WVM2009-01
Ccl AGENDA Jan 12th
Calendar to Jan 18th
by
Carolanne Reynolds, Editor
www.WestVan.org
Happy New
Year!
Today's riddle: Why
shdn't you throw away a phantom boomerang?
IN THIS ISSUE:
= MAIN ITEMS Jan 12th: Cmnty Ctr Update; $6M Loan
for Water Meters; Cmnty Grants Cmte apptmts; TREES and snow removal in
Correspondence
= Vive le Canada (Parliament/govt); from the EDITOR'S DESK
(Senate); ANIMALWATCH (Mr Bully; Skidboot, smart dog!); UN Human
Rights; UPDATES (MLA Sultan's Newsletter; Heritage Award Nomination
deadline Jan 23); Snow, Rain, and Flood Alert; Engg
Project/Question; Significance of SDEROT
= CALENDAR to Jan 18th -- AFAIK and Cmnty Grants:
Deadline Jan 30
= DWV INFORMATION: WHAT THE HALL DWV? (CAO, Depts,
Bylaws)
= Ccl Mtg AGENDA Jan 12th: 856 Anderson Cr; DVPs for
1350 Ottaburn and 610 11th St; Sponsorship/Partnership Policy
Amendment; Cmnty Ctr Qtrly Update; $6M Loan from MFA for
installation of water meters; Establishment of Cmnty Grants Cmte;
Apptmts (WGs, Library); NSh Substance Abuse WG Report; Correspondence
on TREES (with info), 1434 Marine, lots on snow removal, standards for
property inspectors, garbage collection, SmartGrowth re Sea-to-Sky
Greenbelt Initiative, etc
= NEWSWATCH - Bright, NEWSWATCH - Gloomy; BUSHWATCH,
Bushmissed
= WVM2008 List of Topics/Titles 1 to 34
= BAILOUTs Explained: Fred Thompson, Santa Claus, Beer;
LANGUAGEWATCH (Cupertino; the Perils of Spellcheckers); HAIKU (Death,
Life, New Year/Gaza); Quotations and Riddle Answer
=== Vive le Canada
===
Here's Josee Legault's column recently in VSun; I also deplored
the misrepresentation of a coalition and the role of the Governor
General in our system of govt (not that I was necessarily in favour of
a coalition, just appalled at how poorly explained and
understood).
Coalition fight
reveals our ignorance of Parliament
Canadians don't elect a
prime minister and government -- Parliament does
by JOSEE
LEGAULT
DECEMBER 31, 2008
click on:
http://www.vancouversun.com/Coalition+fight+reveals+ignorance+Parliament/1129551/story.html
=== from the EDITOR'S DESK
===
Senate appointments -- for our house of sober, second
thought.
Reform, yes; all elected, no -- that wd just be a larger House of
Commons.
Commons re population, Senate re area?
Independent respected Canadians who can apply objective criteria
in the best interests of all Canadians. Not partisan. Not
political. Not needing to appeal to parties or lobbies or
special interest groups. More on this later.
Most are unaware of the good work in committees senators do --
and these are on top of the days in session (wch ppl have used to
imply they hardly do anything; presence in the Chambers, whether
Commons or Senate, is little indication of how much time or work mbrs
spend on govt work).
Eugene Forsey in the Senate was a well-recognized
authority on the Constitution. Senator Pat Carney (now on
Saturna Island) had many projects including preservation of Canadian
lighthouses (historical monuments). One can also be proud of
Senator Romeo Dallaire -- a man of stature fighting for
justice.
=== ANIMALWATCH
===
* Just loved this story of the rescue of Mr Bully in
Langley:
http://www.vancouversun.com/Three+tractor+rescue+bull+from+lake/1125001/story.html
* Here's an incredibly well-trained intelligent dog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIlOyd7DbY
This gives more background:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5249518974978628334
=== UN Human Rights Council Report (January
2009) ===
Statement of Special
Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since
1967
For Presentation to the
Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the Situation in the
Gaza Strip, 9 January 2009
January 11, 2009
b
y Richard Falk
Source: UNHCHR
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/14B004C3AE39004BC125753900599B5D?opendocument
=== UPDATES ===
+ MLA Ralph Sultan's Winter
Newsletter
* The Balance Sheet --
Economy
The global economy is beleaguered.
British Columbia, with house prices floating down and workers
returning home from the tar sands, is hardly immune. What is the
appropriate government response? The Full Story Here
* Steelhead Summit
Ralph Sultan participated recently
at the "Steelhead Summit" where approximately 50 steelhead
biologists, stakeholders, government officials, and MLAs gathered at
BCIT in Burnaby to consider how to save and increase abundance of this
iconic BC fish.
The Honourable Barry Penner,
Minister of Environment and MLA for Chilliwack-Kent, addressed the
summit, praising the passionate involvement of ordinary citizens and
activists in this important cause. He noted that steelhead are among
the strongest and feistiest of our native fish, and merit intensive
stewardship and recovery attention.
Anglers come from all over the globe
to fish (catch and release) steelhead in British Columbia's pristine
waters. MLAs commented that Full Story Here
* Read the whole newsletter:
http://www.ralphsultan.com/images/2006/banner06-750-Welcome.jpg
* HERITAGE ACHIEVEMENT
AWARDS: 2009 Nominations (by Jan 23)
Info:
http://www.westvancouver.ca/Level3.aspx?id=1136 (Don't you just love
the URLs that DWV has!)
=== After the Snow, RAIN === Flood
Alert
Heavy Rain
Prompts Flood Prevention Efforts
Friday,
January 09, 2009
Crews continue to
prevent flooding by clearing street catch basins, monitoring
problem areas, repairing road shoulder damage, and removing additional
snow to widen bus routes and more isolated local roads. Crews are also
monitoring creeks closely and receiving regular updates from
the BC
River Forecast Centre via the Provincial Emergency
Program.
Please take these
precautions to ensure personal safety and minimize the impacts of
flooding on your property:
Check street catch basins around your property to ensure they
are clear of ice and debris.
Shovel snow away from the house or basement windows and check
catch basins on the street to ensure they're not
blocked.
Avoid small creeks and rivers as their channels tend to be
narrow and can fill up quickly. Also, eroded banks result in unstable
ground. Most importantly, keep children and pets away from stream
banks.
Drive carefully. Never try to drive through floodwater. If a
car stalls in floodwater, get out quickly and move to higher ground.
If you are planning to travel, check the Drive BC website to follow
current highway conditions and any road closures.
Organize your individual and family emergency kit. It should
contain important documents, prescription medication, a
battery-powered radio, a flashlight and first aid
kit.
Always follow the instructions of local emergency officials
and check the Provincial Emergency Program website for emergency
preparedness information.
If rising waters
become a threat to your safety, obey emergency officials who are
involved in rescue or flood control operations, including those
directing traffic.
Please report
severe flooding by calling the Operations Centre Service Request at
604-925-7101 or the 24-hour Emergency and After Hours Service Line at
604-925-7100.
See:
http://www.westvancouver.ca/Level3.aspx?id=13194
=== ENGINEERING PROJECT
=== can you solve this one?
And there lie the
bodies January 05, 2009 by
Gideon Levy;
Source: Haaretz
The legend, lest it be a true
story, tells of how the late mathematician, Professor Haim Hanani,
asked his students at the Technion to draw up a plan for constructing
a pipe to transport blood from Haifa to Eilat. The obedient students
did as they were told. Using logarithmic rulers, they sketched the
design for a sophisticated pipeline. They meticulously planned its
route, taking into account the landscape's topography, the possibility
of corrosion, the pipe's diameter and the flow calibration. When they
presented their final product, the professor rendered his judgment:
You failed. None of you asked why we need such a pipe, whose blood
will fill it, and why it is flowing in the first place.
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052348.html
=== SDEROT ===
A subscriber sent me an article that contained some background on
Sderot (where the mostly ineffectual homemade rockets land) that I was
not aware of:
Sderot, where a few homemade harmless
missiles have landed, was once an Arab village called Najd, whose 600
Arab inhabitants were expelled by Israelis in 1948. Jewish settlers
built over the old town in 1951. Having been ethnically cleansed, the
Arabs moved to the Gaza Strip, along with some other 750,000
Palestinians who had been removed from their lands-or murdered, like
the villagers of Deir Yassin-before the first Arab-Israeli war had
even begun.
It goes on to say:
UN Resolution 194 and Article 13 of the UN
Declaration of Human Rights say the people of Najd and Palestine's
other 384 demolished villages must be allowed to go home. But they
can't because Israel confines them in a small stretch of coastal
desert that the Egyptian army held onto in 1949 and became a dumping
ground for the displaced population of southern Palestine. Ninety per
cent of Gaza's 1.5 million people are refugees and their
descendants. Israel won't let them come back, nor will it let them
have a state of their own in Gaza and the West Bank even if they
relinquish their right of return.
=== CALENDAR to Jan
18th === [mtgs at M
Hall unless indicated otherwise]
There was no DWV New Year's Eve celebration this
year.......
= Wed Jan 7th ~ 6pm ~ Child Care WG
= Thurs Jan 8th ~ 5:15pm ~ Measuring Up WG
= Wed Jan 14th ~ 2pm ~ Heritage Achievement Awards Selection
Cmte at WV Museum (GL House)
= Thurs Jan 15th
~
8:30am ~ Cmnty Engagement Cmte (CEC)
~ 6pm ~
NSh Court/Youth Justice Cmte at the DNV M Hall
+++ WV MEMORIAL LIBRARY
+++ See: http://www.westvanlib.org/
Fridays: Jan 9 and 16 -- English Corner -- 10 -
11:30am practise English conversation in the Elizabeth Musto
Room.
+++ FERRY BUILDING GALLERY
+++
= January 6-18, 2009 --
"A Whimsical Interpretation"
Mixed Media: Luciana Alvarez, Graham Eagle, Lynsey Paterson,
Carol Shumas, Bettina Weidemann
*** Opening Reception: 6 - 8pm Tues
Jan 6 *** Artists' Talk: 2pm Sat Jan 10
***
= Jan 11: Deadline for Submissions:
"STRINGS ATTACHED"
a mixed
media exhibition on the theme of APRONS from February 24 to March
16
APRON: (noun) An apron is a piece of clothing worn over the front
of normal clothing to protect it.
(think
mother, think home, think chef, think industry, think retro=8A)
The Ferry Building Gallery will be jurying for an exhibition on
the theme of APRONS. Works in a variety of mediums will be
accepted including: painting, drawing, collage, photography, ceramics,
printmaking, short film that can be played on a dvd player, jewellery,
poetry, textiles, sculpture, wood, and metal.
Eligibility:
o past and present residents of the Sea To Sky
region, including Sunshine Coast, Bowen Island, Squamish, and
Whistler.
o artists chosen for an exhibition in 2009 at the
Sept 28 jury for the Ferry Building Gallery, are also eligible to
submit for this exhibition.
+ Jury date/location: Sun, Jan 11 *
Drop-off: 9-11am; Pickup: 2-3pm; Music Box, 1564 Argyle
+ Contact: 925 7290, fax 925 5913 *
gallery@westvancouver.ca * WV Cultural Services, 1414 Argyle at
Ambleside Landing * www.ferrybuildinggallery.com
= Jan 8 to Mar 8 in DWV's M Hall's
Lobby: Paintings by Jill Royall
Royall works with images from the visible world transformed
through the action of imagination on colour and form, to create
autonomous paintings on canvas that offer their discovery to
viewers.*
+++ SILK PURSE +++ [will
reopen Jan 20]
+++ WV MUSEUM
+++ Visit:
http://www.westvanmuseum.blogspot.com/
The Prints of Alistair
Bell to February
7, 2009
+++ KAY MEEK CENTRE
+++
o FRIDAY Jan
9th
Shakespeare's Songbook [more
details below*]
The music of
Shakespeare's time comes alive with The Newberry Consort, "one of
America's most innovative and accomplished early music ensembles."
This Early Music Vancouver presentation features "the Baroque music
diva" Ellen Hargis, and the "genius" of the lute Paul O'Dette,
in an evening of songs, ballads and dance tunes that delighted the
patrons of London's Globe Theatre. Co-presented by Early Music
Vancouver.
Friday,
January 9 (8pm). Pre-concert chat at
7:15pm. Buy tickets to Shakespeare's Songbook.
o CALENDAR
-
Shakespeare's Songbook with The Newberry Ensemble; Fri, Jan 9 (8pm); Pre-Concert
chat at 7:15pm
-
OneDance Presents: Dance Distraction; Saturday, January 10
(2pm)
-
The Last Continent, Movies at the Meek; Friday, January 16
(7:30pm)
-
Canadian Brass; Saturday, January 17 (8pm)
*
SHAKESPEARE'S SONGBOOK (EARLY MUSIC VANCOUVER at KMC)
Friday, January 9,
2009 8pm
Pre-concert chat
provided by Ross Duffin, professor in musicology at Case Western
University (7:15pm)
The Newberry Consort
is proudly sponsored by Elaine Adair
The Newberry Consort
with
Ellen Hargis
(soprano)
William Hite
(tenor)
Paul
O'Dette (lute)
David
Douglass (violin)
Shakespeare loved
music, using it to establish a mood or an entertaining diversion.
Ellen Hargis, "the Baroque music diva" (New Yorker) and Paul
O'Dette, "genius" of the lute (Globe and Mail), join one of the
finest early music groups, The Newberry Consort, to perform the songs,
ballads and dance tunes that once enriched the Bard's plays and
delighted the patrons of London's Globe Theatre.
"The
Newberry Consort is one of America's most innovative and
accomplished early music ensembles." Fanfare
Single Tickets
available at Kay Meek Centre: Adults: $42; Senior/Student:
$37
Early Music Series
(Three Performances - Phone Only): Adult $36.67/performance =
$110; Sr/Stu $33.34/performance = $100
Kay Meek Box
Office
(604) 913-3634 --
10am - 4pm Mon - Friday; Rush Seating for Students, at a very special
price!
To see a list of events:
http://kaymeekcentre.com/on_stage/events_calendar
To see the electronic newsletter, the address is
http://kaymeekcentre.weebly.com. Getting onto the mail list: the
simplest method is to call the box office (604 913 3634) or email
tickets@kaymeekcentre.com
+++ ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION
BRANCH 60, WEST VANCOUVER
To view the latest newsletter, just
click the following link for direct access:
http://www.westvan60.com/Images/The%20Torch%20Newsletter%20-%20Winter%202008.pdf
+++
Community Grants +++ [think the deadline is Jan
30]
The West
Vancouver Community Grants Program
The District of West Vancouver's grants program is an essential
strategy in helping the residents of West Vancouver to equitably
access the resources, services, and programs they need and
desire.
Across West
Vancouver, there are many non-profit community organizations that
deliver important social services, sports and recreation, and arts and
cultural programs and activities.
The funding of
non-profit community organizations through the grants programs has
several unique objectives:
-
Supporting a diverse infrastructure of community organizations and
programs that allows for creativity, innovation, and responsiveness to
different community needs and interests;
-
Providing local government endorsement for community organizations and
programs to better attract funding from senior levels of government,
donors, and foundations;
-
Encouraging innovation and responsiveness to changing and unmet
community needs and interests.
The Grants
Program Framework
There are three
distinct categories in the grants framework:
1. Arts and
Culture - Application Forms: Project
Operating
2. Social and
Community Services - Application Forms: Guidelines
Project Operating
3. Youth
Competition and Recognition - Application Form
The framework is
designed to make the best use of available resources and ensure that
funds are available each year to respond to new issues and support
innovative projects.
Arts &
Culture and Social & Community Services
We have two types
of grants for Arts & Culture and Social & Community
Services:
Operating grants: are used to support on-going programs and services,
and the on-going operating costs of non-profit
organizations.
Project/Program grants: are used to support the development of new
projects/programs and services.
Youth
Competition Grants
Youth Competition
Grants recognize individuals, teams and groups participating as
ambassadors of West Vancouver in regional, national and international
tournaments, competitions, competitive festivals and civic leadership
conferences. They are reviewed on an ongoing basis
quarterly.
You may also call
the following individuals for clarification on the above: Leanne
Sexsmith, Community Planner - Social Services (604 925-7178); or
Cathy Matheson, Office of Cultural Affairs and Partnerships (604
925-7224).
The District of
West Vancouver is committed to maintaining and enhancing the quality
of life for all residents in our community, and it is hoped that the
new community grants framework will further that
commitment. Accountability Form and see
http://www.westvancouver.ca/grants.aspx
=== Ccl Mtg AGENDA Jan
12th ===
1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
REPORTS
RECOMMENDED: the report from the Acting Mgr of Permits and
Inspections/Bylaws be received for information.
At the Dec 15 meeting, Council received the report
dated Dec 5, 2008 from the Community Planner.
CALL FOR PUBLIC INPUT
RECOMMENDED: THAT all written and verbal submissions ... be
received for information.
If Council wishes a further staff report, then:
RECOMMENDED: THAT Staff report back to Council regarding
submissions received
OR
RECOMMENDED: THAT DVP Application No. 08-044 for 1350 Ottaburn
Road, which would provide for a
subdivision creating two lots with a variance to the minimum site
width requirement for proposed Lot 2 and a variation to the front yard
requirement on proposed Lot 1, be approved.
At the Dec 8 meeting, Council
received the report dated Nov 27, 2008 from the Community
Planner
CALL FOR PUBLIC INPUT
RECOMMENDED: THAT all written and verbal submissions ... be
received for information.
If Council wishes a further staff report, then:
RECOMMENDED: THAT Staff report back to Council regarding
submissions received
OR
RECOMMENDED: THAT DVP Application No. 08-027 for 610 11th Street,
which provides for a new dwelling to be built with a reduced front
yard and access from Duchess Avenue rather than the lane, be
approved.
RECOMMENDED: THAT the amendment, as
follows, to the Sponsorship and Partnership Policy be
adopted:
"New and existing facilities may be considered for naming
but only if the financial contribution is significant and
in-line with current market values;" and
"The granting of
naming privileges must not result in additional costs to the District
of West Vancouver other than those costs born through securing the
naming rights;" and
"Agreements for naming
privileges shall be for a fixed term, typically 10 to 20 years, but in
any event shall not exceed the life of the asset. No agreements will
be contemplated that carry the expectation of open-ended or perpetual
time frames."
{My thought-bubble -- who
defines 'significant'?}
RECOMMENDED: report dated Dec 18 from Dir/Olympic Services &
Projects be received for information.
RECOMMENDED: THAT the report dated December 16, 2008 be received
for information.
RECOMMENDED: THAT Council approves borrowing from the
Municipal Finance Authority of British Columbia, as part of their 2009
spring issue, $6,000,000 as authorized through Loan Authorization
Bylaw No. 4407, 2004 (a bylaw to authorize borrowing for the
acquisition and installation of water meters) and that the Greater
Vancouver Regional District be requested to consent to our borrowing
over a [15-year term] and include the borrowing in their security
issuing bylaw.
10. Establishment of Community Grants Committee (File:
0115-01) -- Information to be provided.
11. Appointments (File: 0115-01/0117-01)
RECOMMENDED: THAT the following appointments for 2009 be
approved:
Arts & Cultural Facilities Working Group: Councillor
Evison
Childcare Services Working Group: Councillor
Smith
Measuring Up Working Group: Councillor
Soprovich.
RECOMMENDED: THAT the following appointments to the North Shore
Family Court and Youth Justice Committee and the West Vancouver
Memorial Library Board be approved:
North Shore Family Court and Youth Justice Committee [to 2009 Dec
31]:
Jill [Wiersma] be appointed as a Member at
Large;
Diane Bryden and Norm Brown be re-appointed as Members at
Large
Pejman Pirgheibi be appointed to the Professional Category
of the Committee; and
Andrew Van Eden, Mary-Ann Booth, Alana Abramson, Clark
Chu, Constable Marlene Morton, and Constable Jeff Palmer be
re-appointed to the Professional Category of the
Committee.
West Vancouver Memorial Library Board:
Marcia Bergen, Kirsty Farquharson, Rosalind Foucault,
Harry Greenwood, Ann Hamilton, Sherry Parrott, and Fanny Patterson be
re-appointed for a [two-year term] expiring December 31,
2010.
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
12. Consent Agenda Items - Reports and
Correspondence
REPORTS FOR CONSENT AGENDA
RECOMMENDED: THAT the report dated December 16, 2008 be received
for information.
CORRESPONDENCE LIST FOR CONSENT AGENDA
14. Correspondence List
(File: 0120 24)
RECOMMENDED: THAT the Correspondence List be received for
information.
Correspondence received up to December 12,
2008
Requests for Delegation -- No items presented.
Action Required -- No items presented.
No Action Required (receipt only)
(1) Committee and Board Meeting Minutes
(a) West Vancouver Memorial Library Board - November 19,
2008
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inserted info for you -- I'm a passionate
treelover! This is exciting news; from
http://www.treesfortomorrow.gov.bc.ca/
Welcome
Trees for Tomorrow
is a Province of British Columbia initiative designed to support urban
and rural communities in the planting of millions of trees in
schoolyards, hospital grounds, civic parks, campuses, parking lots and
other public spaces throughout British Columbia over the next five
years.
This initiative is
part of the Province's strategy to reduce greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere by at least 33 per cent below current levels by
2020.
Projects selected
for funding must meet the following criteria:
*
ecologically sound project and site plan;
*
volunteer and community engagement;
*
partnered funding;
*
linkages with other provincial government initiatives;
and
*
stewardship, monitoring and long-term sustainability
plans.
Eligible
applicants include local governments, First Nations and institutional
landowners such as school districts, hospital and universities.
Environmental and stewardship groups are invited to apply in
partnership with another eligible applicant.
The first
application intake deadline is January 16, 2009.
Planting Our
Future Guide
[PDF - 3.42 Mb]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attachments available for viewing in Legislative Services
Department.
Responses to Correspondence -- No items presented.
Responses to Questions in Question Period -- No items
presented.
Correspondence received up to December 26,
2008
Requests for Delegation -- No items presented.
Action Required (All referred to Dir/Engg and
Transportation for consideration and response)
No Action Required (receipt only)
Attachments available for viewing in Legislative
Services Department.
Attachments available for viewing in Legislative
Services Department.
Attachments available for viewing in Legislative
Services Department.
Attachments available for viewing in Legislative
Services Department.
Responses to Correspondence -- No items presented.
Responses to Questions in Question Period -- No items
presented.
Correspondence received up to January 4,
2009
Requests for Delegation -- No items presented.
Action Required
Referred to Director of
Engineering and Transportation for consideration and
response.
Referred to Director of
Engineering and Transportation for consideration and
response.
No Action Required (receipt only)
Attachments available for viewing in Legislative
Services Department.
Attachments available for viewing in Legislative Services
Department.
Attachments available for viewing in
Legislative Services Department.
(24) J. Gordon, District of North Vancouver, December 15,
2008, regarding North Shore Family Court and Youth Justice Committee
2007 Annual Report
(25) R. Hobson, Union of British Columbia Municipalities
(UBCM), December 22, 2008, regarding UBCM-Administered Grants to the
District of West Vancouver for 2008
Responses to Correspondence -- No items presented.
Responses to Questions in Question
Period -- No items presented.
15. REPORTS from MAYOR/CCLRS 16. PUBLIC QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
17. ADJOURNMENT
=== DISTRICT OF WEST VANCOUVER -- INFORMATION
===
How the Hall does
DWV work??? :-)
=
Organization
http://www.westvancouver.ca/Government/Level3.aspx?id=3850
The District of
West Vancouver is responsible for governing the Municipality under the
authority of the Local Government Act. The District operates under a
Council/Manager system. This means an elected Council provides policy
direction to staff which then implements Council
policy. Committees, panels, and working
groups also
provide advice to Council and staff. The Police Board and Library
Board working with Council, are responsible for the delivery of police
and library services.
The District of
West Vancouver is one of three local governments on the North Shore,
and covers 87.4 square kilometres. It has a combined annual
operating budget of $82 million and an annual capital budget of
roughly $56 million. The District employs more than 875 people and
provides services to about 44,000 residents and 3,200
businesses.
Many of the
District's services are provided directly or indirectly through
partnerships with various Boards such as the Police and Library
Boards, other North Shore municipalities and regional governments such
as Metro Vancouver, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, and
Translink. The District also acts as a tax collector for a number of
agencies that provide services such as education, health, transit, and
Metro Vancouver.
= Office of the
CAO
http://www.westvancouver.ca/Government/Level2.aspx?id=1996a
The Office of
the Chief Administrative Officer is responsible for corporate
administration, and the Information Desk at Municipal Hall.
Contact information:
Information
Desk/Office of the Mayor and CAO -- 925 7000
Chief
Administrative Officer - Grant McRadu -- 925
7008
[Deputy CAO - Brent
Leigh -- ]
Executive Assistant
to the CAO - Jennifer Ficocelli -- 925 7008
The Chief
Administrative Officer is Grant McRadu.
The Chief
Administrative Officer (CAO) of the District of West Vancouver is
appointed by, and reports to, [the Municipal] Council. The CAO
oversees the overall administration of the corporate body of the
District, its officers and employees. In addition, the CAO is charged
with keeping Council up to date on corporate matters and ensuring that
Council policy is implemented and bylaws are enforced.
The CAO also leads
the senior executive team and sets the overall strategic direction to
ensure achievement of Council's Goals.
The major
responsibilities are:
- Administering the
business affairs of the municipality
- Providing direction to District employees
- Directing the development and implementation of corporate policies
and programs
- Ensuring Council receives the appropriate reports and information
necessary for decision making
- Assisting Council in the development of a corporate strategic
plan
- Directing the exercise of general financial control of all
departments and ensuring Council is presented with the annual
estimates of revenue and expenditures
- Liaising with local boards, commissions, agencies, other
municipalities, and the provincial and federal
governments.
The Deputy Chief
Administrative Officer is Brent Leigh
The Deputy CAO will
be responsible for the Office of Cultural Affairs and Corporate
Partnerships managed by Cathy Matheson; the Office of Sustainability,
Environment and Healthy Communities managed by Stephen Jenkins; and
Emergency Planning. Leigh will also lead the organization
through the development of a long-term Corporate
Strategy.
=
Departments:
http://www.westvancouver.ca/government/level2.aspx?id=128
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Communications
Engineering and Transportation
Financial Services
Fire & Rescue Services
Human Resources & Payroll Services
Legislative Services
Memorial Library
Parks & Community Services
Planning, Lands & Permits
= Bylaws
See: http://www.westvancouver.ca/government/bylaws.aspx
=== NEWSWATCH Bright ===
These reflect the optimism until Boxing Day 2008
*** HOLY LAND TREK
:-)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7795809.stm
Aleem Maqbool has been
walking from Nazareth to Bethlehem, retracing a journey made by Joseph
and Mary...
Part three of his diary
began in al-Bireh, near Ramallah, and has taken taken him through
Jerusalem to Bethlehem in time from Christmas Eve.
[This is Part Three but you can click on Part One and Two, see
photos of the five donkeys along the Nativity Trail: the Israelis
stopped one b/c it didn't have documentation (wch wd take 30 days to
obtain), one was too slow, and the third was his favourite. You
can also click on the map of the trip and his diary, plus send him a
msg.]
*** More Good News
Jenin: A model for the
West bank?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7759765.stm
*** Hopeful Reflections
CPTnet 26 December 2008 -- AT-TUWANI
REFLECTION: Hope for the New Year
by Janet Benvie
As I write this, Advent and
Christmas are over. The new Christian year has begun; the new
calendar year is about to begin Gregorian and Hijri.* It is a
time for looking forward to the New Year, the lengthening of the days
again and, in due time, the earth's new growth in spring.
Here in At-Tuwani I see hope and new
growth everywhere I look. In the midst of the Israeli occupation and
its attendant violent oppressions imposed on the villagers, I see such
amazing signs of hope.
Just south of At-Tuwani, in Humra
valley, a family has planted a new olive grove. On the rocky
hillside they have created a small walled 'garden'. The olives
they planted are Roman variety, they told us?around four times more
expensive than the common variety, but superior and longer lasting.
A carefully crafted stone wall surrounds this new olive grove. A
little lower in the same valley, other villagers have repaired a wall
around an existing grove. Considerable time and great care was
taken with the work, and the result is attractive, but practical, new
walls.
As I walk around the village I see
numerous families undertaking home repairs and extensions. Some are
re-building demolished homes, others building new homes. One
family who returned this summer to re-build their home, demolished by
the Israeli military in 2004, is walling in small garden areas around
their new house and planting trees and shrubs. Another family,
who is repairing and extending their home, is carefully building a
stone outer wall to match the stonework of the original
house.
It takes hope for the future to
build a new home when the occupying power has already threatened all
the houses in your village with demolition. It takes hope for
the future to invest time and money in olive groves and
gardens.
As we enter the new year, my hope
for the future is that the world's politicians (the quartet of the
European Union, the United Nations, Russia, and the USA), will
recognize Israel's occupation for what it is?brutal, oppressive and
immoral?and will stop sending it military funding. My hope for
the future is that people around the world will say to Israel
"enough" and will boycott this immoral state in the same way
so many people boycotted apartheid South Africa.
My hope for the future is that peace with
justice shall prevail. Living in At-Tuwani nurtures that
hope.
For photos of some of the walls and
gardens, go to
http://cpt.org/gallery/Tuwani-walls-of-hope
* The Gregorian calendar is used almost
universally, with twelve calendar months in each year. Muslims use the
Hijri calendar, based on lunar months, which is eleven days shorter
than the Gregorian. The new Gregorian year will be 2009; the new
Hijra 1430.
----------------------------------------------
CPT's MISSION: "Getting in the Way".
What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and
sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war?
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) seeks to enlist the whole church in
organized, nonviolent alternatives to war and places teams of trained
peacemakers in regions of lethal conflict.
COMMENTS: To ask questions or express concerns,
criticisms and affirmations send messages to
peacemakers@cpt.org.
=== Then NEWSWATCH Gloomy
=== Israel breaks ceasefire, bombs and invades
Gaza
When doing some research and asking some questions, one contact
sent me this compilation of reports (from Israel, UK, US, Canada) wch
is much more complete than most of what we've been getting on the TV
news:
http://gazasiege.org/docs/jan09/TheFactsAboutIsraelsWarOnGaza_Jan12009.pdf
While I did know no Israeli had been killed during the ceasefire
(but Palestinians had and that's not been mentioned), I was not yet
aware of its terms for both sides. Also, possibly a reason we
aren't aware that Israel broke the ceasefire, is b/c the IDF
went into Gaza Nov 4th and killed six Palestinians -- guess
most ppl were watching the American election results to find out who
the next US President wd be -- so only Hamas had kept to the terms and
resumed lobbing the home-made rockets after Israel resumed killings.
It then become an element in the political parties jockeying for votes
in Israel's election in February. Here's the beginning of
the article:
The
Facts about Israel's War on Gaza by Adam Sheets, January
1, 2009
It is crucial that
one has her/his facts straight about Israel's war on Gaza.
What events brought about this dreadful situation? What needs to
be done to make it stop? These questions will be answered in the
content of this article, using concrete facts from a variety of news
sources.
Let's first
investigate the recent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The
cease-fire began in June 2008. The terms were as
follows:
1. Israel
would drastically reduce its military blockade of
Gaza.
2. Israel
would halt all military incursions into Gaza.
3. Hamas
would halt all rocket attacks into Israel.
From the outset of
the cease-fire, Israel did little to ease its military blockade.
As a result, Gazans continued to suffer from a lack of food, fuel,
financial aid, electricity, clean water, medical supplies, and more.
This has been, inarguably, an attack on innocent Palestinian
civilians.
[So those are the conditions and Israel's breaking of the
ceasefire by killing six Palestinians (as well as not lifting the
siege) went largely unreported, but that was the trigger, so to speak
that made the militants resume firing rockets -- guess nothing to
lose. Put pressure. Click on link above for rest of the
info from the BBC, Washington Post, Haaretz (Israel), and CNN
transcripts. Latest outrage is herding 100 into UN school for safety
and then bombing it: UN:
IDF bombed
building in Gaza that
housed civilians - Haaretz ... - 12:40pm10 Jan 2009 ... There
are no
bomb shelters in Gaza,"
she said"
... boy recounted how his
family came to be
herded into the building that was later targeted ...
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1054217.html]
=== BUSHWATCH ===
Bushmissed
Countries
that will miss George Bush
by Kim Ghattas, BBC News,
Washington
A lot has been written
about George W Bush's unpopularity around the globe - but what about
those places where the outgoing president was popular?
Read the article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7821449.stm
=== NEWSLETTER TOPICS/TITLES West Van Matters
2008: 1 - 34 ===
2008-1
2008 Jan 7th Ccl Mtg AGENDA;
Calendar to Jan 16th
Newsletter Topics List
WVM2007:1-41 * Updates and Heritage Matters
2008-2
2008 Jan 7th Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Jan 14th AGENDA; Calendar to January 25th
Chamber Cleared Mid-Debate *
Shd taxpayers donate $36,400+ to skiing event?
2008-3
2008 Jan 14th NOTES; Jan
21st AGENDA; Calendar to Jan 31st+
NO Letters and NO List! *
CSB/NV * Unfair Utility Rates * Budget
2008-4
2008 Jan 21st Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Feb 4th AGENDA; Calendar to Feb 13th
Dog Strategies * Envtal
Awards * Resurrection of F&A and Correspondence?
2008-5*
2008 Feb 4th Ccl NOTES;
AGENDA Feb 11th; Calendar to Feb 22nd
Budget 2008 * To receive or
not to receive * Behind-closed-doors decisions!
2008-6R
2008 Feb 11th BUDGET Input
NOTES; AGENDA Feb 18th; Calendar to Feb 29th
BUDGET 2008 * ADRA AGM
Newsletter * HERITAGE AWARDS/WEEK
2008-7*
2008 Feb 18th Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Mar 3rd AGENDA; Calendar to Mar 13th
HERITAGE Awards * Ccl Pay *
Gleneagles Golf/Great Hall * Cmnty Ctr
2008-8
2008 Feb 3rd Ccl NOTES * Mar
10th AGENDA * Calendar to Mar 20th
Fire & Rescue * Wetmore?
* Five-Yr Capital Budget * H Quiz Answers
2008-9
2008 Mar 10th Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Mar 17th AGENDA; Calendar to Apr 7th
OPERATING BUDGET 2008 *
Information Technology Dept INFObit
2008-10
2008 Mar 17th Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Calendar to April 16th
BUDGET 2008 * Wetlands *
Heritage * Rodgers Crk * Lake Water
2008-11
2008 Mar 17th Ccl Tidbits;
Ccl AGENDA Apr 7th; Calendar to Apr 19th
Marine Dr Gateway * ADRA
Newsletter * Rodgers Crk * Streamkeepers 2008
2008-12
2008 Apr 7th Ccl NOTES; Apr
14th AGENDA; Calendar to Apr 27th
BUDGET 2008 DEBATE * Rodgers
Crk Devt Plans * Ev Dr Devt Permits
2008-13
2008 Apr 14th Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Apr 21st PH/Mtg AGENDAs; Calendar to April 30th
Rodgers Crk Devt * Fire WG
* 2007 Salaries * CBs/Tendering * 2008 BUDGET
2008-14
2008 Apr 21st/May 1st Ccl
NOTES; May 5th AGENDA; Calendar to May 15th
Uplift/Windfall * Pat's
Restaurant site at 13th PH * TransLink --> SCBCTA
2008-15
2008 May 5th Ccl NOTES; Ccl
AGENDA MAY 12th; Calendar to May 29th
RODGERS CRK DEVT * Dog
Walking Regs * Housing Dialogue
2008-16R
2008 May 12th Ccl NOTES; May
26th AGENDA; Calendar to June 8th
HERITAGE REGISTER *
Youth Awards * Rodgers Crk Devt UPLIFT CALCULATIONS
2008-17
2008 May 26th/28th Ccl
NOTES; Agenda June 2nd; Calendar to June 18th
MORE on UPLIFT *
Finance Cmte * Wentworth/Collingwood Parking Lot
2008-18
2008 June 2nd Ccl Mtg NOTES;
June 9th AGENDA; Calendar to June 22nd
Hugo Ray Park
Merry-Go-Round * Heritage Register * Cmnty Engagement
2008-19
2008 June 9th Ccl Mtg NOTES;
June 16th AGENDAs; Calendar to June 30th [+ July]
Staff Power? * HUGO RAY PARK
PLANS * Heritage Register
2008-20
2008 June 16th Ccl Mtg
Notes; July 7th AGENDA; Calendar to July 16th
Cmnty Ctr Report * Firehall
Site Rezoning * Staff or Ccl Approach?
2008-21
2008 July 7th MTG NOTES;
July 14th AGENDA; Calendar to July 25th
PHs: Bylaws for Ambleside &
Rodgers Creek * Social Action Plan * CEC Status
2008-22
2008 July 14th Ccl NOTES;
July 21st AGENDA; Calendar to July 31st
Housing Status Report *
Cmnty Ctr Society * Climate Action Charter
2008-23
2008 July 21st Ccl NOTES;
July 28th AGENDAS; Calendar to Aug 5th+
Ambleside Town Ctr PH/Bylaws
* Park Exchange Caulfeild * Cmnty Ctr Loan
2008-24
2008 July 28 Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Calendar to Aug 31 +
RODGERS Crk Bylaws/PH *
Wetmore Options * ChildCare * New Budget Process
2008-25
2008 September 8 Ccl Mtg
NOTES; Calendar to Sept 15
DWV SALARIES 2007 *
List of WVM Titles/Topics 2008: 1 - 24
2008-26
2008 September 8 Ccl Mtg
NOTES; Sept 22 AGENDA; Calendar to October
TransLink * Cmnty Ctr Update
* Fraiche Complaints * Closed Planning Mtg
2008-27
2008 September 22 Ccl Mtg
NOTES; Sept 29 AGENDA; Calendar to Oct 10
Climate Action * SHA Survey
* Housing aka Cmnty Dialogue WG Report
2008-28r
2008 Sept 29th Ccl Mtg
NOTES; Oct 6th AGENDA; Calendar to October 26th
Interim Devt Zoning Bylaw
* Impermeable Site Coverage * ELECTIONWATCH
2008-29R
2008 Oct 6th Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Oct 20th AGENDAs; Calendar to Oct 31st
Cmnty Sport WG Report *
Joint Agreement re Cmnty Ctrs * HBay Firehall Site
2008-30*
2008 Oct 20th PH/Ccl Mtg
NOTES; Oct 27th AGENDA; Calendar to Nov 13th
ELECTIONWATCH * Public
Hearing re Decks/Blasting/etc * Spirit Trail WG
2008-31r*
2008 Oct 27th Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Nov 17th AGENDA; Calendar to Nov 30th
Heritage WG Final Report *
Eagle Island Docks $500K * Hugo Ray Park
2008-32
Ccl NOTES Nov 17 & Dec
1; AGENDA Dec 8; Calendar to Dec 15
Rodgers Crk Area 1 * 1434
Marine * Inaugural Mtg * ELECTIONWATCHed
2008-33=BA
2008 Dec 8th Ccl NOTES; Dec
15th AGENDA; Calendar to Dec 24th
Seniors' Ctr Report * 1434
Marine * Ccl Apptmts * B C Binning House
2008-34
2008 Dec 15th Ccl Mtg NOTES;
Calendar to Dec 31st (to Jan 12th)
WV Family Place Society *
Stop Work Order: Construction Endangers Nbrs
=== BAILOUTs Explained
===
* Santa Claus Bailout Hearings:
National Lampoon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxBl9BXLom4
* Bailout Bitter: The newest beer from Howe Sound
Brewing (in Squamish) -- so we just had to taste it! It's been
on local TV news here and have been told it even made it to CNN and
CBS!
=== LANGUAGEWATCH === Beware
of Cupertinos!
World Wide Words is copyright (c) Michael Quinion 2008. All
rights reserved. The Words Web site is at
http://www.worldwidewords.org This is from Michael Quinion's
World Wide Words, Dec 13 and 20, as a result of a question in the Dec
6 issue:
6. Elsewhere
-------------------------------------------------------------------
You may recall that in the issue of 22 November the Sic! section
included an item about a menu that listed "Ground veal patties
with aborigine", when "aubergine" was meant. This turns
out to be a more
widespread and subtle error than it seemed at first sight. Arnold
Zwicky, Visiting Professor of Linguistics at Stanford University, has
written about it on Language Log (http://wwwords.org?BRGN).
DEC 13:
5. Q&A: Cupertino
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. In last week's issue of your newsletter, you
gave a link to an article by Arnold Zwicky at Language Log. He writes
"there's a remote possibility that some of the hits for aborigine
on its own are Cupertinos." What's a Cupertino - and why?
[M Nease]
A. I had a feeling this might come up. This
answer is based in part on Benjamin Zimmer's discussion of the topic,
also in Language Log.
An automated spelling checker
attached to a word-processing program is one of the curses of our age.
In the hands of an inexperienced, over-hasty or ignorant user it
readily perpetrates dreadful errors in the name of correctness. One
example appeared in a piece in the New York Times in October 2005
about Stephen Colbert's neologism "truthiness": throughout
it instead referred to "trustiness", the first suggestion
from the paper's automated checking software. In September 2006 an
issue of the Arlington Advocate included the sentence, "Police
denitrified the youths and seized the paintball guns." The writer
left the first letter off "identified" and the spelling
checker corrected what remained.
In 2000 the second issue of Language
Matters, a magazine by the European Commission's English-language
translators, included an article by Elizabeth Muller on the problem
with the title Cupertino and After.
Cupertino, the city in California,
is best known for hosting the headquarters of Apple Computers. But the
term doesn't come from the firm. The real source is spelling checkers
that helpfully include the names of places as well as lists of words.
In a notorious case documented by Ms Muller, European writers who
omitted the hyphen from "co-operation" (the standard form in
British English) found that their automated checkers were turning it
into "Cupertino". Being way behind the computing
curve, I'm writing this text using Microsoft Word 97, which seems to
be the offending software (more recent editions have corrected the
error); in that, if you set the language to British English,
"cooperation" does get automatically changed to
"Cupertino", the first spelling suggestion in the list.
For reasons known only to God and Word's programmers, the obvious
"co-operation" comes second.
Hence "Cupertino effect" for the
phenomenon and "Cupertino" for a word or phrase that has
been involuntarily transmogrified through ill-programmed computer
software unmediated by common sense or timely
proofreading.
A search through the Web pages of
international organisations such as the UN and NATO (and, of course,
the EU) finds lots of examples of the canonical form of the error. A
1999 NATO report mentions the "Organization for Security and
Cupertino in Europe"; an EU paper of 2003 talks of "the
scope for Cupertino and joint development of programmes"; a UN
report dated January 2005 argues for "improving the efficiency of
international Cupertino". And so on.
Other notorious examples of the
Cupertino effect include an article in the Denver Post that turned the
Harry Potter villain Voldemort into Voltmeter, one in The New York
Times that gave the first name of American footballer DeMeco Ryans as
Demerol, and a Reuters story which changed the name of the Muttahida
Quami movement of Pakistan into the Muttonhead Quail
movement.
It could be worse. Leave out one of
the "o"s from the beginning of "co-operation" as
well as the hyphen and you might be offered not "Cupertino"
but "copulation". Now that would be an error to write home
about. Or perhaps not.
DEC 20:
1. Feedback, notes, and comments
-------------------------------------------------------------------
CUPERTINO Fr Paul Gargaro commented on last
week's piece about this term for an error caused by a spelling
checker: "It seemed ironic that St Joseph of Cupertino is a
patron saint of people taking exams. Microsoft seems to have failed
that one, even if, as you mention, it seems to have passed the
re-sit!"
Subscribers supplied examples of
spellchecker horrors. "About twenty years ago," Stan
Fleischman recalls, "using a word processor on an Apple Macintosh
with a primitive spell checker, I typed the phrase 'professional
software developer'. To my dismay, the word processor
'corrected' this to 'professional software
deviant'."
Richard Street remembers: "It
was only as a letter was going in its envelope that something made me
read it through again. I'm glad, for I had unwittingly accepted a
suggested spell checker change from the unrecognised 'Dear Mr Cookson'
to the alternative 'Dear Mr Coonskin'."
"A standard intro to linguistics
textbook," notes Miriam Miller, "is commonly known by the
surnames of its authors: Frumkin and Rodman. Some years ago a student
handed in a term paper which referred to this text frequently. The
student had the spellcheck enabled and didn't bother to proofread the
final product, so every reference to the textbook appeared as
'Foreskin and Rodman'."
Dr Morgiana Halley is suffering
along with other teachers who have reported one spellcheck issue in
particular: "The one that is driving me right round the twist at
the moment could probably be fixed, but I have no idea to whom I
should address a complaint. It seems that if one writes 'definately',
the spellchecker's first response is 'defiantly' instead of
'definitely'. In this autumn term alone, with about a hundred students
in four classes, I must have received over 500 papers with 'defiantly'
in place of 'definitely', and I credit them all to automatic
spellcheckers. Several students have brought their papers back
to challenge my manual correction, because 'that's what the
spellchecker said'."
Randall Bart's e-mail sent me not to
a spellchecker but a medical dictionary: "When I was using Forte
Agent 1.x, which included an early release of the Wintertree
spellchecker, I found that 'ehrlichiosis' was corrected to
'hermaphrodism'."
=== HAIKU ===
2009 January maiku musings re death (personal), life, Gaza)
death affects
people
brings out the best and the worst
chiaroscuro
grief
---
life's a mystery
and
along the way
there's a sense of the divine
or
life's path floats in time
shrouded in mystery
suffused with sense of divine
---
new year's door opens
bombs, blood,
burning fog
phosphorous cloaks caged confined
=== QUOTATIONS
===
Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up,
snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather,
only different kinds of good weather.
--
John Ruskin, author, art critic, and social reformer (1819-1900)
Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul.
Only kindness can do that.
--
Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, preacher, journalist, and activist
(1802-1861)
The man who loses his honour for doing business loses both
business and honour.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but
the silence of our friends. -- Martin Luther King
If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell
people what they do not want to hear. --
George OrwellThere is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged
warfare. -- Sun Tzu, general (6th century BCE)
We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only
little by little at a truth we find bitter.
--
Denis Diderot, French philosopher and writer (1713 - 1784)
* Today's riddle: Why shdn't you
throw away a phantom boomerang?
Because it'll come back to haunt
you!