Vancouver East and West December 4 2013 by Vancouver Courier

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013 Vol. 104 No. 97 • Established 1908

)(! &% !'( &% !'( #$&"&! Nov 22 to Dec 24

Queen Elizab eth Theatre P laza West Georgia @ Hamilton VancouverCh ristmasMarke t.com

MIDWEEK EDITION

THE VOICE OF VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS

OPINION: Ferry changes 10/ ARTS: Puppetry genius 23

Citytaxesto riseagain BUDGET PROPOSES 1.9% PROPERTY TAX HIKE FOR 2014 MIKE HOWELL

Staff writer

photo Dan Toulgoet

Say cheese! Bravas, an Arabian gelding, gets ready for his close-up with photographer Ward Perrin during a media tour Monday of the set and stable of the Cavalia production Odysseo, which features 67 horses. It opens Saturday under the white big top on False Creek. Go to vancourier.com and scan page with the Layar app to see more photos and watch a video.

Equine stars oblivious to paparazzi LATEST CAVALIA PRODUCTION FEATURES 67 HORSES SANDRA THOMAS Staff writer

s a large trailer pulled up to the rear entrance of a temporary structure on West First Avenue near the Olympic Village, journalists jostled each other for the best vantage point. The doors of the trailer opened and the sound of the repeated click of camera shutters and flashes of light filled the cool afternoon air. The celebrities who were the focus of the paparazzi treatment remained oblivious to the commotion as each was led down a short ramp and paraded in front of the media. The first to appear was a Canadianborn, brown Quarter Horse nicknamed “Bud.” Bud is one of the 67 horses used in the Cavalia production of Odysseo, which takes place under the largest touring tent in the world. On Monday afternoon, Vancouver

journalists were invited for a behind-the-scenes tour of the massive set and a look at the horses as they arrived in the city. The highlight of the tour was a visit to the set’s temporary stable, where the horses are stalled separately. The horses come from 11 breeds, including 15 Arabians, 17 Lusitano, one Lipizzan and two Appaloosas. In the stable the different personalities of the horses showed: some stretched their necks towards passersby in search of attention while others played together by reaching through their stall doors. Several had no interest in interacting with human or beast and pointedly turned their backsides to the cameras. Cavalia founder and creative director Normand Latourelle said it’s partly because of those distinct personalities the majority of horses used in the production are stallions. See ODYSSEO on page 7

omeowners and business operators be warned: Your taxes are set to go up again. The City of Vancouver released its 2014 budget Wednesday and proposed a 1.9 per cent property tax hike to balance a $1.2 billion operating budget and $285 million capital budget. The increase is said to be the equivalent of $36 for a residential property worth $1 million and $156 for a business. But when added with an increase in utility fees, the overall cost for homeowners will be $65 and $160 for business operators. The proposed tax hike, on which council will vote Dec. 10, continues a pattern of annual tax hikes set by the political party in power at city hall. Last year, the ruling Vision Vancouver council raised taxes by two per cent and, in 2012, by 2.84 per cent. When Vision won its ﬁrst majority in November 2008, taxes increased 15.79 per cent from 2009 to 2011. That hike included a percentage of business tax shifted to property owners. The Vision council has argued, however, the 15.79 per cent number would have been closer to 13 per cent had a city strike not occurred in 2007 under an

NPA administration and saved the city money in wages and benefits. Figures supplied to the Courier from the city’s communications department showed taxes increased 17.76 per cent from 2006 to 2008 for residents. That’s when the NPA was in power and the cumulative effect of the business tax shift — 8.79 per cent — was higher than the 5.98 per cent Vision dealt with between 2009 to 2011. Council adopted the shift based on recommendations from the Property Tax Policy Review Commission, which said a target distribution of 52 per cent residential and 48 per cent non-residential should be achieved. At the time, it was a fact that non-residential owners were paying a disproportionate amount of tax compared not only to residential owners but business owners across the country. To avoid the significant impact of one huge increase in taxes for residential property owners, council agreed to a gradual increase over the years. Between 2008 and 2011, a total of $22.2 million was redistributed, with a balance of $1.6 million remaining for the 2012 tax year — the final year of the shift. NPA Coun. Elizabeth Ball was a member of then-Sam Sullivan’s administration between 2005 and 2008. See BUDGET on page 7

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city living Crowds come for food and fun at Ukrainian fair REBECCA BLISSETT Contributing writer

ollowing Michael Myckatyn around the Ukrainian Catholic Centre is like chasing a tornado, albeit one dressed in dark slacks and a white polo shirt which he said takes some effort not to stain when slurping borsch. It’s the last Saturday of November which means the centre is packed for one of the church’s biggest fundraisers of the year, the decades-old Ukrainian Food Fair and Bazaar run by St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Parish. The gymnasium-sized room is filled with tables of cellophane-wrapped gift baskets to be raffled, hand-made aprons and tea cozies for sale, a “Religious Table” for the books, and enough perogies, cabbage rolls and sausage circles to fit into a moving truck. Myckatyn stopped by the bar window to say hello to Bill Smigel, who was taking advantage of a quick break. “Bill’s a lonely man, nobody’s buying liquor,” ribbed Myckatyn. “It’s the three o’clock lull,” answered Smigel. “It’s been busy, not wild.” “Yes,” said Myckatyn, “We’re too old to be wild.” In the opposite end of the room was Joe Busko, who has attended about 50 bazaars since arriving in Vancouver from Ontario as a 21-year-old man Jan. 3, 1952. “Back then it was a lot different,” said Busko, who makes it a steadfast rule never to smile in photographs. “We used to have Blackjack and,

photo Rebecca Blissett

Theresa McNicholl shares a laugh while serving up cabbage rolls, sausage rings and perogies during Saturday’s Ukrainian Food Fair and Bazaar. Scan page with the Layar app or go to vancourier.com to see more photos. well, I don’t want to call it gambling but… now the big factor for people is the food. If you look at the posters you see ‘Ukrainian Food’ in big letters and below, in small print, ‘Bazaar’.” While people lined up from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. to ﬁll their plates (and their freezers with the frozen foods for sale), the bazaar is also a big part of the fundraising. Combined they help

various charities, including Aunt Leah’s Place as well as Bridge of Hope, which gives support to underprivileged children in Ukraine. There was no admission fee to the bazaar, in keeping with the spirit of Ukrainian hospitality. “One of the ﬁrst things I did when I came here was come to St. Mary’s. Instantly, I have family!” said Theresa McNicholl, who arrived

at the parish from the Prairies in 1981 and has spent two months of almost every year since making perogies and cabbage rolls for the bazaar. “It’s an unconditional welcome. How comforting is that?” “Ukrainians are very welcoming by nature,” added Myckatyn, listing off the origins of some people in the room (his own origins include marrying Olesia in the Centre 42 years ago, which used to be the church before the new one was built next door). “And there’s Courtney. The young Irish man you saw at the door? Courtenay has adopted us! He sings in our choir, doesn’t know a word of Ukrainian but he has a very nice tenor. It’s amazing, actually.” Courtenay Hughes arrived in Vancouver from Dublinthreeyearsagoandhappenedtobewalkingbythechurchonedaywhenmusiccaughthis ear. He took his visiting mother to listen to the choir and joined after having a coffee afterward. Saturday he was stationed at the front door of the centre and offered to carry an umbrella for people walking to their cars in the afternoon’s downpour. Leaning up beside the front door was a poster depicting a cartoon of happy farmers declaring: “It’s fun being Ukrainian!!!” Myckatyn explained: “We love food, we love singing, we love dancing. We’re responsible, we’re family people, we’re religious people. Do you think that sums it up?” he asked McNicholl who was on a break from working as the day’s cashier, server, and silent auction table. “Yes,” she agreed. “It’s like that movie — live, love, laugh, pray.”

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

news City forms truce with Marpole residents DEVELOPING STORY

with Naoibh O’Connor

he City of Vancouver has quelled Marpole residents’ furor over their draft community plan — at least for now — through additional consultation. The city started holding a series of “coffee talks” in the neighbourhood in mid-November offering residents individual discussions with planners. A coffee talk is scheduled for Dec. 4, while the second of two “community dialogue sessions” is set for Dec. 7. Planners have also been meeting informally with small groups for “kitchen table talks,” including with members of the Marpole Residents’ Coalition. Council voted, at the end of September, to extend consultation on the plan based on residents’ complaints about consultation and issues such as the proposed rezoning of some single-family areas to allow stacked townhouses and low-rise apartment buildings. The plan was revised to focus change on arterial streets and to limit change in single-family areas, as well as to remove a deﬁned area west of Cambie Street from the plan for further planning work. Once approved, the community plan will guide change in Marpole over the next three

file photo Dan Toulgoet

Council is expected to vote on the Marpole Community Plan, which will guide change over the next 30 years, by the end of March 2014. decades. Mike Burdick, a spokesperson for the Marpole Residents’ Coalition, said he’s “quite pleased” with the progress. “I guess it remains to be seen what they say at the end of it all and what their plan is, but I think [planners have] been quite candid with us. So, I’ve been cautiously optimistic with the results we’ve had and I feel pretty good about the process. I just don’t know if I’m going to feel good about the results. But at least it’s a start and at least we’re getting consultation. We’re getting meaningful input,” he told the Courier Friday morning.

Coalition members formed a working group and broke down their concerns into nine topics, which were further narrowed into three sub groups — population, traffic and community amenities. They’ve met with planners to discuss the first two of the three topics so far. Burdick said there’s still debate and questions about the accuracy of population predictions for the city. He said without rezoning, there’s already a lot of new development being built in Marpole. “What I suggested they do is sit back and take a breath. Wait five years. You’ve got all this stuff

being built right now — why don’t we see what the population does. Why don’t you let the community assimilate all the growth that’s coming in now, or [what] you say is going to happen, and let’s see what happens. What’s the rush to rezone and build all this new stuff?” he said. Matt Shillito, the city’s assistant director of community planning, said consultation sessions have been well attended and are going well. “The biggest area of concern in the summer was the scale of change in the single-family areas, mainly from single-family to duplex and townhouses and council directed us to take out a lot of the areas that were recommended for that kind of change. There are still some areas of the plan where we are recommending change from single-family to other forms of housing and there is some concern in some areas, so we’re looking at that,” he said pointing particularly to the region west of Granville Street, which encompasses 188 properties. Residents have also raised concerns about traffic and transportation, as well as ensuring there is a good plan for community amenities to support the growing population. Shillito said staff is open to making further revisions to the plan based on input from consultation. A final report will be prepared over the holidays and a final draft will go out to the public at the end of January. Council is expected to vote on the Marpole Community Plan by the end of March. noconnor@vancourier.com twitter.com/naoibh

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City hopes developers will buy into Rental 100 12TH & CAMBIE with Mike Howell

o you get as excited about amendments to city bylaws as I do? Didn’t think so. But if you’re a renter, or looking for a place to rent, you might want to jump on the City of Vancouver’s website and check out what’s new on the rental front. A staff report going before council this week follows up on a program city council adopted back in June 2009 that offered incentives for developers to encourage construction of “affordable market rental housing.” Yes, I know, the descriptor “affordable” seems like an oxymoron in this city. I’ll get to that in a sec. First, some more background on the program, which was commonly referred to as STIR — Short Term Incentives for Rental program. STIR ended December 2011, with 1,330 units of “affordable” market rental housing built in 19 buildings. Incentives to developers under the program included building fewer parking spots, bonus density through rezon-

ing, waiving development cost fees and speeding up processing to get the housing built. Now the program has essentially evolved as Rental 100, but with a major proposed amendment: Developers interested in the program will have to build 100 per cent rental housing instead of mixing in rental units with private units. “[The change] is supported by the key learning from the review of the STIR program, that City incentives are more effective and provide better value when applied to 100 per cent rental projects versus mixed residential projects,” said the staff report authored by Chief Housing Officer Mukhtar Latif. And here’s another reason city staff wants to go this way: “These amendments to the [development cost levy] bylaws would also address a legal petition filed in the B.C. Supreme Court by the West End Neighbours, which challenges the City’s current process for determining eligibility for [waiving development cost fees] for affordable rental housing.” The petition challenges the city manager’s authority to select which developers are eligible for development cost fees to be waived. The petition also argues the present bylaws don’t adequately define the definition of “affordable.” According to the staff report, the amendments will address these issues.

Now to what the city deﬁnes as affordable rents under the bylaw amendments… Fees will be waived for developments where the agreed upon average rents for initial occupancy do not exceed the following speciﬁed rents by more than 10 per cent: • $1,443 per month for a studio unit. • $1,517 per month for a one-bedroom. • $2,061 for a two-bedroom. • $2,743 for a three-bedroom The report points out lower rents at some of the STIR projects, including $770 for a studio unit at a soon-to-bedeveloped complex at 4320 Slocan St. A one-bedroom will go for $1,020 and a two-bedroom for $1,455. Downtown is pricier. At 1401 Comox St., a studio will rent for $1,040, a onebedroom for $1,340 and a two-bedroom for $1,890. A three-bedroom will go for $2,520. A studio apartment at 1142 Granville St. rents for $1,250 per month. So will developers still be enticed to build under the new program? “There are currently 200 units approved and 460 units in the application process, and staff have had additional inquiries for about 15 projects with approximately 1,000 rental units,” the report said. mhowell@vancourier.com twitter.com/Howellings

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

news Musqueam in contention for 2013 Newsmaker MIKE HOWELL Staff writer

he Musqueam Indian Band got some good news and some sad news this year. First, the good news: After more than two years of protest and subsequent negotiations, the band became the owner of a one-acre piece of property in Marpole. The land was at the centre of a lengthy dispute that involved the discovery of ancestral remains on a site planned for a condominium complex. The bad news: Longtime chief, Ernie Campbell, who chose not to seek another term last year after a combined 14 years at the helm, died in October from complications related to diabetes. He was 72. Those two events coupled with Campbell’s son-in-law, Wayne Sparrow, leading the band in his ﬁrst year as chief and the Musqueam’s participation in Truth and Reconciliation ceremonies, made for a

file photo Dan Toulgoet

National Assembly of First Nations Chief Shawn Atleo (r) visited the Marpole Village burial site during the Musqueam protests there in May. memorable year for the band. It is why the Courier has chosen the Musqueam Indian Band, whose main reserve in South Vancouver has seen the recent development of a community centre and cultural centre, as a candidate for Newsmaker of the Year. The land in question in Marpole involved property owners Gary and Fran Hackett and Century Group HQ Developments Ltd. The Hacketts, a retired couple from Saanich,

were equal partners with Century Group and planned to build a 108-unit condominium complex in the 1300-block Southwest Marine Drive. The owners acquired all the necessary city and government permits to go ahead with the project. But the Hacketts and Hodgins agreed to stop work on the property in early 2011 after archeologists discovered human remains of two adults and two infants, which the Musqueam

believed to be their ancestors. The discovery led to the band engaging in a lengthy protest outside the property, which included members shutting down the Arthur Laing Bridge during a morning rush hour. Grand Chief Shawn Atleo, Mayor Gregor Robertson and NDP leader Adrian Dix supported the band’s ﬁght for the land. The case was signiﬁcant for Vancouver and the rest of the province because it pitted a First Nation’s beliefs against the rights of private property owners. The provincial government declined to intervene but promised the Musqueam at least $4.8 million to help resolve the land dispute with the property owners. The money was owed to the band as per a previous agreement related to the government’s South Fraser Perimeter Road project in Delta and Surrey, which falls on traditional Musqueam lands. In December 2012, the property owners allowed the band to bury the remains on

the property. Eventually, in October of this year, the band reached a deal with the owners to buy the land, which the Musqueam plan to turn into a memorial park. Details of the deal were not disclosed. A few weeks after the Musqueam celebrated the deal, the band was in mourning after Campbell died in hospital. A ceremony to mark his death was held in the band’s community centre, which members said was a good example of the progress Campbell brought to the Musqueam people. Campbell was chief during the 2010 Winter Olympics and negotiated a deal with governments that ensured economic, social and cultural beneﬁts from the Games. The former chief also negotiated a landmark agreement in 2008 that saw the provincial government turn over the Univer-

sity of B.C. Golf Course lands, property near Sea Island Way in Richmond and two parcels in Paciﬁc Spirit Regional Park. The deal included a payment of $20.3 million. “To get those chunks of land back was quite an accomplishment for our community,” said Sparrow, who was elected chief last December. The Vancouver Courier’s Newsmaker of the Year will be announced Dec. 11. To participate in our Newsmaker of the Year Reader’s Choice vote, go to the web poll at vancourier.com, email your vote at letters@vancourier.com or write to 1574 West Sixth Ave., Vancouver, V6J 1R2. You can also make your vote known on Twitter at #VanNewsmaker or The Vancouver Courier Newspaper on Facebook. mhowell@vancourier.com twitter.com/Howellingss

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

news

Odysseo mixes horses’ personalities with hi-tech Continued from page 1 “Geldings just don’t have the same personalities,” he said of male horses that have been castrated. “Stallions also grow longer manes so they look more impressive.” Latourelle led the media tour, which included a sneak peek under the massive big top as a full-sized loader and smaller shovel were at work creating two and three-storey tall hills out of a special mix of dirt and sand. The hills, located in the middle of the 1,626-square-metre stage, will create the backdrop for the spectacular production, which Latourelle described as a “6D” show pushing the boundaries of projection technology. “We call it that because there are 3D images projected behind the live action,” said Latourelle. The technology is used to create a dream sequence that begins in an enchanted forest where horses graze and

frolic under a sky of rolling clouds and a setting sun. It’s then the horses, riders, acrobats and musicians embark on a journey that leads them from the Mongolian steppes to Monument Valley, the African savannah to Nordic glaciers and from the Sahara Desert to Easter Island. In one scene, 20 horses sleeping on sand dunes awaken to the sound of an African harp, while in what’s described as a “liberty” number, a team of purebred Arabians are directed by inaudible vocal commands from kneeling trainers. The state-of-the-art technology is combined with the creative genius of a team lead by Latourelle, including director Wayne Fowkes, equestrian director and chorography Benjamin Aillaud, set designer Guillaume Lord, visual concept coordinator Geodezik, costume design by Georges Levesque, who passed away in 2001, and

Michele Hamel, and choreography by Darren Charles and Alain Gauthier. But technology and creative genius aside, on Monday it was very clear who the true stars of the production are, despite sporting some very un-diva like monikers, such as Frosty, Gus, Nugget and Gee Gee. Odysseo runs Dec. 7 through Jan. 5. For more information, visit cavalia.net. sthomas@vancourier.com twitter.com/sthomas10

photo Dan Toulgoet

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Budget breakdown needs more detail, says NPA’s Ball Continued from page 1 Ball, who was re-elected in 2011, acknowledged the hike in taxes under the NPA. But Ball pointed out the mandated business tax shift and the amount shifted each year were not consistent. For example, in 2007, the property tax hike combined with the tax shift was eight per cent. In 2008, the overall cost was 3.36 per cent. When asked whether an NPA government would raise taxes next year, Ball told the Courier she couldn’t properly answer the question until she had more detail on the proposed 2014 budget. Though the budget document runs more than 200 pages — and Ball acknowledged it was more comprehensive than last year — she said a detailed breakdown of each city department’s spending is absent. “The less information we, as a council, have to make decisions, the more blurred the decisions are,” she said, adding she had been reviewing the budget document for four hours when the Courier reached her. “It’s still not what we need to make an informed decision.” Mayor Gregor Robertson issued a statement Wednesday saying a tax hike of 1.9 per cent, if approved by council, will mean Vancouver will have the second-lowest tax rate in the region next to West Vancouver. The mayor also pointed out the city’s debt has declined by $191 million since 2009. Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs told the Courier last month that residents’ satisfaction with the quality of city services is very high. “We’ve got to maintain that and there’s a price to pay for that,” Meggs said. “It’s just the way it is.” mhowell@vancourier.com twitter.com/Howellings

Djigit (foreground), a quarter horse gelding, is one of the stars in Odysseo.

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W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

news Hazy drug laws potential Newsmaker ANDREW FLEMING Staff writer

ancouver certainly didn’t make as many international headlines as Toronto and its mayor did this year when it comes to illegal drug use, but there were still enough major — often confusing — drug policy developments for it to make the cut as this year’s potential Newsmaker of the Year. Insite, North America’s only supervised safe-injection site, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year despite Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s repeated attempts to shut it down. After Supreme Court of Canada judges unanimously decided to allow Insite, which is administered by the city with the blessing of the provincial government, to stay open, it seemed likely other Canadian cities would open facilities modeled on the Downtown Eastside harm reduction clinic. This all changed after the federal government intro-

nation.” Ambrose also recently put a stop to a Health Canada decision allowing a clinical trial in Vancouver that would have provided small doses of heroin for addicts attempting to wean themselves off the drug after other opiates had proven ineffective. While most Vancouverites probably don’t have ﬁrst-hand experience with heroin or other hard drugs, marijuana is a different matter. A recent Angus Reid poll found that 73 per cent of B.C. residents support the legalization and regulation of cannabis, but when Premier Christy Clark was asked during the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting this fall if this was something on her radar, the answer was a curt “no.” Private citizens have taken the matter into

from being diverted to the black market but may result in medical marijuana users, many of whom have

spent thousands of dollars on personal equipment, being forced to pay big bucks to commercial producers for something they were formerly allowed to grow themselves. In the meantime, 29 unlicensed marijuana dispensaries remain in operation

across the city and seem unlikely to become a top priority for Vancouver police. The Vancouver Courier Newsmaker of the Year will be announced Dec. 11. To participate in our Newsmaker of the Year Reader’s Choice vote, go to the web poll at vancourier.

com, email us your vote at letters@vancourier.com or drop a letter to 1574 West Sixth Ave., Vancouver, V6J 1R2. You can also make your vote or view known through social media at #VanNewsmaker. aﬂeming@vancourier.com twitter.com/ﬂematic

Don’t snooze on your contributions.

I’m not interested in “ having a debate about harm reduction. — Federal Health”

Minister Rona Ambrose

duced the so-called Respect for Communities Act, which sets out a long list of criteria that an applicant must meet to get an exemption to operate an injection site, including having to consider the views of police, provincial ministers and local government ofﬁcials before granting the exemption to drug laws that would allow the clinics to operate. “I’m not interested in having a debate about harm reduction,” newly appointed health minister Rona Ambrose told reporter Mike Howell in October. “The larger debate that I’m trying to have is to put some focus — not just on Insite, which is controversial and one small part of the overall harm reduction — but let’s also talk about harm elimi-

their own hands. Drug reform activist Dana Larsen launched a province-wide grass-roots campaign called Sensible B.C. that hopes to gather at least 360,000 signatures— or 10 per cent of registered voters in all 85 provincial ridings — in order for Elections B.C. to consider putting the question to a referendum as it did with the HST. The 90-day campaign drive finishes later this week and the final numbers aren’t yet known. Recent changes to Canada’s medical marijuana laws also means that hundreds of Vancouver residents who were previously licensed by Health Canada to grow their own supply will no longer be able to do so. The move is meant to stop pot

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Public in the dark about ferry changes

here’s a strong impression the government has something dramatic in mind for some of the major ferry routes. It’s just not clear what it is yet. And it’s no clearer after Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone’s media appearance last Friday. The ministry scheduled it to talk speed limits. But it segued quickly to the ferries, an issue that is still boiling after last week’s announcement that big service reductions are coming next year. Desperate to keep fare increases under control, the government announced sailing cuts on several routes and an end to free rides for seniors. The key point about last week’s announcement is that all the cuts were on the minor and northern routes. The major routes between Vancouver Island and the mainland were left out of the picture — for the time being. B.C. Ferries has whittled $4 million out of operating costs there since 2012. But under the financial projections the company and the government are working on, an additional $5 million needs to be chopped out of the cost of those major routes by 2016. And Stone said he wants to go above and beyond that. The specific focus is on the two routes from the Nanaimo area: Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay and Duke Point to Tsawwassen. “As major capital investment is considered for Horseshoe Bay, analysis will continue on opportunities to achieve additional savings and efficiencies,” the ministry said. The Horseshoe Bay terminal is on the schedule for an upgrade that is budgeted at more than $200 million. (Last week it was cited as a $200-million factor, but on Friday Stone said it could be more than $250 million.) Addressing some confusion about whether that means one of the Nanaimo area terminals could be closed, Stone said no. “What I can say unequivocally to the people of Nanaimo and Vancouver Island is that there are no plans to close either of the terminals in Nanaimo.” But it doesn’t sound as if the government is planning a business-as-usual approach at either terminal. “I believe there are opportunities for further savings by looking at those two routes,” Stone said. No specific changes have been determined yet. But the looming quarter-billion-dollar upgrade at Horseshoe Bay stands tall. Are they examining ways that mountain can be climbed? Or are they considering whether it needs to be climbed at all? It looks like the latter. The upcoming cost is “a terrific opportunity” to take a “long, hard look” at the service from both Nanaimo terminals, he said. “We’re challenging the assumptions with respect to that terminal upgrade.” The closest he got to specifics was a mention of “different configurations” or smaller vessels. It looks as if any service cuts that would ease pressure on the Horseshoe Bay terminal and reduce the need for that upgrade will take precedence. The problem is that it’s only one of dozens of major projects that are in the planning stages. B.C. Ferries has $2.5 billion worth of capital projects on the drawing board. Independent ferry commissioner Gordon Macatee criticized that plan last year, saying it’s entirely based on doing things the same old way. A conventional ferry needs to be replaced, so it’s replaced with another conventional ferry, with no thought given to how things might change over the ship’s 40-year life. He rapped the company for not having a long-term vision or a valid forecast of long-term demand. It could be moving people to where they want to go, but it’s moving cars between terminals that are far from where people want to be. He also suggested his commission get authority over capital spending. “A clear vision of where the ferry system should be going is important so we don’t saddle our future with a fleet designed to serve the needs of the past,” he said. It looks as if that’s what Stone is thinking about. It also looks as if he’s not quite ready yet to talk about the inevitable disruption that adopting a new vision will cause. lleyne@timescolonist.com twitter.com/LeyneLes

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W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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Reach us by email: letters@vancourier.com

Beware the flying Christmas tree

Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging; O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging; Not only green when summer’s here, But also when ‘tis cold and drear. O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging! As the Yule season kicks into high gear and more and more houses are lit up with multicoloured twinkling lights and the feeling of Christmas takes over, thoughts probably turn to picking out a tree and figuring out how to get it home safely without damaging your car and without losing too many needles in the process. I’m lucky. My husband drives a pick-up truck and I drive a minivan. A tree is easily and securely placed in the back of either vehicle and safely brought home, ready for decorating. People in cars with small trunks aren’t so fortunate. They have to tie the tree to the top of their vehicle. (A large box if it’s an artificial tree.) And that, says the B.C. Automobile Association, could end up making for a bad Christmas if the tree — or anything on top of your vehicle — isn’t properly secured and you have to slam on the brakes. Like most sane drivers, Ken Cousin, associate vice president of BCAA Road Assist, tries to avoid driving behind vehicles with unsecured items in the trunk or the back of a pick-up (ladders!). And while we all like to laugh at the IKEA ad of a man sticking his arm out his car window to hold onto his purchases on the roof, these situations aren’t unheard of. “A lot can happen in a short trip. An unsecured load can shift, making the car difficult to drive or steer, or the tree can fall or be catapulted from the vehicle endangering others,” Cousin says. It’s a safe bet that nobody wants to impale someone with their Christmas tree or do costly damage to the roof of their vehicle, but don’t think bungee cords are the answer. As popular as the stretchy cords are, they are useless for securing items on top of your vehicle. Cousin hasn’t heard of a Christmas tree getting airborne, but wanted to issue a safety message after seeing a German video. In a crash test study conducted by the German automobile club Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), bungee cords used to secure a Christmas tree were shredded upon impact. (Go to the online version of this column to watch a video.) Ratchet-style tie-downs to keep the tree tight and secure are the way to go, says Cousin. A study by the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that vehicle-related road debris causes approximately 25,000 collisions and close to 100 deaths each year in North America. Unsecured items that become debris include mattresses, home furnishings and building materials. According to ADAC, when objects travelling at 50 km per hour come to a sudden stop, they can take on 25 times their own weight. A 30 kg tree, for example, would hit its target with the force of an object that weighs 750 kg. Unfortunately, ICBC doesn’t have stats on such accidents in B.C. but I’m sure they happen. (Trucks losing their loads for instance.) “Unfortunately, we can’t assist. We rely on police-reported data for the cause of crashes and, as police are no longer required to attend all crashes, very few crashes get reported to us that would have anything to do with an unsecure load, ” ICBC media spokesperson Adam Grossman said in an email. To help tree buyers get home safely from the Christmas tree lot, BCAA will demonstrate how to secure a tree at Aunt Leah’s tree lot located at the St. Stephen’s United Church at 54th Avenue and Granville Street at 10 a.m. Dec. 5. But if you can’t make it, here are some common-sense tips for transporting your tree if you put it on the roof of your vehicle: • With the base of the tree facing forward, sling ratchet straps around the base, middle and tip of the tree then fasten it to the roof rack. This should prevent lateral movement in the event of wind or a hard stop • If transporting a tree in the trunk or back seat, the base of the tree should lean up against the back seat or back rest. It should then be fastened to the truck floor with ratchet straps. The rear door or trunk should also be secured tightly down so that it doesn’t fly open. Let’s hope the only thing flying in the air at Christmas are Santa and his reindeer. fhughes@vancourier.com

FIONA HUGHES

CUTBACKS LED TO MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

To the editor: Re: “New beds, more workers promised for mental health ‘crisis,’” Nov. 22. I was most interested in and also somewhat surprised and puzzled by this article. Earlier that week I had been part of a Health Fair at Langara College, at which many of the other presenters represented organizations supporting people with mental health issues. Every one of them spoke to me of government cutbacks to their societies or cessation of government contracts since the last B.C. election earlier this year. And then I read in your paper that the provincial government, along with the City of Vancouver, will be funding new beds for psychiatric patients, additional teams of social workers and improved information sharing between police and health agencies in an effort to combat the city’s mental health “crisis.” Is there not a discrepancy here? Is there not maybe a “crisis” in the area of mental health precisely because of cutbacks to programs offered to mental health consumers and their families (along with funding cutbacks to many other

vulnerable people throughout our province) ever since the Liberals returned to power in 2001? It would seem to me to be ﬁscally wiser in the long run to keep funding important services and support programs to people living with mental health challenges and their families in order not to get to a situation of “crisis” proportions. Carolyn Main, Vancouver

HEAT FOR SCHOOLS SHOULD BE FREE

To the editor: Re: “School closures one way to cut hydro bills, says education minister,” Nov. 29. Aside from the city’s mandate to increase density and therefore the number of families/kids increase, it seems absurd that one government agency is charging the other for a necessary service (power). After all, it is OUR money. Schools should be free of this expense altogether. My six-year-old twin girls go to McBride Annex and I am ashamed that our government, my representative of the people, is strong arming schools, reducing the quality of education and ultimately dumbing down the population. Make power, land taxes and

the like free to schools. Who, I wonder, would that harm? Aaron Haras, Vancouver

MAYOR’S ‘SPAM’ CALLS ANNOY RESIDENT To the editor: Two nights in a row I was bothered with an unsolicited phone call recording from promotion goons working for Mayor Gregor Robertson. I am on the National Do Not Call list. I have not asked for nor given this mayor permission to call my house. The frustrating thing was that it was almost impossible to lose this call. What if we were in the middle of a crisis and needed to call 9-1-1? Even though I kept hanging up the phone, the recording kept going on and on and on and on. It took several minutes to lose this extremely irritating call. Furthermore, I had this same problem in the past and called this individual’s ofﬁce, asking to be removed from their phone marketing list. Obviously to no avail. If Robertson resorts to scummy, spam-like tactics like this, he well deserves to be shown the door. Henry Tenby, Vancouver

ON YOUR MIND ONLINE COURIER WEB POLL: “Vote for your 2013 Newsmaker of the Year. (Five choices)” Maria b @mariab76: Voted online. All good issues but if I had to choose one I would say the drug issue COURIER STORY: “12th & Cambie: Mayor turns town hall into chat line,” Nov. 25 D. Zaster: I’m fed up with Gregor’s pose of populism and grass-roots engagement. The reality is anything but — he and his council are as partisan, as ideological and as slick as any city government Vancouver has ever seen. The “vision” doesn’t come from the people, it’s strictly top down. Developers, planners, loyal partisans and the bike lobby rule, and the rest of us are supposed to follow along — guided and pacified by rigid, obsessive message control. When the mayor’s flacks have to assert that he isn’t in a bubble, the real truth is obvious. COURIER VANCOUVER SPECIAL: “St. George’s centre of Greek life in Vancouver,” Nov. 22 Hellenic Community @HellenicVanCity: Thank you @VanCourierNews for the amazing coverage of our Greek Community. We appreciate what you do! Opa! Debra Kato @debrakato: Just stopped by today to buy some delicious homemade Greek pastries at their annual holiday bazaar today! Dan Fumano @fumano: Story on #Kits Greeks wouldn’t be complete without a Kerasiotis: “Its important we support our culture.” COURIER COLUMN: City of Vancouver proves ineffective at protecting heritage sites,” Nov. 29 Bea Westlake: Why can’t they leave some the old and beautiful places just like they are? Does everything have to be modern and cheap looking? Also they won’t ever last as long as the old buildings that were properly build to last! John Thomas Klarich: Every city has this problem. Follow us on Facebook: The VancouverCourierNewspaper and Twitter: @VanCourierNews

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E D N E SDAY, D E C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

COURAGE LIVES HERE

Canuck Place Medical Director Dr. Hal Siden

Christina Low Canuck Place Children’s Hospice Dr. Hal Siden

Three-year-old Karim Webber at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice with Poppy the therapy dog.

At Canuck Place, Karim was allowed to just be a three-year-old boy Christina Low Canuck Place Children’s Hospice

Hal Siden wears a bowtie to work almost every day. He doesn’t serve tables, or don a tuxedo, but he does serve one of BC’s growing populations – children and families facing life-threatening illnesses. Dr. Siden is the Medical Director at Canuck Place, where he leads the clinical team in delivering specialized pediatric palliative care to over 500 children and families across the province. Unfortunately, there is an ongoing need in BC for pediatric palliative care services – why is that? Children, despite our best efforts, continue to be born with very severe and complex diseases that are life-limiting or life-threatening. What they have in common is they all face a particular set of challenges that require pediatric palliative care. How does Canuck Place support these children and their families? Canuck Place is BC’s recognized pediatric palliative care provider under the Child Health BC Tiers of Service Framework. Currently our program cares for over 500 newborns, children, teens and families from all over the province. We offer respite and family support, pain and symptom management, 24-hour phone consultation, art and education, recreation therapy, grief and loss counselling including music and play therapy, and end-of-life care. We’re here 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year. Can you share your most memorable or meaningful story?

AT CANUCK PLACE CHILDREN’S HOSPICE, children and families facing lifethreatening illnesses are given the opportunity to be just that – children and families – not patients and caregivers. They face a hard and sometimes dark journey, but Canuck Place is there to light up their lives – even if only for a short period of time. In 2009, Karim Webber, then only two years old, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that typically affects children younger than five. After successive attempts to treat his disease had failed, Karim was referred to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. “As his pain became increasingly difficult to manage at home, Karim was admitted to the hospice,” said his parents, Eric and Farah. “What started as a one or two day visit to manage pain, turned into more than eight weeks at Canuck Place. It became our second home, and along with our older son Rahim, we stayed there with Karim. “All the staff were amazing, and Karim developed special relationships with many of them. Karim’s time at Canuck Place was mostly very happy, with many wonderful memories, whether it was baking cookies and making pizza in the kitchen with the chefs, helping at the reception desk, spending time with Poppy the therapy dog, attending a special preschool program set up for him by the recreation therapists and volunteers, or sitting at the nurses’ station reading a book. At Canuck Place, Karim was able to just be a three-year-old boy. He could feel sick if he wanted, or well if he wanted. He was treated as a person, not a patient.” For Farah and Eric, the memory of one particularly beautiful, sunny weekend stands out for them. Karim’s condition had deteriorated and he was no longer able to interact with anyone. Farah recalled, “His nurse wheeled his bed outside into the beautiful gardens so that we could spend some time together as a family and enjoy the sunshine. If it weren’t for Canuck Place, Karim would have had to spend his last two months confined to a bed in an Intensive Care Unit at the hospital.” Karim passed away on May 31, 2011, but Canuck Place continues to be a part of the Webber’s lives. “Canuck Place looked after our whole family,” Farah said, “counsellors and social workers were always available whenever we needed to talk. And what is truly wonderful is that they continue to support us, even now that Karim is no longer here. “We are very grateful to everyone at Canuck Place for all they have done and continue to do for us and for so many children and families – they really do bring light into our lives.”

There are so many stories, but I’ll share one that stands out the most. I think one of the important things about children is that they don’t really think about what’s going on with them or the future, they just want to know how to make the day in front of them the best. We had a child who really valued going to school – it was the most important thing for her. She had a science project, and she was going to ﬁnish her science project no matter what. She was in school literally the day before she died at Canuck Place, doing her project – committed to living in the moment. Once she ﬁnished that project she felt that her work was done and then she was able to die peacefully. What’s one thing you’ve learned during your time at Canuck Place? What’s your biggest takeaway? You know, children just have this huge spirit. They’re doing nothing but growing. Even in the face of severe illness, they continue to do whatever they need to do to grow, whether it’s physically growing or emotionally growing or mentally growing. Their curiosity doesn’t stop, their desire to learn doesn’t stop, their desire to move and be active doesn’t stop. They do this with their families by their side, and they’re all dealing with the uncertainty of a life-threatening illness. They all have tremendous courage to do this, and it’s this courage that continues to inspire and astound me every day.

Light up lives at Canuck Place. Please give. CanuckPlaceChildrensHospice

@canuckplace

www.canuckplace.org 604.731.4847

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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news

Santa to make Bright Nights appearance at Western Front, Toque offers an eclectic mix of unique books, cards, jewelry, textiles, ceramics and one-of-a-kind art objects great for gifts for friends and family — or even yourself. New vendors this year include Hanahlie Biese of Made by Kin, paperbacknote, Cocolico and Lemonni. Artist Jen Weih will be on hand making essential oil scents and limited-edition tea towels by Arvo Leo will be available for purchase. The sale takes place Dec. 6 and 7 at Western Front, 303 East Eighth Ave. For more information visit front.bc.ca/toque.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

with Sandra Thomas

STANLEY PARK

The most popular guy in the world is returning to Stanley Park and, no, I’m not talking about the Courier’s Fred Lee. Rather it’s the jolly old elf himself Santa Claus, who will be pulling double duty this Christmas with evening and daytime appearances at Bright Nights in Stanley Park, at the miniature train station, from Thursday Dec. 5 through Jan. 5. Matinees are offered every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 11 a.m. The holiday train will be in full operation with partial proceeds, plus all donations gathered at the front gate, in support of the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund, which has a fundraising goal this year of $400,000. Almost 4,000 professional fire fighters from 53 communities across the province dedicate their time and skills to support burn survivors and their families while increasing the public’s

MOUNT PLEASANT

photo Dan Toulgoet

Rudolph the guitalele-playing red nosed reindeer will be on hand to entertain the crowds at Bright Nights in Stanley Park, which runs Dec. 5 to Jan. 5. knowledge about fire and burn safety through burn awareness, research and prevention programs. For a complete schedule and ticket information, visit burnfund. org or ticketstonight.ca. Same day tickets will also be available starting Dec. 5 at the Miniature Railway box ofﬁce in Stanley Park starting at noon. Call 604-257-8531 for more information.

DOWNTOWN A Christmas concert at the Vogue Theatre offers not only the gift of music, but also an opportunity to brighten the holidays for a child not sure if Santa’s going to make it this year. On Dec. 12, the Naden Band and the Royal Canadian Navy present the Christmas Concert in support of the Salvation Army’s Toy Drive, accompanied by the talents of vocalists Ken Lavigne

and Stephanie Greaves. The show takes place at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12, at the Vogue Theatre, 918 Granville St. Tickets are available at the box ofﬁce, by phone at 604-688-1975 or online at voguetheatre.com.

MOUNT PLEASANT Toque is back with a handful of new vendors joining the established artisans who make up the annual craft sale and fundraiser. The brainchild of the artists

I love holiday-themed craft and art sales, but for those not so keen, there’s the Shiny Fuzzy Muddy Collective offering. Described as the “antidote” to large-scale craft sales, Shiny Fuzzy Muddy offers free admission and a “decided lack of holiday music,” making it an “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas-free zone.” But holiday music or not, the show promises works by a collection of artists dedicated to the highest quality in design, craftsmanship and materials. Shiny Fuzzy Muddy runs Dec. 14 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Dec. 15 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St. For more information visit shinyfuzzymuddy.com. sthomas@vancourier.com twitter.com/sthomas10

In a class atVan Tech there lived a few hobbits HOBBIT BANQUET CELEBRATES J.R.R. TOLKIEN NOVEL CHERYL ROSSI Staff writer

an Tech secondary students rapped Hobbit-style in their library last Wednesday. Multiple Bilbo Baggins and Gandalfs transformed the secondary school’s library into Hobbiton to celebrate all they’d learned from the J.R.R. Tolkien classic. English teacher Denise Clark started the student-organized Hobbit banquet in 2004 when she was teaching Summit 8 for students who are gifted in math and English. “I believe it’s important to make photo Dan Toulgoet literature come to life and since HobVan Tech student Lucas Lum recites a riddle that Catherine “Smaug” Westereng knew the answer to. bits like to eat, a banquet was a per-

The class was part of a Hobbit Banquet at the secondary school Nov. 27.

fect ﬁt,” Clark told the Courier in an email. Teacher Kim Beaucock has carried on and expanded the tradition that sees students craft riddles and speeches, organize the event and enthusiastically dress and act as a character. “I particularly liked it when one student rolled in the dirt for part of his costume,” Clark said. While some of Katherine Westereng’s classmates felt the novel rambled a bit, the 13-year-old said they were all excited about the Hobbit Banquet. “If the kids have fun with something they remember it better and they learn more,” Beaucock said. Westereng said in her speech that The Hobbit taught her class “how to take risks, be brave and not to be afraid to step outside of our comfort zone.” crossi@vancourier.com twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

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Invitation to Constituents of Vancouver-Langara To the opening of MLA Dr. Moira Stilwell’s New Constituency Office and Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 14th from 2:00pm-4:00pm. New Constituency Office 7283 Cambie St., Vancouver. Come and enjoy some light refreshments and holiday cheer! Please RSVP via email by

Dec. 9th at moira.stilwell.mla@leg.bc.ca

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Tips for finding the perfect ‘secret Santa’ office gift Along with icy sidewalks and stale fruitcake, buying a gift for the person you had to secretly pick at the office is just one more hazard of the holiday season. So if you’ve got a Secret Santa emergency on your hands, here are some creative gift ideas:

celebrate The Courier’s got all the info you’ll need to entertain, shop, celebrate and enjoy all Vancouver has to offer. Bookmark these dates!

Office Temp: This is often code for “overworked” or “underpaid”. Skip the gag gifts and get something fun and enjoyable like movie passes or a mall gift card. New Person: It’s hard to buy for someone if you barely know their name, so start by getting to know them. If they’re always drinking coffee, put together a nice mug and a coffee shop gift certificate for the ultimate gift. Receptionist: Skip the office supplies. Instead, treat them to a deluxe gift basket, a small spa package or a good book. IT/Help Desk: Treat the people who fix your computer well. Something like a gift certificate to their favourite restaurant will work. If you want to be a bit more creative,

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observe what they decorate their desk with and get them something that ﬁts in. Executive: Giving a present to your boss or their boss can be awkward. Choose a meaningful gift instead of something fancy or expensive. Fun gifts like a framed photo from a work event or something to share, like gourmet cookies, are a safe bet.

HOLIDAY GUIDES Nov. 15 - Dec. 24, Wed & Fri FESTIVE HOMES: Fri. Nov. 22 / Dec. 13 KERRISDALE CHRISTMAS: Wed. Dec. 4

NEW YEAR’S PLANNING: Fri. Dec. 13 SEASON’S GREETINGS: Fri. Dec. 20 BOXING DAY SPECIALS Tues. Dec. 24

Tips courtesy newscanada.com.

December 11, 2013 – January 4, 2014 4:30 to 9:00 p.m. (closed Christmas Day)

Information Line 604-257-8335

Christmas at Canada Place, presented by Port Metro Vancouver, is celebrating your favourite Canadian Christmas memories. Enjoy the free, family fun at the Canada Place cruise ship terminal from Dec. 1 to 31 and skate under the Northern Lights, ride the holiday train, tour the historic Woodward’s

Windows and more! Help ﬁll a container for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank for others to make great Canadian Christmas memories. Drop off your food donations at the giant “present” located on the front plaza at the entrance of Christmas at Canada Place. Visit canadaplace.ca for detailed hours.

Tree of Giving

Sponsored by Kingsgate Mall, Vancouver Courier, Children’s Corner, Kimount & Kivan Boys & Girls Club, Mt. Pleasant Neighbourhood House, Florence Nightingale, Mt. Pleasant, Seymour & Strathcona Elementary Schools.

and help help make make a needy needy Pick a card from the Tree of Giving and child’s wish come true this Christmas! Without your help, so many dreams will go unanswered.

card from from the the tree treelocated locatednear nearMark’s Mark’s.Work Take a card It tells you the age/sex of the child and special interests. Wearhouse. It tells you the age/sex of the child and special Find a suitable and place it (unwrapped) interests. Find agift suitable gift and place it (unwrapped) in in our tree Giving House with attached. our Tree of of Giving House with thethe tagtag attached. Our elves will ensure it is delivered in time to create Christmas memories!

Oak St. at West 37th Ave. vandusengarden.org

Than gene ks to the ro comm sity of ou r u 1200 nity, over colle gifts wer cted last y e ear!

Corner of East Broadway & Kingsway 30 Shops & Services • www.kingsgatemall.com

! Y DEADLINE THURSDAY RRfor $25,000 Christmas Bonus Cash. Get tickets by midnight Dec. 5th!

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Winner will choose 1 prize option; other prize options will not be awarded. Rules of Play: MillionaireLottery.com

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Chances are 1 in 117,000 (total tickets for sale) to win a grand prize. Chances are 1 in 482,600 (total tickets for sale) to win a 50/50 prize. Problem Gambling Help Line 1-888-795-6111 www.bcresponsiblegambling.ca

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E D N E SDAY, D E C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

W E D N E SDAY, D E C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Tel:604-875-8590 Kingsgate Mall Branch

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BUY-LOW: Open Daily 8am-9pm • Holidays 8am-6pm • Closed Christmas Day & New Year’s Day SHOPPERS DRUG MART: Open Daily 8am-Midnight • Holidays 9am-Midnight • Christmas Day 10am-6pm

W W S VING LE SA ATAB UNBE

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PRICES IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY DECEMBER 7TH, 2013

www.kingsgatemall.com

East Broadway & Kingsway • 30 Shops & Services

W17

W18

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

December bliss KEEP YOUR SPIRITS WARM THIS WINTER SEASON As days get shorter and as the temperature drops, it is not uncommon for the winter blues to start settling in. Here are a few ideas to help brighten your mood this winter season and keep your spirits warm: Spend time with loved ones. The changing of the seasons can sometimes usher in a slump in the mood. Lack of sunlight, snow, ice and more snow may have you feeling tired and irritable. The best way to lift your spirits is to stay social and spend time with family and friends. Don’t let winter’s grey skies and cold temperatures keep you holed up at home alone. Be sure to get out and get some fresh air and enjoy outdoor winter activities like skiing, tobogganing and skating with your nearest and dearest.

and family at a favourite restaurant. Instead of visiting a favourite greasy spoon again, try cooking a healthy meal at home for your family. There is something comforting in preparing and eating a home cooked meal and sometimes, there’s nothing like good conversation over a good banquet at the dinner table to bring loved ones together. Light up your morning: Difficulty getting up in the morning may be a sign you have a case of the winter blues. To combat this, consider using a light box. Tips courtesy newscanada.com.

Music - food for the soul. Whether you’re battling snowy roads in your car, working away at the office or spending some down time at home, keep yourself in good spirits with some favourite tunes or a good laugh. Whatever your musical taste – pop, rock, country, electronic, dance, jazz and classical, there is also special programming during the holiday season along with sports, news, talk and comedy to help you get into the festive spirit. Prepare a healthy home-cooked meal. We have a tendency to eat more during the colder months, whether celebrating or simply gathering with friends

Dentures, Comfortably Fit - Guaranteed Svetlana Lopareva R.D.BPS

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w w w. l o p a r e v a d e n t u r e c l i n i c . c o m

@VanCourierNews all you need to know in 140 characters!

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

holidays...

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

Please note that we ask that all items be NEW! (please, no used goods at this time)

Here’s how you can help:

When out shopping for those stocking stuffers this holiday season, see what’s on special and grab an extra something on top of your usual purchase.

SUGGESTED GIFTS INCLUDE: Socks, underwear, mittens, gloves, scarfs, toques, boots, jackets, blankets or sleeping bags, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental ﬂoss, deodorant, soap etc... Transit tickets, grocery vouchers or restaurant/fast-food/coffee shop gift certiﬁcates. Directions to Youth Services centre, operated by Family Services of Greater Vancouver is our partner in this endeavour, and will distribute the goods to youth who are homeless or living in at risk situations. Anything you can give will help make the holidays a little easier for the youth on our streets.

Thank you for your support!

Happy Holidays!

Simply drop your items off in the big box situated in the Courier lobby at 1574 West 6th Ave., near Fir St. between November 13th and December 18th. Hours are Mon-Fri, 8:30 am to 4:30pm.

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Dr. Freeman, assisted by Yvonne Bray, is on the Allegro2 reformer performing an articulating bridge exercise.

The health report

pilates GREAT FOR ALL BODIES AND ALL AGES by Dr. Jonathan Freeman, MD, contributor

I always believed, from my elevated medical view as a hospital practitioner practitioner, that tha Pilates was for the young and mainly female, who were striving for a lithe, supple body. It obviously had no place alongside such established clinical treatments as conventional physiotherapy in the management of musculo-skeletal problems or abnormalities of posture or gait. How wrong I was! It took a major lumbar disc prolapse, resulting in severe pain, loss of function of my right leg, and a five-hour operation to fuse my lower spine, before I experienced what Pilates could offer for clinical rehabilitation. Pilates is an exercise program based on sound movement principles and clinical research. It is as useful following surgery as it is to improve muscle imbalances and postural issues caused by arthritis in advancing years, or by work conditions such as prolonged sitting or standing. These clinical problems do not respect age, and can occur in the young just as well as the elderly, but like me, as one gets older they occur more frequently. With a personally designed program from a Pilates Instructor qualified in clinical rehabilitation, delivered in a well-designed studio with appropriate and varied technical equipment, one can not only get noticeable improvement from underlying problems but also develop optimal strength and tone for the future. On arriving in Vancouver from the UK, I was fortunate to meet one such experienced Pilates instructor, Yvonne Bray, owner of Pacific Spirit Pilates, at her studio on South Granville (pacificspiritpilates.com). I was immediately impressed by her naturally relaxed, yet professional, manner. She explained what Pilates offered and showed me around her studio. After completing the necessary health questionnaires, I underwent a rigorous assessment of my posture, gait and muscular imbalance.

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Introducing SECURE FUTURE® Thinking about moving to an independent retirement community? That’s a big decision _CA pCum dDa pCuA _uvuA` wDdDb`xZ J\dvHx r\p dv MdbIwb lAcCuA L`vIAÈ`Dv jCEEuDIvI`xm r`Ht` IDvACaubà Khj}Lh g}J}Lh® – your built-in BACv`bvICD d]dIDxv AIxID] A`DvdF Adv`xZ SECURE FUTURE® GIVES YOU: = fudAdDv`à PlzeP}P A`Dv IDbA`dx` C_ CDFp XZSq BÀ p`dAn = Peace of mind and certainty for easy budgeting

Yvonne then designed a personal program for me and we commenced what has been my ongoing rehabilitation. There is no doubt that change takes time, but over the last year I have improved dramatically. I feel physically and emotionally so much better. I started skiing again in February, took to my bike in the spring and ran the Vancouver Sun Run in April. I am looking forward to this years skiing and continued good health, but I now realize that this doesn’t come without perseverance and regular Pilates. Dr. Freeman is a semi-retired Physician from the UK who now resides in Yaletown, Vancouver.

The Bray Way

JC wDa Cuv ECA`m tIxIv ux CDFID`> .-&#1&-,+/',)&-(0%$* OR, call or visit any of our four residences today!

by Helen Peterson

Every year in January, there seems to be an increase in injuries due to inappropriate exercising, says Yvonne Bray. “Many people think aches and pains will disappear if they do more stretching and exercise, only to end up in more pain. When you have muscle imbalances, postural deviations and/or an injury, you need to be screened medically, have your posture and gait assessed, and an exercise program designed for you personally before moving into group classes.” Bray emphasizes that Pilates teaches that effective exercise is about quality rather than quantity. “The mantra ‘no pain, no gain,’ has no meaning in a Pilates session,” she says. “When you make resolutions for the new year, resolve to make a safe lifestyle change. I love what I do, and to restore a client’s spirit to enjoy life is the biggest gift.”

THE MULBERRY o kuADdcp o RYUZSWRZWWU@ THE SUMMERHILL o OCAv\ |dDbCutÀ o RYUZ?@YZRSWS CEDAR SPRINGS o OCAv\ |dDbCutÀ o RYUZ?@RZVRVV THE WESTERLEIGH o {`xv |dDbCutÀ o RYUZ?WWZ?@@@ *-5;&?" 3?&5 %' ?77"%:?<"5 493 , =5?3'/ .93 4$3&053 85&?%"') :?"" 93 5>?%" ?;= 1?:%+: 63<9$3 -5'%85;:5/

W20

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

keep on top of

germ prevention

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This time of year can be wonderful, but it also brings a certain amount of stress. The last minute shopping, family visits, kids running around the house and over-crowded shopping centres is exhausting just to think about. All of that added stress can also affect your immune system. Hugs and handshakes represent golden opportunities for viruses, parasites and bacteria to join in the spirit of Holiday sharing. You wonder how you will ever make it through the season without catching something. And then you may ask yourself: Can probiotics really boost my immune system? The answer is yes. According to Dietitian and nutritionist Annie Jolicoeur, many clinical studies have demonstrated the benefits of probiotics in terms of preventing and treating the common cold, the flu, and gastroenteritis.

“Taking probiotics reduces the severity and duration of symptoms like fever, coughing, runny nose, and even diarrhea. Therefore, it is recommended that all members of the family take probiotics every day,” she explained. Here’s a tip: she recommends you start taking probiotics at least two weeks before the holiday season begins, so that your body will be well prepared to ward off the oncoming germ attacks. Visit your natural health store for more info.

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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GOT ARTS? 604-738-1411 | events@vancourier.com

OUR

PICKS DEC. 4-6

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Seattle’s greatest rock band from the early nineties to have never broken up or lose a lead singer, PEARL JAM hits Rogers Arena Dec. 4 in support of their new album Lightning Bolt. Tickets, still available from their former nemesis Ticketmaster, start at $86.50. Fellow grunge godfathers Mudhoney, another influential band with a sweet condiment as part of their name, are the opening act. Less angst-ridden and a whole lot cheaper than Pearl Jam, hair-farming Hamilton hard rockers MONSTER TRUCK roll into the Commodore the same night (Dec. 4) with guests We Hunt Buffalo. Tickets are $25, available at commodoreballroom.ca. Hard-working veteran Canadian funnyman HARLAND WILLIAMS —a man perhaps best known for playing the hitchhiking serial killer in the timeless film There’s Something About Mary — headlines a three-night stand at Yuk Yuk’s starting Dec. 5. Tickets are $35. Visit yukyuks.com or call 604-696-9857 for more info. Grammy-nominated Equatoguinean-Spanish flamenco singer BUIKA kicks up her heels Dec. 6 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in support of her new album La Noche Más Larga. Tickets range from $35-55, available in advance from ticketmaster.ca.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

arts&entertainment KUDOS& KVETCHES

TALKING TURKEY Last Thursday Americans celebrated their version of Thanksgiving, a special time of the year when people reﬂect on the personal blessings in their lives before heading to the nearest mall or Wal-Mart to engage in bloody hand-to-hand combat during the annual orgy of discount shopping known as Black Friday. Just like Jesus and the Pilgrims would’ve wanted. Here in Canada, this time of year is usually spent trying to remember the reason why we celebrate Turkey Day a month earlier then Americans do, but Black Friday itself — the day on the holiday calendar most reminiscent of an ‘80s-era slasher movie or a Norwegian death metal band — continues to make inroads. While Boxing Day remains our busiest shopping day of the year when thousands of people from sea to sea to sea (that’s for you, arctic Canadians) return their disappointing Christmas gifts, Black Friday specials are becoming increasingly common as Canadian retailers, desperate to staunch the bleeding of bargain-hunting shoppers across the border, make a big deal about the day — not to mention its newly spawned shopat-home counterpart Cyber Monday. Americans also get four days off for Thanksgiving, and the holiday enthusiasts of Team K&K think that if their traditions are going to be forced on us, Canadians should at least get the same amount of time off work. With this in mind, here are a few

more of U.S. national holidays that Canadian lawmakers might want to consider turning into stats ASAP: •Martin Luther King Jr. Day: The third Monday in January would be a perfect day to fete the fact that mid-20th century Canada didn’t need someone like Dr. King to push the no-brainer of equal civil rights. See also: Rosa Parks Day, Emancipation Day. • President’s Day: Americans get the third Monday of February off in honour of George Washington’s birthday. Morley Callaghan, a major Canadian writer most people outside the country have never heard of, was born the same day in 1903, and this would provide a much-needed opportunity for Canadians to reflect on our literary heritage and celebrate perhaps his most famous accomplishment: beating up American author Ernest Hemingway in a boxing match. • Columbus Day: Christopher Columbus is widely celebrated in the U.S. for being the first European to reach American soil despite not being the first European to reach American soil. Or even come close seeing as how Norse explorer Lief Ericson landed in Newfoundland a few centuries before Columbus mistook the New World for India. You know what else occurred in Newfoundland before it did down in the States? Thanksgiving. While Americans get a lot of mileage out of the holiday being based on Pilgrims celebrating their first fall harvest at Plymouth Rock in 1621, English explorer Sir Martin Frobisher and his crew were actually the first to officially get their thanks on in North America a good 43 years before them. In fairness though, they probably didn’t get to eat any turkey.

Blue-eyed Jack Daniel’s VAN MAN

with Andrew Fleming

f you’re going to name an artisanal whiskey after a celebrity, it seems fitting to choose one whose last name is an anagram of the word “artisan.” I recently attended a launch party in Gastown for Jack Daniel’s new high-end hooch created in honour of the late, great Frank Sinatra. The limited edition 90 proof Sinatra Select — now available at better B.C. booze stores near you — is aged in oak barrels with extra layers of toasted woodandcomeswithamorefull-bodied,spicier flavour than the traditional Tennessee bourbon. Ol’ Blue Eyes’ glory days were well before my time. His weird duet with Bono 20 years ago is the first time I can remember hearing him sing and I wasn’t aware that he and J.D. had any kind of particular shared history. Dean Martin seems a more obvious Rat Packer to have a fancy shmancy brand of whiskey named after him given that pretending to be drunk was a big part of his act. But it turns out this isn’t just a cheap marketing ploy by the world’s top-selling whiskey manufacturer to cash in on the legacy of a dead pop culture icon and drastically jack up prices. Frank really loved Jack. He loved it so much that he wasburiedwithabottleofit.Heloveditsomuch that he had special dinner jackets made for a fictional “Jack Daniel’s Country Club” because, as

an Italian-American with well-documented ties to the mob, Sinatra wasn’t always welcome at some of America’s posher private clubs, never mind his dark-skinned Jewish drinking buddy, Sammy Davis Jr. Martin even immortalized his friend’s soft spot for the sauce with the line “I love Vegas like Sinatra loves Jack Daniel’s.” And Dino really loved Las Vegas. Frankly, it’s surprising Frank never recorded a version of Whiskey in the Jar. If anyone could do the lyrics “musha ring dumma do damma da” justice, it’s the dude who scatted “dooby dooby doo” in Strangers in the Night. Sinatra Select also comes with the endorsement of his only son in the press release announcing the new whiskey. “Dad would be very ﬂattered by the association,” said Frank Sinatra Jr., a professional singer who is best known for being Frank Sinatra’s son. “This ﬁne Tennessee whiskey, or Old No. 7 as he referred to it, was a favourite part of my father’s life and he loved both sharing it with his friends and introducing it to new acquaintances.” While this is all well and good, I can’t help but think a more deserving musician to get his own blend of J.D. is Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony. Not only did the guy wield a customized bass guitar shaped like a bottle of it, he was famous for chugging back Jack on stage and then performing epic drunken solos. Anthony could probably use the money too given that he’s been booted out of the band in favour of guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s teenaged son Wolfgang in one of the worst examples of a musician cashing in on his father’s legacy since, well, Frank Sinatra Jr.

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

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arts&entertainment

Innovative puppet show is fresh as a daisy THE DAISY THEATRE

At the Clutch until Dec. 15 Tickets: Tickets: thecultch.com

ith apologies to Mary Poppins: “Oh, it’s a jolly ‘oliday with Ronnie/Ronnie makes your ‘eart so light/When the day is grey and ordi-nary/Ronnie makes the sun shine bright.” Ronnie Burkett, brilliant Canadian puppeteer, takes a few digs at prim and proper Mary Poppins playing across town at the Stanley Theatre so it’s fair game to paraphrase lyrics from the Sherman brothers to celebrate one of our own. Proudly sporting a Movember ‘stache, Burkett warns those of us who love his bittersweet existential shows that The Daisy Theatre is just going to be silly fun. And not necessarily good clean fun: “I hope I offend all of you.” Off to a good start, he refers to Heather Redfern, the Cultch’s executive director, as “Heather Rugburn.” Naughty boy. Born in Lethbridge, Alta., Burkett says he has been captivated by puppetry since the age of seven; at 14, he began touring his shows around Alberta. The Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes was formed in 1986 and Burkett now plays on major Canadian as well as on international stages. His breakthrough show was Tinka’s New Dress in 1994 and what followed was a ﬂurry of awards

submitted photo

Aging diva Esme Massengill performs on a miniature stage while a volunteer audience member helps operate the orchestra pit band. Scan this page with Layar to watch a Youtube video on Canadian puppet master Ronnie Burkett. including the prestigious Siminovitch Prize for Theatre in 2009. New Yorkers love him: “One of the geniuses of the world… seeing his troupe every few years has just become a necessity of civilized theatergoing,” raved The Village Voice. To know him (and not in the Biblical sense, although there are those — oh, well, let’s not go there) is to adore him. Inspired by the illegal underground puppet shows of Nazioccupied Czechoslovakia, The

Daisy Theatre is partly scripted, partly improvised and includes variety acts, music and monologues. Mostly, it’s Burkett getting down, dirty and funny with his fans. And The Daisy Theatre will be different every night so you can be charmed more than once. Ever seen a puppet stripper? Wait ‘til you see Miss Dolly Wiggler wiggle her T&A whilst singing, “When it’s time to snack/They love my rack.” Things go from naughty to naugh-

tier with aging diva Esme Massengill (“the lovechild of Tallulah Bankhead and Mr. Magoo”) dragging her wasted body on stage where she laments (or enthuses): “I’m on my knees again in Vancouver.” The Daisy Theatre is not all wicked. Old prairie widow Edna Rural from Turnip Corner, Alta., spins a love story — peppered with the oft-repeated “Lord, lovea-duck” — so poignantly you will imagine her farmer husband Stan-

ley is right there beside her. Burkett has never been so open to his audience as he is in this show. On opening night, he had to stop, briefly, to get over a laughing fit. His asides are hilarious: when one puppet apologizes for his awkward moves, the puppet explains, “I’m sorry. I’m hung this way.” Burkett breaks up and tells us, “That’s a line I use a lot.” The heart of the show is Schnitzel, a strange, pale little creature who encourages us to find our wings and fly. But just as things get a little too sweet with Schnitzel, Burkett pulls the rug out and gets us laughing again. He doesn’t do sentimentality. It’s amazing how fixed our focus is on those little puppets, “13 inches of fun-in-the-dark on the East Side,” quips one of 20 or 30 puppets waiting their turn in the shadows. Burkett is visible the whole time, manipulating the strings or as satanic puppet Murray Teufel says, “jerkin’ me around.” When Burkett steps down onto the little stage with the puppets — as he does now and again, the puppets look normal; he looks like The Friendly Giant. And he is: he’s a giant on the national and international stage. He’s having a rollicking, fun-filled time at the Cultch — and audiences are, too. To know Burkett is to be enchanted by him and his exquisite little wooden, papier mâché and cloth friends. —reviewed by Jo Ledingham For more reviews, go to joledingtheatre for living liv (headlines theatre)

Lonely seniors die sooner. Do something about it.

Artwork & Graphic Design: Dafne Blanco

presents

BC/Alberta Tour

22 Communities between Oct 16 & Nov 30, 2013 Theatre for Living continues a 32-year legacy of innovation with a project about the corporate messages that live within our collective psyche.

Theatre without a net. No actors. No play. No script. Joked by: David Diamond The event takes 2.5 to 3 hours.

uwlm.ca/preventisolation Dec 4 to 8

at various venues across Metro Vancouver For full schedule please visit:

For more information call: 604.871.0508 Follow us: facebook.com/TheatreForLiving @theatre4living

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W24

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

arts&entertainment An EastVan panto debuts in newYork

STATE OF THE ARTS

with Cheryl Rossi

n Charles Demers’s version of Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack is a young teen living with his mom in East Van. They’re down and out so Jack takes his cow to the Trout Lake Farmers Market, meets a “realty wizard” and exchanges the animal for three magic Vancouver beans, explains Maiko Bae Yamamoto, who plays Jack. It’s a familiar story steeped in East Van references and written Muppet Show-style to entertain both the young and old. Yamamoto, co-artistic director of Theatre Replacement, which is copresenting Jack and The Beanstalk: An East Van Panto, says this riff on the classic British pantomime will include audience participation. “[Pantomime audiences] were also

traditionally encouraged to throw things at the players, to throw things up on stage,” Yamamoto said. “But of course we’re not doing that in the new York Theatre.” The show premieres Dec. 4 at the revived York Theatre at Commercial Drive and East Georgia Street. The reopening is four years after it was rescued from demolition. The box ofﬁce and entranceway have been restored to their late 1930s Art Deco glory, says Heather Redfern, executive director of the nearby Cultch, which will manage the theatre, and a two-storey glass lobby and walkway is meant to connect the arts venue to the neighbourhood. Yamamoto and James Long, the other artistic director of Theatre Replacement, would daydream about producing a children’s show whenever they hit a snag in their creative process. “Back then it was called something like Fart and Giggle,” Yamamoto said. Then they both had kids. “The shows that we do are not really appropriate for children to come to, so they come to the theatre, they see what’s going on but they never get to stay and see the content,” Yamamoto said. She wanted to produce something

where there’s really traditional thing like [back] drops that fly down,” Yamamoto said. “They’ve got an East Van artist to work on the drops and they’re just gorgeous.” Redfernhasdesignedthecostumes, which should be easy to admire in the 370-seat theatre that she says features fantastic sound and sightlines. “There’s no other space that’s this size and configuration in the city at all, so it’s very badly needed,” Redfern said. “It creates a real hub, a real cultural district here.” She hopes to hear lots of music at the York. “It’s got a small orchestra pit, there is no venue for classical music at all in East Vancouver… so I’m hoping we’ll see some of that,” she said. “I’m hoping we’ll see some rock and roll shows.” Patrick Street Productions will present two different musicals at the York in February and March and the theatre will host the world premiere of Margaret Atwood’s first opera, Pauline, in May. Jack and the Beanstalk: An East Van Panto runs Dec. 4 to 29. Tickets start at $18. A family pack for four is $94. Tickets 604-251-1363 or online tickets.thecultch.com. crossi@vancourier.com twitter.com/Cheryl_Rossi

photo Dan Toulgoet

The Cultch’s Heather Redfern will also be the manager of the York Theatre. Scan this page with Layar to watch an online teaser for the show. her kids could watch. Long expressed his desire to Redfern who commissioned them to produce a familyfriendly show at the York. Theatre Replacement corralled comedian and author Demers to pen the panto. Veda Hille wrote the music and Amiel Gladstone, who Hille has worked with on productions that include the popular Do

Christmas Trees have arrived!

Fresh cut and Live BC Grown Christmas Trees

You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata, directs. The East Van panto is layered with references to the area. The goose that lays the golden eggs is an East Van backyard chicken. But with its recognizable fairy tale foundation, inside jokes shouldn’t alienate visitors from elsewhere. “It’s the ﬁrst show that I’ve done

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

GOT SPORTS? 604-738-1411 | mstewart@vancourier.com

Hounds, Ivy Leafs and Angels dig deep MEGAN STEWART Staff writer

hree West Side senior girls volleyball teams, all ranked in the top 10, landed on the same side of the AAA B.C. championship bracket last week as reaching the final meant beating a neighbourhood rival. Little Flower Academy, Point Grey and Crofton House — ranked third, sixth and ninth in the last week before playoffs, respectively — clamoured for a spot out of the opening group stage without an upset. The tournament was hosted at Seaquam secondary in Delta Nov. 28 to 30. When each team advanced to the same side of the draw, it eliminated the chance of an allVancouver final and one would have to knock off the others to reach the semi-final. In the end, the tenth-ranked team from Nanaimo sailed through to win gold. “Usually there is only one or two teams that are contenders to win it,” said Hounds head coach Zack Mason. “Several other coaches agreed with me that this year any of the top six to seven teams could have taken it and it really came down to who played the best when it counted. The tournament format makes it really difficult to win — it is relatively unforgiving. You just cannot have an off game or lose.” On Friday morning, Point Grey defeated Clayton Heights to clash in the quarterfinals with Crofton House who’d eliminated Sentinel. The evening match-up was extremely close but the Hounds pulled off a 3-1 win after dropping the

photo Rebecca Blissett

Point Grey libero Kathlene Peralta gets low to dig up the ball in a quarterfinal match against Seaquam in the senior girls AAA volleyball provincials Nov. 30 in Delta. Scan this page with Layar to see more photos. first set: 26-28, 25-18, 25-18, 25-20. Mason said Point Grey “played the best volleyball of their season both physically and emotionally” to reach the quarterfinal. CroftonHouse,althoughoutofcontentionfor the championship, could finish as high as fifth if they won their next two games. LFA, the defending 2012 champions, downed Ballenas 3-1 in the cross-over game and met Seaquam in the quarterfinal Friday night. The Angels defeated Seaquam at home last year to win the title and were now in Delta, playing Seaquam in their home gym.

The Angels won the first set but Seaquam rebounded to take three straight, winning 21-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-13. Placed on the consolation side of the bracket, Little Flower and Crofton House both looked to end their season with a couple of wins. Crofton House came out on top, defeating the Angels at North Delta secondary 22-25, 26-24, 15-5. Crofton House won one final game to finish fifth overall, and Little Flower Academy lost a second match to finish eighth. The Point Grey Hounds prepped to play Seaquam, a back-to-back provincial champion

in 2010 and ’11, now hosting the tournament in front of their raucous fans. “Unfortunately, we were not able to hold on to the momentum,” said Mason. “Seaquam was a very tough, well-coached team with fantastic defence and ball control. This was clearly the most difficult loss for us because going into it, we knew if we performed well we had a solid chance to win it and coming out of it, we knew we had let it get away from us.” Seaquam won in four sets: 25-12, 25-20, 2025, 25-20. They advanced to the finals and lost in five intense sets to Nanaimo. Point Grey next played College Heights for third place. “Our team managed a valiant effort in the bronze medal match despite being deflated and drained from the semifinal loss,” said Mason. “It was great for me as a coach to see them win a set 31-29 by playing competitively, aggressively and with great composure to the final point despite the pressure and frantic atmosphere that comes in that type of finish.” Point Grey lost 25-15, 31-29, 15-7. They finish fourth overall, a jump from last year’s eighth place. “Cracking the top four at this tournament is a really difficult feat to accomplish so I am really proud of our team’s performance and placing. It was a strong way to end a great season,” said Mason. Point Grey rightside hitter and Grade 11 student Taeya Page was named to the first all-star team. Madison Cote-Dear of Crofton House and Tehlana Durity-Wingson of LFA were named to the second all-star team. mstewart@vancourier.com

Trojans,Talismen come up just short The David Thompson Trojans got off to a fast start at the senior boys AAA volleyball provincial championships when they flew through the opening group stage undefeated. Held Nov. 27 to 30 at UBC Okanagan for the 20th year, the tournament will move to a different location next season. They finished first and in their crossover game met Steveston-London, the Richmond team that gave everyone a hard time on their way to winning Lower Mainlands. The Trojans lost the Nov. 28 match in three sets: 2522, 25-16, 25-13. Now on the consolation side of the draw, David Thompson defeated Belmont and then lost to Claremont to finish 11th overall at the B.C. championships. Van Tech took a more difficult path on the way to finishing 19th. The Talisman finished third in their group and faced a back-door entry to return to the winning side. They lost to Seaquam and then to Caledonia but ended the tournament with a win over Mount Baker. Earl Marriott won the provincial gold 3-1 over Kelowna. — Megan Stewart

photo Matt Webb/Sports Action Pictures

David Thompson middle blocker Brandon Lam reaches back on an errant tip at the senior boys AAA volleyball championships against Belmont Nov. 29 at UBC Okanagan.

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

W27

sports&recreation Telus Classic announces final year MEGAN STEWART Staff writer

ne of the country’s most recognized invitational high school basketball tournaments will host its final games this week after 14 years at centre court. The HSBC Classic held its first 32-team boys competition in 2000 at eight locations and, just like this year, the finals were hosted at UBC. The invitational awarded 20 athletes with a $1,000 scholarship. Since then, the tournament has expanded to include girls basketball and a cheerleading competition. Focused events for aboriginal athletes and disabled players were also added. Since the second year, the best male and female athletes were offered a scholarship to the B.C. university of their choice. “We’ve had a 15-year run and it’s time for us to step aside and let other people in the community take leadership if they so choose,” said the tournament’s founder and director, Howard Kelsey. The tournament was renamed the Telus Classic in 2011. With Kelsey’s assistance, Telus will shift its sponsorship from the preseason to the provincial championship for all four boys tiers (A, AA, AAA and AAAA) and three girls tiers at the senior level as well as the inaugural junior provincials for boys and girls.

photo Dan Toulgoet

Alisha Roberts brings the ball up the ﬂoor during the 2011 Telus Classic. The York House alumna was named MVP and is now a sophomore for the NCAA Pepperdine Waves.

The Telus sponsorship will total $75,000 annually for the B.C. Championships, he said. Succession planning for the pre-season invitational began after the decision to end the tournament began a year ago. “It took a lot of work to get it to this level and to ensure it continues, we had to be certain when we let it go. It was the right time.

Now there will be a focus on the marquee event, which Telus has already committed to,” said Kelsey, whose afﬁliation with the national basketball program lent immediate credibility to the December invitational. Kelsey said he and the organizing Canada One Foundation will not choose a successor but he knows there is interest from numerous groups. The Point Grey secondary graduate who played basketball for Canada at the 1984 Olympics, said he will advise future organizers if he’s asked. “There are two groups that are both credible and work with us already,” he said, declining to name those organizations. “Two I can say are current sponsors of the tournament. We’re also in discussion with UBC, the [Vancouver Police Department] as well as Basketball B.C.” He emphasized the importance of smooth succession to prolong the legacy of the tournament and mixed his sports metaphors to hit home his point. “This week I need to get details before us to pass the baton. First of all, once we step away it’s really not our prerogative who might decide to run it because they can take a tournament on those dates and decide to do with it what they want. If they want us to be advisers, we’re happy to be advisers, but we won’t be having our hands on the steering wheel as we used to. “Depending who the group is, we can set

it up on a golf tee as best we can but then one just has to trust the next leg of the relay is being run by a good runner. We would like to leave a positive legacy.” HSBC was title sponsor for 11 years and continues to offer 30 scholarships. The 2013 Telus Basketball Classic begins Wednesday at various locations. Dec. 4 schedule for Vancouver boys tournament: At 2:30 p.m. St. George’s hosts Richmond and Tupper hosts Vancouver College. Kitsilano hosts Port Moody at 2 p.m. and Churchill meets Sentinel 4:15 p.m. at St. George’s. The final begins 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at UBC’s War Memorial Gym. Dec. 4 schedule for Vancouver girls tournament: At 4:15 p.m., John Oliver plays Holy Cross at Windsor secondary, and Notre Dame travels to Burnaby South to play Argyle. York House meets MEI 4:45 p.m. at Brookswood secondary, and Britannia plays Handsworth 5:15 p.m. at Riverside secondary. The final begins 5:45 p.m. Dec. 7 at UBC’s War Memorial Gym. Tickets to the final are free if they’re picked up at UBC before Saturday. For more details, visit canadaonefoundation.com. mstewart@vancourier.com twitter.com/MHStewart

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

FUTURE SHOP - CORRECTION NOTICE

NEWSPAPER RETRACTION FOR THE FUTURE SHOP NOVEMBER 29 22 CORPORATE FLYER

We would like to clarify that in the November 29 flyer, page 5, the advertised prices for TELUS Optik TV HD-PVR Digital Box / TELUS Optik TV HD Digital Box (WebID: 10193848 / 10151026) are only valid from November 29 December 2, 2013. Also, on page 12 of the Black Weekend Wrap, the LG 42” LN5200 Series LED TV (WebID:10273690) was incorrectly advertised as having 2x HDMI ports, when in fact it ONLY has 1. Also, on page 4, the Bose CineMate 1 SR Home Theatre System (WebCode: 10178456) was advertised at $1359.99 when in fact the correct price is $1439.99 with a TV purchase. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers.

sports&recreation

BEST BUY - CORRECTION NOTICE NEWSPAPER RETRACTION FOR THE BEST BUY NOVEMBER 29 CORPORATE FLYER

We would like to clarify that in the November 29 flyer, page 20, the advertised prices for TELUS Optik TV HD-PVR Digital Box / TELUS Optik TV HD Digital Box (Web Code: 10193848 / 10151026) are only valid from November 29 - December 2, 2013. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers.

Marpole Cares Help a neighbour in need this holiday season. Drop off a new, unwrapped toy or non-perishable food item until December 13th, at seven locations in Marpole: the Marpole Branch Library, the Royal Bank, TD Bank, VanCity, BMO, Scotiabank, and Marpole Neighbourhood House. You can also drop off your item to the Bank of Montreal branch in Oakridge Mall. All donated items will be collected and distributed to local families, through Marpole-Oakridge Family Place and the Cornerstone Community Church. Thank you for your support.

photo Maynards family collection

photo Amelia Butler

Seventy years at Southlands: Right, Rick Maynard and April Glaspie in 1950 outside the Southlands Riding Club clubhouse in 1950. Left, Annie Brooks in the big ring. .

Riding lessons make a great gift STEPHANIE FLORIAN

THE SNOW COMES EARLY AND OFTEN

IN WHISTLER. YOU SHOULD TOO.

TWO NEW LIFTS Introducing the new Crystal Ridge Express and Harmony 6 Express. P: Paul Morrison

OPENING DECEMBER 2013

GREAT DEALS ON SHORTER STAYS. Get the best deals — guaranteed.

Everyone knows that one day is never enough in Whistler. With over 8,100 acres of incredible terrain including the most groomed runs in North America, an endless collection of outdoor activities ranging from snowshoeing to ziplining, and a village that never sleeps, you’ll find you can just never get enough. This season, spontaneous is easy. Take advantage of a snow dump, a “sick day”, the occasional long weekend and our great deals on shorter stay Ski & Stay Packages. See you up here!

EARLY SEASON OFFER 2 Night 2 Day Ski & Stay Package from

115*

per person per night

On arrivals up to December 19, 2013 *Starting from package rate is per person per night based on 2 people in a studio, valid Dec 4-19, 2013. Package includes 2 nights accommodations and a 2 day lift ticket per person. Taxes and fees are extra. Restrictions may apply. Other packages available for dates throughout the winter season, please inquire for details.

1.866.387.8492 whistlerblackcomb.com/getaway

Contributing writer

hat is it about the equestrian world that has young children begging their parents for a horse, sometimes even before their first ride? Should we introduce our kids to this sport, one that’s very costly but accessible right here in our own backyard? If your kid dreams of riding a little pony and can smell the manure from a mile away, perhaps you need a Sunday drive though Southlands to investigate the options. According to Alison Martin, a riding instructor and author of the Southlands Riding Club 70th anniversary book — which was launched Sunday — big names in Vancouver history like Nat Bailey, W.H. Malkin and the Woodward family helped establish equestrianism in our city and put the name of Southlands on the map. “Southlandsissuchaunique neighbourhood to have in an urban centre,” she said. “It has been kept, protected and fought for through times of urbanization and now we’ve come full circle back to this organic, agricultural focus. We need to celebrate this community. It needs to be cherished.” Since Southlands originally drew elite members from the upper echelon, you’ll ﬁnd

lessons in English styles like hunter, jumper and dressage. But it’s also a popular outdoor family activity, and Martin said riding has recently become more of a ladies’ sport than it was in the beginning. You will see a lot of moms riding with their kids. The sport is family friendly, and as Pippa Emrick explains, kids who are keen should start a formal riding program by age 10. A child can safely mount a pony at age three when eyehand coordination has improved, she said. Emrick, a student-turnedinstructor from Wildwoods Paddocks, said there are options for parents whose kids are hell-bent on the fantasy of owning or leasing a horse. Local barns offer volunteer programs, and since kids have time to kill, being around the animals they love can nurture their passion. Helping out in the barn can mean everything to a child who needs and wants to be around horses. Or the experience itself may just end their fantasy. Emrick runs a reward program at Maynards and says that duties like mucking out stalls and grooming horses can earn hopeful riders a badge, which can then be traded for riding time. The other option is to enroll in formal lessons at a riding school, if you can get in. “Riding has really taken off with the economy getting better again,” she said. “People

know about the area and many schools are quite full.” Everything about riding is expensive.Unlessyouareplanning a one-time get-it-out-ofher-system party at Maynards Pony Meadows, in order to really commit to the sport, you’ll need money and lots of it. The average cost of a private lesson starts at $75 an hour and a semi-private lesson at $50. Group packages or summer camps can slightly alter your overall tab. If you are lucky enough to know someone with a horse or can afford to lease or board your own, Vancouver is full of multi-use trails and fall is an ideal time to ride. Wandering Southlands on horseback or taking the Salish Trail from Paciﬁc Spirit Park down to Spanish Banks are ideal fall activities. “If there’s a trail, you can ride a horse on it,” said Emrick. If you’re just as keen as your child, perhaps it’s time to start talking to your mortgage broker and shopping for Southlands equestrian properties. Whatever option you choose, remember to teach your kids basic horse etiquette: Be calm, no yelling or running around the animals, and never walk behind a horse. Giddy Up. Stephanie Florian is always chasing her next adventure and plays with her family in the mountains and on the sea. Get in touch at Twitter.com/PlayoutdoorsVan.

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THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

Your Original al

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From The Deli

German Salami

$ 89 /100 grams

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$ 99 4 lb box

Whole Chickens

California Grown Bunch Broccoli $ 19

d n u o R e d i Ins Roasts $

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49 each

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$ 99 946 ml

Eye of Round Roasts

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IN KERRISDALE

STROLLING BRASS BANDS TUBA, SAXOPHONE & MORE DECEMBER SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS From December 7 · 12 noon to 4 Pm

SANTA & HIS ELF VISIT KERRISDALE

DECEMBER SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS From December 7 · 12 noon to 4 pm

HOLIDAY HORSE & CARRIAGE RIDES

DECEMBER 7 • 14 · 21 • 23 • 11 aM to 4 pM

CHRISTAMAS QUARTETS

DECEMBER SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS FrDm December 7 • 12 nDDn HD 4 Cm

GLIDING ON ICE

SUNDaY DECEMBER 22 • FREE SKatE KerrisdFle arenF· 3:45 Cm HD 5:30 Cm

ENJOY...

THE VILLAGE OF KERRISDALE THIS FESTIVE SEASON.

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

Christmas comes to KERRISDALE VILLAGE T

heVillage of Kerrisdale kicks off its holiday shopping season this weekend, Dec. 7 from 11 am to 4 pm.With a bevy of delightful shops and services to choose from, and a festive atmosphere permeating the air, why go anywhere else? Emanating from the heart of the Village at Yew Street and West 41st Ave., visitors will discover free horse & carriage rides, strolling carolling quartets, a brass band, a gaggle of tuba players, Santa and his Elf and even Sax-o-Claus! Most performers will be stopping by Kerrisdale shops and businesses through the course of the afternoon while Santa & his Elf disperse individually wrapped European chocolates to passersby. Kerrisdale Village Christmas entertainment of strolling brass bands, tuba and saxophone players will continue through December, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 pm, with a special wind-up day before Christmas. Not to be forgotten is Kerrisdale’s free Gliding on Ice event, sponsored by the Kerrisdale Business Association, at the Kerrisdale Arena on Sunday, Dec. 22 from 3:35 to 5:30 pm.The free admission also includes free skate rentals, while they last, and delectable sugar cookies plus hot chocolate. Mmm, mmm good! You can ﬁnd out all that’s happening, plus visit the merchant directory, at kerrisdalevillage.com, home of the Kerrisdale Business Association.

ENTER TO WIN

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KERRISDALE SKATING CLUB

NEW STORE NEW DÉCOR

We Welcome All Ages

nly

January 7 - March 21

CANSKATE ICE TYKES (incl. group lesson)

3-4½ Years

Come see our new location!

Wed. 1:30 - 2:15 p.m. Fri. 9:45 - 10:30 a.m.

CANSKATE

(incl. 45min. group lesson)

Tues. 4:15 - 5:00 p.m. Thur. 5:30 - 6:15 p.m. Fri. 4:15 - 5:00 p.m.

Certified Professional Coaches only! Private lessons also available. Beginners welcome, all ages.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

2126 West 41st Ave. * Contest ends Dec. 6th, 2013

www.edslinens.com

604-266-4424 Kerrisdale Skating Club

Located at Kerrisdale Cyclone Taylor Arena 5670 E. Boulevard, Vancouver, B.C. V6M 3V2

www.skatekerrisdale.com

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

HERITAGE and CULTURE – a key to the VILLAGE O

nce home to farmers, loggers and young immigrants; the area around Kerrisdale began to develop in earnest in the early 20th century.With the introduction of the CP Rail tracks in 1902 and streetcar lines in the late 1910s, Kerrisdale became a desirable place to live. Many Craftsman-style homes from this period remain today. Kerrisdale has some 50 structures on the Vancouver Heritage Register.

Kerrisdale circa 1972. Vancouver Archives

How Kerrisdale was named

Several annual events bring the community together throughout the year: Easter on Ice, Carnival Days in April, Kerrisdale Days in September, visits from Santa and horse and carriage rides at Christmas. The Kerrisdale BIA is committed to keeping the community clean, safe and beautiful – as is easily appreciated upon arrival to this well maintained area.

Blastball, T-Ball, and Baseball For boys and girls aged 4-12 Registration for 2013 season opens December 1, 2013 Early Bird Deadline closes December 31, 2013 Final Registration closes January 15, 2014 Season begins in April

In 1905,British Columbia Electric Railway manager, R.H. Sterling asked Mrs. William McKinnon, a young Scottish woman who had recently settled in the area,to name the interurban stop atWilson Road (today’sWest 41stAvenue).She selected“Kerry’s Dale”after the name of her family home (Kerrydale) in Garlock, Scotland. Kerrydale means “little seat of the fairies”. It was soon changed to “Kerrisdale” as we know it today. Courtesy:Vancouver Economic Commission.

What’s Cooking? …. it’s all here at Kerrisdale Lumber

WEDELIVER!

Space is limited, so please register early Visit www.kerrisdalebaseball.com

Take 25

% off

YOUR NEXT PREPARED MEAL Present this coupon and receive 25% off your next Ready-Made Take-Home Dinner. Valid till Dec. 31, 2013. One coupon per person Not Valid with any other coupon. Open 7am-7pm Daily. Closed Holidays. Not Valid for Christmas Dinner Order.

STOCK UP CAFE

6019 W. Boulevard (44th and W. Blvd.) www.stock-up.ca

604-266-4527

BBQ’s + lot’s of accessories

ShopinPersonor on-lineforBBQ’s Thursday Dec.5th SundayDec. 8th BROWNBAGSALE- 25%OFF

Home&ChristmasDecor.

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

Watch NFL highlights on our sports section

m/sports o c . r e i r u vanco

SHOPPING HEAVEN

text by Helen Peterson; photos by Twinlens / stock images

ome of Vancouver’s best shops reign in Kerrisdale. Gift recipients of every age and taste can be accommodated in the more than 200 shops, all perfectly situated within walking distance for happy shoppers. Here are a few places to visit this season, for gifts, attire, décor, food and more!

Gifts that keep on giving

From Martin Smith’s The Perfect Gift to Bill Chow Jewellers; from Buchans Stationery to Kerrisdale Lumber… beautiful gifts for her, him (and them!) can be sourced in Kerrisdale. Top gifts this year include: Pandora charms for girls of every age; gifts for the barbecue enthusiast; socks that go over the knee (for the trendy teen) and DVD box sets (check out the selection at London Drugs.)

Newement! Manag

Mogi

Martin Smith’s The Perfect Gift

It may be the thought that counts, but unwrapping or unbagging something perfect is always in style!

Cards and Gifts

• Huge Selection of Hallmark Cards

#147- 4255 Arbutus St.

• Post Box Rentals

Shopping Centre (between Safeway & BC Liquor)

• Stamps & more!

604.738.7388

@ Arbutus

FREE PARKING

Kerrisdale Lumber

IT’S SLIPPER TIME! GREAT GIFT IDEA! Great selection for all ages. Some with luxurious sheepskin, wool, polar fleece and leather. Selected styles Made in Canada.

YOUR

604-261-6371

callthekettleblack.com

BEAUTIFUL LINGERIE BOUTIQUE

2182 W 41st. Ave. Vancouver

GREAT GIFT IDEAS GIFT CARD

www.curranslingerie.com

2247 W. 41st Ave., Kerrisdale

604.261.7017

VANCOUVER EDMONTON SHOP ONLINE GIFT REGISTRY

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

X E BO FRE f o D PPE 6 DI ERRIES AWB 13 STR c20

Looking sharp, from head to toe

an 13 e: V 1/2 0 Cod s: 12 /3 ire f $60 e E xp s o rcha

est 41st Avenue and West Boulevard both feature inte interesting shops that cater to the fashionista. There are consignm consignment stores, ladies and men’s fashion outlets and of course, the venerable Hill’s of Kerrisdale, one of Vancouver premier premie small department stores. To receive a gift from ther is to feel really special! there Fo the women on the list who love lingerie and the For fi finer things in life, a visit to Currans of Kerrisdale (2247 W. 41st; 604-261-7017), in operation since 1964, is a welcoming experience. From nightwear (like Kim Allan Silk) to shape garments, a great selection of bras (professionally fitted), panties and so much more – make Currans a stop on your exploration of the area.

Currans

If shoes, boots, running shoes or slippers are on your wish list, you needn’t walk far to find them, at Town Shoes, Ronsons, The Run Inn and many other fine purveyors of footwear in “the ‘hood.”

u um p minim With

Vancouver

2779 Arbutus St.

604-733-8894

Burnaby

4459 Lougheed Hwy

604-299-2290

West Vancouver

2412 Marine Dr.

604-925-1238

*Oﬀer valid at participating locations shown. Some restrictions may apply. See store for details. Edible Arrangements®, the Fruit Basket Logo, and other marks mentioned herein are registered trademarks of Edible Arrangements, LLC. © 2013 Edible Arrangements, LLC. All rights reserved.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Kerrisdale Bootery

Locale: 2182 West 41st Ave.; ph: 604-261-6371 Looking for quality footwear for the entire family this holiday season or for the new year? Featuring one of the best selections in the Vancouver area, Kerrisdale Bootery is your one-stop footwear shop offering boots, shoes and rain gear ideally suited for the wet Vancouver weather all year round. The Bootery offers a variety of name-brand shoes at reasonable prices, ranging from dressy shoes by celebrity designers to shoes more suitable for work and play. They also carry an impressive assortment of footwear accessories, including handbags, slippers and socks in all styles and colours. Experienced staff can help you determine your footwear needs and make recommendations about how to best care for your new footwear and your feet.

A children’s footwear specialist since 1949, Kerrisdale Bootery strives to be the “go-to” shop for private school uniform shoes. They feature one of the largest selections of Stridee Rite shoes for babies, es, toddlers and children dren in all of Vancouver. ouver. Find out ut how to join their ir “frequent customer” er” rewards program m (where you can earn a free pair of shoes!) Open seven even days a week, including cluding noon - 5PM on holidays. idays. Clarks Boots

Home Decor and Christmas Items

Candles

Angels

Ornaments

celebrate The Courier’s got all the info you’ll need to entertain, shop, celebrate and enjoy all Vancouver has to offer. Bookmark these dates! HOLIDAY GUIDES Nov. 15 - Dec. 24, Wed & Fri FESTIVE HOMES: Fri. Nov. 22 / Dec. 13 KERRISDALE CHRISTMAS: Wed. Dec. 4

NEW YEAR’S PLANNING: Fri. Dec. 13 SEASON’S GREETINGS: Fri. Dec. 20 BOXING DAY SPECIALS Tues. Dec. 24

Hearts

Floor Mats

Birds

Thursday Dec. 5th - Sunday Dec. 8th Brown Bag Sale…. 25% OFF Home & Christmas decor The Kerrisdale Lumber Co. Ltd. 6191 West Boulevard Vancouver, B.C.

(Corner of 46th Ave) PH: 604-261-4274 www.kerrisdalelumber.com

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

Décor for the home warms hearth & heart

t’s cold, it’s wet, and staying indoors being cozy and enjoying the holidays with family and friends is probably number one on your Christmas list.

How about everyone in the household chipping in for a nice electric fireplace? The newer models are chic, slim and give off a warm glow, and don’t cost a fortune on your hydro bill. Anything you need to outfit your house or apartment for the holidays can be found in Kerrisdale. Check out the wonderful décor at your favourite store during December.

WISHING YOU & YOUR LOVED ONES A SAFE & HAPPY

Holiday Season & a Happy New Year! YOU’RE INVITED TO MY ANNUAL MP HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE! Friday December 6, 4 – 6 PM Aberthau Mansion (4397 West 2nd Avenue) Please bring a non-perishable item for the foodbank. RSVP to joycemurray.c1@parl.gc.ca or 604.664.9220. Learn more at joycemurray.ca

Accentuate the positive! Kerrisdale Lumber is a stalwart business that’s brimming over with goodies for this holiday scene.As well as building supplies and barbecues, the store has one of the best selections of holiday décor around – at fabulous prices! Check out the store in person at 6191 West Boulevard; ph: 604-261-4274.

Happy Holidays If you haven’t popped into 2126 West 41st Ave., the new location of Ed’s Linens, make a point of it! Here you can expect an excellent selection of products: Fashion bedding, mattress pads, blankets, towels, rugs, shower curtains, bath boutique, hampers, table linens, kitchen accessories and more. Call 604-263-7300 for store hours, and check out the blog at edslinens.blogspot.ca.

Bedding is what makes sleep so much better – so make sure to pop into Quilts Etc. at 2142 West 41st Ave. (ph: 604-263-1022) for great ideas on how to pull a luxury ensemble together. Gift idea: Bamboo sheets are all the rage, enviro-friendly and soft to the touch; affordable too!

Gadget alert! Call the Kettle Black is a mecca of culinary tools and accessories. Home to the largest selection of Fiestaware in Canada, along with a wide selection of popular kitchen brands such as All Clad, Bodum, Dualit, Henckels, KitchenAid, OXO Good Grips, Staub, and more, check out the Havana cocktail collection, shown. 2150 West 41st Ave.; ph: 604-261-3599.

W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3 THE VANCOUVER COURIER

Tasty treats make the holidays more delish

weet sensations! Counting calories over the holidays isn’t a lot of fun. As you stroll along the avenue and boulevards of Kerrisdale over the holiday season, be sure to stop in at the local restaurants, coffee shops, chocolate sellers and crepe places and sample some of their tasty offerings. Here are a few stores that offer desserts and other delicacies perfect for serving up at Christmas: Cobs Breads @ 2174 West 41st Ave.;Tel: 604-261-5383. Mom ‘n Pop’s Bake Shoppe @ 2068 West 41st Ave.; Tel: 604-261-2338. Moores Delicatessen & Bakery @ 2128 West 41st Ave.;Tel: 604-261-2922

The perfect menu

The holiday season is upon us. Let Stock Up at 6019 West Boulevard do the work for you.... the store features fabulous appetizers, delicious mealsto-go, available for pick-up or delivery. Stock Up your cupboards with freshly prepared on-site soups, stock, sauces, salad dressings and ready made meals.They use only the freshest ingredients available, with no additives or preservatives.

Stop by the café for a cup of Organic Fair Trade Coffee or Cappuccino. Savour a hot bowl of soup with a freshly grilled sandwich or salad. Breakfast is served daily from 8 am to 2 pm. Call 604-2664527; stock-up.ca.

Order the feast! Fresh Roasted Sliced Turkey with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Harvest Vegetables, House-made Turkey Gravy, Sausage and Sage Stuffing with Cranberry Sauce. Only $18.50 per person. Pre-order on line - 48 Hours Notice.Available Dec. 18 to Dec. 24; pick up by Dec. 24 before 2 p.m.

Handmade

* Wreaths seasonal cards and unique gifts

Handmade

*Available starting November 27, 2013 (while quantities last)

Shop in the Garden

Edible Arrangements’ Christmas Collection is filled with bright, beautiful gifts for everyone on your list this year. Choose the perfect gift from dozens of festive winter fruit bouquets with all your favourite holiday pineapple shapes, gourmet chocolate, and more! Plus, for a limited time only, select arrangements are available in keepsake Christmas containers that you can use to decorate year after year. Head north to 2779 Arbutus St.; ph: 604-733-8894.

6804 SW Marine Drive (at 16th Ave) | Shop 604.822.4529 botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/shop | GU @ubcgarden

The finishing touch!

Wine, cocktails and liqueurs warm the belly and the soul (in moderation, of course). West Coast Liquor Store offers a wide variety of fine wines and spirits. Specializing in authentic craft beers and distinguished wines, the selection is constantly updated to ensure every customer finds what they are looking for. Visit 5503 West Blvd.; ph: 604-669-1121.

BIG BROWN BAG SALE

Fill a Bag! Home + Christmas Decór…. Doormats • Bathroom Accessories • Stars • Angels • Bells • Lights • Candles • Vino-2-go • Placemats • Utensils • Kitchen Accessories • Mirrors • Hearts • Tree stands • Soaps *Excludes Paderno. Final sale.

THE VANCOUVER COURIER W E DN E SDAY, DE C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

Brenda and her team welcome you! The Insurance Services Department of London Drugs Kerrisdale is NOW OPEN!

our local Kerrisdale Community Centre has plenty happening this month for kids and adults alike… So join in the fun – it’ll be an experience they’ll never forget.

Offering you the insurance you need to protect what matters most to you.

• Auto • Home • Travel • Pet • Health

Enter in-store for a chance to win a Sony PS4!

Breakfast with Santa

Brenda Cousineau

Department Manager, Insurance Services

Convenient • Knowledgeable • Trusted Call or visit us today! 2091 W 42nd Avenue, Vancouver Tel: (604) 448-4087

Monday to Friday: 9 am–10 pm Saturday: 9 am–8pm Sunday: 10 am–6 pm Holidays: 9 am–6 pm

COMMUNITY SPIRIT is front and centre!

Insurance Services

The Insurance Services Department of London Drugs

ldinsurance.ca 1-800-681-6677

9:00am-10:30am, 11:00am –12:30pm, Sun. Dec 15. $6/member $8 non/members Bring the family to breakfast with the big guy himself, Santa Claus. Events include a continental breakfast, crafts, play equipment, and a photo of your child with Santa.All adults and children attending must pay admission and children are required to be supervised. Children under 2 years can attend for free.

Winter 2014 Brochure

now available online www.kerrisdalecc.com Online registration begins Friday, December 6 In person registration begins Saturday, December 7

Christmas Lunch

Thu, 12:00pm–1:00pm 1 class, on Dec. 12 or 13, with Betty Anderson. For ages 19 and up Cost: $8.00; Membership required. A sit-down lunch catered by our kitchen staff. Includes afternoon entertainment. Seating begins at noon.

Polynesian Holiday Spectacular Show

2:00pm–4:00pm; Sun. Dec. 15; with Paul Latta Dance. For ages 6 and up Cost: $15.00; Membership required. Join in the Finale 2013 Encore Performance featuring songs, dance, costumes, and music of the South Paciﬁc.There will be door prizes, refreshments, and phosts with cast. Free for children under 5 years old. Kerrisdale C ommunity Centre is located at 5851 West Boulevard; phone: 604-2578100; web: vancouver.ca.

K D K EE R A LE RR E RCII S S A L ommD unity Centre Co mmunity Centre

Check out our Special Holiday Programs Breakfast with Santa SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15 Two seatings: 9:00am or 11:00am $6/person (members) $8/person (non-members)

Winter Daycamps FOR 6-12 YEAR OLDS Out-trip everyday! $37/day

For Senior’s programs please call 604-257-8109 for information on holiday lunches, concerts and more!

Check out our NEW Fitness Sampler Try 7 classes for $29! Ask us for more info!

Kerrisdale Community Centre

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5851 West Boulevard, Vancouver

Kerrisdale Commun ity Centre www.vancouve r.ca | WINTER 201 3

604-257-8100