Vancouver Is Awesome #144 - January 5, 2023

Whilecommuters travelthe streetsand sidewalks above,belowourcityasecond giantbeastofamachinehas begunitsslowjourneywest Phyllistheboringmachine launchedfromtheGreat NorthernWay-EmilyCarr Stationacoupleofweeks ago,accordingtothe MinistryofTransportation andInfrastructure.It’s headedwestataveryslow paceforthenextyearaspart oftheongoingconstruction oftheBroadwaySubway.

Phyllisisthesecondof thetwoboringmachines. Thefirst,Elsie,launched backinOctober Inthe twomonthssinceitleftthe GreatNorthernWay-Emily CarrStationit’sgoneabout halfwaytotheMainStreet station,whichisabout580 masthecrowflies(the tunnelwon’tbestraight,but hasacoupleofcurves).

Elsieisexpectedtoarrive atMainStreetStation sometimeinJanuary. Thepairofmachineswill eachtakeaboutoneyear togettoCypressStreetin Kitsilano,theendoftheir journeyjustpastthefuture

ArbutusStation.The BroadwaySubwayprojectis expectedtoopenin2026. Thetwoarenamedafter notablewomenfromB.C.’s history:ElsieMacGilland PhyllisMunday.

MacGill,borninVancouver in1905,wastheworld’s firstaeronauticalengineer. PhyllisMundaywasborn inSriLankain1894before movingtoB.C.asachild. Shewasknownforher

exploitsasamountaineer, climbingover100peaks withherhusband(whoshe oncesavedfromagrizzlyby chargingitwithaniceaxe).

ByBrendanKergin

HabitatIslandturnsintoactualislandduringtideevent

Therecentking tidewhichcaused

oodingacross MetroVancouver alsohadaneffectonasocalledislandjustoffOlympic Village

Theman-madeHabitat Island(knownbysomelocals asBeerIsland)isactually

apeninsulaandisusually connectedtoland,butthe risingwaterlevelofFalse Creekcompletelycutitoff duringthekingtide,which hassomelocalresidents worried

Accordingtoaspokesperson forthecityofVancouver, allisasitshouldbe “Asa

naturalizedarea,Habitat Islandwasdesignedto withstandtidalchanges,”the citytellsV.I.Ainanemail. FormerVancouverPark BoardcommissionerJohn CoupartooktoFacebookto expressconcernthatsome ofthelogsontheislandhad floatedfreeandthattreeshad

beendownedbytheweather, sharingthephotoyouseehere TheCitysaysthat“staffare awareofrecentimpactsfrom thekingtidesandrelated weathersystemsandhavenot beenalertedtoanydamageto nearbyareasorboatsdueto floatinglogsorotherdebris”

ByAllieTurner

G E T T Y

Fluvaccineproviding‘substantial protection’sofar:BCCDC

Ifyouvebeenonthefence aboutwhetherornotto gettheflushotthisyear, thismightbethenudge youneedtorollupyour sleeve

TheBCCentreforDisease Control(BCCDC)says preliminaryfindingsshowthe influenzavaccinehascutthe

riskofthefluinhalfduring theongoingfluseason Thefindingscomefrom theCanadianSentinel PractitionerSurveillance Network(SPSN), headquarteredatthe BCCDC

TheSPSN,whichincludes

primarycareprovidersfrom Alberta,BC,Ontarioand Quebec,providesmid-season fluvaccineeffectiveness estimatesbasedondatafrom patientsseekingcareforflulikesickness

“Wewillupdateouranalysis inthenewyear,butthese interimfindingsshowa

substantialreductionin theriskofinfluenzaillness forvaccinatedpeoplewho seekmedicalcare, saidDr DanutaSkowronski,leadof theSPSNandaphysician epidemiologistatthe BCCDC,inanewsrelease

CITY OF VANCOUVER: PUBLIC HEARINGS

Public Hearing: January 17, 2023

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at 6 pm to be convened by electronic means Vancouver City Council will hold a Public Hearing to consider zoning for these locations:

1. CD-1 Rezoning: 1063-1075 Barclay Street

To rezone 1063-1075 Barclay Street from RM-5B (Residential) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District, to permit the development of a 47-storey residential building with 87 social housing units and 285 strata-titled residential units A building height of 139 2 metres (456 7 feet) and a floor space ratio (FSR) of 19 10 are proposed

2. CD-1 Rezoning: 5562-5688 Manson Street

To rezone 5562-5688 Manson Street from RS-1 (Residential) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District, to permit the development of two 18-storey buildings with 392 secured rental units, of which 20% of the floor area is secured as below-market rental units, and a 37-space childcare facility A building height of 56 0 metres (183 7 feet) and a floor space ratio (FSR) of 6 0 are proposed

Public Hearing: January 19, 2023

Thursday, January 19, 2023, at 6 pm to be convened by electronic means

Vancouver City Council will hold a Public Hearing to consider zoning for these locations:

A. CD-1 Rezoning: 3575-3655 Kaslo Street, 3580-3644 Slocan Street and 2755 East 21st Avenue

To rezone 3575-3655 Kaslo Street, 3580-3644 Slocan Street and 2755 East 21st Avenue from RS-1 (Residential) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District, to permit the development of a three-storey B C Children’s Hospital complex care transition facility and a single-storey 74-space childcare facility A height of 16 5 metres (54 feet) for the complex care facility and a height of 5 5 metres (18 feet) for the childcare facility are proposed, along with a total floor space ratio (FSR) of 0 70

B Rezoning: 7057-7075 Oak Street and 1015 West 54th Avenue

To rezone 7057-7075 Oak Street and 1015 West 54th Avenue from RS-1 (Residential) District to RM-8AN (Residential) District, to allow for a townhouse or rowhouse development with a maximum floor space ratio (FSR) of 1 2

C Heritage Designation: 123 East 6th Avenue (Simon Fraser Elementary School Annex)

To add the Simon Fraser Elementary School Annex at 123 East 6th Avenue to the Vancouver Heritage Register in the “B” evaluation category and to bring forward for enactment a by-law to designate the exterior and structure of the heritage building

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE APPLICATIONS, VISIT

shapeyourcity.ca/rezoning

AND REFER TO THE REFERRAL REPORT FOR LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS OF SUBJECT PROPERTIES

Public Hearings are to be convened by electronic means, with in-person attendance also available You may participate in the Public Hearing either by speaking by phone or in person, or by submitting comments that will be distributed to the Mayor and Councillors All spoken and written comments will be publicly accessible on the City of Vancouver’s website with your full name attached To participate in the Public Hearing, you can register to speak beginning at 8:30 am on January 6, 2023 until 5 pm on the day of the Public Hearing:

Register to speak online by visiting: vancouver.ca/your-government/speak-at-city-council-meetings.aspx and select the agenda item(s) you wish to speak to; telephone participation is encouraged as it is the most efficient way to speak to Council Register to speak via phone by calling 604-829-4238 and specifying which meeting date, meeting type and agenda item(s) you wish to speak to, and indicate whether you are participating by telephone or in person

You can also register on the day of the Public Hearing, between 5:30 and 6 pm at City Hall; for more information, visit vancouver ca/publichearings To participate by telephone, you must have access to a telephone, provide a telephone number that can be used to contact you, and provide an email address where instructions on when and how to call into the Public Hearing can be provided to you Speakers can also call in during the Public Hearing The telephone number and participant code are tweeted out and available on the live stream, while the meeting is in progress For more information, visit vancouver ca/publichearings Send your comments to Council online at vancouver.ca/public-hearing-comments, by email at publichearing@vancouver.ca or by mail to: City of Vancouver, City Clerk’s Office, 453 West 12th Avenue, Third Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1V4

Get live updates on the meeting at vancouver.ca/speaker-wait-times or follow Twitter @VanCityClerk Watch the meeting live at vancouver ca/council-video Copies of the draft by-laws will be made available for in-person viewing from 8:30 am to 5 pm on weekdays at the City Clerk s Office on the Third Floor of City Hall from Friday January 6, 2023 until the Public Hearing commences, and for viewing at all times on the meeting agenda starting January 6, 2023 at 1 pm See the agenda on the City’s website at vancouver ca/councilmeetings Minutes of the Public Hearing will also be available at this location approximately two business days after a meeting Details of all Council meetings can be found at covapp vancouver ca/councilMeetingPublic

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PUBLIC HEARINGS, INCLUDING SUBMITTING COMMENTS AND REGISTERING TO SPEAK: vancouver.ca/publichearings

Visit: vancouver.ca Phone: 3-1-1

Apromisingnewwayto preventHIVinfections

ABritishColumbialedresearch groupispaving thewayfora landmarkpreventativeHIV medicationithopescan reduceCanadasstagnant ratesofnewHIVinfections

Long-actingpre-exposure prophylaxis,orPrEP, ismorethan99percent effective atpreventing thedevelopmentofHIV whenitisinjectedevery two months,accordingto clinicaltrialdatareported bymanufacturerViiV Healthcare

Theinjectabledrug, cabotegravir,wasapproved bytheU S Foodand DrugAdministrationlast Decemberbuthasnotyet beensubmittedtoHealth Canadaforapproval

Currently,theinjectable medicationis approvedto treatHIVamongthenearly 63,000Canadiansestimated to livewiththevirus,butnot tobeusedpreventatively Andwhileanoralformof

PrEPhasbeenavailable inCanadasince2016and theUnitedStatessince 2012,expertssayincreasing treatmentoptionswillbe keytoreducingthemore than1,500estimatednew infectionsinCanadaeach year

“Butifyouwanttoactually havethoseHIV numbers decrease,we’regoingto wanttofindmoreinnovative strategiesandfigureout howtomakesurethat theyrebeingas effectiveas possible.

MICHAEL MONTESS WESTERNUNIVERSTY

“Wherewearetodayis obviouslyamuchbetter placethanweveeverbeen, saidMichael Montess,a postdoctoralassociateat WesternUniversity

Long-actinginjectablePrEP is lower-maintenanceand improvesadherence,the singlemostsignificant factor inthemedication’ssuccess atpreventingHIV Similar long-actingshotshavebeen developedforcontraceptive andpsychiatric medications “Onceyouhavethat[PrEP] shot,youcan knowthat youarealmost100percent coveredforthenexttwo months,” saidMontess “Soyoudon’thavetoworry aboutforgettingapill or anticipatingapossible exposureandtimingit correctly Theshot really givesyoualotofflexibility andkeepsadherencehigh ” Montess,aformerpostdoc attheUniversity ofVictoria, isworkingwithcolleagues

inBritishColumbiaand Ontario toidentifyand reducebarrierstolongactinginjectablePrEP beforeitbecomesavailable TheFutureofPrEPis Nowproject,fundedby theCanadianInstitutes ofHealthResearch,will alsoinvestigatechallenges withoralPrEPtomake bothversionsmoreeasily accessible

ByMoiraWyton, LocalJournalismInitiativ Reporter,TheTyee

“Vaccineprotectionis especiallyimportantfor peopleathigherriskof severecomplicationsandfor ahealthcaresystemthatis managingthecirculationof multiplerespiratoryvirusesat thesametimeasweenterthe holidayperiod ” Becausethefluseason startedearlierthanusual,Dr Skowronskisaidtheywere abletoassessthevaccine effectivenessearlierrather thanthetypicalmid-seasonin JanuaryorFebruary.

Accordingtotherelease, themajorityofflucasesthis seasonhavecomefromthe subtypeH3N2whichisoften associatedwithmoresevere epidemicsandlowervaccine effectiveness However,the SPSNvaccineeffectiveness

estimateiscurrently comparableorhigherthan measuredinpreviousseasons againstthesamesubtype. Vaccinesareavailableacross theprovince “Vaccinesareavailablefor everyonesixmonthsand olderinB C andthese preliminaryfindingsshow howvaccinationremains ourbestdefenceagainst respiratoryillnesses,”said B C MinisterofHealth, AdrianDix,intherelease

Folksarealsoremindedto stayathomeiffeelingunwell, coughandsneezeintoa tissueoryourelbow,weara maskifyouhaverespiratory symptomsandtocleanyour handsfrequently

ByAndrewHughes

JohnBentleyis an architectural photographer who has photographed the inside and outside of thousands of buildings around Vancouver Using images from the Vancouver Archives he offers a glimpse of the past and present on his site Vancouver Now & Then