Vancouver Courier August 27 2014 by Vancouver Courier

WEDNESDAY

August 27 2014 Vol. 105 No. 69

URBAN SENIOR 13

Doctor in the house HOME & GARDEN 20

Robbed by tech

STATE OF THE ARTS 25

Fringe veteran on top

There’s more online at

vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION

THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908

DOGGED PURSUIT French bulldogs opened up the Running of the Bulls races at Coopers' Park Sunday afternoon. A nimble Lego won the race, which was part of the Pet-A-Palooza festival hosted by notfor-profit Just Love Animals Society, which raises money for free spay and neuter clinics for low-income families. See story on page 12. See photo gallery of the event at vancourier.com. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT

Options for parents as schools shut

Community centres and neighbourhood houses attempt to ﬁll void Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

Parents likely won’t hear from the Vancouver School Board until this Friday, Aug. 29, whether classes will start as scheduled next Tuesday, Sept. 2. That’s what the VSB’s superintendent Steve Cardwell told parents and caregivers in a letter dated Aug. 20. The B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the

B.C. Public Schools Employers’ Association haven’t been able to agree on a new contract. Vancouver teachers resumed picketing Aug. 26. So what are parents and children to do? Here’s an updated list:

Community Centres

Some community centres offered day camps after teachers launched a full-scale strike in June in response to having their

work curtailed and pay docked 10 per cent. Now Hastings Community Centre is planning to offer a day camp from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for children who would be in Grade 1 to age 12, for a fee of $25 a day. Children would be registered for the 20 spaces day-by-day. Information should be online by Aug. 29. For more information about Hastings and other community centres, see vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture.

Boys and Girls Clubs

Three clubs in Vancouver operated by the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast B.C. will offer day camps should public schools be closed. Carolyn Tuckwell, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast B.C., said families already involved with clubs will get “ﬁrst dibs” on spaces in September. Continued on page 7

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W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

Johl defeats ouster in court

Community centre association must hold new meeting Bob Mackin

bob@bobmackin.ca

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has nulliﬁed the June 26 annual general meeting of the Riley Park Hillcrest Community Association and ordered a new meeting on or before Oct. 30. Justice Lisa Warren’s written Aug. 22 verdict overturned the election of 14 directors and restored president Jesse Johl and secretary/treasurer Todd Constant to the board. Warren ruled that the meeting’s requisitionists were not authorized to call the meeting and that they did not give proper written notice to members as required by the Society Act. It was also not clear that the resolutions passed June 26 reﬂected the majority of membership, because only a handful of the 95 members on Constant’s list attended the meeting. “In order to pass, the reso-

lutions required 75 per cent of the votes cast in favour,” Warren wrote. “If only half of the members on Mr. Constant’s list had attended the meeting and voted against the resolutions, they would not have passed.” Until a new board is elected, Warren ruled the directors would be Johl, Constant, Steve Mah, Nick Despotakis, Peter Thanis, Eli Zbar, Jaimini Thakore, Jennifer Palma and Ken Charko. Charko, Palma, Thakore and Zbar’s court action ﬁled in April against Johl and the society ultimately led to the contested AGM. The four alleged ﬁnancial impropriety under Johl and sought their reinstatement to the board. Both Johl and opponent Art Bomke are declaring victory. “We’re well on the way of meeting our objective, that is to get us to an open, democratic general meeting,” said Bomke, despite Warren

overturning the June 26 board election. “That was not likely to happen prior to the judge’s decision.” Johl gained notoriety by leading six community centre associations — Riley Park, Hastings, Kensington, Kerrisdale, Killarney and Sunset — opposed to park board’s imposition of the OneCard system. The six not-for-proﬁt associations won a court injunction in January to prevent their eviction. In his sworn-statement to court, which heard the matter of the contested AGM on Aug. 8 and 11, Johl alleged that park board staff “were visible at the meeting and assisted in selling memberships for the society.” An elated Johl, who is also the founder of the Vancouver First party, told the Courier after the verdict that “the attempted coup by park board and Vision Vancouver has failed.” Bomke admitted he is a

Riley Park Hillcrest Community Association president Jesse Johl president has been restored to the board by a B.C. Supreme Court judge. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Vision Vancouver member but “not a mover and shaker.” He said Riley Park Hillcrest’s board is diverse and he cited former NPA candidate and director Charko as an example. “This is not about political ambition, this is community people standing up because the community association has not been operating up to the bylaws,” Bomke said. Johl alleged Charko aided the ruling Vision Vancouver by meeting city manager Penny Ballem on April 7.

Charko said he could not recall the meeting date, but said Ballem wanted information about the dispute and the city was an interested party. Charko also said Johl agreed in an April 14 settlement agreement to authorize Charko as the association’s negotiator in talks with the city. Johl said the truce was never formalized. Charko and Johl’s April dispute also sparked a May 5 lawsuit against the association by the park board, claiming breach of contract over alleged failure to

provide financial reports. An Aug. 29 hearing is scheduled in B.C. Supreme Court, but Johl said claims of malfeasance are false. “The books are clean,” he said. Audited financial reports provided by Johl show $299,532 revenue and $299,255 expenses for a $277 surplus last year and $302,531 revenue and $251,661 expenses for a $50,970 surplus in 2012. The 2012 figure included a $28,686 park board allocation. twitter.com/bobmackin

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

News

An estimated 150 campers have created a makeshift settlement with communal facilities and unofficial roles for helping out. PHOTOS JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Oppenheimer grows into community Growing protest camp establishes daily routine

Jenny Peng

Jennypeng08@gmail.com

More than a month after being delivered eviction notices by the city, protesters camping out at Oppenheimer Park have formed their own self-sustaining island of communal living. They are in it for the long haul. What started out as a home to approximately 25 homeless residents has grown to living space for an estimated 150 campers. Brody Williams, a selfproclaimed founder of the ad hoc settlement and an authority ﬁgure in the camp, attributes the surge in campers to a sense of solidarity among the homeless community. “The word is out there that this is a safe place, there’s safety in numbers.” With the surge in population, the site resembles a

makeshift campus with communal facilities and unofﬁcial roles shared among residents and non-residents to look after one another. “What I do is just to make sure that everything’s wellmaintained. That the grounds are kept clean, that people abide by my rules of zero tolerance of drugs and alcohol,” said Williams. “Basically we got signs up everywhere and everyone pretty much abides by. We have people on the outer perimeter that still do what they want.” Despite the efforts of camp organizers to impose their own rules, city hall staff receives eight to 12 complaints daily from nearby residents and wouldbe park users about the tents, according to the City of Vancouver’s communications department, and staff continue to meet with

organizers in the hopes they will leave voluntarily. The protest began in July when the city delivered eviction notices to homeless residents living there. A protest developed with the campers claiming the park as unceded Coast Salish land. The city has not set a date for the tents and other structures to be removed. Residents of the camp count on amenities like a shared camp kitchen consisting of two barbeque grills and a propane stove that feeds up to 200 meals a day, according to Williams. Other facilities include a 24-hour “sacred ﬁre,” bathrooms for men and women, and a shared water hose for light washing and the main source of drinking water. Camper Rose Siccama said the kitchen is supported by donations from different

agencies, private citizens, and community organizations that bring leftover food for the campers. Among the items the kitchen needs the most are sugar, coffee, dish soap, jam and margarine. Siccama added she has no plans to leave until alternative housing solutions are found. “As long as it takes, we want these issues of homelessness addressed, we want the issues of conditions of SRO [single room occupancy] addressed, we want B.C. Housing to come to the negotiation table which they pretty much adamantly refuse to,” she said. News of the Oppenheimer settlement drew homeless resident Donald Graffunder to the park after he was told to pack up and leave the city’s impound yard where he’d been stay-

ing. His living quarters at the camp are more spacious than others. He uses poles and an umbrella frame to hold up an abandoned tent and blanket he’s collected to create a separate living room and sleeping area. Graffunder, who said he has been homeless for four months after being “wrongfully evicted” by a landlord who found a renter for more money, insists the camp is a temporary arrangement while his applications with B.C. Housing, non-proﬁt Mission Possible and Carnegie Community Centre for housing-related needs are being processed. He said the agencies haven’t told him how long he’ll have to wait. An unattributed, emailed statement from city’s communications department said the city is working with B.C. Housing to see that

every homeless person at the park has “immediate housing options.” “City staff have met with representatives of the encampment to hear their concerns and discuss the return of the park to regular public use,” the statement reads. “Both sides share the same immediate concerns about safety and adequate shelter for homeless individuals involved in the protest and the city is committed to working to resolve their housing issues. However, both sides agree that any sustainable solution requires the involvement of the provincial government. The city continues to meet with the representatives on a regular basis to work towards ﬁnding a solution.” —with ﬁles from Naoibh O’Connor twitter.com/jennypengnow

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W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

Kensington Wi-Fi raises park board ire

Park board opposes Shaw hotspot as it develops own Wi-Fi strategy Bob Mackin

bob@bobmackin.ca

An East Side community centre didn’t wait for the Vancouver park board to install an Internet hotspot. On Aug. 23 and 24, Shaw crews installed the company’s Go WiFi product at Kensington Community Centre for free, a job that community association president Milan Kljajic said is worth between $10,000 and $15,000. Previously, the community centre had wireless Internet in one room. In April, the Vision Vancouver majority park board voted to “develop a strategy” for free public Wi-Fi at parks, beaches and other spaces under its jurisdiction. The motion ordered general manager Malcolm Bromley and chief digital ofﬁcer Jessie Adcock to report back with a project outline and estimated installation and operation costs, but it didn’t set a deadline. Terry Walton, the park board manager of recreation services, unsuccessfully attempted to stop the Kensington installation. When contacted, Walton referred the Courier’s query to the city’s corporate communications ofﬁce. On Aug. 25, park board communications coordinator Daria Wojnarski claimed Walton was unavailable for an interview and sent a one-sentence statement instead. “The Kensington Community Association had Shaw install a Wi-Fi hot spot at the Kensington Community Centre without obtaining permission from the Vancouver Park Board,

Kensington community association president Milan Kljajic says the association is within its rights to have a free Shaw Wi-Fi hotspot installed. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

which owns the facility,” said the prepared statement. Pressed further, Wojnarski said: “At this time, we’re exploring options available to us.” Kljajic said no formal complaint has been received. “I’m hoping there isn’t a complaint. I see this as a petty thing to go after,” he said. Regardless, Kljajic said, the park board cannot interfere. “Kensington is within its rights. There is nothing in the joint operating agreement between Kensington and the park board that would prevent Kensington to enter into

any service contract. “I clearly do not understand why the park board and Vision Vancouver would resist expanding Wi-Fi in the community centre, it beneﬁts the whole community.” Kljajic said the association spends about $100 a month on TV and Internet with Shaw. Shaw customers get unlimited use of the hotspot, while community centre guests who are not Shaw customers can use the hotspot three times a month for up to 15 minutes per session. He said the association will consider a second phase to expand the hotspot

to the surrounding park. Kensington and ﬁve other volunteer, not-for-proﬁt community centre associations won a B.C. Supreme Court injunction last January to block their eviction after they resisted the park board’s imposition of the OneCard. Wi-Fi is the latest battle-

ground in the telecommunications war and Western Canada’s main combatants are targeting municipalities. Shaw backtracked on its planned entry into mobile phones and instead installed 40,000 hotspots from B.C. to Ontario. New Westminster, Victoria and Summerland are among

the municipalities that have signed on. Telus is playing catch-up and recently announced a trial of free Wi-Fi on three TransLink buses, including one the 99 B-Line. In 2007, city hall estimated the cost of a citywide WiFi network at $10 million. twitter.com/bobmackin

The Grandview-Woodland Community Policing Centre and its amazing volunteers invites you and your family to a free kids event at Grandview Park, in the 1200 block of Commercial Drive, Vancouver

SUNDAY, SEPT. 14, 2014 Noon-3pm

COPS, KIDS, & COMMERCIAL DRIVE 2014!

The Grandview-Woodland Community Policing Centre is hosting Vancouver’s biggest back-to-school safety event for elementary and pre-school kids with food, fun, games, police and information on back-to-school safety, including:

The Grandview-Woodland Community Policing Centre is

• Vancouver Police Officers with the Marine Squad, hosting Vancouver’s Motorcycle Division & Emergency biggest Vehicles • Theback-to-school ICBC ‘Bike Rodeo’ safety event for • BC Ambulance Paramedics elementary and pre-school kids • Mini POPAT with food, fun, games, police and • Transit Police • Calling for Help with E-Comm 9-1-1 information on back-to-school • Vancouver Fireincluding and Rescue bike rodeo, safety, • Child Find BC Vancouver Fire and Rescue, park • Board of Parks Rangers rangers, face painting & more! Plan • NEPP - Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness • Face Painting • Vancouver Police Museum: vintage uniforms & games • Enjoy entertainment with music and dance from The Drive Street Band

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

Hamilton seeks COPE nod for park board Andrew Fleming

aﬂeming@vancourier.com

The old Little Mountain grandstand lives on in these beautiful fir benches These benches were made by John Oliver Secondary students using salvaged wood from the Little Mountain grandstand. They are being sold for $135 each to raise money for the Little Mountain Baseball Challenger team’s travel costs to the Little League World Series. Go to FundAid.ca to turn your purchase into a donation.

Go to FundAid.ca and search for Send the Challengers to Williamsport!

Want to keep up with the Courier online? It’s easy. Follow us on Twitter at @VanCourierNews

Sex trade advocate and noted political gadfly Jamie Lee Hamilton is once again running for Vancouver park board. This time Hamilton, who in 1996 became Canada’s first transgender person to run for political office, is seeking the nomination to run as a Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) candidate. She joins two other confirmed COPE candidates, Imtiaz Popat and Ezra Fulford, in running for park board, and she told the Courier that former COPE park board commissioner Anita Romaniuk also plans to seek re-election. Hamilton, the party’s transgender caucus representative, ran as an independent candidate for park board in the last two elections. She came in twelfth place in 2011 for one of the seven seats, the most of any independent, but still earned less than half the votes of the seventh-place finisher, Trevor Loke of Vision Vancouver. “When I ran last time, I was still a COPE member

and I’ve always retained my membership,” said Hamilton, who announced her candidacy on Sunday at Emery Barnes Park in Yaletown. “I do prefer my independence, as anyone who knows me will probably agree, but the reality is you can’t win as an independent.” Hamilton, who has run unsuccessfully for public ofﬁce ﬁve times in total, also considered trying her luck with the Green Party and shares its belief on the need for a public referendum on the issue of keeping cetaceans at the Vancouver Aquarium, which is located on park board-controlled property. “I could easily have gone Green too and I’m going to be supportive of [former Green Party park board commissioner] Stuart Mackinnon, who is running again. We are all on the record for wanting it. Vision won’t be supporting a referendum and I think citizens want a choice. Any time we’ve had a major issue that concerns the public interest, the citizens have wanted to have their voices heard with a referendum. We did it with

the Olympics and we did it with the [Stanley Park] zoo. Clearly a lot of people don’t want whales and dolphins kept in captivity and anybody on park board who opposes that is committing political suicide.” She added she is also concerned about the commercialization of public spaces and budget cuts that have reduced services to child and youth programs. “The reason I had my announcement at Emery Barnes Park is because that whole city block was earmarked to be a park, and what Vision did was change the rezoning and sold off part of it that was supposed to be a park,” said Hamilton, who admitted that choosing a place named after the father of Vision park board commissioner Constance Barnes was also part of the appeal. “Vision has been focused on increasing density while removing green space and that is just a fact. Over at Kits Beach, they took away green space for asphalt parking.” COPE members will vote on endorsing candidates at a nominating conference Sept. 7. twitter.com/ﬂematic

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

YMCA strike camps have waiting list Continued from page 1 “It’s not to say that parents from other communities wouldn’t be able to get their kids in,” Tuckwell said. Camp hours vary by club but are set to accommodate parents dropping off children before and after work. Fees would range from $20 to $30 a day. “We have a policy that no one’s ever turned away because of an inability to pay,” Tuckwell said. The camps would accommodate children and youth aged 6 to 17. Teenagers can also volunteer. For more information, click on “Clubs” at bgcbc.ca.

Neighbourhood Houses

Neighbourhood houses are planning to offer additional childcare in September if need be. Sharon Gregson, director of child and family development services for Collingwood Neighbourhood House, told the Courier Friday

communications for the Y said Tuesday morning that more than 1,000 children were waitlisted for up to 1,200 spaces across the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast, with space available only in Gibsons and Chilliwack. Walker said the Y is focused on securing locations and staff and being on the waitlist doesn’t guarantee a place. The YMCA is to notify parents about spots late this week. Camps are $15 a day for YMCA members, $30 a day for non-members at YMCA centres, with different prices at the Y’s other licensed childcare locations.

Striking teachers walk the picket line Tuesday at University Hill secondary school. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

that the local teachers’ association has said Collingwood Neighbourhood House staff and families can access childcare that’s offered at schools. Neighbourhood houses that belong to the Association of Neighbourhood Houses B.C. can be found at anhbc.org.

Science World

Science World will run weeklong camps Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Sept. 8 if students aren’t in public schools. Science World will offer 16 spots in the kindergarten camp and 24 in both the primary and intermediate camps. Fees are $250 plus tax for Science

Craigslist

YMCA

World members, $275 plus tax for the general public. Parents will be refunded if school resumes before camp starts. If school resumes in the middle of a camp week, free passes will be given to each registrant per day cancelled. For more information, see scienceworld.ca/ fall-science-camp.

Ads for childcare, day camps and tutoring during the strike are popping up on Craigslist. For updates regarding the VSB and job action, see vsb.bc.ca and vancourier. com for updated childcare and day camp options. twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

The Courier reported Aug. 22 the YMCA of Greater Vancouver is adding names to its “just in case” waitlist for Strike Camps that would accommodate children aged 5 to 12 and run 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kelly Walker, manager of marketing and

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

Labour Day Labourfaceschallenges

Tom Sandborn tos65@telus.net

LABOUR DAY & EVERY DAY Speaking up for safe, quality, public health care www.bcnu.org

As another B.C. summer swelters toward an end, school teachers, led by the B.C. Teachers’ Federation’s Jim Iker still don’t have a collective agreement, so a real possibility exists that public schools will not open Sept. 2. As a result, more British Columbians than usual may be thinking about labour unions and the meaning of Labour Day. (Full disclosure: I was an active union member for several decades as a professional truck and bus driver, and view the trade union as one of the smartest social inventions of the past few centuries.) The Canadian holiday originated in Toronto, where an 1872 printers’ march in favor of a shorter work day mobilized a full 10 per cent of the adult population, at a time when unions were still illegal in Canada. By 1894, Labour Day was a national holiday. B.C. saw strikes against the Hudson Bay Company on Vancouver Island in

the 1840s, and coal miners organizing strikes for better treatment at coal mines in the 1850s. The anarchosyndicalists of the Industrial Workers of the World (The IWW) led strikes by railway workers in the Fraser Canyon in 1912, and B.C. Communists and other radicals organized 1935’s On to Ottawa Trek protesting Depression era austerity measures. In 1983, B.C. unions played a leading role in a widespread ﬁght against provincial austerity and antiunion legislation that saw

tens of thousands of demonstrators ﬁlling the streets of Vancouver, the lawn of the provincial legislature and the stadium at the PNE. And unions have continued to beneﬁt organized workers. In the last decades of the 20th century, 36.5 per cent of B.C. workers belonged to unions (“union density”) compared with a national density of just under 34 per cent. Today, organized workers in Canada still enjoy the “union advantage” that sees their wages averaging close to $7 an hour better than unorganized workers, according to the B.C. Federation of Labour. Canadian union density, while down from 20th century highs, continues to be much higher than in the United States. However, by 2012 and after more than a decade of business-friendly Liberal government in Victoria, plus the restructuring of the global economy made possible by international trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement, B.C.’s union density has dropped to 31 per cent. Continued on next page

W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Labour Day Leadership more diverse Labour Day facts

Continued from previous page The fall in union density is widely viewed as a crisis among organized workers. The makeup and leadership of the labour movement in Canada and B.C. in 2014 is much more diverse than before. The current president of the Vancouver and District Labour Council is Joey Hartman, a woman who began her working life as a childcare worker. The Canadian Labour Congress’s new president, Hassan Yussuff, was born in Guyana and was the first person of colour ever elected to the national umbrella body’s executive. These new leaders face many challenges if they are to successfully enact that resonant old union motto, “What we desire for ourselves, we desire for all” in a new century. One of the newest and most difficult challenges is finding a union response to global warming/climate change, an issue that continues to divide B.C. trade unionists. Tom Sandborn is a retired transit driver and freelance writer who lives and works in Vancouver. He welcomes your feedback and story tips at tos65@telus.net

The first unions in Canada were formed by dockworkers in Quebec Saint John and Halifax during the War of 1812. The Canadian Labour Congress is the umbrella organization for most Canadian unions, representing over three million workers who belong to union locals, provincial labour federations and regional labour councils. Last year, according to government figures, nearly five million workers in Canada were covered by union contracts. These workers constitute 31.5 per cent of the national workforce. The B.C. Federation of Labour is the province's umbrella labour organization, representing over half a million workers (31 per cent of the provincial workforce) organized into 1,100 locals. The Vancouver District and Labour Council is the local body that brings together most Vancouver unions, representing over 60,000 members. The BC Teachers' Federation represents more than

41,000 public school teachers. B.C. teachers won the right to strike 27 years ago. Since then the union has experienced 48 strikes and three lockouts under local bargaining from 1987 to 1994, and three strikes disrupting 14 days of school, three legislated contracts, one legislated "cooling off period" and two negotiated deals under "provincial bargaining" since 1994. Quebec is Canada's most highly unionized province, with a union density of over 39 per cent of its workforce. Unionized workers in Canada average nearly $7 an hour higher wages than unorganized workers. Unifor is the country's largest private sector union with over 305,000 members. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) represents over 650,000 members across the country. The B.C. Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU) represents over 67,000 public and private sector members across the province.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

Opinion

Rosetta blazes new trail in deep space

Affordable housing concerns here to stay

Matthew Claxton Columnist mclaxton@langleyadvance.com

michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com

In 1799, a French army engineer stumbled across a chunk of dark grey rock in Egypt, used as part of the foundation of an old building. The engineer was working to improve defences of a fort in the Nile Delta, but one of the chunks of the building was covered in writing — in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, in Demotic and in Ancient Greek. It would be dubbed the Rosetta Stone, the ﬁrst key found to deciphering the script that was used for thousands of years in Egypt. The modern Rosetta, more than 200 years later, is now swinging into orbit around a comet. Launched by the European Space Agency, the Rosetta is a spacecraft that has been silently putting itself into position for more than a decade. It has spent years at a time locked in stasis, sleeping away month after month to conserve energy while it looped through the Solar System to rendezvous with its target. If all goes well, the Rosetta will soon deploy a lander that will make history — the ﬁrst controlled landing on a comet. The comet is not one of the more famous ones in the night sky, no Halley’s Comet or Hale-Bopp. It has the inelegant name of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, a designation number plus the names of its Soviet discoverers, who spotted it back in the 1960s. We know remarkably little about comets. They come in from the outer edge of the solar system, balls of rock and ice and chemicals, they swing by the sun on wild elliptical orbits, spewing their bright tails. Then they vanish again, sometimes for decades, sometimes seemingly forever. We’ve seen them slam into planets, most recently with the massive impact of Shoemaker-Levy 9, which drifted too close to Jupiter, was captured by the gas giant’s gravity, and eventually broke up and crashed. A sizeable comet or asteroid slammed into the Earth about 66 million years ago, smacking into what was then a shallow sea. The 10 kilometre space rock left a 150-kilometre crater and very, very few dinosaurs. Studying comets is to study the early history of the solar system, and to study

objects from its outer reaches. With the ﬁrst images beamed back as the Rosetta swung around Chryumov– Gerasimenko, we are already ﬁnding out how much we didn’t know. Early photos and reconstructions of the comet, taken from near Earth, showed a sort of blobby, four-lobed shape, like a mushed diamond marshmallow from a box of Lucky Charms. In truth, it looks like a mutated potato, with one large lump, a small spur, and a big lobe that sticks off like the head of a human femur.

Learning for the sake of learning is one of the things that makes us human. We’re going to learn a lot from this mission, and it’s only costing us about a billion dollars. Don’t worry, you’re not on the hook for anything in particular, as this mission was set up by the Europeans with a little cooperation from NASA. But if Canada had contributed, it would be worth it. Every time there’s a new space mission, there’s a chorus of voices raised in online comment threads and letters to the editor: “Why aren’t we spending this money on Earth, on real problems?” To which the snarky answer is, why do you spend money and time watching movies and sporting events? Why not donate every extra dollar to charity and live on gruel? We should support science for the same reasons that we support the arts and athletics. Learning for the sake of learning is one of the things that makes us human. Plans call for Rosetta to enter orbit around the comet on Sept. 10, after performing a series of further manoeuvres with thrusters that will bring it to about 30 km from the nucleus and, in November, a small, 100 kg robotic probe dubbed Pilae will hopefully set down on the surface of the comet. Rosetta may help us decode the only solar system we call home. We don’t know what we’ll learn, and that’s what’s so exciting about being alive right now. twitter.com/langleyadvance

The week in num6ers...

In feet, the length of the race track for bulldogs at the inaugural Running of the Bulls at Coopers' Park, a fundraiser held for the Just Love Animals Society.

The number of times activist Jamie Lee Hamilton, who is seeking nomination to be a COPE park board candidate, has previoulsy run for office in Vancouver.

In dollars per hour, the average amount unionized workers make above what unorganized workers earn, according to the B.C. Federation of Labour..

Michael Gellet Columnist

Last week, marketing research ﬁrm Insights West presented its latest poll results on the Vancouver political scene. There were not a lot of surprises, other than public awareness for one of the mayoral candidates. Sixty-six per cent said they did not know who independent candidate Colin Shandler was. I would have thought the number would be closer to 100 per cent. As to the most important issues facing Vancouver right now, housing topped the list at 39 per cent, followed by transportation (16 per cent), poverty (12 per cent) and economic development (nine per cent). I expect we will hear a great deal about housing affordability over the next three months. With this in mind, here are some things I would suggest be done to reduce housing costs and improve affordability. • There will always be a desire for single family housing in our city. However, many people would prefer smaller, more affordable houses on smaller lots. In some neighbourhoods, the city should allow 50-foot wide lots to be subdivided into two 25-foot lots. Secondary suites could be permitted on these skinny lots, but not laneway houses. • Basement suites provide some of the city’s most affordable housing. However, they are usually not permitted in duplexes or rowhouses. Zoning bylaws should permit basement suites in these more affordable forms of housing. The city should also allow a second basement suite in larger single family houses if there is no laneway house. • Laneway housing is becoming increasingly acceptable. However, these houses must be rental and the rents are not cheap. To create more affordable ground-oriented ownership housing, the city should allow some laneway houses to be sold, starting with those on corner lots 50 feet or wider. • I was born in England where semidetached and terraced rowhouses are among the most affordable housing forms. But not so in Vancouver. Neighbourhood plans should be revised to encourage these forms of housing across the city. • Small, low-rise walk-up buildings provide Vancouver’s most affordable rental apartments. However they are no longer built since building codes require

elevators and two sets of stairs from each floor. But not so in Calgary or Sydney, Australia. Since we rarely read about people burning to death in these cities, and new buildings are sprinklered and constructed with less flammable materials, we should revise codes to again encourage small, affordable apartment buildings. Accessible suites could be on the ground floor. • The cost of underground parking can be significant, especially for smaller suites. Given societal concerns over traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, the city should reconsider having minimum parking requirements. Instead it should establish maximum resident parking requirements. To address neighbourhood concerns, visitor parking requirements should be increased beyond what they are today. • Many older rental apartment buildings are in need of substantial upgrading. However, it is expensive to bring these buildings up to modern day codes. Moreover, tenants may need to be relocated and rents will increase. Since most landlords do not want to risk seeing their photos on the front page of community newspapers, too often they defer these major upgrades. To offset renovation costs and increase rental housing supply, apartment owners should be encouraged to construct additional suites on roofs, above parking areas, or on underutilized land around their buildings wherever feasible. While neighbours will complain, if we do not start upgrading these buildings now, many will not last into the future, especially after an earthquake. Recently, in an effort to improve housing affordability, the City of Vancouver announced the creation of the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency (VAHA). This is not the first time the city has created a separate housing entity. It had one in the 1970s. Whether it will be more effective this time remains to be seen. The city recently issued a call for a board of directors. If you are interested in applying, the deadline is Sept. 22. I may join you. There are many more things that need to be done to reduce housing costs in Vancouver. Over the next three months, I hope we will hear good ideas from the various political parties as to what they will do if elected since housing affordability is likely to remain the city’s number one issue for many years to come. twitter.com/michaelgeller

34 30 10

The percentage of Vancouver residents who claim to have heard of independent mayoral candidate Colin Shandler, according to a recent Insights West poll.

The percentage of women who, after giving birth, experience ongoing problems with urine leakage.

The total number of national Ultimate championships won by Vancouver team Furious George in the past 19 years.

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Mailbox Planning for future problems To the editor:

COURIER ARCHIVES THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

Southam buys the Vancouver Sun

Aug. 27, 1980: The city's daily newspaper business becomes a monopoly after Southam Newspaper Group, who own The Province, purchase the 68-year-old Vancouver Sun from Thomson Newspapers Ltd. on a day insiders refer to as "Black Wednesday." The two media outlets were already part of a partnership called Pacific Press that shared production facilities and profits although newsrooms were kept separate and both papers retained individual ownership. The deal drew the attention of the federal government's competition watchdog, who charged the two companies with conspiracy under the Combines Investigation Act, but they were acquitted in 1983. Both newspapers are now owned by Postmedia Network Inc., which also publishes the National Post.

Re: “Everyone is an expert minus the expertise,” Aug. 20. Let’s start with the contention that planners are leaving their jobs at the city because communities want a voice in what happens in their communities. This is complete nonsense. The City of Vancouver has a huge morale problem as evident by two independent reviews showing morale at the city is the lowest of any in Canada and that’s across all departments. Second, Geller says communities reject the advice and recommendation of planning “experts” at city hall. Why? Could it be because the advice and recommendations ignore input from communities and present surprises at the last moment that have NEVER been discussed with the community? Could it be because the planners are a one-trick pony with highrises and tower podium as the only solution to adding density? Could it be because they have no Vision on what cities could look like in the future because of innovations being introduced today and are planning based on old and out of date ideas? Could it be because they don’t understand true urbanism? Could it be because of the arrogance of the academic and faux green experts overseeing things at city hall? Or could it be something more sinister as evident by all the lawsuits against the city? Don Gardner, Vancouver

CP is on the wrong track To the editor:

Re: “CP to continue ripping out gardens,” Aug. 20. I have lived by the train track for over 32 years, in Kerrisdale and Marpole.

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B.C. Lions play their ﬁrst game, lose

Aug. 28, 1954: The B.C. Lions take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the newly built Empire Stadium in the team's debut playing in the Western Interprovincial Football Union, which later became part of the Canadian Football League. Fullback Byron (By) Bailey scored the first touchdown in franchise history after a one-yard run in an eventual 8-6 loss. (Touchdowns were worth five points in those days.) The rookieladen Lions, named after two North Shore mountain peaks and coached by the late Annis Stukus, finished their inaugural season with a dismal 1-15-0 record. ADVERTISING

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There have always been gardens in some areas during all those years. Even when the trains ran twice a day, the gardens between 41st and 49th flourished and were a lovely sight in growing seasons. I never heard a word about CP having a problem with the gardens back then. So why now? CP stopped the trains when it was no longer financially feasible to run them and let the tracks disintegrate and allowed the grass, blackberry bushes and weeds grow. Slowly neighborhood people planted gardens in more areas and CP still didn’t seem to object. The land was less of an eyesore and magnet for the homeless. Now they want to build condos on a very narrow strip of land and the city will not give them a permit to do that. The issue went before the court and the City of Vancouver won based on the business arrangement that was made with CP many years ago. What we have is a political situation not a “poor” landowner who wants to improve his property. I note that the first target of CP was in the lowest income area. An area with less clout than farther up the line. Does anyone think that Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy homeowners are going to want condos squeezed against their backyards? Their voices and voting power proved loud enough to prevent the SkyTrain be routed along this corridor and we may just see that be a deterrent to CP’s future plans. In the meanwhile, CP’s public relations needs a serious overhaul. After 21 years of ignoring the issue, why not wait a few weeks until the gardeners reap their crops? I live a stone’s throw from the tracks but do not have a garden there. But I often walk the track to see how the gardens are doing and will miss the wonderful people who are busy working on the their little plots. This story is not over yet. Valerie Harrison, Vancouver

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COURIER STORY: “BCTF calls out B.C. education minister for talking to media,” online only. ACMEsalesrep: I’m shocked — shocked! — that Fassbender would interfere with negotiations like this. It’s almost like he wants to publicly antagonize our teachers to shore up Liberal support among the party’s dwindling core or something. Robert Howell: I’m shocked — shocked — the BCTF are in Kamloops and not where mediation is taking place. The BCTF is doing good at eroding public support. Lesli Boldt: There is no “mediation location.” The B.C. government is not sitting at a table, waiting for the BCTF. No one is at the table, which is why mediation is so critically necessary. Both parties need to be at the table, and neither have been. I think they both deserve equal opportunity criticism for that. COURIER STORY: “Residents RAMP up suit against City of Vancouver,” Aug. 20. Lewis_N_Villegas: It is very important to understand that the Vision council has been lording it over the neighbourhoods with a series of rewrites of the neighbourhood plans that gave nothing to the residents and everything to the developers. The Rize is symbolic of this arrogance. There is no balance in the new Mount Pleasant plan between the old neighbourhood and the three arterials slated for highrises (Kingsway, Main and Broadway). More troubling still is that this has now become the default position at city hall. If allowed to continue it will tear our city apart one site receiving special consideration at a time. If the Rize gets quashed in the courts — and odds are in favour — it will be a clear signal that it is time to change the game. Move away from sweetheart deals with developers and embrace the citizens and the places they call home.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

Community

1. French bulldogs opened up the Running of the Bulls races at Coopers' Park Sunday afternoon. The event was part of the Pet-A-Palooza festival hosted by not-for-profit Just Love Animals Society which raises money for free spay and neuter clinics for low-income families. The 20-foot-long race wrapped up with the English bulldogs event that saw Carter taking home the title. The race was a short 20 feet long as bulldogs overheat quickly due to their small nasal cavities. There were also wading pools put out for the pups to help them keep cool during the outdoor festival. 2. Cam Pipes, right, of metal band Three Inches of Blood fame, gave a pep talk to his French bulldog Angus. 3. The main event starred English bulldogs. 4. Hippo and his owners Samantha Scigliano and Jamie Smyth borrowed a prop trophy from the Vancouver Courier's booth at Sunday's Pet-A-Palooza. Hippo's owners were pleased their English bulldog placed second in the Running of the Bulls, and plan to buy him a real trophy to celebrate the occasion. See photo gallery of the event at vancourier.com. PHOTOS REBECCA BLISSETT

Dog day afternoon at the races

CITY LIVING Rebecca Blissett

rvblissett@gmail.com

Big dreams and high stakes came down to a battle between focus and what kind of mood the competitors happened to be in on race day. Spike made his mindset quite clear as the rather rotund English bulldog chose not to bolt from the starting line in the Running of the Bulls dog race at Coopers’ Park last Sunday afternoon. If a yawn could be translated into a walk, Spike had it mastered as he crossed the ﬁnish line seconds after his nearest competitor — a feat in itself considering the race was a mere 20-feet long. Going in, owner Jocelyn Ingram predicted Spike might not be the most athletic dog in Yaletown today: “Oh, he’ll prob-

ably be way more interested in the other dogs than going anywhere.” Hippo, on the other hand, showed up to Pet-A-Palooza’s festival wearing his wrinkled game face and, if drool was any indication, had every intention of taking home the top prize of a year’s supply of dog treats. As any competitor (or in this case, competitor’s owner) would say, it’s all in the preparation. As soon as Hippo’s owners Samantha Scigliano and Jamie Smyth heard about the Running of the Bulls a month ago, they started training Hippo in the park. They duplicated the race’s quick-burst format, sometimes incorporating resistance training by attaching a ﬁve-pound weight to Hippo which, surprisingly, drew some attention. “People probably thought we were crazy,” admitted Smyth. “But we had a lot of fans, too,” added Scigliano. “When we were out training

people would ask what was happening so we let them know he had a race. He has a lot of fans here today.” Hippo won his heat, but lost the championship by a hair to a fellow by the name of Carter. However, his owners were unfazed. Smyth, the current Mixed Martial Arts heavyweight champion of B.C.’s Battleﬁeld Fight League and Scigliano, who placed second in her division at this summer’s Northern Classic Bodybuilding and Fitness Show in Fort St. John, agreed it was a good race. “We’re just going to keep up the good work because it’s working,” said Scigliano. “We needed Hippo to add some hardware to the trophy case and he did.” While the English bulldogs took the headlining spot in the Running of the Bulls, the French bulldog openers seemed to win the popularity contest going by the sheer numbers that signed up for the noon races (at one point the announcer joked that things

were going so well that, “we should be done by five tonight.”). While the fun races were limited to the bulldog breed, Coopers’ Park was a tangle of humans and leashes attached to every kind of dog imaginable from majestic great Danes, regal golden retrievers, coiffed poodles, and others that appeared more hamster than canine. It’s Pet-A-Palooza’s first visit to Vancouver. Originating in Victoria the festival, compete with pet-related booths, wading pools,and photo booths, is run by not-forprofit Just Love Animals Society which raises money for free spay and neuter clinics for low-income families. The society, run by Jordan Illingworth and Lonnie Powell, plans to return to Vancouver next year with hopes of turning the festival into a dog block party, complete with a pool for a dock-jumping competition. Dogs, you’ve been warned. twitter.com/rebeccablissett

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‘High touch, low tech’ approach to care Second of a two-part series on Dr. John Sloan and the ‘fragile elderly’

Tom Sandborn tos65@telus.net

“Doctor, I can’t wake my sister. I am very worried,” said the elderly woman. She had made a weekend call to Dr. John Sloan, and he was at the sisters’ home in less than 10 minutes. Most doctors would have immediately sent this patient to hospital, Sloan said, but mindful of the times she had told him she never wanted to go back there, he checked that her blood pressure and respiration were normal and counselled the worried sister to postpone any ambulance call. Despite the patient’s unresponsive state, which he suspected had been caused by a stroke, Sloan respected his patient’s wishes (and his own clinical judgment that a hospital stay would not be helpful) and kept her at home. When he checked back the next morning, his patient had awakened and was “sitting up eating cereal.” “I am pro-hospital, when a hospital stay is appropriate,” Sloan emphasized in an interview later. “If I had a broken arm or a young or middle-aged family member was ill, I would want to be at the hospital. What I worry about is the way that test and treatment protocols developed for younger patients can have unintended impacts on my patients, the fragile elderly.” (The “fragile elderly” are patients who suffer from multiple pathologies and depend on others for the activities of daily living.)

Dr. John Sloan, here with patient patient Gertrude Elgaard, found his medical training had not equipped him to deal with elderly patients when he began caring for residents in retirement homes. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

In an age in which house calls are unusual and hospital is often the ﬁrst option when things go wrong (entailing lots of expensive tests and a cascade of new prescriptions Sloan and his colleagues are taking a different tack. Sloan, the Vancouver doctor who was introduced to Courier readers in a recent story, didn’t set out to be a medical maverick. In fact, he said he “fell sideways” into working with the fragile elderly in the 1970s, when, as a

young GP, he was asked to provide care for residents at a couple of local rest homes. He quickly realized that his medical school training had not given him the background he needed to be useful to the patients he met there. The fragile elderly, he discovered, differ sharply from the rest of the population in many ways, including how they respond to medication and in what they want from medical professionals. To properly treat this cohort of patients, Sloan

said a physician needs to employ an approach that requires more personal contact and respect than high tech tests, and lots of house calls that allow the attentive listening to patients than is often impossible in a busy ofﬁce. Sloan’s colleague Jay Slater (the medical director of Vancouver Coastal Health’s Geriatric Community Programs, which includes the Home Vive program in which Sloan currently works part time) calls this approach “high touch, low tech.” Home Vive doctors also

try to reduce the phenomenon of “polypharmacy,” which often sees fragile elderly patients prescribed a dangerous number of medications, with all the unpredictable synergies and side effects this entails. Sloan describes this approach in his 2009 book A Bitter Pill. “We see patients taking dozens of pills a day,” Sloan said. “It has to be done slowly and carefully, and only with the patient’s informed consent, but over time I am disappointed if I can’t get rid of half the drugs they are

taking.” Johanna Trimble, a patient/family representative with several local patient groups, supports Sloan’s approach. “Our family discovered a serious drug interaction when my mother-in-law was prescribed new drugs. From someone who had been hallucinating and delusional, and could have died, she returned to normal when the drugs were stopped,” she told the Courier. Tom Sandborn welcomes feedback and story tips at tos65@telus.net.

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urbansenior

Bladder control problems can be managed with care SOAPBOX

Penny Wilson

pennywilson@treloar.com

One in three women and one in seven men suffer from incontinence problems.

Why am I thinking about snow in the middle of summer? You might recall learning in elementary school that the Inuit people had 25 different words for “snow.” Snow, in its various conditions, has a powerful impact on the Inuit way of life. What matters so much to us that we have many different words in our language to say it? The answer, in my opinion, is “urinating.”

KITSILANO BETTER AT HOME

As a pelvic floor physiotherapist, I have an interest in this. I treat women and men with bladder and bowel control problems. You don’t have to be a pelvic floor physio to know a lot of words for urinating. You can probably think of half a dozen right now. Urine is pretty important. Specifically, controlling urine is important to us. Summer is a time for taking a vacation and going on a trip. But for some, travel is out of the question. Those with an overactive bladder know where every toilet is in their part of town. Going to a new city is stressful and impossible for many. “What if I can’t find a toilet in time?” They never forget those embarrassing accidents. A feisty friend, in spite of her bladder control issues, is planning a trip to a developing country soon. Her solution is to take an extra suitcase filled with a month’s supply of incontinence pads, knowing she

can’t buy them there. Incontinence is so common many people think it’s a normal part of aging. It affects one in three women and one in seven men. “I remember my Mom had this problem, so now it’s my turn, right?” commented a patient. Wrong. Incontinence isn’t normal. It’s a symptom that will likely get worse without treatment. Bladder control isn’t just a problem for the elderly. After having a baby, more than 30 per cent of women experience ongoing problems with urine leakage. Many are frustrated because they can’t jog anymore, or play ball with their children without leaking. Postpartum women are told, “Do your Kegels,” but studies reveal that 40 per cent of women do Kegel exercises incorrectly when taught verbally or read about them. As a result, many are convinced that Kegel exercises don’t work. A new patient said, “I hope you’re not go-

ing to teach me those Kegel exercises. I’ve been doing 200 a day and I’m still leaking.” Her “Kegels” weren’t getting her anywhere because she didn’t have the right technique. I’d like to see billboards on our main thoroughfares that state: “You don’t need to put up with urine leakage! See a pelvic floor physio today.” This problem can be cured or significantly improved for women and men at any age. A pelvic floor physiotherapist has post-graduate training to treat bladder control problems. She will teach and support the individual in how to regain bladder control. Recently an 89-year-old patient wrote: “Thank-you for giving me back my life.” No wonder we have so many words in our language for urinating. When we lose control, life isn’t much fun. When we regain it, we get our life back. Penny Wilson is a physiotherapist at Treloar Physiotherapy Clinic in Kerrisdale.

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Advocates warn of more renovicted seniors Stanley Tromp

Stanleytromp@gmail.com

While some seniors’ advocates worry about a rising number of evictions in the downtown area by landlords wanting to upgrade buildings (that is, “renovictions”), and have long called for a national affordable housing plan, there are still a few stopgap measures that can provide aid for seniors in the short term. “Seniors in the West End are feeling extremely vulnerable about high housing costs,” said Sharon Isaak, seniors housing outreach coordinator for the Gordon Neighborhood House. “A lot of them are a month or two from being homeless. Many live on ﬁxed incomes, and paying far more than 50 per cent of their money on

housing.” The homeless risk for seniors was conﬁrmed in a Metro Vancouver study last March, where a total of 371 seniors (aged 55 and older) were counted as homeless, which is a 38 per cent increase over 2011 when 258 seniors were noted, and a 75 percent rise over 2008. Seniors made up 18 per cent of the total homeless numbers in 2014, a doubling of the nine per cent in 2008. Mayor Gregor Robertson spent part of July explaining how his promise to end “street homelessness” by 2015 cannot be fulﬁlled without aid from senior levels of government. Waiting lists for seniors’ social housing are long, homeless shelters such as Lookout are often

strained by the needs, and some seniors have to resort to “couch surﬁng.” Governments cannot even agree on who is a senior. Some services in the Downtown Eastside deﬁne seniors as those above 45, while the age limit is 55 for subsidizedhousing applications to the B.C. government. Many other state subsidies, like Shelter Aid for Elderly Residents, only apply to people over 60. Christien Kaaij, provincial project manager of the United Way’s Better at Home program, agrees with Isaak. “The problem of homeless seniors is getting worse, and more needs to be done,” she told the Courier. “Many seniors are just one or two cheques away from eviction.” For this reason, the program funds the

Hollyburn Society on the North Shore to teach seniors social skills and prevent them from becoming homeless. The Society also has a planning table in the West End. (Call 604-987-8211.) Another option is the Vancouver Rent Bank. This provides temporary interest-free loans to Vancouverites at risk of eviction, or who need to move due to unsafe housing conditions. The loans cover pastdue rent or utility bills, or the security deposit for a safer place. New York City has run a similar program for the past nine years. Last October, at the Vancouver program’s ﬁrst year anniversary, managing director Amanda Pollicino said 137 loans had been granted, helping 228 people avoid

eviction. (Call 604-5669685 or see vancouver. ca.) A further source of aid is the Housing Counselling and Homeless Outreach programs of the Seniors Services Society, which can send an outreach worker to seniors’ home to discuss their housing problems. (Call 604-520-6621 or see seniorsservicessociety.ca.) Last May, a conference was held at Simon Fraser

University’s downtown campus called Housing Alternatives for an Aging Population, where academics presented papers with many innovative models for senior housing. “Metro Vancouver is experiencing an aging population at a time of rapidly rising market rents and little increase in ﬁxed incomes,” warned professors at SFU’s Gerontology Research Centre.

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Anne Gregory, 92, Sharon Isaak, and Carl McDonald are three West End residents who've been touched by renovictions. Gregory is a longterm West End resident (58 years) and is concerned about being forced from her home. Sharon Isaak is the Housing Outreach Coorsinator for Gordon Neighborhood house, and Carl McDonald is a resident of 1337 Bute St., where the tenants have been asked to sign away tenancy in exchange for one month's rent. They are standing in front of a building that is currently going through renovictions. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

Tutoring companies expect late surge Jennifer Thuncher

thuncher@shaw.ca

In spite of the ongoing labour dispute between B.C. teachers and the province that cost students weeks at the end of the school year, led to the cancellation of summer school and could delay the scheduled Sept. 2 start, many tutor companies in Vancouver didn’t see an immediate uptick in business. Brian FitzGerald, owner of Tutor Doctor Vancouver, which offers in-home tutoring, said summer traditionally is a quieter time for his company, and this year was no exception. He said it is unfortunate more parents didn’t take the opportunity to get a leg up on what could be a shaky start to the school year. He noted learning doesn’t stop because of a strike. “The really important thing is that there is some consistency of learning.” FitzGerald said his staff has been reaching out to regular clients to suggest they start tutoring sessions

Private tutoring can be expensive at $25 to $60 an hour, but tutoring companies argue it provides consistency of learning, even during a strike. Reference checks for potential tutors are a good idea. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

sooner rather than later to ensure kids aren’t too rusty when school gets underway. “Once school does get started, they are going to have to cram in the same curriculum,” he said. If the strike continues more than a few days into the new school year, FitzGerald said he expects

his 80-plus tutors to get busier as parents of elementary school students in particular begin to worry about their children falling behind. “Young kids are looking at fundamentals. High school students are looking for marks,” he said. At Sylvan Learning’s three Vancouver centres,

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which offer small-group tutoring, there also wasn’t a rush to sign kids up during the summer. “I do get asked that, but there doesn’t seem to be anything noticeably,” said

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Whether a child struggles with a school subject or wants to get a jump on future grades, there are plenty of options in Vancouver. But help doesn’t come cheap, as a few examples show. Teachers’ Tutoring Service offers one-onone tutoring by certiﬁed teachers for all grades. Lessons in the student’s home cost $35 per hour while meeting in the tutor’s home (not always available) is $40 per hour. Tutor Doctor Vancouver charges just a little bit more, between $43 and $53 per hour, for one-on-

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Barbara Kennedy, executive director of Sylvan Learning, Vancouver. Kennedy said parents and students should be aware school doesn’t have to be in session for kids to

beneﬁt from a little help. “You tend to associate tutoring with homework support, like if they need some help with social studies, or some project, or math then you hire a tutor. With our approach it is more getting the kids to learn the skills so they have a good foundation, and then they are able to do the work on their own,” she said. Math and reading tutor company Kumon has seen a slight increase in business over the summer, but Louisa Lee, owner of Kumon on First Avenue said she couldn’t directly attribute the rise to the labour dispute. “For new parents, new families, there have been some that intended to have their kids in summer school so, because that has been cancelled, they wanted something for their math and for their reading,” she said. twitter.com/thuncher

one in home tutoring for all grades. At Tutor Bright, which also offers in-home, oneon-one tutoring for all grade levels, tutors start at $45 per hour. Little House Tutoring offers tutoring for students from pre-school through to university at two centres on Vancouver’s West side. Rates run from $55 to $65 per hour. Little House also offers various camps and preschool programs. Sylvan Learning, which has been in Vancouver for 28 years, charges $60 per hour and $99 for an

initial test fee. Sylvan offers small group tutoring at its centres for students from kindergarten to those preparing for college or university. Of course there are also private tutors, which are often the cheapest, but perhaps least reliable option. The cost for private lessons varies greatly depending on the qualifications of the tutor, but the average is around $25 an hour. A good online resource for finding a private tutor is findatutor.ca, but always check references to be safe — a good rule of thumb when hiring any tutor.

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Top 10 back to school movies Jennifer Thuncher

thuncher@shaw.ca

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The creative minds of Hollywood have long found inspiration in the drama of high school. For your countdown to back-to-school viewing pleasure, the Courier assembled, in a completely unscientiﬁc and biasedtowards-the-1980s way, the following top 10 schoolthemed movies.

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This ﬂick made it into ﬁrst place because it’s clever and doesn’t whitewash, much, the sharp edge of the high school gossip mill. A cleancut girl who is rumoured to have lost her virginity turns the tables on the gossipers and uses the lie to her advantage. It is funny and yet deep. Stars Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Dan Byrd. Rated PG-13.

Grades K-12

En Francais Grades K-12 Sean Penn plays surfer dude Jeff Spicoli in the 1982 classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

New York high school for gifted performers. Numerous imitations should not be mistaken for this original. At risk of receiving bags of hate mail, this beats Glee and High School Musical (s) hands down. You will laugh, you will cry and then you will buy the soundtrack. Stars Eddie Barth, Irene Cara, Lee Curreri. PG.

2. Fame (1980)

This ﬁlm will resonate with anyone who dreamed of making it in the arts. A group of talented teens audition for and attend a

3. Heathers (1988)

Those more modernday Mean Girls have nothing on the original mean girl, Heather Chandler, in this mash of romantic comedy, teen thriller and cult classic. Not politically correct — killing popular kids, fake suicides and a “quirky” kid who brings a gun to school — but it en-

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tertains in its own subversive way. Four girls, three named Heather, highlight the class and social divide within high school walls. It is worth a viewing just to see several stars pretrain wreck. Stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty. Restricted. Continued on next page

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

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Films also teach life lessons Continued from previous page

4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Based on the critically acclaimed but controversial novel of the same name, the ﬁlm centers on loner Charlie, a high school freshman who is let in on a more grown-up world by two seniors. It deals with issues of suicide, sex and drugs. The joy of this ﬁlm is the quality of the acting. No stilted beginner performances here. Stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller. PG-13

5. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

This coming of age ﬂick is included here mostly because of the pressure from the Courier newsroom, some members of which knew every line by heart. Undoubtedly a cult classic, Fast Times is based on writer Cameron Crowe’s observations undercover at Clairemont High School in San Diego, Calif. in the late ’70s and adapted from his book of the same name.

It follows a group of teens through a school year and their struggles with teachers, love and part-time jobs. (Think That ’70s Show on steroids.) Stars Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold. Restricted.

6. The Breakfast Club (1985)

You knew we had to include this John Hughes ’80s staple. This dramedy follows an eclectic, if lilly-white, group of high school deviants on their day of detention. Each character represents a high school stereotype — from the jock to the nerd to the brooding outsider. Watching this ﬁlm as a family may show the youngsters that parents do understand the social landmines that pepper the teen years. Stars Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy. Restricted.

7. Harry Potter film series (2001- 2011)

Yes, all of them. Mostly centered around the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft

and Wizardry, these ﬁlms, based on the books by J. K. Rowling, are a favourite of kids and adults alike. The ﬁlms are escapist and no matter how big a bully one might face in the 2014-2015 school year, Lord Voldemort has him or her beat. Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. PG-13.

8. Back to the Future (1985)

This first film, though really based on a potential case of incest, was the highest grossing film of 1985. It is about teenaged Marty’s time travel back to his parents’ high school to try and unite them and save his own existence. It is clever and sure to dazzle kids who have never seen it (“Where are their cellphones?”) and parents who haven’t watched it for a while. Stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson. PG

9. Saved! (2004)

Religious satire is the undercurrent of this ﬁlm. It follows Christian student

Mary in her Christian high school as she tries to un-gay her gay boyfriend. Mary becomes pregnant along the way and hilarity and life lessons ensue. The ﬁlm is worth a watch because it is different, daring, clever and, with over the top satire, manages to capture what it’s like to be a teen in a confusing and complicated world. Stars Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin. PG-13

10. The Karate Kid (1984)

Kids these days deal with cyber bullies more than schoolyard ones, but this popular film still resonates. Teenaged Daniel is an outsider in his new school, but finds his own way to fit in through a martial arts master/ home handyman who agrees to teach him how to beat his opponent. While watching, try to wrap your head around the fact Ralph Macchio is now 53-yearsold. Stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove. PG twitter.com/thuncher

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W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

Most people can't live without using spellcheckers. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Technology robbed me of these three things Barry Link

blink@vancourier.com

I miss spelling. Photos that meant something because they were rare. Real mail. Much has been gained with digital technology, and I for one don’t want to go back to the time before it existed. The social, creative and political beneﬁts are too good to give up. But some things I grew up with have been lost, and I mourn their passing. Spelling: When I ﬁrst started using computers and word processors in the late ’80s, I turned the spellcheckers off. I was a good speller and as a point of intellectual pride I was damned if I was going to

let a machine erode that skill and euthanize my language-related neurons. Now I use spellcheckers for everything, including for writing this column. Blame sheer volume for that: I edit thousands of words a day for an audience that for print remains stern in pointing out errors. (Online audiences either shrug off mistakes or don’t see them thanks to the shiny things distracting them on the web.) So I need machines to help me out. Spellcheckers are in every app now, including email and browsers, and I’ve given up on turning them off. On smartphones and their clumsy screen-based keyboards, I can’t type out a coherent sentence without machine help and it shames me. It’s like my brain is forced to use a walker.

Photos: I remember as a kid seeing photos in the homes of my grandparents. Mainly portraits of family, they were mounted on shelves and walls, where they were displayed for years. They had pride of place because they pretty much were the only photos they had because until a decade ago, photos were rare, expensive and difﬁcult to produce for ordinary people. Consider my greatgrandfather, August Link, an ethnic German immigrant from Ukraine who, stories go, raised horses for the tsar, refused military service for his sons, crossed the ocean, travelled by wagon in the American west, founded churches, farmed as a pioneer, survived three wives with whom he sired a litter of children and was married to a fourth at his

death when he was buried with his tobacco. And I have seen exactly one picture of him. You can imagine the power of that sole image. To this day, I don’t even know if a digital copy of that picture exists since I’ve only seen physical reproductions. Now consider that the other day I was at a Vancouver Canadians game. I took a picture of my lunch — my lunch! — and blasted it out to the world on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I also took pictures of my colleague Michael Kissinger doing the chicken dance. Last night I took a picture of my cat. Today, one of my laundry. And that’s light use compared to most people armed with a phone connected to social media networks. We drown in a sea of instant imagery.

August would want to throw me a life preserver. Mail: When Canada Post announced not long ago that it was ending home delivery for most Canadians, I shrugged. I get nothing in the mail of value. It’s bills, pitches from realtors and endless piles of advertising crap. Even packages or purchases now come largely through private delivery companies. It wasn’t that way for me before. As a kid, I’d get cards from relatives on my birthday and at Christmas. I’d wait for weeks for books and games I’d ordered by mail. As I grew up, I became a prodigious letter writer, and so did my friends. Letters took time to write (usually by hand), time to arrive and time to read. The waiting for important letters, from close friends, girlfriends, col-

leagues I was collaborating with in faraway cities, was painful, anxious, frustrating — and wonderfully so. The mail carrier’s coming was a celebration. Now it’s email and social media and more messages and forms of communication than I can handle in a day. Even my mom sends weekly updates to the family by email. They’re warm and well written, but not the same as getting a letter from mom. And in an era of keyboards, I couldn’t pull off a handwritten letter if I tried. I can barely ﬁll out a cheque, which I also use less of thanks to ubiquitous credit card terminals. My world is poorer for these lost experiences. What have you lost to the digital world? What do you miss? Let me know. twitter.com/trueblinkit

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W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A21

Better zucchinis through calcium Lime or bonemeal helpful to keeping zucchini healthy GARDEN

or four different places. So far I control it by either pulling out the suckers or killing the leaves with vinegar or Roundup. How can I get rid of it?” Frances, Cloverdale

Anne Marrison

amarrison@shaw.ca

Q: “My kids and I started a vegetable garden this year and we are growing zucchinis. Our problem is that most of the fruit has gone yellow/black and squishy at the ends. I have read this is a calcium problem. But how can I fix it? Also, we planted celery. When does it mature? The stalks are tallish but very small in circumference.” Michelle MacRae, Port Coquitlam A: Yes, your zucchinis likely have a calcium problem. Adding dolomite lime or bonemeal will raise the calcium content on your soil but it may not work fast enough to give you a zucchini harvest in a few weeks. But it’s best to do it now anyway in hopes we have a long fall of good growing weather. I’d suggest that this fall you decide where you’ll plant zucchini next year and be sure to add some lime or bonemeal to that spot. Both will benefit other areas too. You could do a soil test to find out if other amendments are needed. Garden centres have soil tests — but make sure you get a test that evalu-

Want a bountiful harvest of zucchinis? Decide where you will plant them next year and prepare the soil. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

ates trace elements as well as the major ones. Eggshells also contain calcium. I’ve been adding crushed eggshells to the veggie garden for years. The crushed ones take a while to break down. Ground eggshells work faster. Grinding is more doable (and causes less trouble with spouses) if you grind eggshells in an old blender or coffee grinder that’s used for nothing else. The time from celery seed sowing to maturity is usu-

ally 100 days, though the West Coast Seeds variety “Tango” is said to take only 85 days. It can be used at any stage in its life cycle. Your stalks are small because celery needs a very rich soil and loads upon loads of water. That’s why it’s not an easy crop to grow. It’s known as a crop for “muck” soil. Manure beneﬁts celery because it holds in moisture and is rich in nutrients. Another problem with celery is that the stalks are dry

and very stringy. Our long, hot summer droughts sure don’t help celery gardeners. Q: “I decided to remove a wisteria plant a few years

ago. I cut off the main stalk and removed most of the main root and some of the longer pieces but could not dig it all out. Now I get wisteria popping up in three

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A: Sad to say, Frances, you’re already doing the very best you can do in this situation. But if you’d left the wisteria growing, you’d still have had a problem with suckers. Wisteria is programmed to become a huge vine. It needs a lot of pruning and this stimulates the roots to produce suckers — and, as you’ve discovered, the roots spread far and wide. So keep digging, pulling or killing the suckers because the roots can’t keep producing suckers for ever. They’ll exhaust their food stores and ultimately the suckers will be fewer and smaller and then vanish. Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to her via amarrison@ shaw.ca.

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Briefs New coal terminal gets green light

A controversial coal terminal at Fraser Surrey Docks has been given the go-ahead. Port Metro Vancouver announced Aug. 21 that it has granted a permit to allow the Direct Coal Transfer Project at Fraser Surrey Docks to proceed. It will handle thermal coal from the U.S., which will arrive by rail and be transferred onto barges, where it will be taken to a transfer station on Texada Island and loaded onto ships destined for Asian markets for uses like coalﬁred electricity plants. One train a day, made up of 125 cars of coal, is expected to move through the Metro Vancouver region on its way to Fraser Surrey Docks. Currently, coal makes up a large portion of the bulk cargo shipped from existing terminals such as Neptune in North Vancouver. Most of that material is metallurgical (or steel-making) coal that has been mined in British Columbia. Ironically, just as a Port Metro press conference making the announcement was getting underway,

Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and Climate Solutions were just wrapping up a press conference, in which they argued the long-term demand for coal in Asia was falling, meaning there is no good economic case for a coal terminal on the west coast. Up until Aug. 18, the Fraser Surrey Docks coal terminal proposal was one of four for the Paciﬁc coast – two in Washington, one in Oregon and Surrey Fraser Docks. That dropped to three on when the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) rejected Ambre Energy’s proposed Morrow Paciﬁc coal export proposal. According to an economic study by three environmental groups, that likely means there is no longer an economic case for the other two terminals proposed in Washington. Thermal coal producers in the U.S. need access to China, India and South Korea, because there simply is no market for their coal in the U.S. anymore, thanks largely to the move from coal to natural gas by American utilities. The shortest, cheapest route there is through the West

Coast. In 2009, the demand for coal in China soared, along with the country’s rapid growth, prompting coal producers in Indonesia and Australia to ramp up production. So while demand increased, the price for coal remained relatively low. Since April 2011, coal prices have dropped from $134 per tonne to $69.70 last week.

City wants climate change considered for pipeline proposal

The City of Vancouver is petitioning the Federal Court of Appeal for leave to appeal the National Energy Board’s (NEB) decision to not consider the effects of climate change in its assessment of the Trans Mountain Pipeline proposal. The city ﬁled the original motion on May 15 requesting that the NEB consider climate change in the Trans Mountain Pipeline proposal review, and the NEB rejected this motion in July. The NEB will consider the broader economic beneﬁts associated with the pipeline but not the broader environmental

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TEDxVancouver announced its ﬁrst round of speakers this week, which include a Buddhist bigwig, a philanthropist fashionista and a former footballer. Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education founder Victor Chan, Obakki Foundation designer Treana Peake and newly retired Whitecaps FC captain Jay DeMerit will offer up some ideas potentially worth spreading at the ﬁfth edition of TEDxVancouver, taking place Oct. 18 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. “We are thrilled to have Victor, Treana and Jay take the stage to share ideas and challenge perspectives in connection with this year’s theme, TILT,” said TEDxVancouver president Jordan Kallman in a press release. “Speakers at TEDxVancouver are handpicked for their ability to provoke conversation, as well as new ways of thinking that will

empower others to move outside of their comfort zone to do incredible things.” More speakers will be announced in the next few weeks. Visit tedxvancouver.com for more information.

New lines for 99 B-Line planned

Boarding the B-Line at the city’s busiest bus stop could become a bit easier thanks to a pilot project being introduced by TransLInk. Painted queue lines on the pavement are meant to direct passengers towards the front, middle and rear doors at the westbound 99 B-Line stop at Commercial-Broadway Station and keep sidewalk space open for people walking by. A special accessibility path to the front door will also be put in place for customers with disabilities. The project is expected to be completed by Sept. 2 in time for the beginning of the UBC fall semester. The pilot runs until next year when construction of a new shelter for the 99 B-Line is planned to start.

Putting Vancouver on the maps

The City of Vancouver wants to make it easier for people to walk around. As part of the Transportation

2040 Plan to ensure that navigating the city is easy for pedestrians using the wayﬁnding program, a total of 210 map stands will be updated or installed starting in the downtown core this September and additional maps will be installed around the city throughout the fall. Updates to the wayﬁnding system will include greater levels of detail, such showing of accessibility aids (e.g. ramps, elevators) for people with mobility challenges and adding more maps outside of the downtown core.

Curling season returns

Meet new people, get active and get healthy. That’s the promise of the Vancouver Men’sCurling League, which operates for another season at Hillcrest Community Centre across the street from Nat Bailey Stadium. The curling is described as recreational and open to men 55 years and older. Basic instruction in the game takes place Tuesday and/or Thursday from 12:45 to 3:30 p.m. and the 45 game season runs Oct. 1 to April 10. To join, contact John Reid at 605-224-1127 or visit vancurl.com/leagues/ senior-men. An open house at Hillcrest Community Centre runs Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Arts&Entertainment

GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com

1 Aug. 27 to 29, 2014 1. To be honest, it takes a lot of willpower for us not to use such unimaginative phrases as “spices up” or “heats up” when describing what the 12th annual Vancouver Latin Film Festival will be doing to local theatres Aug. 28 to Sept. 7. That said, this year’s edition spotlights the ﬁlms of Chile including a retrospective on Manuela Martelli, one of the most recognized Chilean actresses, who will also be in attendance. Other highlights include Argentinian romantic comedy Lion’s Heart, the Mexican satire Workers and Roberto Fiesco’s documentary Quebranto, which explores family, gender identity and nostalgia in Mexican society. Details at vlaff.org. 2. Did you know Vancouver is now universally recognized as a hotbed of the beloved art form of tap? Neither did we. Maybe we should leave our dojo more often and check out the 15th annual Vancouver International Tap Festival Aug. 28 to 21. Performers include Dianne Walker, Brenda Bufalino, Terry Brock, Tony Waag, Gene Medler, Travis Knights, Sam Weber, Nicholas Young, Allison Toffan, Lisa La Touche and Mika Komatsu, culminating in Tap It Out, featuring more than 100 dancers taking to Granville Street Aug. 31, 5 p.m. Details at vantapdance.com. 3. It wasn’t that long ago that Little Dragon was playing to sweaty crowds in tiny night clubs. Now the Swedish electronic pop band featuring energetic and enigmatic frontwoman Yukimi Nagano is playing the Vogue Theatre Aug. 27 in support of the band’s latest album Nabuma Rubberband. Dam-Funk opens the show with a DJ set. Tickets at Redcat, Zulu, Highlife and northerntickets.com.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

Arts&Entertainment KUDOS & KVETCHES Breast in show

In case you missed it, this past Sunday was Go Topless Day in Vancouver. The international nipple liberation movement is supposedly intended to bring equality to the sexes when it comes to going shirtless in public. Or to quote those bastions of feminism and “Hump Day Hotties” over at Vancity Buzz (who refer to women as “ladies” and ran an accompanying stock photo described on one image site as “Sexy young topless girl in a deserted place”), “Go Topless Day is a 24-hour period when ladies are encouraged to show their breasts as a protest against hypocritical global laws and norms that allow men to walk around shirtless while women must remain clothed.” It’s like Rosa Parks if she was a pair of breasts and the back of the bus was a halter top. Don’t get us wrong. We’re all for society not making a big deal out of nudity. The human body is nothing to be ashamed of. At least that’s what we keep telling ourselves when we shower in the dark. But the sad reality is there is a good chunk of the population who turn into drooling idiots when a woman’s naked breast is in sight. Just take a look at the “news” coverage of Sunday’s Go Topless Day parade, where participants were far outnumbered

by creepy dudes snapping photos and taking videos with their smartphones, because apparently breasts are a rare, hard-to-ﬁnd phenomenon on the Internet. So yes, it would be great if men and women could walk side-by-side with their shirts off like it’s no big deal (though admittedly we’ve often mumbled under our breath to ourselves, “Is that really necessary? Put a shirt on buddy”). But unfortunately there are just too many ﬂesh-starved guys who have to ruin it for everyone. Who knows, maybe the hope is that with enough Go Topless Days, bare chests will stop being a novelty to be ogled at and everyone will eventually calm down. People change. Heck, Vancity Buzz doesn’t even run its Hump Day Hotties section anymore.

It’s educational

With so much uncertainty surrounding the ongoing teachers’ strike, what are parents with kids in the public school system to do? Thankfully, K&K doesn’t have any bank account drainers and dream killers to worry about, but that doesn’t prevent us from empathizing with parents. Which is why we’d like to direct them to the government’s recently launched website bcparentinfo.ca. Besides updates on “earlier exploratory discussions with third parties” — sounds sexy — there is also a helpful “learning resources” section

to “provide opportunities for students to learn at home.” Another helpful hint? “Students may also want to consider taking First Aid certification, Foodsafe Level 1 or other recognized certificates.” What fun. However, if your kids are not into getting their First Aid or Foodsafe certifications while waiting to find out when school will start, the website also provides links to “fun, interactive games and activities for young learners,” “free texts available for download,” “interactive project-based activities” and “resources… for self-study including math, writing and personal interest courses.” By now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “But how can I ensure that these interactive games, learning activities and self-study resources are as dorky and soulless as this website makes them out to be?” Don’t worry, we’ve checked it out for you, and you’ll be glad to know that, yes, it is just as dorky and soulless as it sounds, if not more. In fact, your kids would probably find a website about STD prevention or the failure of trickledown economics a hundred times more riveting than the government’s online education resources. All of which illustrates why it’s a good thing teachers, not government bureaucrats and web designers, are in charge of educating kids… eventually, anyway. twitter.com/KudosKvetches

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W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Arts&Entertainment

Fringe Fest vet returns from stroke Stroke of Luck takes audiences on rollercoaster ride of recovery STATE OF THE ARTS Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

Jacques Lalonde feels fortunate. A stroke he suffered Canada Day 2013 kept the celebrated storyteller from performing his 27th show in a row at the Vancouver Fringe Festival last year, but it could have been worse. “One out of six people die [when they have a stroke],” the 51-year-old said. “Within the first year, one out of four or five die… The fact that it affected only my arm… but my legs were fine, again, lucky… The fact that I have so many caring friends and family that were willing to give me so much support, lucky… Lucky that my brain is such that I’m able to not become incredibly depressed about the whole situation.” With his new comprehension of how the brain works and of the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, Lalonde has spun tales from his rollercoaster ride to recovery into a new show for the Fringe called Stroke of Luck. He combines his and others’ experiences with puppetry, clowning, tennis and song, but mostly he plays himself. “A lot of the time I find that the best theatre or the best art of any kind actually comes from personal

POSTER OF THE WEEK We resurrect our longdormant Poster of the Week series with a two-fer. Show: Corn Fiesta featuring Ramones tribute band the Ramores, the Dirty Jacksons and a corn-on-thecob feast, Saturday Aug. 30 at SBC (109 East Hastings). Poster artist: Scott Beadle, working from a concept by Billy Hopeless, takes a prairie gothic approach and harnesses the death and mayhem of corn

Jacques Lalonde conquers his brain in the Fringe play Stroke of Luck.

journey, personal suffering, personal pain that you turn into laughter,” Lalonde said. “Hopefully me having this stroke means one or two other people don’t have to because they see my show and they go, oh yeah, maybe I should go see the doctor, maybe I should take those little aspirins, maybe I should listen to my wife or girlfriend — just little tips… Lalonde lost the use of his right arm and right side of his face. He couldn’t move his ﬁngers at ﬁrst and his speech was slurred. But he learned how adaptable the brain is.

“I can’t play piano yet,” he said, “but I couldn’t play piano before, so it’s OK.” The Vancouver Fringe Festival awarded Lalonde a Lifetime Achievement Award at its 25th anniversary in 1999. Lalonde has performed at the Fringe every year except 2013 since 1987, been a part of more than 25 holdover hits and twice performed in three held-over shows. “This is the best one ever,” he said of Stroke of Luck. “Perhaps it’s more vulnerable than some.” Lalonde last performed a highly personal show called

The Unbreakable Popsicle Stick Gang in 2006. In it, he told his mother’s story nine years after her death. He says Stroke of Luck is less musical than his Fringe hits A Closer Walk with Jean Chretien and The Kenny Rogers Experience. Lalonde developed Stroke of Luck in the writers’ group Wordstir he attends alongside actors Suzanne Ristic and Jay Brazeau, who suffered a stroke while performing in 2011. Lalonde notes Ristic has written a play called Poor that Brazeau directs for this year’s festival. “And when I ﬁrst did the Fringe in 1987, we did our show for Jay and Suzanne and they did their show for us before we presented it to anybody,” Lalonde said. “And so here we are 28 years later, and we’re still friends and we’re still creating together and we’re still doing new works that are being premiered at the Fringe Festival. And that’s the beauty of the festival.” Lalonde has performed for more than a million people at almost every major festival in B.C. including the Vancouver International Storytelling, Children’s Dragon Boat and comedy festivals. A Stroke of Luck plays at the Havana Theatre on Commercial Drive. Lalonde urges audiences to arrive at least 10 minutes early so they can see his preshow performance of a giant dancing brain.

with the sweet and juicy tenderness of punk rock. Or maybe that’s the other way around. Either way it has a skull with a cob of corn for a head, which is wicked. ••• Show: Victory Square Block Party, Aug. 31. Poster artist: Justin Longoz perfectly encapsulates the peace, love, skateboarding, music and dudes dancing with hotdogs attached to their butts often associated with the annual (and free) Victory Square Block Party. —Michael Kissinger

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“Get your tickets early,” he said. “It’s a small venue.” He has checked out the Fringe program and suggests visitors to Havana make a day of it. “There are a ton of awesome shows at the Havana,” he said. “Sam Mullins is there and he’s just phenomenal.” Lalonde shared advice

that extends far beyond the Fringe. “Every day is so important,” he said. “Just love the people you know. And take a bite out of every bit of fruit salad that you can.” The Vancouver Fringe Festival features more than 700 performances by 89 artists Sept. 4 to 14. Details at vancouverfringe.com. twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

Arts&Entertainment Mr. Marmalade leaves bad taste in critic’s mouth What’s so funny about loneliness, dysfunctional families and unhappy children in a sexualized world?

THEATRE REVIEW Jo Ledingham joled@telus.net

Sometimes a play comes along and I have no idea whom it’s for: kids, young adults or grownups. Mr. Marmalade is one of these. It’s billed as a dark comedy, but it’s far too sad to be funny. The main character — and from whose point of view the story is told — is Lucy, a four-year-old whose mother is a sleaze and whose father is long gone. Left home alone (or with a babysitter who would rather have sex in the bedroom with her boyfriend than drink make-believe tea with Lucy), poor little Lucy has created an imaginary friend, Mr. Marmalade. He’s so busy, he has a personal assistant named Bradley who sets up appointments with Lucy: “Brunch on Sunday?” When Mr. Marmalade does turn up,

he arrives in a suit and tie, briefcase in hand and an eye on his wristwatch. But here’s where it gets weird and sad. Lucy’s imagination grows out of her real life experience and hours of TV, and her conversations with Mr. Marmalade start going sideways: “You never touch me anymore,” she whines, vamping coyly and clinging to Mr. Marmalade while twisting her pink tutu. “You’re not cheating on me, are you?” And to Emily, her slutty babysitter, “Have you had sex with your boyfriend yet?” What sort of four-year-old asks questions like these? And she uses phrases like, “It’s against my better judgment” and “You don’t have much self-esteem.” Really? Things go from bad to worse with Lucy when she and Mr. Marmalade decide to get married, she gets pregnant, he hangs around in his underwear while snorting lines of coke. The “kid” cries and Mr. Marmalade moves out,

Jay Clift and Christine Quintana appear in Mr. Marmalade.

hurling a string of insults at four-year-old Lucy. This is all presented as comedy. Frankly, I don’t think even a good director like Chelsea Haberlin, directing for Latchkey Equity Co-Op, can make this play palatable

although the audience in tiny Little Mountain Gallery appeared to be having a good time. The performances? Surely one of the cardinal rules for playing children is not to try too hard. Amitai Marmorstein is ﬁve-year-old Larry,

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who is the youngest person in New Jersey to have attempted suicide by slashing his wrists. Marmorstein does not “kid down” Larry, and the result is terriﬁc: we believe Larry is ﬁve. (Completely missing, however, is any backstory. He appears with bandaged wrists, tells Lucy he has attempted suicide and might try it again.) Christine Quintana, on the other hand, constantly, nervously, twists Lucy’s tutu; her body language is kind of four-year-old-ish; and she assumes a wideeyed exuberance — all of which don’t really work for her. She struggles so hard to look like a kid she ends up looking like an actor struggling hard to look like a kid. We don’t believe it for a minute. Jay Clift’s Mr. Marmalade is solid if ugly, as are Sarah Canero (as Emily, the babysitter), Brett Harris (in various roles), Sebastien Archibald (Bradley) and Kayla Dunbar (Sookie). We don’t like any of them.

What the playwright — and this production — sets up us comic is really not funny: this is a child in whose imagination even an imaginary friend ends up being cruel to her. This is funny? There is some redemption in the conclusion, but the new imaginary friend promises to be no better than the last. I don’t like this play. It trivializes the loneliness and unhappiness of children in dysfunctional families and a sexualized world. If you think this review is rough, take a look at what the New York Times said about it There’s the slim possibility that the playwright thinks by trivializing the situation, audiences will react by being appalled. But the laughs are cheap and I don’t think a sufﬁcient number of theatregoers will take that next step. Mr. Marmalade runs until Aug. 30 at Little Mountain Gallery. For tickets, go to brownpapertickets.com or call 1-800-838-3006.

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Sports&Recreation

GOT SPORTS? 604.630.3549 or mstewart@vancourier.com

B.C. TIMBER. Gord Timbers of Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club sets up a shot during the 2014 Titleist/Footjoy PGA of B.C. Championships at the Point Grey Golf and Country Club held this past Monday and Tuesday for a $30,000 purse. See vancourier.com for final results. PHOTOS JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Canada gains Ultimate win over U.S. Vancouver player notes strategic advantage against rival ULTIMATE

Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

The national junior team was trailing the U.S. by three points when a thunderstorm in Lecco, Italy paused the group stage match last month at the U23 World Junior Ultimate Championships. At least, the Canadians thought the match was paused. “It was the ﬁrst really close games of the tournament,” said Trevor Knechtel, a defender for Canada who started playing ultimate as a Grade 8

student at Prince of Wales secondary. “We knew we’d get one of the best tests to see how strong they were. The entire team was really disappointed we didn’t get to finish it.” After the weather cleared, the game didn’t resume. Tournament officials decided the score would stand and Canada ended up third after the group stage while the U.S. led the world with an undefeated record. The Stars and Stripes team had captured four consecutive titles and was confident a fifth was within its grasp. But Knechtel said the

Canadians could see how the truncated game may have played to their advantage. “It helped a bit because in that we were trying to learn as much as we could about them and keep a few things secret about us. It ended up working out,” he said. “We played man-to-man defence the entire half game. So we never revealed any of our zone defensive strategies. The offence never ran any of our more complicated plays.” Playing on an open team with a concentration of athletes from Vancouver, including Knechtel and

team captain Hugh Knapp, Canada defeated Germany 17-9 to win the semi-final and prepared to meet the U.S. in the championship final the next day. On a windy field ripped up from two earlier championship matches, Canada’s defence caused two turnovers and the offence followed through with points on the board. As the game stormed toward the final point, the teams were even and locked tight three times at 13, 15 and 16. “Both teams knew it was going to be very, very close,” said Knechtel, adding he thought his

teammates were more versatile than their opponents. “I wouldn’t say we were underdogs.” Finally, Alan Scarth threaded the needle to Darren Wu who climbed the ladder between two U.S. defenders and snatched the game-winning point out of the air. The Canadians ended a historic winning streak with a 1716 win. “Now that it’s kind of settling in, it’s a pretty crazy feeling. I know one of the things that this means the most for me is how excited all of the former Team Canada [junior players] are for us, how

YOur VanCouver canadiAns are in A HEATED pennAnt race...

excited they are that we won,” said Knechtel, who soon begins his second year at the University of Victoria where he plays competitive club ultimate with the Vikes. He is also a new recruit to Vancouver’s Furious George. ”Just about everyone that knows about the win has said congratulations and has been watching the videos online and seeing the photos. It really is more than just a victory for the U23 team, it was for all of Ultimate Canada and everyone that has been a part of the program. It really is a cool feeling.” mstewart@vancourier.com

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, AU G U ST 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

Sports&Recreation

Losing Hibbert ‘hurts’ Furious George Veteran player’s move to Toronto’s GOAT not a betrayal

Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

Furious George co-captain Morgan Hibbert (in white ballcap) is moving to rival team GOAT.

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Alive Health Centre Seven Oaks Shopping Centre, Fraser Way; Herbs & Health Foods West Oaks Mall, 32700 S. Fraser Way; Living Well Vitamins 4-32770 George Ferguson Way; Nutrition House High Street Shopping Centre 3122 Mt. Lehman Rd; !AGASSIZ: Agassiz Pharmacy 7046 Pioneer Ave. !ALDERGROVE: Alder Natural Health 27252 Fraser Hwy. !BURNABY: Alive Health Centre Metropolis at Metrotown - 4700 Kingsway Ave.; Best Choice Health Food 4323 East Hasting St.; Health Natural Foods 4435 E. Hastings St.; Longevity Health Foods 6591 Kingsway; Natural Focus Health Foods Kensington Plaza, 6536 E. Hastings St.; Nutrition House Brentwood Mall, 4567 Lougheed Hwy.; Nutrition House Eaton Centre, 4700 Kingsway Ave; Nutrition House Lougheed Mall, 9855 Austin Ave.; Pharmasave 4367 E. Hastings St. !CHILLIWACK: Alive Health Centre Cottonwood Mall, 3-45585 Luckakuck Way; Aromatica Fine Tea & Soaps 10015 Young St., North; Chilliwack Pharmasave 110-9193 Main St.; Living Well Vitamins 45966 Yale Rd.; Sardis Health Foods Unit #3-7355 Vedder Road!COQUITLAM: Alive Health Centre Coquitlam Centre, 2348-2929 Barnet Hwy.; Green Life Health Cariboo Shopping Ctr.; Longevity Health Foods Burquitlam Plaza 552 Clarke Rd.; Nutrition House Coquitlam Centre, 2929 Barnet Hwy.; Ridgeway Pharmacy Remedy's RX (IDA)1057 Ridgeway Ave.!DELTA: Parsley, Sage & Thyme 4916 Elliott St.; Pharmasave #286 Tsawwassen 1244 - 56 St.; Pharmasave #246 Ladner 4857 Elliott St.; !LANGLEY: Alive Health Centre Willowbrook Shopping Centre, 19705 Fraser Hwy.; Rustic Roots Health Food Store formerly Country Life 4061 200th St.; Grove Vitamins & Health Centre 8840 210 St.; Langley Vitamin Centre 20499 Fraser Hwy.; Natural Focus 340-20202 66th Ave.; Nature’s Fare 19880 Langley By-pass; Nutrition House Willowbrook Mall, 19705 Fraser Hwy.; Valley Natural Health Foods 20425 Douglas Cres.; Well Beings Health & Nutrition 22259 48th Ave. !MAPLE RIDGE: BC Vitamin Expert 11968 - 207th St.; Maple Ridge Vitamin Centre 500-22709 Lougheed Hwy.; Roots Natural 22254 Dewdney Trunk Rd.; Uptown Health Foods 130-22529 Lougheed Hwy. !MISSION: Fuel Supplements and Vitamins 33120 1st Ave.; Mission Vitamin Centre 33139 1st Ave.; !NEW WESTMINSTER: Alive Health Centre Royal City Centre, 610 6th St.; !PITT MEADOWS: Mint Your Health 19150 Lougheed Hwy.Company; Ultimate Health Warehouse 19040 Lougheed Hwy!PORT COQUITLAM: Pharmasave 3295 Coast Meridian Rd.; Poco Natural Food & Wellness Centre 2329 Whyte Ave; !RICHMOND: Alive Health Centre Richmond Centre, 1834-6060 Minoru Blvd.; Consumer's Nutrition Centre Richmond Centre 1318-6551 3rd Rd.; Great Mountain Ginseng 4151 Hazelbridge Way; Mall; MJ's Natural Pharmacy Richmond Public Market 1130 - 8260 Westminster Hwy; Your Vitamin Store Lansdowne Mall; Nature's Bounty 110-5530 Wharf Rd. !SOUTH SURREY: Ocean Park Health Foods 12907 16th Ave.; Pure Pharmacy Health Centre 111-15833 24th Ave. !SURREY: Alive Health Centre Guildford Town Centre, 2269 Guildford Town Centre; Alive Health Centre Surrey Place Mall, 2712 Surrey Place Mall; Natural Focus Health Foods 102-3010 152nd St.; Natural Focus Health Foods Boundary Park Plaza, 131-6350 120th St.; Nutrition House Guildford Town Ctr., 1179 Guildford Town Centre; Nutrition House Semiahmoo Shopping Centre, 1711 152nd St.; Punjabi Whole Health Plus 12815 85th Ave.; The Organic Grocer 508-7388 King George Hwy. Surrey Natural Foods 13585 King George Hwy; The Energy Shop 13711 72 Ave. !VANCOUVER: Alive Health Centre Bentall Centre Mall 595 Burrard St.; Alive Health Centre Oakridge Centre, 650 W. 41st Ave.; Famous Foods 1595 Kingsway; Finlandia Natural Pharmacy 1111 W Broadway; Garden Health Foods 1204 Davie St.; Green Life Health 200 - 590 Robson St.; Kitsilano Natural Foods 2696 West Broadway; Lotus Natural Health 3733 10TH AVE. W. MJ's Natural Pharmacy 6255 Victoria Dr. @ 47th Ave.; MJ's Natural Pharmacy 6689 Victoria Dr.; MJ's Nature's Best Nutrition Ctr. Champlain Mall, 7130 Kerr St. & 54 Ave.; Nature's Prime 728 West Broadway; Nutraways Natural Foods 2253 West 41st Ave.; Nutrition House 1194 Robson St.; Supplements Plus Oakridge Ctr.; Sweet Cherubim Natural Food Stores & Restaurant 1105 Commercial Dr.; Thien Dia Nhan 6406 Fraser St. !NORTH VANCOUVER: Anderson Pharmacy 111 West 3rd St.;Cove Health 399 North Dollarton Hwy. N.; Nutraways Natural Foods 1320 Lonsdale Ave.; Nutrition House Capilano Mall, 935 Marine Dr.; Victoria's Health 1637 Lonsdale Ave !WEST VANCOUVER: Alive Health Centre Park Royal Shopping Centre, 720 Park Royal N.; Fresh St. Market 1650 Marine Dr.; Nutrition House 2002 Park Royal S.!WHITE ROCK: Health Express 1550 Johnston Rd.; Alive Health Centre Semiahmoo Shopping Centre, 139-1711 152nd St.

Try your local health food stores first. If they don’t have it and don’t want to order it for you, order on our website or call us with Visa or Mastercard.

1-800-333-7995

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Bladder & Yeast Infection

A diuretic to help relieve mild urinary tract infections. True success stories by women: !Bladder & Yeast Infection #31 works within a day or two! My experience in the last 4 years is that whenever I feel symptoms of an infections I take two capsules for a day or two and the infection is gone. I love this product. Pat Pearce, 53, Brantford, ON ! 30 years of bladder infections gone! For 30 years my doctor prescribed antibiotics. As soon as the medication finished the next #31 NPN 80038535 bladder infection came back. After 2 days taking Bell # 31 I noticed a complete relief of my infection I had all these 30 years. God bless you all for helping all of us women. Emell Whitaker, 69, Bronx, NY! Bladder infections kept on coming back. Since starting Bell Bladder & Yeast Infection #31 my infection was gone and I now take it from time to time for prevention and I have no more bladder or yeast infections. I told family and friends how good Bell products are. Thank you! Maria Racz, 60, Vancouver, BC !Went to the bathroom 10 times in an hour and more frequently at night!. In the last 2 years I went a number of times to the doctor and got different antibiotics and none of them worked. My urination would burn enormously. I bought your Bell Bladder & Yeast infection #31. I can now work all day or sleep all night without getting up to go to the bathroom. I am not afraid anymore to drink water when I am thirsty. Praise the Lord! Thank you! Harriett Priester, 60, North Charleston, SC

ACNE Eczema & Psoriasis

Works by cleaning blood from the inside, instead of attacking skin with creams or washes from the outside and leaving actual cause untreated. Actual Results. !After 1 week my severe acne became quite mild and after 2 weeks it had completely vanished. I suffered for 5 stressful years of having acne and extremely dry, irritated skin. Bell Help for Skin Disorders“saved my #60 NPN 80044199 life”. My skin is now beautiful and you would never know I suffered from acne and other skin problems for years. Zach Lustgarten, 18, Oshawa, ON RED NOSE/CHEEKS ROSACEA gone in less than a week. Was fighting it for 30 years with topical creams and prescriptions without getting satisfaction. I live a healthy life, don’t smoke and don’t drink. People thought a reddish face comes from drinking. This is a myth. Will take it for the rest of my life when needed. Donald E. Gillespie, 56, Innisfil, ON PSORIASIS!I had severe psoriasis over 95% of my body. Last 5 years I have stunned every doctor and dermatologist. I spent tons of money on remedies. After I got Bell Help for Skin Disorders, I’ve never seen anything work as fast in my life. Within 2 days I saw my skin clearing up. I’m speechless. It was inexpensive compared with what I spent before. Jessica Shantz, 25, Dawson Creek, BC ECZEMA For 6 years my family doctor and dermatologist tried many medications and creams. After taking Bell Help for Skin Disorders for just a few days my eczema itching stopped and my face started to clear up. After suffering so long I am amazed with the results. Andy Yuen, 58, Vancouver, BC

Bell uses the power of nature to help put life back into your lifestyle

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It “hurts” to lose veteran Morgan Hibbert, says a co-captain of Vancouver’s ultimate club team Furious George, after the veteran announced he is moving to Toronto’s to play for another club team. Hibbert, a stalwart in Vancouver’s ultimate scene who helped turn Furious George into a team known the world over for its intensity and competitive drive, will ﬁnish the season playing for Goat. “Losing the veteran presence that Morgan provides hurts,” said cocaptain Kevin Underhill. “There is no denying that.” Founded in 1995, Furious George has won 10 Canadian championships (including three consecutive titles from 2011 to 2013), three U.S. open championships and three World Ultimate Championships. It ﬁnished sixth at the World Ultimate Club

The sport-dedicated website ultiworld.com broke the news Aug. 22. Hibbert is in Europe and unable to return the Courier’s messages. Goat (typically written in all-capital letters) and Furious George have shared players in the past and according to teammate Nick Menzies, Hibbert’s decision was several years in the making. Players from both teams have built relationship through competition and as teammates on the national ultimate program. “It feels like we’ve played with them for ﬁve or even 10 years,” said Menzies said of Goat, which got its start in 2002. Of Hibbert, a 1999 Kitsilano graduate, he added, “He’s become pretty good friends with some of the guys from Toronto. On a personal level, that is a pretty big factor.” Also, Hibbert, who turns 33 this year, is feelings the physical effects of injuries that stem from his playing style and height. “It happens with tall guys who play like him, pretty

“It’s important for us to shift our focus back to our season now and move forward without Morgan.” - Kevin Underhill Championships earlier this summer in Lecco, Italy and is beginning a rebuilding phase. In an email to the Courier, Underhill said Hibbert, also a professional player with the Vancouver Nighthawks of Major League Ultimate, “has given his all to Vancouver ultimate for the last decade.” “I’d be lying if I could have foreseen our team captain leaving right before the most important part of our season but things like this happens in elite sports,” he said. “It’s important for us to shift our focus back to our season now and move forward without Morgan.” Furious George ramps up for its ﬁnal campaign of the season, a series of three qualiﬁcation tournaments that culminates in nationals.

recklessly,” said Menzies. “That’s why he’s good. He’s looking at his career and is not sure how much longer he’s got.” And then there’s Goat’s potential. “They’re kind of peaking right now,” said Menzies. “Where they are in their career is really well aligned with where Morgan is.” Furious George, on the other hand, is beginning a rebuilding phase and developing new recruits. The move is not a betrayal although some might see it that way, said Menzies. “It was a really hard decision and probably three years in the making. The team isn’t taking it as a betrayal and I would expect to see Morgan in a Furious shirt in the future.” twitter.com/MHStewart

A32

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