Vancouver Courier February 5 2014 by Vancouver Courier

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014 Vol. 105 No.11 • Established 1908

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THE VOICE OF VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS

CITY LIVING: Horsing around 12 / SPORTS : Bulldogs over Demons 23

Aboriginal voicesabsent fromtaskforce CITY PROJECT ACKNOWLEDGES LIMITATIONS IN REACHING OUT TO MARGINALIZED RESIDENTS MIKE HOWELL Staff writer

A photo Jennifer Gauthier

FLASH MOBBED: Dressed as DC superhero The Flash, British marathon man Jamie McDonald ﬁnished the last leg of his unsupported cross-Canada run on Monday, nearly one year after setting off from St. John’s, NL. The 27-year-old, accompanied by his father Donald (dressed as Capt. America) for the ﬁnal push, raised more than $200,000 for children’s hospitals in the U.K. and Canada. Visit jamiemcdonald.org for more informantion. To see more photos, scan page with your smartphone or tablet using the Layar app.

West End senior fights eviction JENNIFER THUNCHER Contributing writer

est End resident Jill Ottier doesn’t know if she will have a place to live come March. Ottier, who rents a second ﬂoor unit in the three-storey apartment complex at 825 Gilford St., received notice from the management company, Macdonald Realty, two days before Christmas informing her she had to vacate the home where she has lived for seven years. She must be out by Feb. 28.

Ottier said she was completely taken aback by the notice sent at the start of the holiday season. “I don’t know why they picked on me,” she said. John Santics of Macdonald Realty, whose signature is on the notice, said Ottier is a model tenant who has never missed a rent payment but the owners, Linda Fordash and Gene Santos, want to retire and move a caretaker in to Ottier’s suite to take over managing the 16-unit complex. He said Ottier’s home was simply the least desirable as a rental so was chosen to house the caretaker. See OWNERS on page 6

22-member task force created to ﬁnd ways city hall can get more residents engaged in civic issues says it has to do more to involve younger people, newcomers and the aboriginal population. In its report released Jan. 30, the Mayor’s Engaged City Task Force pointed particularly to the lack of aboriginal input in developing strategies to address the disconnect in the city. “We feel it’s important for us to acknowledge the absence of voices from aboriginal communities in this process,” the report said. “Many of us participated in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission events held in Vancouver in September 2013 and were reminded of how Canada’s history of colonization con-

tinues to have a signiﬁcant impact on the development of an engaged city.” The task force pointed out its limitations in its work, which involved discussions to improve such areas as voter turnout, consultation and better engagement of under-represented groups. “We simply could not meet with as many people and groups as we would have wished,” the report said. “Further, we understand that there are many complex factors affecting engagement, such as social and economic inequality, housing affordability, trust, power, discrimination and a rapidly changing media landscape.” Dennis Chan, a member of the task force, pointed out one of the top priorities was to develop strategies to better engage urban aboriginal peoples, newcomers, new immigrants and residents 18 to 35 year olds. See CIVIC on page 4

DYSLEXIA DIDN’T STOP ALBERT. We don’t let dyslexia or language-related learning disabilities affect our students, either. They learn differently, and we offer them an education in a setting where they can thrive. See for yourself at the Fraser Academy Open House: Thursday, Feb. 6, 9:30-11:15 am. For more info or to RSVP, visit www.fraseracademy.ca or call 604 736 5575. © Estate of Yousuf Karsh

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W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

photo Jennifer Gauthier

Life might be like a box of chocolates, but city hall appears confused as to whether staff and volunteers can receive the tasty treats as gifts.

Ball wants city hall to can chocolate ban

CITY STAFF PREVENTED FROM RECEIVING GIFTS OF CHOCOLATE 12TH & CAMBIE with Mike Howell

ots of talk about chocolates at city hall these days. You’ve probably heard that NPA Coun. Elizabeth Ball wants to make it perfectly clear that staff and volunteers may accept “reasonable gifts of chocolate” regardless of whether the person is at an event or on paid time. “We’re not talking an arms-length of chocolate here,” said Ball, who was scheduled to present a motion to council at its Feb. 4 meeting, which coincidentally falls 10 days before Valentine’s Day. “Basically, it’s just a light-hearted ‘No, the city’s not the Grinch or Scrooge.’ Let’s just make it very clear to everybody before we have another holiday.” Apparently, there’s been some confusion up at 12th and Cambie as to whether the sugary delights can be accepted as gifts. That confusion was noted by Ball after reading a Courier story in December that revealed park board staff and volunteers had to return gifts such as chocolates given to them by community centre associations. She’s concluded it was a misunderstanding and recalls talking chocolates way back in 2006 and ensuring they wouldn’t be included as a gift in the city’s Code of Conduct rules. “I particularly remember it because I presented it and there was a great deal of upset over the fact that people really wanted to be able to give token gifts of chocolate to staff and volunteers and say, ‘Thank you.’” Regardless of which staff member was re-

sponsible for the mix-up, it doesn’t appear to have come from the desk of city manager Penny Ballem. According to five separate statement of disclosure forms filed at city hall between Dec. 11, 2013 and Jan. 10, 2014, Ballem accepted two bottles of wine, two boxes of chocolates and a “Saul Good holiday gift box” that included chocolates, cookies and nut mix. Total value: $220. The gift box (value of $55) was courtesy of Holborn Group, which is building the Little Mountain project and the Trump Tower. Bottles of wine ($55 and $50) were accepted from “Boyden,” which I believe is an executive search firm, and from “Mr. Tony Astles and Bentall.” KPMG and the Vancouver Convention Centre gave Ballem the chocolates, worth $25 and $35 respectively. As I’ve reported over the years, the mayor and council are required to disclose any gifts worth $50 or more. In my next entry, I’ll bring you up to date on what’s in the latest council gift bag. A teaser: I see no gifts of chocolates or wine but Polygon Homes did give Vision Vancouver Coun. Kerry Jang “a large vanilla cookie with Smarties (maybe they are M&M’s).” Circumstances under which the gift was given: “Box of cookies left in office and I took one and ate it against the advice of my GP who tells me I suffer from type 1 diabetes.” Final disposition of gift: “What goes in, must come out, ‘nuff said.” Look for more comedy from Jang and, hopefully, some straight-up stuff on this whole issue of politicians accepting freebies. mhowell@vancourier.com twitter.com/Howellings

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Continued from page 1 “That’s something we wanted the report to make note of and not lose sight of,” Chan told the Courier. “But we recognized this it isn’t something the city can do alone but has to play a big part in. It’s also something that requires a real stake and action from residents.” The report noted a Vancouver Foundation study titled Connections and Engagement revealed that urban aboriginal people “are more likely than others to feelthat they don’t belong in their neighbourhood, and are among the most likely to have experienced discrimination.” “Clearly, more intentional and culturally competent outreach to these communities will be essential in future engagement efforts,” the task force report said. Mayor Gregor Robertson was not available for an interview to discuss the report but did issue a brief statement to the Courier via email. He said the task force deserves credit for recognizing its limitations and being upfront that it wasn’t possible to meet with “every resident, cultural group or organization with an interest in civic engagement.” “The task force recommendation for the city to have a targeted engagement strategy for youth, urban aboriginals and newcomers and new immigrants reﬂects the direction we need to go as a city,” said the mayor, who often begins press conferences with acknowledging Vancouver is on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people. “I want to make

sure the task force’s final report isn’t the end, but rather the beginning of the city undertaking new ways to engage with groups who historically have been under-represented.” Vision Vancouver Coun. Andrea Reimer, who is council’s liaison to the task force, said she attended several task force meetings in which aboriginal people were in attendance. But Reimer acknowledged none of the 22 task force members was aboriginal. “There was only one person out of 150 [applicants] who identified as aboriginal and didn’t have the qualifications on the engagement or community development side,” she said, noting she struggled with not including the applicant. “But the committee still has to do the work it has to do and it’s going to need that expertise there.” The Courier left messages Friday and Monday with three aboriginal leaders, including Susan Tatoosh, executive director of the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society, Wade Grant of the Musqueam Indian Band and school trustee Ken Clement to discuss the report. None had returned calls prior to the Courier’s deadline. Council is expected to review the report sometime in March. Meanwhile, residents are urged to provide feedback via email to public.engagement@vancouver.ca mhowell@vancourier.com twitter.com/Howellings

N OT I C E O F P U B L I C H E A R I N G

UBC Land Use Plan Amendment: Regional Context Statement

The University of British Columbia’s Public Hearing Committee will hold a Public Hearing respecting a proposed amendment to the Land Use Plan for UBC’s Vancouver Campus. The Public Hearing is being held in accordance with Part 10-2010 of the Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act.

Please note, no refreshments or food will be provided at the hearing. For further information, contact: Campus and Community Planning 2210 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 604-822-5350 melissa.pulido-gagnon@ubc.ca www.planning.ubc.ca

This notice contains important information which may affect you. Please ask someone to translate it for you.

West 16th Ave

Unive rsity Blvd

Thunderbird Blvd

e Driv rine Ma SW

Lower Mall

UBC Vancouver Campus Lands

MAP B: PUBLIC HEARING LOCATION

Lower Mall

Public Hearing Location

Marine Drive Ballroom

Agronomy Road

Also starting January 30, the Procedural Rules for the Public Hearing will be available for inspection at the offices of Campus and Community Planning or by contacting the office as noted below.

Main Mall

Wesbrook Mall

n ari

e riv N

Should you have any concerns or comments you wish to communicate to the Committee in advance of the Public Hearing, you can write to: Committee Clerk for the Public Hearing, c/o Campus and Community Planning, 2210 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 or public.hearing.clerk@ubc.ca. To be considered, advanced submissions must be received by noon on Wednesday, February 12, 2014.

The proposed amendment and relevant background material may be inspected at the offices of Campus and Community Planning, 2210 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, except statutory holidays, from January 30 – February 12, 2014.

MAP A: LANDS SUBJECT TO LAND USE PLAN AMENDMENT

nder Lan erla Ob

A speakers list will be available for the public to sign at the entrance of the Public Hearing venue approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the Public Hearing. Speakers will be asked to come forward in the order of the speakers list and will be allowed up to ﬁve minutes to address the Public Hearing Committee regarding the proposed amendment.

Written submissions received prior to or submitted during the Public Hearing will be included as part of the official public record by the Committee Clerk. Submissions received after the conclusion of the Public Hearing will not be considered by the Public Hearing Committee or the UBC Board of Govenors.

Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 Time: 6:00pm Place: Marine Drive Residence Ballroom, 2205 Lower Mall, Vancouver, BC

University Boulevard

All persons who believe they may be affected by the above proposal will be afforded an opportunity to be heard in person and/or by written submission.

After this deadline, any written submissions must be made, in person only, directly to the Committee Clerk until the end of the Public Hearing.

Chancellor Blvd

The proposed amendment affects the UBC Vancouver campus lands, shown in MAP A. The proposed Land Use Plan amendment is as follows: • Delete Chapter 2 in the current Land Use Plan, titled ‘Regional Context Statement’, in its entirety • Replace Chapter 2 with a new ‘Regional Context Statement’ that includes an Appendix to the Land Use Plan titled: ‘Appendix 1 to Regional Context Statement: UBC Land Use Plan relationship to the Regional Growth Strategy, October 28, 2013’

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W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Rebecca Salmond and Brittney Kreuzer remember their mother, Patricia Salmond, owner of Urban Empire, for her wicked sense of humour.

‘QueenofKitsch’remembered forherwarmthandwickedwit URBAN EMPIRE OWNER AND DUBIOUS COOK PATRICIA SALMOND PASSED AWAY JAN. 13 SANDRA THOMAS Staff Writer

s sisters Rebecca Salmond and Brittney Kreuzer sorted through their mom’s personal belongings at the Urban Empire store on Commercial Drive last Thursday afternoon, they shared stories of the woman who raised them single-handedly. Patricia Salmond, who owned and operated the popular store for more than 20 years, died unexpectedly Jan. 13 as the result of a blood clot. Salmond, often referred to as the “Queen of Kitsch,” was 63 years old. “Mom would call us about some new thing she wanted to buy for the store and then ask if we thought it was too inappropriate,” said Kreuzer, who lives in Hamilton, Ont. “If we said yes, she’d order it.” Items from the store, famous for its offcolour greeting cards and fridge magnets, and kitschy items, such as the Grillz Dog Chew Toy, have been featured annually in the Courier’s Dreck the Halls Christmas gift guide. But regular shoppers to Urban Empire know Patricia’s unusual taste in retail was not limited to holidays. Last week, large crow masks, dashboard parking goddesses, rubber lobster, elbow-length gloves, and bags emblazoned with “Random Crap” were on display throughout the store. “You see that big iron cross in the window?” asked Kreuzer. “Mom was visiting me in Hamilton and when she saw it said she wasn’t coming home without it. It wouldn’t ﬁt in the overhead so she sat with it the whole way home.” The sisters sometimes fought back tears

as they reminisced about their mom, but more often laughed as they shared stories about Patricia’s wicked sense of humour and terrible lack of cooking skills. “We always called her the ‘Cajun cook’ because she blackened everything,” said Salmond. Kreuzer added, “When she made cookies, we always went and got a knife so we could scrape the black parts off.” The sisters said the outpouring from the community has been overwhelming and they consider it a testament to their mother’s attitude towards others. After word of Patricia’s death spread along the Drive, friends and acquaintances began leaving ﬂowers at the door. A memorial book was set up outside, but since the store is now open weekends, it’s been moved inside. While some messages refer to Patricia’s black sense of humour, others are more poignant. David Harkens started the book off with a heartfelt message that read in part, “She is greatly missed, forever cherished and her spirit will always be by my side…” Another contributor wrote, “You were such a huge part of this community! Your smile, wit and feisty personality will be sorely missed. Rest in peace…” A small card tucked inside the book reads, “Keep on kicking ass girl.” According to a brief obituary, before making her mark as the Queen of Kitsch, Patricia supported the theatre and arts communities and was the recipient of the John Post Award for academic excellence in the ﬁeld of criminology. Her daughters said there’s been much concern the store will close for good, but a serious offer to buy from a local could mean Urban Empire will carry on. With one sister living in Ontario and the other in Victoria, taking over from their mother is not an option. The two are planning a celebration of Patricia’s life, likely in April, where friends, family and acquaintances can gather to talk about her. “So they have time to get a story together,” said Salmond. “We want everyone to share stories about mom.” sthomas@vancourier.com

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Continued from page 1 Ottier doesn’t buy it. She claims up to six units in the complex are not rented out, including two the owners use for storage, offering plenty of options for the caretakers, she said. She rejects the argument her unit is the least desirable in the building. The suite is large, well lit and looks out at the side and the backyard of the building, she said. Other apartments on the same floor look out at the back and the front, which would enable a caretaker to watch the front door for security, she argued, adding those suites cost less for rent than her unit. Santics said it is not true there are units sitting empty, but confirmed two are used for storage and are “uninhabitable.” At least one other tenant in the building agreed with Ottier’s arguments but was not willing to speak on the record. “It is not rational thinking. They just want me out and I am just thinking it has to be an age bias or something,” said Ottier, 67, who suffers from the lung disease COPD. Ottier’s case will go to a Residential Tenancy Branch hearing Feb. 13. She said she is worried for her neighbours, some of whom are also seniors, if her eviction goes ahead because she believes they could also be vulnerable to eviction. Tom Durning of the non-profit Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre said cases like Ottier’s come down to whether the renter can

photo Jennifer Gauthier

West End senior Jill Ottier has been told she must vacate her apartment at 825 Gilford St. where she has lived for seven years. prove the landlord has not acted in good faith. Durning, who has lived in the West End for 35 years, pointed to a similar case in the 1990s when renter Susan Cameron protested her eviction from her Bute Street apartment. The case was eventually resolved in Cameron’s favour with an arbitrator ruling Cameron had been evicted for reasons other than needing a suite for a caretaker. But that case took years of costly legal battles, something Ottier said she can’t afford. She said she hasn’t considered what she will do if she is forced to leave her home. “It is my safe place,” she said. The owners declined comment when contacted by the Courier. thuncher@shaw.ca

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W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Revised Pearson proposal praised for changes

DISABILITIES ADVOCATE LAUDS COUNCIL FOR RECOGNIZING HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE DEVELOPING STORY with Naoibh O’Connor

ill Weiss teared up when she asked city council to reject the Pearson-Dogwood Policy Statement at its Jan. 23 meeting. The statement, once approved, will guide redevelopment of the property. Two health care facilities are located on the 25-acre site — the 120-bed George Pearson Centre for people living with conditions such as spinal cord and brain injuries, and the 113-bed Dogwood Lodge for seniors who require complex, 24-hour care. Vancouver Coastal Health owns 20 acres of the property, while the provincial government owns ﬁve acres (Dogwood Lodge). VCH wants to leverage the site’s land value and reinvest money in health care. When the policy statement went before council almost two weeks ago, Weiss, chair of the city’s Persons with Disabilities Advocacy Group, was one in a stream of speakers who argued against it based on plans for a complex care facility on site and concerns about “institutionalizing” people with disabilities. The 150-bed facility was to house Dogwood Lodge’s 113 beds, along with 37 of the George Pearson beds. (The remaining 83 were to become independent living units.) Weiss and others objected to including the 37 George Pearson beds in the complex care facility, which they insisted represented an institutional environment as opposed to an “intentional” community in which people with disabilities have autonomy over their lives. Their emotional arguments convinced council to defer its decision on the policy statement, but the delay turned out to be short lived. Advocates for people with disabilities and Vancouver Coastal Health reached an agreement late last week. The revised policy statement goes back before council for a vote Wednesday, Feb. 5. In an email to the Courier, Weiss said revisions include: • no institutions on the Pearson redevel-

opment for people with disabilities • no person currently residing in Pearson can be transferred to another institution/ facility elsewhere, unless they request that option • the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be followed • a clear statement from Vancouver Coastal Health that independent community living is best practice • commitment that the “Proposal for Housing and Support for the Pearson Redevelopment” collaboratively prepared by the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee, Pearson Residents Redevelopment Group and the B.C. Coalition of People with Disabilities will be the basis for implementing housing & support on the site. (Weiss says this consensus proposal has been endorsed by twenty organizations and provides people with four housing and support options, all with excellent support and full autonomy and choice) • acceptance of the Greenhouse model, and that Greenhouses will be located in integrated buildings (example: apartments, condos, townhouses) and not in a facility • the number of independent living housing and support units will be increased to from 87 to 114 for the Pearson residents • safeguards to ensure that Vancouver Coastal Health presents a detailed plan that demonstrates best practices in order to receive city approval at the rezoning stage, and that VCH must work collaboratively with the disability community to do that. Weiss couldn’t be happier. “I didn’t necessarily think we would be successful but I’m really glad we were,” she told the Courier Monday. “Council — all of them, all parties [since it was unanimous] deserve a lot of credit. They responded to the people who talked, but I think also they really responded to the human rights issue. That this is not a health issue, this is a human and civil rights issue — they got that. All of them care about that issue. It was really brave of them. It’s the largest development in the history of the city, I think, and they refused to approve it until it came back appropriately changed.” noconnor@vancourier twitter.com/naoibh

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rown counsel has decided not to approve a criminal charge against a Vancouver police officer involved in a pursuit last summer in the West End that ended with a man severely injuring his leg. The officer, whose name was not released, drove his cruiser July 15 into a construction fence on which the wanted man was fleeing police for allegedly damaging a business owner’s sign. The incident occurred just before midnight in a lane behind the 1100-block Denman Street, according to the criminal justice branch of the Ministry of Justice, which issued a report Wednesday that explained why a charge wasn’t approved against the officer. “The only direct evidence of the specific events that led to the injuries comes from the injured male and the officer driving the police vehicle,” the report said. “Depending on which version a judge or jury accepted, the officer’s conduct was either an intentional ramming of the fence intending or at least reasonably expecting that it would cause the male to fall off, or it was an inadvertent contact with the fence as a result of making a sudden stop on a gravel surface.” The officer said his car contacted the

fence likely because it slid in loose gravel. The man “came off the fence and landed on the ground,” the report said. The officer climbed over the fence and arrested the man, who was then transported to hospital to be treated for his leg injury. The man’s version of events is that he did nothing wrong but refused to speak to an officer who rolled up next to him in his car. When he saw five police cars, all with emergency lights engaged, he fled and said he was climbing over the fence to get to “his buddy’s car,” the report said. The man told investigators he was launched 20 feet in the air and did three forward rolls into a field, severely injuring his leg. He admitted to drinking “about six or seven ounces of alcohol” with dinner but had no drugs in his system. Given the conflicting evidence, the justice branch said it would be impossible for Crown to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer intentionally used unnecessary force by driving his vehicle into the fence. “If a judge or jury were to accept the officer’s account of what took place, he would be acquitted of any possible charges that might be considered in the circumstances,” the report said. The justice branch reviewed the case at the request of the Independent Investigations Office, which believed an offence may have occurred. mhowell@vancourier.com twitter.com/Howellings

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W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Musica Intima vocal ensemble is holding a pop-up concert, Voices Rise: A homecoming, celebrating the group’s return to Vancouver after 40 hours of driving, nine concerts and a handful of workshops throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The concert celebrates the ensemble’s last tour of its 2013-14 season and gives thanks to home audiences for their long-held support. The show takes place Friday, Feb. 28, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Dunbar Heights United Church, 3525 West 24th Ave. Admission is by donation.

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The CKNW Orphans’ Fund is committed to making some noise against bullying so, to that end, for the month of February T-shirts will be sold online at PinkShirtDay.ca and in stores at London Drugs locations. More than $650,000 has been raised for the cause since 2008, and donated to non-proﬁt organizations. British Columbians can participate in this awareness and fundraising campaign by purchasing shirts, ordering buttons and holding their own anti-bullying events. CKNW AM 980 midday-host Simi Sara will once again host this year’s campaign. The goal for this year is to sell 90,000 T-shirts and 20,000 buttons with proceeds beneﬁting the Orphans’ Fund in support of anti-bullying programs in B.C.

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A smart way to age. Earl Bergen, General Manager Cedar Springs Retirement Residence

As you age and start to assess your living arrangements, your physical health becomes an important consideration. Are you mobile enough to get around? Are you well enough to cook and clean? Can you still lift heavy objects? Yet many people often neglect to consider the other component: mental fitness. How’s your memory? Your cognitive ability? In all likelihood it’s pretty good if you’re still residing at home, but without continual “exercise”, just like your body, your mind will become less sharp and healthy over time. The good news: by putting it into practice, employing mind exercises and stimulating your brain in different ways, you can help prevent memory decline and improve your cognitive abilities.

Organized programs and classes, book clubs, computer lessons and brain games are an excellent way to promote brain health. All of these activities serve to stimulate and exercise the mind, prevent memory loss, improve your processing speed and even create new brain cells, which all assist you in performing your daily tasks with more ease. When it comes time to seek a retirement community, selecting one that offers you this type of support and programs is one of the smartest things you can do to ensure you age well. Need a question answered about independent living? Contact Earl Bergen, GM, Cedar Springs Retirement Residence a Pacific Arbour Community at 604.986.3633

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4

THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Liquor changes are a refreshing break

ere’s one way to judge whether the big liquor-policy reform will be an overall benefit to B.C. Picture all the changes in place — relaxed licences, freedom to move around holding a drink, more hard liquor at public events, happy hours. Then imagine the Vancouver Canucks losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals at home. Would there be a disgusting descent into madness by thousands of drunken goons, like last time? Or would presuming people are responsible adults become a self-fulfilling prophecy, easing the threat of a mass meltdown of civility? Most would pick the first scenario as more likely. Booze plus huge, excited crowds equals trouble. More booze, more easily available equals more trouble. It takes an optimistic person with a sunny outlook on human behaviour to imagine that relaxing liquor laws would improve 100,000 surly hockey fans’ dispositions after a big loss. So the Liberals are rolling the dice with the changes confirmed Friday. But that gamble will only come up very occasionally. Riots like the Stanley Cup one are few and far between. In routine daily life, the changes will be a refreshing break from the institutionalized headaches that current liquor policy creates. Special-occasion licences are one example where common sense appears to have broken out. The government issues 25,000 a year, for everything from weddings to sports tournaments. Applicants have to apply at a government liquor store, then go to the police station to get their approval. Some then have to go to city hall, then back to the liquor store to pick up the licence and the booze. You can’t legally serve homemade beer or wine at the event. And if it’s a multi-day, multi-venue event — like the Okanagan Wine Festival — organizers need SOLs for every event, on every day. The changes include an online application process and one annual SOL for outfits that hold more than one event a year. Big events will require only one licence. Police will have to be notified, but won’t likely play much of a role in approvals. The regulation that requires non-profits to apply for licences for concerts and events will be removed, so the promoter who manages the event will be responsible for the licence. Hobby brewers and vintners can get SOLs to host competition events, allowing their products to be sampled by judges and the public. The most obvious change is that the practice of herding drinkers into corrals at special occasion-licensed events will be dropped. Drinking will be allowed over the whole site. No more beer gardens. One of the thousands of submissions to the review said: “Fenced in, blocked off beer tents are mocked by tourists and rightfully so. They imply that residents are not to be trusted and need to be kept penned up. We can be trusted, I promise.” The new relaxed approach will also apply to restaurant/pubs. Some of the invisible lines between the licensed and non-licensed areas will disappear. Children will be allowed into some pubs or clubs, up to 9 p.m. Those and other changes will get most of the attention. But there are also some measures to balance the new relaxed approach. B.C. is going to push for new warning labels on all bottles and bring in a new social-responsibility campaign. And thousands of servers who are now outside the scope of the Serving it Right program will be required to take that course. A quick version will also be required of anyone who gets a special-occasion licence. The government will push police to write more tickets to minors in possession, rather than just forcing them to pour out the booze. Also in the works is a “last drink” program, where a licensee who serves an impaired driver their last drink could be penalized. The new regime will likely work well day-to-day. But brace yourself if it gets out of hand during the playoffs. lleyne@timescolonist.com

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W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

WE WANT YOUR OPINION Hate it or love it? We want to know... really, we do!

Reach us by email: letters@vancourier.com

Rock-solid evidence provokes lame lawsuit

think it might be time to get myself a good lawyer. I might need to sue some folks. The bar for what constitutes a lawsuit has been lowered, or possibly raised, by the heroic efforts of American scientist/ professional eccentric Rhawn Joseph. Dr. Joseph (who is a real scientist and has published legitimate research, but who has also written that dreams can predict the future) is suing NASA over a rock on Mars. But not just any rock! No, this is an amazing mystery rock, that appeared somehow near the Opportunity rover. One day, no rock in view. The next week, funny looking rock. Neat, you’d think. How’d that get there? Well, NASA is considering two possibilities. The ﬁrst is that the rock might have landed there after a meteorite hit the surface nearby, spraying chunks of the Martian surface into the thin atmosphere, and one of them happened to land near the rover. That’s pretty unlikely, though. More plausible is that the rover itself kicked over a rock as it made a recent turn, the way your car kicks up bits of gravel as you head through a road construction site. Mars needs better roads! Dr. Joseph’s hypothesis, based on him staring intently at the photos of the mystery rock, is that it’s some kind of living organism, like a fungus. He has demanded that NASA take 100 high resolution photos of the doughnut-sized lump, at various angles, take microscopic photos of the rock, and supply him and the public with all of these images. It’s nice that he wants to share, but there are a couple of reasons why this lawsuit might not be a good idea. First, it would open the ﬂoodgates at NASA. Dr. Joseph had apparently contacted several NASA employees and asked for this photo session before he called his lawyer. Can you imagine if NASA had to answer every request from the public? “Dear Astronauts, can you send my little brother to Mars, he’s really bugging me.” “Hey, NASA, aim the Hubble at my backyard next Thursday at 2 p.m. I want to get a picture of my birthday party!” “Dear NASA, I think you should read my 900-page manuscript about the alien who abducted me from a gas station in Oswego and the love we found among the stars.” Second, this is not exactly how science works. Although Dr. Joseph has a real Phd., he is not an expert on planetary science, geology, or, as far as I can tell, on xenobiology or even regular fungi from Earth. He was originally a brain researcher who now holds a number of interesting ideas, mostly about areas where he has less rigorous training, like evolutionary biology. He believes life on Earth came from other planets and that evolution doesn’t work the way the other 99 per cent of scientists think it does. He’s not a disinterested observer, in other words — he’s trying to prove a theory that has little to no evidence, on NASA’s dime. Ironically, NASA was interested in the rock. Most of the rocks on the surface of Mars are weathered and don’t get to move around much. Flipping one over gave them a chance to take a look at the underside of a stone that might have stayed in place for millions, maybe billions of years. Steve Squyres, the principal investigator for the Mars rovers, should have the last word on this one. “We have looked at it with our microscopes,” he said. “It is clearly a rock.” Sometimes, a really cool, interesting, educational rock is still just a rock. mclaxton@langleyadvance.com

MATTHEW CLAXTON

We have looked “ at it with our

microscopes. It is clearly a rock. — Steve Squyres

”

DENSIFICATION IS DETRIMENTAL

To the editor: Re: “City living comes with sacrifice,” Letters, Jan. 31. Letter writer Ryan McLaughlin has it exactly backwards, citizens have every right to oppose changes that they see as detrimental to their community or quality of life. That’s what living in a democracy is all about. Densification is only obviously beneficial to developers and real estate speculators, and does not necessarily improve a neighborhood or lower housing costs as is often touted. As for the economy, that old adage you can’t stop progress is as worn out as it is it one-sided.

Charles Leduc, Vancouver

TAKING OUR MEDICINE OVER WRONG DOSAGE To the editor: Re: “New methadone treatment worries Vancouver users,” Jan. 31. I am writing to correct errors in the article regarding the change in formulation of methadone dispensed in pharmacies in B.C. It appears that millilitres

have been incorrectly referred to as milligrams in the article. The old formulation, which was compounded in pharmacies, had a strength of 1 mg/mL. The strength of the new commercially manufactured product, Methadose, is 10 mg/mL, 10 times stronger. The 150 mg dose referred to in the article would formerly have been contained in 150 mL of liquid. The same 150 mg (not 15 mg as stated) will be contained in 15 mL of the new formulation. It is therefore true that an extra millilitre or two (not milligram or two as stated) will contain 10 or 20 milligrams of methadone, so careful measuring is required. Physicians who prescribe and pharmacists who dispense methadone are very aware of this. Individuals taking methadone need to be correctly informed, too.

Marion Pearson, RPh, Vancouver

SHOCKED AND DISMAYED BY SCHOOL STORY To the editor: Re: “Young readers like an open book,” Jan. 28. I was shocked and dismayed

to read the negative slant in the Courier’s article about Britannia elementary school’s Literacy Day program. Living in the neighbourhood and working at the local library, which serves as both a public and school library for the area, I see every child from the elementary school come through here during the week. They listen intently to stories, sign out books, ask questions, use the computers and play board games with friends and family after school. My understanding is that Cheryl Rossi spoke with several people, including the principal, who would have ﬁlled her in on the school’s many supportive initiatives. She could have chosen to focus on the positive in the neighbourhood and school: the leadership program for Grade 6’s and 7’s, the creative way that Family Literacy Day was celebrated, the music and sports programs, the opportunity the students have to attend the prestigious international baccalaureate program at Britannia secondary school. There is a lot to be proud of at Britannia. Dwelling on the negative does no one any favours and perpetuates stereotypes. Shame on the Courier for not providing a more balanced article! Nathalie Patel, Vancouver

ON YOUR MIND ONLINE COURIER COLUMN: “Honesty would be a welcome development,” Jan. 28. Amazed100: There is a reason why people hide their viewpoints. Anyone daring to opinions about limiting development in Vancouver is immediately attacked by the well-funded and ruthless development machine. You will automatically be called hypocritical and selfish, egotistical (this blog is no exception). While people may wish to hide their feelings there is one important time they should not — the next municipal election. If you want your neighbourhood to distantly resemble itself in 10 years, the election is the only way to make it happen. If we send Vision and the NPA off to retirement and replace them with parties who respect citizens and neighbourhoods, instead of developers and investors, Vancouver will be a better place. COURIER COLUMN: “B.C. government conned parents and students,” Jan. 31. Marg Hurley: They will be forced to bargain in good faith when parents in B.C. stand up for their children’s education. Christy obviously does not value education, she will have to be dragged into court again to comply. COURIER STORY: “Mythbusting main winter gardening tasks,” Jan. 31. Gordon Mudie: Sorry to say dormant oil is not used to control anything but BUGS. COURIER VAN MAN BLOG: “Killer robots invade Vancouver,” Jan. 31. Captmakr: The anti-Convention Centre rhetoric was not required for this article. The centre brings in a significant jobs for the building alone, ignoring all the hospitality jobs in hotels/restaurants across the city. I often joke that the Convention Centre has the highest concentration of theatre technicians in the city on a regular basis. Follow us on Facebook: The VancouverCourierNewspaper and Twitter: @VanCourierNews

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4

BEST BUY - CORRECTION NOTICE

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HORSE PARADE: Hoofed members of the VPD appeared in the Year of the Horse Lunar New Year parade this Sunday in Chinatown. Visit vancourier.com or scan this page with the Layar app to see more photos.

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e’s been in the St. Patrick’s Day and Santa Claus parades but this past Sunday’s Chinese New Year Parade was Clyde’s first in honour of his species. The black Clydesdale-Percheron mix horse with the white stripe down his forehead joined three of his Vancouver Police Department coworkers for the Year of the Horse celebration. The four made their way from their stables in Stanley Park to Chinatown, seemingly unruffled by the racket of tinny music blaring from speakers atop of float cars and the near-paparazzi levels of photographs taken. The horses worked with their Vancouver Police Department equestrians and equestriennes for a month leading up to the Spring Festival — training that

included ﬁrecrackers, cymbals, banners and the VPD’s lion dance team. “We’ve done our due diligence and they’ve done great. Now this is the real deal,” Const. Rich Horner said from Clyde’s saddle, which seemed about two storeys up. The VPD horses, all geldings, are a mix of breeds that include PercheronMorgan, Percheron-Quarter horse and Clydesdale-Appaloosa crosses — all known to be calm, or cold-blooded, breeds. The VPD’s Mounted Unit, which has history that goes back to 1908, is made up of 10 horses, all of which have passed nuisance training which includes stimulation similar to what the Chinese New Year parade presents. Even so, organizers of the Chinese New Year Parade made sure participants lighting ﬁrecrackers were located far enough away from the horses. Jun Ing, vice-president of the Chinese Benevolent Association that has been hosting the pa-

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W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Free Family Day at the Y! February 10th, 2014 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. At the YMCA, families play and stay active together. We’re making it easier for kids and parents to get ﬁt and stay strong through all-inclusive family experiences. Please join us on Family Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a free and fun event for your family. There will be healthy snacks, swimming, family gym time, family ﬁtness classes, bouncy castle, games and much more. You could also enter to win a YMCA membership for a year.

Robert Lee YMCA

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Come to the Y and find out how your family can stay active together.

Families who join in February pay no joiner fee (save up to $75). Free Family Day Celebration Monday, February 10th from 9.a.m. to 1 p.m. • healthy snacks • swimming • family gym time • family fitness classes • bouncy castle • games and much more

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4

Family Fun Run There’s something for all family members at the Diva on the run 8 km and Jules Quesnel 3 km kids fun run taking place on Sunday, March 2 at Jericho Sailing Centre. With unbeatable scenery surrounded by cherry blossoms there is no better way to spend your morning. Our 16 and under kids run is a ﬂat and scenic route, while the Women’s only Diva Run has a few rolling hills before enjoying the beautiful

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view of Vancouver’s seawall. What a great way to get mom and daughter and even Grandma out participating either walking, running or skipping. Dads, teen boys and grandpas are welcome to join our massive cheering section at the finish line. Everyone has a job on race day. The Diva Run welcomes all levels of participants to our event and will finish up with their very own feather boa handed out by our local fire department. Great sponsor draw prizes available as well as 1,2,3 age group prizing. Our post race goodies provided by the IGA Marketplace have something for everyone. No one leaves empty handed. Amazing discounts available through Ladysport and IGA Marketplace all weekend as well.

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By Michelle Hopkins, Contributing Writer

When the new Ronald McDonald House (RMH) for sick children opens its doors this spring, it will be the third largest of its kind in the world and the second biggest in North America. “At 76,000 square feet, this new home on Heather Street, behind BC Children’s Hospital, is four times bigger than the old one,” says Boriana Arguirova, the lead engineer during the design phase of RMH. After more than three decades of acting as a home away from home for seriously ill children and their families, RMH needed to expand because the old facility simply couldn’t handle the demand. The new $30 million facility will be able to accommodate 73 families at a time, which translates to more than 2,500 families over a year. That’s up from 400 families per year at its present location in its Shaughnessy mansion.

The new home includes lots of new features such as: basketball court, four kitchens, a number of playrooms, indoor slide, two large communal dining rooms, ﬁtness room, games room, teen lounge, bricks and blocks room stocked with LEGO, study room, a large on site laundry facility and a Snakes and Ladders exterior playground. “In addition, there are individual room air sources to help protect immune suppressed children,” says Arguirova, adding completion date is slated for May 2014. Anyone who would like to donate to RMH can do so by attending an information session about the new home’s building challenges and unique features, on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at the Terminal City Club, 837 Hastings Street.

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W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Family Day Fun! By Michelle Hopkins, Contributing Writer

On Feb. 10, British Columbia celebrates the second annual Family Day. The statutory holiday is aimed at encouraging Vancouverites to get out there and have fun with their loved ones. Here are a few suggestions to make your Family Day 2014 memorable:

Lace up your skates and head into the heart of downtown Vancouver for free outdoor fun at Robson Square Ice Rink. This is a great alternative to indoor ice rinks and watch as the rink turns into a kaleidoscope of colours. (You can rent skates there if you don’t have any).

Grouse Mountain is offering locals a 50 per cent discount. The day kicks off with a pancake breakfast in support of the Tim Jones Memorial Fund beneﬁting North Shore Rescue (by donation) from 8 to 10 a.m.; at 12:30 p.m. author Janet Love Morrison will read from her book Radar the Rescue Dog; from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. get a complementary family photo and participate in the Family Scavenger Hunt. In addition, you can win a prize during the Global BC Puck Shootout from 1 to 2 p.m.

Cypress Mountain isn’t just about skiing. The local mountain offers 19 km of cross country trails, 10 km self-guided snowshoe trails and a Snowtube Park.

Come out to Science World at TELUS World of Science for the Iron Scientist special family challenge. In addition, there’s the new LEGO exhibition that is all about travel and is an interactive way for everyone to explore travel and create cool vehicles. For more information, visit www.scienceworld.ca.

Remember to check out your local community centres, ice rinks and swimming pools for special Family Day activities.

Family Day at Trout Lake Community Centre

Bring your family and friends to this FREE event featuring: • live music • dance • performances • instructor demos • family skate • ﬁgure skating demos • community folk dance • art for kids • pottery • cooking demonstrations • cake • BBQ • historical display • free books and more

Monday, February 10 – 11am to 3pm. 3360 Victoria Drive For more information, please call 604-257-6955 or visit troutlakecc.com Brought to you by the Grandview Community Centre Association

photos: www.dianesmithers.com

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4

health

FIRST IMPLANT OF VANCOUVER-MADE HEART DEVICE DONE AT ST. PAUL’S

A device developed by Vancouver’s Neovasc Inc. for ﬁxing leaky heart valves without requiring open heart surgery has had its ﬁrst successful implant performed at St. Paul’s Hospital.

The device — called the Tiara — has been nearly a decade in the making. It was successfully implanted in a 73-year-old patient by a team of surgeons at St. Paul’s on Jan. 30. It was designed to ﬁx a condition called mitral regurgitation, in which the mitral valve in the heart does not close properly, allowing blood to leak from the left ventri-

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cle to the left atrium – a condition that typically requires cardiac bypass surgery. Similar devices have been used for years to ﬁx problems in the aortic valve, but the mitral valve is more problematic, and to date no one has been able to successfully develop a device that can be inserted via catheter. The patient who received the device was considered a “no option” patient, who would not likely have survived open-heart surgery. The Tiara was designed as an alternative to bypass surgery, a highly invasive four-hour procedure. The device is inserted using a transcatheter, which requires only a small incision.

ANNUAL BREAST-CANCER SCREENING URGED FOR WOMEN AT HIGH RISK

February 14,15,& 16,2014

VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE,EAST BUILDING EXHIBIT HALL B & C

Friday,12 noon to 7 pm | Saturday,10 am to 7 pm | Sunday,10 am to 6 pm

www.thewellnessshow.com

EVENT INFORMATION 604-983-2794 Organic Market Section Soponsored by:

Celebrity Cooking Stage Sponsored by:

Women & Wellness Seminar Series Stage Sponsored by:

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Media Sponsors:

A new breast cancer screening policy for British Columbia urges women aged 40 to 74 to have annual mammograms if their mothers, sisters or daughters have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The B.C. Cancer Agency released its new guidelines Feb. 4 and calls this recommendation a step toward personalized cancer screening. Research has shown that women who have a so-called ﬁrst order relative with breast cancer have two times the risk of developing the disease than women who do not. The revised guidelines recommend screening every two years for other women between the ages of 50 and 74, the age group in which more than 80 per cent of breast cancers are detected. The B.C. Can-

cer Agency is also allowing women aged 4049 to be screened every two years without a doctor’s referral, though it urges women in this age group to discuss the pros and cons of screening with a health-care provider. The same is true for women aged 75 and older.

GET WELL SOON Western Canada’s biggest trade show dedicated to helping people live healthier lives returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre Feb. 14-16. The Wellness Show includes exhibitors, speakers and demonstrations on a wide range of health and wellness topics. Highlights for this year’s event include the celebrity cooking events with the likes of Kate Gajdosik, Daryle Nagata and Craig Scherer, ﬁtness workshops on activities ranging from square dancing to pole walking, a wide range of vegan cosmetics, and a whole wholesome lot more. General admission is $12.50 and a three-day pass is $28. Visit thewellnessshow. com for more information.

B.C. HEALTH AUTHORITY GETS NEW PRESIDENT Carl Roy has been appointed president and CEO of the Provincial Health Service Authority. Roy has served in the position on an interim basis since June 2013. Previous positions include CEO for Providence Health Care in Vancouver, president of the Caritas Health Group in Edmonton, and president and CEO of Sudbury General and St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Sudbury.

Legacy Senior Living Proudly Presents: A Special Preview of Wellness Programs Available at Legacy.

Featuring Annette Wertman Certiﬁed Yoga Instructor & Owner of Ageless Yoga Join Us for a Complimentary Class of

“Yoga with Chair” Wednesday, February 19th, 2014

Pre-Registration Deadline: Thursday, February 13th Register Early as Seating is Limited

Call 604.240.8550 A SPECIAL PREVIEW

10:30 am – 11:00 am Check-in & Introductions 11:00 am – 12:00 pm “Yoga with Chair” 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Light Lunch, Tea, Talk & Tidbits of Wisdom Location: Oakridge Centre Auditorium Unit 507- 650 West 41st Avenue (West “Bay” Parking Lot, Green Awning Entrance next to Kin’s Market) Chair Yoga – Regular exercises are adapted and done while sitting or holding onto a chair.

The Leo Wertman Residence Legacy Senior Living | Opening July 2014 | 611 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver BC, V5Z 2M8

W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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health

Poverty the primary factor of illness ONLINE SURVEY SEEKS INPUT ON BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

DAVIDICUS WONG

hat are the key factors that influence your health and the health of others in our community? Most of us think first about the health care system and your access to quality care. In the 2009 report of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Health, only 25 per cent of the health of the population was attributable to the health care system, 15 per cent was due to individual biology (i.e. genetics) and 10 per cent to environmental factors such as air quality and civic infrastructure. The remaining 50 per cent was due to a variety of social determinants, including poverty, work conditions, housing, diet and community factors. In the winter and spring of 2013, the Canadian Medical Association held town hall meetings in cities across the country and consulted widely online. The CMA’s report — Healthcare in Canada: What Makes Us Sick? — was released in July 2013. Poverty was found to be the most significant determinant of illness. Other significant

determinants included access to affordable and safe housing, early childhood development and education. Most of us have a good idea of what we need to do in order to live healthier lives. Exercise, eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight, don’t smoke or use recreational drugs, limit alcohol, reduce stress and maintain good relationships. Yet for most of us, there are barriers to doing all the right things. Due to poverty, many families struggle to get food on the table. To eat ﬁve or more fruits or vegetables a day is not affordable. Others are unable to ﬁnd safe and affordable housing. Some neighbourhoods

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1. OSTEOARTHRITIS AND SURGERY

Get a clear picture of what’s happening with your body. Dr. Barry Koehler, Rheumatologist and Dr. Kostas Panagiotopoulos, Orthopaedic Surgeon will blend their expertise and discuss all your questions about osteoarthritis and surgery.

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photo Rebecca Blissett

More than three thousand meals were served this past December at the Union Gospel Mission’s 73rd annual Christmas dinner. According to a recent Canadian Medical Association report, poverty was found to be the most signiﬁcant determinant of illness.

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rently being conducted by the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health authorities. The online survey is seeking to identify the health supports you need in your neighbourhood. It will identify the barriers to healthy living, including access to services, housing, recreational facilities, affordable food, mobility, transportation and language. The six main areas cov-

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do not have easy access to transit, community centres, parks or safe areas to walk. The global healthy cities and community movement is working to engage communities, cities and governments to address the social determinants of health and to work together to improve the health of the population. You now have an opportunity to get involved. My Health My Community is a major public survey cur-

For more information and to take the survey, go to myhealthmycommunity.org. We are all responsible for the health of our community. Dr. Davidicus Wong is a family physician and Physician Lead of the Burnaby Division of Family Practice. His column appears regularly in this paper. You can read more about achieving your positive potential in health at davidicuswong.wordpress.com.

ARTHRITIS

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My Health My Community is a major public survey conducted by Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health authorities.

ered in the survey are (1) sociodemographics, (2) health status, (3) lifestyle, (4) health care access, (5) the built environment and (6) community belonging. In this project, the health authorities are partnering with local government and community organizations as the survey will provide a greater understanding of the needs of our communities and allow informed action to address them.

2. TIPS, TRICKS & TOOLS TO MANAGE ARTHRITIS

Featuring Morag Crocker, Occupational Therapist, learn about the many tools and gadgets available to help make daily tasks easier. Get some tips and tricks to help manage arthritis symptoms and take the pressure off your joints. ThispresentationisinEnglishwithCantonesetranslation. DATE:

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

TIME:

10:00 am – 12:00 pm

LOCATION:

Strathcona Community Centre 601 Keefer Street, Vancouver

COST:

FREE

Please call 604.714.5550 or to register in Cantonese call 604.713.1843

www.arthritis.ca

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4

FREE

EVENT

We’ve always stood out with the ladies but now that we’ve teamed up with VitaminDaily.com Canada’s premier online lifestyle magazine for women – we’re simply irresistible. With its reach and inﬂuence VitaminDaily.com can help your brand, product or service stand out with discerning females in the much sought-after 25-45 age group. To learn more about VitaminDaily.com and the laws of attraction, call Janis Dalgleish today at 604.630.3518.

VANCOURIER.COM THE VOICE OF VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS

W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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

OUR

PICKS FEB. 5 - 7, 2014

For video and web content, scan page using the Layar app.

1 2 3 4

Part job fair, part industry conference, part film festival, SPARK [FWD] brings together the nerdy worlds of visual effects, stereo 3D and advanced imaging Feb. 5 to 9 at Vancity Theatre. Films include a 20th anniversary screening of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park in 3D, a 75th anniversary screening of The Wizard of Oz 3D and a 60th anniversary monster triple bill of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON 3D and House of Wax 3D. Details at sparkfx.ca. Wash that man right out of your hair as Patrick Street Productions takes audiences on a romantic journey through the songbook of RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN with the premiere of OUT OF A DREAM, Feb. 5 to 16 at the York Theatre. Conceived and directed by Peter Jorgensen, the musical revue draws from every show written by the prolific Broadway duo, including Carousel, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, The King & I and Oklahoma! For tickets, go to thecultch.com or call 604251-1363. Info at patrickstreetproductions.com. Live variety show PAUL ANTHONY’S TALENT TIME celebrates its SIXTH ANNIVERSARY Feb. 5 at the Biltmore Cabaret with another humdinger of a show. Highlights include veteran saxophonist Roland Callender, comedian Ivan Decker, nine-year-old opera singer Capri Everitt, live house band, possible co-host Ryan Beil and fan favourite the cover-charge piñata. Details at biltmorecabaret.com.

Up your film cred considerably or count the number of pixie haircuts as The Cinematheque presents JEAN-LUC CINÉMA GODARD. The influential French filmmaker and key figure in French New Wave cinema in the late 1950s and ’60s gets the major retrospective treatment beginning Feb. 6 and ending March 5. Films include Godard’s seminal 1959 debut BREATHLESS, Le petit soldat (1960), Alphaville (1965), Pierrot le fou (1965), Vivre sa vie (1962), Contempt (1963) and Weekend (1967), among others. Details and show times at thecinematheque.ca or by calling 604 688 FILM.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4

SWITCH IT UP IN 2014 Do it for a fun and active lifestyle, lifestyle not a resolution!

with a Reduce stress

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arts&entertainment

• Whisker 3000 • Blurred Felines • Litter Perfect • Tail End • Catatonic • C@ • Paws for Effect • The Purrrfectionist

KUDOS& KVETCHES CAT-ASTROPHIC It appears Basat, the cat-headed ancient Egyptian goddess of warfare, has heard our lonely snifﬂes in the night. According to Metro, a Vancouver woman is applying for a business licence to open a cat café, or “catfé,” where customers can chill with an assortment of onsite felines while doing what one normally does in a café with the addition of pulling stray hairs from one’s mouth. Popular in Tokyo, the concept is also apparently spreading to Montreal and San Francisco. The woman behind the prospective Vancouver cat café, the appropriately named Michelle Furbacher, says her business will also act as a foster home for cats from animal shelters. “People will meet the cats, fall in love with them and maybe want to adopt them,” Furbacher told Metro, where in a rare instance the reporter didn’t resort to such cat puns as “pawssibly,” “lapping up lattes” and “catmosphere.” Personally, we’re all for cat cafés, especially since our landlord won’t allow cats. Downstairs neighours who put ﬂuorescent lights in the food yard waste bin and who listen to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” at 2 a.m. on a Thursday night? Sure. But a tiny, quiet cat? Not on your life. So with that in mind and inspired by Metro’s love of a good cat pun, we’d like to suggest possible names for the café: • The Kitty Ranch • Fur-ever Young • Pussy Galore • Cat Albert

BIRTHDAY SITE This week, social media giant (and frequent reason for us swearing at our computer) Facebook turns the precocious age of 10 years old. In that time, it has revolutionized the way we communicate, express ourselves, hook up with former classmates, stalk former classmates, avoid former classmates and passively troll for attention bywritingvaguestatusupdatessuchas“Worstday ever,” “I am so done with this crap” and “Sigh.” Equally important, Facebook has resuscitated the old-fashioned chain letter, integrated even more advertising into our daily lives and given users a sense of social justice just by allowing them to click “like” or comment on countless posts or threads rather than go through all that pesky hassle of writing an actual letter to an elected ofﬁcial or physically protesting some sort of wrongdoing. And let’s not forget the introduction of Candy Crush to our previously mundane lives. Then again, maybe we’re being a little harsh. After all, Facebook is a great way to invite people to events. You can trash talk your buddies on Facebook, post holiday photos and share your favourite Platinum Blonde video. It also does a great job of helping you wish someone a happy birthday, even though in pre-Facebook times you probably wouldn’t have bothered. So happy birthday, Facebook.

ar-round friends ye

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Buy a 30 day Flexipass for only $30 and receive two bonus offers: • One free month when you extend this pass • $50 off a personal training package Try out the only pass in Vancouver that gives you access to gyms, pools and rinks!

Offer available January 2 to February 9, 2014 vancouver.ca | phone 3-1-1 Terms and conditions apply and are subject to change without notice.

The Westside Seniors Links Program is run by Kitsilano Neighbourhood House and funded by SMART Fund and the City of Vancouver. This program brings together seniors in the community who need a hand around the house with students able to help. We provide you with a small list of students to interview. You hire whomever you choose & pay the student $10.25/hour directly. There is a 2 hour minimum. Students can help with: light housework - shopping laundry - pet care gardening - yard work odd jobs - computer help reading aloud - & more To get connected please contact Nikki at 604-732-7773 or nikki@kitshouse.org. If you are a post-secondary student interested in participating in this program, please apply online at www.kitshouse.org.

W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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arts&entertainment

HotelVancouver raises the Roof SANDRA THOMAS Staff writer

o one is looking forward to the reopening of the Roof on the 15th floor of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver on West Georgia Street as much as big band leader Dal Richards, who played the iconic room with his 11-piece orchestra from 1940 to 1965. During an interview this week, Richards reminisced about a night in the 1940s, when a nightclub promoter managed to sneak a very famous actor and his horse into the room via the hotel’s freight elevator. At the time, the popular venue was called the Panorama Roof ballroom. “Roy Rogers was performing at the Pantages Theatre and they wanted to stir up some publicity,” said the 96-year-old Richards. “So they arranged to have him and Trigger come up in the elevator for a photograph with me.” Richards is very much looking forward to once again visiting the room, which closed in 1992 and reopens Feb. 14 for a limited time as the Roof Restaurant and Bar. During a sneak peak of the room Monday evening, the setting sun filled the space with such gorgeous light that photographers and smartphone users snapped photo after photo in a quest to capture that one perfect moment in time. And while the Roof was in the final

photos (left) Alfred Knight, (right) Jennifer Gauthier

Roy Rogers and Trigger visited Dal Richards and his orchestra during the Panorama Roof’s heyday. Beginning Feb. 14, the renovated room will open as a “pop up.” stages of a renovation project, its potential was blatant with ﬂoor to ceiling windows ﬂanking the north and south walls of the large space. Richards said during the Second World War those windows, which on this night offered an expansive view of the city, ocean and sunset, were shuttered. “The view had to be blacked out so the Panorama Room had no panorama,” remembered Richards. During Richards’ reign at the ballroom,

the lineup of famous musical guests included Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Jack Benny. The band’s performances were also regularly broadcast nationally on CBC Radio. “On a social level there’s been nothing like it,” said Richards. Putting a modern twist on the vintage feel of the Roof is a new bar, which runs almost the entire length of the room and offers up some of the signature cocktails served at the height

of the venue’s popularity, including the Moscow Mule. A new modern menu created by Fairmont executive chef Cameron Ballendine includes a global take on ingredients sourced from across the province. Afternoon tea will also be served each day at the Roof. Ballendine told the Courier he’s excited to see the Roof launched as a restaurant. The room was previously only open during special events, such as weddings and, of course, Richards’ 95th birthday celebration in 2013. Later the chef told the small crowd gathered it’s been interesting learning how to create classic dishes from the 1940s and 1950s. “Because I wasn’t around at the time,” said Ballendine, who added he used to think how amazing it would be to one day become chef of the Roof. “And here I am.” The executive chef said he’d like to see the venue opened permanently. For now the “pop up” concept will see the room open from Feb. 14 through the summer. Fairmont Hotel Vancouver general manager Michael Pye told the crowd while many set the groundwork before him, it’s his pleasure to be in place to see the Roof reopen. He added so many memories have been made at the Roof, it will be exciting to see what this next chapter brings. “And it’s opening Valentine’s Day as a love affair to this city,” said Pye. sthomas@vancourier.com Twitter.com/sthomas10

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4

arts&entertainment

Ambitious Seagull flies THE SEAGULL

At Telus Studio Theatre (UBC) until Feb. 8 Tickets: 604-822-2678, theatre.ubc.ca nton Chekhov subtitled The Seagull “A Comedy in Four Acts,” but the great Russian playwright has been hard pressed to convince audiences — spanning more than 100 years — that this play is funny. It’s true there’s something ridiculous in all the romantic entanglements: Konstantin loves Nina but Nina falls for Trigorin; Masha loves Konstantin but Medvedenko loves Masha; Dr. Dorn loves Irina but Irina loves Trigorin; Polina loves Dr. Dorn but is married to Shamrayev. And shooting a seagull and laying it at the feet of someone you love — but who no longer loves you — is more than a little over the top. But “A Comedy in Four Acts”? I’m not convinced. This is a really tough play and an ambitious undertaking by MFA (Directing) candidate Kathleen Duborg, but she pulls it off nicely. She draws some exceptionally ﬁne work from her student cast of 13 — a size that makes it too costly for most professional theatre companies to undertake. With the exception of Thomas Elms (Konstantin), Natasha Zacher (Nina) and Helena Fisher-Welsh (Masha), these student actors are much younger than the characters they portray so they are pushing boundaries that go beyond geography

(Russia) and period (late 19th century). But more than that, because the play is not primarily plot driven, these young actors really must work at character development. That’s not easy because what the characters say is often at odds with how they feel. Although Chekhov weaves an interconnected web of characters, the major characters are Irina Arkadina, Nina and Konstantin. Beautifully gowned by costume designer Sian Morris, Mercedes de la Zerda is a fine Irina: charming and flirtatious but petulant, selfabsorbed and miserly. So wrapped up in her acting career and her obsession with Trigorin, Irina scarcely notices anyone else. De la Zerda’s performance is elegant and exquisite. Thomas Elms’ Konstantin is also selfcentred but unhappy, brooding and melancholy. By Act IV, Konstantin has become a writer and is more settled. Elms shifts these gears smoothly and believably. Zacher, as Nina, also has to make a big change in Act IV. Nina, so gushingly full of girlish enthusiasm in Act I, II and III, returns broken in the fourth act. While in the first three acts, Zacher simply bubbles she comes back with Nina’s grief and world-weariness late in the play. The Seagull is a masterpiece and there are not many opportunities to see it. Just don’t expect a comedy in four acts. —reviewed by Jo Ledingham Note: A longer version of this review, can be found vancourier.com/entertainment.

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W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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GOT SPORTS? 604-738-1411 | sportsandrec@vancourier.com

Kits falls to Bulldogs despite heroic half CHURCHILL DEFEATS BLUE DEMONS 10785 TO IN CLASH BETWEEN CITY’S TOP BOYS SQUADS JONNY WAKEFIELD Contributing Writer

or one half on Monday night, the Kitsilano Secondary Blue Demons proved they have what it takes to match one of B.C.’s top high school boys basketball teams. By the final buzzer, though, the Bulldogs of Sir Winston Churchill Secondary showed why few teams in the province can touch them. The Bulldogs defeated the Blue Demons 107 to 85 at home Monday night in a fast-paced contest between the top two AAAA teams in the city. Churchill (22-3) is ranked second in the province, behind Surrey’s Tamanawis Secondary. Kitsilano (18-8) is currently unranked. The teams closed out the first quarter tied at 21. Churchill forward Mindy Minhas, typically a dominant player, recorded only three points in the first. But while the Kitsilano defence worked to shut down Minhas, Grade 10 forward Harry Liu came alive, scoring more than a dozen points before another Bulldog could come up with a basket. He finished the quarter with 14 points, including two from outside the arc. “We didn’t have the best first half,” said Churchill coach Rick Lopez. “If Harry didn’t hit those shots the way he did, we’d easily have been down 15 to 20 at the quarter.” At their peak in the second quarter, Kits led the Bulldogs by 13 points. Anthony Hokanson dominated the Kits offence in the second, netting four three-pointers and a field goal. However, repeated fouls by starters Howard Wang, James Hynes and Cole Bayne forced head coach Randy Coutts to go to his bench, costing Kits the momentum.

photo Jennifer Gauthier

Grade 10 forward Harry Liu (No. 31) recorded 14 first-quarter points and kept the Winston Churchill Bulldogs alive after a rocky start against the team from Kitsilano Secondary. “We got into a bit of foul trouble,” said Coutts. “The guys coming off the bench in the second quarter looked a little tentative. If we could have closed out the second, it would have been a totally different game.” The Churchill side clawed its way back and finished the half on top 47-45, with a three-point buzzer-beater from Minhas. The 6’4” senior committed to the University of B.C. before even starting his final year at Churchill, and his third-quarter play showed why top programs want him. Minhas put away 16 points in the third, and strong ef-

forts from Liu and Mindy’s brother Gary effectively put the game out of reach 79-64. Kits was unable to control the gap in the fourth, lagging behind by 17 with two minutes left to play. Minhas and Liu wrapped up with 36 and 33 points, respectively. Lopez said his team’s comfortable mop-up in the second showed their depth, but added the team was nervy in the ﬁrst half. “We needed to calm down, let the game come to us sometimes,” he said. For their part, the Blue Demons have proven they can pick off top-ten teams in

recent weeks, with an 89-71 win over the number-ten Yale Lions and a one-point loss to the number-six Terry Fox Ravens. “We’re on the doorstep, it’s a question of generating more defensively,” said Coutts. A rematch is on the horizon, with both teams playing in the city finals next week. A Kitsilano win over Killarney Secondary Jan. 5 would put Kits in the city finals against Churchill. The provincial finals will be played in Langley in mid-March. me@jonnywakefield twitter.com/jonnywakefield

Curling championship buoyed by Games VANCOUVER CURLING CLUB HOSTS B.C.’S BEST JENNIFER THUNCHER Contributing writer

he Vancouver Curling Club hosts the men’s provincials this week, almost four years to the day the same venue hosted the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Draws begin today (Feb. 5) at the 2014 Canadian Direct Insurance B.C. Men’s Curling Championship, and culminate on the weekend with ﬁnals Feb. 8 and 9.

The 16 teams to take to the ice in the Olympic legacy facility at Hillcrest Centre hail from across the province and include defending champions Team Bilesky from New Westminster’s Royal City Curling Club. Bilesky’s third, Steve Kopf, said he looked forward to competing where the Olympics were held four years ago. “It is such a new building and so much more advanced… that it is going to be exciting to be there,” he said. Kopf added it’s great to have the cham-

pionship in Vancouver where family and friends of the Bilesky rink, which also includes skip Andrew Bilesky, second Derek Errington, lead Aaron Watson and ﬁfth Ken Watson, can show up to cheer the team on. One of the most anticipated possible matchups of the championship is Team Bilesky versus Vernon’s Team Morris, the silver medalists at the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings held in December. But Kopf was not fazed by the prospect. “We’re going in there with our game plan if it is Morris or any other team… we have

played them before so it is just like any other match really,” he said. It will be a coming home of sorts for John Morris, skip of Team Morris, as he returns to where he and his team took home gold at the 2010 Games. “Needless to say there is a lot to get excited about,” said Willa Thorpe, the event chair and executive director. Thorpe said curling has increased in popularity in Vancouver since the city hosted the Games. continued on next page

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 4

sports&recreation continued from previous page She credits the upcoming Sochi Olympics for a recent uptick in the VCC’s memberships as people recall the events of 2010. And the new curlers aren’t the curlers many grew up knowing, she said. The perception of the curler as a grandparent is no longer accurate. “Our membership is a reflection of Vancouver and its diversity,” she said. “We literally have every walk of life and age bracket.” AccordingtoThorpe,havingsportsbroadcaster Sportsnet cover the championship semi-finals and finals will likely generate more wannabe curlers signing up at Lower Mainland rinks.

For those who know nothing about the sport, Thorpe suggests the men’s provincial championship is a welcome place to learn because new spectators can easily ﬁnd veteran curlers and longtime fans who will explain the game and strategy. “Curling is the one sport I know of, that everyone is, for argument sake, best friends right out of the gate,” she said. There will also be a “Rise with Russia” event Friday morning, where early risers can watch the opening ceremony of the Sochi Games on a big-screen TV and take in curling on the ice at the same time. For full event details go to: curlbc.ca. thuncher@shaw.ca twitter.com/Thuncher

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