Vancouver Courier June 10 2015 by Vancouver Courier

WEDNESDAY

June 10 2015

Vol. 106 No. 45

SOAP BOX 14

Doubling down on propertyy tax URBAN SENIOR 15

Vacationing in paradise SPORTS 23

Stars of track and field There’s more online at

vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION

THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908

Premier punts to Vancouver City needs ‘better land use planning’

Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

IN THE ZONE “Soccer Sistas” Heidi Spect and Jennifer Angeli entertained fans at the Vancouver FIFA Fan Zone in Larwill Park downtown as the World Cup arrived in the city Monday. See Friday’s Courier sports section for an ongoing schedule of games. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Pot foes form lobby Coalition creates petition against city dispensary plan Mike Howell

mhowell@vancourier.com

A new group calling itself the Coalition For Dispensary Free Communities is urging the public to sign a petition and support its call to oppose the city’s proposal to regulate marijuana dispensaries. The group, which surfaced online last week, set up a website and has Facebook and Twitter accounts aimed at convincing city council to oppose the city’s proposal, which goes to public hearing Wednesday. It also urges residents to write letters to city council and news outlets. “The Coalition For Dispensary Free

Communities believes the ongoing proliferation of illegal narcotics dispensaries in Vancouver must be stopped and existing federal laws should be enforced,” the coalition writes on its website, which has a link to a petition. “We are a group of concerned citizens who have come together to gather opposition, to stand up and say ‘No’ and to tell the mayor and council to prohibit these illegal businesses.” The city wants to regulate the growing number of pot shops, which total more than 80 at the city’s last count, by charging an annual $30,000 licence fee, require criminal record checks and ensure the businesses are at least 300 metres

from a school or community centre. The Courier attempted to contact the founders of the group but was not successful before deadline. Pamela McColl, a director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada, said the coalition contacted her last Wednesday, saying they needed her help because they are worried about “the destruction of their neighbourhoods” from the proliferation of pot shops. McColl, a book publisher who lives in Vancouver, said the group’s members want to remain anonymous “because they’re very, very frightened.” She declined to divulge the number of members. Continued on page 7

PARADE • PARK • CARNIVAL

Premier Christy Clark says the City of Vancouver could do more to create affordable housing by resorting to better land use planning and lowering fees and levies for new homes. Clark made the recommendations in response to Mayor Gregor Robertson’s May 22 letter that requested the B.C. government build more housing and implement a tax to penalize property speculators and increase the property transfer tax on luxury homes. “Using any method of new taxation with the goal of driving down the price of housing could have the unintended effect of hurting current homeowners across the region,” Clark said in her June 4 letter, which was circulated to various news outlets, including the Courier. “Driving down the cost of housing by just 10 per cent would mean a family with a home currently worth $800,000, could lose $80,000 in equity in their home. That could put some homeowners with large mortgages into negative equity.” Spreading that same 10 per cent calculation across Greater Vancouver, roughly $60 billion in home equity would be lost, according to a Ministry of Finance analysis of the real estate market, which was attached to Clark’s letter. While acknowledging she shares a concern with the cost of housing in Vancouver, Clark pointed to a report done last year by the Urban Development Institute that estimated Vancouver’s civic fees and levies add $76,144 to the price of a new condo unit worth roughly $450,000. She added that “beyond any new taxes to curb demand, there is also the option of increasing supply through better land use planning.” Continued on page 14

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News

Park board chair bemoans loss of PNE seat Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

Already prevented from managing Hastings Park as it does the city’s other parks, the Vancouver Park Board could be further elbowed out of governing the so-called Stanley Park of the East Side. On Wednesday, the city will decide if it will make changes to the PNE governance and its board of directors, including eliminating one seat of the nine-person board that is designated for a park board commissioner. “The lack of elected park board oversight for one of our city’s largest parks represents a huge step backward,” said park board chairperson and NPA commissioner John Coupar on Monday afternoon. “It’s called a park for a reason.” Perhaps only in name is it a park. The PNE, governed by a board, which also oversees Hastings Park, is a provincial crown corporation that has been independent of the park board since the city cleaved off responsibility in 2004.

The park board has tried to turn Hastings Park into “more of a park and less of a fair,” according to board chair John Coupar. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

(The racecourse is operated separately by the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation and the park board maintains governance of Plateau Park and Empire Field.) The city laid out a master plan in 2010 to guide

capital investment for the cultural, economic and entertainment development of the roughly 150 acre site. In 2013, despite pushback from citizens groups that the park board manage the land, independent auditors upheld the

city’s plans. Now, in recommendation from city staff, council is encouraged to update the bylaws that govern the PNE to “align with the Business Corporations Act of B.C. and to assist the new [Board] of Directors

in the management of the business and affairs of the PNE and Hastings Park.” The report says the “signiﬁcant update” is required for bylaws that were written in 1995. Coupar said oversight is more important than

ever because of the city’s unknown yet ambitious direction for Hastings Park. “For many decades, the Vancouver Park Board has been looking after the [master] plan to turn it into more of a park and less of a fair and you can see those results with the sanctuary, with the Italian garden, with the greenways that run through the PNE,” said Coupar. “Two years ago, against the wishes of the park board, [city counsellors] voted to keep jurisdiction of the park from the park board and give control, or most of it, to the PNE. “Now were seeing the ﬁnal step, which is removal of a park board member from the PNE board. It’s a step back, as far as I’m concerned. Quite honestly, I’m concerned about what is the plan there.” If the recommendations are approved, the nineperson PNE Board would include four city employees, four representatives not employed by the city and an elected city councillor. @MHStewart

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News

West End project beached for now Developer delays construction at Beach Towers

Naoibh O’Connor

noconnor@vancourier.com

Construction on the controversial Beach Towers development in Vancouver’s West End is not proceeding at this time, according to a notice sent to existing Beach Towers residents. “Devonshire Properties has decided not to proceed with the construction of the new rental units and new recreation centre proposed for Beach Towers. As a result there will be no demolition activity, nor any requirement to relocate tenants’ parking stalls and storage lockers at this time,” the notice, which was dated June 5 and signed Beach Towers Properties through Devonshire Properties Inc, reads. “Should the project be reactivated, ample notiﬁcation will be provided and tenant information meetings will be held.” Brian Jackson, the city’s head planner, conﬁrmed the news. “We met with the owner on Friday who said that he

Plans to build 133 rental units on the Beach Towers site in Vancouver’s West End, have been put on hold — for now. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

has decided, for now, to complete the paperwork associated with the development permit application, but not proceed to construction at this time. The

development permit would be in effect for two years from date of issuance,” he told the Courier. The developer could not be reached for comment

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before the Courier’s print deadline. City council approved a rezoning application for the project in February of 2013. The project involved

adding new buildings to the 1960s-era Beach Towers complex, which currently features four highrises overlooking English Bay. Beach Towers Properties planned to construct 133 new rental units spread over the site — a four-storey residential building with two-storey townhouses along Beach Avenue, as well as a nine-storey residential building at the corner of Harwood and Cardero streets. The rental units would include studios renting for $1,195 a month, one-bedrooms for $1,495 and two-bedrooms for $2,155, according to the plan. The project was approved after three days of public hearings. Affordability was one of the issues raised. Christine Ackermann, then a member of the West End Residents Association, a group that recently disbanded, said in 2013 that the development of rental units was a good thing in Vancouver, but she was disappointed by the lack of

affordable rentals included in the project. Randy Helten, a member of West End Neighbours, posted the news about the project not proceeding on the group’s website. Helten, speaking on his own behalf, not WEN’s, said he hopes the project doesn’t go ahead in the future. He maintains there are several projects in the pipeline for the West End, so the loss of 133 rental units isn’t overly signiﬁcant. He also said construction would create considerable noise, trafﬁc and disruption for tenants and the neighbourhood. “The delay hopefully would be a permanent cancellation and Beach Towers, with all its wonderful views for the neighbourhood and the renters, will stay this way and the demolition and the construction will never happen,” he said. “The loss of the planned 133 units I don’t think is a major problem. There’s a lot of stuff [projects] happening.” @naoibh

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News

Adviser says VSB could close 19 schools CLASS NOTES Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

The EY report commissioned by Education Minister Peter Fassbender on the Vancouver School Board estimates 19 schools could be closed due to low enrolment. Fassbender said so at a press conference Tuesday morning before the media, VSB staff and trustees had a chance to see EY’s 225page report. The formerly Vision Vancouver-dominated school board considered closing ﬁve school sites in 2010. Vision Vancouver trustee Mike Lombardi told the Courier earlier this year once parents learned in 2010 that the board would save less than $1 million by closing all ﬁve sites, they argued closing schools would be unacceptable. Asked whether the ministry would force the VSB to close schools, Fassbender said he wouldn’t speculate,

but he said the VSB should invest in student outcomes instead of extra seats. Fassbender repeatedly referred to the existence of 10,000 empty seats in Vancouver. The Vancouver Sun reported last month there are 9,000 empty seats. Fassbender said EY’s report says the VSB could find $72 million in annual savings and revenue. The report also said the VSB could find $750 million in one-time savings. The VSB could see savings and revenue in not completing seismic upgrades and deferred maintenance for closed schools and the sale of property. Fassbender announced March 12 the ministry would appoint a special adviser to consider the VSB’s budget development and forecasting, accumulated surpluses and deficits, management of assets including all buildings, leases and real estate, opportunities for administrative savings and board governance. He noted the VSB held an accumulated surplus of $28.4 million as of June 30, 2014, the equivalent

Dave Genn and Neil Osborne of 54-40 celebrated a $10,000 MusiCounts grant for new instruments for John Oliver secondary music students, June 4. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

to six per cent of total district expenditures. Former Vision Vancouver school board chairperson Patti Bacchus argues this claim is misleading because most of the money was allocated, just not spent, on that date. But Fassbender maintained Tuesday morning this accumulated surplus exists.

Lombardi’s motion to extend a moratorium on school closures until December 2018 failed to pass at a school board meeting in January. NPA trustees and the Green Party of Vancouver’s trustee Janet Fraser opposed the motion. Fassbender said the government has extended the date for the VSB to respond to the report to June 30.

The VSB previously scheduled a special meeting Wednesday evening to discuss the report with stakeholders. The meeting is to start at 5 p.m. at 1580 West Broadway.

Band stand

It was music to thousands of ears at John Oliver secondary June 4, when Dave Genn and Neil Os-

borne of Vancouver’s 54-40 performed and JO music students received $10,000 worth of musical instruments. MusiCounts presented a $10,000 grant under its Band Aid Program along with its partner, radio station LG 104.3. JO was one of three Lower Mainland recipients of the grant Thursday that’s meant to sustain the growth of music programs in public schools. Sir Winston Churchill secondary received $10,000 and Prince Charles elementary in Surrey received $5,000. MusiCounts, a music education charity associated with the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, aims to ensure that children in Canada, regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural background, have access to a music program through their school. LG 104.3 has contributed $875,000 to MusiCounts’ Band Aid Program since the station’s launch in 2009. @Cheryl_Rossi

Antique Roadshow Clinic

An exclusive heirloom appraisal event hosted by Tapestry at Wesbrook Village Monday, June 15, 2:00pm – 4:00pm Do you have a passion for antiques? Ever wondered the value of that precious family heirloom? The retirement community of Tapestry at Wesbrook Village is offering you the opportunity to find out! Join us and three experts as they provide complimentary verbal appraisals for up to two of your items. Gale Pirie, an independent accredited appraiser who previously worked as an appraiser for CBC’s Canadian Antiques Roadshow; Pierre St. Denis, proprietor of Pierre’s Antiques in Kerrisdale; and Ted Deeken, appraiser, consultant, and auctioneer with Asset Appraisers and Services, will provide their expertise. Please ensure you can comfortably carry your items. Come experience this unique opportunity with Tapestry. Space is limited so please RSVP to 604.225.5000.

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News Instant town seeks a centre

Frank O’Brien

wieditor@biv.com

River District, a 120-acre waterfront development on the Fraser River in southeast Vancouver, is an instant town in search of a core. The project, the largest in the city since build-out of the former Expo 86 lands began, has seen hundreds of homes sold and ﬁve kilometres of river front trails completed. Developer Wesgroup also paid millions of dollars to improve Marine Way access to the former forestry mill site that is planned for a population of about 17,000. Peeter Wesik, president of Wesgroup and a veteran developer, conﬁrmed it is the largest development Wesgroup has ever undertaken. Polygon has sold more than 400 townhomes and low-rise condominiums in the project and began marketing its 145-unit Rhythm project this spring. Polygon is also planning two more River District projects that combine to

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River District, a 120-acre waterfront development on the Fraser River in southeast Vancouver, is an instant town in search of a core. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

include 250 homes. Now the emphasis is on creating a commercial town centre. The town square will be accessible from Marine Way and include about 140,000 square feet of retail space with 20,000 additional square feet on a second ﬂoor, making it potential ofﬁce space. Wesgroup also plans two residential towers in the centre, with a total of about 700 homes.

TD Bank is the only conﬁrmed tenant, but Wesgroup sales manager Ben Taylor said a large food retailer and a national pharmacy have expressed interest. Wesgroup is also seeking coffee shops, restaurants and other light retail for a “lively town centre.” “That is what everyone is waiting for,” Taylor said, gesturing to the hundreds of homes already complete.

‘Gentle density’ reshaping Marpole Frank O’Brien

wieditor@biv.com

The ﬁrst multi-family development under the City of Vancouver’s new RM-9 zoning has begun marketing in Marpole. Developer Marcon bought the Yukon Street land assembly of six single-family lots in October last year for $12.6 million and launched the 73unit low-rise Park&Metro on the 34,600-square-foot site last month. Under the RM-9 zoning, a ﬂoor-space-ratio of 2 is allowed, which equates to a buildable square foot cost of $182 for this project, or about $100 less than the average on the West Side. The city also charges $24.25

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curb issues of affordability,” said Marcon’s development manager Nic Paolella. He called it “gentle density without urban intensity.” Park&Metro is the first project to be built under the city’s new RM-9 zoning for Marpole that was put into place after the extension of rapid transit into Vancouver’s west side. Park&Metro will feature courtyard entry gates for ground floor homes, with floor plans from 570-square-foot one bedrooms to 1,300-square-foot three bedrooms. The homes are two blocks from the Marine Drive Canada Line station at the south end of Cambie Street. Prices start in the mid-$300,000 range.

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W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

News

Advocates shrug off group Continued from page 1 “They started in one neighbourhood, they got together and pooled their resources and put it together themselves,” McColl said. “I wrote back to them and said, ‘Why don’t you add a crowd funding link to this?’ Because nobody has the money to ﬁght this.” Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada, or SAM, advertises itself on its website as “a bipartisan alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to a healthﬁrst approach to marijuana policy that neither legalizes nor demonizes marijuana. SAM’s common sense, third-way approach to marijuana policy is based on reputable science and sound principles of public health and safety.” McColl said SAM Canada has called for the resignation of city manager Penny Ballem for supporting her staff’s proposal to regulate the pot shops.

She said “it’s no business of the city manager of Vancouver to be deciding what federal drug policy should look like.” Both groups’ views come as the city kicks off the ﬁrst night of public hearings June 10 on the city’s proposal to regulate the pot shops. As of Monday, 87 people had signed up to speak to council. Health Minister Rona Ambrose has already stated her opposition to the proposal in letters to Mayor Gregor Robertson, and the federal Liberals have announced their support for the city’s move. Last week, marijuana advocate Dana Larsen posted a comment on the Courier’s website regarding the dispensary-free coalition, saying “an anonymous group gets three likes on their Facebook page and it’s a news story? Let’s be real. There is no coalition against dispensaries. If this is the best the anti-pot crowd

can do, I think we’ll be just ﬁne.” The coalition says the city’s proposal will “neither address the continued proliferation of, nor prevent the negative impacts” that pot shops have in the city. The group’s website features a map of the city’s dispensaries and outlines health, safety and economic concerns related to the pot shops. The group cites a Health Canada study, federal regulations and dangers of pot outlined by the RCMP. “By approving a plan that would permit the licensing of these illegal businesses in our community, the police and city government are sending a message to residents [including our youth] that illegal activity is not only acceptable but that authorities would rather control the location of these activities than enforce the law,” the coalition writes. “In es-

sence, they are potentially creating crime ‘ghettos.’” Over the last weekend in May, police reported two break-ins and a robbery connected to three pot shops. The break-ins involved a vehicle smashing through the dispensary’s front doors. Police also recently temporarily shut down a dispensary in Kitsilano after a 15-yearold allegedly got sick from consuming a marijuanalaced product. Supt. Mike Porteous, who oversees the Vancouver Police Department’s major crime section, spoke brieﬂy to council at the April meeting where city staff presented its report on the proposed regulations for pot shops. He told council that police do respond to concerns about dispensaries, despite complaints to council about the lack of enforcement on the illegal operations. The hearing begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday. @Howellings

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Community 1

101 ways to improve Vancouver

100in1Day mounts second round of ‘interventions’ CITY LIVING Rebecca Blissett

rvblissett@gmail.com

Ringing cowbells and cheering on strangers who were out for their morning exercise sounded like good fun so that’s what Robyn Chan and a handful of her friends did Saturday morning along the Stanley Park seawall. It was one of Chan’s big ideas for her contribution to the Vancouver portion of the 100in1Day festival, which was held for the second time in this city as part of a national communitybuilding movement based around random merriment. Chan, who is also the project lead for 100in1Day in Canada and works for the local branch of Evergreen, a not-for-proﬁt environmental group specializing in livable cities, is pleased with the way Vancouver has taken to holding individual projects (or, as the group likes to call them, “interventions”) as a way of taking one small action to improve the city. “It’s really great. The ideas are anything and everything — it’s anything that brings about positive change,” she said. “It’s really a social experiment.” Residents in Vancouver and in other areas of the Lower Mainland participated by leading their own

events that, Chan said, help transform the way people interact with the city. Some had stronger messages than others. Stacey Forrester and Sarah Foot set up the Admiration Station at the Mount Pleasant Library where the idea was to compliment a stranger in a respectful manner. Others, such as the Silent Disco at Grandview Park where anybody could show up, sync playlists on their phones or MP3 players, throw on some headphones and dance, was about community connection. Others, still, were historically and environmentally motivated such as the informative walk on St. George Street where a historic stream, one of many paved over as Vancouver grew, still ﬂows underneath. The walk was lead by women who are part of Lost Rivers Vancouver, St. George Rainway Project and the False Creek Watershed Society. “We want to use rainwater to bring life back to cities,” said landscape architect Sarah Primeau before walking down the street with the group that held long stretches of blue fabric between them to represent a stream. 100in1Day started three years ago in Bogotá, Columbia, when some students were asked to come up with six ways to promote civic engagement. While brainstorming ideas over beer, the students

decided to tackle 100 instead, which, miraculously, ended up being 250. The idea spread to other cities around the globe and Metro Vancouver jumped on board with 83 events in different neighbourhoods last year. That ﬁgure grew to 105 this year. It wasn’t just individual participants, either. One of the stations that worked up an all-day buzz was the Kensington branch of the Vancouver Public Library where the mechanical clacking of typewriter keys springing onto paper was enough to stop passersby. Much fuss has been made of the innovation lab and other technological advances at the central library of late, but there’s a tactile appeal to oldfashioned typing which falls somewhere between pen and parchment and letters electronically imprinted on dot-matrix paper. “We’re promoting hightech stuff but that doesn’t mean there’s not a place for this,” said Sarah Green, the VPL employee responsible for rounding up the three typewriters outside the library in a temporary living room featuring her own furniture from home. “People have been expressing all day that they love how the typewriter sounds. It’s using a lot of senses and it sounds comforting.” @rebeccablissett

1. Julia Fryer set up a bubble-blowing station outside Science World for Vancouver’s 100in1 day Saturday. “I want to bring joy through bubbles,” said Fryer. The goal of the international festival is to focus on the role of people and public spaces, and to prove that anybody has the power to improve a community. 2. Three typewriters set up outside Kensington Library were in constant use throughout Saturday as part of Love and Letters in the Library Lounge. Sarah Green, the Vancouver Public Library employee behind the idea, said people couldn’t resist the sound the old machines made. 3. Sarah Primeau (in white) was one of the women who led the Women and Water Walk Saturday. The walk, which was focused on stories of the St. George Rainway and other buried streams in the city, was a collaboration by Lost Rivers Vancouver, St. George Rainway Project and the False Creek Watershed Society. 4. The wooden nest in Olympic Village was occupied by Meharoona Ghani (second from left) and other Nested Conversations volunteers who invited passersby to pick a handmade crane, unfold the piece of paper tucked into its tail, and share their thoughts on what the message read. See photo gallery online at vancourier.com. PHOTOS REBECCA BLISSETT

W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Community

Janet Walmsley and Jenny Story are both best-selling authors, despite their struggles with Jenny’s autism. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

Mother, daughter authors chronicle life with autism Kathleen Saylors

kathleen.saylors@gmail.com

Jenny Story is a college graduate, professional animator and best-selling author. What makes Story particularly unique is that she’s also 22 and lives with autism. As Story is celebrating the success of her first novel, book one of a planned trilogy, her mother, Janet Walmsley, is celebrating her own writing debut, with a book about what it was like to raise Jenny. Walmsley said she first noticed something was amiss with Story when she was about two. At first, she thought it was her hearing, before eventually coming to the often-grim diagnosis of autism. “Her speech had stopped, she wasn’t talking and she

wasn’t sociable,” Walmsley said. “When she was assessed at three [years old] we were told it was autism.” Although the diagnosis was hard at first, it didn’t stop the family from moving ahead with the job of raising a daughter. Story went on to discover art and drawing became a routine as she grew up struggling with extreme social anxiety. Walmsley, on the other hand, toyed with the thought of a book. “Autistic children are fixated on routine, they like the same thing over and over again,” Walmsley said. “She loved animation movies. She could totally act them out and start drawing the characters.” Story is out of the worst of her autism, but Walmsley said her daughter still faces difficul-

ties in her day-to-day life. “She had her trials and tribulations since she was diagnosed, until even now,” Walmsley said. “She has to work really hard.” After a year in school, Story decided it was time to pursue her novel. The finished product is called Dysnomia, and it’s the first in a trilogy. Mother and daughter are now both published authors. Walmsley’s book, The Autistic Author and Animator: A mother’ view of a daughter’s triumph, chronicles the challenges of raising a daughter with autism. Walmsley said the idea came about for the book after watching her daughter struggle and knowing the benefits she gained from talking to other families with children with disabilities.

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“I said to Jenny, is it OK if I wrote this story about you and your life? This is what she said: ‘Mom, if we can help one person that will help them with their autism or special needs, then we have done our jobs,’” she said, “When you hear her say that... it’s the reason why I wrote this book. I feel she is a role model and an inspiration. She’s living proof.” Walmsley hopes her book moves people, even those not dealing with autism. The inspiration for the book was Story herself. “She kept looking at me and saying, ‘You believe in me so much, Mom.’ I said ‘Yeah, and you have to believe in yourself, Jenny.’” The books by Jenny Story and Janet Walmsley are available on Amazon. @KathleenSaylors

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Development Permit Board Meeting: June 15 The Development Permit Board and Advisory Panel will meet: Monday, June 15, 2015 at 3 pm Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue Ground Floor, Town Hall Meeting Room to consider the following development permit applications: 95 East 1st Avenue: To develop the site with a 15-storey, multiple-dwelling building (secured Cityowned rental building) that includes 135 units, all over two levels of underground parking with vehicle access from the proposed Pullman Porter Street. 1128 Alberni Street: To provide interior alterations and change of use for a portion of the 1128 Alberni Street tower from residential to hotel. The change of use is proposed on 12 ﬂoors (7, 11, 12, 14, 16, 21-25, 30, and 31) for a total of 96 units from residential rental use to hotel use. Please contact City Hall Security (ground ﬂoor) if your vehicle may be parked at City Hall for more than two hours. TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM: 604-873-7770 or lidia.mcleod@vancouver.ca Visit: vancouver.ca Phone: 3-1-1 TTY: 7-1-1

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5

Opinion

City could lead in reconciliation Trish Kelly Columnist trishkellyc@gmail.com

The past week’s news has been filled with discussion of the final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Even though the truth gathered in the report is hard to hear, I’m glad. It’s time that we as Canadians attempt to grasp the gulf between what we were taught in school about the relationship between our government and aboriginal people and what really happened. I grew up in a small town in northern Ontario where the racism against aboriginal people was so great, my family never spoke of our aboriginal lineage. In fact, my mother did not reveal our Metis heritage to me until we moved to Vancouver in 1989. The last Canadian residential school remained open for another seven years. Residential schools operated in Canada from 1883 through to 1996. More than 150,000 children attended these schools that separated them from their families, their culture and even their language. Mortality rates for children in residential schools were higher than that of Canadians fighting in the Second World War. We learn much during our academic careers about Canada’s losses in the Second World War. But for many Canadians, the light shed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report is the first time they have heard details of what residential schools were and what effect they had on the children and the fractured communities left behind. Through the seven years of the commission’s work gathering stories from school survivors and even staff of the schools, the commission heard accounts ranging from sexual and physical abuse to torture, neglect and profound loneliness. They also heard many stories about tears, the kinds of tears that many Canadians have never had to think about before. Survivors told stories of their tears as they were loaded onto bush planes or trains and taken from their remote communities. Survivors told of the tears they tried not to shed at night as they learned a single child crying resulted in punishment for the whole dorm. For me, the most startling aspect of the report is finally understanding the true intent behind the residential school system. The residential school system was not simply an illustration of a difference in opinion about how best to educate children. This was not an educational theory that hurt by accident. The breaking of aboriginal families and communities was not a side effect

of the residential school system; it was the intended outcome. Each year, we memorialize our involvement in both world wars to ensure that we as a nation never forget, and so that we will not be doomed to repeat our history. We mark the day, we tell our children about it and we promise the survivors that we will be vigilant. One of the 94 recommendations tied to the TRC report is a call for creation of a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour survivors, their families and communities. Perhaps June 1, one month before Canada Day, could become this day of remembrance. Students in the ﬁnal weeks of the academic year could be taught the story of how our Canadian government once used school as a weapon of cultural genocide and how we must promise to prevent this from ever happening again.

Our ﬁrst act of reconciliation is to promise to open our eyes and hearts to the truth.

On the eve of the new national holiday, a simple ceremony could end the school day during which children could take each other’s hands and walk out the school doors together, a simple expression of freedom that was not available to the children who attended residential schools. Such a ceremony would only be a real act of reconciliation if we push our provincial and federal governments to address the high number of aboriginal children currently in our foster care system and enable policy to keep them in their communities of origin in greater numbers. There are many reasons that Vancouver can be a leading city on the path to reconciliation. Not only do we have a history of leadership in many other social justice movements including women’s reproductive rights, gay and transgendered rights and environmental justice, but we are privileged to live on the still unceded lands of three strong nations: the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, who can help lead the way. Our ﬁrst act of reconciliation is to promise to open our eyes and hearts to the truth, and then to never forget. @trishkellyc

Lessons from the heritage house tour

Michael Geller Columnist michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com

While housing affordability and taxation continue to be very much in the news, this week I would like to explore another important issue facing our city: how best to preserve heritage structures and character homes. My column is inspired by last Sunday’s Heritage House Tour, organized by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. On one of the most beautiful days of the year, I was fortunate to join hundreds of Vancouverites touring nine heritage properties scattered around the city. In the interest of full disclosure, I had a particular interest in this year’s tour since along with a business partner, I recently purchased the Vinson House, one of West Vancouver’s oldest houses. Our goal is to save it from demolition through a Heritage Revitalization Agreement. I was therefore especially interested in learning more about Vancouver’s plans to protect heritage properties. For those not familiar with the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, it is a registered charity that supports the conservation of heritage buildings and structures given their potential contribution to the city’s economy, sustainability and culture. Although it is confusing, the foundation is not to be confused with the Vancouver Heritage Society, another independent non-proﬁt entity that encourages the community to preserve, restore, and appreciate Vancouver’s heritage. This year’s tour included the Queen Charlotte Apartments — an impressive 1920’s structure built by Charles Bentall at 1101 Nicola St. in the West End. It was developed at a time when wealthy Vancouverites were moving out of the city to the new suburbs, particularly Shaughnessy. Once a high-end apartment-hotel, it was converted to condominiums in the 1970s, and is now a much appreciated and cared for property. As I left the building I walked by a couple of somewhat dilapidated older rental apartment buildings. Looking at their crumbling cornices and walls, I could not help but wonder what it will take to encourage their owners to restore them to their once former glory. Although they no doubt provide affordable accommodation, they did not appear long for this world, especially if there is ever a ﬁre or earthquake. Next on our itinerary was one of the oldest surviving houses in the West End. Built at 995 Bute near the end of the 19th

century, it has gone through numerous iterations as a single family house, rooming house, multi-suite structure and now back to a single-family house. In recent years, the structure has been raised, original materials were carefully removed, then reinstated, allowing for some modern features including a geothermal and in-floor radiant heat system. Sadly, another of the tour’s houses is not likely to enjoy such an illustrious future. Located at 6385 Marguerite St., this elegant Georgian Revival home was built in 1930 and is a good example of a style popular in Vancouver during the 1920s and 1930s. However, the house was recently sold, and given its large lot and location, like many nearby houses, it is likely to be demolished and replaced by a much larger and more expensive dwelling. Although some new neighbourhood houses are designed to look like they are from another era or place, they do not have the heritage significance of the original houses. City officials are well aware of this and are now reviewing their heritage conservation program.

One solution to preserving character houses is to allow more infill houses. I personally believe one solution to preserving significant character houses outside of Shaughnessy is to allow one or more infill houses to be constructed in return for heritage conservation and designation. Not only will this help retain these character homes, it will result in new housing choices for those wanting to remain in these neighbourhoods, but in smaller, more suitably designed housing. It will be like killing two birds with one stone. One of the side benefits of this year’s Heritage House Tour was discovering many delightful streets around the city. Too often I drive by these neighbourhoods, but rarely get out of my car and explore on foot. I was especially impressed with the leafy streets of the West End, but also charming streets off Commercial and Victoria Drives. I plan to explore more of these neighbourhoods before next year’s tour. You might want to do the same. @michaelgeller

The week in num6ers...

87 94 120 200 2

Number of people, as of Monday, who had signed up to speak at council June 10 on the first night of public hearings on the city’s proposal to regulate pot shops.

Number of recommendations tied to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, among them the call for the creation of a statutory holiday.

Size in acres of the new River District waterfront development, the largest in the city since the build-out of the former Expo 86 lands began.

Duration, in seconds, of the opening tracking shot of Orson Welles’ 1958 film Touch of Evil, widely considered by critics as one of the greatest long takes in cinema history.

Leo nominations Michelle Brezinski’s short film Madness received, in addition to receiving the Spotlight Image Award from Women in Film.

Number of metres javelin thrower Liz Gleadle hopes to reach this summer. She set a 64.34 metre meet record at the Harry Jerome Classic Monday.

W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Inbox LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Tripped up on bike numbers

Re: “Cycling getting trippy,” May 15. I have been following Mike Howell’s columns relating to cycling in the city with great interest. However, I am still disturbed by his failure to question or explain Jerry Dobrovolny’s ﬁgure, twice referred to in Mike’s columns, that the city has seen 300,000 monthly bicycle trips over the Burrard Bridge. That seems to imply a high of 300,000 in some one month. The city’s own data, as released in the “Monthly Release of Bike Data” from Engineering Services, shows a peak of 195,000 trips in July 2014, with a high of only 87,000 for the most recent month shown (March, 2015). Does the 300,000 refer to the total of monthly trips so far this year? (January 62,000, February 70,000, March 87,000, possibly another 80,000 in April not yet shown in the graph??). Numbers mean nothing unless they are accurate and unambiguously stated. Joan Bunn, Vancouver

ONLINE COMMENTS Owning a home doesn’t equal happiness

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

Girl in a Wetsuit sculpture unveiled

June 10, 1972: Elek Imredy’s life-size bronze sculpture Girl in a Wetsuit is unveiled on the north side of Stanley Park. In September 1968, Vancouver lawyer Douglas Brown talked to sculptor Imredy about his desire to commission a statue inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “Little Mermaid,” which would be installed atop the great granite boulder off the northern shore of Stanley Park. Imredy felt the mermaid was a symbol of Copenhagen and suggested a girl in a wetsuit since scuba diving was becoming popular in Vancouver at the time. He asked his friend Debra Harrington to model for the sculpture. Money for the statue was raised privately, with the park board granting permission to place the sculpture on the rock. Because the boulder was often covered at high tide, a precast concrete ring was created and the rock was lifted by a floating crane and set on the ring 100 feet from its original location. A plaster of Paris mold was made from the clay figure and the sculpture was cast in fibreglass and then flown to Rome where it was cast in bronze. A day before the unveiling, the sculpture was set in place by an electric crane reaching out from shore to the rock and secured with stainless steel bolts. The iconic statue has since become one of Vancouver’s most recognizable landmarks and has been a frequent target of pranksters who’ve adorned the swimmer with various articles of clothing, most often bikinis.

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Re: “Is it time to leave Vancouver?” June

The generational issue is mostly that people grew up with markets a certain way and haven’t had to deal with that in a long time after being established, so their mentality is “It must still be that way” when the economy, job market, and housing market has vastly changed even in the last 20 years. “Get a job” or “get an education” isn’t just something you can tell people anymore. And it’s not just age; Millennials aren’t being screwed wholesale, it’s anyone under the income level of the haves vs the have-nots. Of course the ivory tower sitters are going to tell you how easy it is, the key is to not care about what they think unless they’re the ones offering you a job or an education grant. But, the issues people have with Vancouver seem to be more the plight of people already unsatisﬁed with their lives, or who can’t let go of dreamer cliches like the house on the shaded street with the white picket fence and 2.3 children nuclear family. I don’t have these advantages either (and sometimes I scrape by), but I still love living in Vancouver. If you’re bored here, maybe you’re boring. If it’s a no-fun city to you, maybe you’re not looking in the right places. If you ﬁnd people here cold and unfriendly, maybe those terms describe you too. I’m far from rich, but I live modestly in a great family-friendly

Barry Link

ddhaliwal@vancourier.com

blink@vancourier.com

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Bridge priorities out of whack

Re: “Vancouver calls for $30 million ﬁx to Burrard Bridge,” June 1. Thirty million can be used towards improving our transit system ﬁrst. How much money has been spent on that stretch of road for bike lanes from Burrard Bridge to Cornwall on Kits alone? Mayor Robertson is on crack! Get your priorities straight buddy!! Sy Bor Wong, via Facebook

Bent out of shape over yoga

Re: “Yoga class planned for Burrard Bridge,” online only. And in this city that apparently loves yoga so much, the media didn’t know another event for June 21st was already planned??? One that isn’t going to cost taxpayers $150,000?? One that was suggested and endorsed by the Consulate General of India?? positively4thstreet via Comments section ••• What a bonehead idea. Shut down the bridge on Father’s Day, create trafﬁc gridlock.... Who wants to ruin their yoga mat on oil soaked concrete and breathe in residual fumes. This is simply a marketing gimic for Lululemon and an LNG company as well as yet again another photo-op for our forever perky Premier. What? Are all the parks and green spaces booked? Another cringe-worthy Vancouver moment. jsommy, via Comments section

Stolen moments

Re: “Bike theft denies us more than our property,” June 5. There is one ﬂaw in your conclusion that stolen bikes mean that less people will cycle: The people who steal bikes sell them and the new owners are as likely or more likely to use them as their former owners. So while bike thefts do lead to heartbreak (I had mine stolen last year), they probably don’t affect the active transportation mix as much as your essay implies. qatzelok, via Comments section

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FLYER SALES

Dee Dhaliwal

neighbourhood, I don’t live beyond my means, I prefer renting to owning and I love my living space. I can walk or take transit 10 minutes to ﬁnd something to do, and I have several small circles of friends from just participating in activities and seeking out new experiences. I don’t get the criticisms. You don’t need a house to be happy and you don’t need money to be rich. If you think you do, Toronto’s not going to ﬁx that. Porst, via Comments section

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5

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W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Ensure Goji is well drained

Anne Marrison

amarrison@shaw.ca

Q: I have four Goji plants that I started from seed in 2014 (West Coast Seeds). I transplanted them to soil in the spring. They grow quite well for a while then one or two little branches turn brown and shrivel up. They are watered along with everything else in the garden with an oscillating sprinkler. They have had lots of lime, but nothing actually measured. Any ideas to keep them healthy? Jim Ormesher, Tsawwassen A: Goji berries hate wet, soggy soil. They also need to be grown in a sunny spot, though in Tsawwassen, this isn’t likely to be your problem. In this climate they don’t have any pest or disease problems (as far as is known at present). But the dislike of wet soil could be an issue. They are grown commercially in Tibet, Mongolia and parts of China for the health-giving berries. But

apparently they are also planted on the edges of deserts to prevent the desert creeping further in. Peat moss, compost and manure aren’t recommended for use with them because these amendments hold onto moisture. When Goji berry plants are ﬁrst put into the soil, they do need water to get settled in. But the soil should be very welldrained so that water moves through. Once they put their taproot down, they’re said to be very drought-resistant. I suspect the oscillating sprinkler and the grass clippings are causing root rot problems in your Goji plants. Grass clippings hold onto water and your clippings will be especially moist since water is being added via the sprinkler. I wonder how long you water for and for how many days in the week. It could be that grass clippings aren’t needed at all. The lime is a very good idea. The alkalinity Goji plants need is very high, up to 8.6 Ph. It might be

helpful to ﬁnd out just how alkaline your soil is now. Garden centres sell soil tests.

Q: I have a question about the “new” Tulameen raspberry canes my brother bought. He lives in Kamloops. He’s wondering if he plants the Tulameen canes next to his other raspberry bushes if they will cross-pollinate. Should he plant the new canes separately further from his other canes? Judy, email A: Cross-pollination isn’t likely if “Tulameen” is planted close to other raspberries. Mainly raspberries are self-fertile although they produce more raspberries if insects pollinate them as well. In any case, cross pollination wouldn’t affect the ﬁrst generation of raspberries because fruit characteristics stem from the parent cane that produced the raspberry. So regardless what the insects did, every raspberry from the

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Tulameen canes would be a Tulameen in looks and taste. Other kinds planted nearby would also be true to their own variety. But it still might be best to plant Tulameen separately. Tulameen is an early fall fruiter which should be completely cut down to the ground in late winter. Junefruiting raspberries usually have old canes cut in fall and new canes retained. This is unlikely to be a problem at ﬁrst. But since raspberry canes sucker far and wide, different kinds planted close together can get thoroughly mixed up which could make pruning more and more complicated. 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.

Goji berries prefer sunny, dry spots to grow.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5

Opinion/News

Double property taxes for vacant properties Levy could help fund affordable housing SOAPBOX Barry Magee

barry@livinginvancity.com.

With affordability issues front and centre on the minds of many people in the Lower Mainland, there are articles every day on how to address the issue. There’s no getting around the reality that ﬁrst-time property buyers are being squeezed out of the market, and that grip is getting tighter and tighter every day. Is there anything that can be done to satisfy the Vancouver real estate market’s voracious appetite and boost the amount of affordable housing options? Yes there is, but the question remains as it always has been — is there any political will to address the issue? Australia has been tak-

ing some tough measures on foreign ownership recently. The state of Victoria will start charging an extra three per cent tax on the purchase price for foreign buyers, as well as an additional 0.5 per cent land tax. They estimate it will generate $279 million over the next four years. Treasurer Tim Pallas, who delivered his ﬁrst budget in May, said the surcharges were “modest” and would force foreigners to contribute to services and infrastructure. The Australian federal government is also considering an application tax of $5,000 AU on properties under a million, and an additional $5,000 per million above that. If someone tries to circumvent the rules, they could potentially be ﬁned 25 per cent of the home’s value and be forced to sell. London, England has

seen its property values increase at an unsustainable rate in recent years, largely due to foreign investors buying at an alarming rate. It’s “a bubble that’s fuelled by an almost inﬁnite supply of desperate global capital at the moment,” said Peter Rees, who was the City of London’s city planning ofﬁcer for nearly 30 years. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Until recently foreign owners were exempt from paying capital gains tax when they sold a property. (How very polite of those lovely Brits.) Some of the recent proposals made by mayoral candidates in London include an increased capital gains tax for foreign buyers, as well as an extra tax for properties that are left vacant. I don’t think anyone in Vancouver has a major issue with foreign owner-

ship of properties. The main issue most residents have is when the homes are left vacant. Walk along Kits beach and you’ll see beautiful million dollar homes next to homes that look like they are occupied by raccoons. They are left vacant by the owner and are rapidly deteriorating due to being left unmaintained. Coal Harbour is one of the densest areas in Vancouver when it comes to condos, but go outside at night and there is barely anyone on the street. Why? Because more than half the units are unoccupied. It’s left the neighbourhood cold and faceless with few amenities available for the residents who actually choose to live in their homes. A relatively simple way to address the issue would be to charge owners of homes and condos that

are left vacant double property tax. Is this over the top? Some in the real estate development community will likely say so, but I actually don’t think it would be an issue for overseas buyers in any way whatsoever. If a property owner is willing to forego $1,500 a month in rental income, what is another $2000/year in property tax? It would cause nothing more than a minor blip in the current state of the real estate market, but could add $20,000,000 a year to the city coffers if 10,000 properties are left vacant. You can call that a very conservative estimate on how many properties are currently unoccupied, Coal Harbour is likely pretty close to that amount on its own. So what could Vancouver do with all their new found riches? When

Meena Wong was running for mayor last year with COPE, she put forward the idea of putting all the money towards affordable housing. That is only solution that will affect the Vancouver housing market in a solely, positive way with the goal of increasing affordability for its current residents. It could very easily be considered an ethical thing to do. Maybe half could go to affordable housing, with half of the proceeds going to improving infrastructure in the city. Figuring out how to spend an extra $20,000,000 a year would be a wonderful problem to have. It’s a win-win scenario for the local population, and would be a tiny tax burden on foreign ownership. Barry Magee is a Vancouver realtor at livinginvancity.com.

Province says local investors driving market Continued from page 1 The Ministry of Finance analysis said the B.C government could encourage local governments to address affordability through local taxes and planning measures such as: • Adopting growth strategies and plans that encourage affordable housing units. • Nurturing a regulatory environment that is “housing-friendly” and encourages densiﬁcation. • Offering property tax incentives and targeted reductions to build or renovate affordable housing. • Streamlining development approval processes. The mayor pointed out in his letter that the city has set aside $61 million in this year’s capital plan to invest in housing and to support its affordable housing agency. The city also continues to offer incentives to developers to build rental housing, a program that works without provincial or federal government money. In urging the premier to partner with the city to build new affordable housing geared to families, ﬁrst-time buyers and seniors, Robertson said “the single biggest step” the B.C. government

Who’s responsible for solving Vancouver’s housing affordability crisis? Premier Christy Clark told Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson the city needs to step up and not depend on the provincial government for a property speculation tax. PHOTOS DAN TOULGOET

could make to address soaring housing costs is to generate thousands of new housing units that are affordable for lower and middle-income taxpayers. “The rapidly escalating housing prices in Vancouver are creating despair on the part of many hard working, middle-income citizens and families,” he wrote in his letter. “I hear on a daily basis from young people who are

educated, have good-paying jobs, but are unable to ﬁnd quality rental housing in a near-zero vacancy market, and who are not even within shouting distance of being able to buy in Vancouver.” In response to Clark’s letter, the mayor’s ofﬁce sent the following statement to the Courier from acting-mayor Raymond Louie: “As the mayor’s letter

and all of his public statements have indicated, our focus has not been on foreign ownership, but rather investor speculation and a lack of affordability that is leaving behind far too many Vancouver families and putting our economy at risk. While the premier has talked about hypothetical major declines in equity, our own proposals have been squarely focused on getting new

affordable housing built and slowing down the unsustainable ‘growth’ in housing prices — which are clearly out of pace with the rest of Canada and the world. We look forward to continuing an important dialogue and partnership with the province on how they can help invest and provide the tools we need to build urgently needed affordable housing — reﬂecting our commitment to a Vancouver in which people of all backgrounds can afford to live, contribute to our economy, and raise a family.” Addressing concerns over foreign investment driving up housing prices, Clark said industry experts estimate that local investors are doing most of the real estate speculation in the region. “Those experts estimate that local investors are three to four times more active in the region’s housing market than foreign investors,” she said. “For many individuals and small businesses, this is a source of investment income.” In its analysis, the Ministry of Finance researched other cities around the world that have implemented different forms of tax measures aimed at real estate speculators.

In Singapore, for example, its government implemented nine successive cooling measures between September 2009 and December 2013, including a speculation tax on properties held for less than four years and an increased land transfer tax on residents and nonresidents. “In terms of affordability, Singapore is not a success story,” the Ministry of Finance concluded. “Singapore has managed to halt a rapid increase in house prices. However, an individual unable to afford a home in 2009 remains unable to afford a home in 2015. The growth in house prices in Singapore over that period outpaced the growth in incomes. In addition to higher house prices, that individual now faces restrictions on their ability to borrow and may face higher property transfer taxes either directly, or passed on by the seller.” Clark concluded her letter to the mayor, saying “I look forward to working with you, sharing our information and examining the various options available to the city and the province to make housing more affordable in Vancouver, especially for ﬁrst-time buyers.” @Howellings

W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

GREAT

Exuma

A15

More than swimming pigs

SANDRA THOMAS sthomas@vancourier.com

Flying into the small airport on the Caribbean island of Great Exuma, Bahamas, in May, it was a description from Hunter S.Thompson’s novel The Rum Diary that immediately came to mind.

We’d left Nassau, Bahamas, just an hour earlier at the end of an unexpected tropical storm of such force it had me digging my Rescue Remedy out of my purse and regretting I had nothing stronger with me. As my partner and I raced across the tarmac to our small plane, the wind tangled our hair and the rain drenched our clothing, though it did nothing to relieve the oppressive humidity Nassau was suffering that morning. Strapped into our seats, I maintained a death grip on my partner’s hand as our ﬂight took off, the clouds and wind causing the plane to shake and dip much like a toy gripped in the hand of a petulant toddler.

to a plastic garbage can, which he began to bang with a stick. Moments later a large black sow headed onto the beach and into the sea and began swimming towards our boat. And that was when the fun began. As we all piled out of our boat, cameras and cellphones held high above our heads, we were soon joined by four sows, an extremely large male and about half a dozen piglets who stuck close to shore.

This was the moment we’d been waiting for since planning our trip to Exuma three months before and it was worth the wait. Armed with what we were promised were chicken hot dogs and bags of But within minutes of take-off, the rain day-old buns, we waded near the stopped, the sun came out and the shore feeding the pigs, which appeared clouds disappeared allowing my ﬁrst to love the back rubs and pats we were glimpse out of the plane’s window of that HUNTER S. THOMPSON, showering on them. But it was the black THE RUM DIARY emerald green water featured in so many sow that turned out to be the friendliest photos of the Caribbean. And, then shortly (hungriest) of the bunch and she eventually after, thanks to the experienced pilots of Sky swam up to the boat and rested her two Bahamas, we landed at the Exuma International Airport front hooves on the rail as she gobbled up wieners at an for the start of our week on this tropical island. alarming rate presenting us with a perfect photo op. (The tour operators also take out fresh water and actual pig food to the swine family on each of the two daily tours.)

The island of Exuma is famous for its swimming pigs. PHOTO: LAURENCE MALLEY

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Almost as astounding was our stop at another island, home to a colony of critically endangered Exuma Island iguanas. As our boat pulled up to shore, the iguanas slithered out from under small rock formations and the jungle eager to accept our gifts of fresh grapes. And while not quite as friendly as the pigs, the iguanas were a real highlight of the tour. PHOTO GALLERY AT VANCOURIER.COM.

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Sandals Emerald Bay “Just push this button if you need anything and we’ll take care of it.” Checking into Sandals Emerald Bay on the Caribbean island of Exuma on a warm May afternoon, my partner and must have looked confused by the comment. “It’s your butler phone, anything you want you just call.” Our stunned silence, followed by a not so quiet “Yahoo” from me, brought a smile to our butlers “Action Jackson” and Treco, who were assisting us while we checked into the air conditioned comfort of our suite. Having been invited by Sandals to check out the resort during our visit to Exuma, we were conﬁdent it would be great. But prior to this moment, we had no idea just how great. Our biggest question then became, what does one do with a butler? Our guys were the best and, when they hadn’t heard from us for a while, would show up unexpectedly with drinks or call our butler phone to see how we were doing. Jackson and Treco delivered tropical cocktails by bicycle to the beach, left fresh coconut

drinks and snacks in our room and made sure our bar was fully stocked — with Sandals being an all-inclusive, there wasn’t a lot of drinking being done in the room. But the best part of having a butler was not having to get up at 7 a.m. to reserve lounge chairs by the pool because they took care of it. Best. Perk. Ever. We were also invited to try a new couple’s treatment offered at Red Line Spa called the Night Blooming Jasmine Massage, which after 11 days of travelling was literally a gift from the gods (and Sandals). Sandals Emerald Bay is nothing less than stunning and the attention

“Action Jackson,” a favourite butler at Sandals Emerald Bay. PHOTO: SANDRA THOMAS

to detail is astounding. The resort is situated on a mile-long beach boasting Champagne-coloured sand, a championship golf course designed by legend Greg Norman, unlimited scuba diving and water sports, a deep water marina designed to hold more of those super yachts and seven restaurants. We had the pleasure of trying the ﬁne dining at Italian restaurant Il Cielo, but we also enjoyed the more casual fare served at Barefoot by the Sea and our favourite, the Drunken Duck, an authentic British pub complete with a menu offering ﬁsh and chips and bangers and mash. Guests have a choice between lounging by the busy pool and listening to a live DJ, while sipping tropical drinks at the swim-up bar, or relaxing by the quiet pool, where even blenders are banned.

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Our suite opened up to the beach and on our last day at Sandals a kite surfer wove his way across the bright blue sky as I lamented having to leave not only this beautiful resort, but Exuma itself. I also brieﬂy considered stealing the butler phone to see if it would work back home, but as Jackson gently took it out of my grasp he suggested we’d just have to return to see them all again.

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It was hard to believe just two hours earlier we’d been sitting amongst the hustle and bustle of the international airport in Nassau, Bahamas, and it was only 30 minutes prior that we’d arrived at February Point Resort Estates, located along the east coast of Great Exuma. The property is nestled off the calm waters of Elizabeth Harbour and protected against tropical storms by Stocking, Long and Cat islands. Upon arrival to Great Exuma International Airport, we were greeted by Tracey Styles, the friendly rental program assistant at February Point, who kindly took us shopping for groceries and liquor. Checking into Over the Top House, which overlooks the marina and sea, I was glad we had bought enough of both so there would be no need to leave the gorgeous home — with the exception of swimming in the ocean and resort pool. But, when we were invited to visit Catch a Fire Bar and Grill at Sunset Bluff later that night, we jumped at the chance. We lucked out that a local

reggae band was playing, so we enjoyed dinner, dancing and tropical drinks in the middle of what seemed like nowhere. February Point is in the midst of phase two of a massive renovation and development project, which when complete will include the Aqua Villas, Aquarius Overwater Residences, concierge services and the luxurious Sapphire Beach Club, which at the time of our visit was about 50 per cent ﬁnished. A new marina large enough to support the many mega yachts that frequent Exuma is also in the works. February Point was recently purchased by a group led by Florida-based developer John McGarvey, which also bought the adjacent 851 acres. The group is developing a 58unit resort on Stocking Island as a sister project to February Point. The vacation homes at February Point are all owned, or are for sale, and it was the real estate side of the property that really caught our attention, particularly after experiencing the crazed state of property sales in Vancouver. When we discovered we could purchase a stunning waterfront lot starting at just $700,000, let’s just say we were more than a little intrigued, particularly when we discovered anyone who spends more than $500,000 on a vacation home in the Bahamas becomes eligible for permanent residency status. It was only the lure of our many grandchildren on the West Coast that stopped us from pursuing the matter further.

W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Arts&Entertainment

GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com

June 10 to 12, 2015 1. Tireless musical nomad Jim Kilpatrick, a.k.a. Shotgun Jimmie, sets up his sonic pup tent for a plaid-shirt-friendly evening of lyrically agile, lo-fi indie pop delights June 11 at the Cobalt. Slowlearners and Knife Pleats open. Tickets $10 at the door. 2. The Cinematheque continues its month-long celebration of what would have been Orson Welles’ 100th birthday with the actor/director’s seedy 1958 film noir masterpiece A Touch of Evil. Sweaty lawmen, pot smoking delinquents, leather-clad bikers, Janet Leigh, Charlton Heston as a Mexican narcotics agent, and that famous single take opening sequence — it’s got it all. Touch of Evil screens June 11, 14 and 15. Details at thecinematheque.ca. 3. From masterpieces to… well… this. Luigi Cozzi’s 1970s sci-fi extravaganza Starcrash is given the Gentlemen Hecklers treatment, as comedians Eric Fell, Patrick Maliha and Shaun Stewart provide live commentary to the tale of a scantily clad outlaw smuggler and her alien companion who are recruited by the Emperor of the Galaxy to rescue his son and destroy a secret weapon. The low budget 1978 film stars Caroline Munroe, Christopher Plummer and David Hasselhoff. How bad could it be? Starcrash screens June 10, 7 p.m. at the Rio Theatre. Details at riotheatre.ca.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5

Arts&Entertainment

There’s method to filmmaker’s Madness Short ﬁlm nabs Brezinski two Leo nominations and Spotlight Image Award for Women in Film STATE OF THE ARTS Cheryl Rossi

crossi@vancourier.com

Actor Michelle Brezinski was living in such unbearable agony in 2012 that she begged Vancouver General Hospital to admit her. The 47-year-old resident of Kitsilano had diagnosed herself with post-traumatic stress disorder. “The illness was so severe that every day I contemplated whether life was worth living,” she told the Courier in an email. The former personal trainer and competitive bodybuilder was fit but underweight because she had been straining to eat, was struggling with sleep and was already seeing a psychologist and a psychiatrist. She spent three weeks in hospital while her medications were adjusted. When she emerged, she decided a focus on filmmaking would save her. Brezinski has since shot three short films, written a sitcom and four feature scripts.

She won a $10,000 Telus Storyhive production grant for creating a social media buzz around her short film Madness. The film, which she completed in 10 weeks, has received 26 global awards, won two Leo Award nominations and will see her receive the Spotlight Image Award from Women in Film, June 15. “It’s given me leverage to now be taken seriously as a filmmaker,” she said. Brezinski wrote, co-directed and stars in Madness. The 10-minute film is set in the age of Black Death and focuses on a woman who believes her husband has been buried alive and retrieves him from the graveyard. “I wanted to put my post trauma into a story but I didn’t want it to be me,” Brezinski said. Inspiration came from seeing a skeleton in a box at Costco, which put the “Ring around the Rosy” song in her head, which made her think how traumatized people must have been during the time of the bubonic plague. Madness was nominated for best costume design

Michelle Brezinski wrote, co-directed and stars in the award-winning short film Madness.

and best makeup in a short drama at the Leos, which held an awards ceremony celebrating excellence in B.C. ﬁlm and television June 6, with additional ceremonies June 13 and 14. Brezinski speaks quickly when asked what led to her trauma. “My mom died in a ﬁre

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when I was 20, a very horrific fire, my dad had cancer, I woke up with a guy trying to pull a pillow over my face, I lost a child, a guy died while I was giving him CPR,” she said. A dentist hit a nerve in 2012 and Brezinski says the physiological trauma brought her psychological trauma to the fore. Brezinski says she had a great mother who excelled in her career and confided in her teenaged daughter in the early 1980s that other women seemed uncom-

fortable with her success. That’s part of the reason why receiving the Women in Film award is a great honour. “I went like, oh my God, maybe women will start to band together and stop competing with each other,” Brezinski said. “Women don’t want to destroy women’s evolution, but they’re afraid of not keeping up with it and they’re also afraid there may only be a few chances of certain people evolving and so they get scared if it looks

like someone might get the prize before them.” Brezinski isn’t surprised past traumas began to haunt her at age 47. “Apparently, that is the typical midlife crisis time. It could have been that the hormones did a shift,” she said. “What happens is a lot of women hit that time period and a lot of pain and suffering comes up, and a lot of questions, and they don’t know what to do with it, and most of them don’t realize that it’s unresolved issues.” Brezinski sought hopeful stories of people who’d survived dark times when she was in agony. She hopes her own story inspires faith in those who are feeling hopeless and promotes the healing power of focusing on creative endeavours, and she hopes Madness takes audiences on an entertaining emotional journey. After the Women in Film gala, Brezinski will ﬂy to Toronto to screen her ﬁlm at The Female Eye Film Festival, which starts June 16. Brezinski notes her sitcom, Sex Therapy, just had a public reading in Toronto and is also advancing in Los Angeles. She hopes to see Madness screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Vancouver Short Film Festival. @Cheryl_Rossi

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W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Arts&Entertainment KUDOS & KVETCHES Ohm the podium

There’s been a lot of grunting as of late over Premier Christy Clark’s latest PR stretch to close down the Burrard Street Bridge June 21 for a few limber hours to hold a free yoga session in celebration of International Day of Yoga. And we thought every day was an International Day of Yoga in Vancouver. Namaste. Why anyone would want to hunker down with thousands of other sweaty peeps on a grimy, suntan lotion and Palm Bay-stained span of pavement that connects downtown with Kits is beyond us. But ever since we cleared our reactive mind, we’ve tried not to judge others. Even the easily

manipulated ones. Our only concern is for the other forms of exercise that have yet to bask in the glow of Clark’s radiant smile. Why should they be left out? Why shouldn’t they get their moment in the sun so enthusiasts can risk skin cancer or inhale exhaust fumes just to be part of a massive spectacle that seems oddly random, perhaps even inappropriate, for a government leader to be endorsing. So let’s make it happen. A giant Zumba class in the intersection of Granville and West Georgia. An Ultimate Frisbee game along East Hastings Street. An ironic 1980s themed aerobics class at Broadway and Main. And a sizzling Pinochle and Canasta tournament in wild and crazy streets of Marpole. Just as

Not everyone is a fan of a free yoga session on the Burrard Bridge.

long as there’s no public displays of hacky sack. That disgusting and outdated

practice needs to be banned pronto. @KudosKvetches

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Sports&Recreation

VOICES OF THE STREET

SPECIAL LITERARY ISSUE

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS

Gleadle preps for best yet Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

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Liz Gleadle has another two metres in her. She could reach 65 or 66 metres this summer. The setting is certainly right. “I’m waiting for it,” she said, a smile spreading across the face of the sixfoot-one athlete. “I don’t know if it’s going to come in Oslo, I still expect great throws in Oslo, but I’m definitely gearing up for some really great throws at PanAms. Don’t be surprised when it happens.” Gleadle has the fifth best throw in the world so far this year and she will continue to build on her season this week at an international Diamond League meet in Norway. She holds the Canadian women’s record of 64.83 metres, which she set last month in Japan, and her best attempt at the Harry Jerome Classic on Monday night at Swangard Stadium wasn’t far off that mark. She threw 64.34 metres to win gold at the meet before fouling on her fourth attempt and passing on her fifth throw.

Liz Gleadle lets it fly at the Harry Jerome Classic at Swangard Stadium on June 8. She set a meet record in the women’s javelin with a 64.34 throw. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

“It’s good to have a baseline of throws in the 60s instead of having just my best throw being in the 60s,” she said. “It’s a massive improvement.” A structural injury affecting her ribs and pelvis thwarted the progress of the Kitsilano and UBC graduate, but she said — despite a few “niggling” alignment issues — she’s healthy. The consistency is hard-earned, and Gleadle is only warming up with expectations to impress the home crowd at the Toronto PanAm Games next month.

At Swangard, she had about 20 friends and family members in the stands, and worked their attention to her advantage. In Toronto, watch for her to pump up the crowd before setting into her throw — a slowly accelerating applause jolts the nervous system, she said. And while she doesn’t always do it, when it’s right, she’ll build off the energy. “You get the momentum of the crowd behind you,” she said. “It felt right today, a good home crowd.” @MHStewart

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Sports&Recreation

1. Lord Byng’s Calli Charlton splashes through the water hazard in the senior girls 1,500 metre steeplechase. She finished fifth overall, 11 seconds behind the winner from Salmon Arm. 2. Vancouver College sprinter Anastas Eliopoulos surges for the finish line to win the junior boys 100 metre dash. He won triple gold by also winning the 200 metre dash and the 100 metre hurdles. 3. St. George’s long jumper Kenneth Ng takes off over the sand on his way to winning bronze in the senior boys event at the B.C. high school championships in Langley June 5. PHOTOS JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Triple gold leads Fighting Irish to double B.C. titles ATHLETICS

Megan Stewart

mstewart@vancourier.com

Vancouver College won the junior and senior boys B.C. high school track and field championship and the all-boys school came only a few points shy of claiming the all-round team title. Competing in Langley at McLeod Athletic Park June 4 to 6, the Fighting Irish amassed 77 junior boys points and 60 senior boys points to win both, coming within two and five points of the respective junior and senior team championships. New Westminster secondary won the combined junior meet with 79 points and perennial champion Oak Bay secondary, from Victoria, won the combined senior meet with 65 points. Killarney finished fifth overall at the combined senior level and Eric Hamber came 13th. In individual results, triple gold went to Anastas Eliopoulos who won the junior boys 100 metre dash for the Fighting Irish, top-

ping the podium in 11.12 seconds, .15 seconds ahead of the silver medallist from New Westminster. His teammate Alfred Dela Cruz tied for fourth in 11.49. Eliopoulos also won the junior boys 100m hurdles in 14.01, more than full second (1.32 seconds) ahead of the second-place racer. And he was the fastest sprinter in the junior boys 200m, winning in 22.68. St. George’s Quinn Litherland took silver in 22.82. Vancouver College found more success in the sprints and won gold in the senior boys 4x100 relay in 44.26 — .27 seconds ahead of rival St. Thomas More. They also won the junior boys 4x400 relay. Jasper Schiedel added to the Vancouver College medal count with gold in the senior boys 110m hurdles. Quinn Litherland of St. George’s won the junior boys 400m race in 49.55. In the senior boys race of the same distance, Eric Hamber brothers Leo Ando and Rui Ando ﬁnished third and fourth, respectively, in 50.64 and 50.82. The senior boys from

Hamber outstepped Vancouver College to win the 4x400m relay in 3:28.20, just 0.66 seconds marking the difference between gold and silver. Magee’s Julie Kawaii Herdman won bronze in the junior girls 200m dash, stepping away in the middle of the high jump competition to run the race. She still managed a bronze in the high jump, clearing 1.60 metres, and also won silver in the junior girls long jump, reaching 5.25 metres on her second attempt. The winner from Collingwood jumped 5.30 metres on her ﬁrst attempt and fouled on four of her next ﬁve attempts. In the senior girls 1,500m race walk, Killarney’s Zoe Zhang won silver and King George’s Sophie Vogel-Nakamura won silver in 7:52.74 and 8:14.98, respectively. In the junior event, Killarney’s Kyra Donaldson won gold in 7:11.94. Killarney topped the podium in the senior boys race walk. Alger Liang won gold in 6:09.55 and teammate Erik Thies was close behind in 6:13.51. Also from Killarney, Philip Ngo won bronze

in the junior boys race walk. In the 3,000m run, Killarney’s Enid Au won silver. Charlton was fourth. Autumn Covington won silver in the senior discus with a throw of 37.35 metres. Brendan Chandra won silver in the junior discus with a best throw of 42.73 metres. He also won bronze in the shot put with a throw of 47.41 metres. Jessica Hanson from Little Flower Academy tied for second in the high jump. On her third attempt, she cleared 1.70 metres to tie with a jumper from Walnut Grove. The winner cleared the same distance with one jump and also reached 1.75 metres for the win. LFA’s Sophie Pauls ﬁnished fourth with a 1.60m jump. In the senior boys long jump, Kenneth Ng won silver for St. George’s with a best jump of 6.51 metres, just three centimetres behind the winner from Walnut Grove. Close behind, Vancouver College’s Jasper Schiedel won bronze with a 6.50-metre jump. Hannah Johnston won bronze in the senior girls 400m hurdles in 1:04.64.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5

The Courier presents Vancouver’s Elite Graduating Athletes of 2015

Jessica Hanson PAST

LITTLE FLOWER ACADEMY ANGELS

PRESENT

WAR MEMORIAL GYM

FUTURE

CIS UNIVERSITY OF B.C. THUNDERBIRDS

n a first for Our Prospects, the court where this athlete grew up watching her idols and honing her own game is the same place she’ll play for the next five years. Jessica Hanson started dribbling a ball at War Memorial Gym and cherishes a portrait that shows her on the court in an oversized Thunderbirds uniform. She was a toddler in 2000 when her father became the head coach of the men’s basketball team. He brought his pedigree to coach her high school teams at Little Flower Academy, and when she committed to play basketball at UBC, Hanson made her father a very happy man. The MVP of the B.C. AA high school girls basketball championship is a sharp-eyed shooter who seeks success on every play at both ends of the court. She averaged 30 points in four games over the provincial championship weekend and, despite losing the final, was named the best player there. Her success doesn’t stop with basketball. The 18-year-old won silver in the senior girls high jump and came seventh in the long jump at the B.C.

high school championships last week. She won’t compete for the T-Birds track team, but the invitation is open. An impressive, elite competitor in two sports, Hanson could have gone another way — according to her father. “I really wanted her to be a golfer,” said Kevin Hanson. “She had a beautiful swing.” An early tour at the Queen Elizabeth pitch and putt deterred them both. “After four holes, we had stopped talking to each other, we were in the woods on opposite sides of the fairway — it was the worst experience we’d had together,” he said. She was 10 as his memory serves. In hers, she was 12 but the recollection was just as bad. “We were having fun until we actually stated golfing,” said Hanson. “I’ve outgrown the clubs I had.” Close on and off the basketball court, the pair has developed an even deeper bond through sports. Hanson’s mom Theresa played varsity basketball in Washington State and is a director of athletics at the university. The trio cut quite a figure on the gym floor. “They’re both my biggest supporters,” said Hanson. — Megan Stewart

PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5

The Courier presents Vancouver’s Elite Graduating Athletes of 2015

Jessica Hanson PAST

LITTLE FLOWER ACADEMY ANGELS

PRESENT

WAR MEMORIAL GYM

FUTURE

CIS UNIVERSITY OF B.C. THUNDERBIRDS

PHOTO DAN TOULGOET

W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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