Vancouver Courier August 6 2014 by Vancouver Courier

WEDNESDAY

August 6 2014 Vol. 105 No. 63

NEWS 9

No sex, please, we’re whales OPINION 10

Ending homelessness FAMILY 15

Board game drop-in

August 13th

There’s more online at

vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION

THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908

PAINTING THE TOWN West End Arts Society cofounders John Hewson, Satomi Hirano and artist Steve Hornung hope a mural Hornung painted at the West End Community Centre will help kickstart an arts scene in their neighbourhood. See story page 19. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

The Mayor of West 18th

William ‘Bill’ Davies left legacy for Dunbar neighbourhood Christopher Cheung

chrischcheung@hotmail.com

When new neighbours moved into the 3800-block of West 18th, William “Bill” Davies was always the ﬁrst person they met. He remembered everyone’s names. He mowed lawns for people who worked or who were retired. He went on walks with pockets stuffed with dog treats. He had keys to everyone’s houses, either to tend to their homes during vacations or if someone forgot their own keys. And though Davies passed away July 25 at 81, his legacy of being a good neighbour lives on.

Bill and his wife Shirley moved into Dunbar in 1957 on the day of their second wedding anniversary. “We were the youngsters and our neighbourhood was ﬁlled with old people,” said Shirley. Caring for neighbours was a year-round affair for the family, recalled daughter Debbie DeWolff. “My brother and I were always expected to look after the old people on the block,” said DeWolff. “So when it snowed, we were expected to shovel their sidewalks and in the fall we were expected to rake the leaves. In the spring, we were expected to bring fresh cookies down and have tea with the elderly

people... It was just something we grew up to believe that you did anyway, and as the years went on, my mom and dad were kind of a source of neighbourhood activity.” The Davies house is fittingly at the centre of the block, the hub of anticipated block parties visited even by police, firefighters with their trucks, former neighbours and the curious of the 3900-block. “That’s where the cookies were,” said DeWolff. “That’s where the swing set was, by the little swimming pool. It was a place to kick the can.” “It was required, laughingly, one must start the block party with a bowl of Bill’s chili,” said Shirley.

Another ritual was the New Year’s Eve parade, complete with bagpiping. Everyone bundled up and marched down frosty sidewalks at midnight and the evening always ended with ﬁreworks and champagne. Some children slept at six in the evening to rest for countdown festivities. The area is vibrant with friendships but neighbours credit Bill and Shirley as the glue. Shirley returned food containers never empty but ﬁlled with goodies. Children who forgot to bring lunches were welcomed over for a bite. In the community, Shirley was a Brownie leader and head of many committees at school. Continued on page 4

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

Your our Original Non-Medicated

Food Store

s Boneless & Skinle

Washington or B.C Grown

Whole Seedless

s t s a e r B n e k c i h C

New Zealand

Watermelon

$ 25 $ 99 Grass Fed

Top Sirloin Steaks

/lb $15.98/kg

New Zealand

Tenderloin Steaks

T-Bone Steaks

each

Organic

Rib-Eye Steaks

Organic

99 /lb $15.41/kg

Organic

Inside Round Steaks

Lean Ground Beef

/lb $15.41/kg

/lb $10.98/kg

$816 $998 $1133 $699 $499 /lb $17.98/kg

/lb $22.00/kg

/lb $24.98/kg

From the Deli

B.C. Grown

Fresh

Mexican Grown

B.C. Grown

Honey Ham

Bunch Spinach

Mexican Grown Limes

Certified Organic Avocadoes

Certified Organic

$129 /100g

B.C. Grown

Certified Organic Yellow Fancy

Peaches

$339 /lb $7.48/kg

/bunch

Organic

Santa Cruz Lemonade Assorted

$199

946ml + dep/eco fee

¢ each

Organic

Ethical Bean Coffee

¢ each

Organic

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar

$999 $569 340g

946ml

Non-Organic

Hulled Sesame Seeds

$699 1kg

Blueberries

49 3 /2lb clamshell

Andalou Naturals

Hand Creams

Assorted Gluten Free & Non-GMO

$599 100ml

Organic

Steel Cut & Whole Oats

$359

CHECK US OUT WITH

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 8 am-9 pm

Sale Dates: Wednesday, August 6 – Tuesday 12, 2014

www.famousfoods.ca

1kg

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

berry festival Saturday, August 9 from 11 am - 5 pm

fresh BC STRAWBERRIES

Carolyn Askew, a longtime lawyer and former chairperson of Vision Vancouver, is one of five new members appointed to The Vancouver Police Board. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

New faces at police board fresh BC

12TH&CAMBIE Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

I sorta, kinda feel guilty about something. I missed a Vancouver Police Board meeting two weeks ago. I know, I know, the horror, the horror. But this, ladies and gentlemen, is rare for me. Unfortunately (fortunately?), the NPA called a press conference around the same time to introduce more of its council candidates. I ﬂipped a coin and ended up outside the Roundhouse community centre in Yaletown to meet the political wannabees. As a result, I didn’t get a chance to meet the ﬁve new police board members. But I did send our resident shutterbug, Dan Toulgoet, to the meeting to take photos; good guy that Toulgoet. Police board meetings, thankfully, are now livestreamed, which I’ve told you about before. So I’m about to watch and will get back to you when I’m done with all the names of the new board members. Here I go…

…and I’m back. I should tell you although the live-stream is helpful and cool and all that, it’s not the same as being there; can’t really interview the chief or mayor from my desk or follow up with speakers — or ask why one of the new board members was on crutches. Anyway, the new board members are: • Caroline Askew, a longtime lawyer who has operated a private practice for almost 40 years and was once chairperson of The Horse Racing Commission. She is also Vision Vancouver’s former chairperson and the city’s only appointee to the board. • Claire Marshall, the former manager of aboriginal relations for the B.C. Transmission Corporation and is a director with the Lu’ma Native Housing Society. • Peter Wong, a physician and businessman. Wong is vice-chairperson of the Yue Shan society and is a founding member and director of the West Point Grey Academy. • Mark James, founder of the Mark James Group, which operates several craft brewery restaurants, including Yaletown Brewing Co.

and The Flying Beaver in Richmond. He was the one using crutches. • Sherri Magee, an independent cancer researcher with a PhD. Magee spent four years researching the process of recovery once treatment for cancer is ﬁnished. She co-authored Picking Up the Pieces: Moving Forward After Surviving Cancer, which was published in 2006. (For those of you wondering, Magee is no relation to Mayor Gregor Robertson’s chief of staff, Mike Magee.) The ﬁve new members join Thomas Tam, Daljit Sidhu and Mary Collins. Robertson doubles as chairperson of the board for a total of nine people providing civilian oversight over the police department. “We were certainly challenged by workload and this is just a great opportunity to have more links to community and more expertise around the table,” said Robertson, noting the bigger size of the board. “So I’m looking forward to working together in the months and years to come.” The police board doesn’t meet again until September. I’ll see if I can make it. twitter.com/Howellings

99 pint

blueberries

99 lb

fresh BC RASPBERRIES OR BLACKBERRIES

2951 W BROADWAY VANCOUV ER

Corner of Broadway a nd Bayswater in Kitsilano

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 9 AM - 9 PM

99 pint

1 day sa l e

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

News Superstore

350 SE Marine Drive & 3185 Grandview Highway

T&T Supermarket

2800 East 1st Avenue

Kingsgate Mall

370 East Broadway (Mon - Fri 9 to 9, Sat 9 to 6, Sun 11 to 5)

$100 off Tuition for new enrollments only*

Kitsilano

306-2083 Alma St. (Jericho Village 4th & Alma)

Little Readers®

Ages 3-6

Beyond Tutoring®

Grades K-12

En Francais Grades K-12 *conditions apply

All Ages. All Grades. All Subjects.

604-563.2000

oxfordlearning.com

On Now at The Brick! For more details go instore or online @thebrick.com.

Shirley Davies and late-husband William 'Bill' Davies were the centre of community on the 3800-block of West 18th Avenue, with many memories taking place on their front porch. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Each neighbour has a Bill story Continued from page 1 Bill, a former electrician with B.C. Hydro and all-around handyman, hung around the nearby Dunbar Vacuum and Shoppers Drug Mart just to make sure everyone was OK. Once, he chased two burglars out of his house with a two-by-four, striking one and denting their vehicle. Every neighbour has a Bill story. Chris Donaldson met Bill when he moved to the neighbourhood nine years ago. But he got to know him more when one day when he found Bill in Donaldson’s living room watching TV on the couch. “You left your front door open,” Bill told him. “It was kind of annoying to be honest,” said Donaldson. “But at the same time, it wasn’t, as he was genuinely concerned.” John Beach, a resident of the block for 26 years, remembered trying to turn off the water main before leaving for vacation with his family. “The whole thing came off in my hand; the full force of city water pressure shot across my basement,” said Beach. “Nobody has one of those keys that shuts off the water at the street level. Of course, Bill had one.” Joe and Jenny Belanger met Bill the moment they arrived at the house in 1979. He proceeded to unload half their moving truck

himself and helped around ever after. “I never did anything without Bill lending a hand,” said Joe. “He expected to be called, really,” added Jenny. Today, the whole neighbourhood is rejuvenated with young families and new homes. Coming full circle, Shirley said she and Bill took over the role of old people. When Bill was diagnosed with cancer, Donaldson worked with neighbours and the city to grant Bill and Shirley the key to the

block and a certiﬁcate from Mayor Gregor Robertson as a tribute to “the Mayor of West 18th.” Ten-year-old Armon Nouri thanked Bill for the life lessons in a card: “I am so sorry about any negative things that have happened to you in your life. Every day I wake up thinking about how to make the world a better place. You are the reason that my life is so happy and why I love this block...” There’s talk in Vancouver about loneliness and

isolation, but for Bill and Shirley, there was no big secret to having relationships with neighbours: just say hi and show little gestures of being interested in others’ lives. That’s all it took to bring the block together, and that tradition lives on in the neighbourhood. In Dunbar, Bill will always be remembered. “If you knock on any single door on the entire block,” said Donaldson, “somebody will be able to talk about him.” twitter.com/chrischeungtogo

Bill Davies, seen here two years ago, taught the children of the block important lessons like being a good neighbour and how to open a freezie with scissors. PHOTO SHIRLEY DAVIES

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News City claws back funding from seniors centre Jenny Peng

Jennypeng08@gmail.com

After promises made to seniors that plans for the Killarney Seniors Centre will continue with a budget surplus, the City of Vancouver is withholding an additional $1.2 million pledge towards the long-awaited project. The Courier has obtained a July 24 memo by city manager Penny Ballem to council saying that the promise of $1.2 million surplus on the project is unnecessary thanks to an additional $1.2 million pledge from the province. The province’s additional money was announced after council’s February $1.2 million pledge to meet the seniors centre’s estimated $7.5 million budget, and according to the memo eliminates “the need for the additional $1.2 million commitment by council.” The original $2.5 million the city committed in 2011 to the project will remain. Vision Vancouver Coun.

Raymond Louie said suggestions in January that the project could cost more than $7.5 million were outdated. City staff have undertaken an analysis within the last couple of months and concluded the project can be completed within the initial estimate, he said. Longtime seniors activist Lorna Gibbs was disappointed with the news despite applauding Louie as a “great supporter” of the seniors centre. She anticipates some amenities would be cut with the loss of the city’s $1.2 million. “The seniors would have liked to have their own exercise room for osteo ﬁtness because the main ﬁtness centre at the community centre is loud noise, and great big guys,” Gibbs said. Wai Young, Conservative MP for South Vancouver, hosted a roundtable with seniors recently and said seniors were “distressed” at the news of the $1.2 million withdrawal. Young told the Courier Thursday the seniors

were concerned about the $7.5 million budget set several years ago and brought up the issue during meetings. “This budget was set in 2009 by the city when they did a preliminary feasibility study,” Young said. “That’s five years ago. So I’m sure the construction cost has increased over the last five years. So I’m quite surprised they’re still using a 2009 figure.” The much-needed 10,000-square foot seniors centre, equipped with a commercial kitchen and elevator, will be adjacent to the Killarney Community Centre. It would serve an estimated 27,000 seniors, a third of all the seniors in the city, who live in southeast Vancouver. The centre would be the first for that part of Vancouver, whereas seven seniors centres operate west of Cambie Street. According to the city memo, construction on the centre is expected to start by March 2016 and should be completed within two years. twitter.com/jennypengnow

Financial wellness. Well achieved. Along life’s journey, being well prepared is key to being well rewarded. You want the flexibility to achieve your goals today and the certainty that you’ll be able to live your dreams tomorrow. At BlueShore Financial, we provide expert financial advice and a personalized plan that offers clear direction. Well planned, well advised and well within reach. BlueShore Financial. A banking experience like no other.

BlueShore Financial is the operating name of North Shore Credit Union.

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

News Free Outdoor Movie Night Saturday, August 9th KINGSGATE MALL UPPER PARKING LOT 9:00 PM OR DUSK WEATHER PERMITTING

Free Popcorn courtesy of KIDS HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN 1 OF 5 GIFT PRIZES Come bring the whole family, with lawn chairs and blankets for a fun filled movie night outdoors Sponsored by: Merchants

Musician sylvi macCormac found the popular Gumhead installation at the Vancouver Art Gallery inaccessible for her wheelchair. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Corner of East Broadway @ Kingsway 30 Shops & Services www.kingsgatemall.com

Gumhead a step too far

Celebrated art installation inaccessible for wheelchair Jenny Peng

Jennypeng08@gmail.com

While most visitors wouldn’t think twice about sticking a piece of gum on the popular Gumhead installation, an innocent-looking platform is deterring those in wheelchairs from participating in public art. Sitting on top of a

!*' ()$"%&#

grassy mound outside the Vancouver Art Gallery is a seven-foot-tall sculpture of artist Douglas Coupland’s head. Many have already stuck gum on the gallerycommissioned sculpture since its inception on May 31 as part of a crowdsourced and interactive project. However, when musician sylvi macCormac visited

the installation last month she couldn’t contribute her piece because of the mound being a step above ground and impossible for her wheelchair to access. Approximately over 15 per cent of the city’s residents have some form of physical disability or mobility restriction, according to the City of Vancouver. Continued on next page

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News You’re invited to a Access creates sticky problem Continued from previous page Although the city values being an inclusive Vancouver with programs targeting accessibility in buildings, public transit, parking and other public amenities, the location of the Gumhead was determined by the City of Vancouver. Art gallery staff did not agree to an interview but replied in a statement to the Courier that “the normal permit process” was followed to install the work. “This was deemed the best space for the work after researching various options around the site,” wrote director of operations Tom Meighan. “We had to stay within strict guidelines for the installation to ensure the safety of the work and the public. Also, this space is part of the overall heritage footprint on the site of the Gallery. Changing it in any way would be difﬁcult.” Feeling frustrated after her Gumhead visit, macCormac fumed about the incident on Facebook ask-

ing, “If art is not accessable does it exist? ... why do they build ramps when they are building the buildings and then take the ramps out?” She acknowledges that the problem she faced was an isolated incident and doesn’t reﬂect the accommodations made for gallery staff and visitors.

Everywhere should be wheelchair accessible. — Matthew Lo She called it a slip in the planning stages. “Its intention was to include everyone, but because there’s a step, people with disabilities in wheelchairs or walkers or canes can’t quite get up that step. To me it was an example of so many things

that by not thinking about it, it becomes inaccessible,” said macCormac. Having recently visited the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouverite Matthew Lo recalled visiting the upper floors where smaller rooms with special exhibits were located. Lo doesn’t use a wheelchair but he imagines the small corridors and special rooms with intricate structures inside to be “… strenuous for someone on a wheelchair to be navigating.” “Everywhere should be wheelchair accessible. The art gallery is a fixture in the city so it is important for them to be accessible by all kinds of people,” added Lo. Jill Weiss, chair of the disabilities advisory committee to the city, says the committee focuses on housing so wasn’t involved in the art installation. But Weiss was shocked the permit came from the city. She suggested macCormac file a human rights complaint because it violates Sec. 8 of the B.C. Human Rights Code. twitter.com/JennyPengNow

GOODBYE SUMMER SALE PRICES IN EFFECT AUG. 5 - 12

FASHION, HOME DECOR & QUILTING FABRIC FURTHER REDUCTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE!! ALL SPRING & SUMMER STOCK

50 - 70 %

PAWTY!

JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF CARING - Free product samples - Big savings! - Tasty treats for two & four-legged party animals - Rescue groups with animals looking for loving homes - Goody bags & give-aways - Bark-B-Ques (select locations) - Meet our product reps - Prize draws and more!

AT ALL TISOL LOCATIONS

Saturday August 9th 11:00am to 3:00pm

VANCOUVER 3033 Grandview Hwy 2738 Arbutus St 604 436-3001 604 730-1768 SOUTH SURREY 3010 152 St. 604 536-2330

DRAPERY PANELS- discontinued styles

selected stock

: NOW $10. $20

First in Fabric Selection, Quality & Value

VANCOUVER 1678 S.E. Marine Dr. at Argyle (604)321-1848 Hours: Mon.-Wed. 10am-6pm Thurs.-Fri. 10am-9pm / Sat. 10am-6pm Sun. 11am-5pm / Holidays 12pm-5pm

PER . PKG

Plus 6 more locations in the Lower Mainland to serve you! Join us on the Internet! webs www.fabriclandwest.com Customer Service Line

1-855-554-4840

2949 Main St 604 873-4117

LANGLEY 20645 Langley Bypass 604 514-1406

BURNABY 7370 Market Crossing 7117 Gilley Avenue 604 431-8458 604 434-2812

5431 No 3 Rd 604 276-2254

RICHMOND 10151 No 3 Rd Richlea Sq 604 241-7586

BANANA GROVE 2705 E. 22nd Ave. (at Slocan)

604.435.0646

Market & Deli

MANY MORE IN STORE SPECIALS Prices Valid August 6 - 12, 2014

DELI HONEY HAM

BOLOGNA

/100g

Schneider’s

LUNCHEON SANDWICH MEAT

/100g

89¢

/100g

Emma

PROVOLONE CHEESE

$ 49 /100g

PRODUCE Fresh B.C. Grown

RED PEPPERS

$ 29 /lb

Caribbean

SWEET PINAPPLE

$ 99

3-4lbs ea

Fresh B.C

HEAD LETTUCE

89¢ ea

Fresh B.C.

BLUEBERRIES

www.bananagrovemarket.com

MEATS

Canada Gr “AA” or Higher

ILY FAM

K PAC

Premium Grain Fed Beef

BARON OF NEW YORK BEEF ROAST STRIPLOIN STEAKS Inside or Outside Round

Olympic

OFF REGULAR PRICE

FINAL CLEARANCE ON COMFORTER & DUVET SETS- check in store for lowest prices

DONATIONS TO OUR PET FOOD BANK IN AID OF THE KENSINGTON FOUNDATION FOR ANIMALS IN CRISIS, GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED ~ MEOW, WOOF!, CHIRP ~

tisol.ca

$ 69 /lb

ACK ILY P FAM

$ 49

/lb - 9.90/kg ACK ILY P FAM

Canada Gr “AAA” or Higher

FLAT IRON STEAKS

ACK ILY P FAM

$ 69 /lb - $8.13/kg

/lb - $9.90/kg

BREADED PORK CUTLETS

Fast Fry

CENTRE CUT PORK CHOPS

449

Extra Lean

/lb - $16.51/kg

ACK ILY P FAM

Boneless & Skinless

CHICKEN BREASTS

$ 99 /lb -$8.80/kg

$ 99 /lb - $6.59/kg

GROCERY

Cortina

OLIVE POMACE OIL

San Remo • Assorted

CANNED OLIVES

$ 49 1L/ea

Krinos

99¢

BLACK MOROCCAN OLIVES

$ 99

2kg/ea

14oz/ea

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

SAIREEN NEILSEN CERTIFIED NUTRITIONAL ADVISOR 604-813-0808 SAIREEN321@YAH0O.CA ACTIVE LIVING AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

magazine www.cknw.com

Sport Physiotherapy British Columbia

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News Aquarium boss says porpoise breeding can’t be prevented mhowell@vancourier.com

NPA councillors present. John Coupar recused himself from the hearings because of business interests he has with the aquarium. Melissa De Genova was on holiday. NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe issued a statement last Thursday saying he supported the aquarium’s policies on cetaceans.

NEWSPAPER RETRACTION FOR THE BEST BUY AUGUST 1 CORPORATE FLYER

@VanCourierNews all you need to know @VanCourierNews in 140 characters!

Please be advised that in the August 1 flyer, page 18, the VTech Three-Handset Cordless Phone with Bluetooth® (WebCode: 10249386) was advertised with incorrect specs. Please be advised that this product DOES NOT have voicemail, as previously advertised. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers.

Attention: Unrepresented ICBC Injury Claimants NO LEGAL FEE - unless we increase your compensation Have friends, family or a health professional urged you to see a lawyer before accepting an offer from ICBC? Call us for a free consultation. We have spoken to many people just like you. We have learned that ICBC does not base its settlement offers on how well an injury victim feels. ICBC offers money based on what the victim will be able to prove in court. We are so conﬁ dent that we can increase your compensation that we guarantee you will pay no fee unless you receive more than ICBC is offering when you hire us to be your lawyers. At Cobbett & Cotton we are proudly committed to making a real difference for our injured clients.

JOHN HAMILTON

Injury Lawyer - 17 yrs.

#300 - 410 Carleton Ave. (at Hastings), Burnaby

604-299-6251

Evening & Saturday Appointments Available – Free Parking

1 HOUR HEARING AIDS

r u o h n a n i s d i a g n i r a e h y t i l a u Q

IDS IN A GA N H IN R

UR O

How do you stop whales, porpoises and dolphins from breeding at the Vancouver Aquarium? It’s a question the president and CEO of the Vancouver Aquarium found himself answering after ﬁve Vision Vancouver park board commissioners decided July 31 to ban the breeding of cetaceans at the facility in Stanley Park. Though the aquarium has two female belugas and two female Paciﬁc white-sided dolphins, it also has two harbour porpoises — one male and one female named Jack and Daisy, which were rescued one year apart as babies. So how do you stop them from breeding? “You don’t,” Nightingale told the Courier the day after the park board’s vote. “Contraceptives have been rarely used in cetaceans. And when they have been used, it’s only for very short term issues.” Nightingale said the porpoises have lived together for three years and he described them as “best buddies.” He said keeping them in separate tanks at the aquarium “might be physically impossible and wouldn’t be the proper thing to do for them.” If a birth were to happen at the aquarium, it’s unclear what kind of consequences the aquarium would face. The park board’s decision last Thursday to ban the breeding of cetaceans at the aquarium did not set out consequences or penalties. When told of Nightingale’s comments about not stopping the breeding of the porpoises, park board chairperson Aaron Jasper said his understanding from Nightingale in an earlier conversation was that “techniques” could be used to lower or kill a male cetacean’s libido. Jasper said if Nightingale “is signaling” the porpoises could breed, then he will recommend to staff to give some thought to what type of penalty should be imposed when drafting the new bylaw on banning breeding. That said, Jasper wants to know whether the porpoises have tried to mate since being brought to the aquarium. “If the [porpoises] have not had a history of trying to couple, then chances are the odds are low that it’s going to happen,” said Jas-

per, noting Nightingale still hasn’t given him a clear answer on why the breeding program is necessary. “We are still waiting for an answer because, for us, that is the bigger question.” The aquarium is expanding the facility and plans to have six to eight belugas when the work is complete. The aquarium has seven belugas on loan to aquariums in Georgia and San Diego. Nightingale was still reeling from the park board’s decision to ban breeding when he spoke to the Courier Friday, saying he doesn’t believe the board should have such power to set rules for the aquarium. “The management, the planning and the strategy for the care of the animals needs to be left in the hands of experts,” he said, noting the aquarium proposed to the park board a regular independent review of animal welfare at the aquarium. Instead, the park board agreed last Thursday to create an oversight committee comprised of animal welfare experts to ensure the safety and well-being of cetaceans. In an open letter Nightingale posted Friday on the aquarium’s website, he called the park board decision “misinformed, misguided and pits the park board against the facts, the science and Mother Nature herself.” “Mating is the most natural thing in the world,” he wrote. “In fact, sex and reproduction play an important role in our research and in our education programs. For the park board to stop whales and dolphins from doing what comes naturally is like telling park board commissioners not to have sex, ever. It’s unnatural.” Jasper said he has heard from many people, including those at three nights of hearings last week and via email and petitions that the park board didn’t go far enough with its decision to ban breeding. “We could have actually said: ‘No more whales — period. What you’ve got is what you’ve got.’ But we didn’t take that route,” Jasper said. “So you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t. But we thought what we did was thoughtful, science-based, fact-based. It really was a balance between the two extremes on this issue.” The vote was taken without the park board’s two

BEST BUY - CORRECTION NOTICE

HE A

Mike Howell

College of Speech and Hearing Professionals of BC

BOOK YOUR FREE HEARING SCREENING! *For all in-stock hearing aids. Inventory may vary by store. Not all in stock products may be suitable for all types of hearing loss, we may need to custom order hearing aids. Custom hearing aids are special order only. Must complete a FREE hearing screening to be eligible. Actual appointment time may vary. +If you find a lower advertised price on an in-stock new identical item from an Authorized Canadian dealer, now or within 14 days of your purchase, just show us the price and we will match it.

visit us in vancouver: #103-777 West Broadway, 604-428-4327 #102-1030 Denman Street. 604-559-3277 The Wiens Family

www.cvoh.ca

A10

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

Opinion Education is essential Better solutions for ending homelessness but only up to point Les Leyne Columnist lleyne@timescolonist.com The way it’s supposed to work is, all government spending gets approved by elected ofﬁcials before the money goes out the door. They divvy the government’s budget into “votes,” with each vote representing a ministry’s budget. Each one gets debated and passed in the house, and the money gets spent on the basis that it was scrutinized by elected representatives. The Education Ministry’s $5.3-billion vote for the year was passed May 1 on the assumption that the money would run the school system. But there was nothing during debate about the prospect of carving $12 million a day in unspent money due to a teachers’ strike out of the budget and handing it directly to parents. It raises the question of whether the potential September tactic announced last week is appropriate. It might be only parliamentary purists raising eyebrows at the government’s fallback plan if the strike isn’t settled by next month. But forking over $40 a day per kid under 13 to make up for the absence of a school system would be a pretty novel use of tax money that was originally dedicated for the school system — in fact, promised to school districts. No doubt there’s a way around the convention, if it turns out to be a problem. There usually is. If the plan takes effect next month, the government could argue the money can’t be spent as earmarked, because the teachers aren’t working. So it is free to redirect it elsewhere. Or the issue could go to court, which is where the government and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation spend a lot of time in any event. The B.C. Liberals are acutely conscious of how judges view their negotiating tactics these days, because the appeal of the government’s huge loss to the BCTF is set for this October. The Supreme Court condemned their negotiating strategy and quashed their last legislation to do with teachers — again — in January. The government desperately needs to win the appeal and is leery of passing another law, after two previous ones have been tossed out of court. Another loss would hand the BCTF a huge win on the expensive learning-conditions issues that are part of the dispute.

Also in play is a novel sort of ju-jitsu strategy the government has adopted. As explained by Finance Minister Mike de Jong, teachers’ contracts have been legislated so often that the BCTF now fully expects to be ordered back to work after work stoppages. He said past governments have reacted too quickly. The idea is that the BCTF goes to the wall with contract demands because they know a back-to-work bill will be coming eventually. The expectation becomes a strong part of their strategy. (That’s why the union had next to nothing in a strike fund.) This time around, the government is holding off, in a bid to force real negotiations. They’ve been negotiating for 18 months, through two education ministers, two union presidents, a shake-up of the government negotiating side and one election. It’s all been a pointless waste of time, but they’ll take another run at it on Aug. 8.

It’s all been a pointless waste of time but they’ll take another run at it on Aug. 8. The announced plan to compensate parents through September if there’s no deal conﬁrms again there will be no back-to-work order at least until October. It gives teachers another paycheque-free month to examine their shrinking bank accounts and watch $12 million a day that could have been in their hands get doled out to parents instead. It also turns on its head the historic understanding that education is an essential service. It’s that designation that always been used to justify imposing contracts on the BCTF in the past. The government got away with letting most of June go by without imposing a deal because it’s a pretty unproductive month at the best of times. But holding to that stance at the start of another year makes something unmistakably clear. The B.C. Liberals think the education system is essential only up to a point. The more essential things are to avoid doing anything that would blow their chances in court this fall, and force the BCTF to accept the fact that the deal has to be negotiated this time. twitter.com/leyneles

The week in num6ers...

1.2 27 40

In millions of dollars, the amount of money the City of Vancouver is withholding from a pledge to put towards building the long-promised Killarney Seniors Centre.

In thousands, the estimated number of seniors who live in the southeast corner of Vancouver near the proposed Killarney Seniors Centre.

In dollars, the amount per day the B.C. government is proposing to pay per day to households with children under 13 who are unable to attend school in the fall due to the BCTF strike.

Michael Getter Columnist michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com I have always tried to live by the notion that if you criticize something, you must offer a better solution. Last week I criticized the City of Vancouver for inappropriately filling large, expensive new social housing projects on city lands with predominantly homeless and hard-to-house residents. A case in point is Marguerite Ford House at 215 West Second Ave. It’s a 146 unit building that was filled too quickly with too many people suffering from mental illness and substance abuse and is still struggling to become a healthy living environment. Just ask the police and fire departments who are regularly called to the building. While we must continue to construct new social housing, the buildings need not be so large and expensive. We should put an end to the extravagant architectural designs that have often become their hallmark. We should also put more faith and money in more cost-effective solutions. In no particular order, here are some alternative approaches: Accommodate more people in scattered rental apartment suites around the city, rather than in brand new purposebuilt buildings, and provide social services on an as-required basis. This is the approach adopted by Toronto’s Streetto-Home Foundation with considerable success. Vancouver’s Street-to-Home Foundation has been very effective at raising funds and supporting the homeless in new projects. However, it might consider doing more along the lines of the Toronto model. A related solution is to offer rent supplements to people and let them chose where they want to live. While this also eliminates the opportunity for politicians to be photographed at ribboncutting ceremonies, it is another way to avoid concentrating homeless people in one building or neighbourhood. Provincial Housing Minister Rich Coleman is to be complimented for promoting this approach. As we have recently learned from the Oppenheimer campers, many of the privately owned SRO buildings in the Downtown Eastside are in deplorable condition. Rather than expect the province to buy up these badly maintained

The number of new civilian members named to the nineperson Vancouver Police Board.

hotels, the City of Vancouver needs to become more aggressive in enforcing its standards of maintenance bylaws and compel the owners to fix them. If building owners do not carry out the necessary repairs, the city should arrange for repairs to be done and bill the owner. Unfortunately, when the city did this many years ago, a lawsuit resulted and the city has been reluctant to go in when it should. One contributing reason why many buildings are in such poor condition is that most tenants cannot pay more than $375, the shelter component of welfare. It is worth noting that this allowance was fixed at $325 for 14 years, in part because Downtown Eastside activist Jean Swanson “did not want to put more money in landlords’ pockets.” This sum does not buy much shelter, as most of us well know. A higher shelter allowance and greater maintenance enforcement would result in improved accommodation. Given the urgent need to get people off the streets, from time to time it is necessary to create new shelters. However they can be extremely expensive to operate and many homeless avoid them since they offer little privacy and security. It is a sad irony that some of the modern new mini-storage facilities would offer a higher standard of accommodation than the shelters I have visited. One of the many disadvantages of shelters is that they do not provide someone with an address. Without an address, it is more difficult to find employment. While many homeless people have challenges that prevent them from getting full- or part-time jobs, others can work and would like to work. We need to do more for them. I salute organizations like EMBERS which helps homeless and low-income people find employment. In 2008, its workers helped put up all my campaign signs. Hopefully they can help other aspiring politicians this year. Unfortunately it is difficult to find work when your teeth are unsightly and hair is unkempt. We therefore need to expand programs providing dental care, personal grooming and clean clothing. While many volunteers provide these services, more can be done. We also desperately need more drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities and family connection and reunification programs. These will be topics for another day. twitter.com/michaelgeller

15 500

The estimated percentage of Vancouver residents who have some form of physical disability or mobility restriction.

In dollars, the number of money spent on new board games at Gordon Neighbourhood House in the West End.

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A11

Mailbox Bike helmets save lives

COURIER ARCHIVES THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

Mighty Mouse wins gold in Jamaica

Aug. 5, 1966: Canada's new Maple Leaf flag is hoisted for the first time at a major international sports event after the women's freestyle relay team, led by 15-yearold Vancouverite Elaine Tanner, won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica. Nicknamed "Mighty Mouse," the four-foot-nine swimmer also won three more gold medals in individual events and two silvers. Tanner went on to win two golds and three silvers the following year at the Pan American Games, and three individual silvers and a relay bronze at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City before retiring at the age of 18.

Riot breaks out in Gastown

Aug. 7, 1971: Police on horseback and swinging batons charge into a huge crowd that had gathered in Maple Tree Square as past of the "Grasstown Smoke-In and Street Jamboree" organized to protest weeks of arrests of pot smokers by undercover cops. Seventy-nine people were arrested in what became known as the Gastown Riot, but only 38 ended up charged for offences ranging from disturbing the peace to possession of a dangerous weapon. An eventual commission of inquiry was highly critical of the VPD's conduct and described the incident as a "police riot." The incident is commemorated in a two-storey-high photo mural by artist Stan Douglas in the atrium of the Woodward's complex. ADVERTISING

604.738.1412 CLASSIFIED

604.630.3300 DELIVERY

604.942.3081 EDITORIAL NEWSROOM

604.738.1411 FLYER SALES

Dee Dhaliwal

Barry Link

ddhaliwal@vancourier.com

blink@vancourier.com

PUBLISHER

EDITOR

Tara Lalanne

DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING

tlalanne@vancourier.com

TheVancouverCourierisadivisionofLMPPublicationLimitedPartnership. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40025215. All material in the Vancouver Courier is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission of the publisher. This newspaper reserves the right to reject any advertising which it considers to contain false or misleading information or involves unfair or unethical practices. The advertiser agrees the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of error in any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. We collect, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Statement which is available at vancourier.com.

604.738.1412

To the editor: Re: “Letter: Some hard-headed advice for cyclists,” July 30. I’m having a difﬁcult time comprehending the logic of Mr. van der Eerden’s belief that “wearing a bicycle helmet increases the risk of head injury” as well as the logic of other statements made in his letter, such as “increased helmet-wearing is associated with increased risk taking.” These statements seem counter-intuitive and spurious to me. One should be cautious of blindly drawing conclusions from raw statistics or apparent associations. There are many variables at play that should be considered. Mr. van der Eerden seems to conclude that because the Dutch do not have helmet laws this has therefore increased cycling participation by a third, and therefore slashed Dutch cycling fatalities by 75 per cent. Really? Perhaps safety records would have improved even more signiﬁcantly if more Dutch wore helmets. Perhaps the Dutch have more dedicated bike lanes that separate cars and cyclists ( I believe they do). Perhaps the Dutch have increasingly embraced cycling because a more hospitable environment has been created for cycling. I have cycled for decades, both for recreation and competitively. Contrary to Mr. van der Eerden’s view, cycling does have an element of risk to it and the longer you do it, the more likely you may experience a mishap. Driving a car, which Mr. van der Eerden considers “safe,” also has an element of risk to it, although our vehicle laws evolved years ago with the legislation of seat belts, airbags and other safety features which have mitigated these risks. Wearing a helmet is a risk mitigation action, and

as with driving safety, cycling safety is ﬁnally evolving too. I agree a helmet may not save your life in a high speed impact with a car, but most bike/car collisions are not at high speeds. Most occur when a car makes a right turn in front of a cyclist, when a car turns left at an intersection into an oncoming cyclist, or when a car door is opened in the path of an oncoming cyclist. These are low speed accidents, but it does not take a high speed impact to seriously injure the human brain. I know what Mr. van der Eerden is thinking. Helmets provide a sense of security and therefore cyclists ride less cautiously. However, I would argue that those that wear helmets represent a portion of the human species that has evolved and are risk averse rather than needless risk-takers. Wear a helmet and make it a low risk activity. I think a modicum of common sense should be considered by Mr. van der Eerden and others who insist that wearing bicycle helmets enhances the risk of injury, is a nuisance, and or, bad for your hair. Personally, I value my brain more than my hair. David Taylor, Vancouver

Thanks for the FIFA schedule

To the editor: Congratulations to the Courier for printing out the schedule for the FIFA World Cup in such a clear format. The venues were clearly shown and as the series progressed the winning teams were neatly substituted in the schedule. I kept it by the TV and checked it each day. Well done Courier! Far better that the Province. Isabella Brown, Vancouver

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters may be edited by the Courier for reasons of legality, taste, brevity and clarity. Send to: 1574 West Sixth Ave., Vancouver V6J 1R2 or email letters@vancourier.com

have your say online...

vancourier.com FACEBOOK TheVancouverCourierNewspaper TWITTER @vancouriernews WEB

COURIER STORY: “Concord goes to court over False Creek park site,” Aug. 1. Gerald Dobronov: This is one of the biggest eyesores in the city. It’s just asphalt and oil spills. Concord has put almost zero effort in to the landscaping, even around their own presentation center. Not a single tree grows on the site. It’s a dead zone and we all know the only thing that will be planted there are condos. COURIER STORY: “BCTF baffled by B.C. govt’s $40 a day proposal,” online only. slbeckett @slbeckett: Baffled? It seems quite straightforward. They were trumped. Andrew C. @zuiderdamman: If parents are getting $40 a day then I also want my “school” portion of property tax returned to me. COURIER SOAPBOX: “CP needs to treat Arbutus Corridor gardeners with respect,” July 30. Hermesacat: One article I saw suggested CP isn’t interested in running trains along the corridor again but hopes to use the land to build housing developments on. Hopefully, the land will be retained as green space, gardens and paths instead. Stupidly, CP apparently couldn’t wait till after growing season. No, they timed their evictions orders at the height of growing season provoking maximum resistance, bad PR and blowback on them. The people at CP in charge of this initiative don’t appear to be too bright and seem to be hurting their own cause.

A12

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

Community

1. Saturday afternoon’s attendees of the Powell Street Festival were treated to performances on the main stage from the Satsuki-kai Dancing Group. The dancers are from the Nishikawa School of classical Japanese dancing. 2. The Powell Street Festival's craft booths were popular with children this past weekend. See photo gallery at vancourier.com. PHOTOS REBECCA BLISSETT

Powell Street Festival becomes block party

Change in venue doesn’t dissuade celebration of Japanese-Canadian culture CITY LIVING

Vancouver had to come up with a quickly drawn-up backup plan. “We got together and we thought about the various options that were there, keeping in mind we’d done so much planning already,” said festival president Nina Inaoka Lee. “We wanted to do it and be respectful of the community and what’s going on in the park right now.” The three-day long festival held this past weekend turned into a block party. Craft booths were linked together by ﬂowing strips of white sheets overhead for shade along the north end of Jackson Avenue while

Rebecca Blissett

rvblissett@gmail.com

Apparently it was time for the Powell Street Festival to reinvent itself. The move from its traditional home at Oppenheimer Park wasn’t in the blueprints for the 38-year-old festival that celebrates JapaneseCanadian arts, culture, and heritage. But the park was taken over by dozens of tents last month in a protest against the city’s attempt to evict the homeless from Oppenheimer so the oldest community celebration in

Say YES to Erin Cebula, Global BC

CHILDRENS HOSPITAL

Dortetearm y L

Rules of Play, Details and

the south end was packed with food stalls offering everything from smoked salmon to SPAM musubi. On the stage at the Vancouver Japanese Language School Saturday was Hazel Yip, better known in her Cosplay group as “Haru,” danced and spun to vocaloid Hatsune Miku’s pop song “Weekender Girl” in a black-and-white maid’s outﬁt that she and her boyfriend sewed together for her performance. The Vancouver Japanese Language School is the only property in the Powell Street area that retained Japanese ownership during and after the internment in

1942. (The federal government sold the homes of Japanese-Canadians and used the proﬁts to pay for internment after Japan went to war with the Allies, including Canada, in 1941.) Look closely at the tiled entrances to buildings along Powell Street, passersby can still see Japanese surnames left in place from a time when about 8,000 Japanese Canadians — more than a third of the country’s total of 22,000 at the time — lived in the neighbourhood during the early 1900s. The festival also included a walking tour of the area where buildings and his-

tory were revisited. Oppenheimer was surely included in the tour as the home ﬁeld of the wildly popular Asahi baseball team before it was disbanded, its players interned during the Second World War. Inaoka Lee has more recent history with area. She attended the Japanese Language School and her family was always a part of the festival in both musical and martial arts. “The festival brings a familiar feeling. It feels like coming home and connecting with people,” she said. “There is no community hub for all the Japanese groups that exist here in

Vancouver so I think what the festival does is bring everybody together, it’s a big reunion of sorts. I’m connecting with my language school instructors, my peers I went to class with, the Japanese-Canadian community.” More than a meeting place, it’s also a great way to educate others about Japanese-Canadian culture, Inaoka Lee added. “It’s a place for the Japanese community to come together but it’s also a place for people to learn more about Japanese culture and arts in this little area, in the neighbourhood.” twitter.com/rebeccablissett

HURRY! DEADLINE FRIDAY 25,000 midnight Aug. 8th for Loyalty Bonus Prize ~ Appliances, Electronics Gift Cards or Luxury Vacation! Worth over $

Grand Prize 6 DREAMS:

Choose your Dream Home or... $2 and win a 50/50 Jackpot up to $2

Million Cash Million Cash (Winner takes half)

Over $3.59 Million to Win! Winner will choose 1 prize option; other prize options will not be awarded.

Easy Order bcchildren.com or Call 604-692-2333

Chances are 1 in 288,000 (total tickets for sale) to win a grand prize.

BC Gaming Event Licence #66384

Chances are 1 in 482,600 (total tickets for sale) to win the 50/50 grand prize

BC Gaming Event Licence #66386

Problem Gambling Help Line 1-888-795-6111 www.bcresponsiblegambling.ca

Know your limit, play within it.

19+ to play!

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A13

Three keys to a better hospital stay

Davidicus Wong

davidicuswong.wordpress.com.

If you’re admitted to a hospital, you may lose your sense of control over your own healthcare. You’re expected to wear a gown instead of your own clothes. Many people pop into your room unannounced, and they write notes in a chart that you can’t see. You may be given medications but not know what they are for, and sometimes, you may not know who is making decisions for you. Yet autonomy is a cornerstone of medical ethics. Capable patients must be sufﬁciently informed in order to make the best decisions for their own care. When you visit a physician, nothing is done without your consent. After listening to your concerns, asking more questions and performing an examination, the physician will offer a working diagnosis and suggest some options for investigation or treatment. In order to make informed decisions, you need four

Set up a channel of communication with your attending physician.

key pieces of information: 1) the purpose or reason for the treatment or investigation, 2) the common side effects or risks, 3) the serious, including life-threatening, side effects or risks, and 4) alternatives to the proposed treatment or investigation. Here are three keys to improving your hospital experience. 1. Stay in control. If you are capable of understanding your situation and treatment options, you should continue to make important decisions about your care in the hospital. Ask the four key questions for any proposed treatment

or investigation. Ideally, you should express your wishes before you ﬁnd yourself in the hospital. Consider writing an advanced medical directive. If you become ill or incapacitated, what types of treatment would you want? If you were no longer capable of making your own decisions, whom would you entrust to make decisions on your behalf? Discussing these issues ahead of time will make things easier for your family and will make it more likely that your wishes will be respected. 2. Know the team. There are so many people working in the hospital that many pa-

tients don’t know who is who. It doesn’t help that many health care workers wear surgical scrubs (or “greens”) and white lab coats. What could be easier than getting up and changing from comfy pink sleeping pajamas to comfy green pajamas? If we all did this, no one would buy pajama jeans. You could try to read the nametags, but if you’re not sure, don’t be shy. Ask for each person’s name and their role (i.e. nurse, respiratory technician, pharmacist, dietician or doctor). If it’s a doctor, what is their specialty (i.e. internal medicine, hospitalist or surgeon)? Most importantly, you need to know who is the “attending physician” or “most responsible physician.” This is the physician who is directing your care throughout your hospital stay. It is possible that this might change from day to day which of course is less than ideal. 3. Set up a channel of communication with your attending physician. Some hospitals have whiteboards in every patient’s room indicating the

plan or schedule of tests or procedures, the results of tests and the expected length of the hospital stay. If this isn’t the case, you should have a large pad of paper at your bedside so that this information could be written down for you. You should prepare your own list of questions for your doctor. Try to ﬁnd out when that doctor is expected. Like the traveller forcing himself to stay awake on the plane so they won’t miss

their meal, patients dread falling asleep and missing the doctor during daily rounds. I’m hoping you won’t ﬁnd yourself or your loved ones in the hospital any time soon, but if you do, follow these three steps to maintain control of your care. Dr. Davidicus Wong is a family physician. You can read more about achieving your positive potential in health at davidicuswong. wordpress.com.

Dentures, Comfortably Fit - Guaranteed Svetlana Lopareva R.D.BPS

(Biofunctional Prosthetic System) Certiﬁed Denturist

• Home visits available • Precision Cosmetic Dentures, Standard Dentures , Partials, Relines and Emergencies • Financing Available - OAC 116 West Broadway

3983 Kingsway

604.677.0061

604.336.4155 Emergencies 778.389.5072

w w w. l o p a r e v a d e n t u r e c l i n i c . c o m

DENTURISTS ARE DENTURE SPECIALISTS Need Dentures? Denture Problems? We can help you! Certified BPS Denture Centre OPEN MON-FRI 10-5 SAT: By appointment ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS EMERGENCY REPAIRS AVAILABLE

CALL TODAY! Hastings Denture Clinic (604)255-9433 Free Consultation

TOPTOBOTTOM SUMMER FUN IN

WHISTLER

2609 E. Hastings St. Vancouver (at Penticton St.)

Ken Wong, Denturist

P: Robin O’Neill

“Quality work you can count on”

What better place to celebrate summer than in the breathtaking natural beauty of Whistler on BC’s rooftop. From zip-lining over a raging river, trail-shredding in our world-beating Mountain Bike Park, and sailing through the sky on the world record-breaking PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, to high alpine hiking and endless village cruising, it’s all here and more. To help you squeeze the most out of every day you’re here, we’ve got some hot deals for lodging, activities and more. Here are just a few of our latest picks.

DENTURES THAT FIT

GUARANTEED! All our Dentures and Services are TAX FREE!

P: Margus Riga

PEAK 2 PEAK+LODGING PACKAGE RESORTQUEST WHISTLER

CRANKWORX FESTIVAL

FROM $74* PER PERSON, PER NIGHT

STAY LONGER, SAVE UP TO 40%*

AUGUST 817  ROOMS FROM $99*

Soar into Whistler Blackcomb’s high alpine and enjoy two days for the price of one!

Choose from the family-friendly Cascade Lodge or one of ResortQuest’s other properties.

Big air, free concerts, photo challenges and more at the incomparable Whistler Mountain Bike Park.

*All advertised offers are subject to change without notice and are subject to availability at the time of booking. Blackout dates, minimum length of stay requirements and mid-week restrictions may apply. Taxes and fees are extra. See website for details.

Go online for all the details, plus discover MORE great deals!

1.866.387.8492 whistlerblackcomb.com/peakdeals

Friedrich H.G. Brumm D.D. B.A. Denturist - 27 yrs exp View my video with

For your free consultation please call 604-325-1914 www.mydentures.ca

Now Accepting New Patients No Referral Needed VICTORIA DRIVE DENTURE CLINIC 5477 Victoria Drive (at 39th) “EUROPEAN QUALITY AT CANADIAN PRICES”

A14

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

BRING THE NOISE. GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY. 604.589.ROAR

BCLIONS.COM

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A15

Family

Games challenge isolation in the West End

Christopher Cheung

chrischcheung@hotmail.com

Simulations of railway construction and power struggles over wheat are met with laughter and community in the West End. Jim Balakshin, volunteer coordinator at the Gordon Neighbourhood House, is combating urban isolation with board games. Balakshin wanted to create a public, welcoming opportunity for residents to come out and interact with one another in response to the Vancouver Foundation’s survey on loneliness, which he believed was true in the West End. He called board games a “social impetus” due to their universality. “It doesn’t matter who you are,” said Balakshin, “or your background, or your orientation, or your race.” Balakshin applied for a neighbourhood small grant from the Vancouver Foundation and West End Games Night was born, with help from the West End BIA and Gordon Neighbourhood House. On Thursdays at 5 p.m., a bright yellow shelf packed with $500 of new games is rolled out to the rainbow picnic tables at Bute Plaza on Davie and Bute. Strangers are welcomed to come off the streets, grab a game and adventure together or go head to head. Tables are always ﬁlled. A 15-minute warning is

Volunteers John Jankowski and Jenney Lin and organizer Jim Balakshin have fun in hand at West End Games Night on Thursday nights. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

given to ensure eager gamers have time to ﬁnish up. John Bishop stepped out of a restaurant on Davie one Thursday evening and stumbled upon the scene of gamers. “I think it’s a great place to start coming together than behind doors,” said Bishop. “It really brought the village to a village… [and] created a real, live sense of community.” Balakshin lives a block from the intersection and

believes the West End’s apartments contribute to the lack of meaningful interactions. Vancouver seems to centre on commercial and private spaces, he said. Bishop, who also lives in the area, agrees. “You can live two blocks from someone and never see them,” he said. “People who live in apartments don’t come out unless they need to.” Bishop is glad the evening takes a normally private activity and welcomes any-

one who wants to join in. “When I grew up with my family, we did a lot of board games, card games, but it’s in our homes,” said Bishop. Balakshin is pleased with

the interactions the games have fostered. He saw families urging young couples and singles to join them. Two friends beckoned a young woman over who

was shyly watching from the side. After two hours, they walked off together. Local folk band Coldwater Road played live at a few games nights. Bishop spotted a ﬂautist one evening as well. Last Thursday, a piano was found in the alley. Blenz lent a chair and a musician volunteered to play. “It was kind of a neat vibe when all of that comes together with the music and the lights,” said Balakshin. The most popular games are not traditional fare like Monopoly, but cult favourites such as Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride and Cards Against Humanity. The collection is diverse enough to even include The Twilight Saga: New Moon’s board game. While Cards Against Humanity is described by creators as “for terrible people” due to politically incorrect, potty and dark humour, a family with teenagers tried the game and enjoyed it immensely. It was one of Balakshin’s favourite moments of the evenings so far. “It was funny to watch,” he said. twitter.com/chrischeungtogo

INTERACTIVE ANIMATION EXHIBIT Experience the unique and entertaining world of animation! Learn to draw, do cartoon voice overs and build famous Dreamworks models as part of ﬁve interactive pit stops throughout the exhibit. Free w Fair Gate admissi ission Fre ee with admis ssion

PLUS take the kids to The Fair favourite, Kidz Discovery Farm!

Safeway Farm Country From cute baby animals and massive Clydesdales to bee beard shows and more! Shop for honey and berry products or watch the classic pig races and bottle feed a baby calf. We’ve got it all at Safeway Farm Country at the Fair at the PNE!

11am-10pm Daily during The Fair at the PNE PNE _ PLAYLAND

SAVE ON FAIR PASSES AT:

PNECLIPS

SAVE ON PASSES AT

PNE _ PLAYLAND

PNECLIPS

A16

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

Kidding Around Advertisement

Angel adds Spanish clothing line to hand-painted kids shirts For 36 years, Jackie Haliburton, the owner of Angel Vancouver, has been hand-painting T-shirts for kids and their parents. Some shirts have been handed down from one generation to another.

One of the ﬁrst shirts she ever painted still hangs in the store. “I get people wanting to buy it almost every day,” she explains. “I tell people it’s there to show how the colour won’t fade. It was painted in 1978 and looks like I painted it yesterday.”

Christian Lacroix, who designs for Desigual, summed it up best when he recalled the ﬁrst time he saw a woman wearing Desigual:

““I was awestruck,” Monsieur L said. “It was fantastic, truly love at first sight, a “I recently had a young man breath of fresh air, in his early 40s come in all multicoloured, the store to tell me that his parents saved his Angel “Desigual is fun, wildly colourful scorching, revitalizing, radiating Mediterranean shirts that he wore as a kid, and radiates positive energy,” colours and flavours and now his kids are wearing and creeping into this them,” Haliburton says. global and colourless magma Five years ago, on a trip to inhabited by zombies and “I’ve been painting shirts Europe, Haliburton walked clones.” for so long, there are three into a store in Rome and saw a generations wearing Angel dress by the Barcelona-based Angel carries a wide selection shirts.” Desigual clothing line. She felt of Desigual clothes for kids, an instant affinity to Desigual, as well as for men and women Some of her more famous which was started by Thomas -- the store’s collection is customers include actress Meyer, who began painting considered the best on the Dakota Fanning, Antonio T-shirts on the Spanish island West Coast. Banderas, Montreal Canadiens of Ibiza in 1984 and has hockey legend Bob Gainey, transformed his company into “Desigual is fun, wildly Susan Sarandon. Tea Leoni, an international juggernaut in colourful and radiates positive Uma Thurman, Anthony recent years. energy,” Haliburton says. LaPaglia, Sharon Stone, Mariel Hemingway, Margot Find out more from Kidder. rocker Steven Tyler Angel’s website: of Aerosmith and even the angelvancouver.com late ballet superstar Rudolph Nureyev. Haliburton obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Chouinard Art Institute of Los Angeles in the 1960s, which later became Cal Arts. To give a sense of the era, The Doors played an art e school dance before they were famous and celebrated science fiction writer Ray Bradbury gave the convocation address to Haliburton’s grad class. She also got her teaching degree at the University of B.C. and taught high-school art for four years before starting the first Angel store on West 4th Avenue. Angel later moved to Broadway, then Robson Street for 16 years and to Gastown in 1998. She paints with dye, right in the store. Over the years, she developed a unique process that bonds the colour to the fabric, which resists fading.

“It was just this burst of colour, pattern and great style,” Haliburton says of the ﬁrst time she saw Desigual. “It was similar to what I had been doing over the years.” She says renowned Paris fashion designer

for kids and parents. Angel Vancouver, 2 Powell in Gastown

(604) 681-0947 angelvancouver.com

ACTION PACKED GYMNASTICS FUN!

Vancouver Phoenix Gymnastics

Dancing? FEELLIKE

TAP DANCE • JAZZ HIP HOP • MUSICAL THEATRE AUg 28-31 VAN INT’L TAP FESTIVAL

JUMP!

FLIP!

BOUNCE!

Summer fun at Vancouver Phoenix Gymnastics!

Register for half day camps at St. James Gym 604.737.7693 www.phoenixgymnastics.com MILLENNIUM GYM 4588 Clancy Loranger Way

ST. JAMES GYM 3214 West 10th Avenue

2775 East Hastings Street, Vancouver www.vantapdance.com 604-253-0293 tapinfo@vantapdance.com

Come and try a class for free at the Vancouver Tap Dance Society! We offer a full range of dance classes for ages 3 to 103!

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Family

presents:

A17

SHREKTACULAR. “SHREKT A great show for all the family.” - Sunday Telegraph

A Larger-Than-Life Addvventur venture “Legally Blonde iis BIG summer fun.” fun

ON STAGE NOW!

- The Province Pr

Back by Popular Demand

1 14 July 11 to August 23 201 Malkin Bowl in

nate evenings) Stanley Park (Performances alternate

Tickets & Info call: 604 696 4295 or visit tuts.ca! Sponsors:

Media Sponsors:

Kimberly Voll with a Texas Instruments TI-994A personal computer from the late '70s. Voll is an instructor at the Centre for Digital Media and co-curator of its Evolution of Gaming exhibit. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Video game exhibit designed to be played

Lisa Smedman

smedwoman@shaw.ca

Kimberly Voll walks through the exhibit of decades-old computers and video game consoles, and pauses at a grey-and-black Texas Instruments TI99/4A personal computer. “This was my very ﬁrst computer,” says Voll, an instructor at the Centre for Digital Media and co-curator of the exhibit. “We got one of these around 1979. My dad had one and I used to sit on his lap and play games.” A modern projector casts, onto the wall, a colourful image of the game the computer is running: Parsec, a space shooter game. When the game ends — the player’s spaceship exploding into colourful pixels — the display returns to the menu. The ﬁrst option is to replay Parsec. The second, to launch the computer programming language BASIC. “I wondered what this game BASIC was,” laughs Voll, explaining the fortuitous misinterpretation that led to a career in programming. “I wanted to play it.” The TI computer, together with nearly two dozen other early gaming machines, is part of Evolution of Gaming, an exhibit that examines the history of video games. It’s at the Centre for Digital Media until Aug. 10. On display are original arcade game cabinets like Defender, Space Invaders and Pac-Man, as well as a sleekly molded, bright green

cabinet housing Computer Space, the first commercially produced video arcade game, released in 1971 by two entrepreneurs who would go on to found Atari. Computers and consoles that were household names — the Commodore 64, the Apple IIe, the Nintendo Entertainment System — share the exhibition hall with consoles that were lesser known, but equally important in the development of video games. Chief among these is a Magnavox Odyssey, the very first home gaming console, released in 1972. The Odyssey’s gameplay is primitive: two large white squares, projected onto an otherwise dark TV screen, can be moved around by turning dials on boxy controllers. The “graphics” consist of a sheet of clear plastic film, printed with colourful designs, that players stuck onto the TV screen. To keep score, players used paper score sheets and poker chips that were included with the game. Players in the 1970s, weren’t “encumbered” by expectations of gorgeous graphics and 3D gameplay, said Voll. “These things that were just pixels on a screen weren’t just pixels — they were dragons, and foreign lands, and space ships, these incredible worlds with absolutely endless potential. And that’s why I fell in love with video games.” Voll, who teaches a course on the history of video games, came up with the idea for the exhibit a

year ago, and has been collecting vintage consoles, computers and games for the past ﬁve months. The exhibit includes oddities like R.O.B., a robot-shaped controller for the NES, a Zapper light pistol used to play Duck Hunt, and the Vectrex, a 1982 home gaming console whose crisp vector graphics rivalled those of arcade games. Best of all, absolutely everything is playable, giving visitors the chance to experience landmark video games on the original equipment — everything from Pong to the very ﬁrst Final Fantasy game. “My own personal take... is that video games exist to be played,” said Voll. “If we’re not giving them that chance one more time I think that’s a fundamental disservice... Once we can no longer interact with this technology, once it’s broken, we can put it behind glass and [just] look at it.” There’s even a nod to the future of gaming: a game, made by Voll’s students, that utilizes the cutting edge Oculus Rift goggles that immerse the player in a virtual reality 3D landscape. Evolution of Gaming is at the Centre for Digital Media campus, 577 Great Northern Way, until Aug. 10. Admission is free, but only 100 people will be allowed inside per session. There are three sessions daily: 9 a.m. to noon; 1 to 4 p.m.; and 5 to 8 p.m. Schedule your visit at evolutionofgaming.ca.

Reggio Emilia inspired daycare for ages 3-5 years. Opening with the Kits House 7th & Vine re-development.

A18

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

Arts&Entertainment

GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com

Aug. 1 to 5, 2014 1. Bailey’s Pub is the place to be on a Thursday night in Fort McMurray when tar sands workers step up to the mic and sing their troubles away through karaoke contests. Oil Sands Karaoke director Charles Wilkinson goes beyond the music in a documentary that explore the lives and ethics of those who moved to this desolate neck of the woods in order to earn big bucks in one of Canada’s most controversial industries. CBC Radio’s Kim Linekin hosts a free screening Aug. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Alice McKay Room at the main branch of the Vancouver Public Library. 2. What do superheroes wear underneath the costumes they wear underneath their street clothes? All (well, most) will be revealed and more when the Geekenders get their freak on and their geek on at Full Frontal Nerdity: A Nerdlesque Revue at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway). Cosplay cuties including Trixie Hobbitses, Androsia Wilde, Lottie Libido and Miss Bacon n’ Legs dork things up all sexy like on Aug. 6. starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12/9. Check out riotheatre.ca for more. 3. Impossibly adorable married couple Michael and Carissa Alvarado, who became Internet singing sensations via YouTube and #sixsecondcoversongs on Vine as Us the Duo, hit the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway) in support of their sophomore album No Matter Where You Are. Caroline Glaser opens the all-ages show beginning at 8 p.m. Aug. 7. Admission is $15. Visit riotheatre.ca for more info. 4. Vancouver-based folkies Coldwater Road heat up at FanClub for the release party of their debut album The Woods. Guests the Rufﬂed Feathers and Jasper Sloan Yip open the show. 8 p.m. Aug. 7 at 1050 Granville St. Tickets are $15/10 from ticketzone.com. The chance to be able to say you saw them when: Priceless.

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A19

Arts&Entertainment

Play is more Irish than a boiled potato THEATRE REVIEW

Jo Ledingham

joled@telus.net

If I were Irish I would either hate The Cripple of Inishmaan because it feeds into so many clichés or I would love it because it feeds into so many clichés. There’s the long-suffering, slightly dotty old aunties; the town gossipmonger almost salivating over the feud between a couple of farmers over a goose and a cat; the feisty, red-pigtailed tomboy driving all the boys in the village mad with desire; the village idiot; and the village unfortunate — in this case, poor, orphaned Cripple Billy raised by spinster “pretend” aun-

ties Kate and Eileen. Playwright Martin McDonagh, born to Irish parents living in London, was raised in London and lives there but has made a career of these very Irish plays (including the Leenane Trilogy and the Aran Islands Trilogy). He’s said to be the one of the most important living Irish playwrights. Obviously, holidaying in Galway as a child made a huge and lasting impression. There’s a delicious irony in The Cripple of Inishmaan; when Hollywood comes knocking in 1934 and wants to shoot Man of Aran, a “ﬁllum” on the nearby island of Inishimore, the Inishmaan locals scoff at the ﬁlmmakers’ stereotypical view of Ireland. Yet McDonagh deals

in the same trade: quirky Irish charm. But under the direction of Matthew Bissett it’s a great vehicle for actors. With the help of Ensemble Theatre Company voice coach Erin Ormond, dialect coach Brian Parkinson and taped music by the Pogues, it’s as close to paddy’s pig as it can be without actually being written or performed in the Emerald Isle. John Bessette’s rustic set situates us in Kate and Eileen’s store where, inexplicably, there are only canned peas on the shelves and once in a while a basket of eggs. Alison Raine, looking prim with her hair yanked back into a tight little bun, is Auntie Kate. Rebecca Walters, with a

permanent frown of disapproval, is Auntie Eileen. Together they have raised Billy — always called Cripple Billy — after the death of his parents who may have “fallen overboard” in rough seas or, as nastily intimated by villagers, put stones in their pockets and jumped overboard “trying to get away from you.” Sean Allan is Johnnyypateenmike, who earns a tin of peas and, if the gossip is juicy enough, an egg from Kate and Eileen when he comes spreading bad news. It’s a good, blustery role for Allan although, like the drunk that chews your ear off, Johnnypateenmike’s stories wear a bit thin after a while. And while we’re amused at his efforts to kill his old Mammy (Rosy

Frier-Dryden) with poteen, you have to question whether it’s funny at all. Stephanie Elgersma’s Helen is rough and tumble in a frock, sad cardigan and short boots. Elgersma is able to deliver a punch in the gut, spit out a wicked insult or smash an egg or two yet reveals the absolute frustration in this young woman who, without a miracle, will marry some thick-headed farmer, have a pack of kids and die young. Max Wallace is Cripple Billy and you have to wonder how hard it is on the body to perform every few nights such a limping, crooked character. One foot is turned in causing Wallace to lurch awkwardly. Of all the char-

acters, Crippled Billy is the least stereotypical and therefore the most interesting. Without a chance of ever being kissed by a girl — “except a blind one” — claims one of the aunties, and not being physically capable of going to sea or making himself useful in Inishmaan, Cripple Billy’s future is grim until the ﬁlmmakers arrive and things start looking up. And then down. Two and a half hours of Irish charm is a “biteen” too much, however, and for me it ran out about half an hour before the curtain fell. The Cripple of Inishmaan runs until Aug. 13 at the Jericho Arts Centre. Tickets are $25, $20 for students. More reviews at joledingham.ca.

WEArts adds colour to the West End Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

What Satomi Hirano saw in a report about the arts in Vancouver seven years ago stuck with her. “All the amenities for the arts were in the East Side,” the advocate for the arts said. “There was hardly anything on the West Side and here I am living in the West End.” Hirano asked what was being done to support arts and culture in the West End when she attended open houses to develop a 30-year vision for her neighbourhood. Stephen Regan, executive director of the West End Business Improvement Association, offered to help Hirano start talking to businesses and residents about what could be done to support the arts in the area. Hirano then contacted West End resident John Hewson, who served for eight years on the Whistler Arts Council, and the pair co-founded WEArts, the operating name for the brand new West End Arts Society. With money from Gordon Neighbourhood House and the Vancouver Foundation, WEArts led arts projects, predominantly for youth, last year and hosted an open house where participants prioritized they wanted: • an arts centre and arts venues in the West End, • arts festivals, • a website, registry or

magazine to connect artists, • pop-up galleries in businesses, vacant spaces, community spaces in or outdoors, and • affordable studios, rehearsal and artist live/work spaces. The city has granted the society $10,000 to hire a consultant to devise a community arts plan. “What we do know in the community, though, is that there seems to be an appetite for murals,” Hewson said. WEArts ofﬁcially unveiled its ﬁrst commissioned mural at the entrance to the West End Community Centre on Denman Street last Saturday (July 26). CurbApp, a new mural tracking app for smartphones that was created locally, paid Vancouver artist Steve “The Creative Individual” Hornung to paint a vibrant tree/swing scene meant to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of King George secondary and mark the birth of WEArts. Hirano’s artist sister-inlaw Barbara Hirano is to paint an outline for another mural alongside artist Theresa Mura, and then members of the community will colour it in. A third mural will be either a sponsored call for entry or a contest open to an artist from the West End. Murals may not sound like the beginning of a more happening arts scene in the West End but Hewson, whose nickname is “Johnny

Whistler,” believes otherwise. “[The Whistler Arts Council] went from a struggling not-for-proﬁt organization with one volunteer, part-time staff member to having an agency that’s funded by the city, a multimillion-dollar budget, conducting events and activities in the community that are seen as valuable both to the locals, but also tourists,” he said. Statistics Canada’s 2011 census reports 44,500

residents in the West End and Hewson notes the 2006 census reported 10 per cent of West End residents work in art and culture. WEArts expects to soon see locally made art displayed in pop-up galleries in vacant and underused commercial spaces. Hirano believes businesses should be doing more to support area artists and she and Hewson say business people have been supportive of the society’s work so far.

Hewson envisions eventually seeing projection artists transforming tall towers such as the Empire Landmark Hotel into visual art. On the ground, residents hope if the West End Community Centre is refurbished, art and culture facilities would be added. Ultimately, Hewson would like to see annual arts events draw visitors to his scenic neighbourhood that already sees an inﬂux of visitors for two decades-

• Farm fresh produce

Next Market Sun, August 10th

• Fabric, Jewellery & Beauty

RAIN OR SHINE

18th year

• Plants, Garden Art & Accessories • Wood, Canvas & Glass Creations

Join thousands at this great family event!

on 48th Avenue

Historic Ladner Village

• 50 Food Artisans • Live Music AM - Honey & the Bees Band PM - The Dubious Brothers Duo

old events, the Celebration of Lights ﬁreworks and the Pride Parade. “The East Side Culture Crawl is one of those celebrated events in the city every year,” he said. “It would be nice to have a couple of signature events in the West End that are recognized equally.” Hewson advises those who want to learn more about WEArts to visit wearts.ca and sign up for the newsletter. twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

Sundays 10am - 4pm Aug. 10 • Aug. 24 • Sept. 7 The last 3 markets of the season !

Supporting Merchants:

160 Artisans

www.ladnervillagemarket.com

Heritage House Interiors Sonia’s Flowers The Blue Door Interiors Vagellis Taverna

South Coast Casuals Vinca’s Kitchen Fancy This Gifts Muddy River Landing

Dragonﬂy Gallery Hawaiian Beach Tanning Elite Repeat Ladner Village Floral & Gifts

A20

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

Sports&Recreation

GOT SPORTS? 604.630.3549 or mstewart@vancourier.com

Little Mountain invited to Williamsport After 25 years, a Canadian team will play challenger exhibition game BASEBALL

DONATE

Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

For the first time, two Canadian teams will be playing at the Little League World Series. The South Vancouver allstars are at Canadian nationals this week, competing to represent the country at the historic tournament and play teams from Japan, Australia, Mexico, the U.S. and four other regional champions. Whether or not they succeed, there will be at least one Vancouver team at Williamsport, Pa. later this month. Little Mountain Challenger Baseball will field a team at Volunteer Stadium for an exhibition game against Michigan’s Clinton Valley Little League on Aug. 23. It is the first time in 25 years that a team outside the U.S. was invited. “It will be so cool — I have a new uniform and my name is on the back,” said Gianluca Pitacco, 15, who started playing baseball nearly 10 years ago and consistently hits well beyond the infield, making him one of the strongest batters on

To support the fundraising efforts of Little Mountain Challenger Baseball, please visit fundaid.ca to make a donation to their crowdfunding campaign.

Little Mountain Challenger Baseball coach Kris Gustavson, players Gianluca Pitacco, 15, and Cerys Davies, 19, and team mom Corrina Pitacco, travel to Williamsport, Pa. for the Little League World Series. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

the challenger team. Being treated to travel, uniforms, interviews, and a televised game on the international stage like a professional athlete is an exciting feeling, he said. Pitacco has cerebral palsy, which limits his movement and motor control, speciﬁcally on the

left side of his body which can hinder the right-hander in using a glove. But that doesn’t limit socializing, exercising and wanting to play his best for Canada. “Baseball helps him understand certain things in life, too,” said Pitacco’s mom, Corrina.

Challenger baseball is adapted for child, teenage and young adult participants with physical or cognitive limitations, said Kris Gustavson, Little Mountain’s coordinator for the challenger division as well as the team’s coach. “Ensuring and increasing

physical activity for these children is important, as is educating the community that children with special needs can play organized baseball, just like their peers,” she said. An essential feature of challenger baseball is the volunteers who support

players during a game by pushing wheelchairs along the base paths, helping a bat hit its mark and providing protection, mentorship and encouragement. These volunteers, known as buddies, are an important part of the team and will travel with Little Mountain to the World Series. Ten challenger players will travel. “It’s huge,” said Corrina Pitacco. “It’s broadcast on ESPN. This is the big leagues. Knowing that we’re ﬂying there as a team… Did I say it was huge?” The team is continuing its fundraising efforts and is roughly $8,000 shy of meeting a goal of $43,000 to pay for the basic costs of the trip. twitter.com/MHStewart

Strongest teams emerge at Canadian championship LITTLE LEAGUE

Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

Evan March hit a home run and Rod Betonio was dangerous at the plate, but the South Vancouver All-Stars fell to 3-1 in the round-robin stage of the Little League Canadian Championship after a 5-2 loss to Ontario’s High Park Braves in Valleyﬁeld, Que. on Aug. 4. High Park and South Vancouver, which represents B.C. at the national tournament from Aug. 1 to 10, were both undefeated before their meeting at the Roland-Boyer Stadium at

Parc Delpha-Sauvé. It’s highly likely the two teams will meet again in the knock-out stage, and the champion will have to be better than Ontario or B.C. on the day. The All-Stars held the lead twice, once in the second inning after March’s solo shot over the fence, and again in the bottom of the fourth after High Park tied the game 1-1. Joseph Sinclair hit an RBI single to bring Emma March in for the go-ahead run. With the bases loaded, High Park made its second pitching substitution of the inning to bring in Tom Edward-Gireau who went on to strike out six batters in

South Vancouver's Madjik Mackenzie challenged a runner at second base in a 5-2 loss to Ontario at the 2014 Little League Canadian Championship in Quebec on Aug. 4.

2.1 innings for the win. “Once we looked threatening again, they brought in an ace pitcher, a big boy,” said South Vancouver man-

ager Brian Perry. “We got a hit or two off him, but he kept us from scoring.” Ontario moves to the top of the standings with a 4-0 re-

cord while Alberta and B.C. are 3-1 and Quebec is 2-1. “Ontario is very strong, Alberta, too, and Quebec has a very strong team,” said Perry. “Between those three and us, I feel one of those is going to be the winner.” B.C. started its tournament with an extra-innings win over Alberta. The team from Lethbridge led 6-2 after four innings (Little League games top out at six innings) but South Vancouver answered with four runs in the bottom of the ﬁfth. The next two innings were scoreless but Alberta scored twice in the eighth inning on one hit. Trailing 8-6, South Vancouver scored an

unearned run and then hit two home runs to win the game. Sinclair started the rally and then Betonio, the All-Stars’ lead-off hitter who missed numerous games at the provincial championship because of a knee injury, cranked the walk-off homer to win the game 9-8. On Aug. 2, B.C. shut out the Prairies 5-0 and the next day decimated the Atlantic 18-0. On Tuesday afternoon, B.C. played the hosts from Valleyﬁeld and on Wednesday it has a bye. The semi-ﬁnals begin Aug. 9 and the championship game begins Aug. 10 at 4 p.m. Vancouver time. twitter.com/MHStewart

THE VANCOUVER CANADIANS ARE BACK IN TOWN

6 game homestand startS SUNDAY! SUNDAY, AUG 10 A&W Family Fun Sunday & Baseball Giveaway First 500 kids 12 & under Gates Open at 4pm. First Pitch 5:05

MONDAY, AUG 11 Presented by Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation Gates Open at 6pm First Pitch 7:05

FOR TICKETS CALL 604.872.5232 OR VISIT CANADIANSBASEBALL.COM

TUESDAY, AUGUST 12 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13 Superstar Appearance by Postgame Fireworks Tom Henke & Card Giveaway Extravaganza & Baseball Giveaway First 1,000 Fans First 500 kids 12 & under Gates Open at 6pm. First Pitch 7:05 Gates Open at 6pm. First Pitch 7:05

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14 Blanket Giveaway First 1,000 Fans Gates Open at 6pm First Pitch 7:05

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15 Scotiabank Bright Future ’Nooner Gates Open at Noon First Pitch 1:05

VANCOUVER / NORTH SHORE / BURNABY / RICH RICHMOND / DELTA / SURREY / WHITE ROCK / NEW WEST MINSTER / COQUITLAM / MAPLE RIDGE / LANGLEY / VANCOUVER NORTH SHORE / BURNABY / RICHMOND / DELTA / SURREY / WHITE ROCK / NEW WESTMIN STER / COQUITLAM / MAPLE RIDGE / LANGLEY / VAN COUVER / NORTH SHORE / BURNABY / RICHMOND / DELTA / SURREY / WHITE ROCK / NEW WESTMINSTER / COQUITLAM / MAPLE RIDGE / LANGLEY / VANCOU VER NORTH SHORE / BURNABY / RICHMOND / DELTA / SURREY / WHITE ROCK / NEW WESTMINSTER / CO QUITLAM / MAPLE RIDGE / LANGLEY

FREEAPP FREE APP

INTHEKNOW—ONTHEGO! Newsfrom10leadingcommunitynewspapersinyourpocket!

Just visit theAPP store now to download or visit www.mylowermainland.com

A24

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 6 , 2 0 1 4

LOCAL is fresher at Kin’s Prices effective: Aug 6th to Aug 10th, 2014 *While Quantities Last Sweet & Juicy

Sweet & Juicy

Jumbo Green Grapes

Yellow Peaches

California Grown

Locally Grown

$1.49/lb

99¢/lb

Look for this sticker in Bi-Color Corn store for more fresh local items like Locally Grown Strawberries, Cauliflower, and Garlic available!

Fresh & Nutritious

Tomato on the vine

99¢/lb

Locally Grown

Davie Street

Between Bute St. & Thurlow St. 604.687.8081 OPEN 10am to 9pm everyday

Fresh & Sweet

5/$2.00

Champlain Square Kerr St. & 54th Ave. 604.451.1329 OPEN 9am to 8pm everyday

West 10th

4516 West 10th Ave. 604.221.1330 OPEN 9am to 8pm everyday

Oakridge Centre

City Square

Across from Starbucks Beside Public Library 604.873.6491 604.264.6800 *1 HR PARKING VALIDATION* Visit our website OPEN 9am to 8pm everyday for store hours