Vancouver Courier January 21 2015 by Vancouver Courier

WEDNESDAY

January 21 2015 Vol. 106 No. 05

OPINION 10

Taking taxi industry to task HEALTH 15

Stair climber STATE OF THE ARTS 21

Eyes on PuSh Festival There’s more online at

vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION

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VSB touts training for trades Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

BEACHY CLEAN Surfrider Foundation volunteer Kailyn Olsen took part in the Vancouver chapter’s cleanup of Wreck Beach this past Saturday. Olsen found a couple of beach umbrellas, some PVC piping and a new kite left on the beach. See story page 12. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT

City plans to destroy election ballots this week Activist calls for delay until staff review Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

A longtime city hall observer wants the city to hold off this week on destroying the ballots from the 2014 civic election until the public can scrutinize them and determine whether there were any discrepancies in last fall’s vote. Randy Helten, a failed mayoral candidate from the 2011 campaign and operator of the CityHallWatch.ca blog, said he has questions related to votes not being counted, ballots being spoiled and the effectiveness of

the city’s new vote counting machines. “If the ballots are destroyed, the evidence is gone forever,” Helten said Monday. City clerk Janice Mackenzie, who doubled as the city’s chief election ofﬁcer during last fall’s election campaign, told the Courier the city planned to destroy all ballots this week, as per legal requirements under the Vancouver Charter. Mackenzie said there has been no court challenges regarding the results or integrity of the election. She described the number of complaints after the Nov. 15 election as “a trickle.” But, she acknowledged, the election didn’t go as smoothly as planned, with at least one

poll having to stay open an additional 45 minutes because of insufficient ballots and other polls overwhelmed by voter turnout. “It’s not an area of concern or anything like that, but this was our first time where people could vote anywhere,” said Mackenzie, noting she was pleased with the 43.4 per cent voter turnout. “So it was difficult to predict with any accuracy where people would vote. It appears that people took advantage of being able to vote in a convenient location as opposed to the location within their defined voting division.” For example, she said, Renfrew Community Centre recorded 817 votes in the 2011 election and 1,532 in 2014. Continued on page 6

Skylar Albrecht was about to be kicked out of Tupper secondary school when teacher Russ Evans took him under his wing. “He was going to get booted with 10 feet on his butt,” Evans said. “He is smart. Generally, he was faster than his teachers and wasn’t actually too afraid of telling them that.” Evans obtained permission to pull Albrecht out of regular classes. Instead of instructing Albrecht on how to calculate the volume of a cylinder on a chalkboard, Evans handed his student a lawn mower engine to perform the same computation. The switch from textbooks and talking heads to working with his hands set Albrecht on a successful path to graduating high school and becoming a commercial saturation diver. The 28-year-old has dove to depths as great as 185 metres below sea level, worked in Korea, Norway and Australia, generally labours less than six months a year, and last year earned $200,000. Albrecht was one of six former Vancouver School Board students who told 300 Grade 10 students from 10 schools about their successes in various trades at the third Journey Into the Trades event at Vancouver Technical secondary school Jan. 16. Mark Jang, who attended a culinary ACE IT program — ACE IT programs allow students to attend trades training classes for a first level of training in an Industry Training Authority program, free of tuition — told teens he loves to play with fire and knives and works as a shift leader at Cactus Club. Marco Wong, an electrician for the VSB, said his parents, like most, wanted him to pursue a university degree. “Coming from an Asian family, you know, it’s pretty strict,” he said, to receptive laughter. “My older brother went to university first, so some of the pressure was off… Both my brothers actually want to get into the trades right now.” Albrecht was one of the reasons Evans started Tupper Tech, which teaches 20 Grade 12 students trades skills and includes two work placements. Continued on page 5

DYSLEXIA DIDN’T STOP ALBERT. We don’t let dyslexia or language-related learning disabilities affect our students, either. They learn differently, and we offer them an education in a setting where they can thrive. See for yourself at the Fraser Academy Open House: Thursday, Feb. 5, 9:30-11:15am. For more info or to RSVP, visit www.fraseracademy.ca or call 604 736 5575. © Estate of Yousuf Karsh

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

Ready, Set, VOTE!

Cast your votes in our Stars of Vancouver Readers’ Choice Awards and be in to win a ‘Best of Vancouver’ prize pack valued at over $2,000! Simply enter your favourites online at vancourier.com/STARS, or alternatively, mail your completed ballot to us at our new address 303 West 5th Ave, Vancouver, V5Y 1J6. Nominees must be located in the City of Vancouver.

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W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News Robertson in charge as plebiscite pushed

YOU’RE INVITED TO A...

of Tours a & d CanaU.S. the

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Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

The two mayors whose cities have the most to gain from a $7.5-billion plan that includes a $1.9 billion subway for Vancouver and a $2.1 billion light-rail transit system for Surrey are now in charge of the mayors’ council on regional transportation and tasked with leading the yes side in a spring plebiscite on transportation. Mayor Gregor Robertson was elected chairperson Friday and Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner won the vice-chairperson’s spot in a secret ballot vote conducted by the region’s mayors at Surrey city hall. “I felt it’s important to ensure Vancouver is represented and, as well, bring my campaign experience to the table,” said Robertson, when asked after the vote why he wouldn’t support North Vancouver District Mayor Richard Walton to continue as chairperson. Walton, who has led the mayors’ council for more than four years, played a key role in the mayors’ formulating the $7.5-billion, 10-year transportation plan. He also had a strong relationship with Transportation Minister Todd Stone, who has applauded Walton for his work on the council. Walton and Robertson were the only candidates vying to become head of the regional council. After Walton lost the vote to Robertson, he rejected a nomination to run as a candidate for vice-chairperson. Hepner beat out Delta Mayor Lois Jackson for vice-chairperson, a position left vacant because Wayne Wright lost his mayoral re-election bid in New Westminster. At one point during the meeting, when mayors awaited results of the election for vice-chairperson, Robertson walked over to Walton and spoke to him. Walton did most of the talking, with Robertson nodding his head repeatedly, saying “OK, OK, OK.” Walton declined to comment to the Courier after the meeting. Mayor Ralph Drew of the Village of Belcarra nominated Walton to continue as chairperson, saying he had the experience and time to commit to leading a campaign for

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Mayor Gregor Robertson was voted the new chairperson of the mayors’ council on regional transportation. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

the yes side. Drew pointed out duties of the chairperson and vice-chairperson also require them to sit on TransLink’s board of directors, a time-consuming responsibility. “It’s not that I have any particular problems with the two big city mayors,” Drew told the Courier. “I’m just a bit concerned that because they are the heads of large municipalities that they don’t have the time needed to dedicate to the task.” Drew said he understands a perception may now exist the spring plebiscite, which asks Metro Vancouver voters to support a 0.5 per cent sales tax to help pay for the $7.5-billion plan, will simply be seen as a vote for projects in Surrey and Vancouver. The plan also relies heavily on funding from the provincial and federal governments. “That’s a perception but I do believe that the new chair and vice-chair will reﬂect the views of the mayors’ council as a whole,” he said. “If it isn’t endorsed by mayors’ council as a whole, they’d get their wings clipped pretty fast.” Robertson and Hepner deﬂected concerns about the plebiscite being simply for projects in Vancouver and Surrey. Robertson said he supports all the requests in the plan, including a new Pattullo Bridge, more buses across the region, road and bikeway upgrades and more frequent HandyDart and SeaBus service. “It’s not about any of the distinct pieces,” said Robertson. “It’s about the overall package. It’s not about individual communities, it’s about the whole region.” Hepner, who was elected Surrey’s mayor last fall and nominated Robertson

as chairperson, echoed the Vancouver mayor’s comments, saying she supported a regional plan and that “there’s something in it for everyone.” Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore wouldn’t say whether he voted for Robertson or Hepner. But, he added, the choices “are excellent for us moving forward in a referendum campaign.” “We’re moving into a phase of really getting out and getting into campaigning and I would suspect that the mayors saw that Robertson and Hepner are good campaign leaders to take us through the referendum,” said Moore, noting he wasn’t concerned voters may see the plebiscite as simply a vote on Surrey and Vancouver projects. “I don’t expect that Mayor Robertson or Mayor Hepner are going to come to Port Coquitlam and be able to convince people that this is what they need. I’m going to have to do that.” During the meeting, mayors heard speeches from David Black of COPE 378, Peter Robinson of the David Suzuki Foundation and Anne McMullin of the Urban Development Institute, all of whom said they and their associations will support and campaign for the yes side in the plebiscite. No one from the no side, which is being led by a group called No TransLink Tax, spoke at the meeting. But the group did release a lengthy report Thursday, outlining alternatives to a sales tax hike, including using revenue that municipalities will gain as they continue to add more people to the tax base. That revenue could be used to pay for the transportation plan. twitter.com/Howellings

Want totokeep Want keepup upwith with the Courieronline? online? the Courier It’s easy.Follow Followus us on on Twitter Twitter It’s easy. at @VanCourierNews at @VanCourierNews

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

News

VPD rejects applicant with vision problem

Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

Kiren Gill wants nothing more than to be a Vancouver police officer. The 28-year-old Surrey resident has a degree in human kinetics from the University of B.C., he’s worked as an assistant supervisor at a college, he’s volunteered with children at the YMCA and Union Gospel Mission and is physically fit. But his colour vision isn’t the best. “A normal red to you would be a bit dark to me,” he told the Courier. “Sometimes, blues and purples can be a bit difficult, especially if it’s a dark purple and a blue. But I can see colours. What I see is just slightly different than what a person with normal vision would see.” Because of this deficiency, the Vancouver Police Department told Gill he wouldn’t be a suitable candidate for a recruit. That meant no interview, no testing, no training. He received the news shortly after he applied in February 2013. Last Thursday, Gill made

Kiren Gill is pushing the Vancouver Police Department to change its vision acuity requirements for potential recruits. The VPD rejected Gill’s application because of his difficulty in recognizing shades of colour. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

a presentation to the Vancouver Police Board saying the VPD’s vision acuity requirement is discriminatory and that it wouldn’t prevent him from doing the job. “I and many others bring many other skills and assets to serve the community and are being unfairly barred from doing so,” he told the board, noting the VPD

has evolved over the years, allowing minorities and women on the force, as well as doing away with height requirements. In an interview after the board meeting, Gill said his abnormal vision was diagnosed when he was a child. So when he applied to the VPD and attached his acuity test with his application,

he knew he might not land an interview. “I knew there would be issues,” he said, noting he’s received the same response from other departments he’s applied to in the Lower Mainland. “But this is the only thing I want to do. This is my dream — to serve the community. That’s all I want to do. Ev-

erything I’ve done has been to work towards this goal.” In his research, he has learned that countries such as Ireland, England and Australia have either modiﬁed or scrapped their vision acuity requirements. He noted Vancouver Fire and Rescue now considers candidates on a case-by-case basis. Though Gill said he recognizes his vision isn’t perfect, he pointed out that should be weighted against his other attributes, including his work and life experience and skills. “Why this is an automatic rejection doesn’t make sense,” he said, noting he has a driver’s licence and, unless he told friends or co-workers about his deﬁciency, they would never recognize it. After hearing Gill’s presentation, the police board agreed to investigate further. All municipal police departments in B.C., including the VPD, follow vision acuity standards set by the B.C. Police Services Division. Those standards are based on recommendations

from the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Const. Brian Montague, a VPD media liaison officer, said in an email to the Courier the society examined the requirements of an officer’s job, including giving evidence in court, identifying suspects “and other duties that may require an officer to be able to distinguish, identify and explain colour.” Montague said Gill made some “excellent points” in his presentation to the board. He added that the VPD’s investigation of Gill’s complaint will include looking at risk management of hiring an officer who has abnormal vision. Montague said he didn’t have any statistics tracking how many applicants to the VPD had been rejected because of issues with vision acuity. Gill, meanwhile, said he can only hope his complaint will get a full examination and requirements will be relaxed. He said he will also contact Justice Minister Suzanne Anton about his concern. twitter.com/Howellings

“It was Peter Rabbit that taught me to love good books.” Few things in life are more rewarding than a thirst for knowledge. At Tapestry Retirement Communities, we provide you with exciting opportunities to continue learning and stimulate your imagination. Whether it’s attending our seminars and classes, discovering new hobbies, or pursuing cultural and volunteer activities in the local community, Tapestry oﬀers the encouragement and support you need to help keep you sharp. Call us today and see what kind of individualized programs we can oﬀer to help keep your body, mind, and spirit healthy, vibrant, and young at heart. Martha Krinsky sharing the giﬅ of reading

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W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News Program provides free training

Continued from page 1 Evans said up to eight students are hired as apprentices each year and he makes sure they graduate high school. “Loving school is really about being in the right program,” said Robin Kirk, vice principal of King George secondary who emceed the event. She encouraged students to consider a trade or tech class for next year and to ask questions of the representatives of VSB programs, post-secondary institutions and industry associations who populated a trades fair after the panel concluded. With the help of Evans, Albrecht completed two work experiences. He graduated from Tupper in 2004, discovered a seven-month waitlist for welding at BCIT, completed a seven-month steel fabrication course there instead and apprenticed at the Vancouver shipyards and drydock, where his crew dropped a 200,000-tonne ship the size of a school in the ocean. Albrecht watched divers plunge into the water and then saw a giant section of steel those divers had attached to a crane emerge.

Former Tupper student Skylar Albrecht (left) stands with Russ Evans, the teacher who helped him graduate and pursue a trade. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

He asked what training he needed to be one of those divers, served his two-week notice and paid $20,000 for a three-month dive school course in Ontario. Albrecht returned to Vancouver, Nov. 17, 2008 and demanded a job. He was told don’t call us; we’ll call you. “Nov. 19, I was getting off an airplane in Singapore to perform an emergency thruster repair,” he said. “Invest in yourself. Make some money, get another ticket,” Albrecht told students. “Make it so that they want to hire you.” Jennifer Kelly told listeners she wasn’t academically

focused in high school; then she entered the ACE IT hairdressing program at Vancouver Technical secondary in 2010 and received training that would have cost upwards of $8,000 elsewhere, free of charge. Now she’s a top stylist, salon mentor and styling educator at an Aveda salon near UBC. “You guys all have limitless potential,” Kelly said. “We all push our minds into a small world, but it’s actually really big. So just get your mind out of your own box. Remember that there’re tons of opportunities and things available if you are open.” twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

News Mayor acknowledges ‘glitches’

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Continued from page 1 The Vancouver Aquatic Centre saw 1,621 ballots cast in 2014 compared to 929 in 2011. The city acknowledged that 5,930 votes for the council race were not counted because voters voted for more than the 10 allotted positions for council. However, the 593 ballots on which the “over-votes” occurred were still counted because voters cast the correct number of votes for the races of mayor, school board and park board. Addressing Helten’s call for an inspection of the ballots, Mackenzie said such an examination would not determine whether one candidate should have received additional or fewer votes. That’s because the ballots are not designed for a voter to select candidates in preferential order. Still, Helten said, new voting machines were used in the election and his research showed the number of “over-votes” in 2014 was substantially greater than in previous elections.

“I’d like to be proven wrong by a physical inspection that the optical readers were not capturing specks of dust or other things and counting them as votes,” he said, noting he also has questions why 7,100 ballots were spoiled.

“If the ballots are destroyed, the evidence is gone forever.” —Randy Helten (Mackenzie said the 2014 vote was the ﬁrst time the city counted spoiled ballots. She said the “vast majority” of the voters who spoiled their ballots — through scribbling on it or checking off both yes and no questions to capital budget questions — were given replacement ballots.) Helten said the city should at least delay destruction of the ballots until city staff review the election. That review may

get the green light this week when NPA Coun. George Affleck introduces a motion to have staff analyze last fall’s vote. Affleck said in an interview last week that voters raised concerns with him about inconsistent checking of voter identification, spoiled ballots and long waits at polling stations. Affleck’s motion drew support from Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs last week, and Mayor Gregor Robertson told the Courier last Thursday that he agreed there should be a staff review of the election. “There’s a need for the city to look at improvements that we can make but the overarching responsibility is with Elections B.C. and we’ve got to ensure that we have them in the picture with us, as well,” Robertson said. “There was lots of upside to the improvements [advanced voting days, vote anywhere, big voter turnout] but there’s still some glitches and improvements that need to be made for the next time.” twitter.com/Howellings

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W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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BRANCHING OUT Vancouver Public Library board chair Mary Lynn Baum speaks at Monday’s ground breaking event for a $25-million library and social housing complex on East Hastings. The library, which will serve the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown and Strathcona community, is named nə́c̓ a?mat ct Strathcona library branch and is the first major civic building in Vancouver to have an official aboriginal name. See vancourier.com for more on this story. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

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News Public to get say on fate of Kingsgate Mall

Vancouver School Board to seek feedback before selling or developing Mount Pleasant shopping centre

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Vancouver School Board voted unanimously last week to consult the public before negotiating to sell or redevelop its Kingsgate Mall, which it leases to the Beedie Development Group (BDG). The vote came as the cash-strapped board contemplates options such as closing schools to reduce what is now projected to be a $15-million budget shortfall. School board trustee Patti Bacchus said Jan. 16 that she brought her motion forward to require public consultation because she feared that this openness would not happen otherwise. “If we were to be approached with an offer to purchase, anything like that would go in camera, which means we can’t talk

about it,” she said. “My concern was that I didn’t want anything like that to happen and anything to change without the public being aware.” Bacchus strongly opposes selling the property on East Broadway at Kingsway because she believes its value will appreciate in the future. She also likes the approximately $750,000 in annual revenue that the school board gets from BDG, which has many decades left on its long term lease. She is, however, open to redeveloping the site. BDG president Ryan Beedie ﬂoated the idea in 2012 that a redevelopment of the mall, with added density, would make sense and could be a win-win for both BDG and the school board. After all, Kingsgate Mall is a mere block away from Rize Alliance’s 258-home

Independent, which will launch sales in early February and is expected to be complete by 2017. “It’s hard to imagine [the mall] staying the way it is for 50 or more years and there’s decades left in the lease,” Bacchus said. “It’s difﬁcult [to redevelop] with a leased site. It’s easier with freehold land.” Beedie added that he did not want to comment “at this time” about how to redevelop the mall. The school board owns Kingsgate Mall because the site originally housed a school named False Creek School, which was built in 1887. Mount Pleasant Elementary School replaced that school in 1892 and stood on the site until it was torn down in 1972, according to a report by Commonwealth Historic Resource Management Ltd. twitter.com/GlenKorstrom

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Tapestry at Wesbrook Village 3338 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver BC 604.225.5000 Tapestry at Arbutus Walk 2799 Yew Street, Vancouver BC 604.736.1640

W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News Chapters on Robson turns the page Indigo announced Jan. 19 it will close its Chapters bookstore on Robson Street June 30. “Recently, a very signiﬁcant rent increase made continued proﬁtability untenable,” the company said in a release. “Indigo plans to open another location in the same Vancouver trade area this year.” Indigo CEO Heather Reisman said the proposed lease renewal’s “terms are simply untenable for us to stay in that location” because it would push the store into

being unprofitable. Vancouver’s Warrington PCI manages the lease for the 52,000-square-foot Chapters location on behalf of the owner, which is a numbered company. Indigo is now pursuing finding another Chapters location to serve what it calls the “Robson trade area.” A person who identified himself as the store manager at the Robson Chapters location estimated the store has about 50 staff. He expected there would be a large sale in the lead-up to the store’s closure. Indigo plans to keep its store at Granville and West

Broadway open. It will also move to that location what it calls its American Girl specialty boutique.

NEB to open Vancouver office

The National Energy Board (NEB) is opening a regional ofﬁce in Vancouver as the independent regulator deals with two major pipeline projects in the works in B.C. The new ofﬁce is set to open by the spring. The NEB is charged with approving projects in the oil, gas and electricity sectors, including Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gate-

way pipeline, which would run from northern Alberta through to northern B.C. Meanwhile, Kinder Morgan wants to twin its existing Trans Mountain pipeline, which runs between northern Alberta and Burnaby. Both projects have been met with resistance from different groups in B.C. The staff at the NEB’s new regional ofﬁce will focus on communications work, community engagement and assist with operations, according to a press release. The NEB did not respond to requests for an interview.

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Opinion Report shows progress It’s time to fix our with kids in care broken taxi system Les Leyne Columnist lleyne@timescolonist.com It’s one of the more exhaustive report cards issued on what a ministry does and how it goes about doing it. The performance review on the Ministry of Children and Family Development was released recently, and it’s getting progressively more comprehensive. The hope is to identify trends in that most sensitive of ministries and track progress as well as problems. Here’s a look at some other services delved into by the review — covering the year ending March 2014: • Adoptions: The ministry reported 231 adoption placements, representing 16 per cent of all the children eligible for adoption. Performance improved over that year, the ministry said, because of an increase in placements and a drop in the numbers of children eligible. More children under 12 were eligible and they are three times easier to place. There were 793 aboriginal children eligible for adoption and only 76 were placed in adoption homes. Forty-two of them (55 per cent) were placed with aboriginal families, a priority in such cases. That rate has dropped 15 percentage points in two years, reﬂecting more placements in non-aboriginal homes. The wait time from being declared a permanent ward to being adopted is now 26 months. That’s two months longer than two years ago, although the variables don’t necessarily make that a trend. • Special needs: There were 686 children with at least one recognized special need in care last year. The median cost per case has risen substantially, driven partly by the shortage of foster parents, which translates into more use of more expensive contracted services. It’s $43,640, up nine per cent in two years. The increase is considered signiﬁcant. The number of children in that category has dropped 13 per cent over the period. Broken down by age category, there are fewer older children but there was a jump in the median cost of caring for the 12-15 age category. “This indicates that although fewer children fall in that category, those who remain are much more expensive to care for,” says the review. There’s a remarkable range in the cost of caring for special-needs kids. Sixty per cent

Some of the numbers are open to interpretation, but the level of detail is impressive. of them cost less than $55,000 a year to care for, but the remaining 40 per cent cost between $55,000 and $500,000 to care for, based on the acuity of their needs. • Mental health: The ministry spends $77 million a year on mental-health services. No specific performance evaluators were included in the report, but according to a satisfaction survey conducted among clients, the overall service is wellreceived. Clients were asked nine questions about aspects of the service they received. Fifty-one per cent said it was excellent overall and 41 per cent said it was good or very good. On the specific question about courtesy and respect shown by staff, the service scored a 96 per cent positive response (good, very good, or excellent). The least satisfaction is about waiting times. The numbers are comparable to a similar survey two years previously. • Child safety: The ministry gets 37,000 protection reports a year. The preferred approach is described as a family-development response — working with families where a time-consuming and intrusive investigation is unnecessary. It serves low-risk families who need services quickly. Use of the family-development response has increased 20-fold over seven years, the ministry said. Better prevention and other alternatives have lowered the children and youth in care caseload by 10 per cent (961 cases) over that time frame. The number of families investigated with a protection finding decreased dramatically, while the percentage of children removed from homes after investigations increased substantially. The ministry said the child-protection workers are using investigations for more severe cases, resulting in more removals. Overall, some of the numbers are open to interpretation, but the level of detail in the public reporting on the crucial job they’re doing is impressive. twitter.com/leyneles

Michael Geller Columnist michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com Have you ever waited too long for a taxi, or not got one at all? Last week, SFU’s noon-time discussion series “City Conversation” examined Vancouver’s taxi industry and emerging technology-based alternatives such as Uber. Participants included Mohan Singh, president of the B.C. Taxi Association (BCTA), which represents most taxi companies in the province, and former Vancouver city councillor and writer Peter Ladner. While Uber and its aggressive tactics have attracted media headlines, there are other ride-share providers wanting to serve us. This could have significant ramifications for taxi passengers, drivers and the industry as a whole. I attended this discussion since for many years I have believed Metro Vancouver’s taxi system is broken, especially when compared with other cities where I have lived and travelled. The fact that the BCTA represents all 140 taxi companies in B.C. except for the four companies operating in Vancouver is, to my mind, evidence that something is amiss. While the BCTA is proud of its lobbying efforts to keep the B.C. taxi industry regulated, many provincial regulations are outdated, short-sighted and neither sustainable nor in the best interests of passengers. For example, except during weekend evenings, North Shore, Surrey or Richmond taxis bringing fares into Vancouver are not allowed to take fares back to their home municipalities. They must return empty. This is a sustainable transportation system? At the same time, Vancouver taxis are often reluctant to take fares to distant parts of Metro Vancouver since they too are restricted from bringing fares back to the city. If you have ever waited a long time for a taxi or not found one at all, it may be because Vancouver has the lowest ratio of taxis per capita of any major Canadian city. It is significant that not one new taxi company has been allowed to enter the Vancouver market in 25 years. Compare this with any other retail or service industry. If you thought fares seemed expensive, Vancouver rates are approximately 15 per cent higher than the average in major

The week in num6ers...

52 750 7.1 1.4

In thousands of square feet, the size of the Chapter’s store on Robson Street that will be shutting its doors June 30 due to unaffordable rent.

In thousands of dollars, the annual revenue the Vancouver school board receives from renting out the Kingsgate Mall.

In thousands, the number of spoiled ballots cast in the 2014 municipal election, according to city clerk Janice Mackenzie.

In thousands, the number of cigarette butts that were picked up from the ground at Wreck Beach on Saturday by volunteers with the Surfrider Foundation.

Canadian cities. SFU graduate student Benn Proctor has written an excellent master’s thesis on the taxi industry. He concluded that the primary beneficiaries of current regulations are the taxi company shareholders who can charge $800,000 for a single taxi cab license. Meanwhile, taxi drivers who work half their shift just to pay overhead and operating expenses and taxi passengers are the losers; especially those of us trying to get a cab during peak times or around 4 p.m. when the customary 12-hour shifts start and end. While deregulating the taxi industry might seem like a possible solution, it has been tried in many places around the world with limited success. Regulatory reform would seem to be a better approach. However, without public outcry, significant regulatory reform is not likely to happen since, as I learned when I ran for city council, taxi cab owners are very influential and highly visible at election time. For these reasons, I and many others would like to see Uber or similar companies operating in Vancouver. Uber’s stated mission is “to improve city life by connecting people with safe, reliable, hassle-free rides through the use of technology.” Passengers use a smartphone app to connect with private drivers. Uber currently operates in 253 cities in 53 countries worldwide. While it has generated concerns, as noted during the SFU discussion, including highly publicized reports of drivers raping passengers, everyone with whom I have spoken who has used Uber is full of praise. Fares are generally lower, cars come quickly and the smartphone application provides details on vehicle identification and arrival. Furthermore, no cash changes hands. Today New York City has 14,000 cabs for 8.5 million people. Mexico City has 100,000 cabs for 9 million people. Metro Vancouver has 1,500 cabs serving a population of nearly 2.5 million. As more Vancouver residents choose not to own a car, and tougher drinking and driving laws are introduced, the need for more taxis and taxi alternatives will increase. Vancouver needs to develop a “taxi culture” like other major world cities. More cabs and alternative transportation choices like Uber will help make this happen. twitter.com/michaelgeller

15 100

The percentage taxi fares are higher in Vancouver than in other major Canadian cities.

In a typical year, the average number of calls for help the North Shore rescue responds to. The non-profit group celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

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Mailbox Corrigan vs. Garr: Round 2

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

North America defeats World

Jan. 18, 1998:The NHL All-Star Game takes place at GM Place and, instead of the usual eastern vs. western conference tilt, features the best players from the U.S. and Canada taking on the best from the rest. NHL players were eligible to compete at the Olympics for the first time the following month in Nagano, and the decision was made to inject some national pride into the annual event. The North American team came back from an early 3-0 deficit to win 8-7. Vancouver Canucks captain Mark Messier scored the game-winning goal on home ice four minutes into the third period after taking a pass from former Edmonton Oilers teammate Wayne Gretzky.

Deadly mudslide hits North Van

Jan. 19, 2005: A mudslide sweeps a house off the face of Mount Seymour, killing 44-year-old Eliza Kuttner, seriously injuring her husband Michael and forcing the evacuation of an entire neighbourhood. The wall of mud, trees and rocks slammed into the home on Chapman Way with such force that it knocked the building 100 metres off its foundation and spread the debris over the length of a football field. The slide followed three days of up to 10 centimetres of rain per day and unseasonably high temperatures. A few months later, the District of North Vancouver bought out seven of the homes in the area affected by the slide in order to demolish them and turn the area into a new park named after Eliza Kuttner. ADVERTISING

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To the editor: Re: “Burnaby mayor the odd man out on vote,” Jan. 16. Another fascinating piece from Allen Garr. Talk about resenting criticism! How dare I respond to his article and actually talk about the issues. That will certainly bring down his wrathful vengeance as he strives to ﬁnd some other fault in my political positions. It’s too bad Garr is so reluctant to criticize the governments that are responsible for poverty and homelessness. Instead, he expects local governments to shoulder the responsibility. Then, no doubt, he will rail against property tax increases. I have been an elected representative for nearly twenty-eight years and I have been continually surprised by the sensitivity of reporters and political columnists. They can dish it out, but they just can’t take it, even if it is a mere letter to the editor. By the way, in the Garr home it may be the case that everybody tows the Garr line and his wife, partner or signiﬁcant other agrees with his every column, but Kathy and I often disagree on important issues and respect each other’s opinions. Even more importantly, in an astounding lack of sophistication for such an experienced reporter, he seems entirely unaware of caucus solidarity once a caucus position is taken.

Come on Garr, you are better than phoning my wife to tell on me. Mayor Derek Corrigan, Burnaby

Staying with school group

To the editor: Re: “Hopes for heritage schools shaky,” Jan. 9. Congratulations to the General Gordon community, Heritage Vancouver and the Vancouver School Board on ﬁnding a path forward to keep children safe. I especially applaud Patti Bacchus for her diligent work trying to make progress on the seismic safety issue for many schools in Vancouver. I disagree with Donald Luxton’s comment: “Also certain communities want a new school. Well by the time the building’s done, their kids aren’t even at that school.” In our school community, we were fortunate to have active parents that took a long-term view, considering not only heritage, but also the need for student safety (both present and future students), and the need for balanced distribution of taxpayer dollars, considering competing demands of health care, infrastructure, etc. Even though my children no longer attend Lord Kitchener Elementary, on the street I am sometimes thanked by parents of younger children for the hard work that our parent seismic committee did years ago. Peggy Alca, Vancouver

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COURIER STORY: “Affleck seeks election review,” Jan. 16. Tara Sundberg: Just be happy with your council seat and don’t waste our $$ George. David Gibson: Tara: that’s just nonsense. George is rightly concerned that the value of our votes was reduced by staff errors in some cases. For example, when some polls ran out of ballots, some voters left without being able to vote. That’s what George Affleck is requesting on our behalf, and I applaud him for it. COURIER COLUMN: “Burnaby mayor the odd man out on vote,” Jan. 16. Fred Irvine: Derek Corrigan’s views on the homeless are a matter of record and he cannot avoid that record through a gratuitous, ad hominem, and I would say immature attack on Allen Garr. Jesse Carroll: This mayor is one of the best things about Burnaby. There’s a reason he keeps getting re-elected. COURIER COLUMN: “No-win situation after Charlie Hebdo attack,” Jan. 16. Alessandra: Thank you — clear and responsible, addressing several main issues in a succinct way. We’re all being playing by the worst elements in society who have tremendous power and do not have our best interests in mind: those who want war. COURIER COLUMN: “Act of courage saved lives,” Jan. 16. Bonnie @greenurlifenow: A wonderful true story that shows the goodness in humanity. COURIER STORY: “Full school leaves Dickens annex kids in limbo,” Jan. 9. Robert: Actually, just a few facts to clarify some things. Dickens Annex and Main school are not your average neighbourhood school. In fact, they used to be a “choice” school because they use a multi-age philosophy (different from split classes). There is no other school in the Vancouver system that fully embraces this philosophy from K to 7. And that pedagogy, adopted in 1988, is why most of us enrolled our kids there. Five years ago, the school was so undersubscribed by local parents, many of whom don’t like the philosophy, that cross-boundary parents were welcomed with open arms by the VSB.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

Community

ECO BEACH 1. Matthew Unger, chair of the Vancouver chapter of the Surfrider Foundation first heard about the group when he was part of a team doing ocean research aboard the Virgin Oceanic in California. 2. A volunteer with the Vancouver chapter of the Surfrider Foundation with some of the garbage he picked up from Wreck Beach Saturday. 3. Volunteers start their climb of almost 500 steps from Wreck Beach to Marine Drive to where the Surfrider Foundation research team weighed and measured large pieces of garbage and counted every single cigarette butt found in the sand during Saturday’s beach cleanup. 4. Volunteers Anthony Pak and Elisha La comb the grasses on Wreck Beach for garbage. The Vancouver chapter of the foundation holds a beach cleanup in the city once a month. Cigarettes are the most common pieces of trash and 1,400 butts were picked up and counted in a two-hour period of Saturday’s cleanup. See photo gallery online at vancourier.com. PHOTOS REBECCA BLISSETT

Surfriders aim to make a clean sweep of beaches Toaster ovens, barbecue parts and thousands of cigarette butts removed from local beaches

CITY LIVING Rebecca Blissett

rvblissett@gmail.com

Once cheery beach chairs, now weather-tattered relics from a summer that seems far too long ago, were one of the many pieces of junk lugged up the hundreds of steps to Marine Drive from Wreck Beach Saturday. Volunteers, mostly in jeans, warm jackets and practical gloves, picked their way through the heavy and wet sand at Vancouver’s clothing optional beach Saturday morning and afternoon, adding their ﬁnds to garbage bags or white buckets. Everything was dumped out on a tarp at the trail head where the Surfrider Foundation had set up its

blue tent under which large pieces of garbage (metal piping, thick coils of rope, rusted barbecue parts) were measured and every single cigarette butt found in the sand and sea counted. Volunteers picked up 5,000 butts on Wreck Beach during one of their monthly cleanups last summer. Astonishingly, it was done in a short amount of time in a designated area (cleanups are done in a speciﬁc area so data entry parameters remain consistent). Even more astonishing is that there is a designated smoking area on a ruggedly beautiful beach with a container for butts nailed to a post with the hope that people use it, rather than treat the sandy expanse as one, giant ashtray. Matthew Unger moved

to Vancouver four years ago from his family farm located in Greenland, Man. He had visited Vancouver before and decided he had to live here. “You can stand in one spot and see beautiful coastal mountains, turn around and see the ocean,” he said, the excitement in his voice betraying the fact the novelty has not yet worn off. Unger is now the chair of the 10-year-old Vancouver chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, an international non-proﬁt group that dedicates itself to, in its words, “protecting oceans, waves and beaches since 1984.” It started in Malibu, Calif. when a group of surfers protested, and succeeded in stopping, coastal development at their local

surf break at Malibu Point. The group’s Vancouver chapter recently decided to stop beach cleanups in other areas of the Lower Mainland, such as White Rock and West Vancouver’s Lighthouse Point, in favour of focusing on city beaches. Part of that reasoning is the goal to educate people on the environmental hazards of garbage, as well as drilling home one of their campaign slogans — “Protect Where You Play.” And, sadly, the once-amonth beach cleanups in Vancouver remind volunteers that they have some work ahead of them. Unger remembered the last time he was on cleanup duty at Wreck Beach. “You do your sweep, you turn around, and you look at your footsteps and cigarette

butts are poking up in the sand from where you just walked,” he said. “On any Vancouver beach, cigarettes, by far, account for most of the trash.” During last month’s English Bay cleanup, 22 hypodermic needles were found on the beach. An earlier cleanup in Coal Harbour rescued a coffee maker, toaster oven and a microwave from the water. Coal Harbour also gets bonus points for the oddest catch when volunteers found three Harlequin romance novels, a pair of stiletto boots and a couple packages of condoms all under a tree. Surfrider Vancouver also has plans beyond cleanups, such as encouraging the city’s beach concession stands to use compostable

food containers and cutlery, educating the public about water quality, and the horrendous damage plastics can cause. Anybody is welcome to volunteer in any capacity, said Unger, pointing out that it’s a great way to meet fellow ocean-lovers whether it’s paddle-boarders, rowers, wind-surfers or skim-boarders. Scuba divers also make up some of the group’s numbers, and they’re especially important as they ﬁnd the hidden garbage and hazards such as loose boat anchors and ghost crab traps (a lost trap still traps). Vancouver is indeed a beautiful city, but it needs more than the efforts of a small group to stay that way, Unger said. “Appreciate it, right?” twitter.com/rebeccablissett

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News

Development Permit Board Meeting: January 26 Despite an anticipated growth of between 140,000 to 160,000 people over the next 30 years and the development required to accommodate that growth, Brian Jackson, the city’s manager of planning and development, says the actual amount of the physical land that will be changing in Vancouver is actually a very small percentage of the overall land base. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Heritage, land use studies on 2015 planning agenda DEVELOPING STORY

Naoibh O’Connor

noconnor@vancourier.com

Vancouver’s planning department will grapple with subjects ranging from heritage buildings to policy statements for large parcels of land in 2015. In a sit-down with the Courier earlier this month, Brian Jackson, the city’s manager of planning and development, outlined priorities for the coming year. Finding more ways to protect heritage buildings remains a top concern. A series of reports related to the city’s Heritage Action Plan will be brought forward in stages in 2015. Last June, council approved a one-year prohibition on demolishing pre-1940 homes in the First Shaughnessy District so the city could review the area’s ofﬁcial development plan and determine what steps can be taken to conserve heritage property in the district. Jackson expects a report on that issue will be brought forward in March or April followed, in June, by recom-

mendations on how to save more of the city’s character homes. In the fall, another report on additional heritage preservation techniques or methods, as well as how to ﬁnance them, will be unveiled, along with an update to heritage register — the ﬁrst update in almost 30 years.

forward when it’s ready to come forward. We learned that time crunches can sometimes cause mistakes to be made, and the need to reset that, so we’re hoping people understand that we’re not operating under any time crunch. We will come forward when we believe

“I want to reassure people through applications and through policies that there are pockets where there’s going to be redevelopment opportunities, but the vast majority of Vancouver, 10, 20, 30 years from now is going to look exactly the same as it does now.” —Brian Jackson The Grandview-Woodland Citizens’ Assembly continues to attract interest, according to Jackson, who said about 100 people registered for a recent public meeting. After the assembly ﬁnishes its report mid-year, city staff will work with the broader community to turn the recommendations into a land use plan. Jackson stressed there’s no target date for the plan’s approval. “The plan will come

there is enough consensus for moving forward in Grandview-Woodland,” he said. Jackson hopes to address complaints from neighbourhood groups about consultation by revisiting plans for consultation on topics such as Northeast False Creek and False Creek Flats. “In both these areas, we had outlined what the public consultation process was to be. I think it would be useful to have a second look at the

type of consultation that we recommended, especially now with the results of the Engaged City Task Force report on innovative ways to reach out to communities and seek a broader input in terms of what we’re recommending,” he said. “So I would recommend that we would perhaps go back on the consultation side and come up with some new ideas. It responds to the concerns of the [Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods], as well as to others.” A report kicking off phase three of the Cambie corridor plan will come forward in the spring. “Moving forward from Marpole, we’re going to be looking very carefully at the boundaries of the study area to ensure that we encourage the stability of single-family neighbourhoods, while still looking for some development opportunities on what could be termed the shoulder areas of Cambie,” Jackson said. A report on False Creek South, addressing the complex matter of what to do with leases that are running out, will be coming forward this spring as well. Jackson called it a “tough nut to crack.” Continued on page 14

The Development Permit Board and Advisory Panel will meet: Monday, January 26, 2015 at 3 pm Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue Ground Floor, Town Hall Meeting Room to consider the following development permit application: 803 West 12th Avenue: To construct a new eightstorey acute care hospital building to consolidate existing mental health facilities at Vancouver General Hospital and University of British Columbia hospitals. The building will consist of: out-patient facilities on levels one and two; administration and mechanical space at level three; 100 in-patient beds on levels four to eight; and a roof garden on the top level. Please contact City Hall Security (ground 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 Visit: vancouver.ca Phone: 3-1-1 TTY: 7-1-1

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News Most of Vancouver will look the same, assures Jackson

Continued from page 13 “This is being led by our real estate and housing staff with planning following,” he said. Policy statements in the works include ones for Langara Gardens, a 20.8-acre site between 54th and 57th Avenue west of Cambie Street on the southeast edge of the Oakridge neighbourhood,

and the TransLink-owned Oakridge Transit Centre (OTC) site, a 13.9-acre property at 949 West 41st. There’s already been one set of consultations for both Langara Gardens and the OTC site. Staff will go out for another round in the spring, after which they’ll produce draft policy statements that will be released for further feedback.

Policy statements being initiated this year will be for the two sites announced by the federal government that are being transferred to Canada Lands — the RCMP site on Heather Street between West 33rd and 37th avenues and the 52-acre Jericho Lands. Major development applications in Downtown South are expected in

2015, as well as for the West End. In the West End, the applications are directly as a result of the policies and the community plan council approved, Jackson said. “And I think you’ll see some very interesting applications coming forward in the DTES to respond to the 60-40 split for affordable housing and rental housing

in the DTES,” he added. Although Vancouver faces a population growth of between 140,000 and 160,000 in the next 30 years, Jackson stresses that doesn’t mean all of Vancouver is going to be changing. “The actual amount of the physical land that will be changing in Vancouver is actually a very small

percentage of the overall land base,” he said. “I want to reassure people through applications and through policies that there are pockets where there’s going to be redevelopment opportunities, but the vast majority of Vancouver, 10, 20, 30 years from now is going to look exactly the same as it does now.” twitter.com/naoibh

“Our goal is to ensure those living along the pipeline benefit from the employment generated.” - Greg Toth, Senior Project Director, Trans Mountain Expansion Project

Trans Mountain’s vision is to see the opportunities created by the project lead to long-term economic advantages for communities along the right-of-way. The construction and first 20 years of operation of the proposed expansion are expected to create a total of 108,000 person years of employment. We want to deliver lasting local benefits.

• We have a commitment to maximizing employment opportunities for both Aboriginal and local people. • The $5.4 billion Expansion Project is all private sector capital, $3.2 billion of which will be spent in BC. No taxpayer dollars are at risk. • At the peak of construction, 4,500 people will be working on the pipeline. • The expansion will create approximately 3,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs per year for at least 20 years of operation, the majority of which will be in BC. • $4.3 billion in tax revenues will be generated from construction and 20 years of operation. • BC communities will accrue aggregate property tax increases of approximately $23.2 million per year, rising from $23 million to $46.2 million. • During construction, workers will spend $382 million on accommodation, meals and personal items in BC communities. • Every time a tanker docks at Westridge Marine Terminal, it brings $310,000 worth of value to the Metro Vancouver economy. • The project will unlock access to world markets for our oil, resulting in substantial tax revenues for all Canadians.

For more information, go to blog.TransMountain.com Committed to safety since 1953.

W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Road to wellness littered with cheese COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Sandra Thomas

sthomas@vancourier.com

Coal Harbour

One of the highlights of the annual Wellness Show, which runs Feb. 13 to 15 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, is dedicated to women. The Women and Wellness Series includes workshops, presentations and demonstrations on everything from massage therapy and women’s health, to the “Seven Deadly Estro-Sins: Learn the Facts about Xenoestrogens.” Besides women, the Wellness Show literally has something for everyone, including a celebrity cooking stage, Dairy Farmers of Canada’s All You Need is Cheese seminar, ﬁtness demonstrations, kids activities, “Natural Beauty and RawSome Living” areas, exhibitors and promotions of wellness information on everything from nutrition and travel to aromatherapy, pet health, Chinese medicine and health assessments. For a complete list of events, exhibitors and ticket information, visit thewellnessshow.com.

Stanley Park

The Investors Group Walk for Memories is a great way to support families in your community impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementias and to support research to ﬁnd a cure. Gather friends, family and co-workers to honour the memory or celebrate the life of a person living with dementia. Each of the walks is dedicated to an honoree — a person impacted by Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. To that end, this year’s walk

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

The Celebrity Cooking Stage is just one highlight of the 2015 Wellness Show, which runs Feb. 13 to 15 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

celebrates Barry Ritter, who has owned a sales and marketing agency for consumer electronics for more than 30 years. Ritter was forced to retire several years ago due to the changes brought on by Alzheimer’s disease. Ritter and wife Myrna credit the Alzheimer Society of B.C. for providing them with support and education for today and the future. They’re also grateful for how support groups have provided an opportunity to connect with others. Register now at no cost as a team or individual. Those who can’t make it to the event can take part and still raise money by choosing a virtual walk. This annual event takes place in communities

across B.C. on the last Sunday in January, as part of National Alzheimer Awareness Month. In Vancouver the event takes place Jan. 25 at the Stanley Park Pavilion on Pipeline Road with registration at noon and the ﬁve-kilometre walk ongoing from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, call 604-681-6530 or toll-free 1-800-667-3742. Visit walkformemories.com for more information.

Champlain Heights

The Champlain Heights Branch of the Vancouver Public Library is hosting a program designed to help dads, uncles, step-dads, foster dads, granddads and all male caregivers learn language play for babies up to 18 months old.

The Man in the Moon program, created for very young children and the men who love them, takes place Saturdays until March 7 from 3 to 4 p.m. at the library, 7110 Kerr St. The program is free, but registration is required by calling 604-665-3955. For a complete list of events, visit vpl.ca/events.

Province wide

The War Amps begins its 2015 key tag mailing to B.C. residents this week with a message promising the organization is here to help. In a letter accompanying the key tags, two parents, Melissa and Steven, describe how the War Amps provided emotional and ﬁnancial support to their family from the day

they learned their daughter Ella, now 8 years old, would be born missing her right hand. The couple registered Ella in the Child Amputee (CHAMP) Program before she was even born. Since then, the family has received financial assistance for artificial limbs and attended regional seminars so they can meet other child amputees and their parents, share experiences and exchange advice. At three months, Ella received her first artificial arm and now she has two — a myoelectric arm for everyday and a lightweight one for swimming and dance, which she can add attachments to for activities such as gymnastics and paddling a kayak. About the program:

War Amps tags protect any keys, which make them more vital than ever considering the high replacement cost of electronic door openers and anti-theft devices. Each key tag has a conﬁdentially coded number. Should the keys be lost, the ﬁnder can call the toll-free number on the back of the tag, or deposit them in any mailbox, and the keys will be returned to the owner by bonded courier. The War Amps receives no government grants. Instead, its programs are possible through public support of the key tag and address label service. For more information or to order key tags, call toll-free 1-800-250-3030 or visit waramps.ca. twitter.com/sthomas10

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

GOUT: the newest in lifestyle and treatment FREE patient information session We encourage you to bring FAMILY or FRIENDS! A Rheumatologist and Nurse will be presenting and available to answer all your questions.

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registration@bc.arthritis.ca or (604) 714-5550. In your message please specify which date you are interested in attending and how many people if any will be attending with you.

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Survivor an unstoppable force Prostate Cancer Canada’s Do it for Dads Step Up Challenge

Erin McPhee

emcphee@nsnews.com

In the wake of a February 2011 diagnosis with prostate cancer, West Vancouver’s Don Konantz has continued to step up. Later that year, every day for an eight-week period while undergoing radiation treatment, Konantz successfully ascended all 2,830 steps of the Grouse Grind. He went on to run the Berlin and Vancouver marathons in 2011 and 2012 while on a host of cancerﬁghting drugs. The unstoppable force is currently immersed in training as he has his sights set on a full-course Ironman event being held July 26 in Whistler. The married father of four has never shied away from sharing his personal story, bravely being featured in the star-studded 2014 Stand Up To Cancer Show, an hourlong telethon ﬁlmed in Los Angeles that featured the likes of Ariana Grande, Steve Carell, Melissa McCarthy and Reese Witherspoon. The show was broadcast across North America Sept. 5, 2014 and raised more than $109 million (U.S.) for cancer research. Here at home, Konantz has continued to take an advocacy role as a means of increasing awareness of the importance of early detection of prostate cancer, and to raise funds for research related to treatment and a cure. Konantz serves as chairman of the Coalition to Cure Prostate Cancer, a research-focused agency that promotes cancer prevention and survival through a better understanding of cancer causes. His latest endeavour is to serve as both a participant and spokesman for Prostate Cancer Canada and its upcoming Do it for Dads Step Up Challenge. The event,

Prostate cancer survivor Don Konantz encourages corporate teams of five to register to climb to the top of five Vancouver office buildings to raise funds for prostate cancer research. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD

being held Sunday, Feb. 22, will see corporate teams of five climb the stairs of five of Vancouver’s tallest downtown office buildings, and raise a minimum of $5,000 to support research at the Vancouver Prostate Centre. Participants will climb the stairs of the Oceanic Plaza, Guinness Tower, Park Place, TD Tower and Scotia Tower for a grand total of 5,000 feet, the approximate equivalent to completing two Grouse Grinds. “It’s a great event, it’s going to raise some wellneeded research funds for the cause and it’s going to raise awareness for men to step up for dads... and also step into action for making sure that they’re not at risk,” says Konantz, 52, who, in his professional life is the founder and a director of Colorworks, a full-service autobody company. Konantz is pleased the funds raised from the Do it for Dads Step Up Challenge will go to the Vancouver Prostate Centre. “This is a world-class cancer research facility that

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is in our community,” he says. “Men in Vancouver, in particular, and British Columbia, generally, are very well-served to have this team of people that are looking into this problem,” he adds. According to Prostate Cancer Canada, prostate is the most common cancer affecting men and one in eight will receive a diagnosis in their lifetime. “Prostate cancer is a very scary and can be lethal disease and it crept up on me,” says Konantz. “I was sailing along in my life, doing what normal late-40s men are doing, and this really came out of nowhere. It was just a complete shock to me.” Married to a registered dietitian and nutritionist, and leading an incredibly active, healthy life, Konantz’s diagnosis came as a shock, particularly as his cancer was quite advanced and he had lymph-node involvement, a major cause for concern. Konantz has since undergone surgery, radiation treatment and 38 months of cancer-ﬁghting drugs, the latest round of which he

completed and has been on a drug suspension since July 2014. In 2012, his son Willy and friends Taylor Scholz, Mikhail Zalesky and Yongku Jung raised $275,000 for the Vancouver Prostate Centre through a fundraising cycling trip, Gear West: Our Ride For Men, from Ontario to West Vancouver. “Like everybody, I have a someday list. I have a list of things that I want to do someday. I’ve got four kids. I want to see them graduate, I want to see them celebrate the milestones in their lives as well as my own. I think the best possible example that I could give to them is to be active and face this head on and that’s what I’ve been doing,” says Konantz. More teams are wanted for the challenge, which is open to men and women of all ﬁtness levels. To help teams get ready, sponsor Steve Nash Fitness World Sports Club is offering training to early registrants. New teams can access hardcopy training materials also prepared by the club. twitter.com/ErinMMcPhee

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W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Which one of these words is NOT a type of arthritis:

What keeps us from eating well? Davidicus Wong, M.D.

restaurants were required to state the health risks as they do in American drug commercials. This bacon, double cheeseburger combo may increase your risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks and premature death.

davidicuswong.wordpress.com.

When I was a kid, I would ask myself WWSD (What would Spock do?). Spock, of course, was the First Officer on the starship Enterprise. Half Vulcan and half human, he would suppress his human emotions and make decisions based purely on logic. If you’re not a trekkie (that means Star Trek fan for those who aren’t), you could ask yourself WWSPD (What would a smart person do?). That’s not a personal insult. It’s something we should all ask ourselves when we find areas of our lives off track. We don’t make smart choices when we’re in a rush, stuck in a routine, following the crowd or sidetracked by emotions. Every parent knows that a two-year-old throwing a tantrum acts like a baby and a five-year-old like a two-year-old. A teenager still acts like a teenager. Adults in a rage make very foolish choices. When we take a calm moment and reflect, we recognize where we can make some improvements. Understanding that what we inhale, drink and consume is crucial to our physical and emotional wellbeing, we could make better choices. What are the barriers to eating the healthiest diet?

Habit

It seems easier to continue the old routine of eating the same breakfast or skipping it altogether. You may eat the same fast food meal just because it’s easier than trying something new. You may order your usual specialty coffee without thinking about calories or fat content.

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Knowledge

Many people rely on TV, the internet and their friends for medical information, including the basics of a healthy diet. A more reliable source is Canada’s Food Guide on Health Canada’s website. It provides practical information on ﬁnding adequate nutrition from a variety of foods.

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Canada’s Food Guide on Health Canada’s website provides practical information on finding adequate nutrition from a variety of foods.

To change an unhealthy habit requires time to reﬂect on healthier choices and repeated attempts to establish a better routine.

Your emotional connection with food

We all have our favourite foods. They may be comfort foods that remind us of happy times past, like a hot chocolate on a snowy day. They can be snacks or drinks we crave so much that we forget how bad we felt the last time we consumed them. Giving up emotional eating requires the discipline to reﬂect before we eat and choose what is best for us. With age and wisdom, you may eventually discover that even if we don’t satisfy a craving, it will eventually subside.

Your cultural connection with food

Growing up ChineseCanadian, you have to be antisocial to avoid eating in Chinese restaurants with the usual high salt, high fat and high carb meals. Fortunately, my mom cooked brown rice, lots of veggies and low fat meats. We ate Western food and Chinese food every other day. My sister and I would know to set the dinner table with knives and forks if we used chopsticks and soup spoons the night before.

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Television commercials are designed to make us crave fast food. Big screens and high deﬁnition make bad food look even better. Imagine what those commercials would be like if

Seeking volunteers with knee osteoarthritis. We need your help for a research study! The Motion Analysis and Biofeedback Lab at the University of British Columbia is seeking volunteers with knee osteoarthritis to participate in a study assessing the effects of different types of exercise on standing balance and physical function. If eligible, you may receive a supervised training program consisting of exercises to be performed 4 times a week for 10 weeks. To take part you must: • be 50 - 80 years old • have osteoarthritis in at least one knee • be otherwise healthy (i.e. no stroke, diabetes, or Parkinson’s) • not have had a hip or knee replacement • be willing to complete 10 weeks of exercise Visit www.ubc-mablab.ca or contact Natasha (604-822-7948 or mablabstudies@gmail.com) for further details!

Often less nutritious food is cheaper than healthier choices. Eating on a smaller budget can be a challenge. In upcoming columns, I’ll discuss the basics of healthy eating with some tips for eating on a budget. Dr. Davidicus Wong is the physician lead of the Burnaby Division of Family Practice. To learn more about upcoming health education events, see the BDFP website at divisionsbc.ca/Burnaby. For more on achieving your positive potential in health: davidicuswong.wordpress.com.

CALL 604-257-6955 TO REGISTER TODAY! www.arthritis.ca

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

Arts&Entertainment

GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com

1 Jan. 21 to 23, 2015 1. Billed as “a gender-blending bootypounding queer perversion of punk dragged through a musical theatre gutter,” The Christeene Machine is led by American drag queen, performance artist, singersongwriter and rapper Christeene Vale. See and hear what all the fuss is about when The Christeene Machine rolls over Granville Island’s Performance Works Jan. 22 to 23 as part of Club PuSh, the less formal, more cutting-edge social hub of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. Info at pushfestival.ca. 2. Ever wonder what the Greek tragedy Euripides would look like if Dionysus was a transvestite in thigh highs and combat boots? Wonder no more, as Theatre UBC presents Charles L. Mee’s The Bacchae 2.1, which is based on Euripides, while drawing from German literary theorist Klaus Theweleit’s Male Fantasies, Valerie Solanas’ The S.C.U.M. Manifesto and Joan Nestle’s Lesbian Herstory Archives. The dark, racy and explicit production runs Jan. 22 to Feb. 7 at Frederic Wood Theatre. Details at theatreﬁlm.ubc.ca. 3. Quebec circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (a.k.a. 7 Fingers, for all you anglophones) haul their limber limbs across and above the Vancouver Playhouse stage for their latest production Séquence 8. It runs Jan. 22 to 24 as part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. Details at pushfestival.ca. 4. Reunited and it feels so good, Toronto’s Death from Above 1979 gets set to pulverize the masses Jan. 21 at the Vogue Theatre in support of their new album The Physical World, the unlikely follow-up to the duo’s masterful 2004 debut You’re A Woman, I’m a Machine. Metz and PS I Love You open. The same lineup plays the following night (Jan. 22) for a 19+ show at the Commodore Ballroom. Tickets at ticketmaster.ca.

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We’ll admit to feeling a certain amount of schadenfreud when we learned this week that Chapters Indigo plans to shut down its ﬂagship Vancouver location on Robson and Howe, June 30, citing high rent for its closure. And we rarely express schadenfreud, mostly because it’s hard to pronounce and spell. Of course, many have blamed Chapters for the demise of independent book stores over the years, but we also think lazy, cheap people who don’t put much thought into the effects of their easily coerced consumer habits are equally to blame. Because when it comes right down to it, Chapters is a crappy bookstore. Unless you’re looking for a current best seller, or the latest Oprah-approved memoir or coffee table book, the store’s selection is horrible. The ﬁction section almost always occupies an ever-shrinking ghetto-like

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First the PT Cruiser, now Google Glass. Society’s love affair with fashion-adverse, misguided technology took another hit this week as Google announced it is shelving its computerized eyewear that combined the futuristic cachet of the USS Enterprise’s Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge with the clueless douche-baggery of a dude walking down the street talking into a blue tooth headset because his hands are oh-so-busy doing other, way more important stuff. According to the BBC, the company responsible for the expensive novelty item insists “smart glasses” will one day become a viable consumer product, and future versions of Google Glass are in the works, probably in some super-secret lab where scientists are also developing ways to make orthotic runners not look like something your dad would buy at Costco (sorry, coworkers). But for all intents and purposes, Google Glass is dead. We would shed a single tear, but we

corner of the store, and the staff, although lovely people we’re sure, seem interchangeable with the barristas slogging lattes at the attached in-store Starbuck’s. We doubt, however, book buyers will be too affected by the absence of a downtown Chapters. Sure, it’s a sad reflection of a city that claims to be world class that it can’t sustain a significantly sized bookstore, independent or otherwise. But we suspect Chapters customers will search out ever cheaper and convenient book-buying options online, if they haven’t already. The customers truly affected are those who shop at Chapters for its soothing fragrant candle selection, whimsical notepads, diaries and various stationary emblazoned with birds, flowers and inspirational Maya Angelou quotes (are there any other kind?), cute little tea sets and reed diffusers that fill one’s living room and life with the enchanting scent of vanilla bean. Those are the real victims. We’ll be lighting a sea salt and driftwood candle for them tonight. Or maybe a tropical mango and persimmon. It depends on the mood we’re in.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

Arts&Entertainment

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Wales-based Vancouver native Tyler Keevil was describing his continued return to the Pacific Northwest in his writing at a reading held at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre Bookshop in West Wales when an audience member raised her hand. “’It sounds like you’re talking about ‘hiraeth,’” Keevil, 35, recalls her saying. Unfamiliar with the Welsh term, the author asked the woman to explain. “Hiraeth,” which lacks an English translation, speaks to “a form of yearning or longing for something that’s lost or for the homeland in a way,” says Keevil. “I think a lot of my work grows out of that, about the fact that I have left home, but I’m continually looking back towards it.” “Even though I’ve been living over here for 10 years I find, artistically, I’m always drawn back home. Maybe it’s... out of a sense of homesickness or nostalgia,” he adds. Vancouver and its surrounding area features prominently in all of Keevil’s books to date. His first novel, Fireball, is a coming of age story set on the North Shore. Published in 2013, The Drive is a comedic road trip novel that begins in Vancouver before the action heads south to the American Northwest through California. And his latest release, Burrard Inlet, a collection of short stories published in the spring,

Vancouver and its surrounding area features prominently in all of Tyler Keevil’s books.

features a series of tales set in or around the Lower Mainland. Keevil recently won the $10,000 Writers’ Trust/ McClelland Stewart 2014 Journey Prize for “Sealskin,” a short story from the collection, set in a Vancouver ﬁsh processing plant. Keevil is no stranger to awards, having received a number in the United Kingdom thanks to the support of the Welsh publishing industry, which has strongly embraced his work. He received the 2011 Media Wales People’s Prize for Fireball and The Drive was shortlisted for the

2014 Wales Book of the Year, going on to receive the Wales Book of the Year People’s Choice Award. Being honoured in his native country with the Journey Prize was an important milestone. “It was so nice to have some recognition in Canada and to be able to go back [to Toronto] for the ceremony, and to meet a lot of people in the Canadian publishing scene was a wonderful opportunity and really gratifying,” he says. Born in Edmonton, Keevil moved to Vancouver at age eight. His family moved to Deep Cove when he was 12.

“That’s always been home ever since,” he says of North Vancouver, where his parents, and sister and brother-in-law reside. Currently he lives in Abergavenny, Wales with his wife, Naomi, and their two-and-a-half-year-old son Daniel. The couple met when Keevil, an English student at the University of B.C., was on exchange at Lancaster University. Keevil worked a wide array of odd jobs, both in Canada and the United Kingdom, including as a tree-planter in northern B.C. and a deckhand on an ice barge. Continued next page

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W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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strays far from home in his works you think, ‘Oh what if that had happened and if that had happened then what if this had happened as a result of it?’ So you start to build a ﬁctional narrative on to the real memory imprint that you have, if that makes sense,” he says. “And that’s the case for a lot of my work. And I think for me it’s usually important to be able to draw on experiences, but then ﬁctionalize and fabricate on them so you don’t cling to the experience, you don’t only write autobiographically, but neither do you totally make things up. It’s this blending of experience with imagination that can create an authentic piece of work, but also one that’s got a strong story and a strong narrative in it,” he says. In addition to his writing, Keevil teaches creative writing at the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham, England. He’s grateful for the teachers and mentors he’s had over the years. From a young age, he’s been encouraged to follow a

ﬁre going and pass that on,” he says. Something else that continues to drive Keevil is the perspective gained over the years that story is a meaning-making mechanism. “We use story to make sense of our lives and our place in the world and I think that’s so hugely important and that will never fade and we’ll always

need it. We need ﬁction, we need stories, we need to make sense of the chaos of our lives and we do that through narrative,” he says. For Keevil’s next work, he once again plans to set it in Vancouver, this time crafting a novel telling a sibling story. However only time will tell what comes to fruition. “I was joking with my students the other day that

I tend to have an idea I really pursue that I think is going to be wonderful and it doesn’t work. And then, out of the ashes an idea, a new book arises, and that happened with my ﬁrst novel and that happened with The Drive. It seems to be I write one kind of dead book and then something leaps out of it that I didn’t expect, kind of sideways.”

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creative path, and mentors instilled a passion for story, drama and narrative that still guides him today. Now, he works to do the same for his own student charges. “You remember that when you set foot in the classroom and you think you do have this responsibility as well with young people. You want to inspire them, you want to set the

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Continued from page 20 In his early 20s, he worked as a labourer for one summer at the Vancouver Canfisco shipyards fish processing plant at the foot of Gore Avenue. His stint inspired the setting for “Sealskin.” The award-winning short story is described as portraying a terrible act of cruelty that forces the tensions between two workers at a fish processing plant to spill out into the surrounding waters. While geography and accuracy of location have always been important to Keevil as a writer, he’s quick to issue a disclaimer, “Sealskin” is not a true story. “A lot of the time for me, writing, you do draw on experiences in that being able to build the set and the feelings of those long days and the arduous labour in the summer heat, next to the smell of that plant,” he says. “And all of that percolates over time and then revisiting it years later you start to play what I call, ‘The what if game.’ And

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 1 5

Arts&Entertainment

Majumdar brings teenage trilogy to PuSh STATE OF THE ARTS Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

“Fish Eyes!” has been yelled at Anita Majumdar from cars for years. It’s the name of her ﬁrst play in a trilogy that will be performed at the Cultch as part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Jan. 27 to 31. “When those people would yell Fish Eyes at me, it’s because they thought, oh remember, we saw that show together,” Majumdar said. “They have a very personal and intimate relationship with the show and me, because I’m the only person on stage and I’m the writer.” Fish Eyes focuses on teenaged Meena, who’s considering dumping dance for her crush on the school’s most popular boy. “Her dance life is so consuming that she doesn’t actually have time on the weekends to go to school parties or dances or hang out with actual people

from her school because she’s always in either dance rehearsal or dance performance,” Majumdar said. “She’s always the outsider, and while a lot of these women feel like they’re the outsider, Meena really is.” Majumdar wrote Fish Eyes after she moved across the country from her hometown of Port Moody to attend the National Theatre School of Canada. “There’s something about that [high school] experience that I hadn’t reconciled with,” Majumdar said. “There was a frustration with the inequality that I found, at least, in Port Moody high school. It took me three plays to articulate partly my own experience, but more to the point and more majorly, the experience of young women I saw around me.” Fish Eyes premiered in Toronto in 2005; at the Cultch in 2006. But Majumdar wasn’t satisﬁed. “I was interested in looking at a new young woman who sort of picks up from

Anita Majumdar brings her dance theatre trilogy to the Cultch.

where the last character we met left off,” she said. Majumdar wrote Boys with Cars, about Naz, who’s living the life Meena aspires to, in 2012. “That life isn’t the bed of roses that Meena thinks it is,” Majumdar said. “We actually see a young woman abandon that talent for having a boyfriend, for conceding to his life, and that it also comes with consequences.” Majumdar wrote Let Me Borrow that Top, about Candice, a popular girl who

secretly aspires to be a Bollywood dancer, in 2013. “The expectations of being someone who’s popular and retaining that crown of popularity asks her to continue to be the same person,” Majumdar said. “She’s not allowed to evolve into this person who actually now aspires to be a Bollywood dancer because it’s an experience that allowed her to step outside of her realm of popularity where everything’s uncool, and you hang out in a parking lot and do nothing after

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school, and because God forbid you actually care about something.” Like her trilogy, Majumdar is a dancing, acting and playwriting triple threat. She’s a Dora Mavor Moore Award-nominated choreographer who trained in classical Indian, and other forms of dance for more than 15 years. She was awarded best actress at the Asian Festival of First Films in Singapore for her ﬁlm debut in Murder United, has worked with acclaimed director Deepa Mehta and has appeared on TV in CBC’s Diverted, Republic of Doyle and Gavin Crawford’s Wild Wild West. Majumdar was awarded the 2013 Governor General’s Protégé Prize in playwriting under the mentorship of John Murrell, recipient of the Governor General’s Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. She’s the playwrightin-residence at Nightswimming Theatre in Toronto. In the trilogy, Majumdar portrays teenage girls’ travails with dance, music and dramedy, exploring topics that range from teenage

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heartache to cultural politics and colonialism. She dons South Asian dance costumes and references Indian pop culture, but the coming-of-age stories each protagonist tells reﬂect what Majumdar and her peers struggled with in Port Moody. “These plays feel like a microcosm of what you end up actually encountering when you go into the world,” she said. “So high school society feels very much like a smaller community of the same kind of double standards, the same kind of issues of ﬁghting for feminism that you will encounter when you grow up. It’s the testing ground for relationships between men and women.” The trilogy will be performed as Part 1, Fish Eyes, and Part 2 and 3, Boys with Cars and Let Me Borrow That Top, on alternating nights. Theatregoers can see both shows, Jan. 31, and add on dinner for $20. For more information, see pushfestival.ca. twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

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Sports&Recreation

GOT SPORTS? 604.630.3549 or mstewart@vancourier.com

1. Karl Winter, one of the founding members of North Shore Rescue, holds a 1966 newspaper clipping recruiting new members featuring his photo. PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD 2. Members of North Shore Rescue walk across Brohm Ridge near Squamish during crevasse rescue training PHOTO NORTH SHORE RESCUE

A life on the line in the mountains Jane Seyd

jseyd@nsnnews.com

In winter, the Hanes Valley is an unforgiving place, a black and white moonscape where grey boulders poke out from dustings of snow. Icy chutes have been scoured from the nearby ridges by landslides and avalanches. Jeff Yarnold, air operations co-ordinator for North Shore Rescue, sat in the front of the helicopter next to the pilot, scanning the boulder ﬁeld. He was looking for tracks in the snow, slide paths and signs of recent avalanches. At this time of year, the valley doesn’t look the way it does in the summer hiking guides. In January, it’s a different country. This is where missing hiker Liang Jin is thought to have headed before he vanished recently. It’s the same place British tourist Tom Billings disappeared a year earlier. The hunt for Billings was one of the last major searches conducted by Tim Jones, the long-time leader of North Shore Rescue, who died suddenly of a heart attack on Mount Seymour a year ago this week. Jones was ﬁerce about the work of North Shore Rescue. “He threw everything he had at it,” said John Blown, another long-time member of the team.

“He’d mow down the entire forest to try to find someone.” Not being able to find Billings “drove him crazy,” said his son Curtis Jones, 28 — who is also a member of the rescue team. Curtis remembers chatting with his dad about the search on Christmas Day 2013, about needing more leads to push it forward. They kicked about an idea of videotaping the Hanes Valley and ‘crowdsourcing’ the search online. “The next morning, on Boxing Day, we were up at 6 a.m., and in a helicopter at daylight flying grid patterns on the North Shore with a video tech,” said Curtis. So far neither Billings nor Liang has been found. The North Shore mountains seemed to swallow them whole. Neither were prepared for the conditions they’d encounter. Hanes Valley is among a list of names familiar to searchers: Suicide Gully, Montizambert Creek, Crown Mountain, Tony Baker Gully. Places where a person can get into trouble quickly. ••• It was around the same time of year — a week before Christmas 2012 — and snowing heavily in the North Shore mountains when snowboarder Sebastien Boucher went missing on Cypress. The 33-yearold had last been seen

ducking under a boundary rope and heading into rugged terrain west of the ski resort. Members of the rescue team spent two days looking for Boucher without success. There was deep snow and a high risk of avalanche. “It was terrible, terrible conditions,” said Blown. “You were literally swimming in neck-deep snow.” On the third day, there was a brief break in the weather — long enough to send up a helicopter. From the air, they spotted fresh tracks on the side of Black Mountain. At the time, Tim Jones was in a downtown Vancouver hospital with his daughter Taylor. When the pager went off, Jones ran to the nearest police station, commandeered a squad car and asked to be driven to the airport, where the helicopter picked him up. A four-man team including Jones, Mike Danks, Blown, and Yarnold were dropped on the mountain with a sling load of about 500 lbs of gear. But moving it in those conditions was like “pulling a sea anchor,” said Yarnold. “We ended up leaving it there.” They followed the tracks down into a gully towards Disbrow Creek. When people are lost in the North Shore mountains, they almost always head down — it’s easier, and

they think they’ll reach safety that way, heading toward the city and the ocean. What they find instead are dangerous waterfalls and drop offs that end in icy creeks. Heading down is always a bad idea. As darkness fell and the searchers got closer, they could hear Boucher yelling crazily in the dark at the base of a waterfall. “He was yelling like a madman,” said Yarnold. There was no choice but to follow him down. “When you throw a rope off into the darkness, you hope you can find another rappel station when you get to the end of your rope,” said Blown. Yarnold — the first rescuer in — was shocked when he suddenly found himself face to face with Boucher, who was still upright and walking. “I said, ‘I can’t believe you’re alive,’” said Yarnold. “He said, ‘Me neither.’” ••• High-risk rescues like this are all in a day’s — or most often a night’s — work for members of North Shore Rescue, British Columbia’s busiest and best-known mountain search and rescue team. The North Shore’s combination of mountain backcountry that pushes up close to a big city has been a recipe for many rescues over the five decades the team has been in operation. This year, the team will mark its 50th anniversary.

Karl Winter, now 75, is one of three founding members of North Shore Rescue and is still on the active call list, although these days, “I don’t go out and crash through the bush,” he said. Winter had already taken part in his first mountain rescue as a teenager in the Austrian Alps when he arrived in North Vancouver in 1959. At that time, when authorities needed help in the mountains, they called on Vancouver Mountain Rescue, a loose-knit group of local mountaineers. The team had come into its own after members found the wreckage of a horrific plane crash on the steep slope of Mount Slesse in 1957. In the early days, there wasn’t much formal structure to searches, said Winter. “There were just a bunch of guys who went out searching” — mostly bushwhacking. “There weren’t a lot of trails on the North Shore mountains in those days.” A few years later, Winter answered an advertisement posted by the civil defence co-ordinator for the North Shore, seeking volunteers. It was the age of the ‘Diefenbunker’ and few mountaineers showed up for the first meeting. But the need for wilderness searches quickly became more pressing than protection from nuclear fallout. “That’s how we formed North Shore Rescue,” said Winter. In the early days, search

equipment was rudimentary. They didn’t have headlamps and their rain gear was poor. “You just brought a whole bunch of clothes and when you got soaking wet you would just change if you had to,” he said. They had no radios that worked in the backcountry. Climbing ropes were made of hemp, which were stiff and difficult to handle as soon as they got wet. “You had to be tough and in good shape,” said Winter. “You had a very heavy pack when you were out looking for people.” ••• Today, there are about 40 volunteer members of North Shore Rescue, who get called out to about 100 rescues a year. Members of the team are trained in first aid to international trauma life support level — a higher standard than any other team in the province. Heading into a rescue, they are always well-prepared — with pre-packaged “go packs” of supplies ready to toss into the helicopter at a moment’s notice. “That was my dad’s modus operandi,” said Curtis. “When they jumped out of that helicopter, they brought the kitchen sink with them — hypothermia kits, tents, stoves — the whole nine yards.” Note: A longer version of this story first ran in the North Shore News and can be read online at nsnews.com.

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Sports&Recreation 1

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