Vancouver Courier November 12 2014 by Vancouver Courier

WEDNESDAY

November 12 2014

Vol. 105 No. 91

FEATURE 14

Going Green ENTERTAINMENT 31

Student artists learn to Crawl SPORTS 33

Boys volleyball championships There’s more online at

vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION

THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908

“The NPA has moved further and further to the right. I will vote Gregor Robertson and Vision Vancouver.” — Michael Davis, Former NPA President

vancouver

Go Forward with Vision Authorized by Opreet Kang, financial agent, financial.agent@votevision.ca

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E D N E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

W E D N E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Authorized by Opreet Kang, financial agent, financial.agent@votevision.ca

Leadership vs. Risk

The NPA and Kirk LaPointe:

Not Worth the Risk

Their record and policies:

• Allow 340 more oil tankers a year in our harbour

• Let Chevron fund programs in our kids’ classrooms • The NPA voted against affordable housing 25 times

Vision Vancouver

NPA

Let’s keep Vancouver moving forward:

Kirk LaPointe and the NPA are too big a risk:

• Opposing 340 more oil tankers a year in our harbour

• Refuses to take a stand against more oil tankers

• Making Vancouver the World’s Greenest City

• Opposed Greenest City Action Plan

• Green jobs up 19%

• 25 votes against affordable housing

• Building 4,000 new rental units

• Platform has zero mention of homelessness

Gregor is committed to Vancouver.

• No plan for Broadway Subway • Platform has zero mention of homelessness

“Poorly thought out or downright confusing” - Vancouver Courier (10/9/14)

Kirk LaPointe doesn’t live, work or pay taxes in Vancouver.

WEDNESDAY

November 12 2014 Vol. 105 No. 91

FEATURE 14

Going Green ENTERTAINMENT 31

Student artists learn to Crawl SPORTS 33

Boys volleyball championships There’s more online at

vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION

THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908

Vision, NPA running multi-million dollar campaigns Two major parties received $4.3 million in donations VANCOUVER VOTES Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

The big money is again in play in Vancouver’s civic election campaign. The ruling Vision Vancouver has collected $2.2 million in donations this year and the NPA raised almost the same amount at $2.1 million. The move for both parties to release their ﬁnances last week prior to an election is unprecedented since they are not required to disclose such information until 90 days after the vote. The decision to break with the tradition came after NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe announced last week that his party would release names of contributors and dollar amounts. “To all of those [people] who made a donation, no matter how large or small, I wish to extend my appreciation,” LaPointe said

Friday in releasing the donor list in a room at the Seasons in the Park restaurant at Queen Elizabeth Park. “It shows that they believe in our campaign’s desire for change at city hall, and they also know that I am not beholden to these funds — that my actions in city hall will be transparent and fair.” LaPointe’s move sparked a wave of disclosures from the Greens, COPE and OneCity, all of which raised $60,000 or less — paltry sums when matched against the multi-million dollar campaigns of the NPA and Vision. The bulk of donations for the city’s two main parties came from corporations, although Vision received more than $300,000 from unions. And like the 2011 campaign, the NPA received a substantial donation from one individual. In 2011, developer and former party vice-president Robert Macdonald donated a total of $960,000, which is believed to be the biggest single donation to a civic party in Canadian history. Continued on page 6

Four more years ahead Civic bodies elected Saturday get an extra year in power VANCOUVER VOTES Bob Mackin

bob@bobmackin.ca

If you don’t exercise your right to vote in the Nov. 15 civic election, you won’t get another chance until Oct. 20, 2018. The winners of the race for Vancouver’s mayoralty, city council, park board and school board are getting almost an extra year in power thanks to last May’s provincial amendment to laws governing local elections. The four-year-term of ofﬁce will bring Vancouver in line with other big Canadian cities. The B.C. Liberal government claimed four-year terms would give municipalities more time to consult, plan and achieve community goals — and manage election costs. While cost-savings are expected over the long term, they will not be substantial. Instead of four elections through 2023 for three-year terms, there will be three elections through 2022. The City of Vancouver budgeted $2.1 million for this year’s election, including outsourced contracts

for optical ballot tabulators with Election Systems and Software LLC of Omaha, Neb. ($193,975), an electronic voters list with Comprint/DataFix of Toronto ($252,000) and voting station hardware and support services with Compugen Inc. of Richmond ($344,047.15). In 2010, a joint-Union of B.C. Municipalities and B.C. government task force made 31 recommendations, including extending terms. Local elections will happen every four years on the third Saturday of October, meaning better weather and more daylight for campaigning and voting. But one watchdog said longer terms will diminish democracy. Randy Helten of CityHallWatch.ca said the province gave local politicians the gift of more power without requiring major checks and balances in return. Campaign ﬁnance reform was recommended in the 2010 report, but the B.C. Liberals chose to study what, if anything, to do for 2018. (The all-party Special Committee on Local Elections Expense Limits heard testimony on Nov. 6 and 7 in Vancouver and is receiving written submissions until Nov. 21.) Continued on page 7

SOAR SPOT An aerial silk performer wowed the crowd at the PNE Garden Auditorium during CircusFest’s “A Circus in Wonderland” show Saturday afternoon. The performance was one of many presented by the local performing arts group, along with workshops and forums for those in the industry. See related story on page 12. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

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W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Public Education Project “The Public Education Project believes that investing in our children will bring us a brighter future and better economy. I look forward to working with Gwen and Jane.”

Allan Wong – Five Term COPE and Current Vision Vancouver School Trustee “Save two votes for Jane Bouey and Gwen Giesbrecht for School Board. They are experienced representatives for your children, your community, and your city.” Candidates for park board debated last Thursday how to solve the problem of seven community centre associations, including Renfrew, that have dropped out of negotiations with the board.

David Cadman - Former COPE City Councillor

PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Candidates heed call at Renfrew debate

Stanley Tromp

stanleytromp@gmail.com

About 100 people gathered at the Renfrew Community Centre last Thursday to hear 18 candidates for Vancouver Park Board say how, if elected on Nov. 15, they would improve the board’s relationship with community centre associations. Six associations are suing city hall, alleging that the park board’s decision to unilaterally impose a OneCard system for accessing the centres may violate their joint operating agreements (JOAs), in an effort to steer more revenue and control to the board. Incumbent commissioner Trevor Loke of Vision Vancouver — the party holding the majority on the park board — is proud of the One-Card, saying it has helped many thousands of residents with low incomes. He wants ongoing efforts to forge a new agreement to continue. “We’ve had 14 months of tough negotiations. If we stop now, we put all that good work at risk. Let’s get a new JOA,” he said. Green Party candidate Stuart Mackinnon urged that the board ﬁrst stop the court cases and eviction notices to the dissident associations. “Reboot, and start over again, with a table of new commissioners, and with dignity, generosity and honesty,” he said. “You can’t negotiate in good faith by making threats.”

IDEA Party candidate Jamie Lee Hamilton added: “The only way we can move forward is by getting rid of that OneCard.” Erin Shum, Non-Partisan Association candidate, said: “Our number one priority is to rebuild relations with community centres. The second is to hold our meetings out of the board office, in local areas.” On another matter, last July the park board voted to ban the Vancouver Aquarium from breeding captive whales and dolphins, yet stopping short of demanding they all be freed. The aquarium is now suing the board over the controversial policy, and the panel was asked what should be done about the whale issue. “The way it was handled was extremely flawed and biased,” the NPA’s Sarah Kirby-Yung, a former aquarium official. Imtiaz Popat of the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) recalled that he had been trying to have all the whales freed from captivity since running for election in 1996. “We support the ban on breeding but it does not go far enough,” he said. Mackinnon recalled that Green Coun. Adriane Carr asked council this year to put the whales’ future as a referendum question on the election ballot, but both Vision and NPA voted it down. Coree Tull of Vision, a biologist, fully agreed with the board’s cetacean policy. “It was a very thoughtful

and reasonable decision,” she said. “The mayor decided not to hold a referendum because he respected the decision the independent park board made.” Loke and NPA commissioner John Coupar disputed how much money has been earmarked for new off-leash dog parks in the board’s capital plan, with Loke saying $20 million and Coupar estimating about $1 million. Coupar complained of a lack of parks’ budget transparency and line items. Loke told the Courier: “There are some items we don’t know what the costs will be for yet, and dog parks are one of those. After we do public consultations on dog park locations, then we can make a budget based on those plans.” Other subjects of the debate were the need for more outdoor pools, a new seniors’ centre in Killarney, a covered tennis court, a public campﬁre pit, better grounds and washroom maintenance, access to playing ﬁelds for girls, and asbestos removal from buildings. The main concern is the negotiations with the centre associations, said debate moderator Rania Hatzioannou. “The candidates are all passionate about parks, and I think we got fair and educated answers. I think the number one thing we heard tonight is that the public wants politics taken out of the parks and the real issues dealt with.”

GWEN

GIESBRECHT

JANE

BOUEY “Both Gwen Giesbrecht and Jane Bouey are knowledgeable and articulate and will be great additions to a Vancouver Board of Education majority that stand up for public education, kids and parents.”

George Heyman MLA, Vancouver-Fairview “Jane and Gwen have demonstrated a level of commitment, passion and hard work that the VSB needs in protecting and advancing public education.”

Eleanor Gregory – Former Vancouver School Trustee

On November 15 Vote for Public Education. Vote for Jane Bouey and Gwen Giesbrecht. #votepubliced http://publiceducationproject.ca 604-362-5313 Authorized by Financial Agent Carrie Bercic carriebercic@gmail.com

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Resident coalition challenges mayor DEVELOPING STORY

Naoibh O’Connor

noconnor@vancourier.com

The Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods says it’s “disappointed” by remarks Gregor Robertson made during a recent livestreamed interview with the Courier. In a series of questions, Robertson, who’s running for a third term as mayor, was asked about numerous lawsuits lodged against the city by residents, criticism about the city’s consultation efforts, as well as his thoughts about the coalition. The coalition, which is composed of 25 resident groups, has drafted a principles and goals document that talks about a more collaborative relationship between the city and neighbourhoods in terms of planning and development. When asked about the coalition, Robertson said in part: “Again, there is a lot of politics at work in that, and

Larry Benge, a spokesperson for the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods, objects to the suggestion its members are against growth. “Most of what we object to is that density seems to be imposed on neighbourhoods instead of discussed with neighbourhoods and it’s an ongoing problem,” he said. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

people have different opinions about growth. Quite a few of the, I think, members and associations are not supportive of growth. Or they’re supportive of very little growth. Certainly not enough to deal with the pressure that we’re facing. The only way to address affordability in Vancouver is to add density and to try

and get savings through using city land or rezonings.” When asked if he thought the group was politically motivated and if he would sign its principles and goals document, Robertson said: “Well, I think it’s a mix. Obviously not everyone there is politically motivated. But I certainly know a number of them who are

regulars at city hall or have been — campaigned against me in the last election under the Neighbourhoods for [a] Sustainable Vancouver [NSV] party. So there’s a mix. I’m not going to say it’s all political. But there’s a mix of politics there.” Larry Benge, a coalition spokesperson, rejects the notion that NSV is a driving

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force behind the coalition. NSV formed as an advocacy group in 2007 before becoming an electoral organization in 2011. It ran several candidates for ofﬁce that year — Randy Helten ran for mayor and Nicole Benson, Marie Kerchum, Terry Martin and Elizabeth Murphy as council candidates. None were elected. Benge said only three NSV members (one who ran for ofﬁce — Elizabeth Murphy) are reps on the 25-member coalition. “To kind of imply that the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods was either originally organized by NSV or is currently strongly affected by NSV is misleading,” he said. “Because it was not organized by members of NSV — three of 25 reps are members of NSV or were. That’s three out of 25. They certainly don’t have a controlling interest in the group. They certainly don’t have a dominant ability to steer the group.” Benge also objects to the suggestion that members aren’t supportive of growth.

“Most of what we object to is that density seems to be imposed on neighbourhoods instead of discussed with neighbourhoods and it’s an ongoing problem,” he said. Benge agrees with one of Robertson’s points in the interview. “Basically, [Robertson] said our principles and goals [document] doesn’t align with current city policy. And we totally agree because current city policy doesn’t promote collaborative relationships with neighbourhoods.” As a non-partisan group, CVN won’t endorse slates, parties or candidates in the civic election, Benge said. NSV, however, unveiled a “suggested ballot card” Nov. 5. For council, it suggests nine candidates from the NPA, COPE and the Greens. It leaves the 10th spot as optional —suggesting a candidate from the Cedar Party, COPE or the NPA for that vote. NSV is a registered thirdparty sponsor for the 2014 election. twitter.com/naoibh

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W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Bridge report shows need for repairs City refused to make report public

Bob Mackin

bob@bobmackin.ca

While city council spent $12 million on the Point Grey-Cornwall bike lane and the Burrard Bridge’s south intersection, city hall hid engineers’ reports that urged major repairs to the decaying 82-year-old span. The 2011 and 2012 reports, mostly by Associated Engineering, were ﬁnally released to the Courier Oct. 27 after a two-year battle. They recommended the city spend $9 million to $12.22 million on coating, $4.4 million to replace the pedestrian fence, $3.4 million to widen the roadway and $2.5 million to widen the sidewalks. The reports also recommended a major overhaul to the decaying concrete deck, which carries 54,000 vehicles daily. By comparison, an average 1,500 cyclists a day plied the new bike lane last June. The Ofﬁce of the Information and Privacy Commissioner ordered the city on Sept. 12 to release more than 700 pages in full. The province’s Freedom of Information referee didn’t buy the city’s speculative fear that the bridge would become a terrorist target if the records were released. Adjudicator Hamish Flanagan said release of the

reports would actually help the city obtain fair bids for the repairs. A July 2012 Technical Memorandum on Pedestrian Fence Options recommended like-for-like replacement of the deteriorating steel-reinforced concrete fencing. The project would incorporate restored lighting and a long-delayed suicide barrier. In 2008, the B.C. Coroners Service recommended the Burrard, Granville, Ironworkers, Lions Gate and Pattullo bridges be retroﬁtted because they were sites of 50 per cent of suicide deaths from jumping between 1991 and 2007. “There is extensive spalling and delaminations throughout the fence,” according to a Levelton Consultants inspection. “It appears that spalling on the outside of the fence is worse than on the side adjacent to the roadway. It is estimated that there is some form of corrosion related deterioration on at least 80 per cent of the vertical portions of the fence.” A May 2012 Design Load Rating report said the bridge had “marginal capacity” to carry the standard 64-tonne gross vehicle weight and required girder strengthening in order to continue supporting buses and ﬁre trucks. City general

manager of engineering services Peter Judd said work was completed. “I’m not going to say it meets that standard,” Judd said. “It is adequate to deal with the loads that are on it, the buses and trucks that are on it.” Last November, Graham Infrastructure was contracted for $5.12 million to replace bearings and expansion joints and make localized concrete repairs. Judd said the deck has some cracking and needs work. “It doesn’t need to be done imminently, but we’re keeping an eye on it and it’s safe.” Many of the recommendations will be followed if voters approve the $235 million, 20152018 capital plan on Nov. 15. There is $20 million earmarked for lighting, sidewalks and railing replacement. “It’s the right amount of money for the condition of the bridge and what needs to be done, I’m comfortable with that,” Judd said. The OIPC decision was among a trio in late summer against City of Vancouver. Details of the $4 million parking meter payment-by-phone contract and documents about the city’s surveillance camera network were also ordered released. twitter.com/bobmackin

n e t r a g r K indeistration Reg November - January 31st Children who will be attending Kindergarten in September 2015, need to first register at their neighbourhood English catchment School. NOTE: If your child was born outside of Canada, please register at DRPC (District Reception and Placement Centre) at Moberly Elementary. Call: 604-713-5999 Locate your English catchment school using www.vsb.bc.ca/school-locator

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.vsb.bc.ca/kindergarten or Visit your neighbourhood English Catchment School

BROWN IS THE NEW

GREEN Vote

Cleta Brown For City Council On November 15

For City Council

Cleta Brown

wants to put people and neighbourhoods ﬁrst!

Cleta Brown is well qualiﬁed to be your City Councillor. She was born and raised in our city. She attended public schools here and then went on to obtain a degree in law at the University of Victoria and a Masters in Law at the London School of Economics. Cleta was raised in a family that values social justice (her mother was the late Rosemary Brown). Her public service has included work as General Counsel with the Ofﬁce of the Ombudsperson, Crown Counsel, and the B.C. Review Board. She has also volunteered extensively and sat on the boards of the YWCA, Mosaic, the B.C. Kidney Foundation and L.E.A.F.

Why should you vote for Cleta Brown? 1. Cleta will champion Vancouver’s unique neighbourhoods and protect our quality of life by advocating for a new planning process that will genuinely engage citizens, and not just developers. 2. Cleta will fight for affordable housing by promoting policies that encourage retention of existing housing stock, and policies that ensure that new housing is affordable and proportionate to the neighbourhood in which it is built. 3. Cleta will fight to reduce traffic congestion and offer practical transportation solutions that are supported by citizens. For example, minimizing lane closures for construction and considering locating bike routes off arterial streets. 4. Cleta will fight to increase and improve the city’s response to homelessness, and to the growing dilemma of poverty among children and seniors. 5. As a councillor, Cleta will insist on a return to true democracy and a collaborative city council that values citizens’ rights and interests. She will fight to change the public consultation process to one that has actual meaning. Approved by Financial Agent M. Ryan 604-290-5600

On November 15th, Vote Meena Wong for Mayor and Tim Louis and the full COPE Slate for City Council Tim Louis Lisa Barrett Gayle Gavin Keith Higgins Wilson Munoz Jennifer O’Keeffe Audrey Siegl Sid Chow Tan

Authorized by Penny Parry, Financial Agent for Tim Louis 604-732-7678

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Vision, NPA release donations

Continued from page 1 In 2014, the NPA’s big spender at $470,000 is Peter Armstrong, the party’s president and owner of Great Canadian Railtour Company Ltd. Macdonald gave more than $80,000 in this campaign. “I believe in this city and I think there’s a lot of things that need to go right in this city,” said Armstrong when asked by reporters about the $470,000 he gave the party. “I am proud to be able to live in a city that’s giving me the opportunities that this city has, and I’m giving back as I have done to other charities and organizations.” For years, various city councils that included the NPA, Vision, COPE and, recently, the Greens have called for the provincial government to make the changes necessary to put limits on how much a party can raise and spend. When asked to clarify the NPA’s current position on electoral reform, Armstrong said it was “a very complex issue” and deferred to the provincial government to make the ﬁnal decision on what rules should be in place for the 2018 election. (The provincial

government has promised electoral reform for years and continues to study changes, including expense limits for 2018.) “Whatever the senior government decides is appropriate, it’ll be ﬁne with us — we’ll live with the rules,” he said. Two weeks ago, Mayor Gregor Robertson said at a debate at Christ Church Cathedral that his party was currently abiding by the

ment) donated $75,000, Vancouver Canucks owners Aquilini Development (involved in the Olympic Village deal) contributed $60,000 and Concord Pacific (the developer yet to build Creekside Park) pitched in $40,000. “I’m proud of the support Vision Vancouver enjoys from an unprecedented array of Vancouver residents from all backgrounds, reﬂecting the full diversity of the city

“Whatever the senior government decides is appropriate, it’ll be ﬁne with us — we’ll live with the rules.” – Peter Armstrong campaign ﬁnance rules but wasn’t prepared to release the party’s list of contributors to the 2014 campaign. Vision released the list to media Thursday but, unlike the NPA, did not hold a press conference to discuss details of the documents, which show David Aisenstat of Keg Restaurants gave $100,000, Holborn Holdings (currently building the Little Mountain redevelop-

we love,” Robertson said in a release, referring to more than 8,500 donations from more than 4,300 individuals. “Today’s release is another important way we’re demonstrating our commitment to a positive, transparent and open campaign, and shows the strong momentum we’re building to keep Vancouver moving forward.” The election is Nov. 15. twitter.com/Howellings

Vote for Change.

Kirk LaPointe

Vancouver Can’t Take 4 More Years of “Vision”

and the NPA Team

“Tone-deaf with with the public”

Former Vancouver Mayor and BC Premier Mike Harcourt

(November 2014, The Globe and Mail)

Elected on a promise to end homelessness by 2015 but homeless population has doubled (Vancouver Courier - April 2014)

Made “cash for favours” deal with CUPE, got a campaign cheque for $102,000 (Vancouver Courier, Georgia Straight - October 2014)

Closed-minded agenda pushed onto neighbourhoods, prompting costly lawsuits Growing population put at risk with cutbacks to Vancouver’s ﬁrst responders

(Open Letter by Vancouver Fire Fighters IAFF Local #18 - October 2014)

Vancouver Needs Change. Authorized by Wayne Zielke, Financial Agent financial.agent@npvancouver2014.ca

Authorized by Wayne Zielke, Financial Agent

The Most Open City Hall in Canada

Establish ofﬁce of ombudsperson, pass a disclosure bylaw and create a lobbyist registry.

A Revitalized CityPlan

Increase the supply of family and seniors’ housing by engaging neighbourhoods to gain community consensus on development

Constructive Action on Transportation

The NPA built 75% of Vancouver’s bikeways without dividing the city. Let’s address all modes of transportation, including Broadway rapid transit, to get Vancouver moving again.

Real Consultation

Let’s put an end to Vision’s phony consultations and get open dialogue going again on the Vancouver you want.

Together, the VANCOUVER we want. NPAVancouver2014.ca N PAVa n c o u v e r 2 0 1 4 . c a

W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

DISCOVER

Victoria changed limits Continued from page 1 “With virtually no public involvement, the provincial government gave the civic politicians 33 per cent more power by extending their term an extra year and this was done really under the radar with no signiﬁcant media coverage or public discussion,” Helten said. “It seems to have very murky origins tracing back to an unrecorded conference call with a small number of executive of the [Lower Mainland Local Government Association] of June 2013. No records exist.” LMLGA’s board includes Vision Vancouver Coun. Raymond Louie. Mayor and council elections were held annually in Vancouver until 1926, when voters began to choose the mayor in even-numbered years. Not until 1966 did city councillors get two-year terms. The last extension was in 1990 when terms were increased from two years to three. The 2010 report said four-year terms would boost citizens’ recognition of local governments and reduce potential voter fatigue over time.

But, according to Vancouver statistics, longer terms have coincided with low voter turnout. Between 1936 and 1988 there were 16 elections with 40 per cent or better turnout. Since terms were extended to three years in 1990, it happened only once, when half of registered voters cast ballots in 2002.

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disappointing,” Robinson said. “I mean, I’m grateful that the minister spoke to the mayor, but Vancouver has a party system, and there are several different parties around that table. It’s unfortunate that not everybody was consulted, given that there’s quite varied opinions

“With virtually no public involvement, the provincial government gave the civic politicians 33 per cent more power by extending their term an extra year and this was done really under the radar.” – Randy Helten That was the election when Larry Campbell become mayor and his COPE party rolled to majority on city council, park board and school board. In the Legislature on May 1, Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes said under questioning from NDP critic Selina Robinson that she consulted with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “I guess it’s a little bit

sitting around that table in terms of changing their charter to a four-year term.” Other provincial amendments include a 90-day deadline for campaign ﬁnance statements, instead of 120, and online publishing of disclosures. For the Vancouver Charter, city council may decide that a by-election is not to be held if a vacancy occurs after June 1 in a general election year. twitter.com/bobmackin

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W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Opinion

Spinning the wheels of civic democracy Holding governments to account with opposition is critical SOAPBOX Mike Klassen

mike@mikeklassen.net

Within 90 minutes of the polls closing on Saturday (Nov. 15), Vancouver citizens will have a clear idea of who will govern the city affairs for the next four years. Is “change” in the air, or will Vision once again sweep into decisive majorities at council, the park commission and school board? As someone who has worked on many political campaigns over the past 30 years, I can say that in spite of millions being spent I have never observed such an uneven playing field when it comes to campaign organizations. When it comes to election campaign technology and sheer manpower Vision Vancouver appears to be behind the wheel of a new Lamborghini, and the NPA is steering a fully decked-out minivan. By comparison COPE and the Green Party are at the reins of a horsedrawn buggy. Yet for all that election machinery and voter identification, Vision cannot control the decisions of Vancouver voters once they are at the ballot box. Our democratic system may have its flaws, but the secret ballot is not one of them. Who will Vancouver voters choose to lead their city? I have my fingers crossed that regardless of who wins that they’re sitting across from an effective and sizable opposition. That would be the biggest gift citizens could give to themselves in this election. The last time a city council was practically split down the middle was during the term of former mayor Sam Sullivan (2005-2008). Five councillors and the mayor gave the NPA a one-vote majority, with Vision and COPE representatives making up the rest of council. For all the hyperbole and political rhetoric each side threw at each other, it turned out to be an effective council thanks in part to the strong opposition voice. Something unheard of today happened during that term. Councillors voted, albeit rarely, with the opposition on issues of conscience. During the following term it was striking to see that even

with a single member of the opposition (former NPA councillor Suzanne Anton) the Vision-COPE caucus members were “whipped” into always voting along party lines. It’s a practice that has continued over the past six years. Holding governments to account is critical for a healthy democratic system. Even though Vancouver City Hall has become more of a closed shop under Robertson’s leadership, a resounding victory on Nov. 15 will — in his eyes — validate everything Vision has done in office. We only need to look to neighbouring Burnaby to see what democracy on life-support looks like. Mayor Derek Corrigan rules over what amounts to a one-party state there. He shrugs off critics who question his big public expense accounts for golf with cronies, and junkets with R&R at MLB baseball games as a perk. He brazenly dismisses the idea that his government has any responsibility for homeless shelters, saying citizens don’t want them in their town. When Richmond mayor Malcolm Brodie was asked at a recent candidate debate if term limits might make local governments like his more accountable, his response overflowed with political hubris. “We already have term limits,” said the mayor. “They’re called elections.” Afterward he left the stage walking past his opponent refusing to shake his hand. When governments face a strong opposition, it keeps this kind of arrogance in check. Can you imagine Robertson, Corrigan, Brodie and their ilk continuing to thumb their noses at voters if they sat across from several people gunning for their jobs? Even Vision Vancouver voters who like where Gregor Robertson is taking the city admit they crave a strong opposition at council, school and park boards. We all have 10 council votes — why not then use five of them to vote for those who you think would be strong in opposition? Same thing for school board — pick four strong opponents, and not someone included in the teachers’ union-endorsed slate. On the park board pick three candidates from the opposition

whom you know will stand up for our community centres and green spaces as well as your ﬁrst four choices. Getting out to vote, and voting strategically, is perhaps the only way all of us can slam the brakes on the oneparty rule that puts our city

at risk and makes us cynical about civic government. All of us have the power to give the minivans and buggies out there a strong voice. Mike Klassen is a public affairs and government relations professional. He ran as an NPA city council candidate in 2011.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Opinion

Puzzling out ballot box decisions

Don’t settle for ice cream in politics

Barry Link Editor blink@vancourier.com

Michael Geller Columnist michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com

With only a few days before Saturday’s civic election, I’m still trying to figure out who to vote for. Each of the major civic parties has inherent weaknesses. Vision is terrified of spontaneity and run by control freaks. The NPA lacks coherency and has approached the campaign with all the zeal of a charity golf tournament. COPE is reeling from its ideological purges. The Greens have never held any responsibility — in political terms they’re still living in their parents’ basement. The recent turn to ugly election advertising has not helped. Attack ads make me less inclined to vote for the attacker than I would for the target. So who to vote for? My easiest choices will be for school board. The incumbent trustees on school board can claim a successful term despite difficult financial circumstances, which culminated in a teachers strike that was no one’s fault at the local level. Board chair Patti Bacchus continued to show leadership with her accessible, candid style — in contrast to her choreographed Vision peers on council. The other trustees, from Vision’s Mike Lombardi and Allan Wong to the NPA’s Fraser Ballantyne, thoughtfully earned their keep. The exception is the political diptych of Ken Denike and Sophia Woo. Their push for greater involvement of non-English speaking parents in our schools is to be encouraged, as are their platform proposals for enhanced Asian studies. But in patronizing opposition to the district’s revised gender policy they became a conduit for fear and ignorance and, at best, unwitting accomplices in the toxic atmosphere that clouded the discussion. Voters have other options among the contenders, including experienced candidates like Janet Fraser of the Greens, and committed veterans like PEP’s Jane Bouey. The Vision-dominated park board patented toxicity with its ridiculously hamfisted approach to the governance of community centres. The arrogance with which the board and its senior staff sought rationalized governance and universal community centre access, both laudable goals in a city of inequity, was a disaster. They also mishandled the Vancouver Aquarium whale question, leaving neither the aquarium nor its critics satisfied. Its ban on cetacean sex was better than satire. It’s telling that decent souls like Vision’s Sarah Blyth and Aaron Jasper opted not to run again (although Blyth is seeking a federal NDP nomination.) Fortunately, voters have

a fine crop of veterans and noobs as replacements, including Stuart Mackinnon of the Greens, John Coupar of the NPA and Anita Romaniuk of COPE. There are also the dedicated Brent Granby of Vision and Cease Wyss of COPE, who will provide a sharp, if risky, activist voice. Most voters will find at least one candidate they like, even COPE’s Urooba Jamal who seeks to bring her “antioppressive lens” to the board. That’ll be helpful in deciding hours for off-leash dog parks. Choices for city council get murkier, if only because the biggest issue in the city, housing affordability, is the one problem city hall has not solved. Homes are too expensive in Vancouver, and developers, who’ve made bank on this city’s density project, offer few solutions except high towers and prices. Affordability might be the problem that has no solution — perhaps housing is subject to market conditions and senior government policies cities can’t control. Council might as well promise less rain in November. But I have hope. So who will stop the rain? Smart councillors like Vision’s Andrea Reimer, Geoff Meggs and Kerry Jang deserve another term, on the condition that they reform their party. The NPA’s George Affleck (full disclosure: I’ve known Affleck for two decades) is also smart if impulsive. The Green’s Adriane Carr is a no brainer. Her assumed role as a shoulder to cry on for neighbourhoods upset with council is an easy one, but she’s brought decency to council deliberations. And her party’s ideas for housing affordability are worth looking at. Among other contenders, most worthy, consider RJ Aquino from OneCity Vancouver. He’s smart, young and he started his own party for goodness sake. The same perhaps applies to Glen Chernen of the Cedar Party. He’s picky and determined. For mayor, I’m at a loss. Vision Vancouver Gregor Robertson is not so much a leader as a spokesperson for a power-obsessed political machine. The NPA’s Kirk LaPointe, having never run for office, hasn’t met a question he’s declined to answer directly. His promise for an open, transparent city hall is excellent. After that, it’s a steep drop in specifics. COPE’s Meena Wong made things interesting by promising levies on vacant homes and cheap transit passes. She also can’t stop herself from turning every answer to a question into a speech. I’d hate to ask her for directions to the men’s room. So there you go. The final choice is up to you. Good luck. twitter.com/trueblinkit

As I reflect on the 2014 Vancouver election campaign, I am reminded of a short story I received during the final days of the 2008 municipal election: The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching third grade this year. The U.S. presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest. I decided we would have an election for a class president. We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote. To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have. We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot. The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids. I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support. I had never seen Olivia’s mother. The day arrived when they were to make their speeches Jamie went first. He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best. Everyone applauded. He sat down and Olivia came to the podium. Her speech was concise. She said, “If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream.” She sat down. The class went wild. “Yes! Yes! We want ice cream.” She surely would say more. She did not have to. A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn’t sure. Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it. She didn’t know. The class really didn’t care. All they were thinking about was ice cream. Jamie was forgotten. Olivia won by a land slide. All candidates running for office offer ice cream. Fifty per cent of the people react like nine-year-olds. They want ice cream. The other fifty per cent know they’re going to have to feed the cow and clean up the mess. During this past campaign, while no one promised ice cream, all parties made a lot of other promises. We were promised a subway along West Broadway even though the Mayors’ Council says Vancouver will have to pay for under grounding, if required for aesthetic reasons. We were promised the most open city

hall in Canada. We were promised free swimming lessons and more swimming pools. We were promised a $30/month transit-pass and a tax on vacant foreignowned properties. We were promised a reduction in harbour oil tanker traffic and no more pipelines. We were promised counter-flow traffic lanes and more free parking times. We were promised 4,000 plus units of rental housing and 1,000 plus childcare spaces. While many voters may be influenced by these promises, others will wisely question which are realistic given the city’s limited powers and funding constraints. Wise voters will also question which candidates are most likely to deliver on their promises. In last week’s column, I urged Courier readers to learn about the candidates running for council, park and school board. I suggested we choose the best candidates, regardless of party affiliation, and the letter with which their name begins. With this in mind, and given a desire for both experience and new ideas, I will be giving serious consideration to the following candidates. Vision’s Geoff Meggs is a very intelligent, experienced politician with much to offer; as does Heather Deal. NPA’s George Affleck and Ian Robertson are two experienced politicians who could again bring a practical perspective to council debates. The Green Party’s Adriane Carr has proven herself to be a dedicated politician. I would expect the same from thoughtful newcomer Cleta Brown, who cares very much about social justice. At park board, the Green Party’s Stuart Mackinnon along with NPA’s John Coupar, and newcomer Stephane Mouttet could all bring greater balance to deliberations. For school board, the Green’s Janet Fraser has a most impressive resume. Fraser Ballantyne, Penny Noble and Chris Richardson could also be good additions. For mayor, I believe Kirk LaPointe is the best person to manage what could be a very diverse council and hopefully fulfill his promise to create a more open and transparent city hall. twitter.com/michaelgeller

The week in num6ers...

4.3 470 60 38 75

In millions of dollars, the combined amount Vision Vancouver and the NPA received in donations this year.

In thousands of dollars, the largest single donation of the 2014 election was by Peter Armstrong, owner of Great Canadian Railtour Company, to the NPA.

The number of days Brian Whitlock, who was charged with second degree murder on Sunday, was sentenced to in 2012 after killing his dog and leaving it in a dumpster.

In thousands of dollars, the highest bid made on a photo of Marilyn Monroe at a Maynards Fine Arts and Antiques auction. It wasn’t enough high enough for the owner to part with it.

In dollars, the minimum fare the city required rideshare company Uber to charge passengers when they attempted to open shop here in 2012.

In thousands, the average number of vehicles that cross the Burrard Bridge each day.

W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Mailbox A vote of appreciation To the editor:

I would like to congratulate you on the excellent edition of the Courier on Wednesday devoted to a Voter’s Guide. This was a great example of community service. I much appreciated the lists of candidates with their afﬁliations, as well as the other enlightening articles that were in both this and other most recent issues covering the various parties and

their platforms. A couple of weeks ago I attended a performance of Rebel Women, about the British suffragettes and what those women went through to win the right to vote. I don’t think that anyone who saw that play will ever “not bother” to vote again. Thank you for the assistance you have provided so that everyone can exercise that right with the best possible information. Nichola Hall, Vancouver

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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COURIER STORY: “Denike, Woo launch platform,” Nov. 7. Esther Wan: This platform is what parents want from a trustee! I do have a lot of respect for Ken and Sophia. You can see that they are genuinely working for the best for the students. Unlike other trustees, who keep pushing the controversial transgender policy for political gain, these two just want to have the policy clarified. This policy is problematic: many abstract terms, and “Trans” includes gender nonconforming etc. Yet whoever disagrees with this policy is automatically being attacked as transphobic. These two trustees have been bullied by their colleagues, the NPA party and the Vision trustees. I’m glad Cheryl Rossi has written a clear and fair report stating their platform.

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

Murder victim found in False Creek

Nov. 9, 1949: One of Vancouver’s most notorious murder investigations began after the discovery of the bruised, partially shaved body of 45-year-old Ferne Blanche Fisher in False Creek. A break in the case came a month later when police discovered some of her belongings inside the waterfront shack of Frederick Ducharme, who had been arrested for vagrancy after being spotted wearing only boots and a raincoat. It emerged during his trial that he had a habit of tying a string around what was euphemistically described at the time as his “lower person” and then steering himself around by it. Ducharme was executed the following year.

Kerrisdale Arena opens its doors

Nov. 11, 1949: The Kerrisdale Arena opens to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by hockey legend Fred “Cyclone” Taylor of the 1915 Stanley Cup winning Vancouver Millionaires, who by then was president of the Point Grey Community Centre Association , as well as a variety of local dignitaries, including Mayor Charles Thompson, park board chair Bert Emery and Harry Duker, who managed the raising of funds for the building. The arena was the site of the city’s first rock concert seven years later with a sold-out appearance by Bill Haley and the Comets. ADVERTISING

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COURIER STORY: “Cadman renews vows with Vision Vancouver,” Nov. 7. Alan Zisman @azisman: I hope Vision paid their fair share of the mortgage Cadman took out for the civic election that got Larry Campbell elected. COURIER STORY: “COPE hopes for a comeback amid historical slide,” Nov. 7. Wat Tyler @WatTyler5: Good article, perhaps a little heavy on the departed? Lack of union support no loss; reveals hypocrisy of organized labour. COURIER STORY: “Mourning and memory enshrined in church windows,” Nov. 7. T. Hopps: Thanks for this article. I’ve seen the beautiful stained glass at Christ Church Cathedral memorializing Harold Heber Owen, so it was fascinating to discover his and his family’s story. The photos of the young men who died were particularly moving. It would be interesting to know if any of the Owen family have any descendants still living in Vancouver. Thanks. COURIER STORY: “Candidates address address issues,” Nov. 5. Martin Kendell: “IntegrityBC executive director Dermod Travis said it is reasonable to wonder who owns the mayor’s apartment and whether he is paying fair market rent.” The key line of this story. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Bob Rennie or one of the other prominent developers in Vancouver is putting up Gregor for free or next to nothing. ACMEsalesrep: No, the key line of the story is that the court upheld Robertson’s nomination. Travis’ comment is not in any way reasonable and is a clear attempt to create an impression of wrongdoing in the absence of any actual evidence. It’s a smear, nothing more, and should be treated as such. COURIER STORY: “Meena Wong on the record,” Oct. 31. Shelby Wong: Meena Wong has no clue about business. Imposing a wage hike is not within municipalities’ powers to do so. Shifting the burden of proof to small businesses to prove that they are indeed “small” is unfair and arbitrary. How much profit qualifies as “small business” and how many employees must be employed to remain small? Are the number of employees included in the definition of “small business”? What about non-profit organizations who service hundreds or thousands of people? Are they exempt from this wage hike? Compelling businesses to reveal their financials (especially if they are not publicly traded organizations) violates their privacy rights. The only government agency that all companies must reveal their financial positions to are the Canada Revenue Agency and they are a federal institution. Will they be compelled to cooperate? lbby: It’s not just about minimum wage. Her proposed tax on vacant homes will take a big chunk of the burden off Vancouver residents who actually live and work in the city. If you go to any vantage point in Yaletown, you can literally see all the vacant multi-million dollar homes just sitting there as pretty display cases. That in turn reduces supply of housing, which drives up prices. I was very close to supporting another candidate, but her tax plan is the only one I’ve seen that will actually attempt to resolve Vancouver’s problems. Rudiger: Some “interesting” comments in her Q&A to say the least.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Community

1. Performers from CircusWest’s Centre Stage programs showed off their skills this this past Thursday to Sunday. 2. CircusWest artistic director Jay Nunns was at the PNE Garden Auditorium as workshops started its Saturday morning sessions as part of CircusFest. 3. One of the many workshops that were part of Vancouver’s first circus festival was a hula-hoop class taught by Ariel Amara. 4. Many workshops, forums, and performances were held every day, including “A Circus in Wonderland” at the PNE Garden Auditorium Saturday afternoon. PHOTOS REBECCA BLISSETT

Circus arts engage Vancouver fans CircusFest shows off homegrown talent

CITY LIVING Rebecca Blissett

rvblissett@gmail.com

It was Saturday morning and Jay Nunns, the artistic director of Vancouver’s ﬁrst circus festival, took a rare, spare moment to sit in the stands of the PNE Garden Auditorium. The 74-year-old concrete building with its wooden ﬂoors, curved roof, and worn plush seating hasn’t seen too many modern changes; it probably did not look that much different when Pink Floyd and Stevie Wonder played here decades ago. Minus, of course, the trapeze set-up, aerial silk ribbons dangling from the ceiling, and the stacks of blue gymnastic mats as it is now the regular home of circus arts centre CircusWest, as well as the four-day long CircusFest that wrapped this past Sunday. “Circus is the blending of many worlds. It’s akin to physical musical theatre where you can tell stories, have strong narratives through performance. Like last night’s ‘The New

Conformity’ which was a show about the regimentation of society, breaking free and ﬁnding acceptance in that,” Nunn said. “This was a juggling show! And it was brilliant!” While Nunns spoke, he watched a group on the ﬂoor learning hula-hooping from Ariel Amara. Across the auditorium, others were putting their upper body strength to the limit in Colleen Yuen’s aerial silk class. They were just two of several workshops offered to the public during CircusFest, at a bargain price of $10 each, testament to the organization’s good-natured accessibility. CircusFest’s catchphrase is “Inspire. Engage. Celebrate.” Nunns said the people behind the festival, which includes director Allison Collins, want to let Vancouver — as well as other places far and wide — know just what kind of talent is here through its various performances, workshops, and sideshows. “We need to raise our voice as a circus community and that’s why we’re doing the festival,” said Nunns. “We have a distinct voice on the West Coast and we want to let people know we are viable, competitive, and we do quality work.”

Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil lists Vancouver as one of the cities that sells out the quickest in terms of ticket sales for its shows which further proves Nunn’s point there’s a local appetite for the circus arts. Canada Council recognized contemporary circus arts as a fundable discipline in recent years, which moves the show far away from its roots from long ago of big top tents under which tigers were sadly made to jump through rings of ﬁre. “There is that fringe element to it, but maybe only for people that are older. With 25-year-olds, the only thing they know is the quality of entertainment that is the Cirque du Soleil. They were not exposed to three ring, animal circuses. Which, in Canada, is not a huge draw,” said Nunns. “This is called new circus and it focuses on potential, drama, tension, excitement, human potential. It’s very European. In France, it’s like what hockey is to Canada.” Circus started in Vancouver 30 years ago when an Australian circus performed at the Vancouver Children’s Festival. A young girl was at the show with her mother and asked

why Vancouver didn’t have a circus for kids. That mother, Jacqua Pratt, started Cirkids in 1985 which eventually grew into CircusWest. Nunns was an athletic kid so being pushed towards sports such as football seemed to be a natural path — at ﬁrst. “I played soccer, baseball and while it appealed to me at a fun level, it didn’t stimulate my artistic side.” But the circus did (a 13-year-old Nunns was part of the ﬁrst group of kids to join Cirkids). And, a year later, so did world fair Expo 86. “I spent my time there just following around the street performers — that was my college, asking questions. The Ontario Pavilion? Oh, great,” he said. “No, my stamp was watching every street performer and watching informal workshops on the street. “Now that I think about it, that was huge for me. That was kind of the impetus for doing this — hopefully this inspires the next generation. Some kid will remember going to CircusWest and then…” twitter.com/rebeccablissett

W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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News Taxi companies suing Uber

Taxi companies in Vancouver have ﬁled a lawsuit against rideshare service company Uber Canada and its drivers. The Vancouver Taxi Association alleges that Uber plans to operate illegally in the city, saying the service does not intend to obtain the proper licences from the Passenger Transportation Board or the City of Vancouver. “Uber wants to ignore these regulations to obtain an unfair competitive advantage over the Vancouver taxi companies, who have licences from the Passenger Transportation Board and the City and are complying with the existing regulations,” the Vancouver Taxi Association alleged in a press release. The taxi companies say they are also seeking an injunction to prevent the rideshare services from operating until they comply with the regulations. NDP leader John Horgan and Transportation Minster Todd Stone have both reinforced that Uber will need to comply with the law before it can oper-

ate. Stone said undercover officers will be used to catch anyone providing the service without a licence. Drivers caught operating illegally will face significant fines, he said. In a statement in response to the lawsuit, Uber said it wants to clarify that it is not currently operating in the city. “This lawsuit is a prime example of the Vancouver taxi industry’s singular goal: protecting its own cartel, even at the expense of consumers and its own drivers,” the company said. “Moving beyond their typical tactics of threatening drivers, paying politicians thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, and lobbying regulators for special protections, the Vancouver taxi industry is now venturing into unchartered territory by suing a business that doesn’t even exist in the market yet. Uber operated in the city, which it calls Vancuber on its blog, briefly in 2012, but was forced to discontinue after it was determined that it was functioning as a limo service and there-

fore had to comply with limo rules, which include charging a minimum of $75 per ride. The service currently operates in Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, as well as several cities in the United States and around the world.

Marilyn Monroe print left unsold

More than 50 years after her death, bombshell Marilyn Monroe can still generate a good buzz, and a rare print of the beauty was expected to net as much as $60,000 at a much-publicized Vancouver auction last week. Bidding at the Maynards Fine Arts and Antiques auction fell short, however, only reaching $38,000, and so wasn’t sold after all. The photographer, Richard Avedon, is said to have captured the image in New York in 1957 at the end of a long day; the star appears tired, lacking her usual verve. Avedon was an inﬂuential American photographer who is perhaps best known for his pictures of celebrities, including The Beatles, Brooke Shields and, more

recently, Charlize Theron. His work has appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Rolling Stone and Life. The 12 ¼ by 10 5/8 inch image is number seven of 25 in a series of signed and numbered gelatin silver prints. A print from the same series sold in 2011 at Christie’s in Paris for more than $80,000. A previous owner of the print, rumoured to be the seller, is an anonymous man from the Lower Mainland who is said to have won it in a rafﬂe after purchasing a $5 ticket in the early 80s.

Dog-beater charged with murder

A 28-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a woman in a Vancouver home. Brian Whitlock, who gained notoriety in 2012 after pleading guilty to an animal cruelty charge after beating his dog to death with a baseball bat, was arrested early Nov. 9, several hours after police say he barricaded himself in a house located at 3171 West 23rd Ave. on the city’s west side.

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Const. Brian Montague said ﬁres were lit in the home and that police had to ﬁre a round from an Arwen gun, which shoots plastic projectiles, because the suspect was noncompliant. Whitlock was taken into custody after being cleared by medical staff. Montague said the woman’s body was discovered by a relative on Saturday night. Her identity had not been released by the Courier’s early print

deadline due to Remembrance Day. The home is registered to Barbara Whitlock, the suspect’s mother. Whitlock was expected to make his ﬁrst court appearance on Monday. During Whitlock’s sentencing hearing for killing the dog, a two-year-old German shepherd named Captain, his lawyer told the court his client was suffering from mental illness. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

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Development Permit Board Meeting: November 17 The Development Permit Board and Advisory Panel will meet: Monday, November 17, 2014 at 3 pm Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue Ground Floor, Town Hall Meeting Room to consider these development permit applications: 1546 Nelson Street: To rehabilitate and designate the existing character multiple dwelling (six units) and to develop a new three-storey multiple infill dwelling consisting of four rental units accessed from the lane at the rear of the existing site. 1071 Cardero Street: To rehabilitate and designate the existing multiple dwelling (16 units) at 1601 Comox and to develop a new four-storey multiple infill dwelling consisting of 11 rental units at the rear of the site. 311 East 6th Avenue: To develop a six-storey, mixeduse building with 68 artist residential studios, 14 of which are secured low-cost rentals for artists with a disability, and 58 dwelling units, all over two levels of underground parking with vehicle access from the lane, subject to Council’s approval of a housing agreement and an increase in density. Please contact City Hall Security (1st floor) if your vehicle may be parked at City Hall for more than two hours. TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM: 604-873-7469 or lorna.harvey@vancouver.ca

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Feature

Greens seek balance of

Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr (centre) is buoyed by the results of a recent poll that shows her to be the most popular councillor in a race that includes NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe and Mayor Gregor Robertson. The Greens are running a seven-person slate which includes council candidate Cleta Brown and school trustee hopefuls Janet Fraser and Mischa Oak, seen here campaigning last week. PHOTOS DAN TOULGOET

Centrist party claims environmental and community-focused agenda without developer baggage Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

Former COPE councillor Tim Louis knew exactly what he was doing the day he had a public relations agency send a press release to reporters on the afternoon of June 19. The headline: “COPE and Vancouver Green Party look to join forces.” Anyone reading the release would conclude the two parties were working on a deal to run a combined slate to “replace Vision Vancouver’s developerfriendly, possessive stranglehold on city hall with a progressive, people-oriented city hall.” Except, there was no talk of a deal. It was simply Louis being Louis, looking for a political edge to sharpen interest among Green members who were to vote later that day on whether to seek an alliance with another party. With COPE struggling to regain the power it won in 2002 when the Larry Campbell-led party won a landslide, Louis’s strategic overture to the Greens was not a surprise; COPE no longer holds a seat on council, school board or park board, and hitching itself to the Green brand could possibly change that. Seven hours after Louis issued his release, the Greens circulated their own media statement. The headline: “Green Party of Vancouver

unanimously decides against running a mayoral candidate or entering a coalition with any other party.” Party chairperson Jacquie Miller and the Greens’ lone councillor, Adriane Carr, drafted the release in the basement of the Ukrainian Hall in Strathcona, where members had just voted to go it alone in the 2014 campaign. Carr read what Louis wrote before she got to work on a laptop. “That’s wishful thinking on his part,” she told the Courier that night in June. “Our polling has shown clearly that we have strong enough public support on our own to win without any kind of coalition. The more important thing is we really aren’t a party of the right or left. We really are out in front. To run in any kind of coalition with any party on the political spectrum would not be respectful to the people who support us.” Five months later, the Greens’ decision to go solo appears prophetic. Or, at least, that’s what an independent poll released in October from Justason Market Intelligence conﬁrmed for the party. The poll found that Carr received more support, at 52 per cent, than any councillor or council candidate in the race. Closest to Carr, at 34 per cent, were NPA Coun. George Afﬂeck and Vision Coun. Heather Deal. The poll also revealed that Carr’s council running mates, Pete Fry and Cleta Brown, have a legitimate shot at being elected, with 27 and 25 per cent support, respectively. Louis, who wants his old job back at city hall, received 17 per cent support, effectively

putting him and his fellow COPE council candidates out of the running for a seat. Though it’s only a poll, and such positive numbers are viewed with more skepticism these days because of the NDP’s flameout in the last provincial election, the Greens’ trio of council candidates is buoyed by the results. “You have no idea how my heart filled with joy,” Carr said prior to a recent all-candidates’ meeting at Britannia secondary school. The party is optimistic its popularity will also translate to victories for its park board candidates Michael Wiebe and Stuart Mackinnon and school board hopefuls Janet Fraser and Mischa Oak. But then there’s the Vision factor. The same poll indicates Mayor Gregor Robertson and his Vision team will likely keep their majority on council for a third term, although it may drop its current eight seats to six on the 11-member council. But if Vision loses its majority, the Greens have a plan. Carr made it clear at the party’s platform launch in September that she wants the Greens to seek “the balance of power,” meaning she’s open to alliances with other candidates who get elected; she wouldn’t predict who those candidates might be. That’s confident talk for a politician who won a seat by only 92 votes in the 2011 election, narrowly defeating COPE candidate Ellen Woodsworth for the final spot on council. In a few days, voters will decide whether the Greens are for real and answer this question: Was Carr’s victory in

2011 the beginning of a political shift in this city, or was it simply a numbers game?

On the record

This time though, Carr has the advantage of incumbency. She also has a public record that she can sell to voters. If she has developed a mantra over the past three years, it’s this: more public input equals more positive output. Almost from the beginning of her term, Carr has supported neighbourhood groups across the city in their battles with Vision over development, community plans and criticisms of the ruling party’s approach to public consultation. She seized on the upset feelings of residents who showed up at city hall to protest Rize Alliance’s condo project at Kingsway and Broadway. She did the same for residents opposed to the massive redevelopment of Oakridge. Shutting down Point Grey Road to improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians was another issue that saw her rise many times in the council chambers to call for more public feedback. Those ﬁghts have translated to largely positive news stories featuring Carr as a cheerleader for residents, although she didn’t fare well in a public spat with city manager Penny Ballem that ended with an apology from Carr; she accused Ballem of resorting to bullying tactics to prevent her from introducing a motion tied to the park board’s plan to take over management of community centre associations. The mayor and Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs viliﬁed

Carr for challenging Ballem and threatened to launch an investigation under the city’s code of conduct. Vision also sank Carr’s call for a plebiscite to hear whether the public wanted to keep whales and dolphins in captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium. Carr’s motion for a plebiscite on Kinder Morgan’s pipeline proposal, which would see a huge spike in oil tankers to Vancouver waters, also died on the council ﬂoor. On an issue that has garnered attention in this campaign, Carr tried earlier this year to get council to voluntarily adopt a set of guidelines to get the big money out of civic politics. Vision Coun. Tim Stevenson called Carr’s motion “naive” and “dangerous,” pointing to a staff report that outlined concerns about corruption and no mechanism to enforce rules. Interestingly, Vision, the NPA, the Greens, COPE and OneCity all voluntarily released their donor lists over the past two weeks. Asked about her relationship with Vision, she is blunt. “Vision is a tight group, they’re testy,” she said. “We do have a professional relationship. But is there any warmth from Vision? Zip. They are very cold to me, except for Tony Tang. He’s a very friendly person.”

People planning

Carr believes the ruling Vision council has it backwards in its attempts to meaningfully engage the public on the major development and rezoning issues of the day. Her assessment: The present system, where plans

are drafted before presented to the public, creates an unnecessary tension between residents and council. That tension is only exacerbated when it appears the Vision caucus makes up its collective mind before a proposal goes to public hearing; Vision, of course, denies this. Regardless, Carr doesn’t believe the system offers genuine feedback from residents but instead frustrates and angers them. She addressed this at an Oct. 30 all-candidates’ meeting at Britannia secondary school in the heart of Grandview-Woodland, where residents there forced council to pull back on the plan to build towers in the neighbourhood. Council instead set up a so-called citizens’ assembly to recommend a better plan. “One party, when it holds the majority of seats on council, can honestly ram through whatever it wants to without having to listen to even other councillors, let alone you the public, and that’s what I’d like to see changed,” she said to applause from about 100 people in the school’s auditorium. The Greens want what they call “people-centred planning,” a concept rookie candidate Pete Fry discussed over tea at his kitchen table in Strathcona. And the concept is just as it sounds, putting people in charge of planning. He wants neighbourhood councils, much like they have in Portland, set up across the city to provide a venue where residents can collaboratively work on what’s good and bad for their area before city council weighs in.

W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Feature

power on next council “It really empowers community,” said Fry, who resigned as chairperson of the Strathcona Residents’ Association to run with the Greens. Fry also helped found the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods, which brought 25 neighbourhood associations together. Fry’s involvement with both associations came as a result of his concerns around the city’s ongoing plans to possibly demolish the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts. Fry’s reading of the initial plan was that large volumes of traffic would be rerouted through Strathcona. He tells a story of attending an open house on the proposal and challenging a city planner about a six-lane route along Pacific that linked to Prior and seemed to end at Gore. “People behind me were saying, ‘Go Pete, go,” he recalled. “That’s kind of when the penny dropped and I realized this was something I was articulate about and willing to stand up for.” Stepping up his activism to a run for city hall was a logical next step if he wanted “to change the system,” he said, adding that his attraction to the Greens was inspired by Carr’s willingness to “show up and pay attention” to residents’ concerns in Strathcona. “Unfortunately, agitating from the outside is only effective when you have willing partners who are going to listen,” he said of his decision to run. “I don’t think the city is a willing partner.” Fry and the Greens want to produce a new official community plan. As outlined on the party’s website, the plan “must include growth management and affordable housing strategies that are tied to a transportation strategy that serves all areas of the city equitably and sustainably.” The plan also calls for an updated zoning map to curtail spot rezoning which the Greens say is fuelling speculative investment and development. “I’m not naive, I know we have to work with developers,” Fry said. “That said, there needs to be a professional relationship between the city and developers, not like it is now where there are these cozy relationships.” Across town in Kerrisdale, Fry’s running mate Cleta Brown is in her living room talking politics. She pauses before answering the question of why she decided to run

Vision Coun. Andrea Reimer, seen here during her days as a Green Party school trustee, joined Vision Vancouver to run for council in 2008. Green Party council candidate Pete Fry says Vision is too cozy with developers and advocates for “people-centred planning.” PHOTOS DAN TOULGOET

with the Greens. She jokes she should have rehearsed her response. The retired lawyer and longtime activist devoted to women’s issues and human rights said she noticed a sudden rise in new neighbourhood groups and a spike in lawsuits against the city and went to ﬁnd out why. “This whole city is now bubbling over with people pissed off and upset about one thing or another and feeling they need to protect something or prevent something, or protest something,” Brown said. She can’t recall a more rapid pace of development in Vancouver and didn’t expect that pace to be set by Vision, which won its ﬁrst majority in 2008. “I thought they were collaborative and consultative and they wanted moderate growth, not growth at the speed of light,” she said. “I didn’t expect that from Vision and I didn’t realize their reliance on developers.” Added Brown: “I couldn’t care less if we become the greenest city in the world, if the city is not affordable for people to live in. We don’t have enough schools and parks. Green in what way? A city full of towers? There’s nothing green about towers.” The Greens’ plan to make housing more affordable is ambitious and creative, taking elements and ideas from other parties and municipalities. It includes protecting existing affordable housing by putting an annual limit on demolitions, have the new Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency “build, own, manage, rent and sell housing on its own” and penalize developers

of rental housing if proposed rents are jacked up. Other policies include exacting a levy on large new commercial developments, as is done in Whistler, and use the funds to build or buy affordable housing. The Greens want to examine the emerging “tiny house” movement and how other North American cities develop solutions to housing affordability through small footprint housing and “micro-communities,” particularly for single-or two-person households. Incidentally, Brown and Fry running for ofﬁce isn’t a big surprise when considering who their parents are: Brown is the daughter of the late Rosemary Brown, a longtime NDP MLA for VancouverBurrard, and Fry’s mother is Hedy Fry, the Liberal MP for Vancouver-Centre. Will name recognition give them a boost at the polls? Brown: “I see it as a plus. I don’t see it as a minus. People who would see it as a minus wouldn’t vote for me, anyway.” Fry isn’t sure but said his mother “totally respects the fact that I’m not afraid to speak my mind and that I’m that kind of guy because that’s who she is, as well.”

Green Vision?

As was evident in the Courier’s interviews with Carr, Fry and Brown, the Greens’ ﬁght is clearly with Vision. But how markedly different are the two parties? Fry’s answer: “For all intents and purposes, the Greens stand for a lot of the same things that Vision does except we’re not cozy with developers. So there’s little political advantage in attacking

us and appearing to be bullies when, in fact, we make a lot more sense to a lot of people.” Vision shares the Greens’ environmental concerns, wants a more affordable city and has a former Green Party member in Coun. Andrea Reimer, who leads Vision’s so-called Greenest City Action Plan. Reimer works closely with deputy city manager Sadhu Johnston to achieve the plan’s ultimate goal of making Vancouver the greenest city in the world by 2020. Vision hired Johnston from Chicago, where he was that city’s former mayor’s chief environmental officer. He recently put his expertise on paper, co-authoring a book entitled The Guide to Greening Cities. Since Robertson and Vision won a majority in 2008, the party brought in separated bike lanes, installed electric car charging stations, expanded farmer’s markets, held car-free days, added more childcare spaces, established relationships with First Nations communities and rallied against Kinder Morgan’s pipeline proposal. “Vision has well exceeded on every platform area that I was fighting for in the Green Party,” said Reimer, who made history in 2002 when she became the first Green candidate in Canada elected to a school board. She lost her seat in 2005 and joined Vision three years later with the aim of bringing the Greens, COPE and Vision together to work towards progressive policies. Robertson, she said, was the leader to do that. “There was no universe that I could imagine a mayor greener than Gregor,” she

said. “He really seemed to be the one that all three parties seemed to agree on.” Reimer has known Carr for 20 years, once lived in her house but the two had what she said was a falling out over political strategy in the 2005 provincial election; Reimer was involved at both the municipal and provincial levels of the Greens when she was a trustee. Reimer spoke to the Courier in June after attending a press conference at dPoint Technologies, a company operating out of a building at Clark and Venables. It sells and manufactures membranes and heat and humidity exchangers for energy recovery in buildings. Reimer was there to hear Robertson announce that the city saw a 19 per cent increase in the number of “green” and local food jobs since 2010, growing from 16,700 to 20,000. Reimer is proud of that achievement and her work on the green front but she’s heard the criticisms from the Greens about consultation. She referred to previous NPA administrations in prefacing her response. “I don’t even have an adjective to describe between what was getting done and where it’s at now,” she said of public consultation and the work of a task force aimed at getting more people involved in shaping the city. “We were at the hundreds level and now we’re into the hundreds of thousands level of people who are engaged in some way in being able to meaningfully provide input to the city.” But Reimer qualiﬁed her comment with this: “But if people aren’t feeling engaged, then that’s a problem.”

That ongoing criticism of Vision’s approach to consultation has not been lost on the mayor or Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs, who have acknowledged the pushback in parts of the city. At a Vision annual general meeting in May, Robertson pointed to the proposed community plan for GrandviewWoodland to have towers built at Commercial and Broadway and how that set off residents. “That was a mistake that was made that immediately got turned around,” he said, noting the citizens’ assembly will help plan the future look of the neighbourhood. “That’s one example of where we learned from our mistake and we accept that we’re not always right or perfect.” Near the end of last year, as more neighbourhoods banded together over concerns of development and new community plans, Meggs recognized the unrest when questioned by the Courier in December 2013. “The city is going through dramatic changes and those are unsettling neighbourhoods a lot,” he said. “I understand that and I agree that the changes are dramatic. What I think has been hard for some people is to understand the attempts made to balance that change with some of the other objectives voters want us to tackle, including housing and affordability, access to rapid transit and things like that.”

Survey says

Vision’s campaign team claimed last week that internal polling shows the race between Robertson and NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe has tightened to only a four-point lead for their leader. An Insights West survey published in the Vancouver Sun Monday conﬁrmed the four-point spread. If accurate, it’s inconclusive what’s driving that, although LaPointe has also criticized Vision for what he believes is a broken public consultation system that has alienated neighbourhoods. So where does that leave the Greens? That answer will come Saturday. Until then, here’s some insight from Reimer to consider. “You don’t lose an election because the media is wrong or because your opponent is wrong. You lose an election because you have not sufﬁciently connected with community.” twitter.com/Howellings

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Put Community into City Hall, support

GAYLE GAVIN for Council

Robertson receives endorsement from former premier

Prominent Trial Lawyer Advocates for affordable housing Supports Community led Neighbourhood Development

Vote COPE

• Meena Wong for Mayor • Lisa Barrett • Tim Louis • Sid Chow Tan • Jennifer O'Keeffe • Gayle Gavin • Wilson Munoz • Keith Higgins • Audrey Siegl

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ARTHRITIS

PUBLIC FORUM

PSORIASIS AND PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS

Vision Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson received the thumbs-up on Sunday to serve a third term from former B.C. premier Ujjal Dosanjh. The ex-NDP premier, Vancouver South MP and federal Health Minister, led the NDP to its worst-ever election defeat in 2001, said he felt compelled to speak up over concerns of an NPA resurgence. “Vancouver is a progressive city, and it needs progressive leadership at

City Hall,” said Dosanjh, in a prepared statement. “The NPA has taken a hard and negative turn to the right, and no longer represents the priorities of this remarkable city. With so much at stake in this election, I’m encouraging voters to support the inclusive, compassionate, and forward-looking leadership of Mayor Gregor Robertson and the Vision Vancouver team.” With four days remaining before the Nov. 15 election, a new Insights West survey suggests Robertson has a fourpoint lead over NPA

mayoral challenger Kirk LaPointe, 46 per cent to 41 per cent, amongst decided voters. Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) mayoral candidate Meena Wong came in a distant third with nine per cent. The online poll of 505 eligible Vancouver voters was conducted last week and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. More than a quarter of residents (27 per cent) said they intend to take part in the election, but have not settled on a mayoral candidate to vote for yet.

Don’t Give Gregor Robertson a Blank Cheque

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Learn your garden microclimates

Anne Marrison

amarrison@shaw.ca

Days of pouring rain, high winds or days when the garden is locked in frost or knee-deep in snow are terrible times for gardening. But you can learn a lot by watching the routes water takes or noticing where freezing lasts longest. Even small space gardeners beneﬁt by checking wall-side pots that were so successful in summer for tomatoes and peppers. Perhaps they’re right under a roof overhang — and winter veggies or spring bulbs are being half-watered or not watered at all. Sometimes there are places where drips target one particular spot. In heavy rains, slow-draining clay soil turns low spots into ponds. Meanwhile, sandy soil erodes so that roots are exposed to the next freeze. Raised beds are a blessing to clay soil gardeners especially on level lots

Ponds in gardens draw in heat during the day and radiate it out at night.

that can’t export water downhill. Excess rain that drains from these beds can collect on paths instead of saturating the soil. Cold air also ﬂows down onto these paths. Sometimes water really

beneﬁts a garden because bodies of water are heat sinks just like south walls are. This ability is why places near lakes and oceans have a more mellow climate than areas

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Even small container ponds draw in heat during the day and radiate it out at night. It may not seem signiﬁcant, but even a

little warmth can make a difference whether a semitender plant survives the winter or not. Large tubs of water are also useful. I was in a greenhouse once where two large garbage tubs of water were standard features in the cooler months of the year. Keeping them full helped reduce heating costs in our unpredictable winters. Large rocks and paving are also heat sinks. The plant that gets its roots under paving may lose its top growth to frost, but the roots can take much more cold because the paving acts like an insulated blanket — at least as good as mulch and much less work to maintain. But the best heat source of all is a house wall. The bonus here is that there’s usually a small amount of heat radiating from the house itself. South walls are usually the warmest of all because it tends to get more sun. This allows heat from the sun to get drawn into the

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wall and later released. Most gardens have a direction that needs shielding against cold winds. Sometimes, people build solid fences in the direction these winds come from but this isn’t a good idea. Winds tend to impact solid fences, rise over them and slam down on the other side in unpredictable ways. Very high winds can topple solid fences. Not-quite solid fences do a better job of ﬁltering the wind. Fences with small slats or other spaces within their design are also a good solution for hillside gardens where cold air moves downhill and creates a frost pocket whenever it hits a solid fence. But evergreen trees or hedges do the best job of all in shielding against winds. Cedars are one popular solution. 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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Tips to help fall for fall gardening Todd Major

stmajor@shaw.ca

For gardeners it’s not the end of the season, it’s the beginning of a time of renewal, improvement and preparation. To those ends, here are some useful techniques for common fall gardening tasks. 1) Got leaves? Then you’ve got mulch. Gone are the days when leaves were seen as refuse to be disposed of. In this age of sustainability, leaves are one of the most common renewable resources available. Prepare the leaves by running the lawn mower over them to shred them. This procedure makes the leaves visually palatable to the discerning eye. Don’t bother shredding small leaves. Spread the leaves onto the bed three to four inches thick up close to the base of all plants. Do not bury perennial crowns but mulch close. Don’t forget to weed. Level and ﬂuff as you go to get the best presentation. Water the new leaf mulch into place or let the rain do it. 2) I gotta move that

plant. Transplanting is one of the most basic skills every gardener should have. Dig a root ball that is proportionately sized to support the growth needs of the transplant. A general guideline for digging size is six inches of root ball radius for every one inch of stem diameter. Dig down into the soil uniformly around the root ball to attain a round shape. Dig to the bottom of the roots, then dig under the root ball, cutting off roots as you go with an old pair of pruners. Once the entire ball is cut free from the earth, slide burlap or an equivalent material under it. Lift the plant out of the earth and tie up the burlap tightly to hold the root ball together. Balled and burlapped plants can be stored until ﬁnal planting but they must be watered and protected during storage. Covering the root ball with temporary protection, such as leaves or bark mulch, is recommended. 3) The perennials are falling down. As they do during fall, perennials begin to look tired. For the

healthiest perennials, keep the foliage growing until all or most of the green energy has been retracted from the leaves into root storage for winter. This gives the plant a good energy reserve for winter and next spring’s growth. Once the leaves have turned colour, then cut back all foliage to the ground. Try to leave some ﬂower heads standing for winter. Perennial seed heads are among the most beautiful in the plant kingdom and add interest to any garden in winter. Much depends on what perennials you grow. Beyond the visual, standing perennial seed heads also provide food for some birds and homes for beneﬁcial insects. 4) Keeping up with the lawn. If you ask professional turf managers they will tell you that fall is fertilizer time. Only fertilize if your lawn is unhealthy and use a recommended fall fertilizer. But I think fall fertilization of lawns is generally a waste of money and environmentally damaging. For the home garden I do not recommend fall aeration unless

you have an identiﬁable drainage or soil compaction problem. As for fall liming, it is recommended that lime be applied in fall as a general practice, but only for the purpose of using winter rains to wash the lime into intimate contact with the soil. Only apply lime if you test the soil pH to understand pH requirements, if any. Cutting lower in the fall has long been the grass mowing standard, which is useful for some grass species in sunny locations. Cutting lower may not be the best option if you have weed growth. Cutting length should generally be two to three inches tall. Topdressing in the fall is recommended to ﬁll in bare spots and allow the grass to grow in full for winter. Use an organic topdress medium like manure or garden blend topsoil. Avoid the use of sand unless you buy coarse grained sand. Playsand and other round sands are utterly useless in the garden for almost all uses. What else? Plenty, but make time to feast your eyes on the colours of the season.

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W E D N E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

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Mary Bennett, celebration planner and house-warming coordinator, stands in front of the recently renovated Kits House. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House throws a party CALENDAR

Sandra Thomas

sthomas@vancourier.com

Kitsilano

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House is celebrating the completion of a major restoration project this weekend (Nov. 14 to 16) with housewarming events for all ages. The celebration kicks off Nov. 14 with the Kits House Review featuring a Musqueam blessing with Debra Sparrow, Musqueam hip hop with Christie Lee, storytellers, Zach Grey of the Zolas and “his old dad John” (as John Maclachlan Gray, composer, performer and playwright likes to be billed), and Barbara Jackson and Friends. VIP guests include Bill Duncan, the ﬁrst executive director of Kits House, and Kico GonzalezRisso, who ran the Kitsilano Theatre Company and coordinated many cultural

“I have difficulty managing in my home on my own.”

events in the community, including the annual Kitsilano Folk Festival. The 89-year-old Duncan, who now lives in Qualicum Beach, has been a social activist all of his life. Born in Memphis, Tenn., Duncan graduated with a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan in 1955 as only the second African-American student to do so. Mary Bennett, celebration planner at Kits House, describes the event as a “Kitsilano-style lovein.” Tickets are $30/$15. Other weekend highlights include free site tours — Nov. 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Nov. 16 from noon to 5 p.m. — and an open house Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. offering storytelling circles, performances, workshops, presentations and a youth evening of art featuring a speed-painting workshop. As well, Artists in Our Midst is hosting the Retrospective

Art Show in the Kits House hall from Nov. 14 to 21 with a reception Nov. 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. For a complete schedule and more information visit kitshouse.org/celebration or call 604-736-3588. Kits House is located at 2305 West Seventh at Vine.

Downtown

Join Miscellaneous Productions at Scotiabank Dance Centre Nov. 14, for an evening of raw, unﬁltered performances by emerging young talent. The performances are part of an open rehearsal process for Haunted House, a new site-speciﬁc project scheduled for November 2015. This is not your typical “haunted house.” Instead, this house is inhabited by performers who use artistic expression to uncover what haunts them. The performers are 10 culturally and socially diverse youth from the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley between

the ages of 15-24. Their backgrounds include coping with and overcoming brutal violence, child abuse, tragic loss and mental wellness issues. Miscellaneous Productions is a community-based, charitable arts organization dedicated to engagement and education through various artistic works. In Haunted House, these brave young performers reveal excerpts from their personal stories. At the open rehearsal, audience members have a chance to see early versions of the work, to ask questions of the cast members during a Q&A and to further explore ideas and issues in a community forum. Diversity consultant Eric D. Wong will moderate the Q&A. With Wong acting as mediator, youth and adults will also be invited to discuss issues that arise during the performances. The open rehearsal, which will provide valuable feedback to the perform-

ers and professional artistic team, is a crucial step in the process of bringing Haunted House to complete fruition. In 2015, Haunted House will be staged in and around an old house in the West End. For more information visit facebook.com/ miscellaneousproductions.

Chinatown

The Vancouver Chinese Instrumental Music Society presents a public workshop on Chinese music and instruments Saturday, Nov. 15 with composer Alan Lau. The workshop is designed to provide composers with the tools necessary to write effectively for the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble. The characteristics of each instrument will be introduced as well as the techniques required to play them. Formed in 1989, the ensemble is the ﬁrst professional Chinese music organization established in Canada. The workshop takes

place Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. at the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum, 555 Columbia St. Entrance is by donation.

Fairview

Will Millar, the former leader of the Irish Rovers folk band, has returned to his ﬁrst creative love of painting. Millar’s paintings portray Ireland as it was in the 1950s, at a time before he says glass supermarkets and trafﬁc jams clogged up small villages. Ireland in the Rare Oul times: The art of Will Millar opens at the Petley Jones Gallery, 1554 West Sixth Ave., Nov. 13 and runs to Nov. 27. An opening reception takes place Nov. 15 from 3 to 5 p.m. Millar has a couple of Celtic musicians lined up for the opening, but also invites the public to “bring your mouth organs and Irish grannie.” For more information visit petleyjones.com. twitter.com/sthomas10

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Parties cater to seniors on election day Sandra Thomas

sthomas@vancourier.com

With the mayoral race in this weekend’s civic election becoming too close to call, both Vision Vancouver and the NPA are some of the parties ensuring voters have the opportunity to cast their ballot. That is particularly true when it comes to seniors. Both Vision and the NPA promise to provide transportation to anyone without a ride, including seniors, who contacts them. But when it comes to campaigning to seniors, access depends on how welcome they are. The Courier contacted several seniors centres, including Kerrisdale and the 411 on Terminal Avenue, and was told for the sake of fairness politicians aren’t allowed to campaign there or leave pamphlets for residents. Publicist Ann Gibbon, speaking on behalf of the NPA, said some of that party’s candidates have gotten permission to visit seniors centres to say hello, answer questions and provide any

information needed to help them make their choice on election day Nov. 15. Vision Vancouver incumbent Tony Tang said, as the liaison councillor to the Vancouver Seniors Advisory Committee, he is a regular visitor to seniors centres and care homes across the city. “Most of the seniors already know about me,” said Tang. “But about six months ago I started reminding them, ‘Remember, this is an election year.’” Tang added he knows many seniors have already taken advantage of advanced voting opportunities to cast their ballot. He said Vision Vancouver will give rides to seniors who request it. Tang said he’s noticed younger seniors have a strong interest in the issues and the upcoming election, while older seniors are keen to vote but tend to cast their ballot for individuals rather than along party lines. On Nov. 15, Vancouver residents have the opportunity to elect one mayor, 10 councillors, seven park board commissioners and nine school board trustees. And

Most political parties have drivers in place to give seniors a ride to polling stations. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

while the City of Vancouver says it’s never been easier to vote, a blog posted on the Vancouver Seniors Advisory Committee website Oct. 24, says that’s not the case when it comes to seniors. “Full participation includes the ability of all residents to vote in the Nov. 15 civic election, but we have heard from many residents that a signiﬁcant barrier is posed by the absence of ad-

vance polling stations in the northeast quadrant of the city,” writes Eddy Elmer. “This quadrant includes the Grandview-Woodland, Downtown Eastside and Renfrew areas, all of which have a sizable population of older adults, especially those with low incomes.” He added the community centres designated as advance polling stations from Nov. 4 to 12 are a

signiﬁcant distance from those areas, “presenting a possible obstacle for older adults who cannot vote on Nov. 15. This is of particular concern for older adults with physical disabilities and/or those who must rely on public transit.” The last day of advanced voting is today (Nov. 12). For the ﬁrst time ever, residents can cast their ballot at any voting location in the city on election day. That means whether anyone running errands, spending the day with their family, or at work, can vote at the location that’s most convenient. In a recent change legislated by the provincial government, the people elected to city council, park board and school board will be in power for four years, almost half a decade. Voters will also help decide whether to authorize the city to borrow money for major projects including parks, roads, affordable housing, childcare and transportation. If you’ve registered for the voter’s list in the past, you’re likely registered for this year’s election. A voter information

card should have arrive in the mail by now, but if not visit elections.bc.ca. If you’re not on the voter’s list, you can register on the day you vote with two pieces of identification that indicate name, signature and residential address. If you have only one piece of ID, you can still vote if you swear a declaration of residence. The polls will be open Nov. 15 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at nearly 120 hightraffic locations across Vancouver, including Oakridge Mall, International Village Mall and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Multilingual staff and audio devices will be onsite. Anyone unable to attend can register online or call 311 to receive a ballot to vote by mail. Anyone with no fixed address, but a general place of residence such as a street corner or a commonly frequented shelter, can register to vote as long as they have two pieces of identification. The option to swear a declaration if you only have one piece is also open. twitter.com/sthomas10

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Sponsored by HUMN Pharmaceuticals

Humn Pharmaceuticals makes Lidocaine available as a Topical Pain Relieving Cream By Haidita Celestine Many people may be suffering in

People liked it because it acted quickly

compared to the amide type local

Relief,” says Hamilton. “As a medicated

anesthetic.”

cream, it goes where it is needed, when it

In the search for ever-improving pain relievers, though, the benefits of lidocaine

point where pain is felt, that way it doesn’t go through the stomach, or the liver or the

pain needlessly according to Rowan

and didn’t last too long; they also noticed

Hamilton, Research Director of Humn

the feeling of euphoria that went with

Pharmaceuticals of Winnipeg. “Despite the fact that lidocaine is on the World

cocaine use and many dentists developed a dependence on the substance. In the

is needed. It is applied on the skin, at the

Health Organization’s list of Essential

early 1900s, Procaine / Novocaine was

seem to have been largely forgotten. The

kidneys, where many drugs leave a trail of

Medicines [a list of the most important

introduced with all the desired benefits of

medical marketplace for pain treatment

damage.”

medications needed in a basic healthcare

cocaine but without its addictive and heart

since lidocaine’s creation has been

system] most people are unaware of how well it relieves a wide range of pain

racing side effects. Lidocaine, however, became the dentist drug of choice when

dominated by pills delivering NonSteroidal Anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs)

The American Geriatrics Society Panel on the Pharmacological Management of

conditions,” says Hamilton.

it was made commercially available in the

and Opiates. Consumers, however, are

Persistent Pain in Older Persons has also

late 1940s. For those who know Hamilton, a herbalist, wholistic dermatologist, student of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a

Lidocaine was first synthesized under the name xylocaine by Swedish chemist

increasingly concerned and aware of the

recognized the value of Lidocaine. In

dangers and limitations of these drugs.

their 2009 Clinical Practice Guideline, they

As Hamilton puts it, “All that, is a long way of saying that lidocaine works very well

strongly recommended that “all patients with localized neuropathic pain are candidates for topical lidocaine.”

graduate of the School of Herbal Medicine

Nils Löfgren in 1943. A major difference

to locally prevent pain signals not only

in England, it may come as a bit of a

between lidocaine and earlier local

from travelling to the brain, but from being

surprise to hear him speaking of the

anesthetics was its stability in water. In

initiated at all. And it does that without

“I’m very happy to be associated with

benefits of a synthetic drug. Hamilton notes, however, that while some people

practical terms this meant that lidocaine, unlike procaine, did not need to be

addiction, fewer unwanted side effects and much fewer allergic reactions.”

Humn Pharmaceuticals,” says Hamilton. “Humn created TPR20 topical lidocaine

almost always prefer ‘natural’ alternatives, the only naturally occurring Local

prepared freshly before each injection. Further, lidocaine was the first amino

Humn Pharmaceuticals believes that new

cream to ensure people have access to this proven, safe and effective pain

Anesthetic is cocaine.

amide-type local anesthetic; until its

isn’t always better when it comes to pain

reliever. Go Humn!”

In the late 1880s cocaine was in fact the

discovery local anesthetics were all “esters”. Amide-type anesthetics have a

medication. They have chosen to reintroduce lidocaine to the consumer in a

very first local anesthetic used in dentistry and an improvement on the previous

major patient care advantage Hamilton says. “Ester type anesthetics are much

topical cream formulation along with other complementary ingredients including

approach: copious amounts of alcohol.

more likely to cause allergic reaction

menthol. “TPR stands for Topical Pain

It’s only human to suffer the pains of age. And to stoically smile despite it. An acceptable penalty for days lived. In tribute to youth gone. Then there’s that other human reaction. Make the freaking pain go away.

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W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Outbreaks hit care homes

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Dawar suggested 2609 E. Hastings St. Vancouver (at Penticton St.) another option for sick “Quality work you can count on” Ken Wong, Denturist family members is to stay home and not spread their cold or flu. “They can arrange for someone else to visit their loved one or stay connected by phone until they’re feeling better,” said Dawar. Dawar said it’s important seniors seek medical attention as soon as they begin to show flu-like symptoms. “Seniors should be taken to their family doc“Where the science of foot care and the art of surgery meet” tor fairly quickly,” said Call for an appointment. No referral required. Dawar. “They can really Dr. Heather Bui benefit from anti-virals.” For more information Dr. Ian Yu* *Board Certified in Foot Surgery 3311 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC on this year’s influenza puzzles threat and finding a flu shot, visit vch.ca. get caught in our web… …get caught …get caught …get caught in our web twitter.com/sthomas10

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Sandra Thomas

sthomas@vancourier.com

The medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health says despite the fact flu season doesn’t typically begin until December, there have already been seven outbreaks of influenza in Metro Vancouver care homes. “And five of those have been in Vancouver Coastal Health,” Dr. Meena Dawar told the Courier. Dawar said since seniors are so vulnerable to the flu, alongside people with existing health conditions, it’s important to talk about how we can all help them from catching the bug. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, approximately 3,500 Canadians die each year from flu-related complications. “Seniors can suffer from severe complications and a greater risk of death,” said Dawar. Dawar added because of that, it’s vital for seniors to get a flu shot. “But there are other pieces to that. Household contacts should also get the flu shot,” said Dawar. “If a senior lives in a multigenerational family, especially with little children, the entire family needs to get a flu shot.” Dawar noted regular hand-washing is also important for all family members as another way to help prevent spreading the flu. According to Vancouver Coastal Health, this year’s flu shot will offer protection against three strains

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Grand and O Opening!

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If a senior lives in a multigenerational family, the entire family needs to get a flu shot. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

of influenza viruses specified by the World Health Organization, including H1N1, H3N2 and B/Massachusetts/2/2012. Flumist, the nasal spray vaccine for children aged two to 17 years, also contains protection against a fourth strain of influenza, the B/ Brisbane/60/2008-like virus. The flu vaccine is available at your family doctor’s office, walk-in clinics, many pharmacies and Vancouver Coastal Health clinics. As with last year, supplies are limited so it’s advised to get your flu shot earlier rather than later. The worst of flu season typically occurs between December and March, which is why most flu clinics run in November. A Care Card is necessary to receive a flu shot at a clinic. Those eligible to receive a free flu shot include seniors, healthy children aged six months to five years, household contacts

and caregivers of infants up to 59 months, aboriginal people, all pregnant women and their household contacts, health care and other care providers in facilities and community settings, workers who provide essential services including first responders and correction officers and people who work with live poultry. Anyone planning to visit loved ones in a health care facility or who will take family members to outpatient appointments are also eligible for a free flu shot. Dawar said as of Dec. 1 through March 31, 2015, all staff and visitors to care homes must have either had a flu shot or wear a mask. Dawar noted regular hand-washing is also important for all family members visiting a care home, as is proper cold etiquette, including coughing or sneezing into an elbow and using tissues to blow your nose.

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Many unprepared for caregiving

Caregivers have to consider their own needs and wellbeing as well Tom Carney

tomcarney@telus.net

“There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who need caregivers.” — Rosalynn Carter

As life expectancies increase, more and more of us will participate in the caregiving process. Many caregivers are adult children caring for their parents. A new senior care survey from BlueShore Financial shows many of us are unprepared for this challenge. According to Statistics

Canada, 2.2 million individuals received home care in 2012. The real appeal of the BlueShore survey is that it is local. Having said that, there are not a lot of surprises here. The survey found that many sandwich generation families and others are unprepared for looking after their senior

family members. Almost half of the survey respondents had not discussed with their families speciﬁc details about senior care. Having “the conversation” isn’t easy, but it is essential. You need to know what your parent wants if you are going to wind up with the legal power and responsibility to make decisions for them. If you don’t know what a power of attorney, a living will or a representation agreement is — and not a lot of people do — ﬁnd an eldercare expert or attorney to help you. Speaking of experts, approximately 60 per cent of the respondents in the survey are not working with advisers. In my opinion the

more help you have the better. You can’t do everything on your own. At the minimum you’ll need a ﬁnancial adviser, a lawyer and an accountant. A care manager who can put together a care plan for you and help you identify community resources is a must. Listen to what the experts tell you but trust your instincts. You know your family member best. Caregivers need care too. Watch out for signs of depression and anxiety and get the support you need while caring for someone you love. The survey found that only one-third of all survey respondents have a plan in place for their own care when they age. Think about

how your ﬁnancial security might be affected by taking care of a parent and the steps you need to take to deal with these implications. Most people with a plan think they have sufﬁcient funds to pay for the care they need. Really? Home care is expensive. Home care services are not included in most medical plans and provinces are not required to provide it. So when it comes to accessing home care, unless you have a network of family and friends or a lot of money, or both, you are pretty much on your own. If you are new to caregiving you’ll want to learn as much as you can about how to be a caregiver.

Wai Young MP, Olive Fera, Resident & Laureen Harper

Photo Credit Joyce Dodds

Residents & Management were proud oud to welcome local MP Vancouver South, Wai Young & Laureen Harper, wife of PM Stephen Harper on a recent tour of Shannon Oaks 2526 Waverly Ave., Vancouver BC.

604.324.6257

www.shannonoaks.com

If you are new to caregiving you’ll want to learn as much as you can about how to be a caregiver.

I’ve been at Shannon Oaks for 2 years, and I would recommend it to anyone. Call us for your personal tour and stay for a complimentary lunch. You’ll meet Joan and other Residents just like her who are living life well at Shannon Oaks —a vibrant seniors community. I am the oldest out of 10 siblings; I stayed home to help my mother. I love caring for others. I was a

Vancouver 2526 Waverley Avenue | 604-324-6257

ci al

ation

n l iv i g a ss

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Give Hope Every year, hundreds of vendors like Stephen sell Hope in Shadows. They earn an income while showcasing their community. This year, buy a calendar and help create job opportunities for low-income people.

HOPE IN SHADOWS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE VISIONARY ORGANIZATIONS & INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE MADE THIS PROJECT SUCH A PROFOUND SUCCESS.

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Arts&Entertainment

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GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com

2 Nov. 12 to 14, 2014 1. The press photo might look like a new Allman Brothers influenced band from Hastings Sunrise, but Valley Uprising is actually a vertigo-inducing documentary about free spirited, counterculture rock climbers of the Yosemite Valley. It screens Nov. 12 at the Rio Theatre as part of the International Mountain Film Festival’s Fall Series. Details at vimff.org. 2. Showcasing emerging directors, stage managers, designers, technicians and actors under the guidance of local theatre professionals, the Tremors Festival stages three productions (Trainspotting, This is War and The 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Love-Suicide) simultaneously each night in different spaces in the Russian Hall (600 Campbell St.) And when the night’s over, they let off a little steam with a party that includes, depending on the evening, slam poetry, a drag show, burlesque or live music. It all goes down Nov. 12 to 15. Details at rumble.org. 3. After a sold-out premiere at the Cultch in 2013, the Virtual Stage’s Broken Sex Doll brings its futuristic shenanigans to the York Theatre for another round of singing, sex and robots. The sci-fi musical courtesy of Andy Thompson (director, book, lyrics) and composer Anton Lipovetsky runs Nov. 12 to 22. For tickets and details, call 604251-1363 or go to thecultch.com. 4. For her new, appropriately titled album, Namedropper, Suzie Ungerleider, a.k.a. Oh Susanna, recorded a collection of songs written specifically for her by a who’s who of Canadian songwriters including Joel Plaskett, Ron Sexsmith, Amelia Curran and Jim Cuddy. Hear the folky results when Oh Susanna performs at St. James Hall Nov. 13. Tickets at Highlife, Red Cat Records, Rufus’ Guitars, Prussin Music and roguefolk.bc.ca.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Arts&Entertainment KUDOS & KVETCHES Random facts

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As the municipal election sweats, grunts and wheezes to its climatic Nov. 15 ﬁnish like a drunken middle age couple desperately trying to rekindle the magic in their tired marriage with a night of pressure-ﬁlled but ultimately joyless and disappointing lovemaking, K&K sympathizes with you — 119 candidates, dozens of unfamiliar names, indecipherable platforms, pie-in-the-sky promises, back and forth accusations, Tim Louis leaving messages on your answering machine at all hours of the day. It’s a lot to take in. So instead of giving you a broad overview of all the candidates and what they stand for, we’d like bring things down to an easy-to-digest micro level and provide you with an assortment of inconsequential details and random trivia about some of the people vying for your vote. • Vision mayoral incumbent Gregor Robertson plays tuba. The tuba is the least sexy instrument next to something called a rusty trombone, even when played by someone whom the Globe

and Mail refers to as a “movie star handsome mayor.” Fun fact: Anyone conceived while tuba music was playing in the background has a 90 per cent chance of not graduating from high school. • When NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe was managing editor of the Vancouver Sun, he wrote a seemingly never-ending series of columns about his visits to the foot doctor leading up to participating in the Sun Run. He also tweeted pictures and updates throughout his 67-minute run, which somehow made the prospect of taking part in such a physical endeavour feel even more tedious. • COPE mayoral candidate Meena Wong wears Batman cufﬂinks. We have no idea why. We once saw her campaigning on Main Street, talking to people waiting for a bus, which if you ask us doesn’t seem like the most captive of audiences since hardly anyone is going to miss their bus just so they can listen to a woman in Batman cufﬂinks talk at them. • Independent mayoral candidate Mike Hansen recently left a message on our colleague’s answering machine that was so offensive it was humourous. If you vote

for him, you are insane. • Green council candidate Pete Fry is the son of Liberal MP Hedy Fry. A colleague interviewed him years ago for a story on poster art when he was a graphic artist going by the name Pete Digiboy. At the time, he was designing a CD for a Maritime death metal band. We have no idea what Maritime death metal sounds like, but it’s probably wicked. • According to an online humble brag from the NPA, park board candidate Erin Shum won “the prestigious Duke of Ediburgh [sic] Award before the age of 21.” Incidentally, the tweet praising Shum’s scholastic accomplishment spelled “Edinburgh” incorrectly. According to her Twitter proﬁle, Shum also owns She to Shic Beauty Lounge. We’re also pretty sure it’s spelled “Chic.” But we’re guessing that’s on purpose since she won the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award before the age of 21. Big whoop. In Grade 7 we were awarded “Best Legs” in our school on account of all the scabs and bruises we had from playing soccer on an all-weather gravel ﬁeld. Eat it, Shum. twitter.com/KudosKvetches

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W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Arts&Entertainment

Students crawl for art Studio 101 opens art world to students

Sandra Thomas

sthomas@vancourier.com

It’s the reaction she sees from young students that has the executive director of the Eastside Culture Crawl so enthusiastic about a component of the event dubbed Studio 101. “I was there last year and just the joy they exuded, it was great,” said Esther Rausenberg. “These students are so foreign to it, even the freight elevators in the studios are new to them and they get so excited.” Studio 101 was launched as part of the Eastside Culture Crawl eight years ago by longtime participants Mira Malatestinic and Richard Tetrault. Since then the Culture Crawl has worked with hundreds of school children to foster a relationship between students and artists — many of the schools are designated inner city and offer little exposure to the visual arts. The program brings students into studios for free workshops with professional artists. For many of the students, Studio 101 is their ﬁrst time looking at art and meeting artists. The program is designed to help the students to not only gain an understanding of how professional artists work but also an appreciation of the visual arts.

Esther Rausenberg says Studio 101 encourages students to discover their inner artist. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

The goal of the Culture Crawl, which this year runs Nov. 20 through 23, is to educate and increase the public’s appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, presentations and displays. This year it’s expected more than 20,000 art enthusiasts will visit artists in their personal studios, garages and homes located in the area bounded by Main and Victoria streets to the east and west and East First Avenue north to the waterfront. The Crawl includes painters, jewellers, sculptors, furniture makers, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers — from emerging artists to the internationally renowned. The Culture Crawl launched in 1997 with 45 visual artists in three Strathcona area studio buildings and was attended by a few hundred people. Since then the event has grown to include more than

400 artists, craftspeople and designers and evolved to represent the heart of the East Van creative community. Rausenberg said while there are many programs and support in place to help East Side kids survive, there’s not a lot available to encourage their inner artist. “There’s so much focus on just getting food on a plate when it comes down to providing for their everyday challenges,” said Rausenberg. “Not many of them have done a lot of art classes. Every one of them who participates loves it. Their faces just light up.” The students don’t just meet and work with a number of artists, but also get to choose amongst themselves one piece of art to purchase for their school thanks to a small budget supplied by the Eastside Culture Crawl. The artwork then hangs at the students’ school and becomes part of its permanent collection. This year

students from four classes at Strathcona elementary school will work with artists to create textiles, prints, hand-tint photos and leather and jewelry items to take home. “Christmas is coming and this gives the students a chance to make some gifts to tuck away,” said Rausenberg. She added cuts to education have not been lost on the many artists who work and live near inner city schools. “Studio 101 came out of that,” said Rausenberg. “That’s why it’s so important to us.” For more information on the Eastside Culture Crawl, go to culturecrawl.ca. twitter.com/sthomas10

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For youth living on the streets, there is no home for the holidays

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Vancouver’s problem with homelessness is at an all time high, with many of those with no home of their own being under the age of 24. At the Courier, we decided to provide an opportunity to our readers to give a little cheer and kindness to the youth on our streets this holiday season.

Here’s how you can help

Alicia Niles iles

When out shopping for those stocking stuffers this holiday season, see what’s on special and grab an extra something on top of your usual purchase. Please note that we ask that all items be NEW! Simply drop your items off in the big box situated in the Courier lobby at

1574 West 6th Ave., near Fir St. between November 1st and December 1st. Hours are Mon-Fri, 8:30 am to 4:30pm.

VANCOUVER CONVENTION ON CENTRE

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Arts&Entertainment

10th ANNIVERSARY!

Enjoy a seasonal, self-guided tour of homes on Vancouver’s West Side. SATURDAY

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TICKETS homesfortheholidays.ca 604.267.7057

Actress fired up over role Christine Lyon

clyon@nsnews.com

Ever since she was a child and her father introduced her to Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and his 1924 work Saint Joan, Meg Roe has had her sights set on the role of Joan of Arc. “It’s sort of one of those roles that you’re meant to play if you think you’re an actress,” says the actor/ director. Published just four years after Joan of Arc was canonized, Shaw’s play dramatizes the life and trial of the pious peasant girl who claimed that voices and visions from God commanded her to rally the French army and lead the troops to victory against the English in the Hundred Years War. Ultimately, though, she was captured by the English, put on trial for heresy and burnt at the stake. Fulﬁlling a lifelong acting ambition, Roe is taking on the part of the legendary “Maid of Orleans” in the Arts Club’s production of Saint Joan, directed by Kim

Meg Roe stars in Saint Joan.

Collier. It’s been more than 500 years since the controversial trial that condemned Joan of Arc to death, and yet she remains a heroine in France and a popular figure in literature, art and pop culture. Roe isn’t surprised that the legacy of this 15th century martyr has endured the ages. “It’s her fierce determination to stick to what she believed in against all odds. She’s one of the best-recorded medieval female figures. We don’t know that much about medieval women — no one wrote about them — but Joan was written about a lot,” Roe says, noting that detailed records from the

condemnation trial have survived the centuries. “She just had this incredible tenacity. She really stuck true to herself, which is just inspiring. I think that’s why we still want to talk about her.” Roe adds, “[Shaw] was writing it in the context of the First World War and nationalism and the rise of nationalism and how those ideas were damaging or powerful.” A year after Saint Joan was published, Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Although his play was written with theatregoers of the 1920s in mind, Roe expects the story will resonate with audiences today just as powerfully as it did then. “People are getting up and ﬁghting in the name of God all over the world. It’s extremely frightening,” she says of the modern era. “So I think the play speaks to us maybe in a different way than Shaw intended in some respects, but we hear ourselves in it still, I think. It rattles us.” Saint Joan marks Roe’s

return to acting after two and a half years off the stage and it’s been a joy to perform again, she says. But Joan of Arc is also an inherently challenging role — one that has presented Roe with tough questions about her character, about power and destiny that don’t have black-and-white answers. “I hope it’s that way for the audience too. I think Shaw can be challenging because he asks big questions with lots of words. He wants you to listen and not just receive. He wants you to engage with him, with his ideas,” she says. “But I think it’s a pleasure when you ﬁnd yourself understanding and following and enjoying what he’s positing, what he’s putting out there.” In any case, Roe believes Saint Joan is “a play for our time.” It deals with violence, war, God, humanity, the self — “and how all those things combine to hopefully create a gentle and loving civilization, and how often they do not.” Saint Joan is at the Stanley Theatre until Nov. 23.

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W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Sports&Recreation

GOT SPORTS? 604.630.3549 or mstewart@vancourier.com

Weekend Scoresheet AAA varsity football, Week Ten:

With a 48-27 win over Belmont Nov. 8, Vancouver College took lone possession of third place in the Western Conference and will play Mouat in the first round of the playoffs Nov. 15. The Fighting Irish scored in all four quarters, starting with a nine-yard run by Javier Sanchez-Mejorada and a 12-yard run by Chris Ellis. Richard Jarin scored on a 42-yard pass from Giordy Belfiore and added a second TD on a 42-yard run. Ovie Odjegba ran the ball for a 53-yard score, Matt Legge caught a 26-yard TD pass and Joelson delRosario rushed for an eight-yard touchdown. The Notre Dame Jugglers defeated Handsworth 24-21 to clinch the final playoff berth out of the Western Conference. They travel to Kelowna to play at the Capital News Centre on Nov. 15.

LMISSAA senior girls volleyball:

Undefeated through the regular league season, the York House Tigers suffered a substantial loss in the playoffs and relinquished their chance to play for the LMISSAA senior girls championship. The week didn’t start well for the Tigers. In their first playoff match to establish seeding Nov. 3, York House lost in straight sets to the St. Patrick’s Celtics. The 27-25, 25-20, 25-20 loss knocked them out of contention for the championship but the Tigers pulled off a 3-1 win over Notre Dame to finish third. St. Thomas More defeated St. Pat’s to reach the championship final where the 2012 B.C. champions from Little Flower Academy shut them out to win the league title 3-0. Crofton House and LFA advance to the AAA Lower Mainland tournament. St. Thomas More, St. Patrick’s and York House will play in the AA Lower Mainland tournament while Notre Dame will compete for a wild card berth.

1. Vancouver Tech blockers James Huynh and Terry Tea hang above the net in a 3-1 loss for the senior boys volleyball championship at Van Tech Nov. 7. 2. Gladstone Gladiators cheering section. 3. L.J. Cayas pumps up his Gladiator teammates. PHOTOS REBECCA BLISSETT

Gladiators’ energy their best weapon VOLLEYBALL

Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

York House’s Siobhan Finan

Fresh-squeezed Juice

Hey Green Men — you were good. — Kevin Bieksa, seen in a YouTube clip texting outside the Canucks locker room, said to Sully and Force after the green-suited super fans announced this will be their last season. The Green Men are Adam Forsyth and Ryan Sullivan. Inducted to ESPN’s hall of fame for their goading antics beside the visitor’s penalty box at Rogers Arena, the Green Men rose to dominance the same year the Canucks almost won the Stanley Cup. Heady times. They announced their retirement on YouTube Nov. 7.

The Gladstone Gladiators showed up at Van Tech secondary for the senior boys city volleyball championship and stole home court advantage from the host Talismen. On the back of a raucous crowd, Gladstone also stole the VSSAA title 2225, 27-25, 25-23, 25-16. The second-level stands overlooking the court were packed with screaming Gladstone fans waving hand-drawn signs. One said, “Every day I’m Huynhing,” as if the best way to cheer for middle hitter Vu Huynh was to celebrate his hustle in hip hop sing-along style. For two years in a row, Gladstone lost the junior championship to Van Tech. Gladiator coach Jeff Young said the win was a gift for the graduating seniors. “Second every ﬁnals, we’re always second,” he said. “Finally. This year we got it. Winning this one, it ﬁnally broke the

curse. I’m happy to be here with them.” Young said Van Tech had stronger outside hitters but his side was better in the middle. That’s where the Gladiators aimed their attack. In the championship fourth set, ﬁve different hitters recorded strikes, including captain and setter Steven Trinh. Allen Wong, Adam Wu and Vu Huynh capitalized. “They were the people we needed the most to win the game,” said Young. Gladstone also had essential help from an unexpected addition. L.J. Cayas won two junior titles with the Van Tech team that defeated Gladstone. Then, at the start of his Grade 11 year, Cayas transferred to Gladstone for an academic program. He was chosen as the starting libero and his presence on the court is can’t be missed. More square than long, Cayas looks the part of a rugby prop and plays the role — with feverish enthusiasm — like each point called for the haka, the Maori

ritual of tongue-sticking, screaming, stomping expression often seen before international rugby matches. Dressed in the stand-out red shirt of Gladstone’s libero, Cayas was all intimidation and excitement. “We needed a strong lib and we got one,” said Young. “The lib has to be there and they always have to be hyper. You need that person to bring the energy up.” The coach remembered Cayas and the two junior losses that came at the hands of Van Tech. “At one of the ﬁrst practices, I asked, why is this guy here? This guy stole championships from me! He came out and we had other players who could have taken the position, but he proved he was best,” said Young. Cayas, who stood out in the libero’s red shirt, said he embraced the energetic role. “I love being loud for them. Me being on the court as a lib gives me a chance for them to get success,” he said. “They’re amazing teammates. These guys boost

up my game and I feel I can play 100 times better because these guys are so encouraging and so open.” Gladstone lost the ﬁrst set but bounced back to edge the Talismen in three close sets. Van Tech coach Alex Pappas said the visitors were tough opponents. “Gladstone came out with a lot of ﬁre, they played really good volleyball and we were with them pretty much the whole way. The fourth set, we took our feet of the pedal and we let them run away with it a little bit,” said Pappas. “The difference was a little bit of their desire and their having a huge fan base come to our gym. It was tough to communicate being drowned out by a bunch of visiting fans. They had a great atmosphere. It shows a lot of good things from their school.” Gladstone, Van Tech and David Thompson advance to the Lower Mainland volleyball championship. twitter.com/MHStewart

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Sports&Recreation

Walesmen on top Prince of Wales wins girls city championship VOLLEYBALL Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

After dropping the ﬁrst set against David Thompson, the Prince of Wales Walesmen won three straight sets to clinch the senior girls volleyball city championship at David Thompson Nov. 6. Playing on the home

court of the Trojans, the Walesmen fell 18-25 then rolled to the win 25-20, 25-7, 25-22. Prince of Wales finished the season 6-1, coming second in the West Division behind undefeated Winston Churchill. The Trojans, who also finished second in the East Division with a 7-1 record, knocked off the Churchill Bulldogs in a semi-final that went to five sets on

Nov. 4. The Walesmen defeated defending champion Point Grey in the other semi-ﬁnal to reach the championship. Five AAAA schools advance to the Lower Mainland tournament: David Thompson, Eric Hamber, Killarney, Kitsilano and Churchill. Three AAA teams advance to their tournament: Prince of Wales, Point Grey and Gladstone.

Call for nominations

The Nominations and Election Committee is seeking Vancity members to ﬁll three director positions in the 2015 election. Each position is for a three-year term, commencing after the Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 7, 2015. Prospective candidates are strongly advised to attend an information session which will be held at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at Vancity Centre, 183 Terminal Avenue, Vancouver. Please contact the Governance Department by no later than 12 noon, Tuesday, December 2, 2014 to register for this session.

Prince of Wales Walesman Hannah Peck celebrates the senior girls volleyball city championship over tournament hosts David Thompson on Nov. 6. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT

Go where the snow is. Whistler Blackcomb. Whistler, British Columbia P: Paul Morrison S: Mike Douglas & Ashleigh McIvor

2015 Vancity Board of Directors’ Election

Prospective candidates are required to submit conﬁrmation of their intention to run by no later than 12 noon on Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Interviews will be scheduled shortly thereafter. Speciﬁc details about running for election can be found in the Candidates’ Package posted on our website, vancity.com. If you require a hard copy of this information, please contact the Governance Department at 604.877.7595.

Returning Ofﬁcers

We’re seeking returning officers to assist with the election in selected branches between Monday, April 13 and Saturday, April 18, 2015. If you’re a Vancity member and are interested in becoming a returning officer, please visit vancity.com for details on how to apply. All applications must be received by no later than Friday, January 16, 2015. Only successful applicants will be contacted by Friday, January 30, 2015. Past experience as a returning officer won’t guarantee re-employment.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT. BOOK NOW. The snow has come early for Whistler Blackcomb and it’s looking promising for a great start to the season. The countdown continues to the official Opening Day: November 27. Book now for the best deals of the season. Watch the Early Season First Tracks video from November 1st: whistlerblackcomb.com/video

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W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Sports&Recreation

On its own, talent isn’t always enough to make the cut, says UBC Thunderbirds women’s volleyball coach Doug Reimer. Team chemistry is essential to building a championship team. PHOTO BOB FRID / UBC THUNDERBIRDS

Five questions for Doug Reimer THUNDERBIRDS Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

At the start of his 18th season as the head coach of the Thunderbirds women’s volleyball program, Doug Reimer had a win percentage of .792. He had won a record six consecutive national championships between 2008 and 2013 but lost last year’s final to Manitoba. Under his guidance, a UBC athlete has been named the best female university volleyball player in the country for the past five years. At the annual B.C. Sport Conference in January, Reimer, a five-time CIS coach of the year, will discuss his coaching philosophy and how team chemistry creates confidence, a factor important at all levels of sport. Before Reimer and the Tbirds hit the road Nov. 6, the Courier caught up with him by phone. He was at YVR. You appear on the website The Art of Coaching Volleyball, showing simple and effective improvements to basic drills. Aren’t you afraid of giving up all your secrets? Doug Reimer: Definitely not. You can add that I’m laughing here! The only way the sport grows and the level of skill grows is if you share. To be honest, I don’t think there are many secrets out

there. I do this as a profession. There are a lot of coaches that do this as a part-time hobby and, in the long run, this is better if certain philosophies are shared. You’ll be talking about team chemistry at the Sport B.C. Conference. How do you get a team to bond? Reimer: To me it’s a fascinating topic. There’s a number of components: you’ve got to start with attracting good people to the program because every team, they are going to go through adversity, so sometimes it’s not always just about talent or Xs and Os. In a team sport, ours for sure, the ability of the group to push each other but also support each other is important and, I think, to feel almost a kind of faith. What have you learned from other coaches? Reimer: I’m stoked with the presenters who are there [at the Sport B.C. Conference]. I am humbled to be in the same group as them. To me, you need these things because coaching, it’s a constant. It doesn’t go away, it’s not a nine-to-ﬁve kind of job. Being able to listen to Rick Hansen talk about leadership is very motivating. I think the other thing it does is it makes you look at the big picture, not just your own group or some of the technical or tactical problems you’re

having. It’s a great reminder that being a coach extends above and beyond wins and losses. You cannot get into coaching and ignore that. If you do, you are in the wrong profession. Besides raw talent, what characteristics do you assess when you’re recruiting? Reimer: I think it links back to the culture that you want to create. I’ve learned over time not to get too excited over talent alone. I really think that being open to not being the best right away is important because very few players come in to university and dominate the way they have in their high school or club experience. Do you pass on raw talent if you fear other key traits won’t develop? Reimer: Oh yeah. We have. It could have been that individual but it could also be that once we’ve made a commitment to athletes that are older, and we try and honour that and not over-recruit in a particular position. It’s a very ﬁne balance. I really want to stress, it is hard to predict how that is going to go. It’s inexact and every week and every year it’s is a fresh challenge. This interview has been condensed. Reimer will present at the B.C. Sport Conference Jan. 10 in Burnaby. twitter.com/MHStewart

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64 %

43 UP T % O

O FF

40 UP T % O

2 OR 4 Tickets to Vancouver Christmas Market, Plus Carousel Rides and Optional Apple Cider and Christmas Mugs

Value $166.00

$99 and up

and up

Visit www.socialshopper.com for more local daily deals.

Maze Exclusive Floating Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Microphone, Tax and Shipping Included REDEEM ONLINE

Value $80.00

$29

A40

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

Your our Original

Food Store

Non-Medicated

Boneless Skinle

Certified Organic

Chinese Mandarins

s t s a e r B n e k c i Ch

5 2 $ $ Organic

Sirloin Tip Roasts

Non-Medicat ed

/lb $15.98/kg

AAA

Canadian Prime Roasts

Chicken Legs

79 $ each 4 lb box

t Non-Medicated

Boneless Pork Loin Roasts

Non-Medicated

Top Sirloin Steaks

99 /lb $6.59/kg

Organic

Prime Rib Roasts

$699 $699 $599 $699 $907 /lb $15.41/kg

/lb $15.41/kg

/lb $13.21/kg

Organic

From The Deli

B.C. Grown

Regular Ground Beef

Hungarian Salami

Gala Apples

$399 $229 /lb $8.80/kg

California

Certified Organic

/100 g

Mexican Grown

Certified Organic

Choice Navel Oranges Long English Cucumbers

$169 $329 /lb $3.73/kg

each

/lb $1.94/kg

Granny’s

All-Temp Laundry Liquid

$649 + tax 3.78 L

/lb $15.41/kg

/lb $22.00/kg

B.C. or Mexican

California Grown

Hot House Tomatoes On the Vine

Celery

48 1

¢ 88

Grapeseed Oil

Artisan Pasta

/lb $3.26/kg

Olio D’Oro

Product of Italy

$799 1L

Non - Organic

Almond Meal

$999 455 g

/lb $1.94/kg

Mondano

Product of Italy • Asst Cuts

$159 500 g

Organic

Thompson Raisins

$949

CHECK US OUT WITH

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 8 am-9 pm

Sale Dates: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 – Tuesday, November 18, 2014

www.famousfoods.ca

1 kg

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 4

“I would be honoured if you would give me the opportunity to continue as your Mayor. I’m asking for your vote on Saturday, November 15. Thank you.”

Vote this Saturday, 8 AM to 8 PM votevision.ca • info@votevision.ca • 604-568-6913 •

@visionvancouver