Vancouver Courier October 1 2014 by Vancouver Courier

WEDNESDAY

October 1 2014

Vol. 105 No. 79

HEALTH 16

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Charity bins attract dumpers Bins remain unregulated by city

Sandra Thomas

sthomas@vancourier.com

Charity donation bins on the west side of Main Street near West 37th Avenue have been overﬂowing with used clothing and become a magnet for illegal dumping. And that’s not unusual in a neighbourhood where for many people taking out the trash is too costly. After checking out the used goods piled high against the bins in the past week, one might guess the majority of the dumping was done in good faith in hopes another family might pick up

the used car seats, plush rocking horse, infant bouncy chair, dresser, chairs and end tables. But with the beginning of the rain this week, what may have started out as good intentions has turned into a soggy mess. East Side resident Nick Vaughan was not surprised the largely low-income tenants of the neighbourhood are using these donation bins to dispose of clothes, furniture and toys. “The city has made going to the dump more and more expensive over the last decade,” said Vaughan, who works with at-risk and low-income youth and is familiar with the difﬁculties they experience when moving. “You used to just pay by the kilo, so a little bit of trash cost you $3 or $4 bucks, now there’s a minimum charge.”

To dispose of a mattress and box spring at the city’s transfer station costs $30, something Vaughan says many lowincome residents can’t afford. Many lowincome residents don’t own a vehicle, which makes it even more difﬁcult when it comes to disposing of furniture and large household items. “That’s why you see mattresses dumped down back lanes all over the East Side,” said Vaughan. “Getting their garbage picked up only every two weeks can’t help so it doesn’t surprise me people are looking for somewhere to get rid of their stuff.” In 2011, Peter Judd, general manager of engineering for the city, told the Courier the city has no permit process in place for the bins but was working on guidelines for their placement.

According to an unattributed email from the city this week in response to questions from the Courier, permits are still not required. The email explained the majority of bins are on private property but at this time the city allows them to also be placed on public land. Should the area around the bins need to be cleaned up, the city says it’s up to the charity to complete that work. Where there is an ongoing concern, the city asks the charity to remove their bin. Complaints are typically received through the city’s 311 service and dealt with accordingly. There were about 175 complaints received in 2013. The Courier asked the city if it’s able to bill the large corporations that own the bins for any cleanup but received no reply. Continued on page 6

Rent now, pray later City has mixed success in creating affordable housing

Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

Back in November 2010, Mayor Gregor Robertson joined developer Dale Bosa in a vacant lot at 1142 Granville St. for a typical photo opp to mark the beginning of a new housing project. Shovels in hand, Robertson and Bosa dug up dirt for the cameras at a press conference to announce the construction of a 10-storey, 106-unit building on the downtown strip. Another expensive highrise? Not exactly. The building, now known as the Standard, was the ﬁrst of its kind to be developed under the mayor’s ambitious plan to create what many in Vancouver say is impossible: affordable housing for households earning between $21,500 and $86,500 per year, where a maximum of 30 per cent of income is spent on rent. Continued on page 12

RENTAL PLAN Greg Clark and his family live in one of the buildings built under a city program aimed at creating more rental housing. He and his wife, Christine, pay $1,750 per month for a two-bedroom apartment on Victoria Drive. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

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W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News Judge’s Oppenheimer Park decision delayed City of Vancouver seeks injunction to move campers living at park since July

Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has given campers at Oppenheimer Park until next Monday to prepare arguments to fight the Vancouver Park Board’s application for an injunction to dismantle the three month-old tent city. Madam Justice Jennifer Duncan granted the adjournment after hearing concerns from lawyers and organizers representing the campers over lack of time to prepare their case and insufficient knowledge of city shelter space. Duncan, however, was expected to set an interim order on concerns raised by police and firefighters in court affidavits. The order was to be delivered after the Courier’s print deadline. Lawyer Ben Parkin, acting on behalf of the park board, told the court of concerns raised by a police inspector, a deputy fire chief and two senior city managers about the deteriorating

More than 200 tents are pitched in the park at Jackson and Powell streets. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

state of the camp. More than 200 tents are pitched in the park at Jackson and Powell streets but it is unclear how many are homeless. Reports vary from a handful of people to the majority of the campers. Parkin highlighted the court afﬁdavit of Vancouver police Insp. Howard Chow who said the mood among the campers is “more

hostile” and he believed the situation at the park “is close to boiling over.” That was, he said, because ofﬁcers observed an increasing number of people with objects such as sticks, planks, shovels and pick axes that could be used as weapons. In one incident recorded Sept. 21, a mentally ill man called 911 saying he was in “kill mode” and was going

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to cut off his head or kill people at the park, Parkin said of Chow’s afﬁdavit. Police arrested the man under the Mental Health Act. Lawyer Mark Pontin, acting on behalf of two of the campers, requested the court delay the injunction hearing for 10 days to give the defence team more time to prepare for the case. Three of the camp’s found-

ers — Anthony Guitar, Dan Wallace and Brody Williams — also requested an adjournment. Pontin argued that more time would allow lawyers to prepare afﬁdavits and create a plan for an “orderly transition” from the park. Rushing a decision, he said, would mean a lost opportunity to address the campers’ health and housing needs. Many of the campers have issues with addiction, mental illness and serious health needs, including Jon Allen, a Canadian veteran of the Afghanistan war who is living in the park. Pontin said Allen was recently evicted from his housing and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. “[His wife] covers his ears and keeps him calm when there are loud noises and ﬁghting in the park, which triggers his PTSD,” he told the court. The city announced last month that it reached a deal to open 157 units of temporary housing in the former Quality Inn at 1135

Howe St. that will open in November. Also, the city created another 70 shelter spots by transforming the former Kettle of Fish restaurant into a shelter and finding space at the Union Gospel Mission. Parkin pointed out the city’s recent moves to open up more housing, saying “I’m not sure what more the city could do to create an orderly transition.” But, so far, only six people have moved into the 70 shelter spots, Parkin said as he referred to a court affidavit from the city’s chief housing officer Mukhtar Latif. Outside the court Monday, activist Anthony Guitar said he, Williams and Wallace planned to call a meeting in the park to update campers about the court proceedings. If an injunction is granted, Guitar said, he believes many campers will remain in the park until permanent housing is offered — not shelters or temporary housing. “This is going to be a bit of a showdown.” twitter.com/Howellings

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4

News

Robertson backed down on taxing absentee home owners 12TH&CAMBIE Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

COPE mayoral candidate Meena Wong wants to tax owners of vacant properties.

PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

So you’ve probably read or heard about COPE mayoral candidate Meena Wong’s proposal to tax owners of vacant properties. It’s getting some attention. Even made the national news. I’ll get to some details in a few sentences. First, I wanted to remind loyal readers of a certain mayoral candidate back in 2008 who ﬂoated the same idea. The candidate called it a speculators’ tax. Never got anywhere. But the candidate who ﬂoated it did: He’s now your mayor. Yep, Gregor Robertson was talking speculator’s tax back when he successfully took on NPA challenger Peter Ladner in the 2008 race.

But before Robertson became the mayoral candidate, he had to beat colleague Raymond Louie in Vision’s mayoral nomination battle. The two made up, of course, and Robertson appointed Louie his policy adviser. Back then, Robertson and Louie agreed the city had to become more affordable for people, or more young families and seniors would continue to move to the suburbs. Protecting and creating rental housing was to be central to Vision’s 2008 campaign, they said. The pair also said at the time they would spend time hashing out Robertson’s idea for a speculator’s tax, which would see people who bought condos for an investment dinged with a higher tax. Such a tax could force speculators to open up their condos for rental housing, the mayor said at the time. So why did Robertson back off on the idea? In 2008, the Courier hosted a debate between Robertson and Ladner at Science World. I asked Robertson whether he was serious about implementing a speculators’ tax. Courier colleague Cheryl Rossi covered the debate

but we have to get the facts ﬁrst. We should not create policy based on anecdotes. And any remedy must not be easily circumvented.” Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr offered a similar comment at a press conference, saying “we think it’s important to get that data straight” and then develop a plan to address it. “And that may well include putting on some sort of levy or fee for those who have homes or condos that are not fully occupied,” Carr said. Wong proposes creating a “landowner and landlord registry” to take a full inventory of the city’s housing stock. The registry will track vacancy rates and require property owners to report usage. The city will also use surveys, inspections and other methods. Interesting. But here are some questions: How will it realistically be enforced? What is a fair fee to tax an absentee homeowner? Will property owners voluntarily offer something up like, “Oh by the way City of Vancouver, I’ll be out of town for four months and enjoying a vacation down south and just wanted you

Robertson said the tax was merely a suggestion, not a policy he necessarily plans to apply...

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and this is what she wrote: “Robertson said the tax was merely a suggestion, not a policy he necessarily plans to apply, but that he wants to explore ways of ensuring more affordable rental housing exists. Ladner blasted the idea of a speculators’ tax, saying it would chase away investors who pay for new housing, which Ladner argued increases the stock for everyone.” So Vision doesn’t want a tax on absentee homeowners. The NPA? The party’s mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe wrote on his blog that “we would convene a quick, independent study after the election that would assess the extent of the issue and, if necessary, suggest enforceable options. There might be a practical solution to this,

to know my private condo will be vacant.” Maybe that’s why Vision Vancouver never adopted the idea as policy. I’ll ask the mayor the next time I see him. Note: Back on Sept. 18, I posted an online story about Mayor Gregor Robertson and his Vision team promising to spend $400,000 to double the amount of money dedicated to the Vancouver School Board’s breakfast program. In the print version of that story, I wrote that NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe ﬁrst talked about doing more for poor children on the day he announced he was running for mayor. Which was July 14. I know because I was there. Inexplicably, I wrote Sept. 7 instead of July 14. Apologies. twitter.com/Howellings

W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

Uber could return to city Jen St. Denis

jstdenis@biv.com

Uber Canada executives have been haunting several city council chambers lately, including Vancouver. Coun. Geoff Meggs introduced a motion after the Courier’s print deadline calling for city staff to study and later report on a range of taxi issues. What is clear is that some sort of expansion of taxi service is needed, Meggs said. Whether or not ridesharing services should be allowed to operate in Vancouver, and under what rules, is one of the topics Meggs would like to see included in a report. “I met with Uber representatives a week and a half

ago and they emphasized their intention to start up at some point in Vancouver,” Meggs said. Uber last brieﬂy operated in Vancouver in the summer of 2012. The car-sharing service exited both Vancouver and Calgary after separate rulings determined the rideshare service was the same as a limo service and had to comply by the same rules, such as charging a minimum $75 per ride. In Canada, Uber currently operates in Montreal, Toronto, Mississauga and Halifax. Uber has clashed with city ofﬁcials in Toronto, who are concerned that Uber drivers are operating without the same kind of licenses and training required

of taxi drivers. Meggs said he also has concerns about the quality of employment created by the ride-share company, which uses casual, self-employed drivers and usually takes a cut of 20 per cent. “I put a lot of questions to [Uber public policy lead Chris] Shafer about this,” he said. “I would prefer that this expansion provide, as much as possible, full-time jobs.” Uber is not the only taxi issue Meggs wants city staff to study. While the province’s Passenger Transportation Board made a decision months ago to allow suburban cabs to pick up passengers in Vancouver on Friday and Saturday nights, Vancouver’s council has

not yet updated its bylaw to allow the rule change. With all of the changes happening in the industry and with the November municipal election looming, Meggs believes a review of all the issues is needed now. “We would maintain the status quo in licencing until we had a chance to get a report to the incoming council about the implications of a number of very important decisions that are unfolding and changing in the industry,” Meggs said. Staff would meet with affected stakeholders, including the taxi industry, people with disabilities, the hospitality and tourism sector and the police, he said. twitter.com/jenstden

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Charity bins are found across the city, but the bins near West 37th and Main are particular magnets for illegal dumping. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Donations to most bins sold for profit Continued from page 1 As reported earlier in the Courier, while many residents believe the gently used clothing their child have outgrown will be donated directly to a recognized charity via a bin, that’s not the case. Instead most donations are sold by American, for-profit corporations, which pay the charities a fee to use their name. In Vancouver, that means much of the clothing donated is sold for profit at a Value Village location. The Value Village thrift-store chain is owned by the Bellevue, Wash.based, for-profit corporation Savers Inc. Exceptions to that arrangement

include the Salvation Army and B.C. Children’s Hospital Auxiliary, which jointly give away much of the donated clothing to needy residents. They sell the rest locally and share the proﬁts. In 2012, the CBC reported these bins are so lucrative in Ontario that “cut throat turf wars” are breaking out. The article added that in 2010, Canadian exports of worn clothes were valued at $174 million. Ontario’s share of that market was more than $132 million with the majority of goods headed to African countries, India and Pakistan. The Recycling Council of B.C. was unable to pro-

vide a similar breakdown for B.C. When it comes to books, about a quarter of those donated end up for sale on American online retail sites such as Amazon, eBay, Alibris and Barnes & Noble, with profits going to Thrift Recycling Management, a for-profit company based in Tacoma, Wash. Another 25 per cent of the books, such as old textbooks and encyclopaedias, are pulped, while in B.C., the remainder are donated to needy libraries and literacy programs through the Reading Tree, the non-profit arm of Thrift Recycling Management. twitter.com/sthomas10

W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News York Theatre renovation wins heritage award

DEVELOPING STORY Naoibh O’Connor

noconnor@vancourier.com

Commercial Drive’s York Theatre was one of four Vancouver projects Heritage B.C. honoured last weekend. Gregory Henriquez of Henriquez Partners and Bruno Wall of Wall Financial Group captured the organization’s heritage conservation award of honour for the rebirth of the 1913-era theatre located at 639 Commercial Dr. The York underwent a $14.8 million rehabilitation and re-opened last December thanks to the efforts of community arts activists who lobbied to save the building from redevelopment. They were assisted by the late city councillor Jim Green. Henriquez said Green recruited him for the project. “Why did I do it? One of my good friends Jim Green was involved with this group on Commercial Drive and he called me and told me I had to do it. Jim is not alive anymore unfortunately, but Jim is one of the people who introduced me to community activism and social housing in the Downtown Eastside. My ﬁrst projects were done with him many years ago, so I have a great fondness for him. If he asked me to help, I would help,” Henriquez said. “So we helped him save it and at the end of the day it gives you great joy because these are things that are very grassroots and anomalies that are very hard to achieve. Like, how do you get something like this to happen? It’s just a miracle. All the stars have to be aligned. You have to stop a developer who has a development permit. You’ve got to get council

to give you density for the entire amount. You have to have an amazing developer who’s willing to save this little fragment of a building. So it’s a really happy story.” When it was ﬁrst opened in 1913, the theatre was the Alcazar theatre. The Vancouver Little Theatre Association bought it 10 years later, reopening it as the Little Theatre. Later it was renovated with an art decostyle exterior and it reopened as the York Theatre in 1940. Over the years, the building has hosted live theatre, bands and more recently it was the Raja Cinema. “It went through a whole cycle of being originally a vaudeville theatre to then being renovated with a deco façade and becoming a venue for alternative music to becoming an East Indian cinema — the Raja — at the end of its life. So to bring it back to music and theatre now is sort of full circle,” Henriquez said. “It’s 100 years later and it’s got another 100 years in it, so that’s pretty exciting. These are the projects that really are meaningful.” The building was in poor condition before the rehabilitation, he added. “It was barely being held together by stasis, we call it, which is this state of being where it doesn’t make any sense logically in terms of the laws of physics — it should be falling over but it wasn’t, so it took a lot of work to bring it back to life.” The entry was fully restored to match the 1940s art deco façade, the theatre space was renovated and a modern two-story glass lobby was added. Karen Dearlove, capacity planner for Heritage B.C., said heritage conservation awards recognize the preservation, restoration or rehabilitation of heritage buildings, sites and areas, and

recognize high standards, innovation and commitment to heritage conservation. “It’s really to highlight these projects that really represent heritage conservation or rehabilitation in adaptive reuse and to draw attention to projects that show outstanding creativity and especially ones that show great reuse of a heritage building,” she explained. “These are really the ones we really like to highlight because they demonstrate that heritage buildings can have wonderful new lives and that’s what we really want to draw attention to.” Heritage B.C. also gave awards of honour to Eugene and Illona Sawka, Donald Luxton of Donald Luxton Associates, and Ryan Bahris or Extraordinary League Contracting for the Prefontaine Residence, as well as to Suraj Gupta and Merrick Hunter of Chercover Massie & Associates and Donald Luxton of Donald Luxton Associates for 123 Cambie. Timothy Ankenman of Ankenman Marchand Associates Ltd. and Donald Luxton of Donald Luxton & Associates won recognition in heritage conservation for the Jeff Residence. Henriquez said such awards validate the effort involved in seeing such projects through, but they also do something else. “It’s also a way for the heritage community to really talk about the issues of saving fragments of our story,” he said. “Because we exist on this planet for a very short time, but the story of our existence is left by the books, literature, ideas and physical things that we leave behind. And saving some of them, and choosing which ones to save and cherish, is an important part of the heritage community’s job and this is a way to articulate that story.”

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COPE pitches $15

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Meena Wong wants to give Vancouverites a raise. COPE’s mayoral candidate announced last week she wants to help residents cope with the high cost of living here by implementing a local minimum wage of $15 per hour — $4.75 higher than the current provincial minimum — if the left-leaning civic party wins a mandate in the upcoming election. “The people of Vancouver need a raise, especially those who work the hardest and get paid the least, hospitality workers, retail and food workers, caregivers and more,” she told reporters at Oakridge Centre Thursday morning. “These people are often women, people of colour, immigrants, indigenous people and students.” According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the living wage for Vancouver is $20.10 per hour, the amount of minimum earnings that allow full-time workers to

meet the basic needs of their families and reach past low-income tax thresholds. COPE’s ﬁrst step would be to ensure all city employees make at least this much per hour, which most of them already do, and then ensure contractors working for the city also pay their employees the same. COPE would then seek an amendment to the Vancouver Charter that would give the city the power to force businesses to also pay a local minimum wage starting with large corporations. “The rationale being that the provincial minimum wage is not appropriate at all for Vancouver and she would set the minimum wage at $15 with big chains stores and hotels, like they’re doing in Seattle and San Francisco,” explained party spokesperson Tristan Markle. “We haven’t set exactly how we are deﬁning a big business.” Seattle approved a phased-in $15 overall minimum wage in June, while San Francisco resi-

dents will vote on a $15 t minimum next month. Los Angeles mayor Eric m Garcetti has promised to a bring the city’s minimum wage to $13.25 an hour byi 2017. Closer to home, the w City of New Westminster i approved a living wage of h $19.62 per hour, almost i $ double the prevailing minimum wage of $10.25, f for its employees in 2010. i New Westminster city h councillor Jonathan Cote, f a who is also running for mayor, said there are no plans to expand the civic policy to include private businesses. “We don’t have the Vancouver Charter, so I can’t speak to what extra authority the City of Vancouver might be able to look at but this isn’t something the City of New Westminster would be able to tackle under our legislation,” Cote told the Courier. “That is beyond the scope of what we are trying to accomplish and beyond what we think New Westminster has the mandate to do.”

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W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

minimum wage making New Westminster a better place.” A report from the Fraser Institute released in January argues municipal laws that boost the wages of poorer workers can threaten job prospects for the very people most likely to face poverty. “When governments impose a wage ﬂoor higher than what would prevail in a competitive market, employers ﬁnd ways to operate with fewer work-

Cote added he is proud the city was the ﬁrst municipality in Canada to adopt a living wage policy. “When we introduced it, we heard from people who said the sky was going to fall and that hasn’t happened. The ﬁnancial impact has been less than $400,000 dollars [a year] for the city and to me that is money well spent and has gone into lower income families that are working and dedicating their lives to

Researchers at the University of British Columbia Need Your Help...

ers,” wrote author Charles Lammam. “While the more productive workers who keep their jobs gain through higher wages, their gain comes at the expense of other workers who lose as a result of fewer employment opportunities. Young and low skilled workers usually end up as collateral damage in the process.” The report by the conservative think tank argued forcing businesses to pay higher wages makes them

respond by reducing overall employment, favouring more highly skilled workers and cutting back on hours and training. Lammam examined minimum wage increases across Canada from 1981 to 2004 and concluded that raising the minimum wage by 10 per cent resulted in a four to six per cent increase in the number of families living below the poverty line. The election is Nov. 15 twitter.com/ﬂematic

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4

Opinion

B.C. Liberals take ‘a step backwards’

With 45 days to go, anything can happen

Les Leyne Columnist lleyne@timescolonist.com

Michael Geller Columnist

It takes search engines like Google a fraction of a second to find a universe of information about any conceivable topic. But try asking the B.C. government to locate data on a specific subject. You could spend months waiting for a response. Information and privacy commissioner Elizabeth Denham made that point last week and said it’s not something that citizens should have to accept. She rolled out another special report on the government’s response to accessto-information requests, and the title gives it all away: “A Step Backwards.” The overall mark for timeliness has dropped significantly in the past year, processing times have increased, the average overdue time has tripled and by every measure except one, “government’s performance is at its lowest point since our office began examining these statistics.” By the numbers, the average on-time response has dropped to 74 per cent from 93 over the past three years. But the way they arrived at the 93 per cent figure is quite suspect, because they just counted fulfilled requests and left out the large backlog of overdue ones. So you could argue the laggardness is about as bad as usual. Part of the problem is a steady increase in volume being handled by about the same number of staff. Denham made a remarkable discovery in looking at the volume — most of the increase stems from one specific request being made by political parties, presumably the official Opposition. The request is for calendars of cabinet ministers and senior officials. Those account for three-quarters of the overall increase in requests over the last two years. Political parties asked for 587 calendars two years ago. Last year there were 1,800 requests. Most of them are fishing trips, filed to discover who is meeting whom or attempts to find out who was involved behind the scenes on public issues. The government told Denham each one takes considerable time to process and has an impact on overall response time. Her recommendation is similar to what’s been suggested on other information fronts, and what she has suggested previously — just post them routinely

before anyone asks. The legislature is attempting something similar with MLA expenses and it’s a common approach in the field. “It is imperative that government develop a method to proactively release calendars,” Denham said. It would still take some work, but it could be done much more efficiently and save considerable time and resources. The premier’s office got special attention in her report, based on findings two years ago that almost half the requests for information came back with the same answer — no responsive records were found. That percentage dropped last year to 29 per cent, still high, but not the highest in government. Some of it is explained by the fact many applicants misunderstand the office’s mandate. But Denham is still suspicious of how the premier’s office handles information. She found it implausible in two cases that no responsive records were found. The explanation her office was offered sounded even more implausible. “The response doesn’t suggest that [the individual in question] did not send or receive mails that day, but rather that, at the time the request was received, no responsive records were located.” They were also told that many seniorranking officials within the office of the premier do not do much substantive work by email. Instead, email is often used to set up meetings or forward invitations or questions to others. Her office was told there are no instructions to delete emails, but some staff regularly delete mail they consider transitory. Given the importance of the work, Denham said: “It is difficult for the average citizen to understand” how some officials could not have kept at least some important emails on specific files. It’s an article of faith among government-watchers that officials have devised innovative back-channel routes to avoid putting sensitive information in any kind of record that might be accessible to the public by formal requests. Denham is recommending an email management system that might better document key decisions. Conversely, it might just drive the real conversations over those decisions further underground. twitter.com/leyneles

The week in num6ers...

19 8.9

The number of housing projects created under the STIR program that have created a total of 1,329 market rental units in the last five years.

In millions of dollars, the development cost levies waived by the city in exchange for building 19 new STIR projects.

The number of Canadian cities Uber, a ride-sharing service, is currently operating in. The company, which uses an app to connect riders with drivers, is seeking to reopen in Vancouver.

michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com

Last week, broadcaster Bill Good had the last word. After 50 years in the radio and television business, he decided it was time to retire from his daily CKNW talk show and sleep-in once in a while. To celebrate the occasion, the Vancouver Board of Trade organized a roast at Hotel Vancouver, co-hosted by Carole Taylor and Ian Black. More than 200 guests joined 17 roasters who had both kind and unkind words for Bill. To start the evening off, former judge Wally Oppal told the audience Bill’s favourite colour was beige, and although they both grew up in the ‘60s, anyone who regularly listened to Bill knew he had never taken mind-expanding drugs. Noting he rarely expressed strong public positions on issues, CTV News anchor Mike Killeen presented Bill with a piece of fence so he could continue to sit on it in his retirement. Keith Baldrey told the room the reason Bill never sent emails was because he couldn’t find the send button on his typewriter. The evening’s final roaster Bruce Allen said Bill had a great face for radio, but questioned why the organizers thought it was necessary to have 17 roasters for someone who just read the news and interview questions prepared by others. The event ended with a short speech from Bill and a CKNW Reality Check that aired on his last day acknowledging his considerable success in B.C. media over five decades. I had the pleasure of doing the weekly civic affairs panel with Bill Good for three years. During this time, I developed a great respect for his sense of fairness, both to interviewees and listeners. Unlike some other talk show hosts, he was not dismissive of those who expressed views contrary to his own. One of our most memorable exchanges was just prior to the last provincial election. Bill was talking on-air about what might happen when the NDP came to power, at which point I interrupted him. “Just a second” I said. “Don’t you mean to say if the NDP come to power?” “Surely you don’t think the Liberals have a chance?” he replied. I responded that since so many pundits were so absolutely certain of an NDP victory, I did have some doubts. We all know what happened. I feel the same way about Vancouver’s

In a rebuttal on his blog to a Courier story, the number of English-language daily newspapers Coun. Geoff Meggs erroneously claims are available in Vancouver.

While we’re being told the NPA is trailing Vision and voters don’t know Kirk LaPointe, I sense there could be some surprises Nov. 15. municipal election. While we are being told the NPA is trailing Vision and voters don’t know Kirk LaPointe, I sense there could also be some surprises on Nov. 15. One reason is a wild card called Meena Wong. Back in 2008 when I ran for the NPA, I was disappointed COPE did not run a mayoral candidate, although it might not have made a difference after an in camera council report on the Olympic Village was leaked to the Globe and Mail’s Gary Mason. That year only one COPE councillor was elected, Ellen Woodsworth. I remember it well since she won the 10th place seat I was vying for much of the evening. This time COPE is running mayoral candidate Meena Wong. Her statements about foreign investors, “renovictions,” and Vision being in the pockets of some big developers seem to be resonating with voters. While it is hard to believe she will end up as mayor, as long as she keeps this up she could affect the outcome of the mayoral race. At the council level, few voters, me included, know all who are running. However I am aware of some thoughtful Green and NPA candidates, and there are no doubt good COPE candidates as well. As for park board, I know more about Trish Kelly, one person who is not running, than I do those who are. Over the coming 45 days, we should take advantage of opportunities to get to know the various candidates. This will hopefully allow us to vote for the best individuals, not slates, resulting in a better balance on council, park board and school board. While I will not be discussing this election on the Bill Good Show, I look forward to discussing it with you in future columns. twitter.com/michaelgeller

In percentage points, the number by which on-time access to information response requests to the B.C. government has dropped in the past two years.

In dollars per hour, the new minimum wage COPE mayoral candidate Meena Wong would seek to implement for all Vancouver workers if elected.

W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Mailbox Transit planners are on the wrong track

CO U R I E R A R C H I V E S T H I S W E E K I N H I S T O R Y

Igali wins Olympic gold in wrestling

Oct. 1, 2000: Freestyle wrestler Daniel Igali defeats Kyrgyzstan’s Arsen Gitinov to win the gold medal in the 69 kg weight class on the final day of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, wrapping the Maple Leaf flag around his shoulders and kissing the mat in gratitude of his adoptive country. The Surrey resident first came to Canada as the captain of the Nigerian wrestling team for the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria and then applied for refugee status. Igali acquired Canadian citizenship in 1998.

Vancouver Playhouse opens its doors Oct. 2, 1963: The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, under artistic director Michael Johnston, opens a new 647-seat theatre on Hamilton Street with a performance of Brendan Behan’s The Hostage. The company took on the usual standard for Canadian theatres with a September to May season of six plays that were mainly recent London and Broadway successes with a few classics tossed in as well. Since 1966, every season also featured at least one Canadian play. Despite a financial bail-out from the city in 2011, the theatre company went bankrupt in March 2012.

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To the editor: Re: “Mayors’ Council may expect Vancouver to fund Broadway line,” Sept. 24. Mr. Geller’s article illustrates a very important point, the region does not have experts in “rail” for rail-based transit systems. Our universities, unlike Europe, do not have faculties of Urban Transport; there are no graduate courses in urban transportation nor is the history of public transportation taught. Currently we have mere amateurs planning our regional rapid transit and TransLink’s operation certainly reflects this. The first mistake of an amateur transit planner is believing that a transit system only gets better by throwing more money at it. The success of a public transit system is dependent on how userfriendly the transit system is and our current transit system is far from user friendly evidenced from events this summer when SkyTrain stopped working and thousands of customers abandoned SkyTrain like rats leaving a sinking ship. TransLink’s current financial ill-health can be traced back directly to the SkyTrain mini-metro system, which despite local hype and hoopla, is more expensive to build and operate than its chief competitor: modern light rail transit (LRT). For added insult, modern LRT also has

and always had a higher capacity than SkyTrain and, combined with higher construction and operation costs, is the main reason only seven such systems have been built in the past 36 years! Putting SkyTrain (which was first designed to mitigate the high cost of subway construction) in a subway will only increase construction and operation costs but will not increase efficiency. Increase operating costs, which combined with the fact that subway are very poor in attracting new ridership, will make a Broadway subway a very heavy finical millstone around TransLink’s neck. The City of Vancouver by demanding a SkyTrain subway may be putting its taxpayers at risk as the cost difference between subway construction could be as much as 10 times more than onstreet/at-grade LRT. Instead of Vancouver taxpayer’s anteing up $500 million (a figure presented by amateur transit planners), they could be on the hook for billions of dollars more! It should be of interest that despite SkyTrain being in operation in metro Vancouver since 1985, no city in North America and Europe has copied Vancouver’s transit planning, nor have they copied using the proprietary SkyTrain mini-metro. But then, our amateur transit planners tend to gloss over that singular fact when campaigning for a SkyTrain subway under Broadway. Malcolm Johnston, Delta

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COURIER STORY: “City’s restrictive media policy ‘attempt to manipulate public knowledge,” Sept. 26. Eric: You can read the same complaints about the Obama and the Harper administrations. They are all intent on controlling the message through centrally controlled and trained staff. Vision is right up there with the other control freaks. Ian Bailey @ianabailey: Remarkable @Howellings piece on media management at #yvr city hall. Lan Sam: I will not vote for any political group that stifle debates and withholds information. Erosion of honest municipal city democracy begins with lack of accountability and being forthcoming to media concerning public issues. COURIER STORY: “City seeks injunction to dismantle Oppenheimer camp,” online only Louis Paquette: The mayor proudly supports marketing the city to foreigners — driving up real estate prices even further than they already were. Which creates homelessness. Which he will now force citizens to fund who can’t save enough for their own roof. It’s a viscous circle he is partly responsible for. Concerned Resident @Peter31232726: Of course...Rainy season is upon us! Best get back to subsidized housing. COURIER COLUMN: “Mayors’ Council may expect Vancouver to fund Broadway line,” Sept. 24. Zalm: Thanks for the detail on financing, Michael. This means that my neighbourhood of heritage houses can expect to have a giant trench ripped up and all the street trees taken down so people can get to UBC at their ease and developers can build their inefficient 10-storey condos at Broadway & McDonald. For all of Robertson’s great press, he’s been the most mealy-mouthed politician in years, far exceeding the sometimes-rabid but ever-honest Larry Campbell and the honest-to-a-fault Philip “The Dim” Owen. For his first election, he was anointed weeks before by the sycophantic Vancouver press long before he put out his party’s platform a mere five weeks before the election.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4

Feature

City incentives produce thousands

Continued from page 1 The Standard is a rental tower and was built under the city’s Short Term Incentives for Rental program, or STIR as it was commonly known. It launched in July 2009 and ended in December 2011. The key word in the program’s name was incentive. In the case of The Standard, Bosa and his BlueSky Properties Inc. company saved $638,000 in development cost levies, received an increase in density, had its application fast-tracked and wasn’t required to build as many parking spots. In return, Vancouver got much-needed rental stock and the developer agreed to keep the units as rental for 60 years or life of the building, whichever is greater. But what Bosa and other developers who signed on to the STIR program couldn’t agree to at the time of negotiations was a guarantee on cost of rent. At that press conference in 2010, the mayor and Bosa projected the rent for all 106 of the 320-square foot studio apartments to be between $950 to $1,000 a month. A staff report to council that same year said the developer estimated the studios “will rent on average for $960 per month.” At the time, the average rent downtown for a similar apartment was $1,090. Today, rents at The Standard range from $1,260 to $1,400 a month for a fully furnished studio apartment. And rents at other STIR projects, including one on Victoria Drive, are in the $1,800 a month range for a two-bedroom. “I don’t recall that we ever published projected rents prior to starting construction,” said Daryl Simpson, senior vice-president of Bosa Properties, in an email to the Courier. “What is important for you to know is that at the outset we did not necessarily intend to rent furnished suites.” With Craigslist advertising a bachelor apartment for $1,100 a month on Broughton Street in downtown and a 700-sq.-foot one-bedroom in Mount Pleasant for the same price, the question is this: Did the STIR program achieve the mayor’s stated goal of providing more affordable housing for residents? A simple comparison of rents says no. A more complex analysis comes from Vancouver’s chief housing ofﬁcer

Mayor Gregor Robertson

The Standard building in the 1100-block Granville Street was the first rental project built under a city program that was completed without any funding from senior levels of government. Mayor Gregor Robertson and Coun. Geoff Meggs tout the program as a successful way to build more affordable rental housing. PHOTOS DAN TOULGOET

Mukhtar Latif, whose report to council last year praised the program but also stressed patience with the concept and rent prices. “An increased supply of rental housing is needed to meet growing demand, help mitigate rent increases, provide affordable housing for moderate income households and create a sustainable affordable market rental housing stock, recognizing that purposebuilt rental housing with security of tenure becomes more affordable over time relative to new construction,” Latif wrote. Under the STIR program, 19 projects resulted in the construction of 1,329 market rental units. That was nearly a five-fold increase in approved rental units when compared to the five preceding years. Also significant was the units were built without any assistance from the provincial or federal governments in a city where vacancy rates averaged 0.9 per cent over the past 30 years. The trade-off, however, was $8.9 million in development cost levies waived from the 19 projects. The money is normally used to build parks, childcare facilities and social and nonprofit housing. The city has argued the loss in development cost

levies can only be measured on paper and the waiving of such fees was necessary to increase rental stock that otherwise wouldn’t be built. For now, the city is continuing with a graduated form of the STIR program called Rental 100. As of last week, 539 more rental units had been approved or were under construction under the new version of the program. Still, Latif has made it clear that city council cannot control the cost of rents and noted they “can be inflated during the period of construction by the allowable rent increases set out annually by the provincial residential tenancy office.” Which is not good news for renters. But the position of the Vision Vancouver camp is that something has to be done to build affordable housing even if the programs aren’t, as Coun. Geoff Meggs put it, “bullet proof.” “We have to play with the cards we were dealt and some of our critics wish we were in some kind of magical universe where we could print money and force all kinds of things to be done,” said Meggs, who dismissed suggestions that developers were collecting windfall profits under the programs. “I maintain that providing thousands of rental units is

a real contribution to housing affordability for families that have no possibility of buying a condominium.”

A costly city

Meggs, who is seeking re-election Nov. 15, made those comments in an interview with the Courier prior to a public forum on housing affordability held earlier this year at the WISE Hall on Adanac Street. His assessment of STIR was also an acceptance that home ownership is but a distant dream for many in Vancouver, where the average price of a detached home continues to surge above $1 million. Statistics show more than 50 per cent of households in Vancouver are renters. And with Vancouver continuing to rank at or near the top of least affordable city in the world, the percentage of renters is expected to increase. So are the number of people seeking housing outside Vancouver. “It’s becoming increasingly impossible for many, many people — perhaps, even the majority — to contemplate living in Vancouver, never mind owning a place to live,” Meggs told the crowd of about 150 people at the WISE Hall in May. “It’s something that I’m very worried about because it seems to me that

housing is a right and it’s important in a city that’s going to function properly.” With the city unable to control the economic forces that lead to high housing prices, the sales pitch by Meggs and Latif to keep people in Vancouver is that renting is cheaper than owning a home. A city staff report provided an example of the cost of purchasing a $390,000 two-bedroom East Side condo. Here’s the math: First take a 10 per cent down payment and couple that with monthly strata fees of $150 and property taxes of $135 for a total of $40,000. Then assume the mortgage is at ﬁve per cent. Amortize that over 25 years for a cost of $2,550 a month. The purchaser would require an income of $102,000 per year. To rent a two-bedroom East Side apartment, a deposit of $2,200 would be required before paying the monthly cost of $1,455. Income required would be $65,000. What’s not factored into the city’s analysis of renting is the uncertainty of long-term tenancy, problem landlords and rent increases. Also, there’s the cost of a parking spot at a residence, storage fees and, if it applies, other expenses such as childcare that limit

Councillor Geoff Meggs

what a person or family can pay for rent. Add it all up, as Greg Clark did this year when completing his taxes, and renting in Vancouver is expensive for a family. He and his wife Christine, a couple in their early 40s, have two young daughters and need to work full time to afford their 850-sq.-foot two-bedroom apartment on Victoria Drive, where they pay $1,750 a month. Greg does home renovation work and Christine is a yoga instructor. “It’s deﬁnitely tough to save money,” said Clark, noting the family’s childcare costs were $16,000 last year and he paid $1,200 for a parking spot. “A lot of people are in situations where if they stop what they’re doing, they won’t be able to stay in the city. There’s no wiggle room. You really just can’t take some time off.” That said, Clark is happy with his apartment, which is close to Trout Lake and its community centre. Commercial Drive, a handy transit hub and an elementary school are also nearby. The building is another STIR project and built by Cressey Development Group. Known as The Porter, the building is one of two on the property along Victoria Drive, near the Croatian Cultural Centre.

W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A13

Feature

of new suites at punishing rents

The entire complex has 200 units and rents range from $885 a month for a 480-sq.foot studio to $2,100 a month for a 1,030-sq.-foot three bedroom. Clark believes more rental buildings of this type should be in Vancouver and he favours alternative housing options such as duplexes, townhouses and laneway houses. Such variety, he said, could assist a category of renters — and buyers — who can’t afford a milliondollar ﬁxer-upper. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever afford a house in Vancouver and he and his wife have talked about moving to a smaller town “to get more quality living out of your day-to-day and not spending your day-to-day ﬁguring out how to pay for it all.” For now, the family is staying put. Ironically, he noted, he and his wife lived in Brooklyn, New York for a few years and left their $1,800 a month apartment to try to get ahead in Vancouver, where they both attended university. Then one day, Clark heard on the radio that Vancouver had surpassed New York as the least affordable city in which to live. “It’s, unfortunately, a reality that we’re living with,” he said.

Units snapped up

But as it did with Clark and his family, the lure of Vancouver’s beauty and its temperate climate continues to attract people from all income levels. So when Cressey Development advertised The Porter units for rent last spring, the developer wasn’t surprised that both buildings ﬁlled up within two months of opening the doors. Why the interest? “It’s the shortage of housing options,” said Hani Lammam, the vicepresident of development for Cressey.”There’s so little housing options that anything that comes on the market is quickly swallowed up.” Up until the STIR program was created, Lammam said, the development community lost interest in building market rental housing after the federal government cancelled tax beneﬁts in the 1980s that made projects feasible. The majority of the city’s purpose-built rental stock was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s and is

judgment,” Grifﬁn said. “I conclude that this is what it has done.”

Future renting

West End Neighbours Resident Society directors Randy Helten and Ginny Richards outside the B.C. Supreme Court downtown. The society has challenged the city’s program to build so-called affordable housing for residents with moderate incomes. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

badly in need of renewal. Some landlords have renovated their buildings but that has meant evicting tenants. Many tenants can’t afford to move back in because the rents get jacked up to pay for renovations. With Cressey’s project on Victoria Drive, the city agreed to waive $640,000 in development cost levies, allow for more density, decrease the number of parking spots and fast-track its application. “We do this because we believe in the long-term viability of rental housing and it’s a good business decision,” said Lammam, noting it’s a strategy that will give the company steady cash ﬂow once the mortgage is paid. Cressey is building another market rental building only a few blocks from Bosa’s tower at 1142 Granville St. It is also being done under city’s STIR/Rental 100 program. Located on the newly created Continental Street, near the on-ramp to the Granville Bridge from Paciﬁc Street, the building will feature 89 studio and one-bedroom apartments. The city waived $640,862 in development cost levies. Lammam said the projected rents are expected to be in the $2 per square foot range. Asked if the rents will increase once the building opens in the middle of next year, Lammam replied, “We can only have projected rents two years in advance, so we’re guessing.”

Tom Durning of the non-proﬁt Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, which provides renters in B.C. with legal education and information about residential tenancy law, said rent increases are never good for people. But Durning, who lives in the West End, is keenly aware of the need for more rental housing in a city that continues to attract people from across the country and all parts of the world. Climate refugees is what he calls them. “I don’t know if the city is being misleading with the rents they put out there with these [STIR and Rental 100] projects, but I was taught years ago that any housing is good housing,” Durning said. “And I have to think that if the units were built without the incentives, the rents would probably be a lot higher.”

Favouring developers?

Both the STIR and Rental 100 programs haven’t been without their critics, with the loudest voice coming from the West End Neighbours society. The neighbourhood group, which includes director and failed 2011 mayoral candidate Randy Helten, mounted a legal challenge arguing the city is giving away too much to developers. In fact, the city allowed ﬁve of the 19 projects to include the construction of market condos for sale,

which meant the developer could both make a profit and collect rents — on top of the incentives granted by council. “The rezonings that council is approving through these programs are effectively licences to print money,” Helten said. “In return, communities are losing a lot of their character in place of density and height. In fact, what is being produced are very small rental units that the very top of the market will bear.” In May, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Susan Griffin dismissed the petition, saying she found the society’s position “falls into the category of criticism of council’s political choices.” Added Griffin: “That is not a matter on which the court ought to weigh in. Instead, the forum for these arguments is the ballot box.” The West End group has since appealed the ruling. Before the matter went to court, the city’s chief housing officer Mukhtar Latif responded to the petition in a report on the STIR and Rental 100 programs. Council accepted a major amendment which now states developers interested in Rental 100 will have to build 100 per cent rental housing instead of mixing in rental units with private units. In doing so, council said fees will only be waived where the agreed upon average rents for initial occupancy do not exceed the

following specified rents by more than 10 per cent: • $1,443 per month for a studio • $1,517 per month for a one-bedroom • $2,061 for a two-bedroom • $2,743 for a threebedroom “[The change] is supported by the key learning from the review of the STIR program, that city incentives are more effective and provide better value when applied to 100 per cent rental projects versus mixed residential projects,” Latif wrote. And here’s another reason city staff wanted to go this way: “These amendments to the [development cost levy] bylaws would also address a legal petition filed in the B.C. Supreme Court by the West End Neighbours, which challenges the city’s current process for determining eligibility for [waiving development cost levies] for affordable rental housing.” The West End group’s petition challenged the city manager’s authority to select which developers are eligible for development cost levies to be waived. The petition also argued the present bylaws don’t adequately define the definition of “affordable” and “for profit.” “The subjective nature of what is ‘for-profit’ and the relative nature of ‘affordability’ creates considerable room for disagreement, but I also find that it creates considerable room for council to exercise its

When voters head to the polls in November, those paying attention to Vision’s campaign will have heard the candidates boast about the increase in rental units in Vancouver. “We’re seeing new housing built that meets the needs of people who live and work in our city,” the mayor said in August in announcing that more than 50 per cent of new rental and social housing approved in the past decade was done in the past two years. “Our housing plan and programs are working and the shovels in the ground prove it.” Voters will have also heard Vision’s talk about the need for more co-op housing and its recent move to create a housing authority, which aims to hold and use city land for so-called affordable housing. Then there’s the surge in laneway houses and more secondary suites that are creating vacancies for those set on living in the city. But those present at the public forum on housing affordability at the WISE Hall in May will have also heard Meggs say the city is still very much in a rental housing crisis. “I am personally very proud of the work we have done in this area but I’m very, very painfully aware that it’s inadequate,” he said. At that same meeting, the audience called for rent controls, placing higher taxes on the rich to pay for housing and curtailing the immigration of wealthy investors who think nothing of tearing down a milliondollar home to build a palace. One audience member likened Vancouver to having turned into one big luxury train for the few who can afford to ride it, with the rest of the population making feeble attempts to sneak on. In the meantime, rental towers continue to go up, so do rents and the city’s target is to have 5,000 market rental units built by 2021. So to the question: Will they be affordable? The answer, it seems, depends on what a person can afford or is willing to pay to stay in Vancouver. twitter.com/Howellings

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4

Opinion

Vancouver limited in banning GMOs

Trish Kelly

trishkellyc@gmail.com

Smile Cookies are gone, but the smiles they’ve left in our community will last forever. Thanks to your support, Tim Hortons will be donating the entire proceeds to BC Children's Hospital Foundation.

As a food policy nerd, I’m delighted to see the issue of genetically engineered foods, or GMOs, making its way onto the platforms of both the Vancouver Greens and COPE. I’m also wary that political parties don’t over-promise on an issue that the city can actually do little about. While the city has a role to play, we would have to go beyond the limited powers of a municipal government to halt GMOs. Full disclosure, for the last eight years I’ve been a member of the Vancouver Food Policy Council, a citizen-led committee that advises city council on creating a more just and sustainable food system. For the last three governments, we’ve had the respectful ear of city council (ﬁrst under the NPA, then Vision Vancouver) on a variety of food issues, including GMOs. Aside from any formal opinion the food policy council may have as a group, I personally think GMOs are a bad idea. I think GMOs should be banned, or at least labelled, and probably shelved as a technology that generates revenue for patent owners, but otherwise claims to solve problems we don’t actually have. Do we need an apple that doesn’t brown when cut and exposed to air

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Pesticides paired with GMO crops are killing off Vancouver’s bee population.

for two weeks? This sort of genetic engineering is being developed in the Okanagan right now. Browning apples are not high on my list of priority issues as a food systems advocate. On a grander scale, proponents promise GMOs will feed the hungry. In reality, nearly all commercially available GMO crops are bred to tolerate increased pesticide exposure, not to address the social inequities at the root of hunger. The people of Vancouver should be concerned about GMOs. The pesticides that are paired with GMO crops are killing off our bee population and that’s a problem for Vancouver’s gardens and farmers who depend on bees for pollination. Mark Winston, a fellow at SFU Centre for Dialogue and author of a new book Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive, states that the average bee colony contains residue from over 120 pesticides, which compromise the bees’ immune system and make them vulnerable to disease. A ban on GMOs would be great, and city council should do what it can to protect our food supply, but the city actually can’t prohibit the sale of GMOs. The Vancouver Charter, a provincial statute, deﬁnes the city’s jurisdiction. As a city, Vancouver can ban the use of something, but not the sale. That’s why Vancouver only has a ban on cosmetic pesticide use, even though we wanted to ban their sale. A ban on the use of pesticides works because many businesses voluntarily pulled pesticides from their shelves. Less access resulted in less use across the city. Similarly, the Green Party platform proposes a ban on the use of GMOs. I can’t imagine food businesses voluntarily complying with such a ban. It’s just too complex. Businesses that could, distributors and

manufacturers, would likely move outside the city limits, escaping the policy and taking jobs with them. Those who can’t move, retailers and restaurateurs, would either plant their heads in the sand, or get litigious. COPE’s platform proposes adding a non-GMO requirement to the city’s ethical purchasing policy — something the city could actually do. The impact of such a policy is only limited by the will of the purchasing department, and the relatively small purchasing power of the city’s food outlets. Compared to the private sector dollars COPE’s policy wouldn’t touch, this change to the city’s policy would amount to a squeak, not a food system rocking roar. I’m not knocking small steps in the right direction, but I do want to make sure the public doesn’t get fooled into thinking the city has handled GMOs. The city has a role to play in halting GMOs. Council can advocate to senior levels of government which actually hold the reins on issues like permitting the sale of GMOs. Recent advocacy against pipelines and in support of reconciliation with aboriginal peoples are both good examples of the power of municipal advocacy. Both issues received national attention and inspired rallies and discussion. It is also within the jurisdiction of the city to support public education. The current Vision city council is mulling a proclamation drafted by a food policy council working group to proclaim a non-GMO awareness week in October. The proclamation would give a leg up to community groups looking to stimulate discussion and understanding of this complex issue. twitter.com/trishkellyc

W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Changes in spring bulbs Anne Marrison

amarrison@shaw.ca

Bulb breeders are continuing to make fascinating changes in colours and shapes of the larger bulbs, especially in tulips. Variegated foliage is beginning to echo flower colour as in Easter Moon, a large, yellow Fosteriana with yellow pink-blushed leaf edges. Another that’s totally colour coordinated is the huge, double pink Eternal Flame with pink-edged foliage and green flames on the outside petals. Attention is also turning to stems. The little Shogun has mango-flushed stems. White Triumphator has white flowers with dusky stems. A tulip where every bud reveals a surprise is Flaming Flag. Its white petals have variable purple flames. Fringed tulips are also evolving. Cummins for instance has long, pure white fringes edging purple petals. It’s so tempting to abandon tulips once they’ve flowered. Then you can look forward to a whole fresh display of exotic blooms next year. Most people do just that since only the little species tulips reliably flower the next year — and that’s only if they get no water in summer. But you can save this year’s tulips if you let the foliage die down, then uproot them, shake off the soil and store them inside over summer in a paper bag or cardboard box. Then plant them again in mid to late fall. Special Information Supplement

Tulips team well with pots of mixed bulbs because the large bulbs can be planted as the deepest layer. Cover with a thin layer of soil then add a layer of daffodils above them followed by smaller bulbs in layers higher-up. The newer daffodils continue to evolve especially with their trumpets. These are now cups. Many have gone beyond pink and are approaching orange-red. Some lie flat against the outer petals and everywhere there are ruffles, doubleness, fringes and splits. But the popularity of the older daffodil forms hasn’t waned judging by the frequency with which they’re still offered — and these are the ones that naturalize most easily. Hyacinth colours and shapes are still evolving. With Rembrandt purple petals are edged with white. There is also a very fragrant pink double Prince of Love joining the double whites, and double blues which have been around for years. For people with a semishady garden bed, hyacinths can be planted out and enjoyed for years to come. They lose their tightly-flowered, pugnaciously blocky shape and become beautiful, elegant wands — similar to the shape of bluebells which were their ancestors many years ago. Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to her via amarrison@shaw.ca. It helps me if you add the name of your city or region.

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Shopping for your new or used vehicle

Car buyers should always purchase from a licensed dealer. Consider it another form of insurance for your car. There are sellers out there who don’t offer the same high level of service or scrutiny.

When shopping for a new or used vehicle, you want some assurance that the sales team you’re dealing with is experienced - and has your back. That’s why you should always By Blair Qualey inquire whether the dealership you’re visiting is licensed in the province of BC. Many dealerships across the province have started to post decals on their doors announcing they are a “Licensed Dealer.” These aren’t just decorations, but verification for our customers that the dealer meets the licensing requirements and offers all of the protections available under BC laws. They should serve as comfort and confirmation for our customers that they’re working with

a business whose team has gone through a stringent licensing and training program. Dealers take pride in being licensed and the decals are a great way to let the public know that ours is a regulated industry. “Consumers deserve to be confident in the licensed vehicle sales industry,” says Hong Wong, manager of licensing at the Vehicle Sales Authority (VSA). The VSA’s mandate is to license all motor vehicle dealerships and salespeople in the province. It’s an independent regulatory agency administering the provincial Motor Dealer Act and parts of the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act. As a public body, it’s also required to proactively disclose information and records of importance to the public. Car buyers should always purchase from a

licensed dealer. Consider it another form of insurance for your car. There are sellers out there who don’t offer the same high-level of service or scrutiny. These sellers are sometimes called “curbers,” which are businesses that pose as private sellers, but don’t offer the same protections as a VSA licensed dealer. Curbers aren’t required to disclose the history and condition of a vehicle, which means you have no recourse on issues such as unpaid liens, undisclosed damage or other improper practices. Curbers also don’t contribute to the Motor Dealer Customer Compensation Fund, which provides compensation to consumers who have lost money because a motor dealer has either gone out of business or has failed to meet certain legal obligations. Since 1995, the fund has provided $2.9 million in compensation to more

than 600 consumers. Consumer confidence in the licensed industry is improving and the decal program is part of our ongoing effort to ensure car buyers that we’re behind them. A 2013 IPSOS survey shows 67 per cent of recent buyers gave the industry a positive rating of seven or above on a ten-point scale, according to the VSA. We see these satisfied customers at our dealerships across BC every day. Stop in and see us sometime soon – and don’t forget to look for the decal near the front door. For more information on the VSA and the decal program please visit: www.mvsabc.com Blair Qualey is President and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC. Email him at bqualey@newcardealers.ca.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4

New Living with Stroke program encourages conversation East Side support group begins this week at Killarney Community Centre

Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

Ramanjit Bains helps people improve their communication as a speechlanguage pathologist. But as a volunteer facilitator for a new Living with Stroke program, she hopes to help people who’ve suffered strokes work toward their own goals. “Especially if they’ve come through the hospital system, the doctors will say you need to do this, and then the speech therapist will say you need to do this, and then the [occupational therapist] and physiotherapy and so on, so it can get pretty overwhelming,” Bains said. “So this is an opportunity for people to really ﬁgure out OK, this is what I think I need, this is what I really feel like I need to further my recovery and can we all work together in helping me move forward with these goals.” The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Living with Stroke program started on the West Side of Vancouver last month with a new East Side session beginning,

Ramanjit Bains hopes Living with Stroke groups will help people who’ve suffered strokes feel more in control and connected. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Oct. 2. The free program includes eight weekly, two-hour sessions. Bains said she won’t “regurgitate information” as a facilitator. Instead, she’ll encourage conversation. Topics to be discussed include impact of stroke, physical changes, keeping active, dealing with emotions and relationships,

reducing future risk and nutrition. The program is open to 12 participants, including people who’ve had strokes and their family members. Six spaces were vacant Friday morning. Deborah Rusch, manager of survivor support for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, said groups are limited

to 12 participants to keep discussions intimate and private. The foundation plans to offer the program in Vancouver at least twice a year. “Stroke can be a very isolating disease where people end up in their homes because they’re afraid to go outside or they’re afraid to

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Rusch said other facilitators include family members of people who’ve suffered strokes who are keen to give back. A stroke is a sudden loss of brain function caused by the interruption of flow of blood to the brain (ischemic stroke) or the rupture of blood vessels in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). The interruption of blood flow or the rupture causes neurons in the affected area to die. The effects of a stroke depends on the where the brain was injured and how much damage occurred. A stroke can affect one’s ability to move, see, remember, speak, reason and read and write. The Heart and Stroke Foundation has offered the Living with Stroke program in five other provinces, including Ontario, for at least 10 years. Living with Stroke will run 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Killarney Community Centre, 6260 Killarney St. To register, phone 1-888-4734636 or email infoline@hsf. bc.ca. For more information, visit heartandstroke.bc.ca. twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

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get out back into the community just because they might have challenges with paralysis on one of their sides,” Rusch said. “A large part of it is connecting people with each other,” Bains agreed. “People having the chance to share their experiences is really important.” She noted American studies say up to one-third of people who suffer a stroke subsequently deal with depression. Bains works with people who’ve had strokes at Holy Family Hospital near Knight Street and Southeast Marine Drive. “We see people really early on in their stroke journey, right after they’ve had their stroke they’re sent to us for rehabilitation, and then they go home and then we never really hear from them again,” she said. “But I know that people need ongoing support and that’s really lacking in Vancouver, especially. The services are really front-loaded towards the hospital stays, but when people are living at home, that’s when they ﬁnd they’re really needing that extra support.”

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W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

A17

Physical activity a foundation for your wellbeing

The greatest predictor of your health tomorrow are the habits you practice today Davidicus Wong dawong@shaw.ca

I recognize four facets of self-care. They form the foundation of your future. The ﬁrst is what you eat (a healthy diet); the second, how you feel (effective emotional management); the third, how you relate (healthy relationships); and the fourth, what you do (physical activity). For some illogical reason, human beings take some if not all of these four foundations for granted. We can spend more time surﬁng the web and updating Facebook than talking face to face with the people we really care about. Most of us spend more time in chairs, in cars, on transit and in shopping malls than in getting the physical activity our bodies were designed for. If we put more thought into what we eat, how we feel, how we relate and how we move, we wouldn’t leave choice to chance, and we would all be empowered to take control of our own health.

In fact, many of my patients feel they are too busy to ﬁt healthy activity into their days. They see exercise as a luxury — something they vaguely hope they will get around to sometime in the future. But if you’re sedentary now, it is less likely you’ll enjoy good health and be able to move so freely in the future. Exercise is not just for athletes. Anybody can adapt and improve with healthy activity. Even in our 60s, we can build muscle and increase strength with resistance exercises, such as light weight training. Our brains and bodies are engaged in sports -— we can learn new skills and new dances at any age. But what we don’t use atrophies. The muscles we neglect shrink and become weak. Our cardiac and respiratory ﬁtness plummets if we restrict our movements to short walks. If we become accustomed to moving little and very slowly, we will lose our sense of balance. Without

Just running and cycling is not enough, neither is weight training alone.

stimulation and practice, coordination deteriorates and we are more prone to falls and injuries. At the end of your workday, you may feel

tired and feel you’ve had enough physical activity for the day. If you’re a ﬁreﬁghter or a Vancouver Canuck, you may be right, but for the rest of us

–— even if we’ve been on our feet and walking most of the day — our bodies require particular types of activity to remain in peak condition.

SEPTEMBER 26, BLUEBIRD GALA 2014

ON BEHALF OF THE 600,000 PEOPLE IN BC WHO LIVE WITH ARTHRITIS, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR SPONSORS, DONORS, VOLUNTEERS AND GUESTS FOR MAKING OUR 2014 BLUEBIRD GALA A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS.

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Consider the six aspects of physical function (from Carolyn Kisner and Lynn Allen Colby’s text, Therapeutic Exercise), cardiopulmonary fitness (endurance), flexibility (the ability to move freely), coordination (smooth, efficient movement), stability (joint stability and muscle balance), dynamic balance, and muscle performance (strength, power and endurance). Just running and cycling is not enough, neither is weight training alone. A good exercise program will address all six aspects of function –— reduce falls and injuries, maintain strength and keep us fit well into our golden years. Dr. Davidicus Wong will be speaking on self-care at the Bob Prittie (Metrotown) Branch of the Burnaby Public Library Oct. 20. Register at 604-436-5400 or online at bpl.bc.ca/events. You can read more about achieving your positive potential in health at davidicuswong. wordpress.com.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4

Arts&Entertainment

GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com

1 Oct. 1 to 3, 2014 1. Sundance award-winning director Julia Kwan looks at Vancouver’s once thriving Chinatown and the current transformation the neighbourhood is undergoing in her new documentary Everything Will Be. It screens Oct. 1 at SFU Woodward’s and Oct. 3 at International Village as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival. More details at viff.org. For VIFF reviews and previews, go to vancourier.com/entertainment. 2. I believe is was legendary indie rock critic Forrest Gump who once said, a Cat Power concert is like a box of chocolates — you never know which one you’re going to get. There was a time when self-doubt all but crippled Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power, and brought her intimate shows to uncomfortable standstills. That seems to be behind the talented, if quirky singer-songwriter, as evidenced by her last concert in Vancouver, though it did start an hour late. See what’s in store when Cat Power returns to the Vogue Oct. 2 in support of her most recent album Sun. Tickets at Red Cat, Zulu, Highlife and northerntickets.com. 3. With members hailing from such banjo and ﬁddle-playing hotspots as Vancouver, Mayne Island and New York, semi-local indie folk act Fish & Bird plays a semihometown show at the Biltmore Oct. 1. And wouldn’t you know, it coincides with the release of the band’s new album Something in the Ether. Skye Wallace and Wooden Horsemen open. Tickets and details at biltmorecabaret.com. 4. They have love and will travel. Legendary Paciﬁc Northwest garage rock band The Sonics, who formed in 1963, broke up in 1967 and reformed in 2007, keep the rock reunion going with a highly anticipated show at the Rickshaw Oct. 2. The Evaporators and the Flinettes open. Tickets at Highlife, Neptoon, Red Cat, Zulu and northerntickets.com.

3 2

W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Arts&Entertainment KUDOS & KVETCHES K&K atones, part 2

In honour of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which this year begins the evening of Oct. 3 and ends the evening of Oct. 4, and indeed in honour of atonement rituals in religions everywhere, K&K revives its yearly atonement series, begging forgiveness for past mistakes, misdeeds, egregious errors in judgment and moments of all around douchiness. Once again, we’re sorry. Once in high school we arranged to meet our friend in the parking lot of a local shopping plaza. It was halfway between our houses and where our group of friends often met up before embarking on evenings of adolescent stupidity, which we’ll atone for at another juncture. When we arrived at the plaza it was dark and we noticed that our friend, who was considerably smaller than us, had his back turned and was using the outdoor ATM machine. For some reason we thought it would be funny

FALL HOME RENOVATION SHOW

Sorry, Jeff, for pretending to mug you while withdrawing funds at an ATM machine. if we quietly walked up behind him, put our hand over his mouth and pretended to mug him, demanding angrily that he give us “all of his f***ing money.” Naturally, he squirmed ﬁercely in a panicked “Oh God, I’m getting mugged at an ATM” kind of way before we relented and revealed that the mugger was really one of his close high school friends. Instead of looking relieved, however, he swore at us profusely, still very much upset about the physical assault, and told us repeatedly how it wasn’t funny. Which, in itself, was pretty funny, we thought at the time. Sorry, Jeff, for pretending to mug you while withdrawing funds at an ATM machine in an ill-lit shopping plaza in a small town often associated with crime and hooliganism. To this day

you are still nervous while taking money out of ATM machines and look over your shoulder constantly, and we can only assume that is because of our poorly thought out prank and our inability to put ourselves in your tiny shoes. But you are a bigger man than us, because you remained friends with us after the traumatic incident and you even asked us to be one of your groomsmen at your recent wedding, which we proudly did, even though during the ceremony there was a moment when we imagined walking up behind you during your vows, placing our hand over your mouth and re-enacting the whole thing just to see what would happen, even though we’re pretty sure we know what would have happened. Sorry about that, as well. twitter.com/KudosKvetches

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4

THE COAST GROUP

Arts&Entertainment

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Comedian Simon King often records his What’s Wrong with Simon King podcast in hotel rooms or while driving between gigs. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

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STATE OF THE ARTS

Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

Stand-up comedian Simon King started his What’s Wrong with Simon King podcast 19 months ago because he had more to say. “Sometimes there were things I wanted to explore and talk about that weren’t conducive to having a laugh every 30 seconds,” said the professional comedian

of 14 years who wanted to rant less about society and politics and ruminate more about society and culture. The result is a quick, clever and comical weekly half hour where King riffs on why he was sucked in by the bogus story of a woman who sought a third boob and why CeeLo Green is an a**hole and busts out impressions and performs characters, such as racist Marge Simpson. “It probably saves me a lot on psychiatric bills,” King said. Listeners can share their

love of his online show in person, Oct. 4, when he records live at Little Mountain Gallery during the ﬁrst annual NorthWest Podcast Fest, Oct. 2 to 5. “I’m up against Norm Macdonald. I’m f***ed, so come out,” King says in Episode 77 of his podcast. Macdonald’s stand-up gig at the Vogue Theatre overlaps with King’s live podcast Saturday night. A second Stuff You Should Know show was added to the festival after tickets for the event swiftly sold out. Continued next page

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Festival adds social element

Tickets to Stop Podcasting Yourself and Savage Lovecast with Dan Savage are also going fast says the festival’s marketing director, Cristy Laubman, who adds that with nine different podcast creators in attendance there’s plenty for audiences to see and hear. “Just for something a little bit different, we’ve got the Sklar brothers [of Sklarbros Country], which is a sports comedy podcast happening,” she said. The festival is billed as the NorthWest Comedy Fest’s “techie cousin.” Podcast events at last February’s NorthWest Comedy Fest proved so popular organizers decided to produce the podcast fest. “People can [listen] while they work, they can [listen] while they exercise,” Laubman said of podcasts’ popularity. “You can spend an hour listening to your favourite music but you can also spend an hour learning about something… Sometimes you just need a pickme-up and that’s a good kind of thing to throw on.” Laubman has noticed a

Dan Savage and the Sklar brothers appear at the NorthWest Podcast Fest, Oct. 2 to 5.

large number of single ticket buyers for the festival. “We hope they get out of their house, primarily,” Laubman said. “Obviously, you could just stay at home and listen to this in your underwear and you’d probably have a pretty good time, but we’re hoping to add a social leap.” When he’s not at home, King rants at airports, in hotel rooms and on the road in his car while driving to gigs. “It must sound hilarious to cleaning staff at the hotel,” he said. “It’s like, ‘I think that guy’s just talking. It’s clearly not a phone call, I don’t know what he’s doing. Is he yelling at his phone?’” King favours comedian

Doug Stanhope’s podcast and Dan Carlin’s current events podcast Common Sense. “It’s nice to have a guest once in a while, but I do like that one person talking,” King said, referring to Carlin. “I enjoy that connection with the podcast, especially in the car for long trips.” That’s why King’s shows are usually unedited and rarely include guests. “If it’s a personal podcast I feel it should feel more personal. It should feel more honest,” he said. “When I hear podcasts that sound a little artiﬁcial or very heavily produced, that just doesn’t appeal to me. I like the really natural, conversational stuff.”

What’s Wrong with Simon King boasts listeners in the U.K. and the U.S., people who probably haven’t seen his stand-up act. Recently, King met listeners who checked out his live show because they knew his podcast. King regularly performs at King’s Head Pub and Displace Hashery in Kitsilano, the Kino Café and the Comedy MIX. “Pretty much anywhere there’s a dimly lit room with people who’ve drunk too much waiting to get yelled at, you’ll ﬁnd me,” he quipped. King’s excited to be recording live in front of an audience for the ﬁrst time Saturday night. The episode of What’s Wrong with Simon King will include guest comedian and “local curmudgeon” Dylan Rhymer, and King’s going to invite audience members to complain for one minute. “Hopefully we’ll all have a couple of drinks and we’ll rock Little Mountain,” King said. Details at northwestpodcastfest.com. twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4

Sports&Recreation

GOT SPORTS? 604.630.3549 or mstewart@vancourier.com

Sportshorts

Weekend Scoresheet AAA varsity football, Week Four:

Hosting at Burnaby Lake Park, the Notre Dame Jugglers (1-1, 0-2) lost their second game of the regular season in a clash against the undefeated New West Hyacks, who prepare to meet the indomitable Mt. Douglas Rams this weekend. The Jugglers aren’t putting points on the board as often as they come within scoring distance and in their first two games, clashed with two top-five teams. The No. 3 ranked Vancouver College Fighting Irish (1-1, 0-1) played their first game of the regular season against the undefeated, three-time AAA provincial champion Mt. Douglas Rams on Sept. 26. They travelled to Goudy Field in Victoria for the pleasure. Richard Jarin scored two touchdowns, the first a one-yard run and the second a 52-yard completion from Giordy Belfiore to take a 14-12 lead at the half. The No. 2 Rams, however, proved too deep and held Vancouver College to a scoreless second half as they swept to a 31-14 win.

Varsity football Tier II, Week Four:

The Eric Hamber Grifﬁns (0-1) debuted with a thrilling one-point loss to the Moscrop Panthers. The Grifﬁns threatened the visitors in the fourth quarter by scoring with less than a minute to play. They went for the two-point conversion to lock up the win but missed the connection and lost 19-18 at home Sept. 26.

CIS player of the week:

1. Tyler Nee absorbs a hard hit at a Hamber Griffins senior boys volleyball tryout Sept. 28. 2. Hamber secondary athletic director Indy Sehmbi (left) and Chris Klassen observe a volleyball tryout. Klassen, a Hamber alum and former UBC Thunderbird setter, returns to coach the Griffins senior boys volleyball team. PHOTOS DAN TOULGOET

High school teams ramp up

After delay, most public high school seasons begin next week Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

Hundreds of volleyball, field hockey and soccer players returned to their public high school teams last week. Cross-county training picked up and swimmers were back in the pool, all following the end of the teachers labour dispute with the B.C. government that delayed the school year. Depending on the sport, Vancouver’s public school seasons have been shortened this year by one to three weeks. Senior girls volleyball begins Oct. 2 (the first games were Sept. 26 in 2013) while the boys get started seven days later. Senior boys soccer started Sept. 17 one year ago and will kick off next week while girls field hockey begins next week, two weeks delayed.

In cross-country, the schedule was shortened from four to three district meets in order to hold a zone final by Oct. 22 in time for provincials Nov. 1. The first race was Sept. 30. Regardless of the delay, the gymnasium at Hamber secondary was full for two volleyball tryouts last week and again Monday. Hamber won the Vancouver title in 2011 and ’12 and a year later lost in the final to David Thompson. For this season, the Griffins recruited a promising new coach and Hamber alum, Chris Klassen. A UBC Thunderbirds setter after playing at Capilano and Selkirk colleges, Klassen always intended to coach at high school. The only place for him was Hamber, where he was the Grade 12 male athlete of the year in 2007 — two

years after his older brother and 30 years after his mom Alicja earned the same female recognition. After making cuts, the Grifﬁns will likely absorb the junior players in the senior team. Klassen liked what he saw. “I do not remember being this old and playing this well as these guys do,” he said. “There are a couple bigger boys that know how to put the ball down with some pace.” He estimates the team lost about a month of preseason training followed by the delayed games but said players have been putting in their own time. “All teams will suffer the same. What we would have lost is a couple weeks of practice, which means we just have to compact it a little more. The guys who want to be on the team, you

can tell, were getting reps in during the down time. They enjoy playing, and I know they’re putting the work in.” His strategy is to build team cohesion and find a skilled setter who can run the offence. Klassen said, “The game revolves around the setter and his choices and his abilities and how he can set up his hitters.” Sam Chu and Jonah Lee-Ash, a 2013 graduate, will assist as coaches. “I’ve already noticed [Lee-Ash] has a friendship with the players,” said Klassen. “I like having that. You want a coach who can relate to the guys.” The league is contended by 12 teams split between the east and west divisions. By Tuesday morning, the district had yet to schedule a specific day and location the first games of the season. twitter.com/MHStewart

Speaking of the Rams, Mt. Douglas alum and two-time B.C. player of the year Marcus Davis was named one of two CIS Canada West players of the week for his performance as a rookie rusher with the UBC Thunderbirds (1-3). On the punt return in their ﬁrst win of the 2014 season, Davis led the T-birds with 253 all-purpose yards in a 49-13 rout of the Marcus Davis, Alberta Golden Bears on Sept. UBC rookie rusher 27 at Thunderbird Stadium. He returned six punts for 158 yards, including a 98-yard return to set up a UBC touchdown. He also caught a 43-yard TD reception and rushed four times for 36 yards and a second touchdown. This weekend, UBC will travel to Saskatchewan to take on the Huskies (3-1) on Oct. 4.

Calendar Legendary Fijian rugby player Waisale Serevi along with Canadian internationals Phil Mack and Nathan Hirayama will host a clinic for school-aged players at the Fraserview Boys and Girls Club (7595 Victoria Dr.) from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 2. Rugby sevens, a fast and open version of the sport played seven a side, will debut as an Olympic sport at the 2016 Rio Games. Canada’s men and women are in the hunt. The 2014-15 Sevens World Series doubles as an Olympic qualiﬁer; the nine-round tournament begins Oct. 11 in Australia. Serevi and the Canadian athletes will demonstrate rugby skills like passing, kicking and holding formations. The HSBC Sevens World Series Trophy will also be on site and photos are encouraged.

Full Count

The number of wins in the Giants’ winning 3-0 record, as of Tuesday. It is the WHL team’s best start to the season since 2007, the year they won the Memorial Cup. The Giants have outscored their opponents 13-7. They travel to Kelowna to play the undefeated Rockets (3-0) Oct. 1.

W E DN E SDAY, O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Sports&Recreation

On my commute, I make the most of my time A 40-minute, cross-town ride inspired by astute saleswoman MY BIKE Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

Morley Faber Age: 52 Bike: Rocky Mountain Metro 30 Time on this bike: Most recently, since May Favourite ride overall: His is less a route, more of an accomplishment. He said, “What thrills me to no end is discovering a better way... I could do it this way because there is no hill or it’s more interesting.” Quote: “She called me on my shit.”

Morley Faber knew his commute could be better. Crossing the city every day, twice a day between 35th at Dunbar and Venables Street near Clark Drive, he was determined to make the trip better in every way. He believed the solution was an electric bike and in the spring, went shopping

for the right one. “I hate being in a vehicle but I have a vehicle. I was looking for an electric bike,” he said and drove to the Bike Doctor.

Path of least resistance

Faber used to commute by bike but gave it up about five years ago. An electric bike, he believed, would make for the quickest, smoothest and most enjoyable commute across town, especially if he charted a route that avoided hills. But he didn’t buy one. Instead, Faber was influenced by a sales pitch he’ll never forget. An insightful, persuasive saleswoman told him he didn’t need to buy a bike at all. “I was giving her my arguments about why I wanted an electric bike and she heard my story about efficiency — I have to pull so much weight because I carry exercise gear and would need paniers — and unlike every other salesperson out there, she basically just called me on my shit.

Morley Faber doubles his Rocky Mountain Metro 30 as a vehicle and language classroom. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

“She said: ‘If you want to get on a bike, you’ve got a bike. Just get on it.’” Impressed with her decisiveness, Faber went home and dusted off the 21-gear Rocky Mountain in his garage. Now, he’s on his bike four days a week, cycling 40 minutes each way. “It seems like I’m doing it faster these days,” he said.

Prize multitasker

Faber returned to the Bike Doctor and struck up a friendship with the saleswoman as he was outﬁtting his bike. He also crossed Broadway to Mountain Equipment Co-op for outdoor speakers, which he mounted to the handlebars of his new-again bicycle. To and from work, the property manager plugs

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in an iPod to the all-weather audio system and, in the name of efﬁcient multitasking, accomplishes more than the average commuter. “I get some interesting looks,” he said. “I’m learning Thai.” Faber practises simple greetings and more complex phrases with an audio language lesson. Earbuds

aren’t the safest option, so other cyclists, pedestrians and motorists with open windows can listen in. His interest in Thai kicked up two years ago when his dedication to mixed martial arts took him across the Pacific Ocean. “I like Muay Thai and when I turned 50, I went to Thailand. I trained to be a fighter and fell in love with the place, the people, the language. They are very serious about fighting. I just did it for entertainment and exercise. A lot of the foreigners come to fight, but I’m too old. I’d get beaten up,” said Faber, who keeps up his training at Lions MMA Vancouver. Piecing together the hightech, low-fi dashboard was one of the key reasons Faber committed to his commute. “The thing is, getting the Thai lessons going and getting all that set up that was the moment I said, ‘OK, this actually works. I can do this. I can make my commute efficient.’” twitter.com/MHStewart

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OVER/UNDER Vancouver’s Hung Mai leaps a barrier in the Vanier Park Cyclocross Classic on Sept. 28. In the men’s novice race, Mai, 30, who rides with EV/DEVO and Catalyst Kinetics, finished in 27 minutes, 12 second, and tied for third. West Coast Cycling hosted the event with the support of the growing Vancouver Cyclocross Coalition, a grassroots race series that vows on its website to “make your life muddy.” Cyclocross is emerging as an organized cycling sport around the world. Racers make several laps of a short circuit that doubles as a kind of obstacle course. Competitors have room to pass and must be prepared to dismount and carry their bike over barriers, such as low walls or steep drops, and ride on a range of terrain from dirt, sand, rock and asphalt. The International Cycling Union requires elite racers ride specialized bicycles; cyclocross bikes are like road bikes in that they’re lightweight with narrow tires and drop handlebars, but are different for their higher tire clearance, lower gearing, stronger frames, cantilever brakes and higher riding position. Riders typically opt for knobby tires over smooth, treadless slicks. PHOTO ROB NEWELL

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