Westender – December 17, 2015

DECEMBER 17-23 // 2015

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EVERYTHING VANCOUVER

@WestenderVan

5 - PA G GIF E GU I T DE!

Last-minute Xmas • ‘MIXED NUTS’ CRACKS HOLIDAY CLASSIC • • CONTACT TOUCHES DOWN AT BC PLACE • • ACTOR MIKE DOPUD’S SCI-FI LIFE •

NEWS // ISSUES • STYLE // DESIGN • EAT // DRINK • MUSIC // ARTS • FILM // TV • HEALTH // SEX

3-Day Jewellery Sale Thursday, Friday, Saturday Only!

Additional 20% discount from our already low-pricing policy on all new and antique in-stock jewellery December 17, 18, 19

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Other brands also discounted

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J&M Coin & Jewellery Ltd.

127 E. Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5T 1W1 604-876-7181 348 - 4800 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 4J2 604-439-0753

Since 1967

FREE PARKING underneath our Vancouver store, entrance off 8th Avenue 2 W December 17 - December 23, 2015

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NEWS // ISSUES

@WESTENDERVAN

YOUR CITY You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld

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THE MONEY IS THERE, LETS USE IT WISELY

The repeated claim that Ottawa’s fiscal cupboard is bare is fatuous.

Whenever a financial crisis erupts, it is clear that a sov-

ereign country’s central bank can create money as needed.

For example, to address the freeze in the credit markets that occurred in 2008, our federal government immediately set up a $200 billion

Extraordinary Financing Framework to bail out struggling banks and corporations.

The myth that the federal government can run out of money in normal times is propagated by financial elites

who fear that too much government spending on social welfare will cause inflation and erode their financial wealth, and by business and corporate leaders satisfied with slack in the economy to prevent unions from demanding higher wages.

In truth, Canada’s cupboard is well stocked with both good ideas and unused real resources that can be mobilized. The government should make Canada a leader in public renewable energy schemes, better public transport systems, and various green initiatives that would combat climate change and create a highly skilled workforce with many permanent jobs.

–Larry Kazdan

HARD LUCK CANUCKS

This is a rave for theVancouver Canucks.Thank you for your terrible play of late!

As a result, tickets are actually (somewhat) affordable again, and I won’t have to take a second mortgage out on my condo to see my Edmonton Oilers on Boxing Day! –Go Oil!

December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 3

NEWS // ISSUES

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YOUR CITY

VPD launches crime-mapping tool for public

MIKE HOWELL @howellings

PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT: Offers valid until January 4, 2016. See toyota.ca for complete details on all cash back offers. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between Toyota prices, rates and/or other information contained on www.getyourtoyota.ca and that contained on toyota.ca, the latter shall prevail. Errors and omissions excepted. *Lease example: 2016 Tacoma Double Cab 4x4 DZ5BNT-A with a vehicle price of $38,525 includes $1,855 freight/PDI leased at 2.99% over 40 months with $3,675 down payment equals 80 semi-monthly payments of $178 with a total lease obligation of $17,950. Lease 60 mos. based on 100,000 km, excess km charge is $.10. †Finance example: 2.49% finance for 36 months, upon credit approval, available on 2016 Tacoma Double Cab 4x4 DZ5BNT-A. Applicable taxes are extra. Down payment, first semi-monthly payment and security deposit plus GST and PST on first payment and full down payment are due at lease inception. A security deposit is not required on approval of credit. **Lease example: 2016 Corolla CE BURCEM-6A MSRP is $17,580 and includes $1,585 freight/PDI leased at 0.49% over 40 months with $1,275 down payment equals 80 semi-monthly payments of $78 with a total lease obligation of $7,545. Lease 40 mos. based on 60,000 km, excess km charge is $.07.†† Finance example: 0.49% finance for 48 months, upon credit approval, available on 2016 Corolla CE BURCEM-6A. Applicable taxes are extra. ***Lease example: 2015 RAV4 FWD LE Automatic ZFREVT-A with a vehicle price of $26,220 includes $1,855 freight/PDI leased at 0.49% over 40 months with $2,350 down payment equals 80 semi-monthly payments of $125 with a total lease obligation of $12,366. Lease 40 mos. based on 60,000 km, excess km charge is $.10. Up to $2,000 Non-stackable Cash Back available on select 2015 RAV4 models. Finance example: 0.49% finance for 36 months, upon credit approval, available on 2015 RAV4 FWD LE Automatic ZFREVT-A. Applicable taxes are extra. ‡Non-stackable Cash back offers valid until January 4, 2016, on select models and may not be combined with Toyota Financial Services (TFS) lease or finance rates. If you would like to lease or finance at standard TFS rates (not the above special rates), then you may by January 4, 2016. Cash incentives include taxes and are applied after taxes have been charged on the full amount of the negotiated price. See toyota.ca for complete details on all cash back offers. ‡‡Semi-monthly lease offer available through Toyota Financial Services on approved credit to qualified retail customers on most 24, 36, 48 and 60 month leases of new and demonstrator Toyota vehicles. First semi-monthly payment due at lease inception and next monthly payment due approximately 15 days later and semi-monthly thereafter throughout the term. Toyota Financial Services will waive the final payment. Semi-monthly lease offer can be combined with most other offers excluding the First Payment Free and Encore offers. First Payment Free offer is valid for eligible TFS Lease Renewal customers only. Toyota semi-monthly lease program based on 24 payments per year, on a 48-month lease, equals 96 payments, with the final 96th payment waived by Toyota Financial Services. Not open to employees of Toyota Canada, Toyota Financial Services or TMMC/TMMC Vehicle Purchase Plan. Lease payments can be made monthly or semi-monthly basis but cannot be made on a weekly basis. Weekly payments are for advertising purposes only. Visit your Toyota Dealer or www.getyourtoyota.ca for more details. Some conditions apply; offers are time limited and may change without notice. Dealer may lease/sell for less.

A man breaks into a neighbour’s car. A family up the street gets its bikes stolen.

Someone is assaulted outside a convenience store around the corner. As a resident of that neighbourhood, you may not be aware of the mini crime wave that has rolled into your community.

The Vancouver Police Department wants to fill that information gap with the introduction of an online crime mapping tool that gives residents up-to-date data on the types of crimes occurring in their neighbour-

coloured city map and track crime trends. For example, a user could search thefts from automobiles in the West End for the past two weeks and see on a map where the crimes occurred.

Although the VPD provides crime maps and statistics on its website, the information is dated by a month or two.The Geodash system is refreshed every 24 hours and provides graphs.

“It’s intended to enhance community awareness and provide an open and transparent look at criminal activity in Vancouver,” said Police Chief Adam Palmer in launching the system Tuesday

The VPD has launched a new crime-mapping tool that can be accessed by the public to learn about up-to-date crime trends in their neighbourhood and across the city. hoods and across the city.

Called Geodash -- geographic data and analysis statistical hub – the system

2016

allows the public to use a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer to zoom in on a neighbourhood on a

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G E T Y O U R T OYO TA . C A JIM PATTISON TOYOTA DOWNTOWN 1395 West Broadway (604) 682-8881 30692

JIM PATTISON TOYOTA NORTH SHORE 849 Auto Mall Drive (604) 985-0591

GRANVILLE TOYOTA VANCOUVER 8265 Fraser Street (604) 263-2711 6978

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JIM PATTISON TOYOTA SURREY 15389 Guildford Drive (604) 495-4100 6701

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PEACE ARCH TOYOTA SOUTH SURREY 3174 King George Highway (604) 531-2916 30377

reporters how simple the system was to use and projected a map on a television screen of crime trends in Grandview-Woodland.

“You can see at a very cursory level that there’s some rise in theft from autos around Lakewood [Street], around Third Street and around Parker,” he said, pointing to coloured icons on the screen. “As a citizen of that neighbourhood, that would be something I would want to pay particular attention to, maybe take extra precaution in locking up my items when my car’s parked.”

A more detailed version of Geodash has been used by police officers for more than a year, with Palmer saying “it provides good situational awareness for proactive policing.”

–Courtesy ofVancouver Courier

New mortgage rule won’t cool high-end Vancouver market

A.P.R. / 48 mos.

semi-monthly/40 mos.

at the Cambie Street police precinct. “We realized that the information we were providing to the public was a little bit behind the times.”

The chief said the system is designed to protect the privacy of victims, noting no personal or identifiable information will be included in the data. Also, he said, any assaults against a person, including robberies or sexual assaults, will only be shown on the map at the nearest intersection. For burglaries and other property offences, specific addresses will not be revealed. Palmer said he hoped the timely data will inspire residents to join or form Blockwatch groups and participate in other crime prevention programs.

Special constable Ryan Prox, who is the VPD’s analytics coordinator, showed

SUNRISE TOYOTA ABBOTSFORD Fraser Valley Auto Mall (604) 857-2657 5736

REGENCY TOYOTA VANCOUVER 401 Kingsway (604) 879-8411 8507

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VALLEY TOYOTA CHILLIWACK 8750 Young Road (604) 792-1167 8176

SQUAMISH TOYOTA SQUAMISH 39150 Queens Way (604) 567-8888 31003

WESTMINSTER TOYOTA NEW WESTMINSTER 210 - 12th Street (604) 520-3333 8531

A measure designed to cool Vancouver and Toronto’s heated housing markets won’t have any effect on the “high end” of the Vancouver market — which now includes modest detached family homes — even as the United States Federal Reserve’s expected interest rate hike will likely make Vancouver real estate even more attractive to investor buyers.

On Dec. 11, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced that the minimum down payment for a $500,000 home will remain at five per cent but an additional 10 per cent down payment will apply to anything beyond that. Properties valued more than $1 million already require a minimum down payment of 20 per cent while lenders are required to obtain mortgage insurance when the down payment is less than 20 per cent.

“It won’t cool a hot market but it will keep it from boiling over,” said Chris Catliff, CEO of BlueShore Financial Credit Union.

Currently, Catliff said, the Vancouver market is effectively divided into two markets: the high-end market, which he said is fuelled by foreign buyers, and the “normal” market. Home prices in the high-end market, mostly made up of single family homes in certain Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods, saw a 25.9 per cent price increase this year.

Catliff believes the new policy will slow down the non-high-end market. He predicted heated activity in

January as homebuyers rush to make purchases before the new rules come into effect in February. He noted that the policy is targeted to the pricy Vancouver and Toronto markets: in most other markets in Canada, first-time homebuyers would be purchasing far below the $500,000 threshold.

Meanwhile, an expected interest rate increase from the US Federal Reserve this Wednesday will put downward pressure on Canada’s dollar.That will have the effect of making Canadian real estate more attractive to American and Chinese buyers, said Thomas Davidoff, professor of economics at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

“This will probably make the yuan more expensive relative to the loonie, which will make it cheaper for Chinese investors, who are an important block here,” Davidoff said.

“If they’re thinking about buying real estate in the US, the yuan weakens relative to the dollar in the US… so if your choice is Dallas or Vancouver I suspect Vancouver becomes more attractive.”

First-time homebuyers are financing Vancouver’s incredibly expensive homes by relying on equity-rich parents and delaying home purchases until later in life, Catliff said.

Incomes have also been rising in the region: in 2013, Vancouver’s median family income rose to $73,390 from $71,140, but still tracked below the national average of $76,550.

–Courtesy of Business in Vancouver

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YOUR CITY

Property taxes going up... again MIKE HOWELL @howellings

Dig in to your wallets Vancouver, your taxes are going up… again. After a heated political debate that pitted the ruling Vision Vancouver against the NPA, council voted 7-4 Tuesday to raise taxes by 2.3 per cent next year to help balance a $1.2 billion operating budget.

The tax hike is in addition

to increases in utility fees, including 4.2 per cent for water service and 9.9 per cent for sewer. Solid waste costs remain the same.

For a single-family house assessed at $1.1 million, the increases translate to an estimated tax bill of $2,011 and another $1,198 in utility fees – solid waste ($261), sewer ($345) and water ($592) – for a total of $3,209.

That’s a spike of about

That savings, Affleck said, would keep the tax increase closer to the rate of inflation.

“It’s the right thing to do for the taxpayers of Vancouver,” said Affleck, who suggested cuts could be made to the planning and communications departments and the offices of the mayor and city manager.

In shooting down Affleck’s request, Mayor Gregor Robertson defended the work

$100 over this year’s bill. For a business property assessed at $589,000, the total bill comes to $5,397, an increase of about $150.

It took council more than two hours to reach a decision on the increases, largely because of an unsuccessful attempt by NPA Coun. George Affleck to defer the vote until city staff could find $7 million in savings to reduce the property tax hike to 1.3 per cent.

of city staff for balancing a budget that leaves Vancouverites with one of the lowest tax rates in the region and funds a wide array of services.

“This is a callous and reckless approach to budgeting – throwing a massive cut to the city and the people who serve our citizens, at the buzzer,” said the mayor, noting Affleck requested staff find $7 million in savings before the end of the month.

Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr noted a city survey of residents found that 53 per

cent of respondents agreed with a 2.3 per cent tax hike in return for city services.

“There is too much fear mongering in the public around tax increases,” Carr said. “My belief is that people want good services.We have done previous surveys which have shown, in fact, public support for a greater [tax] increase than we even put into the budget because they link it with the services that they get.” W –Courtesy ofVancouver Courier

Tragedy inspires neighbourhood to come together Grant Lawrence Vancouver Shakedown @GrantLawrence

When it comes to holiday traditions in Vancouver, one of the best and brightest has long been the Trinity Street Light Festival and competition in East Vancouver.

Stretching six blocks across the Hastings-Sunrise enclave of Burrardview, the often dazzling, Clark Griswoldesque light displays strung up by neighbours has been a glowing holiday fixture since 2000.

What many people who enjoy the lights don’t realize is that the annual event was originally triggered by one of the darkest chapters in the neighbourhood’s history.

In November 1999, Martha Elliott and Nora Davis, two elderly, single women living separately on Wall Street (two blocks away from Trinity) were brutally murdered in their homes just two weeks apart from one another.

It cast a dark pall over the neighbourhood as residents fortified their homes out of fear of a killer on the loose.

The murderer was eventually caught and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Cate Jones, a longtime resident of Trinity Street, wanted to find a way to make her neighbourhood feel safe again, to bring residents out of their homes rather than retreating inwards. A year later, at Christmas 2000, Jones rallied her block to challenge the next block over to a lights competition. Soon the other four blocks of Trinity Street joined in. Just as Jones had hoped, neighbours indeed did emerge from their homes to meet each other amidst the glow cheery light displays. A neighbourhood was reclaimed and a tradition was born.

Jones didn’t stop there. She approached the local St. James Hospice in nearby Burrardview Park to be the beneficiary of an official competition, with

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ballots available so neighbours and visitors could vote on favourite light displays at the cost of $2 each. For years the festival was a sparkling accomplishment, a shining example for the entire city, raising funds for the hospice, as well as Harbourview Daycare and Kiwassa Neighbourhood House.

Ironically, the Trinity Lights Festival has become a victim of its own success. 2015 marks the first year since 2000 that there is no official competition, no ballot boxes, and no signage marking the event. Christmas lights are still up on Trinity, but not as many as in previous years.

“The competition isn’t happening because there isn’t anyone organizing it”, says Jones. “We found that in recent years, donations have slipped significantly.The amount of money raised from the competition didn’t justify the huge amount of volunteer time it takes to organize it.”

The main cause for this, states Jones without hesitation, is cars.

“The initial goal of the lights was to bring people out of their homes to walk the street, to have strangers talking to each other, to listen to the kids’ excitement at seeing the lights,” says Jones. “When the street is clogged with traffic that doesn’t happen, and it’s only gotten worse each year despite our efforts to encourage people to walk the route. Some nights have been pretty horrendous with lots of honking and yelling, even hit-and-runs.”

Jones says she has mixed feelings about the lack of an official competition this year.

She’d like to see it return to its original roots as a local community event, and hopes that someone will step forward to bring the competition back in the future.

In the meantime, several houses are still glittering, so if you do come down to Trinity this year, park your car on a side street and walk the route, and remember the reason why the lights of Trinity Street have shone brightly for 15 years. W

CLOSING FOREVER After over 30 years in the same location, we are closing our downtown vancouver doors.

EVERYTHING MUST GO!

Silent bids are welcome for all fixtures, furniture, retail display merchandisers, counters, barn wood, light fixtures, racking and more.

We’re selling to the bare walls.

DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

1401 HORNBY ST. 604.662.3303

OPEN 10AM-6PM December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 5

STYLE // DESIGN

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FASHION Your West End Benjamin Moore Paint and Hardware Store

‘Insta-famous’ getting paid to post Niki Hope Style File

@NikiMHope

Guilford Green HC-116 Colour of the Year 2015

1320 Davie St. (@ Jervis) • 604-687-6285 M-F 9:30-6 • Sa 9:30-5:30 • Su 12-5 benjaminmoore.ca

When you’re flicking through that Instagram feed, and you spot Amber Rose bursting at the breasts and hips from her “waist trainer,” it’s pretty clear she’s getting paid to push the product.

The dark side of the Instafamous and the problem-free beautiful life that gets celebrated in well-lit images of ridiculously attractive young women came to light earlier this year when Australian model Essena O’Neill quit social media, saying the drive for “likes” and the post-forpay lifestyle left her feeling empty and like a fraud.

But O’Neill’s assertions (some cynics even question her motives for going public with her concerns but then continuing to have an online presence) seem to have done little to quash this new – and sometimes murky – form of advertising. Companies can simply move onto the next stunner with 100K-plus followers to show off their wares.

And there are plenty of them, some even raking in seven-figure salaries.The biggest of the

W E N

Vancouver fashion insider Joshua Langston weighs in on ‘Insta-celebs’ getting paid to post. Contributed photo fashion bunch is blogger Chiara Ferragni, of The Blonde Salad, who has a whopping 5.1 million Instagram followers and rakes in an estimated $8 million a year with her various business ventures – offshoots of her social-media and online success.

What most of them have in common is youth, style, beauty, brains, and an unrelenting ability to put themselves out there.

The process of getting paid to post can involve an array of deals – some a single post with a mention, others include blog posts, others entail the Instagrammer/blogger working as a “brand ambassador,” and on and on.The prices are also varied – locally, one source told me it can cost anywhere from $300 for a single post, to $5,000 for a whole campaign; those numbers can jump substantially in the US.There are a number of locals making money online – through blogging and Instagramming – but none of the ones I reached out to were eager to talk about the trade.

“As your following [grows], you get paid. As your numbers grow so does your ability to make money,” explains Joshua Langston, editor in chief for The Social Life, a website covering fashion news, runway reviews, and style events. But Langston stresses the importance of establishing an audience organically to build authentic engagement, as opposed to the disingenuous practice of buying followers.

A 2014 story from the website Racked.com, pointed out well-known bloggers with hefty audiences, like Jessica Quirk of What I Wore, Kimberly Pesch of Eat Sleep Wear, and Aimee Song of Song of Style have been called out on sites and forums for buying social media followers. In the same article author Chavie Lieber writes: “Originality doesn’t get bloggers noticed anymore – numbers do.”

It’s a departure from the way magazines – the onetime arbiters of style – did business.

Vancouver fashion industry

veteran, stylist, and media personality Crystal Carson has had a front-row seat to watch the media revolution go down.

“When I first began my career it was not about me at all. It was about the work; it was about the readers,” she recalls. “I find it so interesting to compare the depth of skill and knowledge at larger magazines to a picture of a blogger wearing a hat or a shirt or drinking coffee.”

Carson isn’t a social media naysayer, but says it’s important to maintain authenticity.

“I’m not opposed at all, I think it’s great that people are having the ability to express themselves, share what they love,” she says.

While Vancouver fashion and lifestyle public relations pro Malania Dela Cruz sees the benefit for companies to collaborate with Instagrammers on a campaign, there needs to be a long-term goal in mind to ensure it’s successful.

“There are some benefits there – for our clients, the brands,” she says. “Our approach is to work with influencers who have a reputation of authenticity and integrity, but we do like to work with them because it is a powerful tool.”

But she doesn’t rule out the benefit of good, old-fashioned print media either.

“Print, for me, is so exciting,” Dela Cruz says.

But one fact is as clear as a freshly posted Instagram pic: traditional media is no longer the only gatekeeper when it comes to creating a buzz about the latest must-have styles. W

Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the holiday season, recycle your live, cut Christmas tree.

Remove all the decorations and tinsel from the tree and use one of the following options:

Lions Club Chipping Events: Saturday, January 9 and Sunday, January 10 from 10am to 4pm at these locations: • Kerrisdale Community Ice Rink parking lot 5670 East Boulevard north of 41st Avenue • Kitsilano Beach parking lot Cornwall Avenue and Arbutus Street • Sunset Beach upper parking lot Beach Avenue and Broughton Street

OUR CITY YOUR VOICE ROUNDHOUSERADIO.COM 6 W December 17 - December 23, 2015

• Rona Home & Garden Grandview Store 2727 East 12th Avenue – overflow parking lot north of Grandview Highway, south of 12th Avenue

Donations of cash and non-perishable food items will be accepted and distributed to local charities.

Residential Collection: Christmas trees will be collected the weekend of January 16-17. Set out your tree before 7 am on January 16 for collection. Trees should be set out on their own and laid on their sides. Do not place your tree inside your Green Bin or bag or bundle it.

Drop-Off Depots: You may drop off your tree at no charge until January 31 at the Vancouver South Transfer Station, 377 Kent Avenue North, or Vancouver Landfill, 5400 72nd Street, Delta.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Phone: 3-1-1 TTY 7-1-1 vancouver.ca/christmastree

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EAT // DRINK

@WESTENDERVAN

DINING OUT

Northern California’s beer battleground a lesson for us all Stephen Smysnuik The Growler @TheGrowlerBC

Having just returned from San Francisco last week and faced with the task of condensing my experience into a clean 600 words, I was instead faced with a blank Word document and a blinking cursor.This was not an easy task.

How does someone adequately distill 30-plus years of craft beer development after just a four-day visit?

You can’t, not really. So I started writing about my favourite spot, Magnolia Pub & Brewery, and wrote these words: “Magnolia Brewery is an artisanal paradise.” A terrible sentence. Shameful.The cursor blinked, taunting me.

Then I received a text from a friend. No word of a lie, it read: “Magnolia files for bankruptcy.”Talk about coincidence. I looked it up – sure enough, poor Magnolia Brewing Co. – umbrella company of the brewpub and Smokestack, a barbecue restaurant in the Dogpatch neighbourhood – filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Owner Dave McLean told Business Times

that the company had “more debt than it can manage with its current cash flow.”

Which is a shame because Magnolia was by far the most impressive brewpub I’d ever visited, and not just in San Francisco. Located at the centre of Haight-Ashbury – a real treat for a beer-lovin’ ‘60s mythologizer like myself – the place reeked of history, of mash and of marijuana waftng in from off the street.The pulled pork sandwich alone was worth the pilgrimage, but all the beer I tried found the sweet-spot of being artisanal and drinkable, and lacking all pretension. It’s awesome.

But the place is small.The brewpub had a seven-barrel system in its basement.The Dogpatch location had quintupled the company’s beer production, but when compared to other Bay Area craft breweries, it’s still puny. It’s chief advantage – location – is also one of it’s greatest weaknesses: Astronomical rent and real estate prices make it difficult for small breweries, with their high overhead and low margins, to get ahead. (This is one of the main reasons there’s a relatively low number of microbreweries within SF city limits.)

Which, it seems, was the

San Francisco’s Magnolia Pub & Brewery. Photo contributed problem. California now has 600 craft breweries, generating about $16.5 billion annually. Northern California is home to several of the biggest (Sierra Nevada; Lagunitas), most popular (Anchor) and unquestionably best (Russian River) craft brands on the planet. How can a rinky-dink operation, as good as it is, possibly compete?

In a story by SFGate,Tom McCormick, president of the California Craft Brewers Association president said, “We are seeing the beginning of a

new era in craft beer in which it will be getting much more competitive.”

In order to stay on top of the competition, McCormick says that NorCal breweries have to make huge leaps in investment. Some breweries can’t afford the investment, which may have been the problem for Magnolia, along with several others that have closed in California in recent years.

Unlike in BC, there’s nothing precious about “craft” beer. It’s just beer. It’s a business. It’s extremely popular,

but I didn’t get the sense it was trendy. In San Francisco at least, it’s certainly not a defining element of its personality like it is in Portland (or even Seattle).This is a city where trends come and go as quickly as Internet memes.You know what’s trendy in San Francisco right now? Toast.

Which means that, as a viable and extremely lucrative business, competition is the tightest it’s ever been – an indication of what’s to come in the US (and Canada, to a lesser extent) in the next

few years. Craft brands will expand. Macro brands will gobble up (or at least partner with) the most profitable. And along the way, some excellent brands will fold.

And believe it – there’s excellent beer. People talk about Russian River’s Pliny the Elder with the sort reverence typically reserved for great mystics. But what I found most interesting about the beer culture in San Francisco is that there isn’t really a beer culture in San Francisco.

What we call “beer bars” in Vancouver are just “bars” there.Twenty-five taps is the norm. Craft isn’t even really referred to as craft at these places – it’s just “domestic.”

These domestic beers come from all over the West Coast (but never Canada).

There’s very little sense of community or brotherly love like we’re used to in BC because, well, why would there be? It’s business.

Fortunately, Magnolia will stay in business as the owners figure out what’s next. But their plight is a cautionary tale for other regions in North America thinking the staggering boom of craft breweries can continue unabated.

But at least the beer’s great. W

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Vote online at westender.com/contests.

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Vegetarian Gravy & Gluten Free Gravy available at Frenchies

Please pre-order your tourtiere for Christmas and New Year!

2470 MAIN STREET @ BROADWAY 604-253-4545 • Frenchies-Diner.com December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 7

EAT // DRINK

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Great wine at great prices Cyndy Pellegrin, our sommelier, suggests some wines suitable for any occasion, but priced for every day.

Fine, abundant bubbles define the Cuvée Jean-Louis Brut; its bubbles are smaller than any of our other sparkling wines.

Bright and fruity on the nose, this wine exudes aromas typical of Chenin Blanc –apples, apricots and a hint of honey.

The palate holds an explosion of fine bubbles followed by a smooth, fruity finish.

A smoky note of roasted nut is subtly woven with the baked apple, lemon meringue and fennel seed flavors in this vibrant Champagne, with a refined, creamy mousse. Drink now through 2020.

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8 W December 17 - December 23, 2015

Edible – and edifying – gifts for the foodie in your life 5=?A 82H?GL Nosh

Jean Louis Blancs de Blanc $13.30 plus tax & deposit

Veuve Cliquot Champagne $73.00 plus tax & deposit

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Clockwise from top left: Odd Society Spirits’ Crème de Cassis. Fresh Ideas Start Here (F.I.S.H.) maple salmon candy. “Melting” chocolate snowman from Chez Christophe. Bittered Sling gift pack. “Bark Nouveau” from La Petite Souris. Photos submitted

@DenmanBeerWineSpirits

/DenmanBeerWineSpirits

@FoodgirlFriday Is there anything more welcome than an edible gift?

Only cookbooks come close.

So, in the spirit of satisfying both the souls and palates of all the gastronomicallyobsessed individuals in your life, here are some edible – and edifying gifts – for all you last-minute shoppers.

EAT

' ;L9 !A?! JK)! ABB A>9IK turkey? Sustainable seafood is all the rage, and these products from Fresh Ideas Start Here (F.I.S.H.) are awesome and locallysourced and made stocking stuffers. “Shmoked” jerky, made from wild salmon caught at Johnstone Strait, $6.60/100g. Maple or pepper salmon candy, made from white spring salmon caught near Bella Coola. $4.85/100g, EatFish.ca ' 5 BJKKB2 FLJ@!? J! ABFA?! in style. This “melting” chocolate snowman from Chez Christophe will conjure up all those childhood memories of Frosty – not to mention give some very grown-up satisfaction to the taste buds. $24.95 for one boxed sculpture. ChristopeChocolat.com ' 099GJ2! A=7 @JBG A#2 usually reserved for Santa, >IK KLAK)! =9 #2A!9= K9 B2K them go to waste after the kids fall asleep. Especially

when the cookies are from Beaucoup Bakery and include two each of their peanut butter sandwich cookies, browned butter and kinako shortbread, toasted buckwheat chocolate chip cookies, and salted rosemary chocolate cookies. Did I @2=KJ9= KL2 BJK#2 9$ 5HAB9=)! organic milk that comes FJKL< -9# *+6/ JK)! A "#2AK host or self-gift. One-day advance order required.

BeaucoupBakery.com '39I :9IB7 @AG2 ?9I# own, but why bother when KL2#2)! !9@2KLJ=" KLJ! &#2KK?< La Petite Souris on Gibsons makes lovely chocolates, bars and treats, including these absolutely beautiful “Bark Nouveau” in flavours like toffee and marshmallow, peanut butter crunch with rice crisps, habanero and cinnamon, dark chocolate peppermint, and toasted oats with dried :L2##J2!. 5=7/ KL2? 72BJH2# in two business days. $16 per box, LaPetiteSouris.ca

DRINK

' D9BJ7A? !2A!9= @2A=! :9:GKAJB !2A!9=/ A=7 KL2#2)! nothing wrong with a classic Kir Royale. To make sure yours (or that made by whoever invited you over) stands out from the crowd, use Odd Society Spirits’ Crème de Cassis. Produced in partnership with the legendary chef D2#HE 4A#KJ= (CL2 -#2=:L Table), this lovely lightlysweet liqueur is made with BC blackcurrants and a lot of love. $22 at the distillery, OddSocietySpirits.com

' 19 L9@2 :9:GKAJB >A# is complete without some high-quality bitters. This gift pack from Bittered Sling is a collaboration with cocktail festival Tales of the Cocktail, and features the Gastown, Palermo, Condesa and French Quarter bitters, in honour of the last four locations of the festival. $49.95 for four 25mL bottles, BitteredSling.com

READ

! The Butcher,The Baker,TheWine and Cheese Maker: By the Sea

by Jennifer Schell. In this !2%I2B 27JKJ9= K9 BA!K ?2A#)!

Okanagan-based cookbook, author Jennifer Schell brings together the farmers, artisans, fishers, foragers and chefs (and a few winemakers) who make the Lower Mainland and Coastal BC the amazing edible haven that it is. Recipes, stories and a little folklore, this is an entertaining and delicious read. $29.95, TouchwoodEditions.com ' A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting at the Edge of the World by Susan Musgrave.;LAK LA&&2=! FL2= an award-winning poet and writer takes over a small B&B 9= KL2 DAJ7A ,FAJJ J!BA=7!< 5 beautiful collision of food and life, told with sharp wit and warm humour. In between !K9#J2! 9$ FLAK JK)! BJG2 K9 live in this remote paradise are recipes like spruce tip mayonnaise, mussels Trudeau and rose spit halibut. $34.95, Whitecap.ca W

Westender.com

Above: the DropStop Pour Spout.

Right: the Coravin wine system.

Last-minute gifts for wine lovers MICHAELA MORRIS @MichaelaWine I’m going to let you in on a secret. Most of the oenophiles I know aren’t really into wine gadgets. The overwhelming consensus is that all they really want is a good bottle of wine, decent glasses and a corkscrew.

In more or less that order.

So I say forget the trinkets like wine charms and bottle stoppers. In lieu of (or in addition to) a bottle of wine, there are a few wine themed gifts that I can stand behind. All of the following would all be welcome under my Christmas tree.

DropStop Pour Spout, $4.95 plus tax (for a package of two), private wine stores.

This small, flexible and reusable disk is surely one of my favourite inventions. Just roll it up and pop it in the neck of the bottle. It allows you to pour without annoying drips on the table or an unsightly trickle on the label. Sound like cheating?

I’ve swallowed my pride and use drop stops religiously. The perfect stocking stuffer.

Hungry For Wine: Seeing the World Through the Lens of a Wine Glass by Cathy Huyghe, $28.62 through Amazon.

I have a weakness for

wine books. But they have to deliver on either an intellectual or emotional level and be well-written. Forbes.com wine columnist Cathy Huyghe satisfies all of these cravings with her first book, Hungry For Wine. This collection of 12 short chapters can be devoured in one single sitting; however, I preferred to savour it slowly. Each chapter offers plenty of food for thought as Huyghe focuses on one specific wine then swirls it around to reveal the greater social, cultural, economical, political or personal context. Perfect for wine aficionados of all ilk.

You may not be able to order the paper version in time for the 25th but the Kindle version can be surreptitiously downloaded immediately for just $6.59.

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting, tickets $95 (includes tax) available at BC Liquor Stores.

Treat your wine connaisseur to a classy night out. The Union des Grands Cru (UGC) is a collective of Bordeaux châteaux including many of the region’s top names.

On Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, more than 40 château owners belonging to the UGC will make their way to Vancouver

to show off the 2013 vintage.

This is a rare opportunity to try the likes of Smith Haut Lafitte, Léoville-Poyferré, Pichon-Baron, Canon La Gaffelière and many more before the wines arrive for sale in October 2016. Pre-orders will also be offered exclusively to attendees. The tasting takes place from 6:30-9pm at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. Coravin wine system, $385 plus tax at TheWineSyndicate.ca I’m always skeptical about the latest wine contraptions so I didn’t jump on the Coravin bandwagon until I experienced it firsthand. This device allows you to access wine from a bottle without actually opening it. A thin needle penetrates the cork drawing off the desired amount and replacing it with argon, an inert gas that preserves the remaining wine. Why on earth would you want to do that?

Well those serious collectors in your life may be waiting for the right time to open a bottle.

Coravin allows them to check in on a wine’s evolution. It also enables them to enjoy just one glass of wine at a time without the rest oxidizing. The Wine Syndicate promises delivery within just three days. You still have time. W

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PNECLIPS

December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 9

My Digs: Holiday Style with Stephanie Vogler of The Cross Décor & Design to source things that others will love. With art, I’m able to find things that I can enjoy and treasure all to myself.

Therefore, my art collection is quite large. I have work wfrom many local artist friends. I cherish those pieces the most.

My vintage collection is mostly made up of Limoges dishes.

I love delicate, pretty dishes paired with rustic table linens.

Linens are another obsession...

JENNIFER SCOTT @Jennifer_AGCTK As the creative director for Vancouver’s most sought after décor boutique and design firm – The Cross – Stephanie Vogler clearly has a penchant for all things stylish. The approachably chic aesthetic upon which the brand has been built transitions beautifully into Stephanie’s personal space and as we tour her family home, she shares with us the insider scoop on creating a stylish, designer-approved décor for the holidays.

Downsides: We really need another bedroom. Although currently our kids love sharing a room, but the writing is on the wall... we need more space.

What is it? A 1200-sq.-ft. southwest-facing condo in Yaletown overlooking Granville Street Bridge; two bedroom, two bath with den.

Occupant (brief bio): I’m the creative director for The Cross Décor and Design, my husband is the assistant treasurer at SFU and our kids are seven and nine years old.

Major selling feature: The fantastic layout and the prime location.

First thing I changed: We added proper built-in closets.

It makes all the difference in the world and allowed for a ton of extra storage (aka, more clothes shopping!).

04"'1 -'.!&4( 6)!/!1$ Feature I brag about: The light. Even on the darkest Vancouver day, our condo is flooded with light.

That one conversation piece: Outside: the view of the bridge is very architectural and the flow of traffic is actu-

10 W December 17 - December 23, 2015

ally quite soothing. Inside: the kids’ bunk beds. We splurged and got the nicest beds from Restoration Hardware. Worth every penny.

influenced by European décor.

I stick to a neutral palette, which allows me to add in a colour depending on the season or my mood.

The décor: It’s constantly changing. I love a beachy, relaxed vibe, but I’m also very

The story behind the art/ antiques/collectibles: As a buyer, I’m always on the hunt

Neighbourhood haunts: So many! We have lived here for nine years and this truly is our community. As a family, we love going for pizza at Bella Gelateria and to Homer St. Cafe for brunch... Banana Nutella French toast! When John and I get a date night, we love Rodney’s or Minami.

When I’m at work I often grab a juice from Krokodile Pear or a salad from Living Produce Aisle or hold lunch meetings at The Flying Pig. Girls night splurge? Blue Water Café.

How would you describe your holiday décor style?

My holiday style is a mash up of childhood nostalgia, German tradition, and the newest trends in décor. I insist on having a real tree and our decorating revolves around our enormous collection of ornaments. I bring home at least a dozen or more of my favourites from each season at The Cross, so after 12 years in business you can imagine the abundance! Currently

I am loving our woodland themed, felted and whimsical ornaments that the kids love.

I’m also loving the copper and rose gold trend in décor, and I’ve worked in into my Christmas decorating as well.

It blends in really nicely with gold and silver and gives the room a lovely, soft glow.

What tips can you share for integrating holiday décor into your usual design aesthetic? I usually clear all my usual surfaces before adding in my décor. Put your everyday things away, then put your holiday décor out.

It’s a process but it allows for a fresh and clean display. If you are a modern minimalist, I love the idea of a pile of twinkle lights on the floor, or simply draped over a mirror.

If you’re more of a maximalist, keep the colour palette simple; I prefer one feature colour with lots of metallics and natural elements. Be true to what you love. Decorating is a personal process and the holidays are no exception to thi s rule.

What item are you most excited about (décor-wise) for your holiday style? I’m fairly particular about our tree and always want the biggest one possible. This year it’s taken over the living room and I’m pretty happy about it. My favourite part about trimming the tree is the garlands. I’m obsessed with garlands. The other thing I get excited about is my collection of vintage tableware. I love pulling out all my old favourites and I really enjoy setting the table for Christmas dinner. W + %),53!112,1'*"$.!#

Westender.com

A beauty gift guide (from personal experience) Style editor Kelsey Klassen makes her top picks for Christmas KELSEY KLASSEN @KelseyKlassen Looking to spoil your loved ones this Christmas? Here are my picks for beauty products that would win any wishlist.

Mix and match or put them all together for one lavish beauty bouquet.

Mario Badescu facial spray with aloe, herbs and rose water. $16, available at BeautyMark.

Created by legendary skincare brand Mario Badescu, this is the one beauty product (besides toothpaste) that I actually share with my husband. He and I both reach for the rose water spray religiously when our skin is feeling tight. It’s refreshing, hydrating, and beautifully fragrant, while working over and under makeup (or even on hair), making it a versatile and unisex addition to any Christmas gift.

Leaves of Trees deodorant. $15, available at BeautyMark.

My beauty routine leans heavily towards organic and

natural products, and last year I spent three months trying to find an effective alternative to antiperspirant.

It got so bad that I had to send memos to my colleagues assuring them that I was well aware of the “issue”. I ultimately triumphed, though, finding a brand that worked for me. Which is why I was leery to try an entirely new product – one you massage on with your fingertips, no less! But Leaves of Trees’ luxurious mousse-like deodorant (made of sodium bicarbonate and kaolin clay) with its rapid absorption and long-lasting efficacy won me over right away. It works, and looks and smells good doing it. No wonder the Torontobased beauty line started flying off shelves the minute it arrived in Vancouver.

NYX V’amped up! lip top coat. $8.99, available at London Drugs.

It’s impossible to keep up with every beauty trend, especially when it involves buying virtually all-new makeup each time. Save your Secret Santa the expense this season with NYX’s fun, vampy make-it-black stick – a lipstick top-coat, packed with shea butter and vitamin E, that turns any lip colour into

an on-trend shade of black.

The best part is the original, base lip colour peeks through just enough to keep things interesting and suited to every skin tone.

stocking stuffer holds hair in place while adding shine and body or ocean-kissed waves.

It has been my best friend on holidays to humid locations this year.

NeoStrata Glycolic Renewal smoothing cream. $39, available at London Drugs.

We all know someone who struggles to keep up a beauty regimen. So many products, so little time! I’m one of them: the guilty girl who sometimes can’t be bothered to moisturize or exfoliate on any given night.

Enter the NeoStrata Acne Clear collection, which made its debut at the #LDBeauty media event this past fall.

The standout for me was its Glycolic Renewal Cream – velvety moisturizer that does double duty as an exfoliator, revealing radiant skin underneath and working to control breakouts. Gentle enough to use daily, it’s now a must in these dry winter months.

Fable Naturals vegan lip balm. $6 each or $18 for three, available at Fable Naturals online and various stores across Vancouver.

Plastics and packaging are another area I try to be conscious in, which is why I was thrilled to discover Fable Naturals. Handmade in Vancouver, these vegan lip balms come in compostable recycled-cardboard squeeze tubes, with lip-saving ingredients like olive oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter.

My favourite flavour is fresh mint, but the line also comes in lemon coconut and vanilla orange.

LUSH Sea Spray hair mist. $13.95, available at LUSH. Treat your favourite beach babe to a spritz of summer with the vegan LUSH Sea Spray. With pleasant notes of orange flower, grapefruit and neroli, this all-natural sea salt/sea water/seaweed

Aesop Geranium Leaf body scrub. $47, available at Aesop.

For the person who craves a fresh start: the natural exfoliants of pumice and bamboo stem in this plantbased Australian skin care line combine to slough away dead skin cells in the utmost satisfying fashion while botanical oils keep everything cool. This is the holy grail of

earth-friendly skin scrubs in a convenient, display-worthy metal tube.

Ilia Beauty silken shadow sticks. $37, available at Kiss & Makeup.

Locally grown success story Ilia Beauty has branched out from its universally lauded organic lipsticks into illuminators, moisturizers, and eye shadows. Its new no-fuss shadow sticks colour on to create divine metallic shimmer in shades of gold, amber, burgundy and grey.

Made with a blend of healing argan, sesame and rose oils and soothing butters, the crease-free formula stays locked in place while mois-

turizing around the eye.

Saje Runners Reward essential oil kit. $23.95, available at Saje Natural Wellness.

Tension headaches, migraines, muscle pain – we all experience at least one of these from time to time. Geared towards runners, Saje’s emergency aromatherapy pack is a thoughtful, travel-sized relief delivery system for any active person, boasting two vials of roll-on pain relief in one handy zip-up pouch.

Between the potent Peppermint Halo and Pain Release formulas, this gift has every ache covered. W

THIS DECEMBER COASTAL CHURCH PRESENTS

Westender.com

December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 11

ARTS // CULTURE

WESTENDER.COM

WHAT’S ON Th/17

Fr/18

Sa/19

Su/20

Nick Lowe, Dec. 19

Mo/21

MUSIC

MUSIC

MUSIC

MUSIC

MUSIC

PUGS & CROWS Juno Awardwinning experimental jazz outfit celebrate the release of Everyone Knows Everyone, Part 2, featuring guest guitarist Tony Wilson with special guests Inhabitants, and Lee Hutzulak. 8pm at The Western Front. Tickets $15 at Front.bc.ca

KEITHMAS VI The annual food bank fundrager returns for its sixth year celebrating the legendary Stones guitarist on his 72nd birthday, featuring Rick Hope & His Evil Doers, the Jolts, the Vicious Cycles MC, Elliot C Way & The Wild North, the Rentalmen, the Ballantynes, La Chinga, the Dahle Brothers, and the Tranzmitors.

8pm at Rickshaw Theatre. Tickets $15 at Red Cat, Zulu, Highlife, Neptoon, and TicketWeb.ca

A CHRISTMAS REPRISE 2015 A treasured yuletide-season tradition returns as the Cantata Singers celebrate the holidays with a matinee performance featuring a repertoire that includes Poulenc, de Victoria, Tallis, Mendelssohn, and Franz Biebl. 2pm at Holy Rosary Cathedral. Tickets $30 at VancouverCantataSingers.com

BLACK BREATH Hardcore influenced death, black, and thrash metal band out of Bellingham play tunes from Slaves Beyond Death, with special guests Burning Ghats, Waingro, and Hopeleus.

8pm at The Astoria. Tickets $14 at TicketFly.com

A VERY PURPLE CHRISTMAS! Join Chin Injeti and a host of others (the Lifetimes, Tonye Aganaba, Dawn Pemberton, Buckman Coe, Kyprios) for live performances echoing the timelessness of Prince, partying like it’s 1999 in support of refugee initiatives.

9:30pm at Guilt & Co. Admission by suggested donation of $20.

THE NAUGHTY & NICE SHOW An evening of live music from Spectregates, Eric Campbell & the Dirt, and Pink Licorice hosted by the fierce and fabulous Tiffany Ann Co. 9:30pm at Biltmore Cabaret.

Tickets $8 at TicketFly.com

THEATRE/DANCE GOH BALLET’S THE NUTCRACKER Experience Clara’s dream come to life as she embarks on a magical journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets in this traditional rendition of the classical masterpiece, performed to the live music of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. 7:30pm at The Centre in Vancouver. Tickets at GohNutcracker.com EBENEEZER – A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY The holiday classic get a dark and twisted rewrite with an entertaining new musical score in a vividly re-imagined story celebrating the grim and macabre aspects of the original.

8pm at Jericho Arts Centre.

Tickets at TicketsTonight.TicketForce.com. Runs until Jan. 2.

ART STREETSCAPES BY CAROL MCQUAID Vancouver artist shows a series of recent cityscapes and townscapes in relief printmaking and watercolour, a series focussed on our built environment and how we inhabit it. Opening reception at 6pm at Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Runs until Jan. 25.

A GYPSY JAZZ CHRISTMAS Van Django presents a festive Christmas mix of nostalgic favourites, jazz standards, pop tunes, and singa-longs all delivered in swinging gypsy-jazz style with a few holiday surprises. 8pm at St. James Community Hall. Tickets $20 at Red Cat, Rufus’ Guitars, Prussin Music, Highlife and RogueFolk.bc.ca A DYLAN THOMAS CHRISTMAS Vancouver Chamber Choir’s performance of A Child’s Christmas in Wales features the narrartion of Russell Roberts and a special appearance from the Vancouver Youth Choir. 8pm at Shaughnessy Heights United Church. Tickets $27.50+ at Ticketmaster.ca CHRISTMAS WITH CHOR LEONI The Vancouver men’s chorus captures the joy and beauty of the festive season with carols and singa-longs with a dash of doo-wop and barbershop in their quintessential glorious sound. 4:30pm at St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church.

Tickets $30+ at TicketsTonight.

TicketForce.com. All ages show.

COMEDY KEVIN BANNER A rising talent in Canadian comedy, having performed with Doug Stanhope, and Norm MacDonald, Banner has appeared at Northwest Comedy Fest, with self-professed “dark” sense of humour tackling tough topics with personable storytelling. 8pm & 10:30pm at Comedy Mix. Tickets $18 at TheComedyMix.com

Keithmas VI, Dec. 18

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS: FIND THE TRUE MEANING Vancouver Chamber Choir presents this lively concert performance of the classic, complete with live actors, a jazz duo, and a special appearance from the Vancouver Youth Choir. 8pm at Shaughnessy Heights United Church. Tickets $27.50+ at Ticketmaster.ca BOTTOM SHELF BOURBON TRIO The urban folk-infused bluegrass band hits the stage with special guests the Soots, and Buffalo Jones. 9:30pm at Pat’s Pub. Tickets $10 at the door only.

JPNSGRLS Vancouver garage-pop band play songs from their latest LP Circulation, with special guests the Written Years, and Hawking.

8pm at Biltmore Cabaret. Tickets $10 at Red Cat, and TicketFly.com

ROCK TILL YOU DROP! Uncle Sid, Chilled Clarity, Strip, and Mike Machado put on a rockin’ show to raise food for the Vancouver Food Bank. 8pm at Rickshaw Theatre.

Tickets $10 with a nonperishable food item or $15 without at the door only.

Chromeo, Oct. 25

COMEDY TOMMY CAMPBELL Stand-up comic, and actor with appearances on The Hour, Canada AM and digital sketch creator whose shorts have been featured on Funny Or Die with an opening set from Greg Kettner and Katie Westman. 7pm & 9:30pm at Yuk Yuk’s.

Tickets $20 at YukYuks.com

THEATRE/DANCE

NICK LOWE’S QUALITY HOLIDAY REVUE British singer-songwriter arrives to spread some holiday cheer featuring some new Christmas Classics from Quality Street, both solo and with Los Straitjackets. 9pm at Vogue Theatre. Tickets $35 at Red Cat, Zulu, Highlife and TicketWeb.ca. All ages show.

MIXED NUTS Tradition with a twist! Families and kids of all ages can enjoy this modern and engaging retelling of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” combining ballet, hip-hop, ballroom and classic grand pas-de-deux. 2pm & 7pm at Vancouver Playhouse. Tickets at ArtsUmbrella.com

SOFT SERVE Vancouver rockers celebrate the release of their selftitled album in an early show with special guests painted fruit. 8pm at The Cobalt. Tickets $5 at the door only.

THE DAISY THEATRE Returning after two sold-out runs, this production is different, daring, and ridiculous as puppeteer provocateur Ronnie Burkett and his resident company of 40 marionettes ensure no two shows are ever the same. 8pm at Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Tickets at Tickets.TheCultch.com. Runs until Dec. 20.

PISTOLFISH Hard rock with funk, reggae, and ska influences from the rock outfit out of Port Moody as they celebrate the release of their EP with special guest Mellt.

8pm at Studio Records. Tickets $12 at the door.

BLUES FOR CHRISTMAS Vancouver’s blues community comes together in its 30th year to celebrate the holiday season and raise funds for musicians in need featuring Jim Byrnes, David Gogo, Gary Comeau & the Voodoo Allstars, Billy Dixon’s Soul Train Express, and many more. 7:30pm at Commodore Ballroom. Tickets $25+ at Ticketmaster.ca THE SINGING HEART A magical, heartfelt, powerful performance of holiday favourites including original works as well as choral numbers from Daniel Elder and Jonathan Rathbone. 7:30pm at Ryerson United Church. Tickets $25 at PhoenixChoir.ca

THEATRE/DANCE LOVE MUSICALLY Off Key Improv presents this heart-warming, musical tribute to the holiday movie Love Actually exploring the equally romantic, comedic, and musical moments of love, inspired by stories of the audience. 2pm & 8pm at Studio 1398 on Granville Island. Tickets $18 at LoveMusically.BrownPaperTickets.com.

Final performance.

Jim Byrnes, Dec. 20

CHRISTMAS QUEEN 2 – YOU BETTER WATCH OUT The Christmas Queen saga continues as the larger-than-life, blue-haired lady drops in on ol’ Santa at the North Pole to create a little chaos before the big day. 7:30pm at the Improv Centre on Granville Island. Tickets at VTSL.com. Runs until Dec. 20.

JULY 2-8 // 2015

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THEATRE/DANCE GOH BALLET’S THE NUTCRACKER Experience Clara’s dream come to life as she embarks on a magical journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets in this traditional rendition of the classical masterpiece, performed to the live music of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. 7:30pm at The Centre in Vancouver. Tickets at GohNutcracker.com. Runs until Dec. 22.

CHEAP & FUN CHRISTMAS AT CANADA PLACE Capture the spirit of the season and stroll along the waterfront to experience the nostalgic tradition of the Woodward’s windows, Christmas tree displays, crafts, a holiday movie tent and the 15 ft. snow globe you can take a snapshot inside. Visit CanadaPlace.ca for details.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS VanDusen Botanical Garden lights up the night with their annual holiday festival where thousands of twinkling lights decorate the gardens turning it into a magical winter wonderland, fun for the whole family with holiday treats and photos with Santa. 4:30pm at VanDusen Botanical Garden.

Tickets at VanDusenGarden.org.

Runs until Dec. 31.

WINTER SOLSTICE LANTERN FESTIVAL The 22nd annual holiday celebration transforms the Classical Chinese Garden into a magical place with hundreds of hand-made lanterns, live music, shadow puppets and hot aromatic tea – a perfect spot for the family or for a fun date night.

6pm at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Tickets $8+ at EventBrite.ca

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WHAT’S ON We/23

Th/24

MUSIC

THEATRE/DANCE

THEATRE/DANCE

VOC SWEET SOUL GOSPEL CHRISTMAS Checo Tohomaso and the dynamic VOC SSGC mix together the sounds of soul, reggae, Hawaiian, Calypso, jazz, and R&B for an animated evening of toe-tapping, sing-a-long, dancing holiday fun. 7:30pm at St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church.

Tickets $20 at the door only.

NOTHING BUT TREBLE: A VAUDEVILLE AFFAIR Join Little Miss Risk as she hosts the ultimate holiday extravaganza, with live jazz from Rossi Gang and vaudeville performances from Burgundy Brixx, Vixen Von Flex, and Frankie Faux.

9pm at Fox Cabaret. Tickets $15 at EventBrite.com

A CHRISTMAS STORY The classic holiday favourite gets a musical spin on the tale familiar to anyone who has ever been a kid.

For nine-year-old Ralphie, only an Official Red Ryder BB gun will do under the tree, and this Canadian premiere is a holiday gift for the whole family. 1:30pm at Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. Tickets at ArtsClub.com.

Runs until Dec. 27.

Tu/22

PITY SEX Indie rockers out of Ann Arbor, Michigan hit the stage in support of their upcoming release White Hot Moon, with special guests Colleen Green and Eskimeaux. 8pm at The Cobalt.

Tickets $13 at Red Cat, Zulu, and TicketWeb.ca

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: ON THE AIR A tale as old as time breathes new life as the beloved holiday story is transformed into a live 1940s radio show in this stage production from Peter Church.

8pm at Pacific Theatre. Tickets at PacificTheatre.org or at 604-7315518. Runs until Jan. 2.

FUNK THE HALLS FT. THE FUNK HUNTERS Vancouver based electronic duo, aka Nick Middleton and Duncan Smith, bring their signature bass heavy sound and stunning custom-curated visuals to the stage for the first of two shows with Moontricks, and Exmag. 8pm at Commodore Ballroom. Tickets $32.50 at LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.ca

HANSEL AND GRETEL: AN EAST VAN PANTO This year’s edition of the weird and wonderful panto is the story of the infamous brother-sister duo, complete with a gingerbread house, and a cute little cannibal witch. 2pm & 7pm at York Theatre. Tickets at Tickets.

TheCultch.com. Runs until Jan. 3.

COMEDY

ENCHANTED NIGHTS Bring your imagination to explore the whimsical wonders of a miniature world of artisan fairies and sprite villages donned with magical lights and set to holiday music and live entertainment amongst the dome’s tropical plants and exotic birds. 4pm at Bloedel Conservatory. Tickets $8.50+ at TicketsTonight.TicketForce.com.

Runs until Jan. 3.

HO! HO! HO! The Fictionals present the Christmas Comedy Show, a holiday-themed soireé featuring local improv troupes.

8pm at Café Deux Soleils. Tickets $7 at TheFictionals.com

THEATRE/DANCE CHELSEA HOTEL: THE SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN A special holiday run of the smash hit musical – a powerful and inspirational production of the songs of the Canadian icon from six performers playing 17 different instruments. 7pm at Firehall Arts Centre. Tickets at FirehallArtsCentre.ca. Runs until Jan. 9.

CHEAP & FUN

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE The acclaimed holiday production is back, with the story of George Bailey and the townsfolk in Bedford Falls, who with the help of guardian angel Clarence Odbody, are reminded that faith, hope, love, and family are what make life truly wonderful.

1:30pm at Granville Island Stage.

Tickets at ArtsClub.com. Runs until Dec. 26.

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER The story of the celebrated character traces his journey from lonely orphan to beloved boy hero, on an adventure taking him aboard the decks of the Neverland ship. 1:30pm at Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre. Tickets at ArtsClub.com.

Runs until Jan. 10.

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH Back by popular demand, the family-friendly musical invites you to watch as James is shipped off to live with his wretched aunts, and all seems lost until he discovers a magical peach inhabited by fantastical creatures. 2pm at Waterfront Theatre. Tickets at Tickets.

CarouselTheatre.ca. Runs until Jan. 3.

It’s A Wonderful Life at the Arts Club, runs until Dec. 26

EBENEEZER – A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY The holiday classic get a dark and twisted rewrite with an entertaining new musical score in a vividly re-imagined story celebrating the grim and macabre aspects of the original.

8pm at Jericho Arts Centre. Tickets at TicketsTonight.TicketForce. com. Runs until Jan. 2.

Happy Holidays

Vancouver!

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EDGEWATERCASINO.CA ENTER YOUR BALLOTS FIVE (5) MINUTES BEFORE EACH DRAWING. MUST BE 19+ WITH AN ENCORE REWARDS CARD AND VALID ID TO PARTICIPATE. COMPLETE RULES AVAILABLE AT GUEST SERVICES. MANAGEMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, AMEND OR CANCEL THE PROMOTION AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. *FREE PLAY VALID FOR USE JANUARY 2-9, 2016. MUST BE 19+ WITH AN ENCORE REWARDS CARD AND VALID ID TO PARTICIPATE. MANAGEMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, AMEND OR CANCEL THE PROMOTION AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE.

INSTA CONTEST! Tag your winter in Vancouver photos with #vanwinterlove for a chance to win a $1,000 prize pack.

Read the magazine at www.vanwinterlove.com

Call to reserve your seat before it sells out.

Banquet rooms available for large parties.

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805 W. Broadway @ Willow • 604.874.5800 3 blocks west of the Canada Line Cambie Station Free parking weekends & after 6pm weeknights

Deadline: January 24, 2016. Winner will be chosen at random and contacted via Instagram.

December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 13

ARTS // CULTURE

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MUSIC

Cast members from Love Musically. Contributed photo

Love Actually gets musical improv surprise KELSEY KLASSEN @kelseyklassen

English electronic trio Above and Beyond headline this year’s Contact Winter Music Festival at BC Place. Contributed photo

Contact brings sci-fi dance music to the masses

High-energy dance music proved to be the perfect way for the folks at Blueprint and their co-organizers at Live Nation to channel the futuristic atmosphere they were looking for. Although Prol hesitates to align Contact with the American EDM craze of the last few years, he promises that the two-day event is designed to please the masses.

“Contact has always been about not going over people’s heads,” he says. “It’s about good vibe music. Good energy. Solid acts that are going to go out there and [give the audience] a good time. We’re not trying to do stuff that’s overly critically acclaimed.

It’s not really what we want there. We want it to be a fun party from the minute you walk in until the end.”

To this end, English trance trio Above & Beyond and Steve Angello (of Swedish House Mafia) will headline the first night on Dec. 26, while Dutch house star Hardwell and French rapperproducer DJ Snake are on the bill for Dec. 27. In total, there are 18 acts across over the two evenings, some of whom will perform at the side FVDED Stage on the concourse.

Contact always takes place during the dead zone between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and Prol says that these dates were chosen as optimal party days. “Doing events for as long as we have, I’ve always found really good success in that period,” he observes. “People are out of school and there’s a good vibe. The tough stuff’s behind them, they’ve had a great time with their families, they’ve got new gifts and sweaters and whatever Christmas gifts they got and they’re ready to go out and have some fun.”

Although the festival is designed as a way for Vancouverites to celebrate and unwind, the same cannot be said for the organizers. Prol spends 11 months of each

year planning Contact, and he describes it as “a humongous amount of work for many, many people.” Come February, he’s going to turn his focus to the 2016 edition.

He laughs wearily when describing the behind-thescenes efforts that go into Contact, and he admits that booking artists is the most challenging part. On top of that, he places a special emphasis on safety, ensuring that the event is always overstaffed with medical support workers and security.

Thankfully, all of this hard work seems to paying off: tickets are selling well, and Prol believes that the event will continue to thrive for years to come. “We’re going to continue to grow this thing to be bigger and more badass every year,” he enthuses.

“It will become, hopefully, something that will continue to drive a lot of traffic into the city. People will come for Contact and maybe they’ll ski or snowboard, and enjoy other offerings within Vancouver.” W

bathing Animal, the band got weird in the best way possible. With it’s free jazz, lo-fi jangles, and compel-

ling spoken word diatribes railing against the anxiety and alienation of modern technology, Content Nausea served as an artistic turning point for the band.

In so doing, it posed the inevitable question, what would Parquet Courts do next? Where would this path take them?

The answer, it seems, is nowhere worth going.

On their latest album, Monastic Living, Parquet

Courts have inexplicably decided to give a big middle finger to their fans and anyone foolish enough to pay for this record. The album consists of roughly 30 minutes of repetitive, sloppy instrumental noodling.

There is no song structure, only obnoxious, poorly constructed, self-indulgent noise-scapes, interspersed with directionless distortion and other nonsense.

The album’s high point

ALEX HUDSON @chippedhip

Since 2012, Contact Winter Music Festival has established itself as Vancouver’s largest annual celebration of blockbuster dance music, rounding up some of the electronic world’s biggest stars for a late-December extravaganza at BC Place. According to Alvaro Prol, co-founder of local promotion company Blueprint Events, he and his fellow organizers conceived the festival as a way to take advantage of the technical capabilities of the stadium after its refurbishment in 2011.

“The venue’s such a special space,” Prol tells Westender during a phone conversation.

“Whenever you do a festival, you want a space that’s beautiful, so most festivals are outside. This particular building has such a unique characteristic with all the LED capabilities and being able to animate the building from the outside inside.”

BC Place, he says, has an otherworldly sci-fi aesthetic.

He explains, “The name Contact came from space, and the concept of being in a spaceship when you’re there and having an immersive feeling.”

Alvaro Prol

REVIEWS // PARQUET COURTS

Monastic Living (Rough Trade)

After 2014’s Content Nausea, it was clear Parquet Courts (or Parkay Quarts, if you will) had set a decidedly different path for themselves. Leaving behind the indie post-punk the band became known for on Light Up Gold and Sun-

14 W December 17 - December 23, 2015

CONTACT

, 4-0% +' 5#. +& 52 76 *(50-% 6"#2502!1-32)/5(%0"$

Off Key Improv, one of Vancouver’s only musical improv troupes, tackles a Christmas classic this season with the premiere of Love Musically – a “heart-warming musical tribute” to the star-studded 2003 movie Love Actually.

Inspired by audience stories instead of Hugh Grant’s sexually harassive angst – the show will explore the loves and relationships of the people who show up each night. Meanwhile, building off the popularity of pop culture-themed shows like Hunger Games:The Musical and StarWars Burlesque – Love Musically will feel like a more modern version of a familiar holiday favourite.

“As a producer, I knew if we were going to a Christmas show it would have to be something audiences could connect with, and I realized Love Actually hasn’t really been done,” says producer Jennifer Pielak. “I love how the plotlines interweave in the movie.We’re not going to be impersonating the characters,” she continues. “We’re going to talk to the audience every night, get inspiration off the people that are there, and then have those stories play out in the show.”

They will also be tossing aside the movie’s outdated ideas of love.

“The movie’s pretty hetero-normative and kind of misogynistic,” says Pielak, pointedly, “so I’m challenging my cast to not be that way. To be more present-day and have the show be more of a reflection of what’s go(and I use the term lightly) is the opener “No, no, no”, the only “song” on the album with any vocals. It serves as an introduction to the album, with lead singer Andrew Savage yelping, “I don’t want to be a poet / I don’t want to be shared with your friends,” after which he promptly takes a vow of silence for the next 30 minutes. If only the rest of the band had done the same.

Despite what the press

ing on in Vancouver.”

Since it’s inception in 2012, Off Key Improv has been charting a course in Vancouver to bring musical improv to the mainstream.

Their debut show, Off Key: An Improvised Musical, used musical theatre tropes to create a one-act musical each night based on an audienceprovided title.

It’s a skill Pielak, a trained singer, picked up while studying musical improv at Second City in Chicago.

“That changed my life,” says Pielak. “I got so inspired and was like, ‘I have to bring this to Vancouver.’”

From there, she and musical director Peter Abando formed a group, which debuted its unique shtick last year at rEvolver festival, followed by the NewYork Musical Improv Festival and the Vancouver International Improv Festival. Love Musically, however, will be their first major show since then.

“A lot of people love to watch this movie at Christmas time and, when I first watched it – a long time ago – I just remember the feeling it left me with: one of, warm fuzzies, love and the honesty of what can happen at Christmas time,” she explains. “Because it’s Christmas and so joyful and happy, people do brave things and say what they mean to say. But it can also be quite sad and melancholy.”

The show description thusly warns to expect wintery-ish tunes, mulled wine and a good laugh or cry. W ! Love Musically runs from Dec. 16-20 at Studio 1398 (1398 Cartwright).Tickets are $18; OffKeyImprov.com. release might suggest, this album does not represent some sort of high-minded artistic statement. This isn’t experimentation: this is a half an hour of drunken jam space masturbation that should have never seen the light of day.

This album is irredeemable, unlistenable bullshit.

You’ve been warned.

–Robert Mangelsdorf Rating:

!!!!!

Westender.com

ARTS // CULTURE

@WESTENDERVAN

DANCE/COMEDY

Arts Umbrella breaks Nutcracker wide open ‘Mixed Nuts’ reinvents timeless Christmas classic KELSEY KLASSEN @kelseyklassen

For the past three decades, Arts Umbrella has been a leaping-off point for BC’s young professional dancers – a place for aspiring dancers to learn and grow into future careers. Lately, though, the not-for-profit, contemporary ballet school has been reaching dizzying new heights, attracting the world’s leading choreographers to come and work with the students, while producing recruits ready for the hottest global dance companies.

Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal and Batsheva Dance Company have all come calling for graduates in the past few years. Meanwhile, on the performance roster this year so far is work

by Ballet BC resident choreographer Cayetano Soto, ex-Batsheva dancer Sharon Eyal, Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton, the legendary Marie Chouinard,

up-and-coming Israeli choreographer Tom Weinberger, and an extraordinary Ballet BC collaboration that will see 12 dancers from

as opposed to mimic what happened hundreds of years ago?”

And, if the idea is to rethink tradition, Arts Umbrella surely outdoes itself each Christmas.

Taking the iconic suite of The Nutcracker, each year the students crack it wide open, reworking some of the ballet’s most iconic scenes with the help of Canada’s young-gun choreographers.

They call it Mixed Nuts: Tradition with a Twist.

“Mixed Nuts is not the con-

Arts Umbrella’s graduate program in a new Medhi Walerski piece in March.

“That is the backbone of the program,” says longstanding artistic director Artemis ‘Arty’ Gordon of the highprofile guests.

“I think from the day that we started, our mandate was always about education and research. To really identify and dig deep for what makes a dance artist valuable and relevant today. Who are the choreographers?

What are they doing?

How does ballet technique need to be developed in order to really elevate the art A dancer from Mixed Nuts – Arts Umbrella’s form, annual spin on The Nutcracker. Contributed photo

temporary work that we do, but it is definitely ‘us’,” says Gordon with a laugh.

“We’ve taken The Nutcracker and tried to make it relevant to what we’re doing here, using local choreographers and taking the traditional idea and asking, ‘How would you contemporize it?’”

This year, Mixed Nuts features choreography by Kidd Pivot dancer Cindy Salgado, ex-NDT dancer Lesley Telford, Arts Umbrella instructors Lynn Sheppard and Lina Fitzner, and Rachael Prince, Gilbert Small and Livona Ellis of Ballet BC. “I use a lot of the Ballet BC dancers, to try out choreography,” explains Gordon.

“That’s part of what we do – develop choreographers for Ballet BC.” In fact, some of Arts Umbrella’s recent success can be directly tied to their relationship with Ballet BC, and the resurgence of the repertory company under artistic director Emily Molnar as a force in the North American dance scene.

Acting in a quasi farm team capacity, Arts Umbrella

sends rising talents up, and Ballet BC sends choreographers down to develop their voices as artists.

What that means for Mixed Nuts is, before the opening party scene can settle into its traditional waltz, the dancers break out into a disco-ready hustle instead.

The famous fight between the soldiers and mice, full of dashing and danger and big jumps? It’s now set to hip hop music with swords and serious street-style moves.

And they say you can always judge a Nutcracker by its “Snow” scene, but critics have probably never seen it done en pointe, full tutu, as a hockey brawl.

Traditionalists shouldn’t dismay, however. Amidst all the holiday hoopla, Gordon assures that they never touch the final grand pas – leaving the most anticipated moment of the Tchaikovskyscored masterpiece fully classical and in its original form. W ! Arts Umbrella Dance Company’s Mixed Nuts: Tradition with a Twist is at theVancouver Playhouse Dec. 18-19.Tickets start at $15; ArtsUmbrella.com.

Just For Laughs heads west STAFF WRITER @westendervan

Tickets go on sale this Friday for the inaugural JFL NorthWest comedy festival, taking place from Feb. 18-27 at venues across Vancouver.

The product of a partnership between Vancouver’s two-season-old NorthWest Comedy Fest and Montreal comedy institution Just For Laughs, the new festival will present a mix of stand-up, sketch and improv.

Headliners include Daily Show hostTrevor Noah, standup legendWanda Skykes, actor and author Lewis Black, YouTube sensation Miranda Sings, Canadian funnyman Jeremy Hotz, NewYork-based comedianTodd Barry, Indian film starVir Das and more.

In addition, the festival will also highlight up-andcoming local talent with the Best of the West series, featuring Instagraham, Hip. Bang!, 10 Speed,The Hero Show, Sidekicks, Phantom Signal, Alicia Tobin’s Come Draw With Me, Kings Head Comedy,The Ryan and Amy Show, Kyle Bottom’s Comedy Bucket, Jokes Please! and Teenage Dirtbag. W ! Tix at JFLNorthWest.com

The Vancouver Men’s Chorus Gets Busy!

VMC Releases New CD – Making Spirits Bright: Live!

Available on the VMC website,at Scotiabank @ 1500 Marine Drive (Marine & MacGowan), North Vancouver, and at Scotiabank @ 591 Cardero Street, Vancouver. Live recordings from our recent sell-out Making Spirits Bright shows. A great stocking stuffer for Mom!

Vancouver Men’s Chorus Sings For Gay Syrian Refugees

Now in our 35th season, it was a hugely exciting and humbling experience for the 90+ VMC chorus members to perform an outreach fundraising Making Spirits Bright show on December 9th. Our audience was comprised of local community groups, and the funds raised were in support of Rainbow Refugees, a wonderful Vancouver society who are sponsoring a gay Syrian couple currently in hiding in Turkey. The fundraising efforts contributed sufficient funds that their refugee application could now begin. For more information about contributing to Rainbow Refugees, please visit their website: www.rainbowrefugee.ca.

Thank You

A huge “thank you” to you, our fabulous audience. 2015 has been an absolutely stellar VMC year and it’s thanks to our many individual and corporate supporters that 2016 is set for more of the same! In 2015, we performed our mainstage shows “MEN” and “Making Spirits Bright”, our ever popular Singing Can Be a Drag was a huge success in both New Westminster and Vancouver, we were the guests of Chor Leoni for the inaugural VanMan Summit at the Chan Centre, and we were accompanied by a huge contingent of Scotiabank employees on the colourful and wonderful Vancouver Pride march.

What a blast! Check out our 2016 event line up on our website, and be sure to sign-up for emailed updates.

www.vancouvermenschorus.ca Westender.com

December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 15

ARTS // CULTURE

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FILM & TV

The sci-fi life of Mike Dopud Sabrina Furminger Reel People

@Sabrinarmf

Veteran actor Mike Dopud relishes his latest role in Virtual Revolution. Contributed photo

Mike Dopud is a familiar face in the world of science fiction film and television, but if his life were a movie, Netflix would probably categorize it as Action-Ad-

venture Sci-fi Dramedy.

The veteran Vancouver actor is a former CFLer and stunt artist (there’s the Action) who travels around the world portraying an array of characters, many within the science fiction sphere (there’s the Adventure and Sci-fi).

And the Dramedy? Well, that’s the rhythm of life, and Dopud’s life – as he recently described it over coffee in a

Ballet BC presents Alberta Ballet

The Nutcracker Choreography Edmund Stripe Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Music Performed by The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Set & Costume Design Zack Brown Lighting Design Pierre Lavoie

Dec 29 30 Dec 30 31

7:30pm 2:00pm

Queen Elizabeth Theatre balletbc.com | ticketmaster.ca GOLD SEASON SPONSOR

HOTEL SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSORS

SUPPORT FOR BALLET BC HAS BEEN GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY

ARTISTS OF ALBERTA BALLET. PHOTO BY DARREN MAKOIVICHUK.

16 W December 17 - December 23, 2015

South Granville café – has unfolded to a steady, sometimes syncopated, beat.

Dopud is currently shooting a role in Tomboy, A Revenger’s Tale with Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez (he can’t disclose too much about the role, but reveals that he plays a nurse who works closely with Weaver’s doctor character).

He can also be seen in The Christmas Truce – a holiday movie-of-the-week about those few days in the First World War when the conflict on the Western Front took a brief but welcome hiatus.

In 2016, Dopud will grace the big screen in a very different kind of film: Virtual Revolution, a noir take on virtual reality in which Dopud stars as an agent on the hunt for cyber-terrorists. It’s a sweet moment in an evolving career that began in a darkened theatre, when a pre-pubescent Dopud took in a screening of the original Mad Max. “The post-apocalyptic world [of Mad Max] was dirty and grungy and crazy, and it resonated for me for whatever reason,” says Dopud. “I was convinced I was going to be in the movies. I wanted to be a part of this.”

But he was growing up in Montreal’s West Island, where “nobody was an actor, and so I always steered clear of acting, just because I didn’t know anything about it.”

Dopud loved sports, and he was good at quite a few of them, so even though he spent his Friday nights watching films like Rocky and Escape from NewYork, he made athletics his top priority.

He played football for Southern Illinois University, and was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“That was a dream come true,” says Dopud. “I made it – and then I got hurt.”

Next there was hockey, and another injury, and then a move west to make a go of it in the corporate world.

Increasingly, though, Dopud met people in the entertainment industry who thought he could succeed in film and TV, both as a stunt artist and as an actor. Finally, he listened.

“I literally went next day to the union offices, and said, ‘Hi, I want to be an actor, what do I need to do, do I need an agent, do I need headshots?’” Dopud laughs.

“They all laughed at me, literally.”

But Dopud persevered. He grins widely when he recalls one of his first times on set.

“On The X-Files, they asked me to pick up David Duchovny, and say, ‘1, 2, 3,’” says Dopud.

He picked up Duchovny, counted to three, and moved him as directed – and in that

moment, he rediscovered a familiar feeling.

“That rush of ‘Action!’ and ‘Rolling!’ and nerves and adrenaline, it was the closest thing to sports that I could sense,” says Dopud, who now divides his time between LA and Vancouver. “I found my calling.”

Although he maintains close ties with the stunt world, today, he’s exclusively an actor. His credit list reads like a recent history of the Vancouver sci-fi scene: Continuum; Battlestar Galactica; all three of the Stargate series (as well as recurring roles on non sci-fi fare like Arctic Air, Strange Empire, and Cedar Cove).

Dopud attributes the abundance of sci-fi roles in his filmography to Vancouver’s longtime status as a sci-fi capitol, and says that he approaches every role from the same place.

“I believe that acting is based on honesty, and telling a story,” says Dopud. “If that means that I’m telling a story on a ship and I’m running from aliens, or in front of a beautiful woman, or in front of a guy I’m about to rob a bank with, I’m still, at the end of the day, a character, and I’ve got to be honest.

“The sci-fi fans have been great to me,” he adds. “They follow my career. I’ve been lucky.They seem to like my work, which is really cool.”

It’s how he ended up starring inVirtual Revolution: the director was a fan of Dopud’s work in Stargate, and invited him to be a part of his feature film directorial debut.

Dopud describes Virtual Revolution as a mix of Blade Runner and Highlander.

“There’s sword fighting, and most of the sword fighting is in the virtual world, and the other dark and gritty stuff is in the present,” says Dopud. “I just love that concept.”

InVirtual Revolution – which shot in Paris earlier this year – Dopud is Nash, a shadow agent “hired by corporations and the government to track down terrorists that are either in the real world or the virtual world that are trying to affect the virtual reality in those worlds, either to destroy them or manipulate them.”

Dopud is happy with his life in sci-fi (he’s heading to Toronto to shoot a four-episode arc on Dark Matter), but he’s always eager to explore different genres.

“I’ve played a lot of dark characters, or evil characters, and a lot of people see you as that, and it’s hard to change perceptions,” says Dopud.

“I’d love to try romantic comedy, or do a sitcom.” W

' ,*+ )*$(#!&"# ,$.-+ %$+mieres on Showcase on Dec. 17.

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Rob Joyce Happy Holidays to the West End! From your West End Specialists Sales Associate Roger Ross

West End Specialist Rob Joyce

• Nobody knows the West End better!

• MLS Diamond Master Medallion Award 2014

g din n e sp r e f Of

New Listing Two Bedroom Strata at 1045 Haro #520 Great investment. Excellent tenant in place until May 31, 2016. 781 SF two bedroom in ideal downtown location close to shopping and work. 78 SF enclosed solarium and a 18 SF open balcony at City View Apartments just steps to Robson St. Priced to sell immediately.

Excellent value for quality strata with no issues. Rentals OK. No pets. Call today. $449,000.

L SO

D

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SOLD 1949 Beach #402 English Bay Views Waterfront 3 bedroom + massive view deck at Beach Town House Apts. 1679 SF. $1,398,000.

D

SOLD 1850 Comox #2302 The El Cid West of Denman SE corner in the sky with unobstructed views & amazing upgrades to the suite. $429,000.

604.623.5433

WEST COAST

View! View! View! On Lost Lagoon

Views To Lost Lagoon 2015 Haro #105 Live on the edge of Stanley Park Terrific and unobstructed views to Lost Lagoon in the TWO BEDROOM second floor suite at the well managed Arniston Apartments on Lagoon Drive at the end of Haro St. Gas fireplace, windows on three sides, 931 SF. $649,000.

www.robjoyce.ca

robjoyce@telus.net

2% OF ALL SALES PROCEEDS BENEFIT BCSPCA & WWF

LIANAY@TELUS.NET

Sutton Group - West Coast Realty

604.729.2126

W W W . L I A N A S H O W C A S E . C O M NEW LISTING WALK TO THE BEACH $369,888 602-1455 GEORGE ST

• Luxurious 1 bdrm + den + oversized patio corner beauty at the Georgie Award winning building at the AVRA, White Rock’s premier concrete high rise! • This bright, airy, open floor plan boasts views of the city and water from floor to ceiling windows throughout • Enjoy custom built-in millwork and cabinetry, walnut h/w floors, chefs gourmet kitchen with s/s appliances, porcelain tiles, granite counter, breakfast bar, relax in your spalike bathroom or entertain on your sunny, covered patio • Hotel style facilities offer a full gym, guest suite, party kitchen, BBQ terrace and live-in caretaker etc.

• 1 parking + 1 addt’l storage locker, 2 pets and rentals restricted but ok.

OFFER PENDING KATRINA COURT $355,000 206-2033 W 7TH AVE

• Kitsilano location! • Quiet, north facing property • Completely renovated in spring 2014 – New kitchen & appliances, new bathroom, fresh paint • Spacious balcony • Pet friendly, rental with restrictions (5 allowed–maxed out) • Well maintained building near Delamont Park, 4th Avenue shopping & transportation.

OFFER PENDING WATERWOOD COURT $639,900 8-3437 W 4TH AVE

• Enjoy epic Kitsilano summer nights sitting on your huge PATIO oasis • This renovated 2 bdrm + 2 bath home on the quiet side of the building has new bathrooms, new paint, updated kitchen and the list goes on • Entertain to your heart’s content with direct access to your 350+ sq ft patio from your living space • Real wood fireplace • Minutes to the waterfront, tennis courts across the street, walk to groceries, pub, restaurants and the beach parks • Outstanding 20 home strata with a proactive council • This home is a must see.

LIVE LARGE IN SOUTH FALSE CREEK $959,900 305-1188 QUEBEC ST

JUST SOLD

KINGSWAY PENTHOUSE, $259,000 PH1-868 KINGSWAY

THE OLIVE $419,000 406-3225 TUPPER ST

LIVE AND EARN REVENUE, $1,175,000 741/743 E 10TH AVE

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RECENT SALES 604-1238 SEYMOUR ST 2595 E 8TH AVE 507-733 W 3RD ST 606-1550 FERN ST 1753 E 2ND AVE 1751 E 2ND AVE 405-4355 WEST 10TH 203-33 WEST PENDER 852/854 E14TH AVE 303-633 KINGHORNE MEWS 105-131 WEST 3RD 2505 VENBLES ST 401-2150 BELLEVUE AVE

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December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 17

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REAL ESTATE

BC home prices grew more than 11% in 2015 EMMS CRAWFORD HAMPEL @bizinvancouver

The housing market in British Columbia has strengthened throughout 2015, and while the final numbers for the year are not yet in,

the Canadian Real Estate Association has revised its forecast upward for the province.

Prices in BC will have increased 11.5 per cent by the end of the year compared with last year, according to

the CREA. This is up three percentage points from September’s forecast of 8.5 per cent. The average price will reach $633,800, and the province will continue to be the only one in Canada to exceed the national average

CARNEY’S CORNER

lD So

lD So

SaInT nICholaS SPeCIal Unique top floor home with real chimney so all the traditional Christmas action can take place with the stockings hung on the mantle over the wood burning fireplace and the soaring vaulted ceilings and skylights can host your grandest tree! This two bedroom and super size solarium takes up half the top floor of boutique style strata in central West End and features windows on three sides, insuite laundry, hardwood floor and more. Pet friendly. This is one you have to see! $609,000 A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS in upper floor northwest corner suite west of Denman showcasing mountain, harbour, Stanley Park and English Bay views. Comfortable two bedroom with spacious open plan balcony allows for entertaining and holiday house guests. A well maintained reinforced concrete strata building nestled in lush gardens, offering a seasonal pool and a perfect quiet location, steps to Stanley Park, Lost Lagoon and Coal Harbour seawall is very hard to come by! Great opportunity just in time for New Year! $519,000

lD So

lD So

aWaRD WInnInG SeRVICe Liz Carney in association with Realty World and Century 21 In Town Realty has delivered award winning service to locals, visitors, investors and families of homeowners for over 25 years. WanTeD! Buyers waiting for suites in the El Cid, Huntington, Sandpiper and Stratford’s concrete hirises off Denman. Please call if you or anyone you know is considering a move.

Qualified local buyers ready to act!

WEN

West End Neighbours

New info always available on the website; an opportunity for community to stay in touch and keep up on local issues. www.westendneighbours.ca

TALK TO LIZ CARNEY 604 685-5951/603-3095

Giz.cFrECy@cCEtury21.cF • www.vancouvercondo.com CCEtury 21 IE TDwE RCFGty • 421 PFcific • 1030 DCEmFE

increase of 8.4 per cent, with the average price reaching $442,600 across the country.

“The upward revision reflects average price gains in British Columbia and Ontario together with a projected increase in their proportion of national sales,” the CREA said in a press release.

In 2016, BC will see a further 2.1 per cent increase to $646,900; this will be the second-highest growth rate in the country, after Ontario (2.9 per cent).

Sales activity in BC will have increased 21.4 per cent

over 2015, with an expected 102,000 units changing hands.This is expected to slow somewhat in 2016; the number of units sold is forecast to decrease three per cent to 98,900 units. Meanwhile, the number of units sold across Canada will dip 1.1 per cent to 498,600, “as activity in BC and Ontario moderates and housing market conditions soften in Alberta.”

“Recently announced changes to mortgage regulations that take effect early next year risk, cooling housing markets beyond Greater

Sherree Mitchell & Frank Zomar Wishing you and yours much Joy and Happiness this holiday season.

Sherree Mitchell 604.240.0762 Frank Zomar 604.377.5728

In Town Realty

SELECT PROPERTIES

18 W December 17 - December 23, 2015

Vancouver and the GTA, their intended targets,” the CREA said.

In response to the mortgage changes announced Dec. 11 , Blueshore Financial Credit Union CEO Chris Catliff said the increased minimum downpayment for homes over $500,000 will have an effect on the “non-high-end” real estate market, but the luxury market, driven by foreign buyers, is less likely to see an impact. W –Courtesy of Business in Vancouver

5487 West Boulevard, Vancouver

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REAL ESTATE //

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www.dexterrealty.com 604-689-8226 Yaletown 604-336-3539 Main Street 604-263-1144 Kerrisdale

Linda Hale 604-889-9983 linda@lindahale.ca 205-1565 BURNABY ST

www.lindahale.ca NEW LISTING

$268,000

Taking our Listings Global

Martin Ramond 604-263-1144

Erica Fremeau 604-551-9854 410-1425 ESQUIMALT AVE

PRICE REDUCED!

$299,999

Charming character “walk-up” in an Art Deco co-op building just steps to English Bay, the seawall and shops & restaurants.

Located on a quiet, tree-lined street, this large 1 bedroom is bright and spacious with generously proportioned rooms.

Bring your decorating ideas, with a little updating you will have a very special home. Sorry, no pets or rentals. Call today for your private viewing.

703-1100 HARWOOD ST $199,000 COSY CORNER UNIT with mountain, city & water views awaiting your decorating ideas. This 1 bedroom in a wellmaintained concrete high-rise in the heart of the West End is perfect for the renovator or investor. Enjoy the fabulous rooftop deck with heated swimming pool & fabulous views of English Bay. Pre-paid non-strata leasehold. No rental restrictions. Parking available to rent.

Check out our website, www.dexterrealty.com for current market condition updates.

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HERE IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY to own a 1 bedroom in the heart of Ambleside, West Vancouver. 91% WalkScore, close to all amenities, transit & the seawall. This building has a strong sense of community & rarely has vacancy. 35% down for shares in this co-op gets you a bright & quiet home with 820sf. Call Erica for a tour today!

801-1788 ONTARIO ST 702-1788 ONTARIO ST

$678,800 $578,000

PROXIMITY – The newest project from Bastion Development, completing spring 2016. PROXIMITY features 9’ ceilings & gourmet kitchens that include: Caesarstone counter tops with FULL SIZE Fisher Paykel, Bosch & GE appliances. Sleek Hydrocork vinyl flooring throughout.

Spa inspired bathrooms, featuring Moen fixtures.

Chill in the Club House or outside in Communal garden plots. Be a part of the new thriving community and lifestyle that is South East False Creek. Steps from the seawall, shopping, dining and recreation.

PROXIMITY to everything in False Creek. Sales Center open noon to 5pm every day but Friday.

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December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 19

LIFESTYLES //

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HEALTH

Sumptuous side dishes for the holidays Patty Javier Gomez Whole Nourishment

@WholeNourishBC The holiday season is here and this is the time of year reserved for stretchy pants, drinking wine and stuffing our faces with food. I don’t even look at my jeans this time of year: if it’s not going to ex-

pand with my waist or have a drawstring then you can forget about it, because it’s seriously all about the food.

Now I know what you are thinking, “Gasp! But aren’t you a nutritionist?”

I sure am folks. I am also a Libra on the cusp of Virgo or something, depending to whom I talk to. The point is, the 80/20 rule is in full effect for me this time of year. This rule implies that if you are

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eating a healthy, whole foods balanced diet most of the time, then 20 per cent of the time, go ahead, throw on the sweatpants and strap on the feedbag.

Basically, December is my 20 for the whole year. Now this doesn’t mean I throw my whole foods rulebook out the window, it just means it’s smothered in more gravy than I would usually have (with an extra side of gravy if I’m really feeling like getting crazy). Lots of social and family gatherings this holiday season means lots of food, and tons of sugary treats.This lifestyle is usually followed by a NewYear’s resolution of eating healthier and exercising more, just like last year, and the one before that.

You can balance out this process by offering some side dishes that are bit more health conscious without sacrificing flavour and help your transition to your inevitable healthy New Year’s resolution smoother.

Bring common side dishes to the forefront for healthier or even veggie alternative, or find creative ways to boost up some common side dishes and impress your dinner guest’s taste buds and feed their health.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

This can be a big hit, all you have to do is roast them in the oven with some balsamic vinegar, sea salt and pepper. I personally like to add grapes and walnuts and have recently tried some with Parmesan cheese. It’s seri-

Brussels sprouts can be a real crowd pleaser, especially if you roast them with bacon.

Thinkstock photo ously a cornucopia of flavour hitting your taste buds. And of course, because you are going to anyways, add bacon.

CORNBREAD STUFFING

Instead of the traditional sourdough or crusty bread, bring the South into your home by using crumbled cornbread. Add your favorite spices for added flavours and make your stuffing like a boss.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Ditch the traditional addition of marshmallows and milk for coconut milk and add vanilla bean for a twist.

No one will be able to resist,

and your vegan friends will praise you.

BROCCOLI

Pump up your side of broccoli by roasting them with olive oil, cashews, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper, and, if you feel like getting crazy, add a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

ROASTED VEGGIES

So simple but you can really wow your family and friends by throwing some nutrient-packed veggies in the mix. Just choose your favorite veggies, dress them up with your favorite herbs and spices, drizzle with olive oil, maybe add some nuts and seeds to the mix and voila!

Instant gratification! W

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LIFESTYLES //

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SEX

Free Will Astrology What your go-to date

By Rob Brezsny The Neanderthals were a different human species that coexisted with our ancestors, homo sapiens, for at least 5,000 years. But they eventually died out while our people thrived. Why? One reason, says science writer Marcus Chown, is that we alone invented sewing needles. Our newborn babies had well-made clothes to keep them warm and healthy through frigid winters. Neanderthal infants, covered with illfitting animal skins, had a lower survival rate. Chown suggests that although this provided us with a mere one per cent survival advantage, that turned out to be significant. I think you’re ready to find and use a small yet ultimately crucial edge like that over your competitors, Aries.

Artist Robert Barry created “30 Pieces,” an installation that consisted of pieces of paper on which he had typed the following statement: “Something which is very near in place and time, but not yet known to me.”

According to my reading of the astrological omens, this theme captures the spirit of the phase you’re now entering. But I think it will evolve in the coming weeks.

First it’ll be, “Something which is very near in place and time, and is becoming known to me.” By midJanuary it could turn into, “Something which is very near and dear, and has become known to me.”

“There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is uncanny, wild, and lawless.” Greek philosopher Plato wrote that in his book The Republic, and I’m bringing it to your attention just in time for your Season of Awakening and Deepening Desire. The coming days will be a time when you can, if you choose, more fully tune in to the uncanny, wild, and lawless aspects of your primal yearnings. But wait a minute! I’m not suggesting you should immediately take action to gratify them. For now, just feel them and observe them. Find out what they have to teach you. Wait until the new year before you consider the possibility of expressing them.

Congratulations! You have broken all your previous records for doing boring tasks that are good for you.

In behalf of the other eleven signs, I thank you for your heroic, if unexciting, campaign of self-improvement. You have not only purified your emotional resources and cleared out some breathing room for yourself, but you have also made it easier for people to help you and feel close to you. Your duty has not yet been completed, however. There are a few more details to take care of before the gods of healthy tedium will be finished with you. But start looking for signs of your big chance to make a break for freedom.

They’ll arrive soon.

The English word “fluke” means “lucky stroke.” It was originally used in the game of billiards when a player made a good shot that he or she wasn’t even trying to accomplish. Later its definition expanded to include any fortuitous event that happens by chance rather than because of skill: good fortune generated accidentally. I suspect that you are about to be the beneficiary of what may seem to be a series of flukes, Leo. In at least one case, though, your lucky break will have been earned by the steady work you’ve done without any fanfare.

You may not have to use a literal crowbar in the coming weeks, but this rough tool will serve you well as a metaphor. Wherever you go, imagine that you’ve got one with you. Why? It’s time to jimmy open glued-shut portals, to pry loose mental blocks, to coax unyielding influences, to nudge intransigent people free of their fixations. Anything that is stuck or jammed needs to get unstuck or unjammed through the power of your willful intervention.

The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to consort with hidden depths and unknown riches. In every way you can imagine, I urge you to go deeper down and further in. Cultivate a more conscious connection with the core resources you sometimes take for granted. This is one time when delving into the darkness can lead you to pleasure and treasure. As you explore, keep in mind this advice from author T. Harv Eker: “In every forest, on every farm, in every orchard on earth, what’s under the ground creates what’s above the ground. That’s why placing your attention on the fruits you have already grown is futile. You can’t change the fruits that are already hanging on the tree. But you can change tomorrow’s fruits. To do so, you will have to dig below the ground and strengthen the roots.”

In the coming weeks, the pursuit of pleasure could drain your creative powers, diminish your collaborative possibilities, and wear you out. But it’s also possible that the pursuit of pleasure will enhance your creative powers, synergize your alliances, and lead you to new opportunities. Which way will you go? It all depends on the kinds of pleasures you pursue. The dumb, numbing, mediocre type will shrink your soul. The smart, intriguing, invigorating variety will expand your mind.

Got all that? Say “hell, no” to trivializing decadence so you can say, “Wow, yes” to uplifting bliss.

Garnets are considered less valuable than diamonds.

But out in the wild, there’s an intimate connection between these two gemstones. Wherever you find garnets near the surface of the earth, you can be reasonably sure that diamonds are buried deeper down in the same location. Let’s use this relationship as a metaphor for your life, Sagittarius. I suspect you have recently chanced upon a metaphorical version of garnets, or will do so soon. Maybe you should make plans to search for the bigger treasure towards which they point the way.

Ready for the Cool Anger Contest? You can earn maximum points by expressing your dissatisfaction in ways that generate the most constructive transformations.

Bonus points will be awarded for your ability to tactfully articulate complicated feelings, as well as for your emotionally intelligent analyses that inspire people to respond empathetically rather than defensively. What are the prizes? First prize is a breakthrough in your relationship with an ally who could be crucial to your expansion in 2016. Second prize is a liberation from one of your limiting beliefs.

A fourth-century monk named Martin was a pioneer winemaker in France. He founded the Marmoutier Abbey and planted vineyards on the surrounding land. According to legend, Martin’s donkey had a crucial role in lifting viticulture out of its primitive state. Midway through one growing season, the beast escaped its tether and nibbled on a lot of the grapevines. All the monks freaked out, fearing that the crop was wrecked. But ultimately the grapes grew better than they had in previous years, and the wine they produced was fabulous. Thus was born the practice of pruning, which became de rigueur for all grape-growers. What’s your equivalent of Martin’s donkey, Aquarius? I bet it’ll exert its influence very soon.

“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important,” said educator John Dewey. If that’s true, Pisces, you are on the verge of having your deepest urge fulfilled more than it has in a long time. The astrological alignments suggest that you are reaching the peak of your value to other people. You’re unusually likely to be seen and appreciated and acknowledged for who you really are.

If you have been underestimating your worth, I doubt you will be able to continue doing so. Here’s your homework: Take a realistic inventory of the ways your life has had a positive impact on the lives of people you have known.

Dec. 17: Milla Jovovich (40) Dec. 18: Sia (40) Dec. 19: Edith Piaf (100) Dec. 20: Jonah Hill (32) Dec. 21: Kiefer Sutherland (49) Dec. 22: Vanessa Paradis (43) Dec. 23: Eddie Vedder (51)

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drink says about you Sex with Mish Way

@MyszkaWay You are what makes you drunk and horny. I think Sue Johanson said that.

CHAMPAGNE

You are aggressively fighting two inner forces: to blurt out everything you know about astrology and to pick out the massive wedgie your T-bar thong is ripping through your ass cheeks.

Either way, one glass of that bubbly elixir and both your mouth and right hand are going to go wild with urgency. Resist with the strength of a thousand Dan Savages telling you NOT to text that dick face back. Sip slowly and make sure every burp peppers out of you like a delicate snowflake emoji.You look good because you put the time in before this date, so it would be a waste of lipgloss and glitter to get stupid drunk and 86 yourself from the bar.Your aura is forever, always flamingo pink.

GIN AND TONIC (IN A TALL GLASS)

You love the lazy hangover more than the drinking itself and your whole end game is to make sure you have obliterated yourself enough to merit an entire Netflix marathon the morning after. Plus, you are a slug who would rather sit still and hold in the liquid rather than have to get up and grab another drink. The tall glass is a metaphor for your whole life.You are the kind of person who tries to juggle six grocery bags from the car to the front door even though the load requires two trips.You are an over achiever when it comes to the things that don’t matter.You’ve seen every episode of Chopped at least three times. Comfort is in the habitual.You own two packs of week day underwear and use it as your calendar. Over-thinking is for Nazis.

all, no one drove Smokey home but Smokey. Sally Field was never into sloppy drunks.

THE CHEAPEST BOTTLED BEER

Fickle yet cheap, you trust no one (especially not that dopey bartender who probably never bothers to clean the draft beer lines).

Your apartment is cold, calculated and clean as a whistle, but only when you are expecting company.

Otherwise, you are like any other cheap bastard, leaving half-empty bowls of 90-cent ramen on your desk for days at a time.

You charm your date with constant conversation and a charming ridiculousness that only a teenaged Pamela Des Barres would appreciate.Your friends call you George Costanza behind your back, but you know you are frugal and you don’t care. Isn’t saving money a valuable life skill? Fiscal showboats are the fools of 2015.

A CLASSIC MANHATTAN

You are so deeply influenced by powerful people, you decided you liked Manhattans after the prettiest girl you ever knew told you they were the drink de jour of Brooklyn babes.You miss your ex, because she listened to Lana Del Rey and without her, blasting

it alone in your apartment feels as sad as a cat in a wheelchair.You love a good cigar and wear your heart on your denim sleeve.

A LOCAL CRAFT BEER

It doesn’t matter that the book you were reading in the corner of the bar got knocked over by some drunk chick on her way to the bathroom.Your prop finally did its job; now you have an excuse to show her all the wonders of Cain’s Book. But right now, you are on a date and even though you aren’t lurking alone in a dim corner, you still can’t break the old habit of having to pretend you are a salt-of-the-earth, I-dreamof-Portland, kind of old soul. Shag carpet is sexy.

You like a ‘70s bush.You memorize every porn scene you watch and compare every human being with tits to Sophia Loren.

A BELLINI

Get out of here, Junior.

Just because your aunt snuck you that sugary cocktail ONCE at Earls, doesn’t mean you are a woman.

Don’t you have PE class at 8am tomorrow morning? W

EMAIL MISH Send Mish your own sex questions and queries to sex@westender.com

MAKERS MARK NEAT

When you were a kid, you aspired to be a cowboy.

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Toll-free 1-888-511-2250 or www.canadabenefit.ca/ free-assessment

CANADA BENEFIT GROUP Do you or someone you know suffer from a disability?

Get up to $40,000 from the Canadian Government.

Toll-free 1-888-511-2250 or www.canadabenefit.ca/ free-assessment

CRIMINAL RECORD? Canadian Record Suspension (Criminal pardon) seals record. American waiver allows legal entry. Why risk employment, business, travel, licensing, deportation, peace of mind? Free consultation: 1-800-347-2540

LEGAL

TAKE NOTICE that Wojciech Tomaszewski of 4575 Blenkinsop Road, Victoria, BC, Canada declared to the registrar of civil service status to be the father of Alexandre Goudreault born on the 18th of March 1980 in Sept-Iles, Quebec and son of Lise Goudreault.

Therefore, the undersigned requests that the registrar of the civil status register his name as father of Alexandre Goudreault on the act of birth of the latter and whose surname will be modified to read as follows: Alexandre Goudreault. In addition, take notice that any objection from a third person to the tardy declaration must be made known to the author of the declaration, to the minor child of 14 years of age or older, and to the registrar of civil status within 20 days of the last publication of the notice of the declaration.

Notice filled out and signed in Victoria, BC on 28th of November 2015, Wojciech Tomaszewski

TRUTH IN EMPLOYMENT ADVERTISING Glacier Media Group makes every effort to ensure you are responding to a reputable and legitimate job opportunity. If you suspect that an ad to which you have responded is misleading, here are some hints to remember.

Legitimate employers do not ask for money as part of the application process; do not send money; do not give any credit card information; or call a 900 number in order to respond to an employment ad.

Job opportunity ads are salary based and do not require an investment.

If you have responded to an ad which you believe to be misleading please call the: Better Business Bureau at 604-682-2711 Monday to Friday, 9am - 3pm or email: inquiries@bbbvan.org and they will investigate.

EDUCATION

"*$ "5:););!(%'# &*" *45,)046 *7=5343 *:<<8 112+/2>+.9/1

22 W December 17 - December 23, 2015

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604-630-3300

Email: classifieds@van.net

MARKETPLACE

BUILDING SUPPLIES STEEL BUILDING SALE “Really Big Sale - Year End Clear Out!” 21X22 $5,190 25X24 $5,988 27X28 $7,498 30X32 $8,646 35X34 $11,844 42X54 $16,386. One end wall included. Pioneer Steel 1-800-668-5422 www.pioneersteel.ca

FOR SALE - MISC

",02+0&% 1(-%,*/. */ !2/1-$#0')

*11 54!/8 "7;,6 % )+2-#; *11!. 3284 0!84 +9 '%5- &4 $ (:+%#0%.;

%#!'!$"'&$!&

SAWMILLS from only $4,397 Make money & save money with your own bandmill - Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship.

FREE Info & DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com/400OT 1-800-566-6899 Ext:400OT SAWMILLS from only $4,397 Make money & save money with your own bandmill - Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship.

FREE Info & DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com/400OT 1-800-566-6899 Ext:400OT

PETS

604-630-3300

ALL SMALL BREED PUPS Local, Non-Shedding and Vet Checked.

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

CONSULTING SERVICES

!)+''&' (*"! , +%+#$(*'$!

HF@%QWG BF',-< ,E,DBH%GBC #FD D%GB OP MK=R7=K MKOM=K3/ 7P U=KK7JT+5=L *D,G' G%? NV2 $TKR +PT 3O0PQ 8OR=JL C4C +MM57+P"=JV ?4'V T7J80+J8=KV "+KM=37P9 7P +55 $=TKOORJL !/R ) R==37P9 JM+"=L C3OK+9= ) M+K67P9L E=3 ;K7=PT5/L :I38 ) !K+P1755=L SWHWB%' BWH% HF@%QWG *FGACX >:.. #FD NQ*%'CV >I:. #FD 2Q*%'C( ,J6 H+P+9=K ;OK T=3+75JL7P;O&J8+PPOPR=0J+PT+M+K3R=P3JL"OR *2",,3,05$*",6"/"+'05,'*-!30 (#4.%(1.#)&%

VACATION RENTALS PALM DESERT POOLSIDE CONDO Great Rates $90US/night!

High-End Fully equipped.

2 bdrm, 2 bath Condo.

Sleeps 6. Outdoor pool & hot tub, amenities room & indoor gym. Mthly/Wkly Avail. Jan / March / April 604-833-0342

Call 604-630-3300 to place your ad

SPROTTSHAW.COM

LOANS

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Can earn $100,000.00 + per year. All Cash-Locations provided. Protected Territories.

Interest free Financing. Full details, call 1-866-668-6629 or www.TCVEND.COM

Healthcare Documentation Specialists in huge demand.

Employers prefer CanScribe graduates. A great workfrom-home career! Contact us now to start your training day. www.canscribe.com.

1.800.466.1535. info@canscribe.com Healthcare Documentation Specialists in huge demand.

Employers prefer CanScribe graduates. A great workfrom-home career! Contact us now to start your training day. www.canscribe.com.

1.800.466.1535. i nfo@canscribe.com MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! In-demand career! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get the online training you need from an employer-trusted program. Visit:CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-855-7683362 to start training for your work-at-home career today!

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! In-demand career! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get the online training you need from an employer-trusted program. Visit:CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-855-7683362 to start training for your work-at-home career today!

ADVERTISING POLICIES

8$96. "134052$2713 /&!+%*#( )+-(+% -', %+-,+% 5+0$/ 7''%/'1 "$20 /#/'1 !3.20# 2''%/'1 6/&%(, +0+$/'1 5*2(2& 43**2,/'') 6,;/"82/8+!2 '%#039'#<.&7)41'53=$)1 ('#<.*)-:034'45)-=$)1

FINANCIAL SERVICES HIP OR KNEE Replacement?

Arthritic Conditions/COPD? Restrictions in Walking/ Dressing? Disability Tax Credit $2,000 Tax Credit $20,000 Refund. For assistance! 1-844-453-5372.

HIP OR KNEE Replacement?

Arthritic Conditions/COPD? Restrictions in Walking/ Dressing? Disability Tax Credit $2,000 Tax Credit $20,000 Refund. For assistance! 1-844-453-5372.

TAX FREE MONEY

is available, if you are a homeowner, today! We can easily approve you by phone. 1st, 2nd or 3rd mortgage money is available right now. Rates start at Prime. Equity counts. We don’t rely on credit, age or income.

CALL ANYTIME 1-800-639-2274 or 604-430-1498 Apply online at www.capitaldirect.ca

All advertising published in this newspaper is accepted on the premise that the merchandise and services offered are accurately described and willingly sold to buyers at the advertised prices. Advertisers are aware of these conditions. Advertising that does not conform to these standards or that is deceptive or misleading, is never knowingly accepted. If any reader encounters non-compliance with these standards we ask that you inform the Publisher of this newspaper and The Advertising Standards Council of B.C. OMISSION AND ERROR: The publishers do not guarantee the insertion of a particular advertisement on a specified date, or at all, although every effort will be made to meet the wishes of the advertisers.

Further, the publishers do not accept liability for any loss of damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in the printing of an advertisement beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred. Any corrections of changes will be made in the next available issue. The Westender will be responsible for only one incorrect insertion with liability limited to that portion of the advertisement affected by the error. Request for adjustments or corrections on charges must be made within 30 days of the ad’s expiration.

For best results please check your ad for accuracy the first day it appears. Refunds made only after 7 business days notice!

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FRANCHISES

* %54", $"@-,>5-"+ &5"@6.-34 #;;>5,A@-,:

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RENTALS

APARTMENTS/CONDOS FOR RENT

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET Free Vending Machines.

Can earn $100,000.00 + per year. All Cash-Locations provided. Protected Territories.

Interest free Financing. Full details, call 1-866-668-6629 or www.TCVEND.COM

"%%&# !$' 1#27$4#25*#)6*+ !#*66*,-&3+!04(#!!0&2'

One Call Does It All

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Celebrate with a Birthday Greeting in the classified section! classifieds. classifieds.

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TODAY'S PUZZLE ANSWERS

classifieds.wevancouver.com Westender.com

HOME SERVICES DRYWALL

AUTOMOTIVE

HANDYPERSON

1PRO MOVING & SHIPPING Across the street, across the world Real Professionals. Reas. Rates.

Best in every way! 604-721-4555

Drywall Repairs, Lath-Plaster, Painting Texture Ceilings Boarding & Taping All Repairs include ~ FREE Paint over.

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ELECTRICAL YOUR ELECTRICIAN $29 Service Call. Lic#89402.

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HANDYMAN Reno, kitchen, bath, plumbing, countertop, floors, paint, etc. Mic, 604-725-3127

One Call Does It All

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* Reno’s & Repairs 24 hrs/day * Furnaces * Boilers * Hot Water Heating * Reasonable Rates * Hot Water Tanks

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1 #+DB-+6AB:< 7 '399+E/B:< 4> 95=2 30, =1,;5-< ;:8<:314 8: #&$' = 7920 566;

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RUBBISH REMOVAL

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HOME SERVICES Find the professionals you need to create the perfect renovation. to advertise call

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RENOS & HOME IMPROVEMENT FERREIRA

JEEP OWNERS. Holiday Sale Starts Now!! Parts, Accessories for JEEPS from 1942 to 2016. Huge Discounts. Easy Gift Shopping, Buy Canadian. www.gemini-sales.com Phone 604-294-4214.

MOTORCYCLES

1980 SUZUKI GN400 superb cond, Only 4,000 miles!

Nimble, responsive,one sweet ride Kick start only! $3150.

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SPORTS & IMPORTS

‘12 Mazda5 Six-Pass $11,850.

‘11 M-Benz GLK 4Matic SALE! ‘00 Mustang V6 Convert. $6450.

Auto Depot 604-727-3111

2003 VW Golf auto Hatch $5450 2002 Volvo S60 Sport 4dr $4880 2002 VW Jetta 1.8T GLS $4880 Auto Depot 604-727-3111

SPORTS UTILITIES & 4X4S

‘07 Hyundai Veracruz AWD V6 ‘00 LEXUS RX300 *108K $9999.

‘01 Escape Limited 147K $6450.

Auto Depot 604-727-3111

SCRAP CAR REMOVAL

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)

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CONCRETE FORMING, framing & siding crews available. 604-218-3064

DISPOSAL BINS starting at $219 plus dump fees. Call Disposal King 604-306-8599

* 2003 Sunfire Pontiac a/t $2450 * 1995 Escort SE Hatch $1850 * 1989 Volvo 240 DL 4cy $1850 Auto Depot 604-727-3111

Ask about $500 Credit!!!

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classifieds.wevancouver.com

PUZZLE ANSWERS ON SEPARATE PAGE

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All You Can Eat Indian Buffet Dinner for Two People, Plus Mango Lassi, Chai Tea or Soft Drinks

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Vancouver, BC

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1. Engine additive 4. Soluble ribonucleic acid 8. Subdue 10. One long, three short 11. Morally bad 12. With collapsible shelter 13. Central church parts 15. Summer shoes 16. Intestinal 17. Transgressors 18. Meeting expectations

21. Clutch 22. Autonomic nervous system 23. What you can repeat immediately after perceiving it 24. Favorite summer sandwich 25. An accountant mkb`gukl rq `hk a`s`k 26. Cologne 27. Norma Jean Baker 34. Galaxies

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1. Having beautiful natural views 2. Fanafuti is the capital 3. Shrub used for hedges 4. Polishing tools 5. Slow down 6. Christmas carols 7. & & & 9. Sound of sheep or goat eno _ fcdi tsip cj`kd tapering

December 17 - December 23, 2015 W 23

IT’S CHRISTMAS Prices Effective December 17 to December 24, 2015.

100% BC Owned and Operated MEAT

PRODUCE

2.99lb/6.59kg

3.49lb/7.69kg

Organic Broccoli from Agrofresco, Mexico

Organic California Satsuma Mandarin Oranges from Johansen Ranch

Johnston Whole Hams

Fresh JD Farms Grade A Turkeys

2.48lb/5.47kg

7.98 1.37kg/3lb bag

GROCERY

DELI Kettle Brand Popped Popcorn

Blue Diamond Nut Thins

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Bars

assorted varieties

assorted varieties

assorted varieties

120g

142g

100g

product of USA

product of USA

product of EU

SAVE

36%

SAVE

SAVE

36%

2.99 2/6.98

Petite Entertaining Tourtiere, Chicken Pot Pies, Quiche, Samosa, Phyllos or Sausage Rolls

32% 2/5.98

2/4.98

Island Farms Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt

Want Want Hot-Kid Gluten Free Rice Crisps

assorted varieties 1.65L • product of Canada

assorted varieties 100g • product of China

Old Dutch Potato Chips and Restaurante Tortilla Chips assorted varieties

UP TO

39%

SAVE

UP TO

39%

35%

Fruit Cake 370g

255 - 384g product of Canada

2/5.50 potato 2/5.98 tortilla

3/6.00

4.49 - 5.49 Dairyland Sour Cream

Danone Oikos Greek Yogurt

assorted varieties

assorted varieties

500ml • product of Canada

500g or 4 pack • product of Canada

8.99

Turtle Island Tofurky Roast

BAKERY

737g • product of USA

2 varieties

xxx

348ml

While quantities last. Not all items available at all stores. We reserve the right to correct printing errors.

product of USA

SAVE

38% 2/4.98

UP TO

20%

SAVE

3.99 500g 2/6.98 4 pack

9.99

SAVE

UP TO

24% 2.19

Avalon Sunset Candles

11.99 3” pillar 17.99 5” pillar 25.99 8” pillar Increadiwear Socks, Braces and Apparel Assorted Varieties and Sizes

regular retail price

xxx • product of xxx Mince

SAVE

WELLNESS

20% off

GLUTEN FREE

SAVE

SAVE

Grown Right Organic Cranberry Sauce

4.99 1/2 dozen 8.99 1 dozen

Avalon Shampoo, Conditioner, Avalon CoQ10 Face Care or Vitamin-C Face Care Assorted Varieties and Sizes

25% off

regular retail price

Innovite Probiotics Assorted Varieties and Sizes

20% off

regular retail price

www.choicesmarkets.com

41%

Vegetarian Tarts

2.99 package of 2 6.49 package of 6

Choices’ Star of the Season Program November 15th – December 24th Your donation of only $2 supports the growth of healthy communities. Now in its 14th year, Choices’ Star of the Season Program enriches the lives of families all across Metro Vancouver and the Okanagan. Kindly donated by Calabar Printers, Choices’ Holiday Stars may be purchased until December 24th for a donation of $2.00.

For more details on each neighbourhood house, please visit our website, www.choicesmarkets.com.

/ChoicesMarkets

@ChoicesMarkets