WEDNESDAY
June 24 2015 Vol. 106 No. 49
OPINION 10
Ideas for a cleaner city ARTS 18
Fighting Nazis with humour SPORTS 19
Yu the man There’s more online at
vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION
THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908
Tap dancers ‘get a life’ All-female troupe aged 45 to 86 Cheryl Rossi
crossi@vancourier.com
CANADA DAZE Soccer fans poured into downtown Sunday as part of a record-breaking B.C. Place crowd of 53,855 who watched Canada pot a 1-0 win over Switzerland. The victory means local fans will get another chance to display their fervour as Canada plays England Saturday at B.C. Place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup quarter final match. See City Living page 6. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT
Hundreds call cops with terror tips
VPD attributes increase to vigilant public, prevention program Mike Howell
mhowell@vancourier.com
Without an explanation from an expert to understand the sharp increase in Vancouver police files related to potential national security threats, the statistics alone seem shocking: From 14 files investigated in 2012 to 262 in 2014. And police say they are on pace this year to investigate another couple hundred calls in Vancouver where officers follow up on reported suspicious activity, which could include an abandoned package in a public place to purchases of chemicals to tips on alleged terror plots.
But as members of the VPD’s criminal intelligence unit explained in an interview, the statistics don’t represent the whole story or explain how an increase in calls is actually a good thing. “We are getting more calls and a very small amount of those calls really result in anything that needs to be taken to a higher level,” said Insp. Mike Serr, when asked if the public should be concerned about the spike in statistics. “Vancouver’s safe. It is a safe place and we’ve got a lot of people working to ensure it remains safe.” Serr and two of his officers, detective constables Colin Small and Ian Jackson, attribute the increase in calls to two main factors: A heightened vigilance by the public about potential terrorist threats, citing recent plots to detonate bombs at the B.C. Legislature and the murder of reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in 2014 at the cenotaph in
Ottawa; and the relaunch of a VPD-led counterterrorism program dubbed Operation Securus, which trains businesses to report suspicious activity to police. “No one should be alarmed by these numbers,” Serr said of the statistics, which he also believes can be attributed to the ongoing training of officers in counterterrorism. “We want the public to be engaged, we want them to be aware, we want them to phone us — even if it’s something that appears to be inane or not serious — and we’ll take a look at it.” Serr said the vast majority of calls turn out to be nothing of significance, citing an example where a person is observed taking photographs of a building. “It may turn out just to be a tourist who just happened to be interested in taking pictures,” he said, but declined to discuss any cases that led to higher level investigations. Continued on page 4
The narrow hallway outside a dance studio near the Marine Drive Canada Line station feels stuffy on a hot Tuesday night as women pull off their shirts and don white vests and black sequined tails. A gently hunched white-haired woman who’s juggling multiple items drops her purse to the floor. I hand it to her and say, “Gravity is a pain sometimes.” “All the way down,” she replies. Moments later, 14 women of the more than 25-year-old dance group Razzmatap rehearse one of the 10 numbers they’ll perform June 27 at the Norman Rothstein Theatre. Their moves are lyrical, their faces wistful as they dance to “Try to Remember” from the musical comedy The Fantasticks. That song gives way to show tune “Bring on the Men,” and then suddenly the club hit “Party Rock Anthem” drops. All of the dancers fall into chairs except that white-haired woman, Grace Inglis. At age 86, Inglis takes centre stage to perform a solo to the song’s chorus: “Everyday I’m shuffling, shuffling, shuffling.” The number, about putting your mother into a nursing home, is one of 10 that the award-winning group of dancers, ages 45 to 86, will perform Saturday night.
First steps
Jan Kainer began dancing in a class led by her mother in the 1950s when she was four. More than three decades later, Kainer, an elementary school teacher, followed in her mother’s footsteps by starting a class for her daughter and friends. Parents told her they wanted a class, too, so Kainer started a tap class for adults at the Kerrisdale Community Centre in 1987. Eventually, Kainer convinced her adult dancers to compete, exercising her creativity through choreography and costumes. The group of 18 women is composed Continued on page 8
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News
Council to vote on pot shop rules Mike Howell
mhowell@vancourier.com
City council will decide Wednesday whether it will be the first municipality in Canada to go ahead with a staff proposal to regulate the growing number of illegal marijuana dispensaries in Vancouver. After listening to more than 100 people over three nights and one day of public hearings, council will vote June 24 on a staff proposal that lays out a series of rules for pot shops that now includes a two-tiered licensing system and allows marijuana oils, tinctures and capsules to be sold. The original draft of the proposal called for a $30,000 annual licensing fee for all 90-plus dispensaries and a ban on marijuana-infused goods such as cookies and brownies, commonly referred to as edibles in the industry. Staff now proposes that legitimate non-profit “compassion clubs” pay a $1,000 licensing fee while
other shops will be required to pay $30,000. The city hasn’t determined how many shops in the city are non-profits, although one speaker during the hearings estimated there were 19. To qualify as a compassion club, the city has written a definition into the proposal with stringent requirements for the operator, including: • A police information check for the applicant and staff. • The business must be registered under the province’s Society Act. • Have a membership with the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries. • Offer at least two health services such as traditional Chinese medicine and psychological counselling for 200 hours or more per month. • Produce records to the city’s chief licence inspector regarding number of health care hours provided to members. • Have a constitution and bylaws for its members.
Turnout was lighter Monday night for city council’s final round of public hearings on proposed regulations for the dozens of marijuana dispensaries in Vancouver. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
• Implement a security plan. Originally, staff called for a ban on edibles and recommended only marijuana oil be sold. Staff now recommends tinctures and capsules be included in the new bylaws and is expected to explain the amendment at Wednesday’s council meeting. What council heard Monday night from the last round of speakers, and what became a theme during the hearings, is many people called for council
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to reject staff’s recommendation to ban edibles and reduce the $30,000 fee. “We’re not being able to sell edibles, which is really harsh,” said Ajia Moon, a medical marijuana user and co-founder of a “mail-order only” dispensary called Three Happy Cats. Moon pointed out the Supreme Court of Canada ruled two weeks ago that all forms of marijuana are allowed to be consumed and that prohibiting the use of edibles violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
On the day of that decision, the city issued a statement on the ruling and reiterated its position held by Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, that only marijuana oil would be allowed for sale. The statement said the sale of oils would allow customers to create their own edibles and the city’s proposed regulations would not compromise a person’s right to access edible medical marijuana. It’s unclear what moved staff to now include tinctures and capsules in its proposal. Of the more than 100 people who spoke to council during the hearings, all but about a half dozen said they were against the regulations. Patricia Barnes of the Hastings North Business Improvement Association and Claudia Laroye of the Marpole Business Improvement Association told council Monday night they were worried about the effect dispensaries were having in their communities and on
other legitimate businesses. Barnes said she knows two women who “sunk all their life-savings” into a natural health food store and are now neighbours to two pot shops. She said their store smells of marijuana. “They’re losing customers, they’re watching their lifesavings go away,” she said. “You, as the City of Vancouver, need to do something about this. We need to protect those businesses that are operating out there now legally, obeying all federal law, obeying all provincial law, obeying all city bylaws.” Vision Coun. Heather Deal asked Laroye “if the proper controls were in place, do you think there would be room in your BIA for one or two properly managed dispensaries for people who live in the neighbourhood?” Laroye: “They key to that is the word ‘properly managed’ and within the parameters of the extensive regulatory regime that you’re looking at setting up.” @Howellings
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Insp. Mike Serr of the Vancouver Police Department’s criminal intelligence unit says the city is “a safe place,” despite the spike in calls related to national security. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
Businesses work with police
Continued from page 1 As Canadians learned two years ago, something insignificant could turn out to be a tip that thwarts a disaster, as Jackson pointed out with what occurred in the well-publicized plot in 2013 of two men in Ontario planning to derail a VIA passenger train travelling between the U.S. and Canada. “If an employee hadn’t spotted the [suspects] videotaping, and that information hadn’t come forward to the police, they probably would have been successful,” said Jackson of the case, which led to two men found guilty of a series of terror-related charges. “That’s what Operation Securus is about — it’s about that phone call being placed.” Operation Securus has more than 100 Vancouver businesses involved and includes the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the RCMP, Natural Resources Canada and the Abbotsford and Delta police departments. The program is designed to locate and catalogue businesses such as Home Depot, Harbour Air, rental car companies and port businesses that sell products or offer services that could be used by a person or groups to commit terrorism. The VPD’s role is to search out potential threats, which involves following up on calls from businesses and the public. Officers do that by delivering presentations on how to identify suspicious customers and activity, and reminding them of the real threat to the West Coast. “The big problem for us is that people forget and they think it’s not going to happen in B.C.,” said Small, rattling off a history of terrorism in the province, including the plotting of
the Air India disaster, the Squamish Five bombings and Michael Zehaf-Bibeau’s links to B.C. before he murdered Cirillo in Ottawa. Media reports over the past couple of years have identified Canadians in Ontario and Alberta who travelled overseas to fight on behalf of Islamic terror group ISIS. Small wouldn’t say whether police have identified any Vancouverites who joined ranks with ISIS but said “it would be foolish to think that it’s not going to affect Canada, that it’s not going to affect British Columbia and it’s not going to affect Vancouver. That’s why we’re trying to take these steps now to try and identify individuals or groups as early as possible, look for those pre-indicators, those signs.” Eric Scott, vice-president of flight operations and safety at Harbour Air, said the seaplane company joined Operation Securus more than a year ago. Scott said he sees the partnership with police as a “corporate responsibility” and is glad other businesses signed on to the program. “Events might be singular when we’re just dealing with it ourselves but show trends when you bring other businesses in,” Scott said. “So the whole concept of it appealed to us. It does heighten our awareness and allows us an avenue to move on [suspicious activity] and be part of that group rather than making a cold call to police.” He said the company has reported files to police a couple of times related to Operation Securus but declined to disclose details. Scott, however, said he didn’t believe police found anything significant in the investigations. @Howellings
W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
News Open house set for Arbutus Village project DEVELOPING STORY Naoibh O’Connor
noconnor@vancourier.com
The long-awaited construction of the first phase of the redevelopment of Arbutus Village could start in late spring of 2016 based on current timelines. City council approved rezoning to allow for the mixed-use development on the seven-acre site back in July of 2011. Larco Investments Ltd. is now seeking a development permit for phase one, which involves the northeast corner of the property where the existing parking lot is located. The application goes before the Development Permit Board Sept. 8. A community open house about the project is set for June 25. Art Phillips, Larco’s director of development, said Safeway will relocate into the new building once it’s constructed. It will also house a restaurant, some office space and 215 residential units, 100 of which are being dedicated to the city (50 senior units and 50 non-market rental units). Larco Investments will retain 115 units as rentals. “We’re going to keep the mall open but we’re going to be demolishing the front façade of the northeast portion,” Phillips said. “It means taking about 20 feet off the front of the building of the existing entry. It will affect some tenants who will be relocating within the building.” The redevelopment of the entire site will take
place in three or possibly four phases, depending on what the market is like in 2020. Phillips said the first phase will take about two-and-a-half years to complete. “We’re looking at ways in which to reduce the timeframe,” he said. “What will probably occur is the western portion of the development — in other words west of the Yew Street extension or what we refer to a phase C and D, will probably be combined into one phase.” Phillips said he’s relieved the project is finally moving forward. “It’s been a very long process. I know people are wondering what’s going on because of the number of phone calls I’ve been getting,” he said. “When you’re trying to keep an existing shopping centre open, it’s not an easy exercise.” Doreen Braverman, a former president of the Arbutus Ridge Community Association, said the group had raised concerns during the rezoning phase — it didn’t want building heights to be over the four storeys stipulated in the neighbourhood’s official community plan. She noted the Briar apartments will lose views and sunlight. Members were also concerned about extending Yew Street into the property “Also, Arbutus [Village] is supposed to be our neighbourhood centre but there is no covered areas for meetings and gatherings,” she told the Courier. “However, we have a chance to attend the public showing, so we shall see.” The open house runs
from 5 to 8 p.m. June 25, 2015 at Hellenic Community Centre Gymnasium, 4500 Arbutus St. The applicant team and city staff will be on hand to answer questions. There will be two models on display — one of the overall development, and one of the first phase. @naoibh
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Community
Exuberant fans see red at World Cup CITY LIVING
Rebecca Blissett
rvblissett@gmail.com
The dress code for B.C. Place on Sunday was red and white and almost every one of the 53,855 fans who filed through the dome’s doors to watch the Canadian women post a 1-0 win over Switzerland adhered one way or another. Many wore official merch of FIFA 2015 Women’s World Cup, mostly red Canada Tshirts, while others did their best to ignore the hot temperatures on the first day of summer with acrylic soccer scarves tied around their necks. Others chimed in with Team Canada hockey jerseys and, to prove old wounds do sometimes heal, fans in Calgary Flames jerseys were not a rare sight. Those who didn’t own any sporting attire, wore shirts advertising domestic beer, car dealerships, record shops in distant towns and it was all OK because
The crowd outside B.C. Place was awash in Canadian colours and pride Sunday as they prepared to watch Canada take on Switzerland in the Round of 16 action. See photo gallery at vancourier.com. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT
it ensured the satellite picture of Vancouver likely showed the city as a big, red dot that afternoon. The occasional Swiss fan was spotted milling about the FIFA Fan Zone set up on the corner of Georgia and Cambie Streets but stood no ground against the sheer numbers of their opponents as their own co-
lours were white and red. Kathy and Hal Cronk, in their plain red T-shirts and mesh cowboy hats, were thrilled to be at the game. The couple, whose sons all played soccer through the strong Metro Ford ranks in Coquitlam and bought Hal’s ticket for a Father’s Day gift, said they couldn’t wait for the first whistle.
Before they headed through the doors to wildly cheer an hour later when Josée Bélanger found the back of the net for the Round of 16 elimination match’s lone goal, Kathy leaned over conspiratorially: “I think this women’s team can beat the boys.” Red and white went on the faces of Nicole Yuen
and Frankie Lunot who set up their paint station on top of a garbage bin near Terry Fox Plaza. Both women spent most of their childhood years on the pitch and said it means so much to have the women’s World Cup in their backyard. “Tickets are so cheap to the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the experience is the same as the men’s — everyone’s cheering for Canada and it’s such a great atmosphere,” said Lunot who has tickets to all the games at B.C. Place. “People don’t appreciate women’s soccer,” added Yuen. “Yes, people think it’s slower,” Lunot said, “And, in my opinion, if anything it’s faster because there’s a lot of urge to score all the time where men are more strategic in the middle. Men, they get hit and they’re down for 10 minutes whether they’re hurt, or they’re not hurt. The women play on, they have something to prove.” And the women are do-
ing a great job at carving their place in the sport. Sunday’s attendance numbers broke the record for a Canadian national team home match. The previous record was June 6 when 53,058 watched Canada’s opener against China at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. Even EA Sports acknowledged the growing interest in women’s soccer when the Burnaby-based video game company announced last month gamers will soon have the option of fielding one of 12 women’s national teams in FIFA 16, the latest incarnation of the popular video game. “It’s about time,” said Lunot. “A lot of guys were like, oh why? But it’s not just your sport. It’s everyone’s sport.” Canada, ranked No. 8, will face sixth-ranked England in quarter-final action at B.C. Place Saturday which will be the first time in the tournament it faces a top 10 team. Keep those red T-shirts handy. @rebeccablissett
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News Yaletowners appeal to Supreme Court
CANY makes last attempt to stop tower Bob Mackin
bob@bobmackin.ca
Yaletowners aiming to halt a controversial land swap and tower development aren’t giving up. Their lawyer, Nathalie Baker, applied June 22 for a hearing before the nation’s highest court. If the Supreme Court of Canada agrees to hear the case, Community Association of New Yaletown wants it to overturn the April 23 B.C. Court of Appeal decision that threw out their lower court victory over city hall, which briefly stopped Brenhill Developments’ construction at 1099 Richards St. The CANY filing to the Supreme Court said the appeal judges’ ruling that Vancouver city hall exceeded disclosure obligations “provided a blueprint to municipalities that wish to limit their disclosure.” “As long as it renders a business decision, considers information in camera or drafts the bylaw in a narrow
› › › › › ›
way, the municipality will be relieved of its disclosure obligations,” said the appeal application. “The public’s right to know and comment intelligently on proposed projects of major significance will be accordingly diminished.” Brenhill and the city cut a land swap deal in 2013 whereby the developer would build a 162-unit replacement at 1099 Richards for the 87-unit Jubilee House social housing project. In exchange, Brenhill would get Jubilee House’s 508 Helmcken St., a cityowned property beside Emery Barnes Park, on which to build a 36-storey tower with 448 units, a preschool and retail space. CANY said it favours social housing, but not a tower that would be taller and denser than the area plan allows. Brenhill proposed contributing $24 million to build the $30.6-million New Jubilee House and the city would fund the $6.6-million remainder from proceeds of the 508 Helmcken sale.
Construction continues at Richards and Helmcken. A Yaletown citizens group is fighting the development in court. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
“CANY’s essential submission is that the City’s public disclosure was inadequate and the process was artificially divided into stages such that residents could not comment on the overall land exchange plan,” said the ruling by the B.C. Court of Appeal tribunal. The appeal court ruled that local residents have the right to sufficient information on a development proposal and the right to express their opinion on a rezoning’s merits, but if they disagree, they
should take it up in the political arena, not the courts. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Mark McEwan ruled Jan. 27 in favour of CANY and slammed city hall for being opaque. He ordered construction be paused and a new public hearing be held. City council voted April 7 for a new development permit for the 13-storey building at 1099 Richards. On April 16 it voted to rezone 508 Helmcken for the 36-storey tower. @bobmackin
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5
Feature
Winning awards around the world
Continued from page 1 The group of 18 women is composed of two original B.C. Lions cheerleaders, a triathlete, an accountant and a microbiologist, dancers from other disciplines and a few previous non dancers. They have won medals at the World Tap Championships in Germany and showcased their talent a tap festivals in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. They won a silver medal at the Dance World Cup in 2008 with a number called Libertango. Their dance number Sister Suffragette swept the awards at the Raise the Barre Master’s Dance Challenge in 2012. Diane Anthony, an original member of Razzmatap, set in motion the idea for the June 27 show. The 75-year-old asked Kainer last year whether they were going to raise their Suffragette signs, tap dance on suitcases or slip on any of their old costumes that Anthony stores in her basement ever again.
On stage
Fourteen women carrying canes while decked in white bowties, black top hats and sequined tails flank a woman clad in white. They kick and tap to “One, singular sensation” while the woman in white taps and twirls a baton around her legs. They stand tall, broad smiles animating their faces, while they form lines, tip their hats, tap their canes and rap out rhythms with
Tap dancers run through a rehearsal in preparation for Saturday’s “The Best of Razzmatap” performance at Norman Rothstein Theatre. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT
pomp and seeming ease. The energy that powers each movement is contagious. You can’t help but
Grace Inglis, 86, is one of the tap dancers who will be performing Saturday.
PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT
smile as you watch them perform with passion and poise. The woman in white is retired B.C. Supreme Court Justice Donna Martinson. She was 52 in 2002, when she joined Razzmatap after her 17-year-old son told her to get a life. Martinson found the advanced adult tap class at Kerrisdale Community Centre and was told she’d have to secure Kainer’s permission to join. “I actually remember the day I got in my car because it’s a bit intimidating,” Martinson said. “I remember seeing all these women my own age and there was just such a buzz.” She handed out canes, pleased to pick up the steps and pay her dues until it was her time to perform. “I had no idea whether I would be able to do it,” Martinson said. “I remember thinking, specifically, would I just collapse in a ball?” When she heard the first few notes of “One,” everything fell into place. Martinson had stopped dancing in 1967 after feminists booed her at a hockey game for twirling a baton alongside cheerleaders. She was a feminist who wanted to be a lawyer, so she packed up her stick. Martinson wears a white tux in the number because Razzmatap performed at her wedding in 2009. Her fellow dancers gave
her the outfit, white tap shoes and all. She hopes she won’t have to pack up her ensemble anytime soon, pointing to Inglis as her role model. “Grace is just my hero,” said the 65-year-old. “If I’m still around, if I can still be dancing at 86 years old, I would be a very happy person. “I feel very lucky to be at my stage in life and to be able to do very good, sophisticated dancing with good choreography,” she continued. “Sometimes I pinch myself and just think I’m going to be performing in the Rothstein Theatre — that’s pretty cool — with 28 of my good friends and family there to watch.”
Staying alive
Inglis started dancing with Razzmatap at age 67. She had danced with her aunt Grace Macdonald, a dancer, teacher and choreographer, who is included in the Star Walk on Granville Mall for the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame, from the age of five until her teenaged years. “And then I took a short 45year break from dancing,” Inglis quipped. She played badminton and then pondered returning to dance. “I said to my sister, ‘I’m too old.’ And she said, ‘You’re not getting any younger just sitting
around.’” Kainer was the perfect person for Inglis to retrain with because Kainer had danced with her aunt. “And Jan is an amazing choreographer and it couldn’t be a better person to go to,” Inglis said. Dancing not only reignited her passion for performance but also helped save her life. Seven years ago, Inglis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her doctor gave her a big hug and said, “I’m so sorry,” again and again. But when the surgeon Inglis was referred to heard she was a dancer, he agreed to perform surgery because a dancer’s body acts 10 years younger. He removed her pancreas and she’s carried on, despite her newly acquired diabetes and kidney surgery. “I’m afraid if I stop my body’s going to fall apart,” Inglis said. Actor Jay Brazeau will emcee the Saturday night event that features special guests, including musical theatre performer Jeff Hyslop. Audiences needn’t attend out of good will but out of a desire to be dazzled by Razzmatap. Its members plan to keep shuffling, shuffling. The show starts at 7 p.m. at 950 West 41st Ave. For more information, see razzmatap.com. @Cheryl_Rossi
W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
News Bungalow baggage
It is no secret that residential real estate in Vancouver is more expensive than in any other city in Canada, but homes became even less affordable in the first three months of 2015, according to RBC’s quarterly affordability index. The bank’s affordability index for Vancouver bungalows rose 2.8 percentage points to 85.6 in Q1. This means homeowners in this city need to spend, on average, 85.6 per cent of their pre-tax household income to service the costs of owning a one-storey detached
home at market values. This was the highest increase for homes of this type in three years. It is also a full 28.3 percentage points higher than the measure of Toronto, Canada’s secondleast affordable city, which had a measure of 57.3. “Vancouver has recently experienced the fastest rate of appreciation among Canada’s largest cities, which suggests that affordability may well deteriorate further going forward,” said RBC senior vice-president and chief economist Craig Wright. The index for two-storey homes also increased,
climbing 0.9 percentage points to 86.9. Not all home types became less affordable, however. The index for condos dipped 0.5 percentage points to 39.6 per cent. “Our measure for condos bucked the deteriorating trend in Vancouver — the segment was better supplied thanks to increased multi-unit construction over the past couple of years, keeping prices generally contained,” Wright said. Affordability across the entire province was poor in the first quarter. Two-storey homes in British Columbia
had an affordability index of 72.8, bungalows were 69.3 and condos 32.9. “Our housing affordability measures for British Columbia remain above longterm averages, substantially so for bungalows and twostorey homes — the higher the measure the less affordable the segment,” Wright said. “That being said, poor affordability levels primarily reflected the extreme situation in Vancouver. “Home ownership is comparatively more affordable across other markets in the province.” —Emma Crawford Hampel
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5
Opinion
Park board must move Lessons we could on reconciliation learn from Rwanda Trish Kelly Columnist trishkellyc@gmail.com Deputy mayor Andrea Reimer was expected to present a motion at Tuesday’s city council meeting (after the Courier’s print deadline) asking staff to determine how Vancouver can move forward on the actions recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report. In my last column, I mentioned some of the ways we as Vancouverites can help ensure we open our hearts and minds to the truths in the TRC report. There is much responsibility we can take as everyday citizens to mend the wounds inflicted on Canadian society by the brutality of the residential school system, and there is much that a municipal government can do as well. Reimer’s motion asks that the Vancouver School Board, Vancouver Police Department and Vancouver Public Library Board consider a similar review of the TRC recommendations. It seems off to me that the Vancouver Park Board has been excluded from this list. I think there are strong reasons the board ought to address reconciliation which begin right at the board’s founding. The first act of Vancouver’s first city council in 1886 was to petition the federal government for the creation of Stanley Park. The striking of a park board to manage the 1,000 acre park came soon after. The board was created on the backs of the First Nations people who lived here for 3,000 years before the city was incorporated. Long a traditional harvesting and fishing area for the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam people, the peninsula’s designation as park land came with prohibitions on food and timber gathering and firmly ended anyone living on the land. The prohibition of food gathering on traditional harvesting sites served to weaken the First Nations people literally, as they lost access to important food resources, and legally, in terms of their land claims on the peninsula. The TRC report describes the residential school system as a tool of cultural genocide, but residential schools were not the only tool at the government’s disposal. Blocking access to traditional food lands is another way colonial government policy chipped away at the survival of aboriginal culture.
For centuries, settler governments like ours have viewed park space management as an exercise in manicuring nature. This colonial concept of land stewardship — that the way to preserve nature is to keep humanity out of it — seems to me one of the root problems behind environmental destruction. It’s a self-defeating view of our relationship to nature that means, as a dangerous invasive species, we don’t have to try to find non-destructive ways to relate to our environment, and it ultimately harms us. It also runs contrary to aboriginal approaches to relating to nature in which food gathering and harvesting affirm a person’s relationship with nature. In recent decades, dominant Canadian society and our lagging governments have begun to recognize how this disconnection from our food and nature hurts us all. Through school garden programs and student salad bars we are trying to find ways to teach our children a different relationship to food and nature. Last year, Seattle announced plans to create a food forest, a seemingly novel idea to create a park where food gathering is not only permitted but intended. In the same year, the park board launched a rewilding strategy to explore a different relationship to nature and opening a door to change. The door we must knock upon belongs to our local First Nations. There is much to reconcile in the Vancouver Park Board origin story, and nearly 130 years of occupation of traditional territory to be addressed. Local First Nations successfully resisted the government’s attempts to break them. Through centuries of oppression and suppression, they have had the strength to endure and remain stewards of this land. The park board could do much to reconcile with First Nations by asking for leadership in policy decisions related to land stewardship. With more than 3,000 years of tenure here, local First Nations should not only be considered or consulted in land use decisions, but be asked to take leadership with a formal position at the park board and have true influence. To continue to make decisions without tapping into indigenous perspective is to turn our backs on reconciliation. The stakes are high, for us and our planet. @trishkellyc
The week in num6ers...
14 262 86
The number of calls Vancouver police received from the public about possible terrorism threats in 2012.
The number of calls Vancouver police received from the public about possible terrorism threats in 2014.
The age of the oldest member of Razzmatap, a dance troupe performing June 27 at Norman Rothstein Theatre.
Michael Geller Columnist michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com As regular readers of this column are too well aware, I am troubled by unsightly streets and gardens, overflowing garbage cans, and weeds growing where they ought not to grow. I therefore could not resist an invitation last week from Global TV to comment on a front page Province newspaper story about vacant properties along Cambie Street. The story reported on local resident Todd Constant’s concerns about the loss of his neighbourhood, which is changing from an area of manicured mid-century single-family homes to mid-rise apartments. His other concern, however, was that many of the properties awaiting redevelopment are being left vacant and subject to squatters, graffiti, late night parties and crime. The newspaper story and subsequent media attention prompted many to question what should be done to ensure that vacant properties are properly maintained, and those living in neighbourhoods undergoing redevelopment who do not want to sell, can stay without being disturbed. Before the interview, I visited the properties in question and was reminded of a 1960s Toronto practice known as “blockbusting.” At the time, downtown properties were being assembled for highrise apartment redevelopment. When a property owner was “holding out” or otherwise not willing to sell, unscrupulous developers would fill the neighbouring properties with rowdy tenants or vandalize them to “encourage” the holdouts to sell. While I have no reason to believe anyone is deliberately blockbusting along Cambie Street, I could not help but wonder why any property owners would allow the houses to become so derelict. I am also troubled by the increasing number of neglected houses in other city neighbourhoods. On Blenheim Street, near Marine Drive, is a property once known for its beautiful garden. Today it is completely overgrown with weeds. What makes this so remarkable is that two Sutton Realty agents have “For Sale” signs stuck in the weeds. I contacted one of the agents to tell him I thought the situation was most
1
In thousands , the cost of a proposed annual licensing fee for non-profit “compassion clubs” offering medical marijuana.
disrespectful to the neighbourhood. While this house will sell for lot value, I thought the owner should at least cut the grass. I also suggested that as a realtor, he too had a responsibility to ensure the property was maintained as long as his sign was on it. He apologized and promised to review the situation. But nothing has changed. If the garden is not tidied up, I intend to file a grievance with the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver naming the two agents. I would urge other Vancouver residents faced with similar situations to do the same. I also urge residents to contact the City of Vancouver by phoning 311. The city has bylaw 4548 to prevent the existence of untidy premises. While I often wonder why the city is not taking better care of its own streets and parks, it has the ability to ensure that private properties are not allowed to become derelict. I would like to conclude by sharing an email message I recently received from a colleague who is a landscape architect. He writes: “I’ve been meaning to send you a note since I read your column about litter. Have you ever been to Rwanda? It’s an unbelievable place. After such a recent genocide (about 1 million people killed in 90 days 20 years ago), when I was there last year I was struck by the positive outlook of the country in general. There was a palpable sense of pride and unity and everyone spoke very positively about the president. “Anyway, as of last year and hopefully still, the last Saturday of every month is called General Cleaning Day. Businesses are all closed in the morning, and everyone is expected to participate in cleaning up the public space — roadsides, parks, etc. Most communities appeared to be having work parties. After the physical cleaning, people are expected to gather with their families or communities to address any issues, i.e., the spiritual cleaning part of the day. “Rwanda was spotless, which was especially noticeable when we crossed the border to litter-strewn Tanzania. I couldn’t help thinking that if every country in the world followed this idea, that it would be a much happier (and cleaner) place.” @michaelgeller
13 85.6
The number of paintings in a comic-book inspired series by artist Hinda Avery of female resistance fighters out to defeat the Nazis.
The percentage of pre-tax household income Vancouver homeowners need to spend, on average, to service the costs of owning a one-storey detached home.
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Inbox LETTERS TO THE EDITOR May may be on to something with fee and dividend plan
Re: “Elizabeth May’s carbon-tax plan unrealistic,” online only. Les Leyne admits that “the cheque might be a more direct incentive to cut emissions than the tax cuts” when comparing the fee and dividend approach to carbon pricing with the B.C. government’s carbon tax. But for some odd reason he felt a need to dump on Elizabeth May and the fee and dividend approach. Fee and dividend is supported by the international Citizens Climate Lobby group. These are grassroots people who realize climate change threatens life on earth, could condemn our children to a horrific future, and are dedicating their energies to work in a non-partisan way for the most effective, transparent and fair carbon pricing system we know of. It’s worth checking out. Jan Slakov, Saltspring Island
Shame and Hastings Park
CO U R I E R A R C H I V E S T H I S D A Y I N H I S T O R Y
Top cop shoots himself over scandal June 24, 1955: Shortly after signing legal documents confirming he and police chief Walter Mulligan had been paid off for years by members of the Vancouver underworld to look the other way, Detective Sergeant Len Cuthbert returned to his office, pulled out his service revolver and shot himself in the chest. He was rushed to hospital where emergency surgery kept him alive, and the bullet, which went completely through him, missed his heart by an eighth of an inch. The suicide attempt came shortly after Toronto-based tabloid Flash Weekly exposed the corruption scheme, and he later became a reluctant key witness in a subsequent royal commission led by R.H. Tupper, a former head of the faculty of law at UBC, which determined many police officers were on the take from bootleggers and bookies. Another witness, Police Superintendent Harry Whelan, shot and killed himself over the scandal. Mulligan fled to the U.S. during the inquiry, but the Attorney General’s office later ruled it didn’t have enough evidence to pursue criminal charges.
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Re: “Park board chair bemoans loss of PNE seat,” June 10. Hastings Park is the second largest park in the City of Vancouver. Having at least one elected park board commissioner on the governing board makes sense. At a meeting this past week, all Vision councillors voted to eliminate the current parks board commissioner board member’s position on the Hastings Park/ PNE board — essentially taking the park out of Hastings Park. So much for Vision’s promise of increased accountability and a greener city. I challenge all and any of the Vision councillors, including the mayor, to explain to Vancouver’s citizens how removing the park board commissioner from the board increases accountability and ensures effective stewardship of the Hastings Park/PNE Master Plan, which includes promoting green and community space. At this point it seems that the only advantage to having no park board representation is to be able to make unilateral decisions about the future of Hastings Park and the PNE with no public accountability. Shame on Vision. And a shame for the residents of East Vancouver who seem to be losing one of the few green spaces left in the city. Melina Auerbach, Vancouver
School land sales a shortsighted approach by Libs
Re: “Adviser says VSB could close 19 schools,” June 10. I have worked to oppose school lands sales across B.C. since 2007. In the majority of cases potential land sales
Dee Dhaliwal
Barry Link blink@vancourier.com
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ONLINE COMMENTS New VSB chair up in the air
Re: “VSB needs new chairperson,” June 17. Sadly, as presumably became apparent to the Vision members of the school board as soon as Janet Fraser demanded that the new chair be anyone but Patti Bacchus, it is in fact mostly irrelevant now who is officially chair because the board is unleadable, with Fraser acting as a bull in the china shop and trying to control all the decisions/call all the shots according to her or Adriane Carr’s unpredictable wishes. I suspect Christopher Richardson and the other NPA members have also now figured out the same thing, although the matter of reporting a committee’s findings as those of the whole board, and especially claiming not to remember who was at the meeting, makes me wonder. And, of course, there is the matter of Richardson/the NPA expecting that if the board made friendly noises and tried to get along with the provincial government, then the latter in turn would be reasonable and collaborative. So much for that. Where that leaves the board, and who will be the next chair, I would not even guess. Dan Cooper, via Comments section
have your say online...
FLYER SALES
ddhaliwal@vancourier.com
are driving the closures, not the other way round. False assumptions to justify closure and sales include the myth of “declining” enrolment and the idea that schools are “surplus.” In 2004, B.C. Stats changed its population projection methodology back to 1990s methods. These include such howlers as counting the number of new telephone landlines as a valid predictor of population. Staff was told to underestimate numbers of people per household. Staff who objected were dismissed. This government’s population projections are inaccurate. No government before this one has ever sold school lands en masse. Population fluctuations are normal, and education should be planned on a 30 year time horizon. Echo-boomers are having babies. When the courts finally rule that B.C. must restore higher standards for class size (i.e. smaller classes) there will not be a “surplus” classroom in B.C. This government has created fake balanced budgets for 14 years by selling forest lands, school lands, courthouses, offices and seniors’ care homes — our public assets. Selling schools for short term cash is an unsustainable business model based on false assumptions. Public school lands belong to our great-grandchildren. They are not ours to sell. Jessica Van der Veen, Victoria
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5
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A summer fair and library tour CALENDAR Sandra Thomas
sthomas@vancourier.com
West Point Grey On July 11, the Brock House Society hosts its annual fundraiser in support of its seniors centre.
PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
If you enjoy homemade jams and baked goods, you won’t want to miss the annual Brock House Summer Fair, which takes place Saturday, July 11. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors can also shop for handcrafted items, including art, porcelain paintings and woodwork, take part in a silent auction and enjoy lunch while listening to the sounds of big band and jazz. There’s also a lottery and a 50-50 draw. The day offers an opportunity for the public to explore Brock House, an A listed heritage Tudorstyle mansion designed by architect Samuel Maclure at the beginning of the
20th century. The fair is an annual fundraiser in support of the Brock House Society seniors centre. Visit brockhousesociety.com.
Stanley Park
Sing-a-long versions of Pitch Perfect and Grease are just some of the highlights of the 2015 free Evo Fresh Air Summer Cinema season in Stanley Park that runs each Tuesday from July 7 to Aug. 25 at Second Beach. During these special screenings the lyrics will be projected on the screen so everyone can take part. Grease is scheduled during Pride Week, so expect a large turnout. Other movies playing this summer include Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Top Gun, Jurassic Park and Avengers: Age of Ultron. All movies start at dusk
so plan to arrive early for best lawn seating selection. And while there is free seating for 5,000, another option is to take advantage of the Yellow Pages Reserved VIP Seating area, where for $22.53 you are guaranteed a front row seat in one of 100 reserved Adirondack cottage-style chairs. As well, dinner and movie packages are being offered in partnership with several West End restaurants. Visit freshaircinema. ca/summercinema.
Granville Island
While the subject of off-leash is a common one in the city, it doesn’t often make it to the stage. Beginning July 1, Vancouver TheatreSports is letting its performers “run free” with Off Leash, the league’s newest late-night improv show. Continued on page 13
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Free movies take place in Stanley Park on Tuesdays beginning July 7 with a Pitch Perfect sing-a-long.
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Improv group unleashed Continued from page 12 By giving these talented actors the freedom to improvise as they like, it’s guaranteed no two shows will be the same. Off Leash runs every Wednesday and Thursday night at 9:15 p.m. starting July 1 at the Improv Centre, 1502 Duranleau St. on Granville Island. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased in advance online at vtsl.com or in-person at the box office Wednesday through Sunday after 6 p.m.
Downtown
Get a behind the scenes look at the Vancouver Public Library’s central branch during a tour that highlights the building’s architectural features. As well, hear how Vancouver residents played a unique role in determining the building’s design and find out about exciting developments such as VPL’s new Inspiration Lab. Free tours take place July
“We’re all stressed by Dad’s illness.”
Vancouver TheatreSports runs wild in its latest offering, Off Leash.
11 and 25 from 2 to 3 p.m. at 350 West Georgia. Meet at the library store. For more information call 604-331-3603 or visit vpl. ca/events.
Kitsilano
Seniors aged 55 and older can stop by Kits House Community Hall June 30
for a Canada Day lunch complete with a barbecue, music and more from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2305 West Seventh at Vine. Registration is required. The cost is $4. For more information call 604-736-3588 extension 128 or email patriciap@kitshouse.org. @sthomas10
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5
Ask Anne: Chives, old seeds and lavender
Anne Marrison
dening anyway, my advice would be to scatter the seeds somewhere on soil (so you tried) and leave it at that. But if you love gardening and have time to give the seeds somewhat better treatment, I’m going to suggest you do what I wish I had done with my father’s seeds. You might put some topsoil in a big flat, scatter the seeds on it, give them a gentle stir and keep them moist and watched. Sometimes seeds have amazing vibrancy and if something your mother saved did germinate (against all odds, admittedly) you’d probably feel pretty good about it.
amarrison@shaw.ca
Q: I’ve been growing chives in a pot on the patio for many years. Every year it grows back — but not this year. Why? I watered it, gave it some liquid food to no avail. Florence, Vancouver A: When you say you watered your chives, I wonder how frequently that was. This winter and spring, we had some very strange weather: torrential rain in bursts, but also very long spells of warm, dry weather. The dry spells came in months when we wouldn’t expect them. All this was very tricky for plants in containers. Containers do dry out frequently and when they do are very hard to re-wet because the dry soil can shrink away from the inner sides of the pot. Then you may drench the dry soil with water and think the plants are having a good drink, not knowing that really the water is running
A: If she kept them in the refrigerator, I’d say they have a chance. But if she kept them in a box at room temperature, they probably wouldn’t germinate. But I’m going to give you two answers because I think the right one depends on who you are and what your lifestyle is. If you’re really busy and not super-interested in gar-
A: Yes, it will. This is because lavender blooms on this year’s stems. It’s best to prune as early as you can so that new stems have time to grow and mature enough for blooms. Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to her via amarrison@shaw.ca. It helps you provide the name of your city or region.
Lavender should be pruned as early as possible so that new stems have time to grow and mature for blooms.
down the soil crack around the inside edges and away. But it’s an odd problem. Chives have the reputation of being very hardy and healthy: no pests and the only disease is an occasional attack of rust, which only kills them if it’s let go for ages.
Anything with a fat root storage area (bulbs, tubers or taproot) is usually quite resilient even to drought. Chives don’t have the big bulb that other alliums do, but their root does have some storage capability. It might be useful if you
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thoroughly dug up and removed the soil from the chives pot. Have a good look for little living creatures or anything that looks unusual. Discard that soil. There may be something to be learned here. Q: When my mother passed away, I found a box of old seeds from flowers she had grown. Now they would be about 15 years old. Would they be any good or should I
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5
Dig deep: DIY upcycling with purpose
Todd Major
stmajor@shaw.ca
It seems there is a do-it yourself version of almost anything you can think of. For example, I once enjoyed a soak in an outdoor hot tub made of stones collected hither and yon and the whole thing was heated by a wood burning fireplace tucked underneath. In the garden I have seen DIY retaining walls made from busted up concrete patio slabs, old gas pumps turned into planters and rain barrels made from old steel or plastic drums. I am reasonably open minded about upcycling, believing as long as the item is functional and interesting, anything is fair game to try. But there are a few precautions to consider when recycling old items into something new. Firstly, the item to be recycled must not contain, or have previously contained, any toxic substance that can leach off, exude from, offgas or otherwise result in contamination of people or
planet. Old oil drums, gas cans, electrical transformers, some car parts and other potentially hazardous items are not healthy things to upcycle. Secondly, the item must be obtained for sale at a fair price or legally given for free. And thirdly, the item must be worth the effort and time to transform it into something new and beautiful with purpose. Arguably, the most popular of upcycled items has to be the common wood pallet, which is normally used for shipping heavy or bulk consumer goods. The creative upcycling of pallets has exploded in recent years. There are now companies offering 500-person festival seating made from pallets. You can find pallet planters that stand upright and connect together to act as short height walls around seating areas. But the most ingenious innovations have come in pallet furniture for indoors and out. There are pallet designs to build any type of table, chair or outdoor seating nooks and even beds. A friend of mine
Some of the most popular upcycled items come from the ubiquitous wood pallet.
even considered building his garden shed out of pallets, but I would not recommend that idea. However, I could visualize using pallets to make a potting table, maybe a porch of sorts or other add-ons to an existing garden shed. If you plan to build your own pallet creation here are some basic preparation recommendations before upcycling it into the garden. I start preparing my pallets
by washing them with soap and water and a stiff brush. You might think power washing would be a good idea, but the high pressure raises the grain, destroying the board’s surface. I then check all nails to assure they are securely driven into the wood and add or replace any where needed to secure the pallet’s structure. Next, or as you re-nail, trim or remove any broken or loose pieces and replace
wood as needed. An extra pallet is useful for providing parts to match. When it comes to surface preparation, I prefer the individual pallet boards to be in reasonably good condition, not cracked or shredded. New pallets can be purchased if you prefer. But contrary to my preference, there seems to be a group of upcyclers that like to beat their wood with a chain or steel cable. The process gives the wood a rustic or worn appearance and feel. I get the principle, but it seems a little counterproductive. Many people like their recycled pallets in raw condition using nature’s sun-kissed patina. But paint or stain really improves the look and adds charm and interest. If you’re painting it’s important to know many pallets are made from spruce, pine, some exotic woods from the tropics, and often from oak. So the choice to paint or stain should be considered according to the type of wood and design you’re
trying to create. Oak pallets look good when stained for outdoor use. Most other types of pallet wood will often reveal some nice grain as well. To tell if the grain is attractive, simply rub the wood with water to reveal the grain and then decide. There are also a few tricks for attaching pallets together. Use the same type of wood dimension and species if you require additional pieces — consistency does count in this instance. I have used various Simpson mechanical fasteners and repurposed them to join pallets together with good effect. Not only are those fasteners structurally sound, they are also galvanized to prevent rust and give the creation an industrial feel. One final trick if you have trouble visualizing a pallet creation: get a glass of wine and a few pallets together and then fit, configure and create a prototype of your vision before you build the final product. Todd Major is a journeyman horticulturist, garden designer and builder, teacher and organic advocate.
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Arts&Entertainment
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GOT ARTS? 604.738.1411 or events@vancourier.com
1 June 24 to 26, 2015 1. Saxophonist Joshua Redman teams up with cutting edge jazz trio the Bad Plus, who’ve been known to cover everyone from Radiohead and Aphex Twin to Nirvana and Stravinsky. The all-star group performs June 24 at the Vogue Theatre as part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Kneebody opens. Tickets and details at coastaljazz.ca. 2. Politics, economics and eroticism get swirled together in the same glass in Shila Challaghan’s 1980-set play Lascivious Something. Exploring the “decisions we make in our personal, social or political life and the shadow of consequences” through a metaphor of wine, sex and relationships, Lascivious Something runs June 24 to 27 at the Firehall Arts Centre. Details and tickets at firehallartscentre.ca. 3. The fifth annual Make Music Vancouver returns as more than 100 musical acts perform for free on the streets, sidewalks, makeshift stages, grottos, alcoves and urinefilled puddles of Gastown, June 24, 5 to 10 p.m. For a full list of entertainers and more information, go to makemusicvancouver.ca. 4. Television emerged from New York City’s fabled punk scene in the mid-’70s with a technical proficiency, jazz-inspired interplay and an inclination to “jam” that was unique among most of their scruffy musical colleagues. And the band’s 1977 debut album Marquee Moon and its nearly 10-minute long title track is the stuff of legend. See and hear for yourself when a reunited Television plays the Commodore June 25. Tickets at Red Cat Records, Highlife and all Ticketmaster outlets.
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5
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Humour as a weapon against the Holocaust Painter’s series features fun-loving feminist resistance fighters
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Hinda Avery is putting the finishing touches on the billboard-size painting that has taken over the sparse basement studio in her West Side home for the past several months. The painting depicts six women — Avery’s late mother, her late sister, her late aunt, a friend and her daughter, and the artist — floating in space, clearly enjoying themselves, with halos above their heads and laser guns drawn. Perhaps they’re astronauts, perhaps they’re angels or even religious icons — Avery’s not sure herself, though she does concede they are “no longer of this earth” and represent the 13th and final instalment in a series of comic book-inspired paintings that portray the “Rozen women” as fun-loving, self-assured, resistance fighters out to defeat the Nazis during the Holocaust. “So you can see my women are smiling, they’re enjoying themselves, they’re confident, they’re absurd. It’s a crazy revenge fantasy,” she says. Avery’s artistic journey began 10 years ago when the former Women’s Studies professor at the University of B.C. retired and decided to reflect upon and learn more about her family on her mother’s side who had been murdered by the Nazis during the Second World War. She travelled to Germany, the Czech Republic and her family’s hometown of Staszow, Poland and was so struck by the monuments and memorial sites she produced a DVD called The Art of Apology. It was a lifechanging experience, says
Hinda Avery describes her series of paintings depicting fun-loving, gun-toting female Nazi resistance fighters as a “crazy revenge fantasy.” To see more paintings and watch a video on Avery, go to vancourier.com/entertainment. PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
Avery, who upon returning home began painting as a way to memorialize and feel connected to the family she had never met. In the first paintings, she inserted herself and her mother, alongside her grandmother and aunt. The paintings were small, sombre, set in concentration camps and depicted Avery and her family as victims waiting to die. But after a while Avery realized she wasn’t enjoying the process and no longer wanted to view herself and her family as victims. So her paintings began to take on a surreal life of their own. They became bigger and more colourful. She added more women, and portrayed them as grinning, foul-mouthed rebels and super heroines. They wore dayglo battle fatigues, lingerie, bikinis, sported tattoos and wielded an assortment of weapons, often pointing at Hitler and his henchmen, alongside pulpy comic book-style bubble captions such as “No collateral
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of the Jewish community to enjoy my paintings… and that saddens me. It’s not my intent to offend anyone.” After 10 years and many adventures, Avery says the series and its raucous subjects have run their course. Not only is the final painting the 13th of the series, which Avery says is her lucky number and a lucky number in Judaism, but the Rozen women have reached celestial heights. The accompanying caption also has an air of finality to it: “Der Führer wants to conquer space. We’ll give him a final sendoff.” Avery says once her painting is complete and part of an exhibit titled “The Resisterrrz” at the Cultch until July 25, she’s going to focus on her comic strip about an artist struggling with getting shows and growing old — with a sense of humour, of course. The exhibit’s opening reception takes place June 24, 6 to 8 p.m. @MidlifeMan1
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damage with these sniper rifles. We’ll hit the shithead with surgical precision” and “Der Führer wants to make manure out of us. We’ll prove he’s already full of shit.” It’s a Nazi revenge fantasy grounded in feminism, says Avery who “loved” Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds when she saw it and likens her own work to giant graphic novels. “I really like the idea of working with this dark humour, working with a different way of viewing the Holocaust and using laughter and confidence as a weapon,” Avery says. Not surprisingly, her colourful approach to dealing with the Holocaust is not for everyone. “They’re very controversial, particularly among the Jewish community because I’m dealing with a very sensitive topic and I’m turning this sensitive topic into black humour,” Avery acknowledges. “So it is difficult for some members
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W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
The Courier presents Vancouver’s Elite Graduating Athletes of 2015
Trevor Yu PAST
ST. JOHN’S EAGLES
PRESENT
MARINE DRIVE GOLF CLUB
FUTURE
NCAA DIV. 1 OREGON STATE BEAVERS
I
n competition, Trevor Yu shot his best round at 16 years of age when he recorded a 65 at Pitt Meadows Golf Club to finish 15-under and win a two-day Canadian Junior Golf Association fall series tournament. On the first day, he shot 29 on the back nine to finish with 66. “I had another really good round at the Canadian juniors in 2012,” he said. After he won the national U16 juvenile championship, he shot 64 in the final round of the junior championship to tie for eighth and also tie the competitive course record at Osprey Ridge Golf Club in Nova Scotia. “That was the first time I could say I was in the zone,” said Yu, a slender six-footer who also contributed to several winning basketball seasons as the Eagles’ sixth-man. When he shot a nearmortal 85 earlier this season, however, Yu’s performance concerned his coaches. “He has to be constantly hungry to improve,” said Kendal Yonomoto, who’s trained with Yu for six years. “He’s a great kid, but in no uncertain terms, he’s got a lot of work to do. How much better can you get in the future if you put the work in?” The other question is how the future Oregon State Beaver can tighten his game though the right kind of focused hard work.
PHOTO DAN TOULGOET
“He’s shown an ability to win tournaments, which is a huge deal, and shoot a lot of really low scores,” said Oregon State’s men’s golf coach Jon Reehoorn. “We’ll see if he can turn his 77s and 78s into 73s and 74s.” In the Pac 12 Conference, Yu will be competing against some of the most accomplished and skilled collegiate golfers in the country. Continuing to improve means deliberate practice, analysis and careful statistical assessments. “You need to know what your strengths and weaknesses are, and develop plans to improve your weaknesses while also maintaining strength. You’re not going to do that by just hitting a bunch of balls,” said Reehoorn, who is assisted by B.C.’s Jonnie Motomochi who coached Yu for a year with Yonomoto. In his soft-spoken way, Yu says he understands his coaches will push under his skin and prod his mind in order to elevate him to greater heights. “In golf, you’re always trying to improve,” said the International Baccalaureate student with a quiet but on-point sense of humour. “You have ownership over everything you do. There’s a lot of satisfaction when things go your way. It punishes you more than it rewards you, but when it rewards you, there is no other feeling like it.” — Megan Stewart
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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 1 5
Sports&Recreation
GOT GAME? Contact sports editor Megan Stewart at mstewart@vancourier.com or 604-630-3549
Tense fans left breathless at B.C. Place JOCK & JILL
Megan Stewart
mstewart@vancourier.com
Josee Belanger (No. 9) chases the ball through Swiss defenders before she would later knock in the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Switzerland at B.C. Place June 21. PHOTO CANADA SOCCER ASSOCIATION
At B.C. Place Sunday, 53,588 spectators held their breath through 45 minutes as Canada struggled to find its footing in a knockout Stage 2 match against 19thranked Switzerland. The crowd was breathless not because Canadian fans are “polite,” as an uncreative-thinking Fox Sports commentator told U.S. audiences. Rather, they were
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tense, bottled-up, distracted by the desire to see their side advance but silenced by the nerves that doubted Canada’s chances. The red and white prevailed 1-0 and will meet England in Saturday’s quarter-finals, which will also be played at B.C Place. The crowed won’t be as tense now that Canada has reached the top eight and all but equalled their No. 8 world ranking. For the first time in the country’s history, a national soccer team is through to the
third stage of the World Cup. It was not a comfortable game, not least of all because of Swiss striker Ramona Bachmann. Wherever the ball went, the future FIFA player of the year seemed to follow. The 24-year-old star started in a forward position somewhere between striker and right wing but made chances in the middle of the field and down both flanks. With high-stepping knees and speed to spare, Bachmann looked as if
every touch, pass and shot were premeditated. Her magnificence made Canada sweat. Josee Belanger found a way for Canada. She was previously put on defence to fill gaps left by injury but the natural-born scorer capitalized on a selfless tip from Christine Sinclair to put home the winner. If you weren’t there, you can see Canada on Saturday against England. Enjoy the match and remember to breathe. @MHStewart
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June 28, 2015
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