the neighbourhood who are looking to downsize will want to live in the building.

“We’ll orient the building to a broad range of tenants. We expect to have some young professionals and we also expect to have some downsizers — people who feel they don’t want to live in their big house anymore and they want to find an apartment that’s more manageable,” he said.

“The bottom line is we need a range of housing choice everywhere in the city. This will be a very high-quality building, it’s on an arterial road and, to an extent, will shield the people in behind from the noise of Granville Street.”

Wittstock called the design “sensitive” and “attractive” and noted much of the building won’t be visible behind the big hedge along Granville Street.

The hedge will be on city property because the applicant has to dedicate part of the property to widen Granville Street, so it will be under the city’s control.

“Under our proposal, we are assuming that it’s going to be retained,” Wittstock said. “I think comments coming back from council on the [failed 4575 Granville St.] rezoning were that they wanted to see retention of that hedge, so that’s what we’re doing and we expect city staff would probably follow that as well.”

He also said they’re trying to retain as many trees as possible, including designing the building around an existing tree.

Jim Hall, chair of the Arbutus Ridge Kerrisdale Shaughnessy (ARKS) Vision Implementation Committee, who attended the open house, said the preliminary proposal appears to conform with ARKS’ vision since it’s lower than four storeys, it’s along an arterial and it will provide rental

units.

The Courier also spoke to several longtime Shaughnessy residents who didn’t want to share their names but who object to the proposal.

Their criticisms included that it’s too dense, it doesn’t fit in the neighbourhood, it will create traffic, noise and congestion, it will potentially lower property values, its modern look will clash with other homes in the

neighbourhood, it will lead to further redevelopment, and some historic areas of the city such as Shaughnessy should be preserved.

Several members of Abundant Housing Vancouver, a pro-housing group that’s in favour of purpose-built rental projects given the city’s rental and affordable housing crisis, showed up to support the application.

Domus Homes held a pre-application open house Sept. 6.

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THE VAN COU VER CO URIER T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9

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Opinion

It’s time to face facts: diversity makes Canada stronger In wake of controversial Vancouver Sun op-ed, promoting Canadian diversity more important than ever Mike Klassen

mike@mikeklassen.net

A couple years ago I had the honour to give opening remarks at a ceremony at New Vista Society in Burnaby recognizing a $1.5-million contribution of a benefactor, Ms. Eunice Oh. The society is building a modern care home with a wing dedicated to supporting elderly KoreanCanadians.

Seated in the front row was Sav Dhaliwal, the longtime Burnaby city councillor, current chair of the Metro Vancouver board and one of a handful of visible minorities in local government here.

The City of Burnaby is recognized for being one of the country’s most ethnically diverse municipalities, I said at the time, and there can be no greater visual for this than the food court at Metrotown mall.

“In that place,” I commented, “there is more cultural diversity within the range of a pitching wedge shot than at the U.N. building.”

I am convinced that claim was only a slight exaggeration. Metrotown’s mall attracts thousands from diverse backgrounds and age groups each day, who see it as a welcoming place to work, dine, shop and meet up with companions.

For this reason, I was disappointed to see a photo of a crowd at Metrotown accompanying an opinion piece by Mount Royal University instructor Mark Hecht published last weekend in the Vancouver Sun. In his piece, “Ethnic diversity harms a country’s social trust, economic well-being, argues professor,” Hecht appealed for a Canada that was more ethnically pure, and admonished our country’s multiculturalism policies.

Instead of representing something positive — that Canada has many diverse communities — the use of the Metrotown image implied that diversity brings chaos and uncertainty.

An uproar on social media followed the publication of Hecht’s op-ed —

Thirty-six people from 17 different places of origin became Canadian citizens at a ceremony at Olympic Village this past April.

PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

both from readers and even Postmedia’s own reporters.

It was ultimately removed from the paper’s website and followed by an apology by the paper’s editor-inchief.

The piece had its fans though, including many who decried the paper’s decision to pull the piece, calling it censorship.

In the forthcoming federal election campaign, it is almost certain that the topic of immigration will once again enflame the political debate.

In 2015, we all remember how the phrase “old stock Canadians” was coined by

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a supposed signal to his predominantly white voter base.

Since that time, an entire new political party led

by Maxime Bernier, the People’s Party of Canada, has been established, in part, to take a hard line on immigration.

Look to Quebec, where new legislation was passed that disallows teachers and other public servants from wearing head scarves and other religious symbols.

Regrettably, most of the federal parties have soft-pedalled their criticism of this

discriminatory law for fear of alienating voters in La Belle Province.

In New Brunswick, a former NDP supporter looking to shift his allegiance to the Green Party suggested some New Brunswickers were turned off the NDP because of leader Jagmeet Singh’s ethnic and religious background, something the party strongly rejected.

In Vancouver, you do not have to take more than a few steps to find someone who supports the view that immigrants from mainland China are at the root of our challenges around housing affordability, money laundering and the opioid crisis.

Stories in both mainstream and social media continually promote this point of view, so it is no wonder those beliefs are widely held here (and difficult to debate).

Whether Canadians are slipping into a political quagmire over its ethnic diversity is up for debate. However, we can see how xenophobia tears apart civil societies elsewhere.

It will be difficult to

convince those who either mistrust or misunderstand groups or cultures that are not their own.

No immigration system is perfect, Canada’s included.

During this election, politicians should be talking about ways to prevent queue jumping, or worse, threats to our security.

But we should also be talking about why our diversity makes Canada stronger.

Those connections abroad can help to promote trade and Canada’s influence on the world stage, something we do not yet make the best use of.

For Canadians, immigration is also a matter of self-interest. Our economy would face steep decline if not for the workforce newcomers provide, thanks to our declining birthrates and aging demographic.

If something is to be gained from the controversy around Hecht’s op-ed, it is that it has stirred a conversation about why we must strongly defend Canada’s diversity. @MikeKlassen

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Inbox letters@vancourier.com LETTERS

‘Politicians always protect politicians’

Map would help tourists in DTES

Re: “Klassen’s partisan assertions about the drug crisis not based on fact,” Letters, Sept. 5.

Like Ms. Davies, I used to know the Downtown Eastside very well.

The mayor may well be using the addiction issue for his own political reasons.

Words without action are just words. I never saw the mayor at a single occupy protest. As for Oppenheimer, perhaps talk to the people involved, before going public with criticism.

I’m sure the author will tell you the same.

Politicians always protect politicians. Probably because no one else will.

Terry McKinney, Vancouver

Re: “How do you explain Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to tourists? It’s complicated…” Aug. 19.

I live near the Main Street SkyTrain station. While I don’t believe in sweeping the problems of the Downtown Eastside under the rug, I do believe that tourists should get a break. I suggest that the city, Tourism Vancouver and the Chinatown BIA get together to post large maps promoting Chinatown at the end of Water Street and near Pigeon Park. The map should provide clear directions for getting to Pender Street to enter Chinatown.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9

VANCOURI ER.COM

Feature

Syrian ‘man from the airport’ starts new

Refugee Hassan Al-Kontar was the centre of a nine-month political quagmire in Malaysia John Kurucz

jkurucz@vancourier.com

Hassan Al-Kontar really wants to go fishing.

He can’t remember when he last dropped a line in the ocean, but it happened in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Al-Kontar pulled the same kind of fish out of the water time and again that day, but it didn’t matter.

Although severe fishing restrictions in. B.C. waters would prevent him from keeping many of the prized salmon he’s read about here, it doesn’t matter.

“Fishing is the only time I free myself from problems,” Al-Kontar says. “I clear my mind, I feel the waves and I forget everything.”

Forgetting, whether forced or not, is a constant in Al-Kontar’s life.

Sometimes the need to forget is cerebral, like when trying to erase seeing 200 lifeless bodies blown apart by an ISIS attack in his native Syria.

Al-Kontar fights the urge to forget passing by thousands of political detainees in places such as Malaysia and the UAE. “Their faces still haunt me. ‘What happened to that guy?’ is what I think about at night,” Al-Kontar says.

Sometimes the need to forget is an act of survival.

“War is the most brutal thing humans can do to themselves — it’s the time where they change from humans to animals,” AlKontar says. “Not all people will heal. You choose to forget sometimes or move on. But you will never, ever heal. Sadness will always be there.”

By his own admission and the media storm that’s followed him over the last year, Al-Kontar is “the man from the airport,” and he always will be.

He took that moniker after spending close to nine months last year in Malaysia — seven in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and two more in a detention centre. The bearer of an expired Syrian passport, AlKontar was unable to leave the country and, because he had overstayed his visitor visa, he was also unable to re-enter Malaysia.

Had he returned to Syria, Al-Kontar said he would have faced compulsory military service at best, death at worst. Bureaucracy and politics made him the

Hassan Al-Kontar spent seven months in political limbo in Kuala Lumpur International Airport. PHOTO COURTESY HASSAN AL-KONTAR

highest-profile persona non grata on the planet, and AlKontar’s story was covered by virtually every media outlet in the world.

“I will always be the man from the airport from now on,” Al-Kontar says. “Even if I forget about him, he will not forget about me.”

Al-Kontar’s path to Canada came by way of private sponsorship from Whistler resident Laurie Cooper and a group of her friends and online contacts. He arrived in the resort town late last November and moved to Vancouver in mid-May. His time in the city was short.

By mid-September Al-Kontar moved back to Whistler, as the high cost of living was too much to overcome.

Now back in Whistler, his accommodations are being partly subsidized by his employers.

Al-Kontar spoke to the Courier days after his arrival in Vancouver in what was a wide-ranging discussion that touched on virtually every facet of the human experience: love, betrayal, trust, birth, death, war, renewal and hope.

Homefront

Al-Kontar was born in Dama, Syria, a small town in the country’s southwest region where his family still operates an olive farm.

His late father was an engineer, his mother a teacher.

The home Al-Kontar grew up in had no electricity and his days were spent toiling in fields alongside the family patriarch. Evenings and weekends were devoted to reading with his dad, and summers were spent learning English.

The family relocated to the much larger city of Sweida, before Al-Kontar moved to Dubai in 2006 to pursue work and opportunities that Syria couldn’t afford him. He was employed as an insurance marketing manager until his work permit expired in 2011, the same year civil war broke out in Syria. Sweida was repeatedly attacked by ISIS last year, and Al-Kontar says he’s lost close to 60 relatives in the eight-year conflict. “[War is] when people become numbers. You will read the news and hear about the number of casualties we had today and even if they are close friends, cousins, your own blood, they will become numbers for you,” he says. “You have no more room to be sad or to grieve anyone, you will just move on.”

The Syrian embassy refused to renew Al-Kontar’s passport in 2011, and the intervening years until

2017 were spent illegally in the UAE. He was arrested that year and deported to Malaysia. Attempts to find safe haven in Ecuador and Cambodia were denied.

Left with no options, AlKontar took to social media to tell his story and the world listened en masse.

Al-Kontar’s home country wanted to punish him, other countries didn’t want him and time slowed down in an airport halfway across the world.

‘The hero inside’

Al-Kontar’s life in Kuala Lumpur International Airport Al-Kontar was defined by tedium and hyper vigilance. He received hundreds of offers for support from across the world and sponsorship deals from U.S. companies to endorse everything from shoes to food. Journalists hounded him.

Trust became an issue, and it still is. Ditto for survivor’s guilt.

Al-Kontar got by on handouts of food, and occasionally coffee, from airport staff. He watched his younger brother get married over Skype. As the elder male in the family, not being there for his brother’s ceremony was a low point.

Al-Kontar is asked how he coped when it seemed no

hope was left.

“I found the hero inside me,” he said. “There is a hero inside each and every human. They may not know about him or her until the time they need him the most. He’s there. He’s not going anywhere, he’s not sleeping, he’s not dying, he’s just waiting for your lowest moment.”

Canadian community

If Al-Kontar’s inner hero was his sense of determination, Cooper was the hero on the outside.

She’d heard of AlKontar’s plight through Facebook last spring and had already volunteered twice on the Greek island of Lesbos, where thousands of Syrian migrants attempted to cross daily in 2015.

Cooper remembers seeing the lifeless body of toddler Alan Kurdi wash up on a Turkish beach four years ago. Realizing Kurdi’s aunt lived in Coquitlam, Cooper was compelled to act.

“I was living in Deep Cove at the time, and when I looked out my kitchen window I could see Coquitlam,” she recalled.

“Somehow that just made me feel that this tragedy was in my backyard.”

Having moved to Whistler in 2016, Cooper

caught the ear of Fairmont Chateau Whistler staff who heard about her plans to privately sponsor refugees and jobs were offered. Toronto-based lawyer Andrew Brouwer heard Cooper interviewed on the CBC and went to work behind the scenes with immigration officials and Amnesty International. The B.C. Muslim Association and an anonymous U.S. donor helped raise the money necessary to support Al-Kontar for a year, while Cooper and others took care of clothing, food and room and board.

All the while, Cooper and Al-Kontar communicated via Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp exclusively as his profile gained traction across the world.

Of the hundreds of offers for help, Cooper’s was the only one he trusted. She vetted him for personal information and dates and both parties said and did what they promised.

Al-Kontar arrived at YVR during the late evening hours of Nov. 27, 2018.

It was raining and dark, and Al-Kontar couldn’t see the ocean, mountains or the sky, but it didn’t matter.

“I absolutely felt like my son had come home,” Cooper recalled. “I felt like we’d always known each other and that he was just coming home.”

Skiing, snowboarding and coffee were Al-Kontar’s creature comforts upon arriving in Whistler. Cooper said he was immediately welcomed by everyone in the community. Al-Kontar was restless in those early days and barely slept, likely a reactionary effect of always being on guard at the airport.

Those reactions are hard to shake, and Al-Kontar admits that trust is still a difficult concept.

“People like me who live on the edge of risk, it surrounds you so it’s hard to trust a situation. We have an idea about life that life is unfair and there’s no justice and you need to make your own destiny,” he says. “All I was asking for was a permanent solution, a permanent safe place, a place to work, live and secure myself. And all of a sudden I get the full bag once I landed, so it was a lot to take.”

Before moving back to Whistler, Al-Kontar lived in a basement suite in Kits.

He still wants a future in refugee settlement or public speaking, something he does a lot of now, although it doesn’t pay the bills.

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Feature

life on the West Coast of Canada

When Al-Kontar first left Whistler, there was no drama — it was just time to go to the big city to pursue bigger things. It was a plan many months in the making. Cooper is working on bringing three other refugees from the Middle East to Canada, which would up her compassion tally to 12.

“I know there’s a point where you have to spread your wings and fly,” Cooper said. “He needed some time to just be quiet and figure out his path.”

‘This is priceless’

Al-Kontar’s way forward isn’t black and white.

Anger is always there, AlKontar admits. “[But] I train myself to control it because I can’t change life.”

Another thing that’s changed is Al-Kontar’s religious affiliation. Previous coverage of his story identified him as belonging to the Druze religious minority.

The Courier asked him specifically about his thoughts on God and spirituality in light of what life has handed him.

He believes in Liberalism, and explained its tenets like this: “Since time has started, there was God, there was killing and people killing in His name. If He’s

Above: Laurie Cooper in her Whistler home along with refugees she’s helped sponsor from Syria and Afghanistan. PHOTO COURTESY LAURIE COOPER Right: Hassan Al-Kontar ice fishing near Whistler.

PHOTO COURTESY HASSAN AL-KONTAR

approving that kind of killing, I’m an atheist. If He’s not, and I think He’s not, it doesn’t matter which religion you have because religion is only a path, knowing God is the goal.

Absolute love, peace and justice — that’s God.” Al-Kontar has never been in love with a woman. He’s an introvert and admits that relationships elude him, whether it’s for love or

friendship. Despite that, he sees himself married and a published author within a decade.

In the meantime, the ocean is calling. Al-Kontar would like to see a whale for

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the first time.

Maybe he’ll catch a salmon — but it doesn’t matter.

“Canada is a feeling, it’s an idea, it’s a value and it’s a reference,” he says. “It’s a

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VAN CO UR I E R. CO M

News Meet the latest victims of city’s rental crisis: kittens Vicente Biancardi da Camara

v.biancardidacamara@gmail.com

More cats and kittens are being abandoned than in

previous years and, according to the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA), it’s largely due to real estate.

VOKRA founder Maria Soroski says many economically disadvantaged British Columbians facing renovictions or demovictions cannot find affordable housing that will take pets.

“Every other cat rescue in the province is also dealing with this problem,” Soroski told the Courier. “We’re seeing a huge increase in tame, unfixed cats being abandoned by their owners.”

VOKRA rescues cats off the street in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey and currently has 524 cats in its care. This is a much higher figure than the 300 it usually has at this time of year.

While it’s difficult to collect hard data, Soroski believes this situation affects primarily low-income families due to the high number of unfixed cats VOKRA has in its care. Vancouverites moving houses will also likely experience a hike in rents, which leaves many unable to pay for proper pet care.

The lack of pet-friendly accommodations stands

Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association says it’s seen an increase in abandoned cats and blames Vancouver’s high rents and “no pets” clauses in many rental agreements.

PHOTO @WAGNTRAILSVANCITY

in stark contrast to other provincial regulations that are more pet friendly. Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act, for example, forbids landlords from including a “no pets” clause in rental agreements.

Even without such a law, Soroski said there are ways people can help improve the situation for Vancouver’s kittens.

“What people can do is always donate [or] volunteer for other cat rescues. They can be a foster parent.”

Foster parenting is a big part of VOKRA’s work.

Since the organization doesn’t have shelters, it relies on people willing and able to take in cats prior to their adoption.

“It costs the foster parent nothing. We provide all the

Mulberry PARC Harvest Hoedown Come celebrate Active Aging Week. Saddle up and mosey on down to Mulberry PARC for a Harvest Hoedown. There will be western dance lessons, games and live musical entertainment courtesy of Blue Lasso Band. Feel free to come dressed in your finest western duds!

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food and the litter, all the medical care until the cats are ready to be adopted… All the foster parent has to do is provide a temporary or longerterm home,” Soroski said.

She adds, “We can’t do much about the housing crisis as a cat rescue. But what we can and encourage the public to do is, if you know someone who has a cat that’s not spayed and neutered to encourage them to get it spayed and neutered — maybe drive them to the Vancouver SPCA hospital if they meet the low income requirements. And if they notice any stray cats around — if they notice moms with kittens in their yard — then call us.” More information at orphankittenrescue.com. @VBdCamara

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T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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2019 Lifetime Senior Volunteer of the Year

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“I already know what I like to do, and I’ve found a place where I get to do it.”

I chose Tapestry. I wanted the freedom to decide what to do with my time. During golf season, I like to get up, grab a quick breakfast, and head off to the course for the day.

In the off season, there are plenty of activities at Tapestry to keep me stimulated.

These days, I can still make par. I have my health, and I get to enjoy my new friends both on and off the course. It couldn’t get any better.

To find out more about life at Tapestry, visit DiscoverTapestry.com or call to schedule a complimentary lunch and tour. For a tour at Tapestry at Wesbrook Village call 604.225.5000 and for Tapestry at Arbutus Walk call 604.736.1640.

DiscoverTapestry.com Tapestry at Wesbrook Village 3338 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver BC 604.225.5000 Tapestry at Arbutus Walk 2799 Yew Street, Vancouver BC 604.736.1640 ® Registered trademarks of Concert Properties Ltd., used under license where applicable.

editor We’ve made some changes at Lifetime

VANCOURIER.COM

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A spinoff of our efforts to inform and entertain older adults is the bi-annual Lifetime Talks + Tables event at VanDusen Botanical Garden, which this year takes place Sept. 18. Taking the project yet another step further, we decided to also

Previously, we kept the name of the winner secret until it was announced at the September event, but this year, and going forward, we decided to change things up.

Our thought was that if we let the winner know ahead of the event, we could put them on the cover of Lifetime and celebrate their accomplishments with all Courier readers and not just

Lifetime Talks +Tables Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 To that end, meet Vladimir Tsvasman, our 2019 Lifetime Senior Volunteer of the Year.

While “Vlad,” as he’s known to friends, turned 80 just last month, do not let his age lull you into thinking he’s a quiet, elderly senior. Senior he is, quiet he is not.

Vlad is embracing his senior years by not only volunteering as much as possible, but also with a wicked sense of humour that goes a long way to cheering up those around him, in particular other seniors heading to medical appointments. Read more about him on page B4.

And, not to be an alarmist, in this edition of Lifetime you can also read about why it’s getting harder to retire in B.C., and about the fact a majority of Canadians are concerned about the lack of a nationwide Pharmacare program.

Meet Vl adim Tsvasm an ir

2019 Life time Se nior

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those who attend the Talks and Tables event.

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It’s hard to believe this issue marks almost five years and 17 issues of Lifetime, which started out as a glossy magazine in the spring of 2016 before morphing into a special section within the Vancouver Courier.

create the Lifetime Senior Volunteer of the Year award as a way to recognize the men and women in the city who give so much back to their communities.

As well, I’m giving a big thumbs up to Ann-Marie Fleming, founder and CEO of Dog Quality, who worked with a team of students from BCIT to create a wheelchair for elderly dogs living with mobility issues. You can read about Fleming’s efforts, and her pug Lily, on page 15.

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Douglas brings ÔV Coupland ortexÕ to the Aqua rium

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PHOT TO: O: O: DAN D TOULG OULGOET OE

Here’s hoping everyone had a great summer.

The Courier/Lifetime team is looking forward

Grandra gon Geo rg was boernDraskoy to race PAGE 4

to next week’s Talks and Tables event, which you can read about on page seven.

Personally, a highlight for me is meeting readers face-toface, so I’ll be there. Will you?

YOU ARE INV ITE D TO OUR

ART SHOW OPEN HOUSE Amica Arbutus Manor, a senior lifestyles residence, is hosting our annual art show open house. Admire artwork and music as you enjoy refreshments and desserts prepared by our Red Seal Chef.

Saturday, September 14, 2019 1:00 - 4:00pm 2125 Eddington Dr, Vancouver For more information please call 604-736-8936

A M I C A . C A /A R B U T U S M A N O R

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VLADIMIR TSVASMAN PHOTOS: DAN TOULGOET

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Lifetime Senior Volunteer of the Year Vladimir Tsvasman compares volunteering to the ‘meaning of life’ SANDRA THOMAS | STHOMAS@VANCOURIER.COM

“You’re not a member of KGB?” In response to being told he'd been named Lifetime Senior Volunteer of the Year, Vladimir Tsvasman, or "Vlad" as he's known, couldn't help but crack a few jokes.

The fact Vlad assumed he was being scammed — and that he had not actually won $1,000 worth of groceries from Stong’s Market — meant the one liners kept coming. But, after about five minutes on the phone, followed with a phone call back to the Courier to double check, Vlad seemed

almost embarrassed for being recognized for something he sees as an everyday act. His second response demonstrated just the kind of man Vlad is.

“But how am I going to share groceries with Gordon Neighbourhood House?

Can’t I have the cash?”

ÒYouÕre not a member of KGB?Ó

Vlad was nominated for the annual award by the West End Seniors’ Network and Gordon Neighbourhood House, and their letter could best be described as “glowing.”

“Vlad’s reliability and flexibility have been unwavering,” the nomination letter reads in part. “He can be counted on for both long term commitments and for last-minute coverage.

For example, he provided accompaniment to one senior’s weekly medical appointments for more than a year — a crucial lifeline...”

Just some of Vlad’s other volunteer duties over the past six years include helping with the Barclay Manor reception desk, the garden committee and medical appointment transportation service.

Meanwhile at Gordon Neighbourhood House, Vlad lent his time to the urban gardening program growing herbs and vegetables used in food programs.

Recently, due to some health issues and surgery, Vlad had to leave some of his more strenuous duties behind but now, instead of gardening, he can be found answering

ÒVladÕs reliability and flexibility have been unwavering.Ó phones and volunteering at community lunches.

On the day of Vlad’s photoshoot, he was anxious to leave on time due to the fact he had volunteered to drive someone to an exercise appointment — so maybe he hasn’t slowed down that much.

During the photoshoot, he spoke of his life in Russia with his wife Galina before they moved to Canada for health reasons.

“In 1974 my wife, who was from Poland, got permission to immigrate to Canada, but we had to give our passports back and borrow money,” said Vlad. “I was an engineer and she was a teacher, but we were just living pay-to-pay.”

The couple arrived in Toronto that same year, but while his wife was able to qualify to continue teaching, CONTINUED ON PAGE B6

September 24th - 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm Information Session Speculation and Vacancy Tax Presented by Joanny Lu CPA, CA Kaushal & Company and Jeff Paling, District Vice President, Fidelity Investments.

Proper Tax Planning is an integral part when protecting your wealth, and can be a costly lesson when overlooked.

Happy 5th Anniversary Party!

Join us Saturday, September 14th!

BBQ Buffet - 11:30 am to 2 pm Adult Guests $20 Children 12 & Under $12

Back to Prom Party - 2 pm to 4 pm Entertainment - 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm

Legacy’s favorite musician, Saul Berson returns playing jazz and dance favorites on his sax. So put on your dancing shoes!

The Speculation & Vacancy Tax, along with the Empty Home Tax, have further complicated things for those investing in real estate, or homeowners who no longer reside at their property.

If selling your property, managing the proceeds without an additional tax burden comes into play. Join us to learn more.

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611 West 41st Avenue

604.240.8550

www.legacyseniorliving.com

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Vlad’s English was not strong enough for him to work as a professional engineer. At the time, Canada was suffering through a recession, so Vlad worked at whatever jobs he could find, including factory work making springs, paper and plywood at varying times, as well as a cleaner and eventually driving a bus for special needs students.

Vlad eventually landed a job as a property manager, while Galina continued teaching.

“My wife was a teacher from God,” Vlad remembers fondly. “But then she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and asthma.”

The couple then visited Vancouver, once in the summer and once in the winter, before

deciding to make the move permanent in 1994.

When Galina passed away in 2013, Vlad thought his life was over. Ironically, it was a car accident that led Vlad to his first volunteer job and also the first of many “second chances” he feels fortunate to have received.

“The first few years I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to see anybody and life lost sense to me,” said Vlad.

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Vlad added another bonus of volunteering is the social aspect and the people he meets.

As a result of the car accident, he ended up dropping into the West End Community Policing office, and it was there the centre’s president recruited him to volunteer.

“That was like being given a second chance to live,” said Vlad, who then applied for volunteer jobs at the West End Seniors Centre and Gordon Neighbourhood House. “But then last year I got a surprise and was told I have prostate cancer so I had to quit the police community centre. But after some treatment, I’m doing OK so far, so now I can breathe and have another chance at life.”

Then, earlier this year, Vlad began having difficulty breathing while he was walking, and he was referred to

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a cardiologist. One week later, Vlad underwent bypass surgery to his heart.

“And now I have another chance at life,” Vlad joked.

Vlad believes volunteering is something everyone should try. He brought that subject up at a barbecue two months ago with a group of “younger” men — Vlad recently turned 80. During the barbecue, Vlad asked the men, “Tell me please, what is the purpose of life?” He said the men offered several suggestions, from having a son to owning a home to planting a tree.

“I said fine, but what else?

And they said, is that not enough?” Vlad remembered.

“And I said no.”

Vlad told the men his theory on the purpose of life.

Life is unpredictable, it gives you second chances that you must take.

“The purpose of life is to give back to society. You have a son — you give back to society. You build a house — you pay for supplies and labour. And if you plant a tree, one day people will sit in the shade of that tree,” said Vlad. “Now that I’ve started work as a volunteer,

I noticed I’m still alive and people need me. I like to help people, and that is the meaning of life. Life is unpredictable, it gives you second chances that you must take.”

Other comments on Vlad’s nomination form speak to Vlad’s dedication to giving back. “...What makes Vlad a special person is his ability to make other people laugh and that, despite his constant teasing, he has a big heart and a huge capacity to care for others.

Vlad easily connects with those around him and has been a strong positive influence on the other volunteers due to his ability to bring merriment into any occasion...”

“Life is boring without jokes,” Vlad said in response to a question about his infamous sense of humour.

Demonstrating just how true-to-life that comment is, Vlad joked that one of the things that draws him to volunteering is he’s his own boss.

“I like it more when no one pays you because no one pushes you around,” Vlad said laughing.

On a more serious note, he added, “And this is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”

“Because of my life experience and nature I don’t have too many friends,” Vlad said with a smile. “It’s because I like to give advice and when you give advice, you always think you’re right and not everybody likes that.”

When asked what he likes most about volunteering, Vlad offered these thoughts: “When someone comes in and they look sad, I like to cheer them up, and you can see the face of the person completely change,” he said. “And that makes you feel completely different because you did something. But the most important part is you don’t expect to get paid — you do it for free. It’s from the heart.”

But the most important part is you donÕt expect to get paid, you do it for free.

Driving away from the parking lot behind Gordon Neighbourhood House following his photo shoot, Vlad gave a final wave and smile — and that’s when his rear license plate became easily readable — “Galia8,” a final tribute to the love of his life.

Vlad will receive his Lifetime Senior Volunteer of the Year award at 12:45 p.m. Sept. 18 at VanDusen Botanical Garden during the Courier’s annual Lifetime event, produced in partnership with St. Paul’s Foundation and Providence Health Care.

See story on next page for more information.

VANCOURIER.COM

T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Talks+Tables 2019 Lifetime Seniors Talks + Tables returns Sept. 18.

This free event includes speakers from the Dialogue on Aging series.

TALKS + TABLES TIPS

SANDRA THOMAS | STHOMAS@VANCOURIER.COM

Are you an older adult looking for a fun, informative and, most importantly, free day-long event, including talks related to aging, demonstrations and exhibits?

The Vancouver Courier, Providence Health Care and St. Paul’s Foundation have once again partnered to produce the bi-annual Lifetime Seniors Talks + Tables event, which this fall takes place Wednesday, Sept. 18, at VanDusen Botanical Garden.

The talks take place in the BMO Great Hall in the visitor’s centre and the exhibits will be located in the Floral Hall.

A highlight of this informative day is Dialogue on Aging — a

public presentation series with informative speakers, including: TALKS: Visitor Centre, BMO Hall 11:15 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Health Care Decision-making: Rights and Responsibilities Krista James, LLB National Director Canadian Centre for Elder Law 12:50 p.m. to 1:10 p.m.

Vancouver Volunteer of the Year Award Presented by Isobel Mackenzie British Columbia Seniors Advocate 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Nutrition for Healthy Aging Whitney Hussain, RD, CNSC Registered Dietitian

2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Exercise and Arthritis Physiotherapy Team Providence Health Care TABLES: Floral Hall and Visitor Centre 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visit the information tables and displays and enjoy complimentary coffee, tea and cookies courtesy of the Vancouver Courier.

The Lifetime event runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with the Senior Volunteer of the Year Award presented at 12:50 p.m.

The Lifetime Seniors Talks + Tables event is five-hours long so you should plan strategically if you want to spend the day. Here are a few pointers to make your day that much more pleasant. ! There will be a table with greeters set up at both the visitor centre, which is home to the BMO Theatre, and above by the parking lot outside the Floral Hall. ! Dress accordingly. (Fingers crossed the sun will shine.) ! No pets allowed, with the exception of service animals. ! Bring a snack: Truffles cafe in the visitor centre sells food and drinks, but it can be busy at peak times. ! Under the topic of “planning ahead,” choose the talk you most want to hear and get there early to ensure you have a seat. Same goes with demonstrations.

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Purdys’leader ready for more adventures Karen Flavelle on finding sustainable balance, both personally and professionally

had discouraged his three children from entering the business.

AMANDA STUTT | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The day before she leaves for her latest adventure — a heli-skiing trip in Iceland — Karen Flavelle reflects on the path that led her to where she is today, both professionally and personally.

“His message to us was, ‘I don’t want to place or prioritize you above longterm employees.’ He wanted to protect employees,” Flavelle remembers. “And we took from that, ‘you don’t want us in the business.’”

Chalet restaurant chain for six years as director of marketing to 140 restaurants, all while raising three children with her husband in Toronto.

A range of experiences equipped Flavelle to eventually lead Purdys, the largest chocolatier in Canada: earning a bachelor of communications from Queen’s University, plenty of international travel — she lived in Japan and London, training in classic packaged goods marketing at General Mills, and later growing the popular Swiss

Despite her successes, Flavelle wanted to come home to Vancouver and to the family business she had yet to be a part of. Her father Charles Flavelle and a partner bought Purdys in 1963, and grew the business from five shops to 28 by 1980, but he

Rather than have his children ride into the company on nepotism, her father “wanted us to find work we loved,” Flavelle says.

So the three Flavelle children went and

UNDER KAREN FLAVELLEÕS DIRECTION, PURDYS NOW USES ONLY 100 PER CENT SUSTAINABLE COCOA. PHOTOS: PURDYS

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forged their own paths — Karen’s brother wound up the youngest internationally certified mountain guide in Canada and worked on acclaimed television show Eco Challenge Survivor, while her sister specialized in community forestry, mapping projects in Indonesia.

VANCOURIER.COM

T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

WHEN SHEÕS NOT WORKING, PURDYS CEO KAREN FLAVELLE SEEKS ADVENTURE THAT DOESNÕT ALWAYS INCLUDE CHOCOLATE.

PURDYS CEO KAREN FLAVELLE MEETING WITH COCOA FARMERS IN AFRICA.

Purdys participates in farmer education in the Ivory Coast and teaches farmers how to increase their incomes through growing more productive farms with better quality beans.

Flavelle describes in precise detail the process of harvesting cocoa pods and how to sustainably care for the pods and extract the healthiest beans.

“I finally convinced my father — after I realized I really wanted to come and join Purdys. I was very interested in retail, and chocolate, of course,” Flavelle laughs.

Flavelle moved back to Vancouver from Toronto with her husband, a bond-banker, and children in 1994 to take on the role of executive vice president. Her youngest was six-months-old, her middle child 20-months-old, and the oldest was four.

“That was the brood that I had when I started at Purdys — and I have a wonderful husband, needless to say.

He always worked full time as well, but we were a great team,” Flavelle says.

Under Flavelle’s direction, Purdys engaged with cocoa farmers in Africa in 2007, the 100th anniversary of the brand, and now uses only 100 per cent sustainable cocoa, sourced through Callebaut’s Cocoa Horizons program.

“It’s the attention to detail.

You want to help the farmers do well — then they get a better price,” she says. “And we want better cocoa, so we’re happy.”

Purdys’ awards include 50 Best Employers in Canada seven times, Canada’s Best Managed Companies, and Top 10 Most Admired Cultures. Flavelle has been the recipient of the Women’s Executive Network Hall of Fame award, Business

in Vancouver’s Women of Influence, EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Family Business, Queen’s University alumni award, and a YWCA Women of Distinction citation.

Flavelle’s philanthropic spirit also shines and she works with a number of Canadian charities, including Ovarian Cancer Canada. Flavelle’s

first brush with ovarian cancer happened when the disease quite suddenly took a colleague and friend.

Today, she is part of the fundraising campaign Love Her, an awareness building event held annually in Vancouver to raise money to research the disease dubbed “the silent killer.”

Not yet ready to retire — and looking towards the future — Flavelle sees more adventure on the horizon.

“I’m not as tied to the business as I once was,” Flavelle says. “Exploring the world is very much a passion, so that will continue for sure.”

Retirement living can be active, inspiring and fulfilling. We know, because we see it in the spirited seniors who call a Verve residence home.

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Turkey shepherd’s pie

This fall recipe is the ultimate comfort food and easy to make SANDRA THOMAS | STHOMAS@VANCOURIER.COM

Among her many accomplishments, Quaale is well known as being a champion of all things local, is a frequent guest on CTV Vancouver and Global B.C., and is a barbecue pit master.

I also like Quaale’s approach to food and know when I request a recipe it’s not going to be over complicated, making it ideal for not only me to make, but also our readers.

This recipe for turkey shepherd’s pie hits all those notes.

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt

1 carrot, finely diced 1 small onion, chopped

1 pound russet potatoes, cubed

3/4 lb. ground turkey

1/2 cup warm 2% milk

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup chicken broth

Freshly ground black pepper

Cook until thickened, about two minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F Heat the oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, carrots and onions and cook until tender and beginning to brown, about five minutes.

Add the turkey and thyme, and continue to cook, breaking the turkey up with a spoon, until the turkey is cooked through and lightly browned.

Stir the broth and flour together in a small bowl until smooth and then pour into the skillet.

PHOTO: IS STOC OC CK, K FL FLO OORT O JE

This is not the first time I’ve turned to best-selling cookbook author Angie Quaale, owner of Langley-based Well Seasoned Gourmet Food Store, for a recipe.

Stir in the peas and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until tender when pierced with a knife.

Drain the potatoes and return to the pot over low heat.

Stir the potatoes for a couple of minutes to dry them out.

Add the milk and cheese, mash until smooth.

Season with salt and pepper.

Swirl the mashed potatoes over the filling.

Bake until the potatoes are lightly browned and the turkey filling is bubbly around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes.

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Lund, B.C.

Five reasons why the Lund Resort at Klah ah men is so well worth the two-ferry trip SANDRA THOMAS | STHOMAS@VANCOURIER.COM

“Where exactly is Lund?”

That was a question I asked recently while planning a trip of Desolation Sound with Pacific Coastal Cruises and noted our itinerary included one night in Lund on the Sunshine Coast.

ÒWhere exactly is Lund?Ó

LUND B.C. IS MILE ZERO OF HIGHWAY 101.

PHOTOS: SANDRA THOMAS

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To be clear, when I say “Sunshine Coast,” I’m not referring to the short ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay to Gibsons Landing or Roberts

Creek. Lund, at the very northern tip of the Sunshine Coast, is a two-ferry trip, and has the distinction of being mile zero of Canada’s Highway 101.

Lund also has the distinction of being one of the most picturesque oceanfront villages I’ve ever had the pleasure to visit and could very well be the poster child for the tagline “Beautiful British Columbia.” Once we arrived in Lund, I immediately regretted never having been before and also felt conflicted about writing about it, because now that I’ve discovered this hidden gem, I kind of want to keep it under the radar. But, I decided it’s just too charming

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THE LUND RESORT AT KLAH AH MEN OFFERS VIEWS OF 13 MOONS MARINA AND THE SALISH SEA.

not to share. Here are just five reasons you’ll want to add the Lund Resort at Klah ah men to your future travel plans.

THE RESORT The Lund Resort at Klah ah men is home to 31 newly renovated rooms inspired

by Tla’amin art and culture.

From the moment we checked in, I could sense the history and tradition of this historic property.

Our room overlooked the Salish Sea and 13 Moons Marina and we spent hours relaxing on our large balcony just taking in the views. A gallery at the back of the resort sells local and indigenous art, which is also visible across the entire resort. The Sweet Shack and 13 Moons Coffee can fill the need for snacks and caffeine, while the Stock Pile is the place you’ll find food, a deli, beer, wine and spirits and fishing gear.

THE FOOD We were lucky enough to visit the recently renovated Back Eatery, formerly the restaurant and pub, during spot prawn season. Executive chef Linton Novak did these delicate morsels proud.

To describe the menu as “seasonal and local” is to simplify just what it is chef Novak does with the bounty from the earth and sea he’s surrounded by — and certainly doesn’t do justice to the ever-changing menu.

Many of the ingredients are foraged or caught locally and cooked using a mix of modern and traditional

recipes of the Coast Salish Klah ah men people. For mains, my husband enjoyed a seafood bowl brimming with fresh fish, mussels, clams and prawns, while I had to try the Midtown dry stout short ribs with mashed potatoes and charred Brussels sprouts. The newly expanded patio meant we were able to enjoy the view beyond 13 Moons Marina as the sun went down.

INDIGENOUS ART CAN BE FOUND AROUND EVERY CORNER OF THE LUND RESORT AT KLAH AH MEN.

INDIGENOUS CULTURE Klah ah men translates to “a place of refuge,” the name given to the village by the Coast Salish people more than 4,000 years ago. It’s here they used the sheltered harbour to interact with others and to hunt, gather food and travel along the Salish Sea. The village was not only significantly important as a cultural hub, but also for practical, everyday life and for story-telling and sharing the traditions of the Coast Salish people.

MARINE TOURISM Lund is known as the gateway to Desolation Sound, famous for its stunning natural beauty and set against the backdrop

of the Salish Sea, so it makes sense the Lund Resort at Klah ah men offers several boat cruises at 13 Moons Marina, located just steps away from the resort. A selection of twohour cruises means you can watch the sunset as you sail past Savary Island, Hernando Island and Saltery Bay, watch for dolphins, whales, seals and sea lions, and trap shrimp and crabs.

THE JOURNEY If you’re a local, the idea of spending a day and taking four B.C. Ferries to get from Lund to Vancouver and back again for business or an appointment might seem laborious. But as a visitor, even just from Vancouver,

AGELESS

our trip over and back was all part of the adventure and the scenery rivalled anything I’ve been lucky enough to witness from other parts of the world. Lund is located 12 kilometres north of Powell River on Highway 101 and we travelled from the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal to Langdale near Gibsons Landing — reservations are accepted on this route. We then drove the highway to Earls Cove and crossed to Saltery Bay — reservations are not available for the Earls Cove-Saltery Bay crossing.

From Vancouver Island you can leave from the Little River Terminal near Comox/ Coutenay — reservations are accepted on this route. NOTE: the fare for the ferry between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale includes your return trip, but you do have to pay for the Earle’s Cove/Saltery Bay ferry.

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Older Canadians struggling to afford prescription drugs Survey shows that as Canadians age, their concerns about affordable health care rise CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As the federal government’s Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare calls for a universal, single-payer system for prescription drug coverage in Canada, a new report from the nonprofit Angus Reid Institute — part of its ongoing series on access to, and perceptions of, health care among those ages 55 and older — finds a significant number of Canadians of this age are struggling to afford prescription medications.

...one in five older Canadians (21 per cent) are facing major access issues...

The first part of this report, which focused on access to doctors and health care services, found one in five

older Canadians (21 per cent) are facing major access issues — and a full majority have at least some trouble getting the care they need in a timely manner.

The second part of the study found one in six Canadians (17 per cent) in the 55-plus age group — a figure that represents upwards of 1.8 million people — say they or someone else in their household has taken prescription drugs in a way other than prescribed because of cost.

One in 10 (10 per cent) have decided to simply not fill a prescription because it was too expensive, and a similar number (nine per cent) have decided not to renew one for the same reason. One in eight (12 per cent) have taken steps to stretch their prescriptions, such as cutting pills or skipping doses.

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One in six Canadians 55 and older (16 per cent) have used cannabis...

Some 17 per cent of Canadians 55 and older have done at least one of these things and that proportion rises among those who have greater difficulty accessing other aspects of the health care system.

More key findings: ! One in three aging Canadians who have “major access issues” (33 per cent) with the health care system as a whole also have cost-related struggles with prescription drugs in their household

! Perhaps unsurprisingly, household income is also correlated with difficulty dealing with the cost of prescriptions. One in five of those in the lowest income bracket (22 per cent) have taken one of the cost-saving actions canvassed in this survey, while those with higher incomes are less likely to have done so. ! Medical devices, such as hearing or walking aids, also represent a cost challenge for many aging Canadians. Nearly three in 10 (28 per cent) who have such a device in their household say they have opted to delay purchasing a new one because of cost. ! One in six Canadians 55 and older (16 per cent) have used cannabis for medical purposes and almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of those who used it say it worked.

Supporting older adults 55+ to live involved, healthy and fulfilling lives.

In the past 12 months, did you or anyone else in your household do any of the following?

(AMONG THOSE AGED 55+, N=2001)

10%

Decide to NOT fill a prescription for medicine because of the cost

9%

Decide to NOT renew a prescription due to cost

12%

Do anything to make a prescription last longer due to cost

17%

Done any of the above

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T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VA NCOUVER COURIER

LILLY,, A 14-Y 14-Y YEA E -OLLD PUG EAR PUG BOR OR RN W WITH I A MAL MALFO FOR RMED VER ER RT TEB TE BRA, A US USES ES THE DO D DOG O MO OG M BIL BILITY ITY TY DEVICE, D IGN DES GNED ED IN BURNAB ABY Y BY Y BCI CIT'S T'S T S MAKE+ TE TEAM AM. PHO P OTO TOS OS: BCIT

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Elderly pug pilots pooch wheelchair designed at BCIT in Burnaby

The Dog Mobility Device has been designed specifically for senior canines.

CORNELIA NAYLOR | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Elderly canines with osteoarthritis could soon stay mobile with a dog wheelchair developed at BCIT in Burnaby.

The device — currently being field-tested by a 14-year-old pug named Lily — has been specially designed for old dogs weakened by age. Some manufacturers have tried to address that challenge by adding front supports, but the added weight makes it even more difficult for a mobility-impaired dog to navigate, according to Ann-Marie Fleming, Lily’s owner, and founder and CEO of Dog Quality.

Fleming, who lives in 100 Mile House, took her problem to BCIT’s MAKE+ team — a group of multidisciplinary BCIT researchers focused on product and process development, evaluation,

Fleming is an advocate for senior dogs...

Nancy Knaggs said in a press release. “The expertise we learned from dog owners and experts in the veterinarian community helped us design a prototype that is one of a kind.”

three rescue dogs Fleming has taken in. Lily was born with a malformed vertebra and underwent a complicated surgery a couple years ago to stabilize her spine, according to the Dog Quality website.

The device is now being field-tested by Lily, one of

Fleming is an advocate for senior dogs, and her company

specializes in products — from dog diapers to dog strollers — designed to improve the quality of life for older canines.

understood what we were trying to accomplish with this device and took the time to learn about the needs of senior dogs.”

“Working with the BCIT MAKE+ team has been easy from the start to finish,” Fleming said. “The team truly

Fleming... took her problem to BCITÕs MAKE+ team...

applied research projects and education.

Working with Fleming, the team spent 10 months researching, gathering input from veterinarians and dog owners and creating multiple iterations of a prototype.

The result, the Dog Mobility Device (patent pending), is a highly manoeuvrable and lightweight dog wheelchair designed to support both front and rear weakness.

As dogs age, they face many of the same health issues people do, including arthritis, ligament injuries, hip dysplasia and degenerative diseases. Light daily exercise limits further muscle loss and joint stiffness or swelling associated with aging.

ANN-MARIE FLEMING, FOUNDER AND CEO OF DOG QUALITY, WATCHES HER PUG LILY USE THE DOG MOBILITY DEVICE DESIGNED IN BURNABY BY BCIT'S MAKE+ TEAM.

“Our design team worked with the client to make this project succeed,” BCIT MAKE+ project leader

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Need help with your laptop?

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Innovative service offers seniors everything from companionship to social support to help with technology

CALL THE GRANDKIDS OFFERS COMPANIONSHIP AND ASSISTANCE FOR EVERYTHING FROM HOUSEWORK TO TECHNOLOGY.

SANDRA THOMAS | STHOMAS@VANCOURIER.COM

While not exactly home care, Call the Grandkids offers companionship, social support and assistance with everything from driving a client to a medical appointment to going for a walk to helping with technology.

Lifetime had a few questions for Alec Morgana, wellness manager and founder of Call the Grandkids.

How did you come up with the concept?

After my grandfather passed away a few years ago, my grandmother suddenly found herself alone at home. She was also going through her own health challenges and my mom and aunt were doing their best to help, but could not always be there. My partner Penny and I lived fairly close to my grandmother and whenever something happened and my

mom and aunt were unable to go over, they called us.

Penny and I wondered if other seniors and families needed the same support. We realized very quickly after conducting market research that there were lots of seniors in various situations that didn't necessarily need a caregiver, but could benefit greatly from social support and a helping hand. Call The Grandkids was born.

So, you're an actual “grandkid.”

Yes! I have two grandmothers (one in Vancouver). Penny also has two grandparents (one in Vancouver). As far as our clients, Penny and I both still step in as "grandkids" and visit clients as much as possible. As we continue to gain momentum, our team of companions is growing and they are doing most of the visits.

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Decluttering and organizing visits have also been popular and going through decades’ worth of keepsakes is a fun experience. Sometimes a senior needs a ride home after surgery and support at home afterwards. The possibilities are pretty limitless.

for example. If the focus is companionship, we might engage in conversations over tea, play games or go for walks. Maybe the senior can teach us how to cook their favourite recipe. We find that no matter what we are doing with clients, the tasks or activities are always an opportunity for companionship and relationship building.

But you’re not home care, right?

Not exactly. We are a non-medical service and our clients are usually a bit more independent when it comes to personal care or they have other supports in place for those needs.

Our focus is supporting the home environment and supplementing what a traditional caregiver or healthcare provider does when they are necessary.

While we do a lot of the same things that home care does, there are additional services that we provide that fall outside the scope of home care. This makes us a great alternative or supplement, depending on the type of support that a senior needs.

What kinds of activities do you do with your clients?

Every senior is unique and no two visits are the same. Some visits are companionship focused, while others might be focused on housework, organizing, or weekly chores,

How often do you typically see clients?

It all depends on the needs of the senior. We have clients that we see multiple times per week and even daily, while others call us on an as-needed basis weekly or monthly. Many of our clients start with a few visits and then develop a consistent schedule as they get to know us and their needs change.

Where is your geographic area of operation?

We currently provide services in Vancouver, Burnaby and on the North Shore. We get calls regularly from other areas and plan to continue expanding in the near future.

Who can benefit from your services?

All seniors can benefit from Call the Grandkids.

We see clients at home, in independent or assisted living residences, care facilities and hospitals. We have also helped seniors in palliative care and hospice.

Our goal is to provide confidence and empower seniors to maintain their independence and overall well-being.

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T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VA NCOUVER COURIER

Walk to End Isolation Hundreds expected to take part in Sept. 21 walk along False Creek

Greater Vancouver 2nd Annual “Walk to End Social Isolation” Saturday, September 21, 2019 COURIER STAFF

The report also noted addressing loneliness and social isolation is a shared responsibility, which needs to be addressed together by the private, non-profit, academic and government sectors.

multicultural event that welcomes all communities across Metro Vancouver.

Beyond the Conversation is a volunteer-led initiative focusing on fostering a sense of belonging, self-confidence and connection to local communities. Its purpose is to “engage, empower and inspire our citizens to stay connected while building vibrant and flourishing communities.”

In an attempt to find practical solutions to this epidemic, the volunteer-driven group Beyond the Conversation has organized its second annual Walk to End Social Isolation, an inclusive,

On Sept. 21, participants will gather at the Plaza of Nations, 750 Pacific Boulevard, at 9:30 a.m. prior to the 10 a.m. walk, which will head along False Creek towards Olympic Village

In 2017, a federal government report found that “loneliness and social isolation are growing issues with serious consequences for people and society...”

Walk to End Social Isolation, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 square and past the Creekside Community Centre.

The walk will begin with a blessing ceremony from Cowichan First Nation elder Eugene Harry, followed by a welcome to guests and community partners. The day promises to be packed with speakers from different backgrounds who will share their stories, followed by a

group conversation to encourage participants to identify barriers they believe are contributing to issues of social isolation, loneliness and mental health — and to bring about solutions.

Hundreds are expected to attend the event and participants of all ages from all communities and backgrounds are welcome to walk, meet new friends, and hear real stories of struggles. The walk is considered relatively easy and flat, so it’s hoped people with physical challenges will also be able to complete the route.

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Here’s ere’s w why hyy it’s ggettin gettting ngg harder rder to o retiree in in B B.C. C..

B.C. residents want to retire earlier despite carrying the most debt in retirement ALBERT VAN SANTVOORT | BUSINESS IN VANCOUVER

Many Canadians aren’t confident in their ability to afford retirement. According to a 2019 RBC poll, 39 per cent of pre-retirees expect they’ll never have enough money to stop working, and a 2019 Fidelity Investments poll found that 70 per cent of Canadians expect to keep working in some fashion during their retirement.

University of British Columbia economics professor Kevin Milligan says it’s harder to save for retirement today than it was in decades past for multiple reasons.

Since the 1980s, there has been a steady decline in employer-supported pension plans. In 1980, 46.1 per cent of employed workers had an employer-sponsored pension plan; by 2011 this proportion dropped to 38.4 per cent.

independent of investment returns within the plan.

Instead, defined-contribution plans are becoming the norm, where predetermined contributions are made to the plan and pension benefits paid out during retirement are largely dependent on the plan’s investment performance.

The nature of saving for retirement has changed.

Michelle Munro, director of tax and retirement research for Fidelity Investments, said she has witnessed a large change in the way people save for retirement, from her parents’ generation, who were set for life with a definedbenefit pension, to people like herself who have had to invest and manage their own retirement portfolios.

ÒThings have changed a lot and people need to plan ahead and save early.Ó

Not only are fewer Canadians benefiting from these plans but also the investment risk is shifting to the employee.

Many employers are no longer providing definedbenefit pension plans where retirement payments are predetermined and

While baby boomers nearing retirement have largely had to plan and invest for

A RECENT SURVEY FOUND THAT 70 PER CENT OF CANADIANS EXPECT TO KEEP WORKING DURING THEIR RETIREMENT. PHOTO: ISTOCK

stock of savings in order to accumulate a big enough pile for retirement.”

The macroeconomic effects making retirement affordability more challenging aren’t limited to lower rates and real estate woes.

Stagnant wages are also affecting people’s ability to save. Canadian median wages peaked during the mid-’70s and have been relatively stagnant ever since.

themselves, many are able to augment their savings as a result of a housing boom that greatly increased the value of their asset holdings. This is particularly true in hot real estate markets such as Metro Vancouver, according to David Lee, a financial adviser for BlueShore Financial.

However, few are expecting to see the same level of housing appreciation in the future, and millennials will

have to look for other ways to invest for their retirement.

provide themselves with more growth potential.”

“Things have changed a lot and people need to plan ahead and save early,” Lee said. “We’re not seeing a lot of employer-sponsored pension plans — we’re seeing more people self-employed, and this requires individuals to contribute funds from their own earnings and invest in different asset classes to

Fewer employer-sponsored pension plans and a real estate market at its peak are not the only factors making it more difficult to retire, according to Milligan.

“We’re in a world of very low interest rates and low rates of return,” Milligan said.

“Because yields are lower, you have to have a bigger

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British Columbians seem to be in a worse spot than other Canadians when it comes to saving for retirement.

According to the Fidelity report, 39 per cent of British Columbian pre-retirees’ debt has risen over the past few years, the highest in the country. British Columbians are also most likely to expect their household’s well-being to decrease. Interestingly, despite the negative retirement outlook for people in B.C., they are the most likely to want to retire early.

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THE VAN COU VER CO URIER T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9

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T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VA NCOUVER COURIER

News

City issues hundreds of tickets to short-term rental scofflaws Glen Korstrom

gkorstrom@biv.com

The City of Vancouver is touting enforcement for helping its year-old shortterm rental program run effectively.

While the city believes that 73 per cent, or 4,266 of the 5,866 active short-term rental hosts are abiding by the rules, its staff has flagged 27 per cent of all short-term rental addresses for audits to confirm compliance with city regulations that went into effect Sept. 1, 2018.

Those new rules made it legal for residents to rent their primary residences for stays that were less than 30 days — something that was technically illegal before but was a law that was rampantly flouted with no enforcement.

Renting non-primary residences remains illegal, and Business in Vancouver has documented in past stories how there are workarounds that enabled hosts to skirt the city’s licensing requirements.

The intent of the city’s new rules are to protect

rental stock and eliminate unfair competition for bedand-breakfast businesses.

There were some irregularities with the city’s statistics.

It was not immediately clear, for example, how the city could have listings at 4,366 addresses that staff believe to be in compliance if the city has only issued 4,025 short-term business licences.

That would logically mean that 341 hosts have more than one primary residence, which would not be allowed.

Regardless, city data released Sept. 5 showed that city staff has issued: • 642 warning letters • 660 violation tickets • 276 legal orders • 150 voluntary cancellations • 117 suspensions • 116 prosecution referrals Three people whose licences were suspended unsuccessfully appealed those suspensions.

“The audit program has also resulted in a tenfold increase in licence suspensions and voluntary licence cancellations since the spring,” the city wrote in a

news release.

“Short-term rental licenses are suspended as a result of operators not meeting principal-residence requirements, failing to have strata or landlord permission to operate, operating illegal, unsafe or nuisance dwellings or failing to provide the requested documentation.”

The city said that it continues to escalate legal action against commercial operators who are violating regulations.

In August, a commercial operator who had a combined 35 short-term rental listings at two properties, and who was previously fined $20,000 in provincial court, was fined two additional charges of $10,000 by the courts for unauthorized short-term rental activity at their second property. Total fines issued against this operator are $40,000.

Two other commercial operators have been found guilty in B.C. Provincial Court for operating and marketing without a business licence. @GlenKorstrom

FALL 2019 VANCOUVER FREE SELF-MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS Chronic Pain Self-Management Barclay Manor Wednesdays, Oct 2 to Nov 6, 2019 1:00pm to 3:30pm Killarney Seniors Centre Tuesdays, Oct 8 to Nov 12, 2019 10:00am to 12:30pm

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pharmacy Correction Notice In our weekly flyer dated September 12 to 18, 2019 Hannex Microcomputer Ceramic Rice Cooker was incorrectly advertised.

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THANK YOU FOR RECYCLING THIS NEWSPAPER.

Mulberry PARC Harvest Hoedown Come celebrate Active Aging Week. Saddle up and mosey on down to Mulberry PARC for a Harvest Hoedown. There will be western dance lessons, games and live musical entertainment courtesy of Blue Lasso Band. Feel free to come dressed in your finest western duds!

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THE VAN COU VER CO URIER T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9

VAN CO UR I E R. CO M

News

Crisis centre marks 50 years of listening and helping Anniversary of volunteer-run service coincides with World Suicide Prevention Day John Kurucz

jkurucz@biv.com

The need for proper sleep and nutrition cannot be overstated.

They’re talking points that come up among parents, kids, athletes and everyone in between. They’re also two of the easier workarounds in one of the most demanding jobs imaginable.

The Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of B.C. marked its 50th anniversary Sept. 10 to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day. The majority of the work done through the Vancouver office comes by way of phone and web supports for those in distress or contemplating suicide.

Stacy Ashton is the centre’s executive director but started her career working the crisis line phones in 1996. She’s heard every trauma imaginable.

Empathy, compassion and “active listening” are essential in her line of work.

Those on the receiving end of the phone are able to di-

rect callers to family doctors, school counsellors, employee assistance programs or any number of services.

Sometimes resolution is found by simply listening to a person’s problems.

“Sometimes they just need sleep or food,” Ashton said. “When people stop taking care of themselves, they need to reverse that and get that sleep and food so they can take a fresh look at the situation when the emotions aren’t running the show.”

The vast majority of those working the phones, roughly 90 per cent, are volunteers.

They undergo 120 hours of training through role playing, call shadowing and listening. Four hours of volunteer work is done per week and those volunteers are asked to provide the crisis line with 250 hours of service once their training is done. About 130 volunteers are trained annually to field more than 41,000 calls.

Blair Wilson is about five months into his time with the crisis line. The 23-yearold Coquitlam resident

Stacy Ashton is the executive director of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of B.C. She’s worked in the field for more than 20 years. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

is nearing the completion of his studies in psychology and counselling and wanted practical training to go alongside his classroom learning.

It’s the exact same route Ashton took as her career began 23 years ago.

“My first shift was terrifying. It’s kind of scary to

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Public Open House

Wesbrook Place Lot BCR 8 - Faculty & Staff Rental Housing Join us on Thursday, September 19 to view and comment on the proposed faculty & staff rental residential development on Lot BCR 8 in Wesbrook Place. Plans will be displayed for a 6-storey residential building with 110 units and a total gross floor area of 9,575 m2. This project is targeting Passive House certification.

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pick up that phone and not know what’s going to be on the other end of it,” Wilson said. “I knew that as long as I listened to the training and followed the idea that I’m there to really help people, to be supportive and because I care, I felt like I could get through it.”

Parking any semblance of

judgment is critical to the crisis line — calls come in from both the abused and abusers.

Ashton once fielded a call from a man who admitted to hitting his girlfriend earlier that day.

“My job there was not to judge what he had done, but to help him express those feelings and figure out if there was something that he was going to do about it,” Ashton said. “His next step was to go and get help, but you never know.”

Not knowing may sound a bit paradoxical in Ashton’s line of work, but it’s paramount. Not knowing allows volunteers to debrief, process emotions and move on to the next call.

“I’m not there to solve people’s problems or give them advice,” Wilson said.

“All the problem solving is usually going to come from their side, generally speaking.

It’s about trying to empower them to make those changes.

Once we get off that call, you’re probably not going to talk to that person again.”

Common themes are found in most calls — re-

lationship difficulties, job stress, poverty, loneliness, depression — but the details of each case makes no two calls the same.

Seasonal fluctuations typically happen around times of transition and Ashton flagged September as a particularly busy month.

“How people think about suicide and wanting to live kind of go side by side,” Ashton said. “It’s that part of a person who wants to live that reaches out and calls the crisis line. That’s where we have our opportunity.”

Statistics from the Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention suggest 11 people will commit suicide in Canada today. Four out of five people who die by suicide have made at least one previous attempt.

The crisis line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It can be accessed in the Vancouver Coastal Health region by calling 604872-3311. The provincewide crisis line can be called at 1-800-SUICIDE (7842433). @JohnKurucz

Proud to be Canada’s #1 Community News Site

Date/Time: October 9, 5:00 - 6:00PM Location: Wesbrook Community Centre 3335 Webber Lane

For further information: Please direct questions to Karen Russell, Manager, Development Services karen.russell@ubc.ca 604-822-1586

This event is wheelchair accessible.

Can’t attend in person?

Online feedback will be accepted until September 26, 2019.

To learn more or to comment on this project, please visit: planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/projects-consultations

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T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VA NCOUVER COURIER

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New cream relieves arthritis pain in minutes after applying; uses the strongest approved dose of an anesthetic which numbs the nerves that cause agonizing joint pain For Immediate Release TORONTO − Expectations are high for a new blockbuster arthritis pain reliever. But unlike so many of the others, it comes in the form of cream, not a pill.

Initial users say the relief is extraordinary and when you look at the science you’ll see why.

The new pain relief cream numbs the nerves right below the skin.

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“Those suffering with arthritis or joint pain can expect relief within minutes of their first application,” explains Dr. Stephen Klayman creator of the hot selling topical Apeaz.

“There will be a pleasant warming sensation that is followed by a cool, soothing one. This is how you know that the anesthetic and the active ingredients has reached the affected joint and tissue.”

Soothes in Minutes For sufferers of arthritis pain, Apeaz offers impressive advantages over traditional medications. The most remarkable is how quickly it relieves arthritis and joint pain.

The cream contains the maximum approved OTC dose of an amazing anesthetic, which rapidly penetrates the skin to numb the area that’s hurting. his relief lasts for several hours.

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No Risk of Ulcers or Stomach Pain There are also no negative side effects as seen with pills. Apeaz delivers its

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A Low Cost Alternative That Works There are also tremendous savings when switching over to a topical like Apeaz. When compared to other arthritis medications, Apeaz is a fraction of the cost. At less than $2 a day, the cream is quickly becoming a household name.

Rapid Relief Without Pills or Needle Injections Many Apeaz users report significant improvements in daily aches and pain.

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THE VAN COU VER CO URIER T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9

VAN CO UR I E R. CO M

Community VANCOUVER SHAKEDOWN

Beloved Benny’s Market stocked with history Italian corner store celebrates 100 years in Strathcona Grant Lawrence

grantlawrence12@gmail.com

From the corner of Union Street and Princess in Strathcona, the Benedetti family has seen it all. For a century, three generations have dutifully served their customers from behind the counters of the beloved Benny’s Market. The venerable independent Italian grocery celebrated its 100th birthday in August.

In 1919, Alfonso Benedetti, a young Italian immigrant from Navelli, opened an ice cream parlour at 598 Union St. with help from the winnings in a backroom poker game. He and a partner paid $900 for the business. The partner was bought out soon after, and it’s been Benedettiowned ever since, morphing from the ice cream parlour into Benedetti Grocery after a few years.

Strathcona was a popular neighbourhood for Italian immigrants in the early 20th century, and by the late 1930s, after surviving the Depression, Alfonso and his wife Violet managed to purchase the property.

The Benedetti family have owned it ever since.

When did it change from Benedetti to Benny’s? For the answer, you’d have to go back to the 1940s and the onslaught of the Second World War. “Yeah, well, the Italians sided with the Germans,” says Alfonso’s grandson Ramon Benedetti Junior who, along with his wife Janet, now operate both the store and its wholesale food business. “The war had an impact all the way over here, so my grandparents

Left: Janice, Janet and Ramon Junior Benedetti celebrated the 100th anniversiy of Benny’s Market in August. PHOTO GRANT LAWRENCE Right: Irma and Ramon Senior Benedetti in the early days. PHOTO SUPPLIED

shortened the name on the sign from ‘Benedetti’ to ‘Benny.’ It’s stuck ever since, but that was the reason for that name change.”

Alfonso Benedetti passed away in 1970, and his wife Violet suffered a stroke the same night, which meant their son Ramon Senior took over both the business and the nickname “Benny.”

Over the years, Ramon would become known as the “King of Strathcona” for his outgoing nature, community advocacy and endless storytelling.

Strathcona went through another change in mid-’70s, with the threat of a major highway ripping through East Vancouver, right over top of Benny’s Market.

Many of the Italians sold out and moved east to Commercial Drive, Hastings-Sunrise

and Burnaby Heights, but the Benedettis remained.

By the 1980s, buoyed by cheap rent, Strathcona had become a Bohemian, artist-friendly district, and many of the alternative sect shopped at Benny’s, including Grammy Awardwinning singer k.d. lang. “k.d. lang used to live in the neighbourhood and, yes, she shopped here,” remembers Janet, who joined the family business in 1989. By that time, Benny and his wife Irma, had managed to purchase the house next door and were renting out a few apartments above the store.

“We rented to all sorts of artists,” remembers Janice Benedetti, sibling to Ramon Junior and sisters Francesca and Sandra. “Keith Porteous and Allen Moy, who managed 54-40, were our

tenants. The band Bolero Lava practised in the basement, too.” In the house next door, the Benedettis also rented to bands such as Tankhog and Bum. “Benny knew everybody,” recalls Bill Baker, co-owner of Mint Records, who rented an apartment above Benny’s Market in the 1990s along with his then-wife, singer Rose Melberg. “Benny had a fiery personality and was a really colourful character.

Cadillacs would line the street outside the market while Rose and I sat on our upstairs porch and watched Benny and his friends play bocce ball in a court in the backyard, a bunch of classic old Italian guys swearing and smoking cigars.”

Ramon Junior fondly remembers those backyard bocce ball tournaments.

“The losing team would have to buy the winning team drinks in dad’s basement bar after the game.”

By the 2000s, Junowinning musical twins Tegan and Sara were regular Benny’s customers, as was the CBC’s Bill Richardson.

These days, one of the regular indie rock luminary customers is Dan Bejar of Destroyer and the New Pornographers.

“Dan lives across the street and comes in about four or five times a day when he’s in town”, says Janet. “He buys it as he needs it. He’s such a funny, nice, kind man.”

As the Benedettis were gearing up for their 100th anniversary party, tragedy struck when Ramon Senior died at age 90 on April 12.

“He was working here just prior to his passing, six days a week, three or four hours a

day, doing our books, right up to the end,” says Janet.

Benny’s Market is still a bustling business, selling specialized Italian goods, an array of fresh deli sandwiches, organic meats, produce, cheeses and lots of regular and hard-to-find grocery items, and even some original boxes of wax matches imported from Italy generations ago.

When reflecting on their century in business, Ramon Junior tries to sum up the secret of their success. “I think it’s customer service,” he says quietly. “Personalized service, as opposed to what you get in the big box stores. Some people don’t understand the vast variety we carry in this store. It’s jammed, it’s full, I don’t think we could fit much more.” @grantlawrence

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Tuesday, September 17th • 6:30-8:00pm At Choices Kitsilano location 2627 W. 16th Ave Vancouver Brain Health and Vital Longevity With Dr. Heidi Lescanec

Current scientific research on the brain and wisdom from traditional cultures tell us that our lifestyle and diet choices can positively impact our quality of life even as we get older.

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VANCOURIER.COM

T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VA NCOUVER COURIER

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Arts & Entertainment KUDOS & KVETCHES

Why B.C. Ferries’ beer and wine sales fall flat It’s finally happening.

After much anticipation and delay, select B.C. Ferries’ voyages between Vancouver and Victoria will be made a little more enjoyable with the opportunity to drink alcohol — legally, that is.

But before you raise your mead glass in the air, we’d like to offer up a few sobering observations.

1. No Baja Rosa

Sadly, ferry passengers won’t be able to feel the sweet embrace of this strawberry, cream and tequila elixir — or any booze-based drink, for that matter. Only beer and wine will be offered for purchase.

2. It’s not available on every B.C. ferry because that would be crazy

Beer and wine sales will only be available on three vessels on the Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay route — the Spirit of Vancouver Island, the Spirit of British Columbia and the Coastal Celebration. You’d think sailings between Nanaimo and Vancouver would be a no-brainer, but perhaps B.C. Ferries figured most of its Nanaimo passengers are already half-cut by the time they get on the boat anyway.

3. You have to pay for the buffet to play The only place you’ll be

B.C. Ferries’s voyage into the waters of alcohol sales has been rather cautious, to say the least.

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able to purchase beer and wine is at the ferries’ Pacific Buffet. In other words, you have to fork over $26 for the dinner buffet, or $22 for the lunch buffet, in order to buy a beer or wine. Why passengers can’t purchase a beer or glass of wine in the regular cafeteria, like they can at a restaurant, café, concert or sports event, remains one of life’s great mysteries, along with whatever happened to Super Socco and who let the dogs out.

4. One is the loneliest number

If you want to drink more than one glass of wine or beer during your ferry trip, you’re out of luck — Pacific Buffet customers will be limited to one, solitary

Major University seeks participants for national hearing study.

beverage. We get that B.C. Ferries doesn’t want intoxicated people driving off their boats, but what about those of us sitting in the passenger seat or taking public transit and would like to tune out the dude droning on about cryptocurrencies?

5. It’s just a trial

According to B.C. Ferries, this great beer and wine sales experiment will last a year, after which the company will review customer and employee feedback, as well as crunch the revenue numbers, to see if it should continue or, God forbid, be expanded.

Just don’t hold your breath for any Baja Rosa. @KudosKvetches

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Connect Hearing and Professor Mark Fenske at the University of Guelph are seeking participants who are over 50 years of age, have never worn hearing aids and have not had a hearing test in the last 24 months, for a hearing study that investigates factors that can influence better hearing.

Study Parameters The researchers will examine listening in a range of situations, from one-on-one, to group conversations, watching TV and wider social contexts like supermarkets and other noisy environments, and how it effects connection and socialization.

Why Participate?

It is estimated that 46% of people aged 45 to 87 have some degree of hearing loss, but most do not seek a solution right away. In this study you’ll be playing an important part in determining the key factors around identifying hearing loss and what influences the decision to seek treatment.

You can register to be a part of this major new hearing study† by calling: 1.888.242.4892 or visiting connecthearing.ca/hearing-study *Wingfield, A., Tun, P. A., & McCoy, S. L. (2005). Hearing Loss in Older Adulthood: What It Is and How It Interacts With Cognitive Performance. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(3), 144–148. † Study participants must be over 50 years of age and have never worn hearing aids. No fees and no purchase necessary. Registered under the College of Speech andHearingHealthProfessionalsofBC.VAC,WCBaccepted.1.Cruickshanks,K.L.,Wiley,T.L.,Tweed,T.S.,Klein,B.E.K.,Klein,R,Mares-Perlman,J.A.,&Nondahl,D.M.(1998).PrevalenceofHearingLossinOlderAdultsinBeaverDam,Wisconsin:TheEpidemiologyofHearingLossStudy.Am.J.Epidemiol.148(9),879-886.2.NationalInstitutesofHealth.(2010).

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THE VAN COU VER CO URIER T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9

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Arts & Entertainment THE SHOWBIZ

Film documents incredible journey of B.C. biker’s remains

Biker Bob’s Posthumous Adventure is a feel-good film about a message in a bottle Sabrina Furminger

sabrina@yvrscreenscene.com

Hugh Robert Nesbitt spent most of his life on the open road, and his adventures continued well after his death.

Nesbitt called Vancouver Island home, but he travelled far and wide, almost entirely by motorcycle.

He crossed Canada twice, attended numerous motorcycle rallies in the States and hunted and fished all over the province.

His friends and loved ones called him Biker Bob. In 2015, when Biker Bob died in a motorcycle accident, his wife Maudine Pervil sent his ashes on a journey worthy of a lifelong adventurer: poured into a beer bottle and chucked into the ocean with a note that read: “Biker Bob. If you find me, turn me loose.”

Biker Bob’s final journey is the subject of Biker Bob’s Posthumous Adventure. The short documentary from director Cat Mills and producer Joella Cabalu (the

12

former a former Vancouverite, the latter based in Vancouver) introduces audiences to the community that sprung up as a direct result of the titular adventure.

Shortly after Pervil threw Biker Bob into the sea, people around Vancouver Island started calling up their local media outlets with reports of astounding encounters with Biker Bob’s bottle. In every case, they’d discover it washed up on a beach, pull out the ashes and the note, and feel compelled to take it out for a beer before returning it to the sea — but not before finding themselves somehow changed by the experience.

Mills already had one quirky documentary (Fixed!

— about a repair café in Toronto) under her belt when she stumbled across Biker Bob’s story in her travels around the internet.

She immediately recognized its potential to be told in documentary form.

Biker Bob’s Posthumous

In 2015, when Biker Bob died in a motorcycle accident, his wife Maudine Pervil poured his ashes into a beer bottle and chucked into the ocean with a note that read: “Biker Bob. If you find me, turn me loose.” PHOTO JOSEPHINE ANDERSON

Adventure is as much about the strangers who find the bottle on the beach as it is about Biker Bob and his widow. The documentary leads to a jaw-dropping conclusion that we’re not going to spoil here, but Mills describes it as the perfect example of what can happen when we “set aside this fear we have of each other.

Wonderful relationships can happen in unlikely places.

They’re all strangers. I just

think we need to take more chances on each other.”

Neither Mills nor Cabalu had much experience with biker culture before they began work on the documentary.

“I think that’s one of the things I love most about docs, that you’re being introduced to a culture and a world that you would not have known had you not been involved in making the documentary,” says Cabalu.

She describes being at Pervil’s house and watching as the widow and the strangers who found her husband’s bottle broke bread and bonded.

“Watching how they were all getting along so well within minutes of meeting each other, I realized that, had I seen these people in a different context, I probably would not have approached them or talked to them,” says Cabalu. “And yet it’s unbelievable that we have so many things in common.”

This kind of earnestness is in short supply in the documentary world, where filmmakers typically seek to right wrongs and affect societal change through hard-hitting journalism. But Cabalu sees a place for quirky, feel-good pieces such as Biker Bob’s Posthumous Adventure alongside more serious fare.

“In a time where there’s so much despair and so much hatred, I think the films that Cat makes and the films we want to make together are ones about the human spirit, and the good-

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ness of people,” says Cabalu. “This film is a reminder that people are good, and about the importance of community, and how you can build community even under the most bizarre of circumstances.”

On Sept. 21, Biker Bob’s Posthumous Adventure will screen at the Lunenberg Doc Fest in UNESCO Lunenberg, Nova Scotia — one of the preeminent documentary markets in the country. The film has also screened at NSI Online Film Festival, Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and Reel Shorts Film Festival in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

“This film is a reminder that there are good people there, and that you can always make a new friend,” says Mills. She pauses, and laughs. “It sounds sappy. I know it does, but it’s true.

It’s such a Canadian story.”

You can watch the film right now on the CBC Short Docs web site: cbc.ca/shortdocs/ shorts/biker-bobs-posthumousadventure

6

in support of the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation A night of inspiring food, wine, and a lively auction in support of the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation.

Performance Works 1218 Cartwright Street Granville Island

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VANCOURIER.COM

T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VA NCOUVER COURIER

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THE VAN COU VER CO URIER T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9

VAN CO UR I E R. CO M

Arts & Entertainment

Museum of Anthropology celebrates 70 years with open house And four other reasons Vancouver is awesome this week Lindsay William-Ross

lindsay@vancouverisawesome

Museum of Anthropology’s 70th Anniversary Open House

Did you know that Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology began back in early 1949?

Seventy years later, they are opening their doors again to welcome everyone — with free admission all day.

The venue has planned a party that celebrates MOA’s stories, art and people.

Enjoy family-friendly art and conservation workshops, curator talks, rare behindthe-scenes tours, and much more.

Sept. 14 6393 Northwest Marine Dr. moa.ubc.ca

Vegan Night Market

Time for Vegan Night Market at the Waldorf. Shop, mingle, nibble and enjoy a night of all plant-based vendors, along with live music, food trucks, artisans, apparel, drinks and more. Nineteenplus only. Minimum $2 donation with proceeds

Left: MOA celebrates its 70th birthday with free admission Sept. 14. PHOTO MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY Right: Beloved Broadway play RENT, chronicling 525, 600 minutes in the lives of a group of young artists, is a gripping rock musical that has inspired audiences for two decades now. PHOTO CAROL ROSEGG

going to Little Oink Bank Pig Sanctuary or canned food, pet food, clothing or toiletries for WISH Drop-In Centre Society.

Sept. 12, 6 to 10 p.m.

The Waldorf, 1489 East Hastings St.

RENT: 20th Anniversary Tour

When it comes to rent in Vancouver, we know a couple of things: It’s too damn high, and the

Tony-winning musical RENT will be stopping in town this month as part of its 20th anniversary tour.

The beloved Broadway play, chronicling 525,600 minutes in the lives of a group of young artists, is a gripping rock musical that has inspired audiences for two decades now.

Sept. 17 to 22 Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton St. broadwayacrosscanada.ca

39th Annual Terry Fox Run

The Terry Fox Foundation will once again hold its annual Terry Fox Marathon of Hope in Vancouver’s beautiful Stanley Park.

The family-friendly event includes breakfast eats provided by the Four Seasons Vancouver, a live DJ, kids’ activities, a 10-km run and a three-km inclusive route for all modes (wheelchair, walkers, strollers, etc). Reg-

istration starts in-person at 8 a.m. or can be done in advance online.

Sept. 15, 8 a.m. to noon Ceperley Park in Stanley Park terryfox.ca/terryfoxrun/ vancouver-stanleypark

Modern Home Tour The International Modern Home Tour Series returns to Vancouver, offering ticketholders a remarkable up close look

at amazing residential architecture and design, plus the chance to meet the region’s best modern architects and designers against a backdrop of their favourite spaces, realized. You’ll visit the tour homes at your own pace and in the order you wish. Choose your own architect-venture.

Sept. 14, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Participating tour homes mads.media

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The hockey blog that knows who needs the puck

Who could be an unexpected breakout star for Canucks in pre-season?

Prospects pushing for opportunities could force team to make tough decisions

Backhand Sauce Daniel Wagner

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

No, not Christmas — we’re not allowed to talk about Christmas until after Halloween, thank you very much — but the start of NHL training camps and pre-season.

This is the time of year when fans can have boundless optimism, unfettered by the reality of the regular season once it begins. Now is the time to have big dreams of 100 points for Elias Pettersson, 50 goals for Brock Boeser, a Calder Trophy for Quinn Hughes and making the playoffs, if not more, for the Canucks. It’s also the time to believe that every prospect is bound for stardom at the NHL level, particularly when said prospect lights up the pre-season unexpectedly.

Sure, the stars of one pre-season might disappear the next, but sometimes a strong pre-season can be the difference between making the NHL and toiling in the AHL. While the likes of Steve Kariya, Fedor Fedorov and Sergei Shirokov went from pre-season all-stars to NHL washouts, fans have also seen young players supplant older veterans by making themselves impossible to cut from the roster.

Last year, Tyler Motte was a standout in the pre-season with his relentless energy on the ice, to the point that the Canucks cut veteran Sam Gagner to make room for him on the roster. Could the same happen this season? Perhaps. Motte himself could be a roster casualty, along with Tim Schaller, Loui Eriksson, Brandon Sutter, Nikolay Goldobin and Josh Leivo potentially at risk of being traded or sent to the AHL if another player forces their way onto the roster.

So, who could be a breakout pre-season star for the Canucks? Let’s look at some possibilities.

Zack MacEwen

The Canucks are high on MacEwen and for good reason: he’s big and tough, was one of the Utica Comets’ top scorers last season and he has a laser of a wrist shot.

Stick-taps & Glove-drops • A tap of the stick to Carson Focht, who made a big impression on Canucks’ director of development Ryan Johnson at prospect camp: “He’s a guy that jumped off the page for me right out of development camp... I expect a big, big year from him.”

Zack MacEwen was one of the Utica Comets’ top scorers last season and he has a laser of a wrist shot.

A great performance in the Canucks pre-season could make him difficult to cut. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

He’s likely to be a call-up from the Comets sometime this season, but great performance in the pre-season could make him difficult to cut.

“You want players to force you to make tough decisions and he’s a player that will do that,” said Ryan Johnson, the Canucks’ director of player development.

Francis Perron

The 23-year-old Perron came to the Canucks in a minor trade at the draft, but he has NHL potential. The winger was second in scoring on the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, with 47 points in 63 games. He has oodles of offensive talent and a well-developed two-way game.

“He deserves a look,” said Barracuda coach Roy Sommer. “He just needs that chance at the next level.”

Lukas Jasek

The Canucks’ sixth-round pick in 2016 just keeps quietly improving year after year.

He was one of the steadier performers for the Comets last season with 29 points in 63 games and has surprising speed and tenaciousness to his game that could quickly endear him to the Canucks’ coaching staff.

Laughoutloud!

Laughwithconfidence whenyourdentures arecomfortableand perfectlyfitted!

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Adam Gaudette

While Gaudette isn’t an unknown — he played 56 games for the Canucks last season — he’s still expected to start the season in Utica. Last season, he mostly played for the Canucks out of necessity due to injuries to Brandon Sutter and Jay Beagle, and has yet to prove that he truly belongs in the NHL. A star turn in the pre-season would be a strong message to the Canucks that he’s ready.

• I’m dropping the gloves with the NHL, whose plans to roll out player and puck tracking technology have been repeatedly derailed, most recently dropping Jogmo World Corp. as their primary technology partner. The NHL claims the technology will still be ready for the 2020 playoffs.

Kole Lind

The Canucks’ 33rd-overall pick in the 2017 draft struggled in the AHL last season, but still has the skill that made him one of the best players in the WHL. The combination of his talent and the desire to prove himself makes him a player to watch for the Canucks in the pre-season.

“I think the way he’s prepared himself in the summer is bleeding into his confidence, because he knows he’s done the work,” said Johnson. “He’s a player I’m really excited about.”

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

Big Numbers • 16 The Canucks’ preseason kicks off on Monday, Sept. 16, with two split-squad games with the Calgary Flames.

• 8 The Canucks will play eight pre-season games in the next two weeks, facing the Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators twice each, along with games against the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A25

Your Community

MARKETPLACE Book your ad ONLINE:

vancourier.adperfect.com

Or call to place your ad at

classifieds.vancourier.com

Email: classifieds@van.net

COMMUNITY

REMEMBRANCES

obituaries

Lynda is a Trichologist and Hair Loss Specialist.

Providing Custom Designed Wigs & Hair Pieces for over 35 years.

Doreen was an independent woman with incredible personal strength. Family was foremost and family gatherings were one of her greatest joys, especially in her later years. Early in her life she was a dedicated homemaker and later a visual artist pursuing her passions with intensity. Doreen graduated in Fine Arts and Printmaking from UBC, Emily Carr College of Art and Design and Open University. A long-time member of Dundarave Print Workshop and Gallery, Kerrisdale Art Club and Vancouver Guild of Fabric Arts, she enjoyed traveling abroad for creative inspiration and enrichment.

Respecting her wishes, cremation has taken place.

A gathering will be held at a later date for family and friends to reminisce and celebrate her life. For details, contact rememberingdoreen@gmail.com In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to support the Home ViVE Program at VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation. Donate at vghfoundation.ca/ doreen-newell, by calling 604-875-4676 or by mail to VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation (190-855 West 12 Ave. Vancouver BC V5Z 1M9), or to a charity of your choice.

604-980-3211

www.

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When Experience Counts! lost LOST Ladies Black GEOX Jacket Size S Seven pockets, snaps with a two−way zipper, and a hidden hood. Lost approximately one week ago, possibly in Kitsalano.

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LOOKING FOR A NEW CAREER IN EDUCATION?

Do you enjoy supporting children and youth with special needs? Are you compassionate?

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Richmond Continuing Education will be offering a part-time program for REAP (Richmond Education Assistant Program) from February 2020 to February 2021.You will learn how to work with Kindergarten to Grade 12 students with physical, behavioral, sensory and learning needs in schools.

For more information visit, www.RichmondCE.ca. or phone 604.668.6123.

INFORMATION WANTED Witnesses Needed Hit and Run Sunday, Nov 26, 2017 Multi−vehicle collision on Sunday, Nov 26, 2017 on Expo Blvd near Griffiths Way (near Rogers Arena).

A westbound vehicle cut off another westbound vehicle which braked to avoid an impact. A series of collisions resulted in− cluding a white Acura TSX and two other vehicles. The front vehicle that cut the other vehicles off then fled the scene.

If you witnessed this incident or have any related info which could help identify the driver/vehicle that fled the scene, please call Mike: 604−787−6905

Maureen Clare EXPERIENCED PIANO TEACHER N

Accepting students now.

Adults, children & children with special needs.

Dunbar area. References available.

Maureen Clare 604-228-8388

EMPLOYMENT

trades help

art & collectibles

175 tables of Bargains on Deluxe 20th Century Junque!

Sunday • SEPT 22 • 10am - 3pm Croatian Cultural Centre 3250 Commercial Drive, Van. Info: 604 980-3159 • Adm: $5.00

Wanted Old Books Wanted. also: Photos Postcards, Letters, Paintings. no text books or encyclopedias. I pay cash.

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Place ads online @

@

classifieds.vancourier.com

Hot Spot For Sale

REAL ESTATE

houses for sale BETTER @ BEST BUY! Fall Modular Showhome Clearance. Don’t Overpay!

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RENTALS

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due to space restrictions, there is no puzzle this issue.

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If that question started you thinking about all the places you sing, the Vancouver Thunderbirds have an incredible offer for you!

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BUSINESS SERVICES

We have an opportunity for you to join our Team.

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MUSIC/THEATRE/DANCE

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We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

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No One Knows What It’s Like to Be a Woman with Thinning Hair

Doreen was born in Vancouver where she lived until she died peacefully at home. Daughter of the late Marion and Theodore Gaerdes. Predeceased in 1966 by her husband John Robert Newell.

Doreen leaves her loving children Julia, Edward (Gail) and Claire. She also leaves her grandchildren Robert (Colleen), Laurie (Mark), Joshua, Jacob (Julia), Misha, Stefan (Kristin) and great grandchildren Jack, Tyler, Eva, Greta and Ellen.

HEALTH CARE ASSISTANT

EDUCATION

announcements

NEWELL, Doreen Rose March 28, 1918 - August 19, 2019

Phone Hours: Mon to Fri 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Office Hours: 9 am to 5 pm

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Visit the online MARKETPLACE:

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ATTENTION

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A26

THE VANCOUVER COURIER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

HOME SERVICES CONCRETE CONCRETE SPECIALIST Sidewalk, Driveway, Patio Exposed Aggregate, Remove & Replacing Reasonable Rates.

35 yrs experience For free est.

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Basements Made Dry Claudio’s Backhoe Service

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For Free Estimates Call

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0#64. ? 0#2*<0.

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/8%!1+)!'%&+

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.

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REFER TO THE HOME SERVICES SECTION FOR ALL YOUR HOME IMPROVEMENT NEEDS

classifieds.vancourier.com • classifieds.vancourier.com

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mrbuild@mrbuild.com

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RENOS & HOME IMPROVEMENT

CARPENTRY • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING PAINTING • FLOORING • TO-DO LIST

PATIOS

LANDSCAPING Complete Landscaping • Lawn Cutting • Gardening • Prune/Trim • Full Maint.

Find all the help you need in the Home Services section

249 for a week + dump fees

$

A-1 Contracting & Roofing New & Re-Roofing • All Types All Maintenance & Repairs GUTTER CLEANING Gutter Guard Installations -never clean gutters again!

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• Emergency Repairs •

Call: 778.522.0007

HANDYMAN • RENOVATIONS •Kitchen •Bath • Plumbing •Countertop •Floors •Paint & more. Call MIC for quote:

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fleck contracting ltd.

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George • 778-998-3689

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Work within your budget

Yard Clean-up, Trimming Shrubs, Hedge & Pruning.

• LAWN MOWING.

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EVERYTHING

FRIENDLY SERVICE SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OVER 34 YEARS IN VANCOUVER

RENOS & HOME IMPROVEMENT

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~ TO ~ JUST ABOUT

residential reno’s & small jobs.

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PAINTING/ WALLPAPER

LAWN & GARDEN

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Find the professionals you need to create the perfect renovation in the Home Services section AUTOMOTIVE

TRUCKS & VANS 1995 Ford, 4x4 Longbox,

strong motor, new parts. $550.

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SCRAP CAR REMOVAL

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604-790-3900 OUR SERVIC 2H

E

Canam Roofing 778-881-1417 Res. Roofing, New, Re-roofing & Repairs. Peace of mind warranty. www.canamroofing.ca

ADVERTISING POLICIES

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BC ROOFING LTD Roofing −Re−Roofing BCROOFER.CA Mike: 604−240−1850 MCR Mastercraft Roofing Right the 1st time! Repairs, reroofing, garage, decks.

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FIND HELP FOR YOUR PROJECTS

All advertising published in this newspaper is accepted on the premise that the merchandise and services offered are accurately described and willingly sold to buyers at the advertised prices. Advertisers are aware of these conditions. Advertising that does not conform to these standards or that is deceptive or misleading, is never knowingly accepted. If any reader encounters non-compliance with these standards we ask that you inform the Publisher of this newspaper and The Advertising Standards Council of B.C. OMISSION AND ERROR: The publishers do not guarantee the insertion of a particular advertisement on a specified date, or at all, although every effort will be made to meet the wishes of the advertisers.

Further, the publishers do not accept liability for any loss of damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in the printing of an advertisement beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred. Any corrections of changes will be made in the next available issue.

The Vancouver Courier will be responsible for only one incorrect insertion with liability limited to that portion of the advertisement affected by the error. Request for adjustments or corrections on charges must be made within 30 days of the ad’s expiration.

For best results please check your ad for accuracy the first day it appears. Refunds made only after 7 business days notice!

VANCOURIER.COM

T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 THE VA NCOUVER COURIER

A27

THE VANCOUVER COURIER T H U R SDAY, SE P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 9

VANCOURIER.COM

MOVE IN EARLY 2020

EXTRAORDINARY PARKSIDE HOMES 2 BED + DEN & 3 BED HOMES AVAILABLE

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To View our Display Home Book an Appointment at Info@BelparkLiving.com or 604.358.8208

BelparkLiving.com The Developer reserves the right to make changes, modifications or substitutions to the building design, specifications and floorplans should they be necessary. Renderings, views and layout are for illustrative purposes only. Prices subject to change without notice. E.&O.E. Sales and Marketing by Intracorp Realty Ltd. Intracorp Belpark Limited Partnership.

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A28