Vancouver Courier March 26 2014 by Vancouver Courier

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014

Kits thrower one to watch

Vol. 105 No.25 • Established 1908

MIDWEEK EDITION

THE VOICE OF VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS

NEWS: Pappas closes 5/OPINION: Zealous entitlement at PHS 10

Prominentgraffiti downplayed as tagging ‘trend’

BUSINESSES, MURAL TARGETED BY HIGH PROFILE TAGGERS SANDRA THOMAS Staff writer

photo Rebecca Blissett

FACES IN A CROWD: Artist Andrea Hooge shows off some of her prints for sale at the Eastside Flea this past Saturday

at the WISE Hall. See story page 12. To view a photo gallery, see vancourier.com or scan this page using the Layar app.

he owner of a Subway shop on Oak Street has a message for the vandal who’s continually tagging the wall next to his store with the message “No Pipe Lines.” “I’m not a big corporation, I’m just an individual franchise holder,” Preet Sran told the Courier Monday. “This is the fourth time in the last month they’ve sprayed that wall.” Sran said his landlord is responsible for having the graffiti removed, but that cost is taken from a common expense account shared between the retailers in the small strip mall. “It seems to be happening every couple of days so it’s adding up,” said Sran. Has graffiti increased in Vancouver in recent months? Complaints to the city about graffiti were up last month, but no one is yet calling it an increase. The same tagger, or taggers, seems responsible for ruining a mural on Commercial Drive numerous times. The popular mural, the work of artist Milan Basic, has been tagged repeatedly with the words, “Oil Spill” and the “A” symbol synonymous with anarchy. Ironically, the “Oil Spill”

and “No Pipe Lines” tag is applied using petroleumbased spray paint. Main and Cambie streets also show numerous examples of the work of a vandal who uses large cartoonstyle letters. An example of that graffiti covered two walls of windows at a vacant storefront at the corner of East 41st Avenue and Main Street for more than a month before it was recently removed. Malek Burzynski, owner of Futur Graffiti Removal Services, tackled that removal job. Burzynski was reluctant to offer much information for fear of encouraging the taggers even more, but he noted graffiti is more noticeable when it appears as a trend. He said the “No Pipe Line” tag is just another trend, as was the “Mohinder” tag that covered much of the city’s East Side last year. “Trends in graffiti come and go,” said Burzynski. “When one disappears another takes their place.” Randy Fincham, media relations officer for the Vancouver Police Department agrees. “We do see trends emerging when a specific tag begins to spread throughout the city,” Fincham said in an email to the Courier. “Others tend to stop.” See PIPELINE on page 3

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

Heads: you get a worse recycling program. Tails: you get to pay more for it.

The BC Government is proposing to offload the province’s world-class recycling programs, run by local municipalities, to an association led by big multi-national corporations. The idea is that we’ll get a better, more efficient program that costs taxpayers less. Unfortunately, what we’ll really end up with is anyone’s guess. The association isn’t guaranteeing that we’ll get a better program, or even one as good as the current Blue Box program already in place. Since the association is led by big businesses outside of BC, many of whom are not even headquartered in Canada, one could presume that profits will come before environmental stewardship. They usually do. They also won’t guarantee that there won’t be any job cuts here in BC. And how is this supposed to make things better for BC?

Currently, BC homeowners only pay, on average, $35 a year for curbside recycling. Under the proposed regime, you’ll pay more. Every time you bring home a pizza, buy toilet paper, or pretty much anything else that comes in a package, businesses will be passing their increased costs on to you. How much more? Well, nobody’s saying. Here’s the only thing anyone does know: we already have a Blue Box program that works, is efficient, managed locally and puts the BC environment first. So why is the BC government flipping a coin, bringing in a questionable recycling program that some of our local elected officials are already calling a “scam?” It’s time to contact Premier Clark and ask her.

What’s going on here?

Email Christy Clark at premier@gov.bc.ca or call 250-387-1715. For more info, visit RethinkItBC.ca. #RethinkItBC. This Message is brought to you by:

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W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Pipeline tags are prolific Continued from page 1 Fincham added the VPD’s Anti-Graffiti Unit investigates incidents of graffiti in the city. In addition there are a number of community police offices that conduct paint-over programs to remove the vandalism. According to a statement from the city, there was an increase in 311 calls related to graffiti in February. The city is responsible for removing graffiti from street furniture such as electrical, newspaper and mail boxes, as well as bus shelters. The city’s integrated graffiti management team is tasked with eradicating graffiti, the enforcement of the city’s graffiti bylaw, and education and prevention programs organized to deter the vandalism on public and private property. The team conducts approximately 30,000 graffiti removals a year on public property, according to the city.

In addition, staff at the integrated graffiti management program educate and support community groups, businesses and residents on graffiti eradication, partially by providing free paint and helping coordinate Keep Vancouver Spectacular/Community Paint Out events to remove the vandalism. The city also offers several youth engagement and art programs, including community centre outreach for youth, RestART, a restorative justice art program for at-risk youth and a mural program among others. Fincham said t anyone who sees graffiti in progress should call 911 immediately so it can be investigated. If it’s after the fact, he said the public is asked to call the Graffiti Hotline at 311 or 604-873-7000 or email police at vpdgraffiti@vpd.ca. sthomas@vancourier.com twitter.com/sthomas10

photo Dan Toulgoet

A bus stop near King Edward and Oak is one of countless surfaces across the city defaced with “No pipelines” grafﬁti. To view a photo gallery, scan this page using the Layar app or visit vancourier.com.

“Tips for Downsizing – What to Toss And What to Take” A Lunch & Learn Session Legacy Senior Living invites you to join us and our guest Stephanie Chan, Owner of Home to Home Advisory Services Inc. Learn practical downsizing tips: de-cluttering, deciding what to take and what to toss, options for disposing of what you don’t want, moving logistics and setting up your new home.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

Notice of Development Permit Application

Public Open House

Public Realm Improvements - DP 14008 & DP14009 You are invited to attend an Open House on Thursday, April 3 to view and comment on public realm landscape improvements for two areas on campus. Plans will be displayed for the landscape improvements.

Date: Thursday,April3, 2014 Time: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM Place: Atrium, Fred Kaiser Building, 2332 Main Mall Representatives from the project teams and Campus + Community Planning will be available to provide information and respond to inquiries about these projects.

For further information: Please direct questions to Karen Russell, Manager Development Services karen.russell@ubc.ca 604-822-1586 For more information on this project, please visit: www.planning.ubc.ca This event is wheelchair accessible.

news

Stanley/New Fountain was key prize for PHS

BOB MACKIN Contributing writer

he Stanley/New Fountain Hotel is like a well to which PHS Community Services Society keeps returning. The Downtown Eastside charity’s four senior managers quit and its nine-member board was replaced last week after B.C. Housing and Vancouver Coastal Health audits found widespread misspending of taxpayer funds. PHS ran a $2.07 million deficit for the year ended March 31, 2013, but its annual financial report was revised last summer to show a $3.9 million surplus after it sold the Stanley/New Fountain Hotel, built in 1907 at 36 Blood Alley Square. In 2001, Greater Vancouver Housing Corp. gave PHS ownership of the single room occupancy hotel, but 2002 provincial cutbacks halted renovations. City hall paid PHS $2 million for the 104-room Stanley/New Fountain in 2003 and B.C. Housing chipped-in $500,000 for renovations to house squatters from the Woodward’s protests. City hall spent $237,504 for a new roof and arcade fencing in 2008. A report to council said it was supposed to break even on ground floor commercial leases and room rents, but ongoing maintenance and additional staff needed for tenants with addictions and illnesses led to undisclosed PHS losses. City hall balked at extending a March 31, 2013 deadline for PHS to buy the property,

but city manager Penny Ballem denied it tried to block the sale. “It’s not our business to say you can afford it or not, it’s not something you’d interfere with,” Ballem said. Westbank Corp. president Ian Gillespie said his 23 Cordova Property Inc. eventually exercised the option for $2.348 million on April 29, 2013. Under the deal, PHS remains the manager and the developer has to replace the SRO housing. Stanley/New Fountain was appraised at $9.51 million in 2012, so PHS auditor EPR counted a $6 million gain. “They didn’t have the money to buy it themselves,” Gillespie told the Courier. “They were concerned that it not get bought by some of the elements circling for property in that area.” Gillespie called it a “defensive move” for Westbank, which owns retail and ofﬁce space nearby at Woodward’s and 60 W. Cordova St.. As for PHS’s problems, Gillespie said he wasn’t aware until the damning audits were published. “They were fantastic to deal with, so it’s kind of sad,” he said. “On the other hand, as a taxpayer, I think it’s important that people are looking out for these things.” City of Vancouver statements of ﬁnancial information show city hall paid $938,081. for goods and services and $133,363 in grants to PHS between 2003 and 2011. bob@bobmackin.ca

“In my house great food always meant good company.” At Tapestry Retirement Communities, we respect your independence as well as the personal choices you make. In fact, we believe they’re what keep you feeling positive and enjoying life to the fullest. Whether it’s dining in the restaurant, cooking in your own kitchen or making new friends, Tapestry can provide you with the resources and support to do it. Call us today and see what kind of individualized programs we can oﬀer to help keep your body, mind and spirit healthy, vibrant and young at heart.

Angela Smith savouring her appetite for life

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W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Pappas wraps up family fur store CENTURY-OLD BUSINESS WEATHERED HISTORY OF DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE SANDRA THOMAS Staff writer

family company that’s been selling high-fashion furs across the globe for more than 100 years will close its doors April 15. Constantine Pappas said Pappas Furs, located on Hamilton Street across from Victory Square, has a long history in the city. “We’re the third generation of my family in the fur industry,” said Pappas, president of the company. George Pappas landed in New York from Greece after emigrating in 1910 and then moved to Prince George via San Francisco. He worked as a foreman during construction of the Grand Trunk railway line, overseeing a crew of about 200 men. His brother Theodore later joined him and began buying furs from the First Nations people he encountered. It didn’t take Theodore long to become a furrier and together the brothers founded Pappas Furs. Constantine Pappas said it’s because of his family’s long history in dealing with ecofriendly suppliers with a focus on the humane treatment of animals that he’s never had any qualms about selling fur, despite the occasional protest targeting the store. “It’s part of my family’s heritage,” said Pap-

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photo Dan Toulgoet

Contantine Pappas is closing the doors of Pappas Furs doors after more than 100 years. pas, who’s worked at the store for 45 years. “In 1969 I worked three days a week while I went to university until I graduated with a degree in psychology. Later I took another full year off to get a teaching degree. I wanted to have a profession, but I’ve always worked in the store.” Pappas, who turns 63 in May, said his father waited until he was 85 to retire and then passed away at 88. “I never forgot what my father said to me before he died: ‘Don’t do what I did, you’re

still young enough to enjoy yourself,’” said Pappas, who has no children who could take over the company. The top three floors of the 24,000-squarefoot building, which is still owned by the Pappas family, are under construction. Pappas said the top floor will likely become a restaurant, while the other floors and eventually the storefront will be rented out to other companies. Pappas noted the neighbourhood has undergone a huge transition in the past few

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decades, adding it was a desirable neighbourhood at the time the Woolworth and Woodward’s department stores flourished nearby. He added with their eventual closures, the neighbourhood went downhill. “But with the redevelopment of the Woodward’s building it’s becoming a popular neighbourhood again,” said Pappas. He added it also helped when he and a group of local business owners and residents teamed up with the city and park board around 2000 to redevelop Victory Square across the road. They formed the Friends of Victory Square group and, with the help of the Vancouver Police Department, worked to reclaim the green space, which had become a hotbed of criminal activity and home to a group of squatters. With financial support from the federal and provincial governments, the project was finally completed in 2004. For now the longtime vegetarian has few plans with the exception of liquidating more than $2 million worth of furs and becoming a master herbalist, a study he’s been interested in for years. “I’ve been studying at a school of natural healing in Utah and my plan is to finish,” said Pappas. “And I guess I’m becoming a landlord, but that’s about it.” sthomas@vancourier.com twitter.com/sthomas10

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

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spite accusations of child exploitation and discrimination. Jaden Stevenson, the 19year-old owner of the Wax Hair Removal Bar located inside High Fidelity Salon, opened the business on Feb. 1 and has received complaints from a few neighbourhood women ever since. “We got a call from the Commercial Drive BIA warning us that a couple people weren’t too happy about the sign,” said Stevenson. After a woman sent a letter to Luba Sasowski, founder of Wax Bar which has locations in Kitsilano and Las Vegas, stating that she was part of Britannia elementary school’s parent advisory council and voiced concerns over the words “anal bleaching,” the salon taped over the words on the sign until it could talk with the council. “Luba sat down with the PAC board to talk about their concern and they told her that Tanya wasn’t part of their group and they didn’t have a problem with it,” Stevenson said. According to Stevenson, letter writer Tanya Van, who refused to comment to the Courier, has sent friends to the business to harass staff and attempted to generate support from others. “We sent her a cease and desist letter because she was going around the Drive to different businesses and using the term child exploitation, which is something we obviously don’t want to be associated with our business,” said Stevenson. In her letter to Sasowski, Van wrote: “We feel that this phrase anal bleaching on the sandwich board on the way to school to be potentially grooming our young students that walk by it every weekday for child exploitation.” Stevenson said the salon understands Van’s points. “We didn’t agree with them. We have very different opinions,” she said.

She added once Wax Bar realized Van wasn’t part of PAC, they removed the tape from the sign. Marlo Moore, owner of High Fidelity Salon, said Van has called the shop on multiple occasions and has harassed her. Moore eventually gave the woman her cellphone number to ensure employees wouldn’t be bothered, although other women have showed up in person to voice their opinions. “Friends of hers have come in, yelling in front of clients and everything,” Moore said. Moore has had two cancellations of hair appointments. Stevenson said that despite the campaign, most people in the area support the salon and she is trying to spin this experience into something more positive. She is starting a fundraiser with Colon Cancer Canada by donating a percentage of the money from anal bleaching services to colon cancer research. “My friend’s father just got diagnosed with colon cancer, so that made me decide to do it,” she said. Stevenson also said that while the term anal bleaching might be offensive to some, she was reluctant to change the wording of her sign because she didn’t want to mislead customers about the service that was offered. While bleaching of the skin can be done on other body parts, including nipples, genitals, underarms and birth marks, that work is not done at their salon. If customers wish to bleach other areas, they can purchase an at-home kit. She said the service is provided only to customers aged 18 or older, which is the same policy used for Brazilian waxes, a service that was also controversial when it gained popularity. kristenmoran86@hotmail.com twitter.com/EastVanKristen

BEST BUY - CORRECTION NOTICE NEWSPAPER RETRACTION FOR THE BEST BUY MARCH 21 CORPORATE FLYER

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W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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news Game convention offers personal touch A8

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

TABLETOP GAMES ENJOY RESURGENCE LISA SMEDMAN Contributing Writer

n an era when most people ﬁnd their entertainment in front of a video screen, Shannon Lentz ﬁnds a certain appeal in dice, little wooden blocks and cardboard. “[Board gaming] is very tactile, pushing around pieces of cardboard or wood,” says Lentz. “It feels different from a video game. It’s more tangible, more real. And it’s very social. You’re sitting around a table with a group of people. It’s a great way to meet people.”

That’s why he’s inviting a few hundred fellow board game geeks to his personal board game party: the Terminal City Tabletop Convention, which runs May 31 to June 1. Lentz, a chemist by profession, got into board gaming in a big way a decade ago. As it was for so many others, the gateway game was Settlers of Catan, a German board game whose 18 million units sold rival the sales ﬁgures of popular video games. “Once you play a game like that... this whole world was open. All these possibilities — all these different types of games.” In 2010, Lentz attended GottaCon, a board gaming convention in Victoria that drew 3,000 attendees this year. Wanting to do something similar in Vancouver, he rented the Fireﬁghters Banquet and Conference Centre in Burnaby, putting close to $2,000 of his own money on the line. Now he’s hoping the gamers will show up. There’s lots to draw them. The two-day convention runs

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from 10 a.m. to midnight on the Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the following Sunday. There will be board games, roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathﬁnder, and collectable card games (a Pokemon tournament on Saturday and a Yu-gi-oh tournament on Sunday). Comic book writer Kurtis Weibe will guest host the RPG Fiasco, and improv comedy troupe The Fictionals will perform a gaming-inspired show on Saturday night that will also include cast members of Standard Action, a web-based comedy series based on roleplaying gaming tropes. The convention will also feature Proto-Alley, a place where local designers can showcase their original board and card games. Admission is $35 for the weekend, $20 for Saturday only, and $15 for Sunday only. Kids 10 and under are free. Gaming has come a long way since Lentz was a kid. He recalls playing days-long games of Risk, and being prohibited from playing Dungeons & Dragons by his parents, who thought the roleplaying game was satanic. Now his board game collection ﬁlls his West End home. “Like many people who start gaming, I started buying way too many games, tons of games, more than you can actually play,” says Lentz. A trend he’s noticed in recent decades is that the top board game designers have become household names — at least among gaming geeks. “Back in the day, you didn’t know who designed what,” says Lentz. “Now a lot of people in the hobby follow designers. Whenever they have a new game out, they get all excited.” For Lentz, there’s just something about sitting across a table from an opponent, rolling dice. It’s a passion increasing numbers of people share, with game conventions springing up across the country — not to mention local venues like restaurants Storm Crow Tavern and Pizzeria Ludica, each of which feature extensive libraries of games patrons can sit down and play. “I think the rise of board gaming is not so much due to acceptance,” says Lentz. “It’s more due to people getting exposed to games, and they’re like, ‘This is a lot of fun. It’s something I can do instead of just watching a movie with my friends.” For more information on Terminal City Tabletop Convention, visit terminalcitytabletop.com.

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Shannon Lentz is hosting a new board game convention in Burnaby May 31-June 1.

news

W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Korean community centre seeks younger crowd RENOVATED CENTRE ON HASTING STREET UPGRADED THROUGH FEDERAL GRANT KRISTEN HARPULA Contributing writer

ancouver’s only Korean community centre has undergone a facelift and will officially reopen its doors April 1.The centre, which is located at 1320 East Hastings St. and has housed the Korean Society of B.C. for Fraternity and Culture since 1991, received a grant from the federal government in April 2013 and began renovations the next month. The grant, from the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund, provided $226,602 toward the project and the Korean Society and Korean Senior Society matched it with support from the Korean government and member donations. Vancouver boasts the highest Korean population in the country at over 50,000 people. The building, which was in dire need of repair, received new flooring, permanent signs, an upgrade to the exterior, a new roof, a new kitchen, a new stage and bathroom repairs. James Lee, head official of the Korean Society of B.C. for Fraternity and Culture, said that while the official date of completion is March 31, the group had an open house celebration in January in the main hall. “In January we opened with a ceremony in the main hall, because it was already renovated,” said Lee. “On March 31, we are holding an open house for reporters and media.” The space has also been rented out as a venue for dance parties such as Trizik Entertainment’s Extinction 2014 and the upcoming event Electrified 2014. Now that the renovations are reaching completion, Lee

will work with the society’s newly elected president Donald Lee to decide on which programs they will roll out in the future. “We provide education programs to the older people, through the Korean Senior Society. Teaching things like English and computer skills, holding ping pong games and dances,” Lee explained. He said that out of their 200 to 300 members, about 80 per cent are seniors and most of their programs currently cater to an older age group, a strategy Lee hopes to change. “There aren’t many members from the younger generation. I want to ﬁgure out a way to bridge the gap between seniors and the new generation,” he said. He said this includes revamping the programs available at the centre to cater to youth, adding

job fairs, games and dances and getting a website operational. He said that one of the programs that recently moved into the building is a program for adoptive parents of Korean children. The program was founded by Eun Sook Park and helps parents who’ve adopted Korean children learn about Korean culture, language and food to help their children understand where they came from. Park started the program with her own money, but as the number of people interested grew there was a need for a larger space, which the Korean Society provided. Lee said the society also rents out the space for various events, including weddings and conferences. kristenmoran86@hotmail.com twitter.com/EastVanKristen

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A RC H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

THE VANCOUVER COURIER

1574 West Sixth Ave., Vancouver, BC V6J 1R2 604-738-1411 Twitter: @vancouriernews vancourier.com

PHS expenditures are mind-boggling

t first glance, the spending scandal at Vancouver’s main social service agency is incomprehensible. How could so many dogooders who have been devoted to helping unfortunates for so long run so far out of bounds when it comes to spending money on themselves? But the story of the now-notorious Portland Hotel Society is a classic tale of how zealots can develop an uncontrollable sense of entitlement. The limousine rides, the four-star hotels, the free-and-easy, charge-card lifestyles are so far removed from what they were supposed to be doing that it’s staggering. But the spending scandal revealed in audits released last week suggest a close-knit band of crusaders who developed an us-against-the-world mentality. They took on any number of causes over the years and won a lot more arguments than they lost. It looks as if each win added to their self-righteousness. And that air of self-regard eventually turned into the casual sense of entitlement from which most of the spending scandals stemmed. “No one cares more than us. We are making more of a difference than anyone. So everything we do is justified.” For all the remarkable findings in the audits, it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s probably just a sampling. The external auditors were denied access to a lot of receipts and many documents were not made available. “In numerous instances interviewees seemed unwilling to provide details regarding expenses…” Even with minimal co-operation, the audits expose enough misuse to leave most people shaking their heads. The salaries for ex-boss Mark Townsend and the other executives were tens of thousands higher than stipulated in their contracts, due to ludicrous add-ons for sick pay and vacation pay. Townsend also collected $1,400 a month for leasing his basement to the society, as a workplace, with associated costs. One of them managed a $28,000 overtime bonus without even asking for it. The lapdog board of directors approved just about everything waved in front of them, including contracts to hire themselves. One audit turned up a $678 limousine ride from the Fairmont Pacific Rim to Grouse Mountain and on to a director’s house. That was part of the $8,657 limo bill run up in 2013. A business trip to Britain included spa, alcohol and floral bills. Another visit to Britain involved $8,900 in minibus and driver expenses. They spent $5,950 on Transat Holidays with no receipts or documentation. An employee was reimbursed $5,832 for the cost of a “Danube cruise,” with a note on the file that it was a gift for one of the directors. But NDP MLA Jenny Kwan’s involvement is the most fascinating angle. Her ex-husband, Robert Dan Small, was a director of the society. And she accompanied him on the questionable trips to Disneyland and Europe. She held a tearful news conference Friday to announce she will pay back nearly $35,000 in improper expenses and is taking a leave of absence. The two are divorced, or are divorcing. Her ex has some health issues. The question is how much she knew about the origin of the funds that paid for the trips. But who knows how different couples handle their finances? Is it expected that MLAs query their spouses at the start of a trip as to where the money is coming from to pay for it? Kwan could be forgiven for assuming her partner was handling things properly. Paying the money back is one thing. But she also needs to offer full details of her understanding of the financial aspects of the trip. She’s one of the least-liked MLAs in the legislature. Liberals despise her self-righteous, angry lectures. Her own colleagues haven’t forgotten the arrogant way she brought down former leader Carole James. She doesn’t have a stock of goodwill from which to draw on at this point. But that’s not enough of a reason to condemn her for taking family holidays she could be entitled to expect were properly funded. If people are doing so anyway, it’s because they know she would be furiously calling for Liberals’ heads if the tables were turned. lleyne@timescolonist.com

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letters

W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 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

Assault prompts painful reflection

hen it involves a vehicle, hit and run has serious legal and moral consequences for the offender. When a pedestrian strikes an unknown person and dashes off, the consequences also need to be taken seriously. I certainly got a shocking reminder Feb. 19. I got off the No. 9 bus at Broadway and Yew Street at 4 p.m. on a sunny afternoon and proceeded along Yew towards my home. At a fair distance behind me I heard the READER loud voices of some teens. At first, I just SOAPBOX thought “kids out of school” but listening with Beth Coleman to their bizarre “Who wants to be my Valentine?” bellowed four days after Valentine’s Day, I surmised that they were probably high on something. I kept walking. I was half a block away from the voices when I was assaulted by a powerful slap on the rear. As I wheeled around in shock, I saw a boy dashing back the half block to Broadway where his male and female friends stood laughing and snickering. No attempt was made to grab my purse. So why was I targeted? Because I was in the wrong place and the wrong time. Because I was the most vulnerable person around being female and 62 years old. Because I hadn’t looked at the teens and so would be unlikely to identify them. The shock and rage I felt at such a cruel, disrespectful violation of my person will linger for a long time. Despite the help of a kind man, the reassurance of another nearby teen who, with sad eyes said, “I hope you don’t think we are all like that” and the prompt and sympathetic handling by the police, I still ask myself the question Scilla Elworthy asks on TED Talks: “How do we fight bullies without becoming thugs?” I certainly swore at them and had enough adrenalin to give chase and enough anger to want to beat up the vicious fellow who hit me. However, this isn’t the answer. It simply doesn’t solve the problem. It compounds it. As to prevention, if you hear out-of-control loud voices. look and register height, hair colour, age, clothing, mannerisms or anything that will help you identify the individuals. Report any assault that happens or that you witness. However, we need to go further than that. We need to ask, what kind of society have we created where this senseless crime brings pleasure to a few young people? Blame isn’t enough. Even justice may not be enough. We need prevention and for that we need far deeper understanding of the problems and fears our youth face today. Although I have taught high school, college and university for 39 years, I don’t have kids or grandkids so I’ve been talking with as many young people as I can. Their honesty, openness, sympathy and wisdom have done much to assure me that there are many fine young people in our city. The reactions of those who have heard my tale are as odd as the incident itself. It ranged from serious concern, stunned horror, and tears to inappropriate laughter, sexist remarks, and prejudiced comments. A female acquaintance laughed when I related the story about half an hour after it happened, but immediately apologized when she saw my horrified reaction. Later I realized that it’s natural sometimes to laugh inappropriately at shocking events as a way of letting out complicated emotions. In fact, the next day a local store clerk when he heard of the assault began to cry and was very distraught at the senselessness of the crime. A man at the scene who helped me just after the attack was serious, logical and supportive while two 30-something guys who walked by reacted by saying “Well maybe you just have a nice ass”! I felt like saying, would it be so funny if someone smacked you in the groin? But I was too stunned by their misogyny to be witty at the time. As for “hit and run” criminals on sidewalks: Beware, we baby boomers, don’t take such cruelty lightly. We’ll fight back. But not with violence, I hope. Vancouver-born Beth Coleman has taught English and theatre from Prince George to Abu Dhabi.

The shock and rage I felt at such a cruel, disrespectful violation of my person will linger for a long time.

DECLARATION OF LOVE FOR OLSON

To the editor: Re: “Artspeak offers artiﬁcial value,” March 14. This is not to be misunderstood, but please tell Mr. Olson I love him! His column on “artspeak” really hit the spot with me. I am an artist. I create abstract photo-art. I can’t think of giving any of my pieces any kind of “realistic” name. I have often listened to some art-historian in a fancy gallery tell his admiring crowd what the artist “felt” when he created his work. Bulls**t really bafﬂes brains. Geoff, you are my favourite writer (right after John Irving and a few others). Peter Reusch, Vancouver

HARD HATS NOT GOOD ENOUGH To the editor: Re: “Mandatory helmet rules put lid on debate,” March 19. After a couple of high proﬁle skiing fatalities a decade ago there has been a surge in the number of people wearing helmets. Now, instead skiers are dying with their helmets on. The same can be said for cycling fatalities.

The proportion of fatalities with helmets on exceeds the number who wear helmets. It is both sad and counter-productive that we as a society put so much faith in these “safety” distractions. Notwithstanding Kelly Kurtz’s opinion, the facts as stated in the article are that helmets do not reduce snow sport fatalities. The claim that head injuries are reduced by 60 per cent seems to make helmets worthwhile, but the statistic is designed to deceive. As with cycling, helmets are nearly 100 per cent effective at reducing the most common superﬁcial injuries and become decreasingly effective as injuries become more severe and rare. Somewhere before the extreme of death they lose any effectiveness at all. So wear a helmet if you’d like to avoid a scratch or bump on the rare occasion that you hit your head. But don’t expect it to save you from serious injury or death.

Ron van der Eerden, Vancouver

UNIMPRESSED BY OAKRIDGE DECISION

To the editor: Re: “Council approves Oakridge Centre rezoning,” March 14. Majority Vision does not understand or ignores its role as representative of the people when it

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rubber-stamps what appears to be pre-determined agreements between the City and Ivanhoe Cambridge and Westbank. I attended hearings and was impressed by the knowledge and issues discussed by neighbourhood groups and residents and the genuine questions and concerns of councillors Carr, Afﬂeck and Ball. I was less impressed by the information and answers provided by city staff and the few questions asked by Vision councillors, who appeared genuinely disinterested, waiting for the end of the hearing to vote. Speakers raised concerns about the magnitude of the project, the ability of the existing infrastructure being able to handle the project, why TransLink, hospitals, local schools, emergency services had not been properly consulted, if at all and how and why the 2007 Oakridge Policy Plan was being ignored. City staff did not provide adequate answers. One of the few minor changes recommended by Coun. Louie of Vision was to ensure that a 300sq. ft. kitchen be included in one of the amenities in a development of 4.5 million square feet from the existing 900,000? Otherwise, application accepted as presented. How is that even possible? Ron Kornfeld, Vancouver

ON YOUR MIND ONLINE COURIER STORY: “PHS Community Services Society in ‘weak financial condition’: audit,” March 21. Vicki Vancouver @Vickivancouver: How do these people reconcile limousines, $800 hotel rooms, spas and international flights when their wards live with bedbugs? A-Ace Limousine @AAceLimos: $8,600 on limos and I never saw a penny of it... :( NDP Country @NDPCountry: Why wasn’t there an annual audit? #bcpoli COURIER STORY: “Oakridge redevelopment gets go-ahead,” March 19. Frederick King-Chuen Ma: We as Vancouverites should be less NIMBY-ish. Realize that your complaints about the new developments that are or may happen in your area are for the good of the Greater Vancouver area as a whole! How do you know you will still be living there in 10 years time? There are many areas in town like Oakridge that were only truly developed since the 1950s and which are underdensified. There are areas like Richmond which became heavily developed in the 1970s and beyond that should have been left as farmland! There are many areas in the Lower Mainland that are overdeveloped which should not be as they are in earthquake-prone floodplains! In my own area, West Point Grey, there isn’t enough densification, causing many seniors who have been longtime residents to move to other areas that have the facilities they need which aren’t available here. But in many ways this neighbourhood has become less car-centric in the last 40-odd years. Mirna Zagar: While progress is welcome, this particular expansion is a result of arrogance of city council and its specific interests in density as well as protecting developers appetites — pure greed one could easily call it — which long-term will contribute to the demise of Vancouver as the most liveable city in the world. The changes that are being imposed contribute to congestion, environmental challenges including changes to microclimate, etc. Has anyone undertaken the overall impact study long-term on the fabric of our society, quality of life, etc? These mini condos and high density solutions are not getting any cheaper only filling up developers pockets. Follow us on Facebook: The VancouverCourierNewspaper and Twitter: @VanCourierNews

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters may be edited by the Courier for reasons of legality, taste, brevity and clarity. To be considered for publication, they must be less than 300 words, signed and include the writer’s full name (no

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, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

CITY LIVING

GOT AN EVENT WE CAN SHOOT? LET US KNOW!

604-738-1411 | events@vancourier.com

photos Rebecca Blissett

FLEA FOR TWO: Tracy Brooks and Scott Beadle manned a table at The Eastside Flea that included everything from vintage books, “crazy” Scottish tea towels to records and vintage pottery. Scan this page using the Layar app or visit vancourier.com to see more photos.

Eastside Flea gives market modern twist ORGANIZERS WANTED TO BOOST CULTURE AFTER DEATH OF WALDORF

REBECCA BLISSETT Contributing writer

he Eastside Flea isn’t your grandpa’s junk market. Under the tentacles of white string lights and chandeliers were tables of baked sweets and ﬂowers from Fleur et Farine, cute and creepy drawings by Andrea Hooge, an assortment of vintage plates and a down powder puff for sale by Joanie MacKenzie, who was selling at the market this past Saturday at the WISE hall just for fun. “I’m practically giving this stuff away,” she said. The Eastside Flea celebrated its ﬁrst birthday three weeks ago. Friends and business partners Linda Ounapuu and Jill Whitford decided to start the market the Sunday after the Waldorf Hotel ceased to exist as one of

Vancouver’s most popular creative spaces last year, proving that the will to be creative can be as resilient as climbing ivy no matter how often it’s cut down to make way for development. “We were sitting there, in my living room and said, ‘let’s do something ourselves,’” said Ounapuu. “We felt that if we don’t get on this, somebody else is going to.” Traditional flea markets may dig up old memories for some of roaming endless rows of tables full of items such as jumper cables with one missing clamp or piles of old licence plates waiting to be purchased by somebody halfway through life wanting décor for his Mexican bar. Even the name “flea market” has somewhat unpleasant origins as it was coined from the outdoor markets of Paris, France where used furniture was often infested with the blood-sucking parasites. “What we’re trying to do is put a current twist on flea markets,” said Whitford, a graduate from the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business. “We’re bringing in modern goods that people actually want to buy and come seeking.” Ounapuu added that there are regular sellers mixed with new sellers. “It’s the feeling of it being a different market every time you come. You never know what you’re going to find.”

Inspiration came a couple years ago when a friend took Ounapuu to the Brooklyn Flea during a 24-hour layover in New York. “It was a mix of modern, small businesses, people making Popsicles at home and selling them under umbrellas, vintage sellers — this is what a ﬂea market should be! Not about some dusty, musty old lady stuff,” she said. Ounapuu and Whitford also saw similarities between the two cities and their struggles to keep arts and culture alive amidst development. The Brooklyn Flea began six years ago by organizers who were concerned about the city’s cultural community after the closure of several Manhattan markets. Founders Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby grew the market to include 150 vendors with a focused community, which echoes the Eastside Flea’s goal, said Ounapuu. “And we really wanted to do something on the East Side of town,” she added. “East Van deﬁnitely has a do-it-yourself feel and anything goes. People here are generally into vintage, they’re socially conscious…” Which perfectly describes vendor Leigh Burrows of Remixd Clothing and Collectables. Burrows is an Eastside Flea regular who started working as a picker — somebody who sorts through mountains of clothing in

rag houses to find the good stuff — five years ago and has since started Remixd. Small town thrift stores are her favourite sources for inventory because, as she says, people have different values in different places. “I find old rock T-shirts, old denim from the ’60s or Western wear… I bring it back here and everybody loves it,” Burrows said. “Walking into a thrift store is like Christmas day, it really is. I really like what I’m doing because I’m recycling things and recycled items nowadays are a much higher quality than a lot of the stuff you can buy new. It’s very important for me for people to understand that this is a good thing to do.” And, with the growing popularity of the modern flea market, The Eastside Flea included, sellers like Burrows will have opportunity to educate on the value of used for the foreseeable future. Eastside Flea joins forces with The Eastside Artisan’s Company for the Eastside Artisan’s Market this Saturday at the Woodward’s atrium from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Eastside Flea also presents the UBC Spring Market March 31 and April 1-2 at 6138 Student Union Blvd. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. rblissett@telus.net

W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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New seniors advocate brings optimism Vancouver organizer says B.C. government must fund seniors programs SANDRA THOMAS sthomas@vancourier.com

The executive director of the South Granville Seniors Centre is hopeful the new seniors advocate position announced last week by the provincial government will benefit B.C.’s growing elderly population. “Support for seniors is getting smaller and smaller,” said Clemencia Gomez. “I hope this seniors advocate will help us get more funding or at least better solutions.” Last Wednesday, Health Minister Terry Lake announced Victoria-based Isobel Mackenzie would be B.C.’s first seniors advocate. It’s the first such position created in Canada. Mackenzie has a long history of working with seniors, most recently as executive director of Beacon Community Services in Victoria for the past 18 years. Mackenzie, who was selected from more than 130 applicants, will begin work March 31, and her Victoria-based office is expected to be

Bridge generation: Grace Tanaka (left), Hope Rust and Eileen Eablitz (right) play a round of bridge at the South Granville Senior’s Centre. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

open and operational by late spring. The Ofﬁce of the Seniors Advocate will monitor seniors’ services, promote awareness and work collaboratively with families, policymakers, service providers and others to identify solutions to systemic issues and make recommendations

to government on ways to improve care for B.C.’s aging population. At the time of the announcement, Mackenzie said she would be dedicated to protecting her independence in representing seniors outside of government inﬂuence. “I have seen ﬁrst-hand

the issues, the challenges and the choices facing our seniors, their families and their caregivers,” Mackenzie said at a press conference following the announcement last Wednesday. “I have witnessed the profound desire of seniors to maintain their dignity and their indepen-

dence. And on more than one occasion, I have been humbled by the reminder that seniors are individuals who have their own ideas about how they see themselves aging.” Gomez said she hopes Mackenzie is aware of the vital role seniors centres play when it comes to helping older adults live healthy, digniﬁed lives. “Seniors centres are the preventative group,” said Gomez. “We’re the ones who help seniors stay healthy and independent through programs and lunches.The government should support seniors centres because they save them money.” Gomez described the work done at communitybased seniors centres as “amazing.” She added seniors’ populations are rapidly growing in all communities and that need for support must be addressed. “So the government should provide more funding,” said Gomez. “There have been cuts to so many programs like home support and community support.” Gomez said in Vancou-

ver many seniors centres have been in operation for decades. She added there’s a big difference between seniors centres and community centres. “Seniors want to enjoy their exercise programs like yoga and tai chi with other seniors,” said Gomez. “They don’t want to exercise with young people they can’t keep up with.” At the news conference last week, Mackenzie said in part, “I have spent nearly two decades working directly with seniors, their families and their care providers and learning about the individual issues that affect seniors as they age and receive care.” To that end, Gomez said she’s pleased with Mackenzie’s appointment and is optimistic the new seniors advocate will work closely with seniors centres in the future. “These days we spend all of our time looking for money,” said Gomez. “I hope with her help the provincial, federal and municipal governments will realize just how important seniors centres are.”

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

Canada’s inquest system lacks teeth Tom Carney tomcarney@telus.net

We live in an upside down world. We can split the atom and explore space but keeping seniors in safe care continues to be a challenge. Sprinkler rules for seniors’ facilities are back on the agenda after a deadly Quebec fire earlier this year. We know that sprinklers save lives.The National Fire Protection Association in the United States says, unequivocally, that their organization has no record of a fire killing more than two people in a completely sprinkled public assembly, educational, institutional or residential building. In the United States all federal care homes are now

required to have automatic sprinklers. In Canada, only Ontario has comparable rules. We know what to do here.We choose not to act. Across Canada we are getting reports of fatal attacks on residents at nursing homes by other residents, usually suffering from dementia. Most of these cases are reviewed to see if they warrant an inquest or a deeper examination by a death review panel. Ontario’s geriatric and long-term care review committee warned in a report in 2011 that, with our aging population, long-term care homes were becoming the new “mental health institutions.” Almost a decade ago, two residents in care in Ontario were killed by a senior who had a history of aggression and suffered from dementia. An inquest jury made 81 recommendations.

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Key findings were that the province give increased priority to managing residents with cognitive impairments, that people who are at risk should not be admitted to any facility until they have been assessed and a care plan developed, and that specialized facilities for residents with behavioural problems should be developed. Again we know what to do here and we choose not to do it. Then there’s the growing problem of seniors who simply wander away from care homes. Late last year the body of Joan Warren was found in Lynn Canyon Park after she wandered away from the Sunrise Senior Living facility in Lynn Valley. There was a similar incident in 2009 in Alberta. A fatality inquiry recommended that the province develop a comprehensive strategy for people with dementia, that the use of GPS monitoring devices be reviewed, and when there is a marked change in a patient’s health that health-care providers and family members are notified immediately.

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The judge recommended that the findings of the inquiry be published by Jan. 31, 2010.The study was not published, and Alberta’s provincial dementia strategy is still a work in progress. Fatality inquiries not only help expose problems in elder care, their recommendations are a prescription for a solution. Why then do the findings of inquests and fatality inquires often go unheeded? One final case study gives us our answer. In 2011, in response to recommendations of a death inquest in Ontario, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care committed in writing to implement a drug information system to track all medications prescribed and dispensed in the province. In 2012 the ministry quietly abandoned the idea, deeming it too costly. Nonsense. It’s the practice of doing nothing that is expensive. The problem with the inquest system in Canada is that it doesn’t have any teeth.There is no requirement that the authorities accept, comply with or even review the recommendations of a public fatality report. Other countries have national standards for death investigations and inquests. Canada should follow their lead. Tom Carney is the former executive director of the Lionsview Seniors’ Planning Society. Ideas for future columns are welcome.

W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Half-price seniors fare a bonus for B.C. Ferries Sandra McCulloch smcculloch@timescolonist.com

B.C. Ferries will pocket the new half-price seniors’ fares next month and use the money to reduce pressure for future fare increases affecting all ferry travellers, the Ministry of Transportation said last week. The province subsidizes all social programs on B.C. Ferries, including seniors’ and students’ discounts, and travel for people with disabilities and for medical purposes, the ministry said in a statement.The seniors discount program was directly funded by B.C. taxpayers to the tune of $14.9 million last year. When seniors rode for free, the province paid B.C. Ferries a full fare on their behalf. B.C. Ferries will continue to collect that full-fare subsidy and starting April 1 will also charge seniors 50 per cent of their fares

Monday to Thursday. The province will continue to provide B.C. Ferries with the full amount of the estimated funding that the company would have received if the current program, with a 100 per cent fare discount, had not been changed, the ministry said. “The ferry system will receive additional monies from the 50 per cent passenger fare that would be charged to

seniors,” said the ministry statement. The new fares paid by seniors will offset pressure for fare increases affecting all passengers beginning in 2016. “B.C. Ferries is getting all the money they would be getting from the government [seniors’ subsidy] and they also get, almost as a gift, 50 per cent fares from seniors,” said Brian Hollingshead, Saturna

Island representative on the ferries advisory council. B.C. Ferries and the government benefit from the arrangement, said Hollingshead. The bill for the free rides for seniors has been growing substantially and it was in the interest of both B.C. Ferries and the ministry to ease out of it, he said. “There are a lot more seniors travelling and fares

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are going up quite a bit,” he said. “Whatever B.C. Ferries gets from the seniors is all bonus money because it’s what they would have got from the government anyway, but it’s going in a different pocket.” The revelations came to light following the release of documents by B.C. Ferries on its social cost program for the last two fiscal years. In 2012-13, B.C.

Ferries provided 1.5 million free rides for seniors, their fares paid for with $14.9 million from the provincial government. B.C. Ferries is projecting a 20 per cent drop in the number of seniors riding at halfprice fare versus the number who rode for free under the program that’s being cancelled, said spokeswoman Deborah Marshall.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E D N E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

W E D N E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

2013 FORD FIESTA SE SEDAN

2013 FORD ESCAPE SE FWD

MOONROOF

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2009 CHEVROLET UPLANDER LT

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15,100

Stk# 133827A

2013 FORD FUSION SE SEDAN

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HEATED SEATS, SYNC

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2008 ACURA csx sEDan

2009 PONTIAC ViBE gt

2013 forD mUstang gt CONVERTIBLE

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NAVIGATION, MOONROOF, LEATHER

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LOW KILOMETERS STK# 1122194

2013 forD EDgE SPORT AWD

LEATHER, MOONROOF

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2013 FORD c-max hyBriD sE

2013 FORD EDgE sEL awD

14,900

2009 DoDgE Dakota SLT LARAMIE QUADCAB

BACKUP SENSORS

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2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA toUring gLs

2006 INFINITI g35 x sEDan

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LEATHER, MOONROOF STK# 2696600

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2010 DoDgE ram 1500 sLt 4x4 qUaD caB STK# 1059178

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2012 scion xB wgn

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E D N E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

W E D N E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

SAKURA MENU

2014

Garden City Rd Alderbridge Way

No.3 Rd

No.2 Rd

No.1 Rd

Williams Rd

Richmond

Venables bles St

APRIL 3 – 28

Main St

HAPA IZAKAYA COAL HARBOUR

ICHIRO JAPANESE RESTAURANT

909 W. Cordova St., Vancouver 604-420-4272 www.hapaizakaya.com Special Menu: Saku Laksa Soba $10.99

#110-12011 2nd Ave., Richmond 604-277-1150 www.ichirojapaneserestaurant.ca Special Menu: “Sakura Kaiseki” course menu $30

1 JUNO VANCOUVER SUSHI BISTRO

KISHIMOTO JAPANESE KITCHEN

572 Davie St., Vancouver 604-568-8805 www.junobistro.ca Special Menu: Two Kinds Tuna Tekka Don & Shrimp Mousse Osuimono Soup $14

2054 Commercial Dr., Vancouver 604-255-5550 www.is.gd/kishimoto Special Menu: Asparagus Oshisushi $8.95

2014 Program Guide

GE T TIC YOUR K TOD ETS AY!

Broadway o way

10 0 th Ave Ave

VE R

APRIL 328

Hastings H ngss St St

SPECIAL MENUS AVAILABLE

VA NC OU

C H E RRY B LO S S O M FESTIV A

Westminster Hwy

JAPANESE RESTAURANT MAP

Granville anville St

A20

KITANOYA GUU KOBACHI

MINAMI RESTAURANT

735 Denman St., Vancouver 604-683-0735 http://guu-izakaya.com/kobachi Special Menu: Chimaki $2.80, Mix Ice Cream $3, Sakura $6

1118 Mainland St., Vancouver 604-685-8080 www.minamirestaurant.com Special Menu: Sakura Roll $18

RAJIO JAPANESE PUBLIC HOUSE 3763 W. 10th Ave., Vancouver 604-558-1679 www.j.mp/rajio3763 Special Menu: Spring Premium Skewers Set $10.80

SAKURA NIGHT, MAR 30 GALA OPENING NIGHT | Tojo's Restaurant | 6:30PM – 9PM

FREE ! RT CONCE

FOLLOWED BY:

APRIL 3

CHERRY JAM DOWNTOWN Burrard SkyTrain Station NOON – 1:30PM

APRIL 5-6

SAKURA DAYS JAPAN FAIR R OU T Y ETS E G CK TI DAY! TO

VanDusen Botanical Garden 10AM – 5PM

Sakura Days Japan Fair www.JapanFairVancouver.com

SETO SUSHI 155-8460 Alexandra Rd., Richmond 604-231-9493 www.setosushi.ca Special Menu: Sakura Sushi Set $33.50

SHURAKU SAKE BAR + BISTRO 833 Granville St., Vancouver 604-687-6622 www.shuraku.net Special Menu: Spring Season Mussels in Miso Cream Sauce

$14

TOJO’S RESTAURANT

ZIPANG PROVISIONS

ZAKKUSHI

1133 W. Broadway, Vancouver 604-872-8050 www.tojos.com Special Menu: Tojo’s Seafood Salad with Cherry Mentaiko Dressing $24.00

3710 Main St., Vancouver 604-708-1667 www.zipangpro.com Special Menu: Spring Sweets with Sakura Tea $8.80

823 Denman St.: 604-685-1136 4075 Main St.: 604-874-9455 Now serving lunch at Main location (Wed - Sun) www.zakkushi.com Special Menu: Spring Kushi Trio $5.80

THIS MAP IS CREATED BY THE JAPAN FAIR ASSOCIATION OF VANCOUVER (JFAV)

www.JapanFairVancouver.com

Let the Celebration Begin!

VCBF.CA

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E D N E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

MARCH 1- JUNE 2 HAIKU INVITATIONAL

Presented by Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Share the many ways cherry blossoms bring you closer to your friends, neighbours, co-workers and community! Submit your poem online through our NEW “Best Vancouver” category.

W E D N E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

APRIL 5/12/19/26

APRIL 12

COAL HARBOUR

BLOSSOM BOLLYWOOD DANCE

Thursday, April 3 10am – 12noon

Be inspired by the blossoms and sign up for 3-hour sessions with Alfonso Tejada, Sandrine Pelissier and Elizabeth Harris in the beautiful setting of VanDusen Botanical Garden. Register online.

Shiamak Vancouver Performance Team is still zoobie doobie crazy for cherry blossoms! The team will lead you in hip new Bollywood moves centre stage on the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza. Free registration online - no rehearsal necessary.

WEST END & STANLEY PARK

PLEIN AIR BLOSSOM PAINTING CLASSES

lossoms

Saturday, April 5 1pm – 4pm

OPPENHEIMER Sunday, April 6 10am – 11:30am

VANDUSEN Sunday, April 6 1:30pm – 3pm

APRIL 3-28

APRIL 7

APRIL 26

Presented in partnership with TravelSmart, share your fun times with the cherry blossoms and submit online via email or with twitter hashtag #cherryblossomsyvr.

Join our speakers who work with the UN, UBC and international sustainable buildings, bringing forward a vision for Vancouver as a World Green City. Lecture is from 2-4pm at UBC Robson Square Theatre. Purchase tickets online.

Presented in partnership with Velopalooza, join the parade of cyclists following the peak bloom from 11am to 3pm to close the Festival with great fan fare! Meet at China Creek South Park (E Broadway and Clark Dr.) and check the website for updates!

BC BLOSSOM WATCH PHOTO CONTEST

WORLD GREEN CITY LECTURE

BIKE THE BLOSSOMS

UBC Saturday, April 12 10am – 11:30am

STANLEY PARK Saturday, April 12 2pm – 3:30pm

QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK Sunday, April 13 1:30pm – 3pm

EASTER PARADE

' & ( $ ) 2 ( #$ * ! . 2 & & , 2 %

Sunday, April 13 1:30pm – 3pm

) ( "& ( # ' $ " ! %

APRIL 4

SAKURA ILLUMINATION Come out after dark to appreciate Stuart Ward’s exciting and interactive video projection art on the cherry trees in Sutcliffe Park behind False Creek Community Centre on Granville Island.

APRIL 10

BLOSSOM BIOLOGY WORKSHOP Learn how to identify our city’s 54 cherry cultivars with Douglas Justice, author of Ornamental Cherries in Vancouver. 7:30 to 9pm in the VanDusen Visitor Centre Classroom. The indispensable ﬁeld guide to our cherry trees can be purchased online and through our retail partners.

APRIL 3-28

CHERRY BLOSSOM PICNICS Take time to get together with friends and the T&T Cherry Blossom Sushi Tray for a Pop-Up Picnic! To ﬁnd where cherry trees are in your neighborhood, consult our online Neighbourhood Maps. Enquire about our new waterproof Petal Mats created by Bing Thom Architects designers.

LARRY BERG FLIGHT PATH PARK Sunday, April 13 1:30pm – 2:30pm

FOR MERCHANDISE & MORE DETAILS:

VCBF.CA Programs subject to change.

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival gratefully acknowledges the following supporters: Foundations Bing Thom Architects Foundation Lohn Foundation The Hamber Foundation Deux Mille Foundation Andrew Mahon Foundation

Sakura Days Japan Fair www.JapanFairVancouver.com

APRIL 5 & 6 VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN

APRIL 5

APRIL 6

CHERRY STAGE

10:00 – 10:30 10:45 – 10:55 11:05 – 11:20 11:30 – 11:50 12:00 – 12:20 12:20 – 12:30 12:45 – 1:15 1:30 – 1:55 2:05 – 2:25 2:35 – 2:55 3:05 – 3:35 3:45 – 4:20 4:30 – 5:00

10:00 – 10:30 11:10 – 11:40 11:50 – 12:20 12:30 – 12:45 1:00 – 1:30 1:40 – 2:10 2:20 – 2:35 2:40 – 2:55 3:00 – 3:30 3:55 – 4:15 4:25 – 4:55

VACS Lolita Fashion Show Haiku Bard Kisyuu (Calligraphy) Tetsu Taiko Opening Ceremony: Speeches and Kagamiwari Rakuichi Shishimai (Lion Dance) Kozue Matsumoto (Koto Performance) Chibi Taiko Kinpu Kokusei-ryu Shigin-kai (Chanted Japanese Poetry) Otowa Ryu Japanese Dance Group VACS J-Pop Show Nodo-Jiman Karaoke Maru (Shakuhachi & Taiko fusion)

10:00 – 5:00 11:00 – 11:15 1:00 – 2:00 2:30 – 2:45

10:00 – 5:00 Yukata Dressing 11:00 – 11:15 Mini Comi (Manga Art Seminar and Display) 2:30 – 2:45 Mini Comi (Manga Art Seminar and Display)

11:00 – 4:00

Vancouver Ikebana Association – Display and Seminars

CHILDREN’S TENT

CHILDREN’S TENT 10:00 – 5:00

Yukata Dressing Mini Comi (Manga Art Seminar and Display) Calligraphy Mini Comi (Manga Art Seminar and Display)

IKEBANA TENT

10:00 – 5:00 Japanese Toys, Origami and Crafts 11:30 & 3:00 Kamishibai (Storytelling Performance with Pictures)

Japanese Toys, Origami and Crafts

DISCOVERY ROOM

10:00 – 5:00 Nikkei Bonsai Society – Bonsai Display 10:00 – 12:00 Bonsai Workshop 1:00 – 3:00 Bonsai Workshop

CLASSROOM

11:00 12:00 2:00 3:30

Urasenke Tankokai Vancouver Association – Tea Ceremony Urasenke Tankokai Vancouver Association – Tea Ceremony Sake Association of British Columbia – Sake Seminar Sake Association of British Columbia – Sake Seminar

LEITH WHEELER HAIKU HOUSE (GLASSHOUSE)

10:00 – 12:00 12:00 – 1:00 1:00 – 2:00 2:00 – 3:00 3:00 – 4:00 3:00 – 5:00

Crafts Haiku Reading How to Haiku Workshop by Michael Dylan Welch Haiku Bookmaking Workshop by Terry Ann Carter Haiku Walk (meet at Leith Wheeler Haiku House) Crafts

SDJF ONLINE TICKETS:

www.JapanFairVancouver.com

Donations Martha Lou Henley Ian MacDonald

EXPERIENCE JAPAN TENT

11:00 – 4:00

Anime Revolution Cosplay Show Vancouver Shorinji Kempo (Martial Arts) Tomoe Arts Vancity Soran Sakura Singers Go Taiko Gakushin Ryu, Shigin-kai (Chanted Japanese Poetry) Kisyuu (Calligraphy) Shakuhachi Society of BC NAV Chorus Vancouver Okinawa Taiko

Programming subject to change.

SDJF is presented by the Japan Fair Association of Vancouver (JFAV) as part of the VCBF hosted by VanDusen Botanical Garden.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a revolution taking place in how businesses are marketing themselves, and the Vancouver Courier is at the forefront of that revolution. Through print, digital and mobile, the Courier is now a multi-platform experience â&#x20AC;&#x201C; helping businesses stand out from the crowd by offering marketing expertise, unrivalled local circulation and an extended reach throughout Metro Vancouver and beyond. If you have a brand, product or service that needs to stand out, contact Manon Paradis today at 604.630.3536.

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A Good Chick to Know knows design Martha Perkins

editor@wevancouver.com

Vancouver interior designer and fashionista Jennifer Scott of A Good Chick to Know was one of the featured HGTV Main Stage presenters at the B.C. Home and Garden Show at B.C. Place last month. What is the biggest problem people have when trying to decide on the “look” of a room? This is the trickiest part of design for most people: they see many things that they like — and many that they don’t like — but are not sure where to begin in terms of putting these items together in a cohesive fashion. Although most of us can align our general taste with one overlying look, there are usually different decor styles that speak to us; the difficult part is blending these styles together to create a “look” for the space that makes it our own.The desire for a “showroom” home is behind us and people are now searching for a way to influence and interact with the style of their space. How do you determine what style suits a client’s personality? At A Good Chick To Know we encourage people to find the items within their home that have the most importance to them — whether it be a sofa, a painting or a treasure collected from a travel — and we begin to group things from there to determine the feel of a room.We work within a hierarchy of styles: we select the three most prominent looks based upon the furniture or accessories that we’ve asked our clients to gather, and layer the three different looks together in order of importance.This method allows us to

combine different styles in a prioritized fashion, and create a personalized, slightly eclectic space that avoids feeling too cluttered or visually confusing. Mix and match your colour choices for us — which colours suit which personalities? Matching colours to personalities is a grey area (pardon the pun) as it can be quite deceiving.While people generally connect muted colours to quieter personalities and bold brights to the more eccentric, as a designer I have learned not to make those assumptions too quickly.We have had clients that have seemed very reserved, and leaned toward ultra traditional in their decor preferences, yet ended up falling in love with a space filled with colour and pattern. On the contrary, there have been those who come across very outgoing in personality and bold in decor that have craved the serenity of a neutral palette. I’m totally one of those people: I have a highly eclectic style that incorporates pieces I’ve collected over my lifetime, I have a strong personality and most people who meet me assume I have a home overflowing with intense colours.The truth is, I’m happiest with crisp white walls and only smaller hits of colour (usually soft greys or neon pinks). So you really can’t project one’s colours based on personality alone; it takes the suggestion of something seemingly out of the box in order to find someone’s true comfort zone. Who are your go-to people or stores for inspiration? I have a long background in the fashion industry, so I often tend to look to the runways and fashion glossies to pull inspiration. My fave designer is Stella

Jennifer Scott in her eclectically decorated Strathcona home. PHOTO ROB NEWELL.

McCartney — her “soft edginess” encourages me to amp up the femininity to my design, and balances my typically more masculine signature style. As for stores, I shop local as often as possible and love nothing more than to scour our city’s cool vintage spots for standout decor pieces. My first stops are always Space Lab and ReFind (each recently finding home in new digs. I definitely recommend people checking them out, but make a day of it, there are so many treasures to discover!) Another hot little vintage spot is Duchess Vintage, just around the corner from Space Lab in Chinatown. (Side note: the best cuppa joe in the city is at The Shop, conveniently next door to Duchess.) For non-vintage inspiration in Vancouver, I love to shop at Nineteen Ten Home,Vancouver Special (both on Main Street) and, every-locals’go-to for fab finds,The Cross. For truly unique pieces or for custom woodwork,

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I never pass up a stop into Shop Wrong Collective (Vernon and Hastings) and Union Wood Co. (Railtown). Describe your dream room. That’s a challenging question to answer, as my response for my dream “client” space is different than my dream “personal” space. For my own home?Think of Elvis. Now think of what his house looked like. Blend that with a classic California mid-century home with tons of windows and light, and you’ve got my dream space.Architecturally I love the mid-century openness, clean lines, sunken living rooms and overflowing natural light; from a decor standpoint, I’m a lover of over-the-top statement pieces, golds, and many of the pieces that were popular during the 1970s. In a modern way, of course. Find out more about Jennifer Scott at AGoodChickToKnow.com, follow her on Twitter at @Jennifer_AGCTK.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

Top 5 technology spring cleaning tips Barry Link

blink@vancourier.com

Spring break means trips for families. It also means spring cleaning. The same applies to the tech gadgets and services in your life. They need as much care and maintenance as any of the other tools in your life if you want them to work safely and efficiently. So make time to wipe off winter’s digital grime and get your household ready with five tech spring cleaning tips. 1) Clean up your passwords: Passwords, whether for email accounts, online stores like Amazon or even PIN codes for smartphones, are like door locks on your home, except that gangs of thieves are going around with a huge set of keys trying to see which key might fit into your home’s lock. That means changing your passwords on a regular basis, at least once every six months. If you can spend an afternoon washing the deck, you can take an hour and update all your passwords. Do NOT use the same password for all your accounts. That’s like having the

Backing up files on a USB drive is the very least you can do to keep them safe. PHOTO AMBUJ SAXENA

same key for your house, storage shed, cottage, mailbox and all of your cars and bike locks. Do NOT use, as many people apparently still do, obvious choices like PASSWORD or 12345678. That’s worse than keeping your household door open with a neon side outside saying “ROB ME.” To make passwords easier, use a password

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manager like LastPass or 1Password to randomize your passwords and store them securely where the thieves can’t get them. 2) Back up your stuff: Just as you might safely store old photo albums and family keepsakes in the attic, you should make at least one copy of the digital files that form the core of family memory in modern life. The photo gallery on your laptop from last year’s summer holiday when Uncle Charlie was still alive? Copy it to an external drive. If your laptop is stolen, destroyed in a fire or simply goes dead as a brick, those precious memories will be lost forever. At the very least, back up your most important files to a USB stick and keep it somewhere safe. Better is to back up all your important files to a drive you store at the office or in a safety deposit box. Even better, in addition to the physical drive, is to back up your files to online storage services like Google Drive or OneDrive or dedicated paid backup services like Carbonite. 3) Give your computer an oil change: Your car needs maintenance in spring to help it run smoothly for the next six months. Same with your tech devices. Update the operating systems of your computers, tablets and phones and the apps they run. Update the security software. Modern systems like Windows 8 and Android will update your systems automatically by default, but make sure you haven’t turned that feature off. Updates help your devices run better and keep them safe. Last month, Apple (yes, Apple) announced all of its devices had contained a horrifying security hole for some months. Apple has issued updates to fix this hole: go update your iPhone. Now. 4) Sweep up digital clutter:You might have 246 pictures of that summer holiday

with the late Uncle Charlie, but chances are you’ll need barely a quarter of those as keepsakes. And trust me, you will never, ever look at most of those pictures again. Take a morning this spring break, grab a coffee and go through your digital photo galleries. Delete the ones you don’t need.

The photo gallery on your laptop from last year’s summer holiday when Uncle Charlie was still alive? Copy it to an external drive. You’ll free up valuable drive space, make your home gallery easier to use and make the remaining pictures more meaningful. 5) Recycle unused gadgets: Tech devices are some of the most offensive consumer items around for purposeful obsolescence, and as consumers we’re trained to purchase the next shiny gadget that comes along. That means we’re steadily acquiring a small closet of perfectly good gadgets we don’t use anymore. Don’t keep them around and don’t send them to the landﬁll. Recycle them through an appropriate agency (see return-it.ca for a list). If you have got unused computers or computer parts, donate them to Free Geek Vancouver (freegeekvancouver.org), an excellent nonproﬁt which recycles unused computers and parts for people in need. Everyone deserves a clean spring.

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W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Not to be confused with the Spanish bluebell, true English bluebells are somewhat shorter and have flowers on one side of the stem only. PHOTO WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Your English bluebells may instead be Spanish What to do with strawberries when leaves turn brown Anne Marrison amarrison@shaw.ca Q. I am living here with my son and his family and miss my garden in England. Is it possible to get bluebells here? AnneWilkinson, Maple Ridge A.Yes, it is possible.The bulbs are offered in some fall catalogues (print and online). Garden Import offered bulbs of Scilla non-scripta (the name for English bluebells) last fall. But the bluebell usually sold here are the Spanish bluebells, which are sturdier and have bell-flowers all the way around the stem.These are more flamboyant than the English ones. Both types are listed as being the same height, but the true English bluebells I’ve seen are somewhat shorter and have flowers on one side of the stem only. When correctly labeled (unfortunately not always), the Spanish bluebell is sold under the names: Scilla campanulata, Hyacinthoides hispanica or Endymion hispanicus.To further muddy the waters, both kinds can interbreed. True English bluebell seed is offered by chilternseeds.co.uk.The company makes a special point this is the true English bluebell seed. Both kinds are quite lovely and very easy to establish. But because they spread so readily and are so hard to dig up, many gardeners consider them invasive. ••• Q. Earlier this year, my strawberry plants were coming up green-leaved, but now most of the outer leaves have turned brown. Is it worth clipping off those brown leaves and leaving the green inner ones, or should I start over with new plants again? K, Coquitlam A. The leaves would have turned brown because the weather was so cold. As soon as the temperature goes up, the inner

green leaves will grow nicely. Strawberries are very hardy and even in pots it’s unlikely the cold would kill their roots. As long as the strawberries you have are basically OK, it’s better to keep going with these. New strawberry plants will grow slowly at first.That’s why in their first year they won’t fruit as enthusiastically as established plants. If your strawberries are the smallfruited alpine type, they can keep growing and fruiting for years. If they’re the large-fruited kind, it’s best to renew them after every third-year crop. Since the large-fruited ones make runners each year, you can just select the strongest runners and start over. ••• Q. I have a small northwest-facing balcony partly shaded by a tree. I’d love to grow some greens, veggies or herbs. Any suggestions on what may survive? Julie Chapple,Vancouver A. Leafy crops should survive well in your situation for most of the year.These would include sorrel, arugula, corn salad, lettuce, the mustards and many of the oriental vegetables such as Pak Choi and Jade Spring. Green onions should also do well. Herbs that would thrive even in the shadier part of the year include mint, parsley and chives. It would be worth trying the regular range of vegetables such as beans, beets and carrots during the summer months. Generally vegetables need a minimum of four hours sun (and ideally six or seven) to do well. Much of your success will depend on whether your shading tree is on the north or the west side of your balcony. But the very best way to discover what will survive in your situation is trial and error. Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to her via amarrison@ shaw.ca. It helps if you add the name of your city or region.

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

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The Dance Centre and the Chutzpah! Festival 2014 present a double bill from hotshot New York choreographer SIDRA BELL. Originally mounted in 2012, STELLA is billed as “a series of dramatically theatrical scenes, which explore ideas of the self, private space, voyeurism and participation,” while GARMENT is a new work, which premiered earlier this month. See what all the fuss is about March 27 to 28 at the Scotiabank Dance Festival. Tickets at ticketstonight.ca and chutzpahfestival.com. Info at thedancecentre.ca. We’ll be honest with you. We don’t exactly “get” BLUE MAN GROUP. Sure, we know they wear blue face paint and travel the world performing high-octane shows with an array of percussive instruments. They’ve even been satirized on the TV show Arrested Development when Tobias Fünke attempted to join the group, but in the end only “blue” himself. We also know at least one Courier reporter who’ll be in attendance during the show’s run at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre until March 30. But we’ll have to wait and see if he “blue” himself for the occasion. Tickets and details at vancouver. broadway.com.

PICKS 3

Innovative theatre company LEAKY HEAVEN CIRCUS is up to its usual tricks. Part pilgrimage, part Elizabethan tragedy, part church service, TO WEAR A HEART SO WHITE turns Macbeth on its ear, exploring conquest and migration, the death of kings, queens, nature and the birth of real estate. It runs until March 30 at the Russian Hall. Tickets at brownpapertickets.com. Details at leakyheaven.ca.

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Atlanta’s free-spirited garage rockers THE BLACK LIPS drop by the Rickshaw Theatre March 27 for what should be an enjoyably shambolic show. We just love using that word, actually. The band is playing in support of its latest album for Vice Records, UNDERNEATH THE RAINBOW, which was produced by Patrick Carney of the Black Keys. The Coathangers open. Tickets at Red Cat Records, Highlife and all Ticketmaster outlets.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

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Show me the Munro money KUDOS& KVETCHES

For Students in Grades 1 - 12 If you have, or are planning to move, and want your child to attend your new neighbourhood catchment school you need to register at the new school by April 4th, 2014.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about getting your grades 1 -12 student registered at their new catchment school, visit www.vsb.bc.ca/school-registration-faqs

ood news, fans of Canadian literary icons, collectible coins and, by logical extension, long periods of celibacy. The Royal Canadian Mint has released a limited edition $5 silver commemorative coin to honour acclaimed short story writer Alice Munro, who just so happens to be the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize for literature. According to an item in the Globe and Mail, the coin is engraved with a quote from Munro’s 2006 story collection The View from Castle Rock and a laurel branch to symbolize Munro’s distinction as the ﬁrst Canadian woman to win a Nobel Prize in literature. The quote, which requires a magnifying glass to make out, reads, in part, “And in one of these houses — I can’t remember whose — a magic doorstop, a big mother-of-pearl seashell that I recognized as a messenger from near and far.” Not sure why the mint didn’t go with “Never underestimate the meanness

CORRECTION In the March 14 edition of the Courier’s Centre Stage spring arts preview, we printed the wrong date for the Chopin Society’s Janne Mertanen concert. The correct date should

in people’s souls... Even when they’re being kind... especially when they’re being kind” or even “You cannot let your parents anywhere near your real humiliations.” Unfortunately the other side of the coin features some broad named Queen Elizabeth, who in her entire life probably hasn’t written so much as a paragraph exploring the complexities of the human experience in such an uncomplicated prose style, let alone a story-within-a -story that concludes with a character “enduring the start of her menstrual period, under the inﬂuence of a pain-killer, reconciled to an unprotected, unmarried destiny that will not end well.” So eat it, Lizzie. Stop oppressing us with your ubiquitous presence on our money. Only 7,500 of the Munro coins will be minted, which explains why the $5 silver piece of pocket change will actually retail for $69.95. In the meantime, we’re still holding out for our commemorative Margaret Laurence wooden nickel, customized cheques quoting Dennis Lee’s “Alligator Pie,” a Joseph Boyden travel rewards card and a Margaret Atwood-endorsed bitcoin “mobile wallet.” twitter.com/KudosKvetches

have read Friday, March 28, 8 p.m. at Magee Theatre. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience. For more information on the Chopin Society’s current season, go to chopinsociety.org.

arts&entertainment

SingergoesGreenforMeltdown ERIN MCPHEE Contributing writer

awn Pemberton is no stranger to the spotlight. For years, the Vancouver-based powerhouse has put her vocal chops to good use, gracing many a stage, collaborating with other artists on their records, as well as coaching rising stars. However, the acclaimed singer is currently in the throes of recording her debut solo album, which is proving to be both “exciting and terrifying at the same time,” she laughs. “It’s time for my own thing. I’ve had a lot of fun working and collaborating with other people and on other projects and that’s great. But now I’m looking forward to offering what I have and that’s what I want to foster right now,” she says. Pemberton describes her upcoming album, comprised of all-originals with the exception of one cover, as soul-influenced with a bit of funk and some jazz. “It’s kind of like if Chaka Khan and Al Green and Tower of Power had a baby,” she says. In terms of lyrical content, Pemberton explains she set out to explore love and relationships of all kinds, not just the idea of romantic love, but rather the concept of vulnerability and what it can do to a person. The album, which Pemberton hopes to complete by June, will feature such guests as Gavin Youngash and Max Zipursky of the Star Captains, Johnny Andrews of Hey Ocean! and Scott Tucker of Kyprios and The Chaperones. In addition to her packed recording schedule, Pemberton has been busy preparing for the upcoming Shooting Stars Foundation Motown Meltdown, an annual benefit show raising money for people with HIV/AIDS. This is Pemberton’s first time participating in the concert, which is being presented at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom March 29 and April 5 at Coquitlam’s Hard Rock Casino Vancouver.

“It was always something that I’ve wanted to do,” Pemberton says of the beneﬁt. She will be among the more than 25 vocalists taking the stage, including August, Joanie Bye, Leora Cashe, Oliver Conway, Warren Dean Flandez, Al Harlow (Prism), Tom Landa (the Paperboys/Locarno) and the Sojourners. Each singer will perform a song from the Motown and soul era book of standards, backed by 12-piece band the Scorchers. Pemberton will be singing Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” “It’s one of my favourites and it’s a great staple and a classic soul tune,” she says. This year’s Motown Meltdown was inspired by the 2002 documentary Standing In The Shadows Of Motown. The movie tells the story of the Funk Brothers, a group of talented Detroit session musicians who backed up dozens of Motown artists. Despite the fact they played on more No. 1 hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined, they’re largely unknown. Songs they played on include “My Girl,” “Baby Love,” “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.” “That time was so special for soul music, in the 1960s and ’70s. It’s kind of when so many black artists began to get more recognition for their contribution to music,” says Pemberton. “They were really game changers and taste makers and really the whole world was watching and it inspired tons of music and a musical revolution in Europe and other parts of the world. That sound, that Motown sound, everyone wanted to emulate it.” Pemberton encourages community members to attend the upcoming beneﬁt concerts. “It’s the music that you know and you love and it’s a great time to come out and dance and support a great cause and you’ll leave feeling inspired and happy and joyful, and what an amazing opportunity,” she says. Details at shootingstarsfoundation.org.

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arts&entertainment Provocativeexperimentmostlysucceeds HELEN LAWRENCE

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he “wow” factor in Helen Lawrence is huge. So hyped has this show been no one believed it could live up to expectations. But from a technical and aesthetic perspective, it really does. Conceived by visual artist Stan Douglas (whose monumental installation “Abbott and Cordova, 7 August, 1971” graces the Woodward’s Atrium) and written by Chris Haddock (Da Vinci’s Inquest), this world premiere of Helen Lawrence goes on to Montreal, Munich, Edinburgh and Toronto. An experiment in fusing theatre and film, the film noir plot is worked out on two levels: behind a see-through scrim, actors play out scenes that are simultaneously being filmed and projected in black and white on a cinema-sized scrim. We see, only in silhouette through the scrim, three or four cameras filming the action. On the big scrim/screen, we see close-ups and hear dialogue emanating from the “celluloid” characters, not the flesh and blood actors Behind the scrim, the actors are isolated in bright light and appear to exist in a vacuum; there are no props, no set. But Douglas has blown up archival photos of Vancouver — Hogan’s Alley, for example — and projected those on the screen so that Haddock’s characters exist and move in downtown Vancouver in the late 1940s. Most of us, I suspect, have no idea how all this is done. And it’s beautiful. It’s a typical film noir story: Helen Lawrence (portrayed by cool and lovely Lisa Ryder), recently released from a sanatorium, took the rap for the murder of her rich husband. Now she’s in Van-

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Helen Lawrence fuses theatre and film with actors performing on stage while simultaneously being filmed and projected in black and white onto a screen. couver looking for Percy (Nicholas Lea), her old boyfriend, who was the real killer. She is, in the vernacular of the period, “packing heat” — a small, loaded gun. Woven into this main plot is the story of Muldoon, a corrupt police chief (Gerard Plunkett) and drug dealers, prostitutes and gamblers. If we often don’t know where to look — the “real” action or the filmed action — we also lose track of the main story amidst all the subplots involving Harry (Hrothgar Matthews) and Julia/Joey (sparky Haley McGee); brothers Henry (Sterling Jarvis) and Buddy (Allan Louis); Sergeant Perkins (Tom McBeath), prostitute Rose (Mayko Nguyen) and more. In spite of well-seasoned stage, film and TV actors, the plot isn’t all that satisfying. And “The End” flashes up on the screen just when things get really interesting. However, I don’t think the primary aim of Helen Lawrence is to tell a story; it’s all about how a story is told. Douglas is asking us to think about film versus live theatre as well as to question our lives in an increasingly digitized world. Face-to-face conversation is giving way to texting, and given any kind of screen, we will watch

it. Probably 80 per cent of the time, the Stanley audience will watch the screen, not the actors. The implications are enormous when you think about it. Would it be a kinder society if we texted less and talked to each other more? Or if we had a handful of friends rather than thousands of Facebook “friends”? And Douglas invites us to share his enthusiasm about Vancouver’s architectural and cultural history. Where is the city going? While we can’t turn back the clock it’s important to remember where we’ve been. Co-produced by the Arts Club Theatre Company and Canadian Stage, and directed by Douglas, Helen Lawrence is a provocative experiment. It boldly, beautifully pushes theatrical boundaries in a way that we have not seen to this extent in this city before. High-tech entertainment of this kind will not replace the power of a few actors in a small black box theatre but it will raise a lot of questions about art and the distancing effect of technology both on stage and off. The debate promises to be lively. —reviewed by Jo Ledingham For more reviews, go to joledingham.ca

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

Rookie follows in famous father’s skate tracks JENNIFER THUNCHER Contributing writer

submitted photo

Rookie forward Ty Ronning hopes to make a difference for the Vancouver Giants in their ﬁrst-round WHL playoff series against the Portland Winterhawks.

hen Vancouver Giants rookie Ty Ronning laces up his skates this week to help his team battle the Portland Winterhawks in his first ever Western Conference playoffs, it will just be one exciting first among many this year for the 16-year-old right winger. Ronning didn’t dress for the first two games of the first round series. He was ill, but if he has his way, he will take to the ice when the seventh ranked Giants play the number two ranked Portland Winterhawks in game four Wednesday at the Pacific Coliseum. The Giants fell 3-4 in Game 1 Friday and 0-3 Saturday in back-to-back away games in the ‘Hawks nest, the Moda Center. The teams met again Tuesday after the Courier’s print deadline. Ronning — yes, the son of beloved former Canucks centre Cliff Ronning , more on that later — said he often felt like a sponge trying to absorb everything he was learning in his first Western Hockey League regular season. “The big change is definitely the speed and the quick thinking,” he said. “You are playing with top-notch players, you have got to think different than you would playing in bantam or midget.” Ronning, who was chosen 15th overall in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft, tallied nine goals and 11 assists in the regular season. Giants veteran head coach Don Hay knows first-year adjustments can be overwhelming for young players. “Even though he doesn’t live far from home, he is still away from home,” said Hay. Ronning’s family lives in Burnaby, but he and the other Giants players are billeted in Tsawwassen. “He had to change schools and, you know, he had to get used to a new set of teammates so there is always a big adjustment,” said Hay. Ronning said his teammates helped him feel like one of the guys right from the start

of training camp last summer. “A little bugging here and there, but that means they like me so I consider them family and they consider me family,” he said. So far, Hay said he likes what he sees from Ronning. “He got better as the year went on and that’s what we were hoping for. He’s a smart young player and he has got a good skill set,” Hay said. Part of Ronning’s ease with the transition can likely be attributed to the influence of his father, who played in the NHL for close to two decades. At five-foot-nine, Ronning is already an inch taller than his father, Cliff, but he knows the comparisons will continue and he is OK with that. “I am walking with my dad down the street and some people will stop him for an autograph and that even motivates me to be like him because he’s one of my biggest idols.” Young Ronning’s goal, of course, is to play in the NHL — just like his dad— or at least get drafted in 2016 when he becomes eligible. For now, the next playoff game is all he is thinking about. Ronning acknowledged he is nervous, but ready. “I’ve been talking to a lot of guys and they say ‘Hey, everybody gets butterflies before they go on the ice.’ I feel like once I go on for warm-up everything is just calm cool and relaxed.” Prior to the start of the first round of games against Portland, coach Hay predicted Ronning would have an active role in the playoffs. “It is another step for him in learning and growing as a player because the intensity level and the preparation level all goes up higher in the playoffs. We feel Ty will be able to handle it because of his hockey sense,” Hay said. “He is a player that is definitely a big part of our future.” For more Giants playoff information, go to vancouvergiants.com. thuncher@shaw.ca twitter.com/thuncher

Thunderbirds rugby team earns cup and boot JENNIFER THUNCHER Contributing writer

he UBC Thunderbirds men’s rugby team soared to a massive 40-3 win over California Berkeley Golden Bears at home Sunday to secure the “World Cup” for the ﬁrst time in eight years. The World Cup was originally named after a Vancouver newspaper of the same name that sponsored the event.

The cup is awarded based on accumulated points from two annual games between the Tbirds and the Bears. In the ﬁrst game in California one month ago, UBC lost 24-33, but the convincing win at home put the accumulated points in the Birds favour. The World Cup win is a feather in the cap for the Thunderbirds, who brought home the Wightman Boot from Victoria back in January for the ﬁrst time in 17 years with a 22-8 victory

over the University of Victoria Vikes. The Tbirds first took on UVic in the 43rd annual Winghtman two-game matchup in November when UBC won 29-16. The significance of bringing both titles home in one season was not lost on the team’s director. “For many years Victoria has been the premier university program in Canada and Cal has definitely been the number one rugby program in the States so to beat both

of them in the same year is a big bonus,“ said UBC director of rugby Spence McTavish in a press release. McTavish said the team was not willing to rest on their victorious perch for long. “Our next goal is against Seattle in a few weeks up here and that’s going to be a big, big game,” he said. The Thunderbirds take on the Seattle Rugby Football Club on April 5. thuncher@shaw.ca

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

sports&recreation

Kits student has winning throw JENNIFER THUNCHER Contributing writer

s the high school track and field season gets underway, Grade 12 Kitsilano secondary student Mackenzie Millward is one to watch. At the end of last season, Millward placed in both senior girls shot put and javelin at the 2013 outdoor B.C High School Track and Field Championships. She came fifth in 4kg shot put with a 10.86m throw and eighth in the province in 400g javelin with a 32.61 metre distance. She placed 17th in discus. According to her coach Bruce Miller, she’s a good candidate to medal in her three events at provincials this year. Miller said Millward, 17, is a unique athlete. “They are technical events,” he said. “And you have to restrain the impulse to throw as hard as you can. You have to learn a set of motions and you know, that takes discipline and consistency and a mind that can grasp that, and she has all that.” Millward, who also maintains a 90 per cent average in her academic classes, said she loves the individual nature of track and field sports. “It is my time in the circle, my sanctuary,” she said. Millward loves her sports so much she has taken up coaching younger Kitsilano secondary athletes on her own time.

photo Dan Toulgoet

Grade 12 Kitsilano student Mackenzie Millward competes in javelin, shot put and discus. Miller spotted Millward at her ﬁrst shot put competition four years ago when she was in Grade 8. “I outthrew everyone by a signiﬁcant distance. I still remember to this day, turning around and seeing Bruce’s smile,” Millward said. “The next year came around and yet again, I met Bruce at the competition, he asked me ‘Would you like to be a national

champion?’” Millward jumped at the chance to work with Miller — one of the founders of the Vancouver Thunderbirds Track and Field Club — and they have worked together ever since. One of the highlights of her track and ﬁeld career so far was breaking Kitsilano’s Grade 10 shot put record, which happened to be held by Kits science teacher and Pan American Games bronze medalist Caroline

Wittrin, who attended the school in the mid-1980s. Millard’s throw of 10.13m distance is now honoured with a plaque at the school, where it will remain until another student beats it. Athletics run in Millward’s family. Her father Mark, a firefighter, won at the Firefighter Combat Challenge world championship in Las Vegas last year. “She saw what athletics is through her father,” Miller said. According to Miller, beyond raw talent and good genes, the most important characteristic Millward has always displayed is a curious mind. For her age, Millward is dedicated to developing her skills, he said. They are working together to emulate a new shot put technique world decathlon champion Ashton Eaton has perfected — a step across the circle instead of a step and glide. The new move allows the athlete to maintain better balance. “It is the first change in a generation,” Miller said. Millward has embraced the new technique and looks forward to using it in competition, she said. Her next competition is the UBC Open on March 30. thuncher@shaw.ca twitter.com/thuncher

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