Vancouver Courier March 25 2015

WEDNESDAY

March 25 2015 Vol. 106 No. 23

CITY LIVING 13

Japanese snowball fight URBAN SENIOR 21

Talking transit

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 29

Sex, greed and fear on stage There’s more online at

vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION

THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908

Building a home minus the mortgage

Even owning a oncemaligned Vancouver Special out of reach for most OPINION Jessica Barrett

jessica.barrett@gmail.com

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE The creators of Girls Gone Wilderness (left to right: Alicia Woodside, Nancy Zenger and Joanie Maynard ) encourage young women to play in the natural world by organizing trips to lead them outside. Read more page 31. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Mayor fails to meet goal of ending ‘street homelessness’ Provincial and federal governments could do more says Robertson

Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

After counting 10 homeless people in a span of two-and-a-half hours along the Commercial Drive corridor Tuesday morning, Mayor Gregor Robertson conceded he has not met his goal of ending “street homelessness” by 2015.

Robertson, who participated in the city’s two-day homeless count this week, set his goal of finding homes for hundreds of people living on the street shortly after he was first elected in 2008.

“It was a big challenging goal to set for the city and I have absolutely no regrets about doing that,” Robertson told reporters outside the Kettle Friendship Society

drop-in centre near Commercial and Venables. “We’ve pushed very hard and had great success getting many people in off the streets. We have to continue that work. It doesn’t end today. That was never the intention with this.”

Though he credited the provincial government for its commitment to build 14 supportive housing buildings in Vancouver, the mayor said the province and the federal government could be doing more to help solve homelessness.

“It would be great to see more vigorous advocacy from the province to the federal government,” he said in response to a question related to Housing Minister Rich Coleman previously telling the Courier the province has built more supportive housing in Vancouver than any jurisdiction in Canada.

NPA Coun. George Affleck, whose party has repeatedly criticized Robertson for making a promise he couldn’t keep,

wasn’t surprised when told of the mayor’s acknowledgement that Vancouver still has people living on the streets.

Affleck said it was “an impossible commitment” to make when the biggest providers of funding for housing — the provincial and federal governments — were unwilling to make the same promise to end street homelessness by 2015.

“There was no way we could have done this on our own as a city, and he should have known that,” said Affleck, who noted it was the previous NPA administration of then-mayor Sam Sullivan that secured a deal with the provincial government to identify more than a dozen city sites on which to build supportive housing.

When Robertson and his Vision Vancouver council began its rule at city hall in 2008, the city’s homeless count that year showed a total of 1,576 homeless people, with 811 living on the street.

Continued on page 4

Ken Lum’s latest art installation, Vancouver Especially, certainly puts a fine point on it. Although at this point, I’m not sure what purpose is served by heaping more emphasis on Vancouver’s insane housing prices.

We all know the appalling statistics (well, appalling to those of us who didn’t purchase a detached home in 1973). It seems like every week comes with more depressing news on the affordability crisis.

Last week, I read confirmation of what many renters and recent buyers already know: the divide between east and west that used to indicate cheaper housing has completely eroded. The average price of a detached home in East Vancouver is now over $1 million, and there is not a single single-family home in the city valued at under $500,000.

And then there’s Lum’s installation to put it in historical perspective.

Surrounded by green Astroturf and a white metal fence, his version of the Vancouver Special is smaller but otherwise identical to the thousands of utilitarian houses, known as Vancouver Specials, strewn around the city. Once regarded as the epitome of architectural eyesores, Lum’s exhibit positions them as nostalgic emblems of simpler, less expensive times.

The artist has said he was inspired to riff off the form when he realized his $45,000 budget for the project could have bought one of the aesthetically distinctive structures in the 1970s or ’80s. A small cubbyhole in the front of his version illustrates how much — or rather, little — space that amount buys you in Vancouver today.

The piece, he has said, is intended to make people think about affordability, but also what a home is and what it represents. I took that to heart.

Contemplating the piece on Union Street at the intersection of Strathcona and Chinatown, two of the most rapidly gentrifying areas of the city, I wondered: must one be a homeowner to have a home of one’s own?

Continued on page 6

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News

What city council earned, spent in 2014

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12TH&CAMBIE Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

Not a surprise, really, that Vision Coun. Tim Stevenson spent more on travel and conferences in 2014 than his council colleagues.

He did, after all, go to Sochi, Russia from Jan. 28 to Feb. 9.

His tab was $7,083, according to a city staff remuneration and expenses report that was to go before council this week.

Stevenson, who is gay, went in place of Mayor Gregor Robertson as a symbolic gesture to protest the Russian government’s anti-gay propaganda law at the Winter Olympics. He went with former VANOC staffer Maureen Douglas, whose tab was picked up by condo king Bob Rennie, developer Peter Wall and others in the community.

Was it worth the expense?

“Absolutely,” said Stevenson, noting he met with International Olympic Committee officials and implored them to amend its Charter to ensure a person’s sexual orientation would be a provision included in a non-discriminatory clause related to rights and freedoms.

“That, in itself, was amazing because a lot of people, including journalists, said I’d never get in their offices.”

The non-discrimination of a person’s sexual orientation, he added, is now written into the Charter and applies to all future host cities of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The $7,083 Stevenson spent on the Sochi trip was the biggest expense of his $19,083 travel tab in 2014.

He also went on trips to Niagara Falls for a Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference ($3,264) and attended two other FCM conferences in Saguenay, Que. ($2,147) and Ottawa ($2,362).

He took two trips to Whistler to attend conferences hosted by the Union of B.C. Municipalities ($1,811) and Lower Mainland Local Government Association ($966). A trip to the World Pride Human Rights conference in Toronto cost $1,450.

Stevenson, who earned $73,272 as a councillor, also spent $2,620 on “local expenses,” which the city says covers parking, transportation, business meet-

Vision Coun. Tim Stevenson was council’s biggest spender in 2014, totaling $19,083 in travel expenses that included a trip to Sochi, Russia. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

ings, community events and memberships. Stevenson also claimed a $4,056 transportation allowance.

His Vision colleague, Coun. Heather Deal, was runner-up in the travel expense department, spending $13,048 to attend five of the same conferences as Stevenson. She also went to Thunder Bay ($2,635) for an FCM board meeting.

Her local expense tab was $1,760. Deal claimed the $4,056 transportation allowance and earned $70,443.

Vision Coun. Raymond Louie spent a total of $12,361 to attend the same meetings as Deal, except for the Lower Mainland Local Government Association meeting in Whistler.

His local expenses totaled $2,879, he claimed a $4,153 transportation allowance and earned $70,443. (Note: Louie also earns income from his role as vice-chairperson of Metro Vancouver, where his colleagues also get paid as directors. That income is not reported in the council report but accessible on Metro Vancouver’s website).

You would think Mayor Gregor Robertson would have spent the most on travel expenses but, as I’ve discovered over the years, various organizations will pick up the tab or partial tab just to have the mayor attend a conference.

That happened when Robertson attended the C40 Cities Mayors Summit in South Africa from Feb. 2 to 11. The city’s cost was $2,426, which was the biggest bill of the five trips disclosed by the mayor. Total expenses for all five trips, which included a measly $75 for the B.C. Mayors’ Caucus in Cranbrook, was $6,481.

Robertson earned $153,455 as mayor, spent $10,245 on local expenses and claimed a $7,175 transportation allowance, which

seems like a lot for a guy who has a free transit pass and cycles.

Vision Coun. Andrea Reimer’s biggest expense of her $5,063 total travel tab was a $2,168 bill for a trip to Charlottetown for an FCM sustainable communities conference. Her local expenses totaled $3,189 but the regular transit rider did not claim a transportation allowance. She earned $72,633.

Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs, who made $73,272, spent $2,084 on two trips to Whistler for LMLGA and UBCM conferences. A fan of cabs and transit, Meggs also didn’t claim a transportation allowance but spent $4,197 on local expenses.

NPA Coun. Elizabeth Ball spent $2,708 for the FCM conference in Niagara Falls and only $10 on her trip to Whistler for the UBCM meeting. She spent $2,371 on local expenses, claimed a $4,056 transportation allowance and earned $70,443.

NPA Coun. George Affleck spent $1,129 on his trip to Whistler for the same conference. He claimed the $4,056 transportation allowance, spent $1,448 on local expenses and earned $70,443.

Three councillors — Kerry Jang, Adriane Carr and Tony Tang (who lost his 2014 re-election bid) — did not spend any money on travel or conferences.

But Jang, who earned $70,443, spent $2,386 on local expenses and claimed a $4,056 transportation allowance. Carr spent $2,373 on local expenses, claimed a $4,056 transportation allowance and earned $70,443.

Tang finished his city hall career with a $67,507 salary after spending $965 on local expenses and claiming a $3,993 transportation allowance. twitter.com/Howellings

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2014 count highest on record

Continued from page 1 The mayor’s move to open winter shelters with funding from the provincial government and purchase or lease temporary housing — along with the gradual opening of 14 supportive housing buildings — saw the overall homeless population remain steady in the 1,600 range from 2011 to 2013, with fewer people living on the street.

In fact, 154 people were recorded living on the street in 2011. But in 2012, those numbers began to increase with 306 recorded in 2012 and 273 in 2013.

Then in 2014, the Metro Vancouver homeless count revealed that Vancouver’s homeless population had reached it highest overall level in history, with 1,267 people living in some form of shelter and 536 on the street for a grand total of 1,803 people.

Since then, the city’s opening of shelters, temporary housing and more permanent housing should leave the city with a surplus of 29 beds, city manager Penny Ballem told the

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Mayor Gregor Robertson participated in this week’s homeless count. Results are expected in July. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Courier earlier this month.

But she also acknowledged several factors, including Vancouver’s temperate climate, as drivers of homelessness.

Robertson added that the city’s growing mental illness and addiction crisis, the lack of affordable housing, a low welfare shelter rate and young people leaving foster care with no home to go to are also factors.

Tony, who wouldn’t provide his surname, listened to the mayor’s comments before he visited the Kettle Friendship Society for a meal. The 51-year-old refugee from El Salvador said he was homeless for a couple of years before recently finding an apartment.

He said he receives about $600 a month in income assistance, with $425 of that spent on rent for a

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place he said is infested with cockroaches and rodents.

“It’s good to hear he wants to help but he has to see the reality of what life is like for people,” Tony said, noting he prays for the young homeless people he sees along Commercial Drive. “The rent goes up and up, I have not much money for food. So why do you think there’s so many homeless?”

Ethel Whitty, the city’s director of homelessness services, said about 90 volunteers visited shelters Monday night and another 350 people would be doing head counts and collecting information from the city’s homeless until 10 p.m.

Tuesday night.

“We know there are homeless people on the streets — we know that,” said Whitty. “Whether it’s up or down from last year, I can’t really hazard a guess. There’re so many factors that play into it.”

Results of the homeless count are expected to go before council in July. twitter.com/Howellings

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News

Little artist raises money for autism

Jenny Peng

Jennypeng08@gmail.com

With paint brush in hand and a grin from ear to ear, six-year-old Linden Ford is turning her hobby into an endeavour raising thousands for children living with autism.

With a publicity team rallying behind Linden headed by her mother, Jessica Norman, glimpses of Linden’s paintings for a March 27 art auction held at 101-2020 Yukon St. are generating buzz on her Facebook art gallery. Next to artwork sold

people happy. She likes to give… I just made sure it was actually what she wanted to do.”

Last year, Linden began raising money for the Canucks Autism Network (CAN) — an organization that provides sports, recreational and arts programs for children and young adults with autism at an affordable membership fee of $25 per person. It’s a cause that hits close to home for Linden, who was diagnosed with autism when she was five. Her three-year-old brother also has autism.

“She likes seeing people happy. She likes to give…

I just made sure it was actually what she wanted to do.” —Jessica Norman last year are remnants of a bidding war for abstract and landscape depictions by the cheery artist ranging from $15 to $500.

The efforts earned her the title “Hammer’s Hero,” an initiative supported by Vancouver Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis in coordination with the Canucks for Kids Fund, which recognized 41 kids for their community efforts.

“This is all on her, she has a golden heart,” says Norman, who insists the idea for a fundraising auction came from Linden. “She likes seeing

Her fundraising efforts totaled $2,500, which she donated to the network and B.C. Children’s Hospital.

Norman says her daughter has been painting ever since she got her hands on paint as a toddler. Norman can’t pinpoint where her daughter draws her inspiration, neither does Linden let in on the source of her creativity.

But it doesn’t take long before she churns out one of her pieces in under half an hour with titles like “Piggie Land,” “Squiggly Tree” and

“Amber Night.”

The network is pitching in with fundraising efforts by hosting a live and online auction at their headquarters starting Friday at 6 p.m.

All proceeds go to the organization, which has been vital to Norman’s family, especially since her daughter turned six and provincial funding was reduced to $6,000 from $22,000 a year for children with autism.

The reason, explained Norman, is that the school system is expected to take over the care.

With the reduced funds Norman has hired a behaviour interventionist and consultant. “That’s as much as we can get for her for the year.”

“The school systems… don’t have a lot of funding either,” Norman added. “Once [children] turn six and over, the services that they get kind of get less and less and less. The school can’t pay for everything. A lot of times the parents have to pick up the slack.”

With CAN, the family frequents swimming programs, sporting and family events with trained staff and other families with similar needs.

Lindsay Petrie, spokesperson of the network says response to Linden’s efforts has been positive.

“Everyone’s been very supportive and we have internal staff, we have volunteers and we have other families who are really excited for Linden and want to come out and support her.”

To see Linden’s art, go to facebook.com/LindenFord. twitter.com/JennyPengNow

Six-year-old painter Linden Ford is auctioning off her creations to raise money for the Canucks Autism Network. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

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News Generation of renters broadens definition of home

Continued from page 1 Surely not. I admit, my perspective on this issue is informed by the fact that I can only stare at the people lined up outside open houses or condo sales centres with a kind of throughthe-looking-glass awe. But in this real estate climate, lamenting home ownership as a lost pillar of the North American dream isn’t serving anyone, save developers.

Over my years in Vancouver, a few peers have managed to purchase property.

But so rare is the event that it sends shockwaves through my social circles. “How did they do that?” we whisper to each other. “They must have had help,” we decide, calculating income comparisons and family contributions based on pure conjecture.

The reaction isn’t so much one of jealously as it is of surprise. Because most of us have put buying not just on the back burner, but out of our minds completely.

What else can you do when prices are at farcical levels and only ever poised to rise?

I am not asking for pity.

In fact, I take issue with the

Ken Lum’s art installation, Vancouver Especially, depicts the once-maligned Vancouver Special, considered an architectural eyesore by many but now financially out-of-reach for most. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

implicit portrayal of perennial renters as an altogether unfortunate lot. In the housing debate, we are painted as little more than serfs who’ve been robbed of our chance at home equity and are condemned to nomadic

lives dictated by the whims of unscrupulous landlords.

I don’t deny there are downsides to renting. But dwelling on it doesn’t do any good.

Rather than mortgage ourselves to the hilt for

450-square-feet, many of my contemporaries have chosen to rent indefinitely.

We balk at the underlying assumption behind the skyhigh real estate prices that a home is an unemotional investment, not something

you discover, decide-upon or create.

Being a renter forces you to broaden your definition of home beyond the precise piece of ground beneath your feet. Home, for me, is in the story of my life here.

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It’s in the buildings and neighbourhoods I’ve lived in and the communities I’ve helped build. Home is in the well-worn paths to the grocery store or the coffee shop that I’ve walked so many times I could do it in my sleep. It’s in watching the seasons pass — each year greeting the magnolia and cherry blossoms in spring, and wild blackberries in the fall. Home is in the memories I’ve created here, it’s in the parks and beaches where I’ve gone on first dates or met new friends.

Home is even in being a witness to this city’s evolution. It’s in watching parking lots and shops and restaurants turn into condos, seeing spaces that were once publicly accessible cordoned off and sold.

It’s in knowing the rent will continue to rise and choosing to stay, for now.

I may never own a piece of this city, at least not in the legal respect. But I do have a home here. I have built another kind of equity.

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News Fire hall and housing project goes to open house DEVELOPING STORY Naoibh O’Connor

noconnor@vancourier.com

A rezoning application, which if approved would see Fire Hall No. 5 knocked down and replaced with a six-storey building featuring a new fire hall and four floors of supportive housing units above it, is the subject of an open house April 1.

The housing portion is meant for low-income women and their children and will include 31 two and three-bedroom units.

Fire Hall No. 5, located at 3090 East 54th, was built in 1952, but it doesn’t meet current seismic standards, and equipment and training needs have changed, so the building is considered out of date.

The City of Vancouver, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and YWCA Metro Vancouver are involved in the replacement

project, which has been in the works since 2011.

An open house held last June found that 78 per cent of those who attended supported the project or were neutral. That said, Heritage Vancouver raised the alarm about the fate of several of Vancouver’s modernist fire halls in 2014, including Fire Hall No. 5, which was designed by city hall architects Townley & Matheson.

Fire Hall No. 5 landed on the organization’s Top 10 Endangered Sites list that year, along with six other modernist firehalls — Numbers 2, 7, 8, 9, 17 and 20.

A spokesperson for the City of Vancouver could not be reached by the Courier’s print deadline.

Arthur Mills, VP of Housing Services for YWCA Metro Vancouver, told the Courier that statistics indicate single mothers are underserved in the region in terms of housing and that supportive housing can make a significant difference in their lives and help them along the

An open house about a rezoning application to replace Fire Hall No. 5 with a new building that includes a new fire hall as well as supportive housing units goes ahead April 1.

road to economic independence.

“Our main client group is single mothers and their children. What we’ve found is if you can provide single mothers with some stable housing, our experience is they can stop, collect their

breath and make some decisions as to what they want to do next,” Mills said.

“We’ve seen examples of women who’ve gone back to school and managed to increase their education and consequently go forward to better jobs.”

The location of the site is considered ideal for family housing because it’s near two primary schools and one high school. It’s also close to a library, supermarket, two community centres, parks and bus routes.

Most tenants will pay 30

per cent of their income for a unit.

“What we will look at is a mix of income. Whether or not we will do some units at below market is a question for us. But in the main, all of our housing serves women at low income levels and normally our rent structure is 30 per cent,” Mills explained.

The city approved a budget of $13.1 million for the construction of the replacement firehall. It includes the installation and removal of a temporary fire hall and equipment for the new firehall. In 2013, city council approved up to $9 million for the construction of the housing portion of the project.

“We’re providing $2.2 million with an additional $1.3 million coming from other partners,” said Mills who added that if the rezoning is approved, and all goes well, the building could be ready by late 2017 or early 2018.

The open house runs from 5 to 8 p.m., April 1 at Fire Hall No. 5, 3090 East 54th Ave. twitter.com/Naoibh

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News New requirements could delay school budget CLASS NOTES Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

Education Minister Peter Fassbender announced Friday that the VSB would have to submit a budget that demonstrates that the board has responded to recommendations made by the special adviser the government appointed, to the ministry on or before June 15. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

The Vancouver School Board may have to defer making its budget decisions for 2015-2016 by April 30 as planned as a result of newly announced Ministry of Education requirements.

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Education Minister Peter Fassbender announced in a press release Friday that the VSB would have to submit a budget that demonstrates that the board has responded to recommendations made by the special adviser the government appointed, to the ministry on or before June 15.

The provincial School Act requires school boards to submit balanced budgets to the ministry by June 30, but the VSB usually adopts its budget April 30 to advise unions and administrators about staffing changes for September before the summer break.

“We are still in the process of seeking further clarification of the ministerial order of March 20,” VSB secretary-treasurer Rick Krowchuk told the Courier in an email Monday night. “However, at this time, it would appear that the intended approval of the budget by the board on April 30 would need to be deferred.”

The ministry is proceeding with a review by its special adviser, EY, which could cost $180,000. The VSB is proceeding with a review by PricewaterhouseCoopers,

reported in February that short of eliminating district staffing provided to the optional program, there was no single solution that would completely reduce the costs of district staffing.

The VSB covers the cost of the equivalent of eight full-time teachers, beyond school-based staffing allocations, to teach band or strings to 2,800 students at 51 of 76 elementary schools.

One strategy sees the board offering band or strings to fewer grades.

Band could be offered to Grades 6 or 7 students only, eliminating band in Grade 5, and strings could be taught to Grades 5 to 7 students, cutting strings for Grade 4.

Such changes could see the reduction of the equivalent of 2.8 district staff for a savings of $206,052.

Another strategy sees school-based employees offering band or strings during preparation time. Band or strings would fulfill the requirement for the music portion of fine arts curriculum to all students in Grades 6 and 7 for band, Grades 5 to 7 for strings, for a cost savings of $73,590.

The monthly user fee of $2.50 per month for band

“We are still in the process of seeking further clarification.”

—Rick Krowchuk which will cost $75,000.

For more information, see a longer story posted Friday at vancourier.com.

Bandandstrings

The latest report on the elementary band and strings program for a March 25 committee meeting outlines three strategies for retaining the program and their related cost savings.

The Vancouver School Board considered eliminating the elementary band and strings program last April to save $630,651, but trustees granted the program a year’s reprieve to give the board and the community time to find a way to make the program cost neutral to the VSB. The VSB contracted former associate superintendent Valerie Overgaard to lead a review and consultation process, and Overgaard

and strings could be increased to $5 if the program remains optional. The report roughly estimates doing so could save the district $45,000.

The report states any or all of the strategies could be implemented for September 2015 and allow for the continuation of a band and strings option in schools with existing programs, while beginning the transition to piloting a prep time model.

Another report with recommendations is to go to the VSB’s education and student services committee, April 15.

Maureen Ciarniello, associate superintendent for learning services, wasn’t able to speak to the Courier before press time.

The VSB reported Overgaard doesn’t have a consulting fee she can disclose at this time. twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

Students reach new heights on Tanzania field trip

Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

Over the spring break, Sean Jackson climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with other teenagers who live in or have schooled in East Vancouver.

But the first story the 18 year old has been telling since he and 25 others on the Street2Peak trip returned Friday is about the moment he almost walked into a leopard.

Jackson and three others were walking to the kitchen of their campsite in the Serengeti National Park when they turned to see a hyena 10 feet from them.

“As we turned around, there was a leopard that just came from behind. It just walked around us and back into the wild. It was really something else,” said the grinning Grade 12 student who attended Britannia’s Streetfront program in Grade 10 after being out of school for a year. “In the morning, there was a baboon going through the garbage.”

Jackson was one of 15 teens on the trip and one of 12 who have attended or are enrolled in the Streetfront alternative program at Britannia secondary, which focuses on physical fitness and outdoor recreation for students in Grades 8 to 10.

He was impressed by the perseverance, spirit and heart of the students, their chaperones and mountain guides.

“Our porters were danc-

Street2Peak participants completed an ambitious journey over spring break, travelling to Tanzania and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

ing and singing when we came up to camp after a day of trekking,” he said. “I think that really motivated the students, to see other people work so hard for so little and not really [having] the same opportunities but still putting their all in and loving every part of it.”

Streetfront teacher Trevor Stokes noted Street2Peak climbers suffered dysentery, altitude sickness and hiked in temperatures that varied from 35 degrees Celsius in the day to five degrees below zero at night.

“So that’s at the top of Africa,” said Stokes during a slideshow of photos in Britannia’s packed auditorium Monday afternoon. “I’ve had three children born and

I love them all dearly but the most emotional day of my life was, for sure, on the top of that summit.”

Stokes is proud Street2Peak students achieved their lofty goal after focusing on it for 18 months.

“It changed the dynamics of families,” he said, explaining some teens didn’t understand the momentousness of their undertaking until after they’d achieved it and returned to appreciate the support parents and guardians had given them.

He loves that the group was able to raise more than $100,000 for the trip and that the East Side alternative school students demonstrated to their previous schools, other students, the

community and themselves what they can accomplish when they set their sights on a goal and work hard.

“It’s not where you come from, it’s where you go,” Stokes told the assembly.

“And the only way that you get there is by putting your feet together and moving forward and having the confidence that you’re not going to give up.”

Six of the 25 Street2Peak trekkers were forced to turn back before they reached the peak because of altitude sickness. Jackson was one of them.

“Within an hour-and-ahalf of reaching the crater, the top bit, I was sent down,” he said. “It was devastating.

“But it was rewarding, as well,” he continued.

“It’s just interesting that I can deal with not reaching the top. It’s not exactly all about finishing, but it’s putting in the effort and really not giving up.”

Jackson said Brandon Kaine, the 16-year-old the Courier’s spoken to twice before, sailed to the top with a smile on his face.

“I know that I’m capable of doing something this big,” said Kaine, who entered the Streetfront program after having trouble focusing and skipping lots of school. “I know where I stand on what I can do.”

Street2Peak plans to travel to New Zealand in 2017. twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

A new point of view.

CBC News Andrew Chang

Vancouver Weeknights at 5 & 6 pm cbc.ca/bc

@cbcnewsbc

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

Opinion B.C. Ferries face big A new life abroad a challenges to curb costs good option for some Les Leyne Columnist lleyne@timescolonist.com Limiting B.C. Ferries fare hikes to 1.9 per cent a year for the next four years will likely dampen the chances of a full-fledged passenger mutiny, but there are more years of grinding costcutting ahead to make the numbers work.

The interim ruling from the independent ferry commission last week holds B.C. Ferries to 1.9 per cent maximum average overall fare hikes each year.

That will come as a relief to many tollbooth-shocked passengers, given what’s gone before.

Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the ruling shows they’ve “turned the corner.” But it’s still a 7.6 per cent fare increase over four years at a time when Stone himself acknowledges fares are at a tipping point and hikes are hurting ridership.

The last exercise in setting the price cap four years ago was conducted as the ferry fleet was sailing into a financial crisis, brought on partly by steadily declining ridership that many blamed on continual fare increases.

The initial cap was set then at 4.1 per cent a year on the major routes and 8.2 per cent on the minors. B.C. Ferries challenged that as being too low and a recalculation raised the possibility of 16 to 43 per cent annual hikes, and an 81 per cent hike on the northern routes.

Those kind of outlandish numbers prompted a protracted argument, a rewrite of the legislation governing the system, an emergency infusion of $86 million from the government and a wide range of cost-cutting moves.

The result, as far as fares were concerned, was four years of hikes in the four per cent range (The last one in that term — 3.9 per cent — will kick in April 1.)

Even that pushed ferry users to the brink of revolt and prompted the Union of B.C. Municipalities to conclude ferry fares were becoming a huge drag on the provincial economy.

So by contrast, assuming hikes are held to that level, 1.9 per cent looks bearable. It takes a degree of optimism on the commission’s part to set it that low, given that ridership is still depressed and the ferry corporation has a list of must-do capital projects that

amount to $3.1 billion worth of work over the next 12 years.

Ferry commissioner Gordon Macatee listed the reasons for optimism.

There’s been a slight, short-term increase in ridership lately. The fuel price drop has left consumers with more disposable income, which can lead to more travel.

The U.S. economic rebound and the drop in the Canadian dollar can boost tourism.

Stricter U.S. passport requirements are now four years old, so the drop-off in U.S. visitors when they were first imposed has eased.

As for the ferry system’s fuel costs, the commission has picked a medium estimate that means it expects fuel costs will be lower than they have been, but will rise over time.

As well, routes have been slashed, more than $54 million has been trimmed from the corporation and assorted savings are anticipated in other areas.

The lengthy rationale for arriving at the 1.9 per cent figure gives B.C. Ferries credit for being efficient, cutting executive costs, maximizing revenue and being innovative in responding to the crisis.

It’s going to take a lot more performances like that over the long haul to hold fare hikes down.

Among the challenges: • Even after all the trauma associated with the cuts in the past few years, Macatee is demanding another $27.6 million in productivity improvements (without reducing service levels) in the next four years.

• A major part of the capital plan involves spending at the Horseshoe Bay terminal on projects that Macatee suggested need a second look. Avoiding some of those costs would have a positive effect on the books, but involves a number of adjustments that could affect the Nanaimo-Vancouver route and others that run out of Horseshoe Bay. Stone promised again there will no terminal cuts at Nanaimo.

• Macatee wants a hard look at whether Salt Spring Island needs three ferry terminals.

Holding the hike to the level of inflation is presumed to be acceptable to riders. But they need a lot of breaks to keep it there over the long haul. twitter.com/leyneles

The week in num6ers...

19 546 19

In thousands of dollars, the travel expenses claimed

by Vision Vancouver’s Tim Stevenson in 2014, the most of any city councillor.

At the Courier’s press deadline, the number of signatures on an online petition demanding the removal of the “East Village” banners from the HastingsSunrise neighbourhood.

In thousands of feet above sea level, the height of Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit, which was reached recently on a field trip by Vancouver high school students.

Michael Geller Columnist

michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com

Have you ever thought about starting a new life somewhere other than Vancouver?

I have been thinking about this after reading so many inane comments from No voters related to the transit referendum and also having recently spent time with two households who have done just that. They have begun new lives in new places.

In one case, a well-established Vancouver couple sold their house and purchased a new home at less than half the price in the south of France. They still maintain a small apartment in downtown Vancouver where they spend half the year.

But their hearts are now in France where they are meeting new friends and starting new careers: one as an artist, while the other spends his time at the market, cooking, tending the garden and learning French.

The other individual is a Swiss engineer I met after booking accommodation in a small Riad hotel on the Moroccan coast After successful engineering-related careers in Switzerland, France and Iran, he and his wife purchased a ruin inside the walled town of Essaouira, which they have beautifully restored into a small, elegant hotel.

They live in a comfortable apartment on the first floor surrounded by antique furniture and carpets collected over the years. Each day they greet new guests who, like me, are initially put off by the property’s modest entry at the end of a narrow, crumbling lane, only to discover an exquisitely decorated hotel hidden behind the nondescript door.

When I asked the engineer why he decided to start such a challenging new life, he responded that you don’t start a new life, the life decides for you, provided you are open to new possibilities.

He worried that if he stayed at home he would continue to tell the same stories to the same friends until they all died. Now each day is a new adventure filled with new people and many new stories.

When I mentioned to my wife that I was thinking of writing a column about starting a new life, she responded that most of my readers were not likely in a personal or financial position to even contemplate such a thing.

On the contrary, I thought. If they own a home in Vancouver, they are probably in a position to cash out and could afford to live half the year in most places around the world.

2

As of last Saturday, the number of official “Yukigassen” artificial snowball fights that have been fought in Vancouver.

A Vancouver couple sold their house and purchased a new home at less than half the price in the south of France.

Of course there will be complications for many when it comes to being with family and certain friends. But then with today’s household demographics and geographic dispersal, many families are already spread around the globe.

As my friend in France, whose son lives in Toronto, pointed out, he sees him about as often while living in France as he did when living year round in Vancouver.

Moreover, he now enjoys wonderful times with many Vancouver friends who, like me, come to visit him in France.

One of the other advantages of living in Europe is its accessibility to so many interesting places.

I recently flew from London to Madrid for approximately $35 return. My new French friend thinks nothing of going to Berlin or Barcelona for a weekend.

There are some drawbacks. Since he has retired he has to live within a budget, but he’s enjoying that too.

He no longer can buy whatever he wants, but then the cost of living is much lower.

He just wishes he had known about the eight per cent property purchase tax before he selected his new home since he had planned to spend that money on a small roadster.

As I reflected on the Swiss engineer and my friend, I also thought about all those people from Asia and elsewhere who are now starting to do the same thing in Vancouver. They too are often leaving jobs, family and friends behind, at least for part of the year, in order to start a new life in Vancouver.

While I suspect many do not yet realize or care how the outcome of the transit referendum might affect them, they are happy to be enjoying Vancouver’s many amenities. Even though they cannot catch a short flight to Hong Kong or Prague for an enjoyable weekend.

It’s something to think about. twitter.com/michaelgeller

1.9 1.8

The maximum percentage B.C. Ferries fares are allowed to go up per year over the next four years.

In thousands, the number of homeless people counted in last year’s annual count. The latest number is expected to be released in July.

W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Inbox LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Reader calls for more cabs

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

Grizzlies set new NBA record

March 24, 1996: The Vancouver Grizzlies are beaten 90-85 by the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gund Arena for their 18th consecutive loss while also setting a new NBA record for the first team to have two losing streaks of 18 games in the same season. The Grizz were still in the game until Danny Ferry sank an 18-foot jumper, narrowly beating the shot clock. This put Cleveland up 84-79 with 48.3 seconds remaining and the Cavs closed out the game sinking six straight free throws in the final seconds. Playing their first season in the NBA, the team went on to set another new league record with 23 straight losses, since surpassed by both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cavaliers themselves.

Millionaires win Stanley Cup

March 26, 1915: The Vancouver Millionaires sweep the Ottawa Senators in a best-of-five series on home ice to win the city’s first and only Stanley Cup. The team had handily beaten the Portland Rosebuds and the Victoria Aristocrats to win the championship of the four-year-old Pacific Coast Hockey Association, and owners Lester and Frank Patrick invited the champions of the National Hockey Association to come west by train for a tournament series at Denman Arena, which at the time was the largest indoor rink in Canada. The home team outscored the Sens 26-8 over three games and won the final 12-3.

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Re: “Police chief backs Yes side,” March 13.

I have several issues with what is being said in this article but for the time being I will deal with one.

In this article, Mr. Chu cites “fewer fights between drunks” as being one reason to support the Yes side.

Let me quote: “We believe late-night transit will provide a means for people to disperse to get home safely and that will improve public safety” said Chu. It was also noted in the article that some of the fights were over the limited number of taxis.

My questions are: Why isn’t TransLink providing service? And why aren’t there more taxis? I cannot answer the TransLink question but I can answer the taxi question.

Mr. Chu should have talked to the mayor of Vancouver about the limited number of taxis. After all, I just read an article “Judge nixes bid by suburban taxi companies” in the Metro newspaper whereby these cab companies wanted to take a slice of that busy weekend period in our downtown and their petition was dismissed by the judge.

The most interesting aspect of this article was the following quote by Mayor Gregor Robertson: “We’re thankful to see a decision that upholds the city’s powers to make that decision.”

Yesterday. I saw the ticker-tape line on Global BC1 news with the following item: City of Vancouver is proposing to extend its moratorium on cab licenses.

Need I say anything more? I know where the problem lies.

Koula Stoubos, Vancouver

School kids provide hope for the future

Re: “‘Most epic project ever,’” March 6 After reading different newspapers through these past months, I cannot tell you what a pleasure it was to read “Most epic project ever” and the other story in the same issue about the kids preparing to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

There is hope in the world and in our school. I will be heading to Tupper’s foyer to view the SS Piscine and reading the Courier to look for a follow-up to the mountain climb in East Africa.

Patricia LaCroix, Vancouver

ONLINE COMMENTS Cop weighs in on ICBC story

Re: “ICBC’s privacy protection doubted,” March 20.

When I run a plate, I get four things

Barry Link

ddhaliwal@vancourier.com

blink@vancourier.com

PUBLISHER

EDITOR

Tara Lalanne

DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING

tlalanne@vancourier.com

TheVancouverCourierisadivisionofLMPPublicationLimitedPartnership.

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

Ruta’s booting may be unfair

Re: “Christy Clark fires controversial auditor,” online only.

Have you at least considered the possibility that the issues in the Auditor General for Local Government’s office might, just might, not be entirely her fault? That there might in fact be an “intolerable situation” and that situation might, just might, be significantly, or even largely, the fault of Ms. Coralee Oakes or even of Ms. Clark, the talk radio genius who created the concept and the position? wetcoastace, via Comments section

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FLYER SALES

Dee Dhaliwal

back on my screen.

1: The 10-29, which is any information about the vehicle or the registered owner on Canadian Police Information Centre.

So things like if the car is stolen, if the registered owner has bail conditions or a criminal record and if the car is associated to a crime.

2: The 10-28, which is the registered owner information. This includes their address, the make model and VIN of the car, the driver’s license of the primary operator, and if the plate has active insurance on it.

3: The 10-27, which is the registered owners driver’s license. So it has tombstone information like name, address, birthdate. But also if the driver is prohibited, what class of license they have, if they have restrictions (like needing glasses or air brake endorsements) and for the past five years if they have had an Immediate Roadside Prohibition. There is also an option to get driving history, which is the driving offences the owner has been convicted of in the past five years.

4: Then finally is any history about the vehicle on Police Records Information Management Environment (PRIME). So if the car has been in a collision, broken in to, stolen, or whatever there might be a police record about it.

We already have a whole bunch of information about you before we have even talked to you, so I’m not sure how ICBC giving us your phone number is some sort of privacy breach. Obviously there is a need to talk to this person. 10-28’s from Alberta have the telephone number on the record. B.C. does not. I’m not sure how easy it would be for ICBC to just put the person’s telephone number on the 10-28, but I doubt it wouldn’t be more than a few lines of code.

I can tell you in my experience, most people who are hard to get a hold of are usually shady. Most people will either answer their phone or call me back if I leave a message or a text.

Shady people with questionable practices avoid me, which is probably part of the reason why I’m trying to talk to them in the first place. maintainingtheright, via Reddit

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Letters may be edited by the Courier for reasons of legality, taste, brevity and clarity.

Send to: 303 West Fifth Ave., Vancouver V5Y-1J6 or email letters@vancourier.com

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

!

MADE IN CANADA

W E DN E SDAY, M A RC H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Community

Yukigassen is a Japanese word for snow battle. Teams of seven players battle each other in a three-period game by throwing snowballs at their opponents to tag them out, and/or to capture their flag. Each team receives 45 synthetic snowballs per period during a game. Most games are played in the snow with actual snowballs, but when the conditions aren’t right (or available) a realistic synthetic snowball is used. Yukigassen players are not permitted to make their own snowballs during play, toss them to teammates, or carry and hide them in clothing. See photo gallery online at vancourier.com.

PHOTOS REBECCA BLISSETT

Japanese snowball fight hits Vancouver Yukigassen competitors take sport seriously CITY LIVING Rebecca Blissett

rvblissett@gmail.com

Shoppers with paper shopping bags balancing on both arms bustled their way past a tent of people in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery asking passersby for signatures for their Sewol ferry petition, past the hat stand woman who made sure plastic covered her wares from the rain, and past people wearing bicycle helmets and chucking snowballs at one another.

Petitions and street vendors are part of the usual Robson Street scenery but

an official snowball fight is not. The fight, or battle as those involved in the sport, is called yukigassen and is taken seriously enough that it has its own international federation.

Saturday was the second time the game, which began in Japan 20 years ago, had been officially played in Vancouver.

“As I found out, at first you think it’s going to be fun and then it gets competitive.

You don’t want to lose,” said Nathania Lo, who is the manager of Asian Giving at the Canadian Cancer Society and also a member of 2014 championship team Snowball Patrol. “It brings back the kid in a person, too.”

Players describe it as a mixture of capture-the-flag, dodgeball, hide-and-seek and touch football (and, if you’re familiar, identical to paintball’s version of

capture-the-flag but without the sharp sting of being hit).

The court, or the bare concrete of the Robson Square skating rink in this case, is divided into two sides. Each team also has defensive shelters in the form of big foam blocks to hide behind. There are three periods of three minutes each, and each team gets 45 snowballs per period. The two ways to win include capturing the flag, or pegging off all the opponents with snowballs before time runs out.

There is also a list of rules — no catching snowballs in the air, for instance.

The Canadian Cancer Society did its best to recreate the square as a winter wonderland with help from a film prop company, which arranged for realistic-looking snow to fall during the afternoon award ceremonies.

Team Mission of Care An-

gels were presented medals and other sponsor gifts from tournament emcee Jennifer Lee, who is no stranger to the stage as the first runnerup in the Miss Chinese Vancouver pageant in 2013.

It was a balmy 12 degrees Celsius outside, which meant synthetic snowballs were used instead of real snow found at the championship tournament locations. The fake snowballs felt surprisingly real, though, and were provided by a family-owned company in the states called, appropriately enough, Snowtime Anytime.

The sport is in Vancouver as an official Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser.

Lo, whose job at the society is to look for ways to engage the Asian community, heard about yukigassen through a colleague, and figured it was the perfect fit. Especially since there are already society

fundraisers around running, cycling and hockey.

“My portfolio is Asians, which incorporates any way you define Asian. We don’t segregate, there’s lots of non-Asians here as well,” Lo said, motioning towards the rink where the tournament was played. “Yuki is a sport from Japan and what better way to outreach into the Asian community than to bring a sport into this city and to also bring some culture into what we do.”

Both the Mission of Care Angels and Snowball Patrol will represent Vancouver at the nationals in Jasper in 2016. The Care Angels qualified by winning Saturday’s tournament while Snowball Patrol (who were runners-up this year) earned an entry after winning last year’s qualifier at Mount Seymour.

Games are usually held in the snowy outdoors,

with each team having to make their own snowballs with an approved mold half an hour before a game.

If the snow is too icy, then synthetic balls are used for safety purposes. Helmets are always worn, with the addition of face shields in championship games.

The winning team from the Canadian nationals advances to the international championships in Japan, but it’s a tough road to get there. Lo suspects Vancouver’s biggest competition may come from northern B.C. where a team of oil rig guys have their own outdoor yukigassen court set up in one of the player’s backyard.

“It’s a game that feels very Canadian,” said Lo. “The way it’s described on the Yuki Canada web site is ‘truly Canadian in nature.’” twitter.com/rebeccablissett

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

Whether it’s parsley, sage, rosemary or thyme, herbs are easy to grow in small spaces and aren’t difficult to look after.

Top kitchen herbs to grow at home

Anne Marrison

amarrison@shaw.ca

It’s not always easy to use tiny amounts of gardening space in ways that are useful as well as beautiful, but some herbs manage to do exactly that.

All are easy to get and most aren’t difficult to look after.

People who have room for a few containers will find chives the most cooperative and versatile of doorside plants. The leaves of these hardy onion-family plants lurk underground all winter then erupt in early spring, tender and delicately

flavoured ready to be snipped into salads, soups or be use as garnish.

Later round heads of long-lasting pink-purple flowers stay decorative for many weeks or can be picked for a dry vase where (if taken early) they keep their colour for months.

Parsley is another essential kitchen herb. It’s best grown from seed sown in early spring and because it’s tap-rooted it is somewhat drought-resistant.

The plain-leaf Italian version is said to be tastier, but the curly-leaf kind is much prettier and more popular.

If you let it go to seed

in the second year, baby parsley plants will spring up around the time-expired mothers and you’ll have parsley forever.

Oregano is enormously useful for people who enjoy Italian cooking and if you choose Golden Oregano it’s like having a little patch of sunshine at hand. It’s vigorous and the little bunches you pick and de-leaf for spaghetti sauce soon get replaced.

It seeds around and you can end up weeding little oregano plants out of neighbouring pots. This is best done when you plan to make spaghetti sauce.

Mint is well-loved by

English cooks with fond memories of mint sauce and mint-flavoured vegetables.

It’s very easily grown if you keep it watered. But it’s a roamer that seeks out fresh soil while dying where the previous year it grew most happily.

The way to keep it happy in pots is to cut out one or two pie shapes of old roots and fill those spaces with compost or fresh soil.

The old root pieces should be discarded where they won’t re-root. They can re-root in compost bins.

Rosemary is beautiful and so useful aside from being not quite hardy.

The only variety that can be kept outside in winter is Hardy Arp, which is said to be good down to zone six in a warm, sunny sheltered place.

All the others need to be winterized inside. Rosemary handles winter better if it’s in dryish soil.

As a fragrant, beautiful pot plant rosemary is outstanding. Rex is narrow and pyramidal dark green leaves and deep blue flowers, Santa Barbara is a trailer that works well in hanging baskets and Golden Rain has young branches slashed with gold in spring.

Sage is a nice pot plant, which keeps its compact

shape if you’re sure to cut it back in spring as soon as new shoots begin to sprout.

Berggarten is my favourite for cooking with its large, soft grey leaves.

Other sage varietals that make a nice grouping for gardens (and a tasty sampling for kitchens) include purple, tri-colour and golden sage-variegated.

It’s safer to mulch them in winter if you’re not a coastal gardener.

Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions.

Send them to her via amarrison@shaw.ca. It helps if you give the name of your city or region.

Apply for a grant of up to $1,000 for projects that make Vancouver greener or more connected and engaged.

Deadline is March 31.

Learn more at

vancouverfoundation.ca/nsg vancouverfdn

W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Garden hacks: the good the bad and the bugly Tom Major

stmajor@shaw.ca

Have you heard of any good garden hacks lately?

A hack, also known as a trick, is the current pop culture term for getting things done quickly.

If you search the term online you’ll see there’s a hack for everything these days with hundreds of websites offering their own hacks or gardening tips.

But before I suggest some good garden hacks, here are some bad ones.

Bad garden hack No. 1

Be water-wise and use a rain barrel. You can even use a garbage can.

idea, but if everyone in a given neighbourhood participated, rat problems would increase. I recommend a rodentresistant compost bin for all kitchen waste. Once composted, banana peels will still add nutrients to the soil, but in a prepared form.

Continued on page 16

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Grow your own ‘moss graffiti’ to liven up surfaces Continued from page 15

Bad garden hack No. 2

Lighten a heavy container by placing packing Styrofoam chips in the bottom.

I’ve talked about perched water tables before. Placing any shards, pieces or chunks

of Styrofoam, or any other material in the bottom of a pot reduces the depth of the root zone and perches the water table above the filler material. I suggest getting a smaller container. Or fill with soil to the bottom and grow bigger plants proportionate to the size of the container.

Bad garden hack No. 3

Use Epsom salts, fireplace ashes or coffee grounds as fertilizer. (Please do not.)

Any of those additives can negatively change soil pH and damage plant health.

Epsom salts are used to adjust a magnesium defi-

ciency over the short term.

Too much Epsom will cause nutrient antagonisms, meaning magnesium and another nutrient will bind together and become unavailable to plants. If your plants are showing magnesium deficiency, add a prescribed amount of dolomite lime

to correct the problem.

Fireplace ashes are usually alkaline, poisonous and should only be disposed of in the garbage and never used in the garden. Coffee grounds and tea bags do provide small amounts of phosphorus and organic matter.

However, those items can

Vote YES for better transit.

You can vote YES in the transportation and transit referendum knowing that the tax money collected will go to pay for the critical transportation and transit improvements needed in the region.

adjust pH and saprophytic fungi may grow on the grounds leading to a less than desirable presentation.

Good garden hack No. 1

Grow your own moss graffiti. This idea was sent to me by a friend living in Squamish. Moss will grow on almost any surface. The idea is to grow the moss on something like a wall, brick facade or boulder then carve, cut and scrape the moss into words, symbols or pictures. My friend carved his home address into the moss on a giant boulder near his house — the possibilities are endless.

Good garden hack No. 2

Be water-wise and use a rain barrel. Purpose-built rain barrels can be bought online. For a DIY rain barrel, use an old garbage can or any other large, used container to hold water.

You can also buy used plastic barrels on online. Install a garden tap into the side of the container near the bottom. Then use leftover paint to create artistic designs or colourful schemes.

Good garden hack No. 3

Jim Pattison’s Public Accountability Committee will monitor and ensure that the funds raised will be spent wisely and responsibly and used only for the infrastructure they are meant to pay for.

The ACCounTAbiLiTy PLedge inCLudes: • FFll @v?rIGJHt DA JGm PattGI@C’I PFDlGc Acc@FCtaDGlGtA C@mmGtt??

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Vote YES for a faster commute, stronger economy and better environment.

Learn more about the Transportation and Transit Plan at mayorscouncil.ca

Try homemade pest control sprays. Modern gardeners care about the environment’s health. Buy a small, one-litre, hand-held sprayer.

Combine various homemade ingredients, such as cayenne pepper, garlic, onion juice or vinegar, with water and fill the sprayer and keep it stored in the fridge between uses.

Every time you go out into the garden and find evidence of aphids, whiteflies, thrips or other insect pests, simply spray some of the mixture on to the affected plants. If you do this regularly, it will help control pests in an environmentally sensitive manner.

Good garden hack No. 4

Consider an alternative to gardening gloves. This trick comes from Jessica of 104homestead.com in Maine, and it’s for people who don’t like to wear gardening gloves. To keep your fingernails from getting dirt underneath them, before you go out gardening, scratch a bar of soap with each fingernail. Soap will lodge under your fingernails. Once you’ve finished gardening, come in and wash your hands and the soap will leave your fingernails shiny and clean.

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at Fairmont Pacific Rim

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Seniors want in on transportation discussion Deanna Cheng

dmwcheng7@gmail.com

One spry 87-year-old West End resident is voting Yes in the ongoing transportation plebiscite because she says investing in a decent public transit system is important and inevitable.

Peggy Casey said with the transportation system in a bad state of disrepair, there’s a need to improve it and to delay investing in the system would simply cost the public even more later.

“It’s not about TransLink. People don’t realize it,” said Casey.

She said seniors become concerned when they hear the words, “increase in taxes.”

“It’s kind of the last straw even though it’s such a small amount. What is it, 50 cent on $100? It’s just the idea. It adds onto the stress,” Casey said, adding for her, it’s about future generations. “I want a decent system for my children and grandchildren” Legally blind, Casey uses the transit system about six to seven times a month to travel downtown, to New Westminster and Metrotown. She also travels to Richmond, taking the community bus to Yaletown station. The C21 and C23 are shuttle buses that operate in the West End. Casey previously lived in Richmond for almost 30 years.

“I go in to visit friends.

And I go in occasionally for maybe a hospital test or something like that.”

Next month, she will have lived in the West End for 10 years. Casey moved into the neighbourhood to be closer to family. She’s out and about everyday.

“I walk a great deal around the West End,” she said.

Casey was declared legally blind 27 years ago and gave up driving. She was frightened and apprehensive because she didn’t know what would happen next.

“I lost the central vision

“I’m worried about Mom.”

Peggy Casey, who is legally blind, uses the transit system six to seven times a month to travel from the West End. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

in one eye at 57 and then at 59, the other eye.”

Today, Casey doesn’t have any peripheral vision on either eye and almost no vision on her left eye.

“I see some contrast. I think I know just about every bump on the sidewalks in the West End,” said Casey. “Sunlight is not good for me. I’m actually better on a cloudy day. But I have enough peripheral vision to get around my own neighbourhood without too much assistance.”

When Casey travels to a place she isn’t familiar with, she brings her white cane.

To keep on schedule she

relies on her analog watch, which talks and tells her the time at the press of a button and acts as her alarm clock.

She also has a magnifier in her purse to read the print on restaurant menus.

Casey sometimes uses her glasses, a round brown pair with thick lenses reminiscent of the bottom of a Coke bottle. In her home, chairs are lined up neatly by the table and there’s no miscellaneous knick-knacks on countertops.

“It’s very important to me that people put the scissors in the right drawers and everything where it’s supposed to go,” she added.

Otherwise, she can’t find them again.

A Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives report said a lack of access to transportation is one of the major challenges people face as they age. “If seniors become housebound, they are less likely to eat well, get regular exercise or get to medical appointments,” states the report, adding that a lack of access to transportation means seniors are more likely to become socially isolated.

Social connection is a key determinant, the report added, of seniors’ health, slowing cognitive decline,

the onset of dementia and the progress of disability.

“Active, healthy seniors are also less likely to require more expensive health services like physician and hospital care.”

In a report compiled by the Office of the B.C. Seniors Advocate, seniors expressed grave concerns about their freedom and independence once they were no longer able to drive.

“There were emotional stories from seniors about the trauma they experienced from the driving assessment process and the devastation they faced upon losing the independence that driving

provides,” the report read in part. It also noted while seniors appreciate services such as HandyDART, they are concerned about limitations of such services and frustrated with processing applications, wait times, frequency and the cost for lowincome seniors. The report noted seniors feel they live in an ageist society that devalues them and sees them as a drain on the system.

“While some seniors do need assistance, seniors actively contribute to their communities in many ways and their contributions should be recognized.” twitter.com/writerly_dee

We Take Care Of Your Mom Just Like You Do! SHYLO, your local home health care company has been helping people just like your mom since 1980. We help seniors stay in their homes and we’ll take care of your mom just like you would.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

urbansenior

Dine out around town for a good cause CALENDAR dmwcheng7@gmail.com

formation and a complete listing of participating restaurants, visit diningoutforlife.com.

Various locations

Kitsilano

Deanna Cheng

From Vancouver to Whistler and across the Lower Mainland, restaurants participating in Dine Out for Life will donate 25 per cent of their food sales March 26 to non-profits organizations Friends For Life and A Loving Spoonful.

Almost 100 locations will serve breakfast, lunch or dinner in support people living with HIV or AIDS. All proceeds go directly to programs and services, including meal delivery, support therapies and end-of-life care to people in their own homes.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, in 2012, B.C. had the second largest number of reported AIDS cases at 24.4 per cent, followed by Saskatchewan and Alberta. Ontario had the largest percentage.

In the previous year, the agency estimated 71,300 people lived with HIV or

Joe Fortes is just one of dozens of restaurants taking part in Dine Out for Life March 26 in support of Friends For Life and A Loving Spoonful.

AIDS in Canada, with more than 25 per cent residing in B.C., in particular Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, making it the highest HIV rates in

the Western world, reaching as high as 27 per cent.

While B.C.’s infection rates have decreased, advanced therapies mean people with HIV or AIDS

are living longer and the number of people who depend on the services of Friends For Life and A Loving Spoonful continues to grow. For more in-

Let a few crooners brighten up your spirits this Easter at St. James Community Square April 3.

Songs of Mahalia Jackson is a concert of gospel songs made famous by the singer, considered by many to be the greatest gospel singer of all time and known for songs such as “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and “His Eye is On the Sparrow.” The show features Blues Hall of Fame inductee Dalannah Gail Bowen, Will Sanders of The Sojourners, Joanie Bye and Simon Kendall on piano.

Doors open at 6:45 p.m. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $15 or $20 at the door. Tickets are available on eventbrite.com.

For more information, contact Bowen at dalannahbowen@gmail.com or 604-642-2502.

Queen Elizabeth Park

If you’re up for an evening stroll through the lush Queen Elizabeth Park, check out Approaching the Past, a free event April 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

VanDusen Botanical Garden Association board member Vicky Early and Vancouver Park Board chairman John Coupar will present the history of the park and the Bloedel Conservatory. It’s ideally aimed at educators in schools, museums and heritage programs but everyone is welcome. Participants will be provided with a package of materials for lesson and program planning. To join, contact admin@thenhier.ca or call 604-822-6915.

Various locations

BlueShore Financial, a sponsor of the Vancouver Sun Run, is bringing the Sun Run ShoeRenu Program to the city March 31 with a community-wide shoe collection effort.

Continued next page

Have you, or someone you know who is an older adult, been a victim of abuse or neglect?

BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Support, a non-profit organization with charitable status, works to raise awareness, and to prevent and respond to elder abuse and neglect. The Victim Services Program supports people age 50+ who are victims of family and sexual violence, including abuse.

Our staff lawyers and the legal advocate provide legal advice and representation, in areas of law related to elder abuse, to people age 55+ who are low income or have other barriers. We offer free workshops and training on elder abuse prevention and financial literacy for older adults and community groups.

Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL) is a safe place for older adults, and those who care about them, to talk to someone about situations where they feel they are being abused or mistreated, or to receive information about elder abuse prevention.

Seniors Abuse & Information Line

604 437-1940 | 1 866 437-1940 (toll free) Available 8am to 8pm daily (except holidays)

Language interpretation available 9am to 4pm daily (except holidays) TTY: 604-428-3359 | 1-855-306-1443 (toll free) Available 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday (except holidays)

www.bcceas.ca

W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Approaching the Past is a free event at the Bloedel Conservatory April 29. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Continued from previous page BlueShore Financial staff in 12 locations spanning Vancouver, Pemberton, Whistler, Squamish and North Vancouver are encouraged to bring their gently used shoes to work this month. Surrounding communities are also invited to drop off their own shoes at the nearest BlueShore Financial location March 30. Used shoes and boots are collected, washed and distributed to the disadvantaged through the Vancouver ShoeRenu Foot Care Clinics at the Salvation Army Harbour Light.

Now in its eighth year, the program has given away almost 500 pairs of re-conditioned shoes and clean socks annually to low-income individuals.

To find a location, visit blueshorefinancial.com.

Downtown

For seniors who want to keep up with technology and social media, the Vancouver Public Library

is offering two introductory workshops at its downtown central branch, 350 West Georgia St. — Twitter for Beginners for Seniors and Internet Basics for Seniors.

The Twitter workshop takes place March 27 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on the 7th floor. In this hands-on course, participants will set up an account, customize the account settings and begin following other Twitter users.

Meanwhile, the Internet Basics for Seniors workshop takes place March 31 from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. on the same floor. Participants will learn what’s available on the Internet and how to find it. This hands-on session includes a discussion about browsers, navigation and effective searching.

Both events require registration. Contact info@ vpl.ca or call 604-3313603.

Also downtown, the Canadian premiere of a

documentary examining the legacy of eco-warrior Edward Abbey, will screen March 30 at Vancity Theatre. Wrenched is part of the Sea Shepherd and Vancouver International Film Festival’s second annual environmental film series.

The movie celebrates Abbey’s life and asks, “How far do you have to go in order to address the rapidly escalating ecological crisis and what forms of action are most effective?” It also includes an interview with Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson who talks about Abbey’s influence on his career as an activist. Watson is a guest speaker at the event.

Tickets for the evening are $11 in advance. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the screening at 6:30 p.m.

The documentary will run through June 1 at Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St. For more information, visit viff.org. twitter.com/writerly_dee

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Visit londondrugs.com/healthyheart for clinic dates and locations.

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Aging population deserves more advice Official senior designation needed in financial services industry

Tom Carney

tomcarney@telus.net

Most of the “retirement readiness” surveys that cross my desk these days suggest people are undersaving for their retirement.

I’ve been critical of the tactics used to drum up business by some in the financial services industry, but that doesn’t mean their numbers are wrong. According to the latest data, in Canada the average life expectancy for those who have already reached the age of 65 has increased 1.5 months each year over the past 40 years to just under 84 years for men and just over 86 years for women.

The takeaway is you’ll likely live longer and need more money to do it. The financial services industry can be part of the solution here but they can also be part of the problem. The industry is a business in which high fees and conflicted advice can take a huge toll on their client’s savings. Canada has

The challenge for many seniors isn’t to accumulate more financial assets, but to hang on to what they’ve got to fund their living expenses for as long as they live.

the highest mutual fund fees in the world and while advisers have a fiduciary standard to put their clients’ best interests ahead of their own, we still hear quips like,

“Where are the customers’ yachts?” and “Whenever I sit down with my adviser, I’m never sure whose retirement we are planning.”

An aging population

presents a new opportunity for members of the financial services industry to better serve their senior clients. Many seniors have amassed substantial

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financial assets over their working careers. Not all seniors are affluent of course, but as a group they control 55 per cent of the nation’s discretionary spending power and have an income per capita that is 26 per cent higher than the national average. So as they move into retirement the challenge for many seniors isn’t to accumulate more financial assets, but to hang on to what they’ve got to fund their living expenses for as long as they live. As a group they don’t need more products, they need more advice. That advice needs to be individually tailored because each individual is facing specific issues with their health, finances, taxes, insurance needs, family and estate situations. It’s a challenge but it’s also an opportunity. And this is key — it requires a different mindset to go from helping the client accumulate financial assets for their

retirement to helping the client manage those assets in their retirement.

Does the industry have a group within their ranks with proficiency and expertise in retirement income planning solutions? I did a little digging into adviser designations targeting seniors in this country. They are not all equal. There are several financial designations and certificates that advisers can list as credentials that are targeted to retirement and eldercare planning.

But there is no official senior designation in Canada’s financial services industry.

Given that there are more than five million Canadians who are over the age of 65 and that number will double in the next 25 years the obvious question is why not?

Tom Carney is the former executive director of the Lionsview Seniors’ Planning Society. Ideas for future columns are welcome.

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I WILL HEAR

urbansenior

What to take to the hospital

Davidicus Wong, M.D.

davidicuswong.wordpress.com

In my last column, I wrote of the inevitability of you landing in the strange place we call Hospitaland and the curious customs of its inhabitants. To prepare you for a potentially unexpected visit and to reduce the chance of a misadventure, I’ll review the essential things you should pack.

Without being anxious or fatalistic, we have to expect that anything can happen anytime. It helps us not to take health, life and loved ones for granted, but rather to appreciate what we have when we have it. We can also be prepared.

My parents ingrained in us good hygiene that included daily bathing and clean socks and underwear.

I’m glad they didn’t give us the traditional rationale that “we should wear clean underwear every day in case we’re in an accident.”

That never made sense to me. If you were surprised by a bad accident, would you have the composure not to poop or pee in your pants?

Better advice would be, “Never miss an opportunity to use a toilet.”

And I suggest that you neither wear nor pack your best Victoria Secret lingerie or Calvin Klein underwear.

They are likely to be cut away with utility scissors for emergency procedures. The same goes for your favourite Superman or Sponge Bob undershirt.

If you’re planning to be admitted for an elective procedure, consider using a Sharpie felt pen on yourself to leave advanced directives when you are unconscious in the operating room. “Not this leg, the other one.”

“I’m here for my gall bladder not a hysterectomy (or a vasectomy).” “I signed up for a left hernia not a bilateral orchidectomy (castration).”

It’s best to be prepared at all times for an unexpected trip to the hospital.

Your “travel documents” are essential. I don’t mean your passport and boarding pass but rather the essential information that another doctor will need to give you the best care. This includes a one-page summary of your medical history, including allergies, previous operations and hospitalizations, family history, and both chronic and past illnesses.

If you don’t have this information at your fingertips, you’re family doctor will be able to provide this to you.

Look into this now rather than waiting until you urgently need it.

You should also carry a complete list of any medication you are taking, including nonprescription vitamins or drugs. This should include a prescription drug’s brand name and generic (or chemical) name, dosage and directions (i.e. twice daily).

Another essential document is an advanced medical directive that some call a living will. This states what you would or would not like done to your body should you not be able to make medical decisions at the time. For example, if you had a stroke and couldn’t speak, would you want to

have CPR (chest compressions and assisted breathing)? Would you want IV fluids? Tube feeding if you couldn’t swallow? Machines to assist breathing? Blood tranfusions?

Sorry you don’t get to choose the colour of your hospital gown.

You should also indicate whom you would want to make decisions on your behalf. This should be someone you trust to respect your wishes. Talk to this person ahead of time so that your values and preferences are known.

What you should not bring with you to the hospital are things that could be lost or stolen. This includes valuable watches, jewelry, smartphones, electronics, credit cards and money. Your old cassette or CD player is okay.

Because you don’t have a choice of roommates, room temperature or lighting, bring earplugs, headphones, an eye mask for sleeping, warm socks, a supply of clean underwear, a sweater and an extra blanket.

Of course, as with any other trip, bring your toothbrush and toothpaste but don’t bother with makeup (even if your nurses or doctors are really good looking). Definitely

do not wear any cologne or perfume that may be harmful to other patients with allergies or respiratory problems.

Bring something to keep you occupied when you are lying or sitting around for hours at a time: puzzle books, magazines and books. Always have a pad of paper and a pen. This is helpful for you to take notes of what your healthcare providers discuss with you and to write down messages or questions for your attending physician. If healthcare providers use unfamiliar medical words, ask for clarification and have them write things out for you.

In the case of doctors, ask them to print.

On Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m., I’ll be speaking on “How to Survive Your Hospital Stay” at the Confederation Community Centre, 4585 Albert St. in North Burnaby (near the McGill Public Library and Eileen Daily Pool). I’ll tell you everything you need to know to have the healthiest, least eventful hospital stay possible. On April 7, I’ll be speaking at the Bonsor Recreation Complex on a topic relevant to your healthcare both in and out of the hospital, “What You Should Know About Medical Ethics.” How can you ensure your wishes are respected? What is the essential information you need to make informed decisions? Who is looking at your medical records?

These free public talks are part of the Burnaby Division of Family Practice’s Empowering Patients education series. For more information, call Leona Cullen at 604-259-4450 or register online at lcullen@ divisionsbc.ca.

Dr. Davidicus Wong is a family physician. For more on achieving your positive potential at every age: davidicuswong.wordpress.com.

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Travel Island made of sunken ships among Perast’s charms Peter Neville-Hadley Meridian Writers’ Group

PERAST, Montenegro — Less than an hour southeast from the pretty limestone palaces of Dubrovnik, Croatia’s top tourist attraction, the road along the Adriatic coastline crosses the border with Montenegro and turns inland to follow the improbably canal-like mouth of the entrance to the Bay of Kotor.

Car ferries shuttle back

and forth between two promontories, but by initially turning northwest, almost back on its tracks, the road eventually loops round the rim of a vast natural harbour enclosed by the Dinaric Alps, its waters placid even by Mediterranean standards, to a point opposite its mouth.

Here the route climbs to the little town of Perast — a jumble of limestone walls and terracotta roofs tumbling down to the

waterside. It’s Dubrovnik in miniature, but without the crowds.

Perast spent much of its history in the shadow of a larger, heavily fortified neighbour Kotor, but thrived in the 17th century (during more than 300 years of Venetian control), building palaces and churches with obvious Venetian architectural influences, some now roofless and abandoned.

Today Perast is all but forgotten, its population

ARTHRITIS

only about 120.

Its Bujovic palace is now a fine museum charting the history of Perast’s noble families.

The town’s reputation for excellent seamanship was such that even the Russian imperial court sent naval officers for training at its academy, and still today many of its men are merchant sailors.

Dignified portraits look down on cabinets of maps and weaponry, sea chests and figureheads.

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The palace’s broad balcony, like the range of waterside restaurants below, looks out on two tiny islands that dominate the view and draw the eye whether from the top of one of several bell towers or from the steep, stepped alleys that lace the hillside.

On the left is the Island of St. George, almost completely occupied by its abbey. What little land remains is shrouded in pines and for centuries has been the chief burial place of Perast’s worthies.

On the right is the largely man-made Our Lady of the Rock. Originally merely a crag it became an object of veneration following the recovery from illness of a citizen who had discovered an icon of the Virgin Mary there.

From 1452 the people of Perast began to scuttle ships and deposit stones until there was a platform large enough for a church.

The island was also

intended as a rival to St. George, owned by Kotor, and construction accelerated as a penance for the 1535 murder of a Kotorappointed abbot.

The present building is 17th century, small but magnificent, topped with a striking blue dome.

Local boatmen ferry visitors out for only a few euros to view its ornately carved and painted interior, as well as an incongruous display of artifacts left in thanks for dangers avoided and sicknesses survived, including kitchenware, clocks, keys, a sewing machine and an ancient gramophone.

Every July 22, a procession of gaily decorated boats re-enacts the creation of the island by depositing fresh stones to ensure its continued security and the continued good fortune of Perast’s sailors.

More stories at culturelocker.com

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Top: Perast now has a population of around 120 people.

Bottom: The 17th-century church on Our Lady of the Rock, built atop sunken boats, looks across to St. George Island, for centuries the burial place of the area’s wealthy.

PHOTO PETER NEVILLE-HADLEY

W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Arts&Entertainment

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GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com

1

2 March 25 to 27, 2015 1. The grizzled road warriors and 24hour party people of the Turning Point Ensemble bring the goat blood-fuelled classical noise to the 28th annual Sonic Boom Festival, which showcases original compositional works of contemporary classical music from some of British Columbia’s most interesting composers.

The five days of musical mayhem, master classes and panels take place March 25 to 29 at the Orpheum Annex and Pyatt Hall. Details at vancouverpromusica.ca.

2. French choreographer Serge Bennathan’s new autobiographical work Monsieur Auburtin is billed as a witty and moving look at a life lived through dance. See dance, poetry and life collide March 26 to 28 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre. Tickets at ticketstonight. ca. and chutzpahfestival.com. Details at thedancecentre.ca.

3. Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play, Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike puts Chekhov characters through the modern spin cycle for a smartphone-addicted mashup and farce skewering our current hyper-connected era. Get ready to LOL at the Stanley Theatre until April 19.

Tickets and details at artsclub.com.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

Arts&Entertainment KUDOS & KVETCHES East of burden

You may recall that a while back a group of Hastings-Sunrise residents let it be known they were none-too-pleased with the North Hastings BIA for attempting to rebrand their neighbourhood “East Village.” Not only was the name imprecise, they argued, but they took great offence to the BIA installing a number of East Village banners. On top of that, the banners employed a font that could best be described as “funky” in a mid ’90s Lollapalooza kind of way to capture the essence of this “vintage neighbourhood with a progressive attitude.”

Someone was actually paid money to come up with that tag line.

Well, it’s three years on and people are still unhappy with the BIA for its branding efforts. So much so that someone has started an online petition at change. org calling for the removal of the East Village banners and brand and returning to the good old days of HastingsSunrise. Freeeeeedom!

The petition states “the

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Some Hastings-Sunrise residents are not fans of calling their hood East Village. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

‘East Village’ movement has implemented a visual bombardment of their brand.” And “the name change has received massive disproval [sic] and it is time to officially have the voice of the community heard.”

To date, more than 500 people have signed the online protest.

Clearly this rift is tearing apart the once bucolic neighbourhood and a Hastings-Sunrise/East Village civil war seems all but imminent. Which is why the do-gooders at Kudos and Kvetches have decided

to intervene and broker a peace deal between the two warring factions. After much contemplation, we feel the only solution is a new name altogether. One that is both “vintage” and “progressive.” One that captures the positive outlook of a sunrise coming over the horizon of Slocan Street and one that embodies the new, inoffensive, designed-by-committee, condo-friendly future of the ’hood. Here are a few options from our survey that we’ll be sending residents next month. Feel free to share your input with us:

• Hastings Lite • The PNE’s Long-term Companion • Where You Move When You’ve Finally Had Enough of Commercial Drive • Bob Rennie’s Next Conquest • The Place with the Cheap Meat • East Hastings… It’s Better Than You Think • Ragged Charmsville • The Burnaby Commute • Denim Town • Marpole’s Cooler Chain-Smoking Cousin • No Longer Affordable. twitter.com/KudosKvetches

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Bad things often happen to bad people. But bad things also happen to good people. And sometimes it’s just a matter of unwise choices or unforeseen escalation: a molehill that grows into a mountain. And then, like a volcano, it erupts, burning everyone in its path.

In Nicolas Billon’s scorching play, Iceland, superbly directed by Kathleen Duborg for Dirt Road Productions, three seemingly unconnected characters weave a riveting tale of sex, fear, greed and religiosity. At least two of the three characters are decent people; all three make at least one disastrous error in judgment.

Estonian immigrant Kassandra (Lindsey Angell) is pursuing her graduate degree at UBC but works as an escort in order to send money home to pay off her brother’s gambling debts.

Halim (Munish Sharma) is a real estate agent getting rich by flipping apartments one of which was the former home of Anna (Georgia Beaty), the unfortunate offspring of religious zealots. She carries a bar of soap to chew on when, inadvertently, she “blasphemes.” Halim bought Anna’s apartment, evicted her, spruced the apartment up and has the place back on the market within a couple of months. He stands to make $50,000 on the resale.

Kassandra needs money

that we understand Anna’s motivation completely.

Halim is the character you love to hate. He’s crass and crude. Everything is for sale and if you have money, you can have it. The trouble with a wallet, he says, is that people can’t see your money so he carries a money clip in his breast pocket and flashes it whenever he needs to. He’s sexist and a free market wheeler-dealer. He wrote the book on dog-eatdog and his reference to Iceland relates back to its disastrous bank failure. A nation of suckers, he would say, who don’t know the difference between “fish nets” and “net worth.”

Actor Sharma must feel the waves of hostility coming off an audience although the playwright gives him the only funny — but off-colour — lines in the play. Warning: it would take a case of soap to clean Halim’s mouth out.

What is so fascinating about Iceland is how three characters, three stories come together and how good or simple intentions can go so badly. And here’s where Billon suggests our complicity comes into play: how easy it is to make assumptions without knowing the backstory. And how easy it is for simple disagreements to escalate and end up with a body on a slab and the story on the front page.

For more reviews, go to joledingham.ca.

Iceland runs until March 29 at Presentation House.

Details at phtheatre.org.

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and wants a good future in Canada, Halim wants money and sex, Anna wants an apology and her apartment back.

Three long monologues take place in that apartment and are addressed directly to the audience. Amazingly, Iceland never feels static despite very little interaction between the characters. It’s three powerful performances and the playwright’s clever knitting together of strands that make Iceland so compelling.

All three characters remain throughout on Chris McGregor’s spare set: a sofa, two chairs and an illuminated “glacier-like” installation upstage. Lighting designer John Webber keeps two of the three characters in shadow as, one after the other, the actors step into the light to tell their tale. There are times when Iceland begins to feel like a simple whodunit — and, in a way, it is. But it’s so much more: how did these three people end up together in one place at one time.

Angell’s performance is so raw and Kassandra’s story so sad, it’s tempting to look away. Tugging at her short skirt and speaking in heavily Estonian-accented English, Angell commands our sympathy: Kassandra is a good person who, through her desire to help her brother, finds herself embroiled in something sordid.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

Arts&Entertainment

Three’s company in Ballet B.C.’s Trace Program includes Forsythe, Matteini and Walerski DANCE Erin McPhee

emcphee@vancourier.com

For dancer Livona Ellis, there’s no greater motivation than the thrill experienced from taking the stage.

“When you think about the end goal and you get to be onstage performing in front of all those people, it’s just so worth it, it’s just so satisfying. I couldn’t imagine my life without that feeling,” says the 24-year-old Ballet B.C. member, when asked what drives her.

Further encouraging is the sense of satisfaction derived from working and collaborating in the studio with colleagues and choreographers alike.

“That feeling as well is amazing. It feels like we’re really doing something important. I feel like I have a real purpose,” she says.

Ellis is in her fifth season with Ballet B.C. “Every year it just gets better and better — the choreographers that we’re working with and each year we’re touring more.

Obviously, as the seasons progress, I’m moving my way up in the company and having more responsibilities, which has been great, and more opportunities on stage,” she says. Ellis is in the midst of rehearsals for the company’s next performance, Trace, a triple-bill

program featuring works by three returning internationally-renowned choreographers, March 26-28 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Trace will include the Canadian premiere of William Forsythe’s workwithinwork, a world premiere by Walter Matteini and Petite Cérémonie by Medhi Walerski.

While Ellis is looking forward to performing in each of the pieces, which she describes as “really distinct and individual,” Walerski’s Petite Cérémonie is of particular interest as she was featured in its Vancouver premiere as an apprentice with Ballet B.C. back in 2011.

“It holds a special place in my heart because it was that piece that I feel like allowed me the chance to become a full member,” she says.

Her performance of the role, which she’s repeating this time around with the addition of a duet section, along with her hard work throughout her apprenticeship, helped her earn a permanent home at Ballet B.C. Ellis has been enjoying the opportunity to revisit the piece. “I’ve come a long way and it’s nice to bring a piece back and you find so many new things because obviously I’m different. I’ve grown. So the way I approach things now is different. So to have to go back to an older piece and kind of reinvent it, but still keep the essence of where it

Ballet B.C. dancers Scott Fowler and Livona Ellis prepare for the company’s next performance, Trace.

PHOTO MICHAEL SLOBODIAN

came from, it’s actually really exciting to have a second chance at it,” she says.

Petite Cérémonie, a work for the full company, discusses relationships between men and women and the proposition of life in a box. Walerski, a dancer and choreographer with Netherlands Dance Theater, is a continued contributor to Ballet B.C., having worked with the company last season, and they plan on bringing him back again next year. The relationship speaks to the company’s focus on collaborating with international

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choreographers. “It’s nice to work with them because they bring something so different, not only for us the dancers but also for our audiences,” says Ellis.

The full company workwithinwork marks Ellis’s second time performing a piece by Forsythe.

“I love it. It’s based in classicism but his work is always taken to the extreme.

We’re wearing pointe shoes but we’re asked to do the craziest things in pointe shoes. It’s definitely not a classical ballet,” she says.

The piece is set to music

by Luciano Berio, “Duo for two Violins,” and is divided into small sections, seeing the dancers play with and off the music, as well as off each other. While physically it’s very challenging and very demanding on the dancers’ bodies, it’s a fun work nonetheless. “It’s playful in its own way. It’s abstract, there’s no real storyline or anything, but it’s more the relationship between the movement, the space and the music,” says Ellis.

The third piece on the program, by Matteini, seeks to play with the light and

dark sides of human nature.

“The style is very grounded, very emotional. It’s very physical work and he plays... with a lot of theatricality within the space, and the movement and the music that he uses is just absolutely beautiful. He’s been wonderful to work with and he’s so positive and patient, and he really just pulls a lot of things out of you that you didn’t expect,” says Ellis.

In addition to her work as a dancer, Ellis is continuing to pursue growing passions for both teaching and choreographing. A couple of times a year she returns to Arts Umbrella, her alma mater, to work with students. She’s currently choreographing a group of dancers, ages 12 to 14. They’ll perform her four-minute piece at their end-of-year recital in June.

“I love going back to Arts Umbrella. It feels like home and it’s nice to be a part of that group again. Every time I go back and do class or even just watch, it reminds me of why I do this. And also I keep learning and there’s always new information that I can pick up and take with me here and apply to the things that we’re doing here, so it’s really great,” she says.

Trace runs March 26 to 28 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

For tickets, call 1-855-9852787 or go to ticketmaster.ca.

Details at balletbc.com.

W E DN E SDAY, M A RC H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Sports&Recreation

GOT SPORTS? 604.630.3549 or mstewart@vancourier.com

By Megan Stewart

Bonner honoured as Giants season ends

The Vancouver Giants season came to an end Saturday night with a 5-2 loss to the Kelowna Rockets at Prospera Place. The Giants finished at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 27-41-2 record and 58 points, almost half the divisionalleading Rockets with 112 points. Kelowna shot ahead with three goals in the first period, the first Giants scouting director coming just 24 seconds Terry Bonner in. The Rockets led 4-0 when the Giants’ Zane Jones scored his team-leading 29th of the year in his final WHL game. Less than a minute later, Vancouver’s Gage Ramsay cut the lead to half, but the Rockets answered to win by three. The Rockets outshot the Giants 51-23 and begin the first round of the playoffs at home Friday against the Tri-City Americans.

In brighter news for the hockey club, Giants scouting director Terry Bonner was named a recipient of the WHL Distinguished Service Award and was recognized

by WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. Bonner was honoured in a pre-game ceremony in Kelowna March 21. The award was introduced in 2004 and is presented each year to people who work behind the scenes to make an extraordinary contribution at the club or league level over an extended period of time.

Bonner has been with the organization since its creation in 2001. Under Bonner’s leadership, the Giants drafted players that includes Gilbert Brule, Evander Kane, Jonathan Blum and Brendan Gallagher, while also adding free agent talents such as Milan Lucic, Cody Franson and Spencer Mahacek. Bonner also helped develop rosters that won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2006 and Memorial Cup in 2007. According to the Giants, Bonner has been a scout in the WHL since 1991 when he began with Tri-City. Bonner’s sons are also general managers in the WHL; Scott with the Giants and Craig with the Kamloops Blazers.

“Terry and his family have dedicated their lives to the WHL and he has personally spent countless hours in arenas identifying elite WHL players,” said Robinson in a Giants news release. “These contributions make Terry Bonner most deserving of this recognition.”

Giants owner Ron Toigo said Bonner’s influence is undeniable. “I can’t think of anyone that deserves this honour more than Terry,” he said. “His impact with the Giants from the start was a big reason for the success of the franchise with winning a Memorial Cup in 2007, and why we all feel we will get back there in the near future.”

What it takes...

What did I do?

Stayed obsessed — Canadian NBA star Steve Nash, in an essay that began with the phrase, “I’m retiring,” published online at The Players’ Tribune March 21. He added, “The greatest gift has been to be completely immersed in my passion and striving for something I loved so much — visualizing a ladder, climbing up to my heroes. The obsession became my best friend. I talked to her, cherished her, fought with her and got knocked on my ass by her.”

The creators of Girls Gone Wilderness — from top to bottom, Nancy Zenger, Alicia Woodside and Joanie Maynard — encourage young women to play in the natural world around them. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Where’ve the girls gone?

To the wilderness Girls Gone Wilderness taps the great outdoors Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

At the halfway mark of the Rainshadow Running Gorge Falls race last April in Oregon, Alicia Woodside pulled up at a rest station along the course and ordered a cheeseburger.

Better still if it came with fries to fuel the remaining 50 kilometres she had to the finish line.

The race volunteers, Woodside wrote after the race, didn’t immediately get her joke. But then they noticed her McDonald’s uniform “and my good ol’ nametag.”

Woodside, 26, raced along technical single track and forest trail. Over 12 hours, she did it all in a cotton uniform from the fast food chain she worked at as a teenager in Port Moody.

“It kept me warm but not too warm,” she said of the surprisingly comfortable and well-suited garment.

“I try to keep things light.

I can get a little carried away, so for me to do all of the training and running, I remind myself this is for fun, this is a hobby.”

She’ll run the Gorge Falls race again next

month wearing finger puppets. One is a mouse, another a parrot. “With them I’m planning for them to have conversations during the hard parts of the race,” said Woodside.

The ultra-marathoner, also a member of the Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club, doesn’t lead a sedentary life and isn’t one the many girls who grow up only to say goodbye to the organized sports they played in high school or the neighbourhood bike rides with friends.

In that regard and more, Woodside is an exception, and now she’s becoming an example.

According to Rebecca McNeil, a social media specialist with Mountain Equipment Co-op, the number of Canadian girls participating in sports and recreational activities is declining.

“Anecdotally and statistically, this is happening,” said McNeil. MEC is trying to address this downturn by funding projects and organizations through an initiative called MEC Nation, which takes its inspiration from a U.S. example.

“It’s important to have different access points and ways to get into the outdoors because a lot of clubs have more traditional messages, and it can be pretty extreme and intimidating sometimes,” said McNeil.

To help counteract these discouraging numbers, Woodside — along with Nancy Zenger and Joanie Maynard — created Girls Gone Wilderness, a grassroots organization designed to introduce (or reintroduce) young women to the natural playground around them and the fun they can have there. GGW is partially funded by MEC Nation and hosted its first event last week.

On Friday, Girls Gone Wilderness took hikers, including some novices, on a four-kilometer post-sunset hike along the Baden Powell Trail on what turned out to be one of the rainiest nights of the season. Two dozen people signed up and many brought plusones who wouldn’t describe themselves as hikers.

Zenger wore a plush tiger onesie, Woodside was in a vintage ski suit and they held a dance-off and limbo contest to show the women how they can have fun on the weekend without getting drunk at a club.

“You can have fun without alcohol,” said Zenger.

The GGW hosts passed out “shots” made from energy drinks and blasted music

by Will Smith as contestants jived on a suspension bridge 50 metres above Lynn Creek. They provided ponchos to keep the rain off, and the hike ended with

hot chocolate and swagloaded goody bags.

Emma Thompson, 25, has lived in Vancouver for six months after two years in Toronto and a biochemistry degree from McGill. She joined the GGW night hike to make friends with other adventurers in an attempt to also become more active.

“I am not one of those girls and I know I’m lucky to not be one of those girls,” she said about young women who grow up and stop playing sports or recreational activities.

“I’ve had to make an active effort to not be one of those girls. I have some friends I’d love to bring along to future events. I loved the principle that the price was for you and a plus-one, and the plusone was intended to be somebody who was curious but didn’t play outside that much in order to try and bring new people into the fold. On Friday… the plusones ended up being more into going into the rain.”

The hosts of Girls Gone Wilderness intend to hold events to kick off each season. A mountain biking excursion is in the works and their next outing, an introduction to indoor climbing, is scheduled for April 13 at the Edge Climbing Gym in North Vancouver. twitter.com/MHStewart

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1. Langara’s Max Neumann (No. 9) stretches for a rebound at the national college championship in Hamilton at the Mohawk David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre. 2. Abubakar Khan reaches to block a shot in a 77-71 lost to eventual CCAA champion Humber Hawks on March 19. 3. Langara rookie Montell Lindgren looks to inbound the ball. PHOTOS CCAA

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Langara narrowly misses podium

Falcons 1-2 at national college championships FALCONS Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

Unable to defend their national college championship, the Langara Falcons men’s basketball team also lost their shot at the bronze medal by a one-point margin.

At the Canadian College Athletic Association men’s championship in Hamilton March 19 to 21, the Falcons opened with a quarterfinal loss to the eventual champs, the No. 4 Humber Hawks. Langara got off to a difficult 1-12 start but cut the lead to seven points by the end of the first quarter. By the fourth quarter, the game became a battle and the Falcons came within a basket of tying the Hawks at 58-60. Despite 18 points from Jitinder Lohcham and 13 more from Langara’s player of the game, Garrett Ling-Lee, Humber held on to the lead and won 77-71.

In their second game,

the Falcons needed a win to stay in the tournament and remain in the running for a podium finish. They downed the Medicine Hat Rattlers 103-70 on a 22-point performance from Lohcham and another 20 points from Mason Elliot, who added nine rebounds and seven assists.

The win set up Langara for a do-or-die game and the chance to play for bronze. They narrowly missed playing arch-rival Vancouver Island University for third, but the Mariners knocked off the host Mohawk Mountaineers on their way to the championship game where they finished second to Humber in a 68-62 final.

In the 86-85 win, Mohawks’ player-of-thegame Matt Fennell scored 35 points and added 10 rebounds. Langara led 21-19 after the first quarter and held a 50-44 lead at the half, but they couldn’t stem the tide of the host team’s surging momentum. The Mohawks led by three after the third

quarter and the Falcons took it back in the fourth frame. Mountaineer Lamar Barr made it difficult for Langara when he hit three perimeter shots in addition to a two-point basket in a matter of seconds to grab a 81-75 lead. Langara came within one but the clock ran out on their season as the Mokawks tracked down the rebound on a missed game-winning shot, leaving 2.4 seconds on the clock. According to the CCAA game report, Langara inbounded to ball to Lohcham, who missed on his way up for the shot and argued he was fouled, but “the officials didn’t see it that way and the game unfortunately ended on a sour note with the teams getting into a ruckus under the Mohawk basket.”

Lohcham finished with 28 points and ends the season as one of six five-year college players, including Ling-Lee, Mason, Glenn Ruby, Daniel Hobden and Matt Madewan. twitter.com/MHStewart

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