WVM2011-09
Ccl NOTES Apr 18
AGENDAs May 9
Calendar to May 20th
by
Carolanne Reynolds, Editor
www.WestVan.org
Spring is sprung!
(at last!
Usually our cherry blossom tree blooms Apr 9 to 16 but it's only
beginning May 7th!)
MAIN ITEMS on Ccl Agendas May 9 :
SPECIAL CCL MTG at CMNTY CTR starts at
6pm MONDAY MAY 9th
The Youth Council meeting will commence at 7pm
following the Special Council Meeting.
MAIN ITEMS
> Sp Ccl Mtg 6pm: Devt Permit App
(Rodgers Crk); Three readings of Annual Tax Rates (deadline for adoption is May 15 so needs
another ccl mtg; sure indicates there cd hv bn a WG and more time for
citizen input); Adoption of Eagle Hbr Parcel Tax Bylaw; Bylaw
Notice Enforcement Amendment Bylaw; sp ccl mtg May 11; LCAC apptmts;
Devt App Status to Apr 29; Correspondence/Letters: grants and finance
cmtes' minutes, cmnty garden, Safeway site, salmon
designation, staff response to ADRA questions re Hollyburn Mews
(20th & Esquimalt), 20th St parking ban; responses by the four
political parties to UBCM questions on
policing/infrastructure/finance; Friends of Historical Piers,
moving Coast Guard Aux to HBay, water shortage plan, DNV re DNV
OCP, Hollyburn Mews (ADRA and resident), liquor licence for
Larson Stn, staff response re cmnty garden
> Youth Ccl Mtg 7pm: debate re voting age;
Youth Week activities; Awards then reception.
= Vive le Canada (KJV; Expo 86; new govt;
anniversaries); from the EDITOR'S DESK (Election; Devts); UPDATES &
INFO (Shoreline; LPPS; Tidings 2x/mo; Youth); POLICEWATCH
= CALENDAR to May 20th; CULTUREWATCH (Theatre; Art;
Music; Opera, Photography); NATUREWATCH (Walk and a Talk); SUBSCRIBER
HEADSUP (Update between WVMs)
= Ccl Mtg NOTES Apr 18th: NSh Cmte re
Cycling Coalition; Wetmore OCP/Zoning Bylaws
second/third reading; Fisherman's Cove Fuel Dock; Non-Enforcement of
Noise Control for BC Ferries Wed Apr 20; 20th & Esquimalt
OCP/Zoning Bylaws (consultation to date deemed sufficient) and DPA
with PH May 16 (amended agenda added Uplift
report giving ~$600K to go from three sgl-fam lots to nine
units!); Bylaw Enforcement Amendment Bylaw intro; DPA
2430 Russet; NSEMO Report; among Corresp: Taxes, Pacific Arbour,
Safeway site; RGS, UN Trip accountability, Lynum's
Garden, City of WV in Centenary?
= Ccl Mtg AGENDAs May 9th
= ANIMALWATCH (shark-petting; Jack Russell or husband?;
SPCA); INFObits (Chinese nix smoking; world popn 7B; last WW1 vet);
OTTAWAWATCH (former MP); OsamaWATCH (Fisk; CPT); PEACEWATCH (Unity);
VILLAGEWATCH (Amniyr); TREEWATCH (Pruning in hope); SCHOOLWATCH
(Passover); CANADAWATCH (Korea; V-E Day); ROYALWATCH (Birthdays;
Westminster Abbey 1066; Photos); Correspondents' Dinner (funny);
HAIKUWATCH (Reading, Workshop); MAIKU; QUOTATIONS/THOUGHTS/PUNS
=== Vive le CANADA
===
2011
May
~~ 400th anniversary of the King James Version (KJV) of
the Bible (translation)
~~ 100th anniversary of Canada Parks
2011 May 2nd
o the 341st birthday/anniversary of the Company of
Adventurers of England, trading into Hudson's Bay, also known as
The Hudson's Bay Company -- the oldest retailer in Canada, and the
oldest in the world
o the 25th anniversary of opening of Expo 86 in
Vancouver
o a new Canadian govt -- will Elizabeth May be able to get
them to behave well in the sandbox?
2011 May 6th
The statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the 58th and
60th anniversaries of two historic battles of the Korean War paying
tribute to the 26,791 Canadians who served in the Korean War and the
7000 who served in the theatre from the cease-fire to the end of 1955
appears below in CANADAWATCH.
2011 May 8th
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued a statement to mark
the 66th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day). It is
also below in CANADAWATCH.
=== from the EDITOR'S DESK
===
FEDERAL ELECTION
need time for everyone to readjust their
sets.
Will the Quebec NDP caucus (58/102) wag the party wherever it
wants?
Will it know what it wants when you have mbrs elected: a
19-yr-old, someone who never campaigned (said today that she looks
forward to visiting the riding since told it's beautiful), and so on
-- young (that can be good: new ideas) and inexperienced (can be
enthusiastic).
One commentator said it was not an 'NDP surge' b/c outside of
Quebec they only got five or six more seats. Another said that
their rise, splitting the vote, gave more seats to the Tories.
The Tories' vote only increased 2%.
Many of course point to 60% did not vote for the Conservatives.
Hope Harper will govern for all as he said.
Is the moderate middle on its deathbed or just very sick.
In many countries the parties have been reduced to two main ones,
right and left. That's also what happened in BC, after all.
It's on the edge of it in the UK also. And of course the US just
has two main parties.
Looking forward to everyone surprising us........
As Churchill said: The best argument against democracy is a
five-minute conversation with the average voter.
DEVTS in WV
Make sure you become informed and provide input to Ccl for
Ambleside Revitalization and devts on 20th & Esquimalt plus 14th
and Duchess.
=== UPDATES AND INFO
===
+ WEST VANCOUVER SHORELINE SOCIETY
New
Residents at Lawson Creekmouth by Adrian Rowland
Diversity is on the rise at the mouth of
Lawson Creek. In 2006, the District of West Vancouver initiated a
Shoreline Protection Plan to restore health and diversity to
intertidal and subtidal areas. Pilot projects have been ongoing on the
public shoreline between Dundarave Pier and Ambleside
Park.
At Lawson Creek, newly placed rock reefs
provide holdfasts to encourage growth of a productive kelp forest.
Erosion loss is being reversed with the shaping of a storm- and
climate change-resilient crenellated mixed beach with a wide and
vegetated upper foreshore. The West Vancouver Shoreline Protection
Society has welcomed the support of the Pacific Salmon Foundation and
funding donated by HSBC in support of volunteers who will assess
forage fish spawning success in the accreting sands and gravels of the
upper foreshore.
Meanwhile, there is a noticeable increase
in diversity along the shore: kelp, mussels, crabs, fish, birds,
otters - and people coming to watch them!
For more information:
http://westvanshoreline.ca/
+
Lighthouse Park Preservation Society
In 1998, a group of residents
formed the Lighthouse Park Preservation Society. Its stated goals are
to: "work to protect the natural integrity of the park given its
unique natural history and vulnerability to urban pressures; promote
public awareness of the natural features of Lighthouse Park and to
promote public support for its preservation; support the development
of biological zones along the park boundaries and to work to prevent
development encroaching on the park." The Society holds monthly
meetings, occasional work parties (e.g., invasive species removal),
regular lectures on matters ranging from historical slide shows on the
park to natural history, and publishes a newsletter. The lectures,
publicized in the park, are open to members and the
public.
Guided walks, lectures, ivy &
broom pulls, and native planting are some of the Society's
activities.
Alexandra
Mancini,
President, 922
1485
Lighthouse Park
Preservation Society -- Newsletter #15 -- February
2011
See:
http://westvancouver.ca/uploadedFiles/Parks_and_Environment/Stewardship/Newsletter15.pdf
+
Tidings
Tidings has
undergone a makeover. We are committed to providing you with timely,
relevant information about West Vancouver, so Tidings has moved
to the Wednesday edition of the North Shore News effective May 4. In
addition. Tidings will be published every two weeks rather than once a
month.
Current
Issue
- May 4,
2011 Tidings (PDF, 1.3 MB)
http://www.westvancouver.ca/Level3.aspx?id=920
+ West Vancouver
Recognizes Youth at
Youth Council and Youth Awards
Monday May 02
-- http://www.westvancouver.ca/Level3.aspx?id=33998
...Over 100
individuals have been nominated in three categories: Youth
Recognition, Youth Community Enhancement, and Youth Team Service
Awards. Nominations were submitted by the West Vancouver School
District, local churches, West Vancouver Police Department, the North
Shore Multicultural Society, District staff, and youth
themselves.
Celebrated each
year alongside Youth Week in May, West Vancouver's Youth Council and
Youth Appreciation Awards are a District initiative to recognize
exceptional youth who exemplify community spirit.
Monday May 9:
Council 6pm; Youth Council 7pm, Youth Awards 8pm and Reception to
follow; WV
Cmnty Ctr Atrium
Please
Note: The
ccl mtg will not be available online as it is not taking place in the
Ccl Chamber; however, every effort will be made to post a video in the
days following. For more info, visit
www.westvancouver.ca/youth.
=== POLICEWATCH === from
our WVPBd correspondent
West Vancouver Police Board Meeting 2001-04-28 --
Highlights:
1. First-Quarter Report. A brief summary of the operations of the
Police Department.
2. First-Quarter Financial Report. Unlike Council, which
refuses to provide any level of detail in its quarterly financial
reports, the Police Board receives 29 pages of detailed reports from
the JDE System down to the level of the $500 budgeted for Grounds
Maintenance, showing the amount spent during the quarter compared both
with the amount budgeted and the previous year's actual
expenditure. At 25% of the year elapsed, net expenditures
(corrected for annual costs paid in the first quarter and anticipated
revenues) are at 24%. The largest savings coming from keeping three
constable positions vacant.
3. The first public draft of the new three-year strategic plan
was approved for release by the Board (the approval, inexplicably, was
done in camera).
4. CompStat - The Dept's concerted efforts as part of its Crime
Reduction Strategy continue to pay significant dividends with Break
and Enters down more than 70% and theft of vehicles down 60% from the
same period last year.
5. During Public Question Period your correspondent asked about
the costs associated with the WVPD's investigation of the tasering of
the eleven-year-old in Prince George, and was informed that in such
cases all of the costs are borne by the requesting agency, in this
case, the RCMP.
======= CALENDAR to May
20th =======
All mtgs are at M Hall
unless indicated otherwise. NOTE: shown are mtgs known at
this date; often there are additions, changes, cancellations after WVM
goes out. Check the DWV Calendar:
http://www.westvancouver.ca/Calendar.aspx .
Notices/mtgs/changes too late for an issue or too early for the next
are sent to subscribers as updates (see just above). They then
appear in the next newsletter.
>>> PARKS MASTER PLAN WG
WORKSHOPS <<<
complete info:
http://www.westvancouver.ca/Level3.aspx?id=33846
Next Step -
Community Workshops: The community at large is invited to attend a
workshop and provide input.
Thursday,
April 28 -
WV Community Centre, 2121 Marine Drive (Dance and Fitness
Studio, Second Floor)
Wednesday, May
4
- Sentinel School, 1250 Chartwell Drive, (School
Library)
Monday, May
9 - West
Vancouver
Community Centre,
2121 Marine Drive (Cedar Room, Third Floor)
Tuesday, May
10
- Gleneagles Golf Clubhouse, 6190 Marine Drive (Great
Hall)
Time: Each workshop's doors open at 6:30pm and the
workshop begins at 7pm
At these workshops,
you will be asked questions like:
What
do you like most about West Vancouver's
parks?
What
aspects need attention?
What
is your vision for the future of the District's
parks?
We look forward to
your participation in this dialogue and would be pleased to answer
your questions.
Please email us or call the Parks Dept at 925 7130 if
you would like to attend. Registration at the workshops is not
required, but it is preferred.
== Wednesday May 4 ~ 6:30 - 9:30pm ~ Parks
Master Plan Workshop at Sentinel School
== Thursday May 5
~
4:30pm ~ Design Review Cmte CANCELLED
== Monday May 9 (complicated so will put all)
~ 6
- 7pm ~ Special Ccl Mtg in WV Cmnty Ctr (Atrium)
~ 6:30
- 9:30pm ~ Parks Master Plan Workshop WV Cmnty Ctr (3rd
Floor)
~ 7
- 8pm ~ Youth Ccl Mtg in WV Cmnty Ctr (Atrium)
== Tuesday May 10
~
4:30 - 7pm ~ Public Info Mtg "Hollyburn Mews" Proposal
(2031, 2047, 2063 Esq)
5pm
brief presentation; Srs' Ctr (Audio Room)
~
6:30pm ~ Parks Master Plan WG Workshop at Gleneagles Golf
Course
~ 7 - 9pm ~ THE CROWDSOURCED CITY at SFU Harbour
Ctr
Progressive cities are harnessing the power of
mass collaboration and innovation. New technologies including
cloud computing and mobile devices are allowing us to co-create our
neighborhoods and improve community design. This forum will
explore how these new technologies and social media can improve
the transparency of policymaking, planning, and projects.
Leading innovators in the use of crowdsourcing will demonstrate some
of the new techniques and platforms available.
Lukas Biewald of Crowdflower
will explain the background and trends in
crowdsourcing.
Darin Dinsmore of Crowdbrite will show how
an international competition led to innovation in design.
Colleen Hardwick of PlaceSpeak will
demonstrate the use of pioneering software for location-based
community consultation.
Bring your laptop or pad! Reserve a seat @
www.sfu.ca/reserve
== Thursday May 12
~
7pm ~ WV Streamkeeper Society AGM at St Stephen's (885 -
22nd)
AGENDA (NB: copy and pasted; numbering
fixed, no idea why not called minutes)
1. Welcome and call to
order 2. Adoption of the
agenda
3. Summary of the 2010 Annual General
Meeting
4. President's
Report
5. Financial Statements for the fiscal
year ending March 31, 2011
6. Election of
Directors
7.
Other business; 8. Adjournment
== Saturday May 14
~ 9am - noon ~ Lighthouse Park -- Broom Pull; Meet at the upper kiosk in the parking
lot.
== Sunday May 15 ~ 11am - 3pm ~
The BC SPCA West
Vancouver Branch invites you to an animal-themed day of fun. The
event, presented by Hill's Science Diet, takes place at the West
Vancouver Branch, 1020 Marine Drive.
== Tuesday May 17
~ 7pm ~
Parks Master Plan WG
== Wednesday May 18
~ 7pm ~
Bd of Variance, MHall, and ~ 7pm ~ Library Bd at Library
PLEASE SEE THE FIVE-YEAR
STRATEGIC PLAN:
We invite you to look at our 2011 - 2015 Strategic
Plan.
http://www.westvanlibrary.ca/pdf/2011_2015_strategic_plan.pdf
= BOOKtopia
2011
West
Vancouver's Children's Literature Festival -- April 28 - May
15
BOOKtopia is an
annual festival of children's literature intended to promote
literacy, celebrate language arts, and cultivate creative thought in
West Vancouver. BOOKtopia offers a series of events for preschool,
elementary, and secondary school students at the Kay Meek Centre and
the West Vancouver Memorial Library. Events include author visits,
illustrator's workshops, poetry readings, storytelling, poetry
slams, and other spoken word events. A special part of this year's
festival will include a presentation to of the winners of the Member
of Parliament Award for Writing 2011.
For a list of all
events, visit
BOOKtopia.ca
= May
is Census Month
Libraries rely
heavily on Statistics Canada's census data! If you have questions
about the 2011 Census please see the Information Desk.
= English
Corner ~ Fridays May
13, 20 ~ Practise
English Conversation 10 - 11:30am
For more information
please call Fariba Rocker at 604 506 6616.
=
Philosophers' Cafe: Winning
~ 10:30am -
noon ~ May 20 -- When is the cost of winning
too high? When, in fact, does the winner lose?
Join Moderator
Randall MacKinnon on the third Friday of each month (except July and
August) for discussion at a Philosophers' Cafe, part of Simon Fraser
University's Continuing Studies. Check out the Philosophers'
Cafe
website.
No registration is required. Admission is $5.
+++ WV MUSEUM
+++
http://westvancouvermuseum.ca/exhibitions/current_exhibition
Sylvia
Tait: A Classical Spirit ~ Apr 13 to May
21
Abstract painter Sylvia
Tait studied at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts under Arthur Lismer,
Jacques de Tonnancoeur, and Eldon Grier before settling on the West
Coast. Her work is influenced by abstract expressionism with
colour-infused forms clustered or linked together and migrating across
the surfaces of her canvases. This exhibition features a broad survey
of Tait's work from the early 1960s to the present.
GRAD SHOW 2011 ~
May 3 - 15
Mixed Media exhibition of art by graduating students of
Collingwood, Mulgrave, Rockridge, Sentinel, and West Vancouver
Secondary.
Opening Reception: Friday May 6 from 5 - 8pm
Capilano U Grad Show 2011 - Textile Arts
~ May 17 - 29
Opening Reception: Friday May 6 from 6 -
8pm
Artists' Talk Saturday May 21 from 2 -
3pm
"Happiness
Reigns" May 3 - 15
Paintings by Gordon Davis "I
paint for leisure and enjoyment. I use lots of colour - no clouds or
dull greys, and my theme is always happiness and joy." Most of
Gordon's work is pleine aire {en plein air} and verges towards
expressionism, pushing a little away from reality.
Opening reception Tuesday May 3rd from 6 -
8pm
"Swans and Other
People" May 17 - 29
Artworks by
Jacquie Manning -- Popular
teacher and painter Jacquie Manning exhibits her multi-media
explorations and documentations of unusual encounters with animals
while trekking through Europe. A departure from her abstract
works.
Opening reception Tuesday
May 19th from 6 - 8pm
+++ KAY MEEK CENTRE
+++
Complete list of events: http://kaymeekcentre.com/on_stage/events_calendar
Electronic newsletter: http://kaymeekcentre.weebly.com
Simplest way to get on email list, call
913 3634 (also for tix) or email
tickets@kaymeekcentre.com
LIONS GATE CHRISTIAN
ACADEMY SPRING GALA FEATURING...
7pm Friday May 13
VYSO CONCERTO
CONCERT ... 7:30pm Saturday May 14
A NIGHT OF STORY &
SONG WITH ZIBA SHIRAZI
... 6pm Sunday May
15
COLLINGWOOD SCHOOL
PRESENTS THE SOUNDS OF SPRING ... 7pm: Tues May 17, Wed May
18
RIDGEVIEW ELEMENTARY
PRESENTS THE WIZARD OF OZ... 6:30pm Thursday May 19
+++ ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION BRANCH 60, West
Vancouver +++
"Where Volunteers make the difference."
Chartered November 17th, 1926
The Winter Issue
of "The Torch" is now available
To view
the newsletter, just click the following link for direct
access:
Drop in -- This fun night
is for Branch members and guests
...May 19,
June 2, 16 & 30. Info - call
Kelvin Andrew - 921 9665.
May --
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Saturday, May 7th Live Music!!! In the Lounge! Come on
out!
Saturday, May 16th "Disco Night"
Sunday, May 15th Fun BINGO! In the Lounge - 2:30 -
4:30
(No Cash Prizes but lots of other prizes)
+++ WV CHAMBER of COMMERCE + 926
6614 + http://www.westvanchamber.com
Tuesday May 10 -- Chamber Breakfast
Club Location:
Cafe TrafiQ
~ 7:30 - 8:30am ~ New members
are encouraged - a great opportunity to establish new
contacts.
Register
May 12 - Hollyburn Country Club's
Bridal Party
You're invited to this free
bridal event which caters not only to brides-to-be, but also their
"entourages" -- bridesmaids, mothers, mother-in-laws, and
flower girls. Help put the finishing details on your wedding
planning!
=== CULTUREWATCH
===
*
THEATRE
+ BARD ON THE
BEACH http://www.bardonthebeach.org/ June 2nd (previews)
to Sept 24
As You Like
It: June 9th; grand opening celebration in new tent (by
invitation only)
The Merchant of Venice
opens Saturday June 18
Henry VI, Wars of the
Roses, opens Wednesday July 6
Richard III opens
Saturday July 16.
Tix:
book online or call Box Office M-F 9am to 4pm, 739 0559; reserved
seating this year.
Bard on Screen is back at Vancity
Theatre!
Vancity Theatre, in conjunction with
Bard on the Beach, will screen two award-winning Shakespearean films
on two Mondays in May (May 30th in next WVM) in advance of Bard's 2011
season. The evenings include a brief introduction and a post-movie
discussion hosted by Bard Artistic Director Christopher Gaze and other
members of the Bard company. Buy your tickets today!
Monday May 16 -- SHAKESPEARE IN
LOVE -- Directed by John Madden
What if William Shakespeare was
embroiled in a complicated love affair at the time he was writing
Romeo and Juliet? The Academy Award-winning romantic comedy
Shakespeare in Love explores what might have happened - with
hilarious and dramatic results. The film stars Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth
Paltrow, Colin Firth, and Judi Dench and was written by Tom Stoppard
and Marc Norman.
+ Arts Club (687
1644) www.artsclub.com
-
Stanley Industrial Alliance -- Hairspray
starring Jay Brazeau May 7 to July 10
- Main Stage on
Granville Island -- The Graduate till May 14 (directed by Lois
Anderson)
+ Vancouver
Playhouse 873 3311
MacHomer, Rick Miller's melding of Macbeth and The Simpsons;
May 14 and 15
+ Performance Works 684
2787
Macbeth, Heiner Muller's adaptation; May 20 - 29
+ Pacific
Theatre 731 5518
The Great Divorce, C S
Lewis's theological masterpiece; May 20 to June 18
+ Metro Theatre 266
7191
Haunted by Eric Chappell; May 7 to June 4
+ The Cultch 251
1363
The You
Show; mixed prog of three diff dance works, May 10 -
14
May 19, Martin Creed, Words and Music
+ Presentation House
Theatre
Belle of Amherst, one-woman
performance based on Emily Dickinson
+ Deep Cove Shaw
Theatre 929 9456
Stones
in his Pockets by Marie Jones May 5 to
21
{G and I
saw this in London; enjoyed; takes place in Ireland}
* DOXA Documentary Film
Festival -- May 16 - 15, various
venues: doxafestival.ca
* ART
+ VANCOUVER ART
GALLERY
EXHIBITIONS:
Ken Lum; and
Walking + Falling, Jim Campbell, Chris Marker, Eadweard
Muybridge
~ VAG PUBLIC PROGRAMS
-- All Programs free for Members.
~ Out for Lunch
-- Eine Kleine Lunch Musik Select Fridays, 12:10 -
1pm
* MUSIC
La Traviata: April
30, May 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 (all perfs at 7:30pm)
Parisian courtesan
Violetta leads a life of wild indulgence until she discovers the love of Alfredo, a true and
good-hearted man. When their relationship threatens to disgrace his
well-placed family, Alfredo's father privately pressures Violetta to
leave, and the couple is torn apart. After bitterness and
misunderstanding, they are reunited in forgiveness, but tragically it
is too late: Violetta's precarious health fails and Alfredo is left
alone.
Verdi's most popular opera
is realized in a gorgeous new co-production deftly directed by the
prodigiously talented Sir Jonathan Miller. Sumptuous parties,
passionate encounters and intimate scenes of tragic tenderness,
together with dramatic and vocal intensity from beginning to end, make
this a wonderful opera experience.
This production of La
Traviata is a co-production of Vancouver Opera and Glimmerglass
Opera.
http://www.vancouveropera.ca/la_traviata.html
+ Vancouver Symphony
Orchestra
= Wednesday,
May 11
8pm Orpheum
Theatre: Sensational Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster
performs live with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra! A multiple
Juno-award winning artist, Natalie MacMaster's passionate,
electrifying performances never fail to thrill audiences wherever she
goes. Join Natalie and the VSO for an exciting evening of Cape Breton
style Celtic fiddling at its very best!
= A Russian
Celebration!
Saturday May 14 Orpheum Theatre; Monday May 16 Centennial Theatre
= Bach &
Haydn: The Musical Masters
May 20 and
21 - 8 pm -- Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at
UBC
Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.
5
Haydn Symphony No. 94, Surprise;
Schumann Symphony No. 1, Op. 38, Spring
Announcing
The 2011/2012 Season!
The 2011/2012 Season
Subscription Campaign has begun. Click here to check out everything
that the exciting new season has in store for you. You can request a
copy of the Season Brochure in the mail, or download a PDF copy of the
Season Brochure, or browse the concerts online and read biographies of
guest artists and conductors. You can also send an email order for
your subscription package. The new VSO season has it all: great
soprano Renee Fleming, pianist Lang Lang, conductor Valery Gergiev,
young jazz and pop sensation Nikki Yanofsky, pianist Jon Kimura Parker
- and even a return visit by the Wascally Wabbit himself - Bugs
Bunny! MORE DETAILS
PRINT YOUR
TICKETS AT HOME! Bypass Will Call by ordering your tickets online and
printing at home. With your Print at Home ticket in hand, you can
proceed directly to the ticket takers and into the theatre without
lining up to pick up your tickets: Print at Home tickets are your
official tickets. Click the "Buy Now" button to get
started!
Summer Festival tix went on sale April 15
+
PHOTOGRAPHY -- LPPS
DIGITAL
PHOTOGRAPHY IN LIGHTHOUSE PARK WITH RON LONG 9:30am - 4pm Sunday May
15
Ron Long graduated
from the Photographic Arts program at Ryerson University and for
thirty-six years was employed as a full-time photographer at Simon
Fraser University. For fifteen of those years Ron photographed
exclusively for the Biology Department and so has a great deal of
biology in his background. Ron is the Vice President of the Native
Plant Society of BC, is active in the Vancouver Natural History
Society and is on the speakers committee of Van Dusen
Gardens.
This workshop is for
anyone who still has questions about digital photography regardless of
their experience level or the type of equipment they use. It will
begin with a presentation and question period in Sk'iwitsut Hut at
the foot of Beacon Trail. Over an extended lunch break we shall have
the opportunity to wander in the park and take our own photographs.
Ron will then use these as a basis for discussion and a critique in
the afternoon. The workshop will end around 4pm.
Please bring your own
camera and camera instruction book along with a notebook and pen. The
Lighthouse Park Preservation Society will provide drinks and snacks,
but bring your own lunch. The workshop will take place rain or shine,
so dress appropriately for the outdoors.
This event it limited
to fifteen participants with registration on a first come first served
basis. To register please call Elspeth at 926 9390 to make sure space
is available. You will then be required to mail a cheque for $35
payable to the Lighthouse Park Preservation Society to:
LPPS PHOTO
WORKSHOP 4939 Water Lane, West Vancouver, BC V7W 1K4
=== NATUREWATCH === A
Walk and a Talk by David Cook, 924
0147
+ Tuesday May 17
Title: Geology of Point Grey/Burrard
Inlet
An interpretive walk for Salmonberry Days of Dunbar
Residents' Association.
Meeting time: 11am
Meeting place: Volunteer Park, Pt Grey Road between
MacDonald and Bayswater Streets.
Description of event: The tide will be low and geologist
David Cook will lead a two-hour walk along the shore between Kitsilano
and Jericho beaches looking at the rocks and land features of Burrard
Inlet. You will see coal-bearing sandstones laid down in 50-million
year old river deltas, the roots of 32-million-year-old volcanoes and
how the unceasing action of the waves is slowly eating away the beach
frontage. Looking around Burrard Inlet, we will observe rocks and land
forms that were created over the last 100 million years by plate
tectonics, sea-level changes and ice movement. The beach is rocky and
may be slippery in places so wear appropriate footwear. A free
public event. No registration required.
+ Thursday May 19
Title: The Australian Star Mountains Expedition
(1965)
A public lecture for the Langley Field
Naturalists.
Website is:
http://www.langleyfieldnaturalists.org/index.html
Meeting time: 7:15pm
Meeting place: Langley Music School, 4899 207 St.,
Langley.
Description of event: An account of discovery, adventure,
and strife during the 85-day Australian Star Mountains Expedition in
1965. The Star Mountains, a bleak and perpetually cloud-covered range
sitting on a limestone plateau of far western Papua New Guinea, reach
an elevation of 3900 metres. Explorer David Cook accompanied by
four fellow Europeans and 12 indigenous carriers carried out the first
exploration of this sparsely inhabited area; the last large unexplored
area in Papua New Guinea. While the talk focuses on the natural
history, geology, and ethnobotany of the region, it is also a tale of
survival in hostile and unknown territory.
A
free public event. No registration required.
=== SUBSCRIBER HEADSUP
= SUBSCRIBERS WERE SENT THE MAY 9 AGENDAS EARLY ON MAY
7
= AN EARLIER HEADSUP ..... Still
dealing with new laptop....
... in haste and lacking sleep --
Friday, Saturday, Sunday -- have a great weekend!
+++ FRIDAY
Kate must have kissed him on Save the Frogs Day* Friday Apr
29.
The Royal Wedding -- what a great celebration -- continuity,
cmnty -- William the Conqueror was crowned in the Abbey in
1066....... such history... what organization! -- planned
to the second and went off smoothly......
----- A subscriber sent me this with a comment "Right
conclusion; wrong reason":
http://www.theprovince.com/travel/wedding+changed+unsentimental+curmudgeon+into+monarchist/4701294/story.html
-----
He was glad it's over and went
well?:
Funny Cartwheeling Vicar/Verger/Priest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFG5sDcv7bo
+++ SATURDAY
Sat has the Art Greenway Opening in Ambleside just below, and a
talk by the Friends of Cypress in the Library underneath.
+ AMBLESIDE Art Greenway Opening! 11am Saturday April
30
You are cordially
invited to join us for the opening of Grosvenor's Temporary Art
Greenway on the
1300 Block of Marine Drive.
What a difference a few weeks makes! While hosting a series of
"Ideas Fairs" on the future of the 1300 Block, Grosvenor has also
been busy implementing plans to use temporary art and placemaking to
improve the block and better connect Ambleside Village to the
waterfront.
We have planned a
small event to celebrate the completion of the Art Greenway and hope
you can join us for a brief presentation, refreshments and
conversation.
What Temporary Art
Greenway Opening
When Saturday
April 30th
Presentation at 11am Refreshments 10:30am to
12:30pm
Where 14th & Bellevue (NE
corner)
Please join
Grosvenor, architect James Cheng, landscape architect Chris Phillips,
Vancouver Biennale Director Barrie Mowatt, District Mayor and Council,
and neighbouring business owners.
Artist
Credits:
Blue
Trees by
Konstantin Dimopoulis (Australia) Overflow IV Sculpture by Jaume Plensa
(Spain)
These art
installations are made possible through a partnership between
Grosvenor, the Buschlen Mowatt Fine Arts Ltd. Foundation, and the
Vancouver Biennale.
2 - 4pm
SATURDAY, APRIL 30th -- FRIENDS OF CYPRESS
PARK
"Cypress
Through the Seasons"
Cypress Provincial Park,
located in the mountains above West Vancouver, contains an exceptional
number of beautiful sub-alpine flowering plants. Photographs by
Rosemary Taylor and others show the development of these plants
through the seasons and bring attention to the park's rich
biological di,versity. This presentation will be introduced by Friends
of Cypress Provincial Park president, Katharine Steig and narrated by
well-known Vancouver naturalist Terry Taylor.
*
GOING BACKWARDS -- FROGS FRIDAY 29th [sorry, late]
Today is
Save The Frogs Day, the largest day of amphibian education
and conservation action in the planet's history, with over
115 events in 19 countries. SAVE THE FROGS! has a budget
1,000 times smaller than Greenpeace, WWF, or the Nature Conservancy.
Our success and strength is a testimonial to our members ongoing
support!
Please help SAVE THE FROGS! by becoming an Official Member
today:
Thanks, and happy Save The Frogs Day!
Dr. Kerry Kriger
Save The Frogs is America's first and only public charity
dedicated to amphibian conservation. Our mission is to protect
amphibian populations and to promote a society that respects and
appreciates nature and wildlife.
THEN on
SUNDAY May 1st
What do you do when
the party you support does things you cannot approve of or
condone?
The Liberals deserved
being tossed for the sponsorship scandal and now the Tories cannot be
allowed to exhibit contempt of Parliament with impunity (and there are
many examples I'm sure wd never have occurred under previous
leaders/MPs).
What a dreadful precedent -- I don't
want any party to think it can act that way without consequences --
and it's embarrassing to explain to newcomers here for better
govt.
I've attended many
political events, mtgs, over the years but the amt of control
exercised now is unprecedented from my experience and, frankly,
frightening. I thought rejecting a Guelph U student b/c she had
a photo of herself with Iggy (but her father is a Tory), was bizarre
as was not allowing a veteran in. Taking only five questions if
at all seemed unusual. I can't imagine John Reynolds ever
barring someone or refusing questions. Super salesman and people
person. Mtgs open in hopes of getting more supporters -- as the
WV Chamber of Commerce says, for mbrs and future mbrs.
Wish we cd pick and
choose policies from each party.....
Here is an example of
the control under Harper that shocked me:
Subject: Event with Conservative Party
Leader Stephen Harper Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:04:39 -0400 From: HereForCanada@conservative.ca
You are invited to a special event
hosted by the Conservative Party of Canada.
Our special guest for the event
will be Conservative Party Leader Stephen
Harper!
The event is taking place on
Sunday May 1st at the Cascade Aerospace
Facility.
It will begin at 7:00pm (doors
open at 6:00pm).
The Cascade Aerospace Facility is
located at 1337 Townline Road, Abbotsford.
There is no cost for this
event, but to attend you must pre-register by Saturday at
8pm.
To register, please contact
604-534-1160 and leave a message with your name, civic address and
telephone number and a volunteer will return your
call.
You can also register
online: www.conservativeevent.ca/abbotsford
Please note photo identification
will be required at the door.
We hope to see you on Sunday, May
1st!
--------
So.
we have a minority that acts in
contempt (won't give costs of F35 jets, misleads about changing a
signed document, kicks a minister out of caucus with no reasons given
but hires a convicted criminal, etc); takes a surplus and turns it
into a large deficit -- where's the fiscal prudence and accountability
we voted for?
Can the local voter or MPs have any
influence on the leader?
Others/Parties can put the brakes on a
minority govt.
A coalition demands compromise and
consensus likely to avoid extreme or unacceptable
decisions.....but
how can a reckless majority be
curbed?
=== Ccl Mtg NOTES Apr
18th ===
6pm in M HALL MFCR; 7pm in
COUNCIL CHAMBER
Note: At 6pm the reg Ccl Mtg commenced in open
session (in the MFCR), immediately followed by a motion to exclude the
public in order to hold a closed session... At 7pm the open
session reconvened (in the Ccl Ch).
6:00 PM
RECOMMENDED: THAT in the public interest,
members of the public be excluded from part of the April 18 regular
Council Meeting on the basis of matters to be considered under the
following section of the Community Charter:
90. (1) A part of a ccl mtg may be closed to the
public if the subject matter being considered relates to or is one or
more of the following:
(a) personal information about an
identifiable individual who holds or is being considered for a
position as an officer, employee, or agent of the municipality or
another position appointed by the municipality; and
(e) the acquisition, disposition, or
expropriation of land or improvements, if the council considers that
disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the
municipality.
3. ADJOURNED TO CLOSED SESSION
7:00 PM
4. RECONVENED OPEN SESSION
5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA for Apr 18
ML: recommend amended by adding Item 12 memo add'l info
assessment of Uplift re 20th & Esq rezoning, and add'l info re
20th Esq current and proposed zoning, and to Other Items, Corresp
items 15.1 and 15.2
{fyi,
the staff memo says that the Uplift from the upzoning from three
sgl-fam lots to nine units is ~$600K.}
DELEGATIONS
PS gave background: had been part of Transportation Cmte; then we
re-formed as Coalition; thx for providing mtg space for us in the
Library.
We have a chair and a vice-chair; Jay Anderson is chair
email distribution list, 109 subscribers; we meet every month;
have a Wiki website
aims consistent with the Strategic Transp plan
been doing in past year, a lot of consulting, including with
our own District on Spirit Trail including on plan/improvements to
Welch St
mtg with NV, made presentation wrt Lower Level Rd
also consulted with MoT on improvements in assn with the new, off
Capilano River, putting in bike paths, separated path across the new
bridge and a ramp down onto 16th; excited about that; plsd following
through
...Spirit Trail eastward meeting paved in NV...
turn over to Bart
Bart Copeland: been mbr of Strategic Transp Cmte as well as WG
for the Spirit Trail
long term visions and short term suggestions
budget said look at cycling network.....
once review done with VACC, when received and adopt b/c that
will provide leadership and direct city engrs need to promote
alternative transportation in WV. That's item 1.
Second suggestion make between 11th and 13th on Marine more
bike-friendly, much appreciated
needs of a recreation cyclist different from a commuter; only
connection (NV) is Spirit Trail or MDr
Third, to create more awareness in WV for biking, look at 25th
to 31st on Marine, adequate space for both cars and bike lanes in both
directions
fourth suggestion, with completion of enhancements on the
north end of LGB, make it more bike-friendly from Spirit Trail along
the Capilano-Pacific Trail up to the new bridge by Clyde and 6th
St
those four short-term suggestions, beauty not
expensive
PS: deficiencies -- one is bike lane between WV and NV; LGB,
crossing Capilano River
bike lanes 11th to 13th, to 25th, to 31st; visionary drawings as
plans
village bike loop, a seven-km route between Amb and Dund, past
five schools, parks, etc
Taylor Way and Clyde up to Keith, a bike-lift
PS: app working with you and your staff; enhance reputation as a
global green city; not just adopt but implement; as mentioned in
strategic transp plan, urgent to get into cycling; Marine Dr to
25th
Mayor: hope you will provide these to our staff
Sop: embarked on a transp hierarchy, cycling being second on the
list behind pedestrian
seems greater effort on your and our behalf
ICBC considers a bicycle as a vehicle
campaign for 'share the road' needs a lot of motorists don't like
what they see.....
education has to come from both sides
from my observation, stop sign, vehicles stop, but many cyclists
don't
Number 1, embark on education
Spirit Trail will see recreational cycling in a safe side; must
look at commuter side
Mayor: was that a question?
Sop: yeah well I wanted him to answer--
[good-natured laughter]
Mayor: did you hear it in there?
PS {unintelligible; still some laughter}: begs the question
VACC training courses; Diane has taken it; stopping at stop signs
emphasized
perhaps can offer here in WV
ML: idea how many commuter cyclists leave WV ev morning?
PS: VACC involved in Bike to Week exercises, a recent one, first,
November, coming from both N and WV, in the hour and a half something
like 260, in winter to LGB
another one in June
ML: representative of whole year?
PS: yes
ML: Great.
Maybe you cd remind ppl on the rationale of using Marine Dr
rather than Bellevue between 13th and 25th as articulated in the
STP
PS: MDr has been designated as a bike route; cyclists prefer
to go on MDr
Bellevue unsafe, I use it myself, a bit dangerous b/c has
these bulges
25th to 31st there is existing space (to have bike lanes on M
Dr)
SW: doing anything to engage high school students?
PS: intention social networking
Bart: remember one of the mbrs of the cmte was a high school
student
PS: wd be helpful b/c goes by PJ, [names schools]; some schools
have bike racks
Ev: commend you on the thoroughness of your plan; what is a bike
lift?
PS: can show you: [SLIDE] -- first installed in Norway
ideal with Ev Dr and Taylor Wood completed
Sop moved thanks: referral and for staff to report back
Mayor: xxx ... when we did our hearings; someone came
and sang
waving at cars at election and a cyclist nearly ran me over and
he said, you've lost my vote
the thanks you get!
REPORTS [7:22]
This bylaw received first reading at the March
7 Ccl Mtg and was the subject of a Public Hearing/Public Meeting that
was held and closed on April 4. Council is not permitted to receive
any further submissions on this bylaw.
ML moved: be read a second and a third time.
plsd to see where it is this evening
Sop: process good; devprs went out of their way; the bldg will
serve well in the future
MS: think this is the right proj, meets cmnty need 130 of
units
good devpr {???? didn't quite hear
this part}
right financial package; a $14.5M upfront; get a
park.......
add the package up, Ccl proud
Ev: imp for me not simply to vote for this but to echo
excellent process; public was engaged
gratifying, rewarding, where on occasion some differences Pacific
Arbour went way out of their way
some came round and were for it
Mayor: a couple of comments
Nov 2004 when received first report; usually serves WV quite
well
"I've been on the waiting list at Hollyburn House for two
years
Another "real addn to our nbrhd"
former mayor Ron Wood
reason we
woman said, "this is close to what I'm familiar
with"
ML: move read a third time
PASSED [7:27]
This bylaw received first reading at the March
7 Council Meeting and was the subject of a Public Hearing/Public
Meeting that was held and closed on April 4. Council is not
permitted to receive any further submissions on this
bylaw.
RECOMMENDED
SW moved: read a second and a third time.
PASSED
Mayor: Cclr Smith?
MS: staff report first?
Sokol gave background re clean up, paperwork: finished on Apr
1st; ready to process application
MS moved: THAT the report dated Apr 11 from the Land and Property
Agent be rec'd for information.
Mayor: recommend we forward to commodore and ...... and Min
Falcon
friendly amendment?
MS: always
CARRIED [7:30]
RECOMMENDED: THAT
1. The report dated April 11 from the Mgr of Bylaw/Licensing
Srvcs be received for information; and
2. Council approve the request: Wednesday, April 20 starting
at 11pm for approx two hours, in order to have two pedestrian overpass
walkway bridges hoisted into position from a crane parked in the BC
Ferry Exit Lanes.
TP: how is the nbrhd alerted to this?
Sokol: maildrop tomorrow morning
CARRIED [7:32]
{This devt is referred to as
"Hollyburn Mews".}
SMik gave background: the applicant, Michael Geller is here this
evening
this wd provide for future infill housing in the block
this has been before Ccl; rationale on pp 10 and 11 of staff
report
Staff was directed to take further consultation; enhanced
consultation June thru Sept 2010 -- SLIDE
~35 in June, cmnty remained split 18 xxx
Sept over 100, xxxx
eight expressed desire re their prop, interest in infill
housing
nbrhd character statement is in Attachment E
[7:36] staff further xxx, ..., report
all areas subject to Devt Permit
three props on Esquimalt -- SLIDES, drawings
Sop: on p 78 description of FAR
first section, permitted use, 6 - 7 [?] in metres, on proposed in
metres and sq ft
assuming missed or not convenient to put [feet]
FAR exclusion, all exceed the recommendation by quite a
distance so that means prop line to prop line
is this the way we'll look at this and others in the
future?
SMik: project profile both metric and imperial; since bylaw
hasn't been amended, only has metric
relates to bldg as proposed
Sop: in reference to your public mtg Sept 2010
questionnaires filled out by 55, 35 expressed approval -- from
around the devt? bit of a conflict
based on 55 questionnaires does not give a true
SMik: there were 100 ppl and 55 completed questionnaires
directed by Ccl to make sure they understood intent; large
turnout
Mayor: questions for now?
Sop: yes, thx, for now
Mayor: hear from the applicant first then three mbrs of public
wish to speak
Michael Geller: introduce Joel Slone who started this, as well
as...... thanks to xxx..... etc
also like to thank those who don't yet support this project; some
of the suggestions you've made.....
my wife here to make sure I don't talk too loud or too long
xxx I was in a forum in May 2010; what I heard and read were a
number of ideas
heard ppl say lived here long and our house is too big -- young
ppl wdn't understand
don't want to go into an apt, want a little house and near things
so don't have to get into a car; found it appealing; this is a special
nbrhd
I'm not from WV but beginning to understand why so many like ...
[7:44]
at that workshop a year ago, ppl came up to me and said this is
what I'd like
housing choices to allow ppl to remain in this cmnty
immediately adjacent to cmnty ctr, church, etc -- don't think a
better location
did see concerns and I've attempted to address; fitting in with
the nbrhd
laneway, coach houses, a little too large
parking and off-street parking; intended for ppl who don't want
two or three cars; imp to recognize they'll still want to have cars
and ppl with cars come to visit
heard little too tight; liked the gardens
move here and never have to move again
here's the plan, know it's hard to read -- SLIDE
have added porches, in the back and the rear; they help add to
livability
one reason for setting back parking arrangements so when daughter
or son come
parking from ten spaces to 13 for the nine units
SLIDES -- houses built in WV over the last 99 years
porches, wood siding, board and batten shakes, little touches
oftentimes diff between enjoying and feeling don't fit in
SLIDE of drawing; adding windows to the garages and flower boxes
added
standing in Susan Anderson's backyard, this is what you
see.........
make homes echo the past, make them energy-efficient, water and
resource efficient,
ways to accommodate the future like plug-in cars...
incorporate futures that allow us to age in place
35 years ago worked with a gentleman who'd in the audience,
designing housing for sr citizens; many things I learned
and that's me now, a sr citizen
I can't see as well as I used to so I want a home they put lights
in the bedrooms and closets, in kitchens with pantries, little
details, but I think these are the things ppl in WV wd be looking for
in this location
for those who wonder if approp to move into a two-storey house, I
say yes
to some degree, your house is your exercise bike but when day
comes, can have stairmaster, when climbing stairs difficult, wider
stairs so can install lift
housing choices and houses that fit in with the nbrhd
hope this will address the concerns and aspirations
if approved, although a small scale, how a new... can fit
in
Sop: see nine spots for cars; the lane is 9ft, plus a little bit,
wide
anticipate movement in those lanes?
covenant if you own more than one car you don't apply? --
tongue-in-cheek
MG: someone asked me what about if I have two cars -- I
said, then you wdn't buy/move here
lane 20ft wide; you'll note set back the garages to facilitate
movement in and out of the garages
think there's ample room to move in and out
Sop: don't want to get into details of price; alternate housing
"to be affordable", I don't see in this
where formula so we can say it's great, it's working?
MG: [worked formerly] for CMHC
'with straight face $1M', recognize....
ideally we don't want to pay more than 75% than what we get
for our house; buy, then put 25% in bank to live on
with cost of construction and land; the price wd be higher than
we'd think of as affordable but the av price of a home in WV is
$1.5M and these are about $1M
pent-up demand; these houses may sell for more than I
thought
hope amenity contribution; not in way that wd increase price of
the housing
Lyn (sp?) Broman: thank you for this opp, second time I've
spoken
delighted with the presentation by Mr Geller
lived 1200blk of Haywood since mid 1960s
when downsize hoped to stay in WV; difficult b/c choices diff:
another sgl-fam house or a highrise, but neither [suits] our
needs
and nothing close to our needs
18 residents [??? 7:59] not well served
most support townhomes, xxxxx
maintaining a vibrant cmnty, diverse housing
the Amb and Lower Dund special b/c close to services and
transportation
over half of these homes are over 40 years old
many owned by ageing residents
without change of policy, will see older homes being sold,
demolished, then sgl-fam homes, with max space
2/3 of residents' homes in their nbrhds too large
distinct want to keep nbrhd character but doing nothing will not
... keep ... they cherish
take steps for parents and chn to stay in cmnty ...
Time to ... allow ...
time to, not strong enough, encourage small ..... rather than
large ...
at this time of rapid and demographic change; urge Ccl
approve
Barbara Pettit: when this proj started, mbr of Cmnty Dialogue
[WG]
you'll recall won an award from xxx
impresses me about Hollyburn Mews, xxx
resonates with
weaves
respects nature; third, housing types that meet needs
relatively affordable for young fams and seniors who want to age
in place
xxx and 1200 sq ft
so seniors can garden with ease
this proj goes beyond what's nec
sev 100 years
study across Canada, as I have
built in 1800
elite areas remain close to downtown and transp that devpd
early
houses here are the right size; size of homes in 1800s that
became duplexes
xxx became elite nbrhds
common design language; enough small details, identity, and keep
eye engaged
finally, three v large houses cd hv bn built on this prop
halfway houses, funeral parlours, and old folks' homes
Tish Davis: my husb and I, one of the prop owners in that block;
2678 Ottawa lived there for over 40 yrs, brought up four chn
bought our prop in that block 20 years ago
a young couple from Alberta gave up and came here, bought a
little coffee shop called Bean Around the World
in paper this week their 20th anniversary so we said, migosh
we've owned that for 20 years
when first Stephen Mikicich called us to a mtg except for two
owners, one not interested and one lives offshore; most of us don't
live there and hadn't met before
quite amazing ... when ppl can sit down, what can and cannot
do
voice their fears of what is going to happen
a constructive conversation; at end of two hours, feeling here
is... all can voice our fears and have them resolved
create a lane we can all use; what can we do for ppl who live
across the lane
a unique experience for all; everyone there was totally in
favour
Sop: may I ask a question?
Mayor: you may [and TD to come back]
Sop: thank you for your comments; probably helped lot, those
mtgs
wd you and your husb apply to have three units (zoning) on your
lot stratified?
TD: we actually own two lots there
strange arrangement there; I think there are five long lots and
at end of block the piece left over was divided in half;
horizontally
bought 20 years b/c wanted to move there, near amenities;
purchased the second one two and a half years ago
if big house went up on the corner we'd be in the shade
put your pennies together to ensure your future
triplex -- ev has image square box but it's three 1800sf
cottages
we're proposing the three families the three cottages
Gordon Ward Hall: first, thank Mr Mikicich for his comprehensive
reply to our letter
[TEXT SUPPLIED]
First many thanks to
Mr. Sokol for his comprehensive reply to ADRA's letter and
questions.
I would like to
comment further as follows.
Two years ago West
Vancouver's Planning Department and Council established a philosophy
for introducing alternate housing to West Vancouver: namely that
alternate housing forms should be introduced gradually with the
approval of the residents in the immediate neighbourhood.
This resulted in a
pilot program to gauge the acceptance of lane and carriage houses in
the different neighbourhoods. Only one of the many that
were considered is still alive in the program.
The present proposal
for 20th. and Esquimalt is a complete reversal of this philosophy.
Planning Department is proposing that the full block be designated a
Development Permit Area for future infill housing and that three
properties be rezoned to allow the construction of nine independent
strata units (six duplex units and three lane houses). This is
certainly not a gradual introduction of multi-family units and lane
housing into a single-family neighbourhood.
The nine-unit
development (then ten) was turned down by Council four years ago
because it did not meet the OCP "Site Specific" zoning
requirements It has only been reintroduced now because it
has been tied to the full block Development Permit Area of future
infill housing (which is really questionable in light of the Council's
proclaimed philosophy).
It should be noted
that Kiwanis is proposing to replace their present 55 units for
seniors with 140 units in two towers just two blocks from this
proposed development. The Kiwanis units will be
affordable.
ADRA considers that
Council should abide by the philosophy that they adopted two years ago
and that multi-family units and lane housing should only be introduced
into a single-family neighbourhood on a gradual one-by-one basis with
full acceptance by the neighbourhood. On this basis alone the present
proposal of the nine units and the full block Development Permit Area
should not be approved.
ADRA is also
concerned that approval of this ful- block Development Permit Area
will set a precedent for other similar proposals for full block
development in both the immediate area and other neighbourhoods where
the block has similar surroundings to the present
proposal.
Gordon Ward Hall ,
President of ADRA
Gary Hiscox: our family came to live in BC in 1979 and all
decided wanted to live in Vanc b/c urban envmt, akin to where we lived
prev
here at Gordon and 16th -- close, provides amenities,
school
never been in the position of having to drive my kid to
school
come to cherish the leafy feel of our street; the gardens planted
up to the road line, even like the little gully water runs down that I
have to mow
also cherish kids walk down the road; no sidewalk, no one's ever
been hurt, all b/c we respect the place in wch we live
app your struggle wrt housing
feel b/c ppl like the place
app your .... densification and alternative housing
these changes provide.... to be able to live
house at grade, car, place for bicycle; nearby, no need to
live in an apt with all the problems associated with that form of
accommodation and the tyranny of the strata ccl
strongly support the policies of the cmnty plan, though
tentative
more mixed form of accommodation
aware of your efforts to bring about this change
saddened by the attitudes of some in cmnty who fear your
goal
purpose of this is to strongly support Hollyburn Mews, my letter
has been given to you
semi-attached dwellings and a coach house on each lot; from .35
to .60 FAR, not humongous
in my working career, I worked as a planner and architect for
CMHC in ofcs across the country/Canada, managed Granville Island on
behalf of the Corp from 1985 to 1994; subsequently project mgr for
redvt of veterans' housing in Kits and New Westminster
known Michael Geller since 1971 when he was the CMHC travelling
scholar
later we worked on a host of projects across country
many embraced v ideas before you
ev confidence Mr Geller will do a good job, not for sole purpose
of profit but for the desire to provide good housing ideas that fit in
the cmnty in the form of a demonstration project
must say, sometimes though do wonder why, given the effort
required
such a demo proj is wanted by you as a guardian of our and my
envmt wch reflect qualities cherished by my family in all the years
living here
am sure some in cmnty for whom the idea of the lane cottage wd
not fit in WV and ask for lower density, maybe just the semi-detached
housing alone
wd result in the same bulk as a sgl-fam housing zoning bylaw and
wd not further your efforts for housing choices for an ageing popn
stated in our cmnty plan
the thought these lots may be used for those typical overbuilt
nasty sgl-fam homes permitted by the current sgl-fam home zoning
bylaw, frankly appals me
Seize the day and approve the project
Mayor: now we have various motions; let's stay on topic
Ev moved: first THAT the opportunities for consultation as
outlined in the report from the Sr Cmnty Planner dated April 7, be
endorsed as sufficient consultation...
this goes back
ev had opp; for that reason comfortable with this as it
stands
Mayor: --
Sop: I can add a bit
TP: talk about how consultation presented to us, a xxx stmt
we've achieved that outcome and needs to be pointed out
Mayor: Cclr Sop, if it's all right with you
Sop: see some of the folks here from the WG
thought parents, grandparents can live there....
Mayor: is this we shd be discussing at second reading?
Sop: it's about process
struck me, the whole block: three units going to nine -- their
expectations; if ppl want to make money, that's fine
I don't think 100?? sufficient as public consultation
I'm going to do my own door-knocking up a few blocks to see
what
don't think enough ppl at that mtg for entire WV
ML: a bit concerned we have the process a bit backwards
to PH -- thought our role as Ccl was seek public xxx process till
complete
think we shd move to fourth
let's hear
sit here big bucks
{yeah, right; v funny cuz cclrs'
salaries are so low esp compared with staff sitting around the
horseshoe, making about four to five times more (and some even more
than that, about ten).}
there is a process and we need it to proceed; until process is
appropriate; point in time
SW: ask Mr Sokol for clarification on that
don't want to see this held up yet again; think the process has
been going on far too long
housing dialogue... all for proper process
..... it's time
excellent project; evolved over past three years
if it doesn't go through can be three big ugly houses
we can regulate the housing xxx
wd like to see it go to PH and then we can debate
Mayor: in order to take to PH, have we enough?
call question
passes unanimously
Ev moved: THAT Amendment Bylaw 4619, 2011 be read a first
time.
PASSED
Ev moved: THAT Amendment Bylaw No. 4619, 2011 has been
considered
{yet again
confusing/incorrect tense: recommended will have been
considered???
if it has been
done, no need for a recommendation for Ccl to
approve!}
in conjunction with the District's most recent Financial Plan and
the Regional Waste Management Plan.
ML: is this really nec?
Mayor: yes
who moved: THAT Zoning Amendment Bylaw be read a first
time.
Mayor:
MS: read report thoroughly about rezoning the whole
block
Mayor: not whole block
Sokol: no
MS: refer to p 10, "whole block zoning
amendment"
my reason for pointing it out now, wd like to see a clearer
report
why including south xxx ?
south of lane, south side of Fulton; if I were living on north
side and my nbrhd was sgl-fam
change
I cd be living across the
wd like a staff report as why not using the lane as the
boundary
Mayor: now we're on the zoning
MS: then I'll backdate my comments to the last motion
Mayor: we'll have a full at the PH, for sure
CARRIED
Ev moved: THAT the MClerk be directed to give statutory notice
that a Public Hearing (re OCP and Zoning) is scheduled
for Monday, May 16 at 7pm in the M Hall Ccl
Chamber.
CARRIED
Ev moved: THAT proposed Devt Permit Applic be considered
concurrently with Zoning Bylaw
CARRIED with Sop opposed
Ev moved: THAT the public be given an opportunity to provide
comment on proposed Devt Permit at a Public Meeting held
concurrently with the Public Hearing
ML: so we have clarity
at the PH 16th of May we'll be mtg re OCP as well as this
specific zoning amendment
Sokol: right
ML: cd be a long mtg
CARRIED [8:33]
{UPDATE: there's a public info mtg Tues May
10}
Mayor: this is a correction b/c this applies to old bylaw, so
updates
ML moved: be read a first, second, and third time.
[8:35]
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
14. Consent Agenda Items APPROVED
[Sop listed these]
Mayor: we'll get to Correspondence later
M Clerk to give notice that the DPA for 2430 Russet Place, to
allow a new two-storey dwelling with basement within 15 metres of top
of watercourse bank and with Zoning Bylaw variances to reduce the east
side yard and increase building height, will be considered on
Monday May 16.
the report dated February 17 from the
Director, NSEMO received for information.
Mayor: experiences in NZ, congrats re NSEMO
the correspondence list received
for information.
Council Correspondence up to April 1, 2011 (up
to 12:00 Noon)
Referred for Action
1) N. Bowman, Mar 28, re Iranian New
Year Celebration: Complaint of Noise
(Referred to Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for consideration and
response)
Received for Information
2) [Five] submissions regarding
Pacific Arbour Development dated March 28 to March 31,
2011
(Referred to Public Hearing/Public Meeting on April 4,
2011)
3) Hon. I. Chong, Minister of Community,
Sport, and Cultural Devt, March 30, re Strategic Community Investment
Fund Letter
Council Correspondence up to April 8, 2011 (up
to 12:00 Noon)
Referred for Action
1) April 1, 2011, regarding Squamish Nation
Lands
(Referred to Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for consideration and
response)
2) M. Carter, April 6, 2011, regarding Taxes
(Referred
to Director of Planning, Lands and Permits for consideration and
response)
Mayor: letter from Mr Carter wrt construction in his nbrhd.
Mr McRadu, CAO re Mr Carter; update
Sop: that's the one I wanted [pulled]. Any others?
Mayor: right there on agenda. Start with
15.1
CAO: concern shared with a number of ppl in the cmnty; number of
houses under construction or renovations
met with Dir/Planning and asked him to meet with Mgrs of Bylaw
Enforcement as well as Inspections
to take a look at setting up some type of construction bond,
dealing with parking and, I guess, the area around -- to make sure
kept clean, trucks in there, storage units are kept clean as
well
once looked at come forward with report to Ccl
Sop: that was my intention to bring forth that on sev occasions
over the years on some streets
deemed to be public prop; went with Steve Jenkins, and we'd look
at a site; ground water running into a stream full of mud and we
didn't have any bylaws to counteract it; today we do and I think
contractors do due diligence, but they don't own the blvd, we can
bring in a policy for contractor to keep trucks or vehicles prevent
blvd from getting full of debris and other things, to keep vehicles
parked evenly along the road
many cases this has gone on for days and days, year
if you have someone beside you, gets really bad
ask staff to look at more seriously; not just Mr Carter; not
first, had many phone calls on this, same frustration
acknowledge we hear it and will try to do something about it;
blvds are not their ownership, but they may have to as an owner look
after it
if you go see them, Mr McRadu, they're full of debris
Mayor: he is already taking action; we expect a report back
Sop: just want to emphasize
Mayor: already for you
the other is 15.2
Received for Information
3) 13 submissions regarding Pacific Arbour
Development dated March 30 to April 8, 2011
(Previously received at April 4, 2011 Public Hearing/Public
Meeting)
4) Undated Petition with 13 Signatures
regarding Safeway Site Redevelopment
5) [Two] submissions dated April 2 and 4
regarding Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary - Station 1
6) [Two] submissions dated April 6 and 7, re MetroV
Regional Growth Strategy
7) April 4, 2011, regarding United Nations Trip
Accountability
8) Canadian Cancer Society, April 1, re
Appreciation for Support of Daffodil Day - April 27, 2011
9) [Two] Submissions dated April 6 and 8,
Union of BC Municipalities, re 2011 West Nile Virus Risk Reduction
Initiative and Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative
Council Correspondence up to April 12, 2011 (up
to 4:30 pm)
Referred for Action
1) April 12, 2011, regarding Godfrey
Lynum's Garden - 1528 Argyle Avenue
(Referred to Director of Parks and Community Services for
consideration and response)
2) G. Pajari, April 12, 2011, regarding City of West
Vancouver Anyone?
(Referred
to Mayor and Council for response).
{Ev brought this up; numbered 15.2}
15. OTHER ITEMS -- No items. [amended; 15.1 above (re
Carter letter)]
15.2
Ev: letter considering WV a city {next
year, our centenary}
in England a city only a city if had a cathedral
Mayor: depends on what you think is a cathedral!
Ev: ..... we have a centennial coming up next year; some
merit; we have ten months
expect some remarks from staff
see eyebrows raised and some frowns
Mayor: CEC about to put together a cmte/WG for planning
.... premature to make any direction
perhaps refer this to the WG
[yes/thank you]
16. Reports from Mayor/Cclrs
Ev: represented you and Ccl at Rotary Duck Splash
successful unfortunately weather..... successful
fund-raising
secondly, attended the Sports Award held at PkR; myself and two
mayors welcomed the attendees
presentation -- rewarding and gratifying
ppl recognized for active life on NSh
make a point of saying the DWV reeied [revived or relived?] the
spirit of 2010
DWV vision to become venue of Olympics; vision in supporting and
xxx the Games; great venue city
awarded to WV -- and I have it over here -- give it to you
Mayor: tyvm; bring it back when we honour the leadership
team
TP: report on our trip to UN; honour to be there
global green ctr aware; lots to discuss and xxx
Mayor and I will be doing a more ... sooner
realizing the governance model -- saw it again tonight with these
WGs
xxx ... hv bn there to speak about our child
care policies
ppl inspire with the model, politicians with citizens and
staff
foreshore, pilot projs, protecting our forests into the
future
don't know if you want to comment
Mayor: I will at end
ML: re RGS, I attended mayors' mtg in your absence; Coq voted
against, so on hold
next step is if binding or nonbinding arbitration
MetroV feels going to binding, they feel they've gone through
the process and no point doing it again so felt Min shd bring in
binding
don't know if expected shortly or post prov election
aware, at this point RGS has not been accepted or
endorsed
Sop: wanted to report on Ansell Place and SeaScapes
when we had conversation re tunnel, somehow these ppl got
overlooked re ..... noise
finished
north and Eagleridge
all received mitigation re noise, re pavement or whatever; these
not
last fall you asked I
our staff did discover mitigation was needed
MoT said... see where needed; was to come back in Dec; still
not
one not able to sleep, new windows, wants to install a wall $15K,
coming to Ccl
waiting and waiting; they wonder why when four months ago
Mayor: shd be Min of xxx
know staff testing re noise levels and know excessive
bring back findings of report, or?
CAO: we had xxx with Min of Transp last week; been told they'll
meet with residents before end of month
cost, v expensive and there's no biz case
will have mtg with Min of Transp and bring report back
MS: was our MLA in attendance with residents?
Sop: wrote to MLA and nothing -- what can they
expect?
Mayor: Cclr Sm has floor
MS: but he's answered
may be a point -- put bomb under our MLA
Sop: from 4am [noise]; this is all documented
Mayor: let's have... until all in front of us
Sop: where will we go?
Mayor: I don't know but with report
Ev: cd you include in your report one of the major probs,
motorbikes, noise from their speeding through intolerable
appears our policing doesn't happen v often or at all
one of the serious issues
Mayor [continuing Reports]: last week spoke at UDI, then
at...
to hear about Amb
quite involved in TransLink consultation process; interesting to
go around and see
cost.... diff opinions
forms we can generate revenue
wasn't looking forward but now xxx
Grosvenor many been... tomorrow at Pauline Johnson ... I'm
going to WVHi [?]
apologize for my cold but two important issues on agenda
tonight
17. PQP/Comments [none] 18. Adjournment
[8:54]
=== COUNCIL MTG AGENDAs
May 9th ===
~ 6pm ~ SPECIAL CCL MTG
at Cmnty Ctr
The Youth Council meeting will commence at
7pm following the Special Council Meeting.
6:00 PM
1. Call to order
2. Approval of May 9, 2011 Special Council Meeting Agenda
REPORTS
At the April 4, 2011 regular meeting Council received the report
dated March 24, 2011 from the Community Planner regarding Development
Permit Application No. 10-050 for Lot 12 on Highgrove Place (in Area 1
of Rodgers Creek) {DPA} and set the date for consideration for May 9,
2011.
Reports received up to May 5, 2011:
NAME: /
DATE: / FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION:
DPA /
March 24, 2011 / April 4, 2011 and
May 9, 2011
DPA / April 27, 2011
/ May 9, 2011
Written Submissions received up to May 5, 2011:
NAME: /
DATE: / FOR COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION: No items received to
date.
PRESENTATION BY APPLICANT
CALL FOR PUBLIC INPUT
RECOMMENDED rec'd for information
If Council wishes a further staff report, then:
RECOMMENDED: staff report back to Ccl re submissions rec'd to
allow Ccl to make a determination
OR
RECOMMENDED: THAT subject to additional comments or
concerns being raised on the project at the public meeting, staff
recommends that the updated proposed DPA attached to the report from
the Manager, Community Planning dated April 27 be
approved.
RECOMMENDED: be read a first, second, and third time.
{hm; sorta
makes a mockery of some calls to speed up budget so no WG, etc when
left to the last moment anyway (deadline for adoption of tax rates is
May 15; this is three readings so need another ccl mtg --
Wed?}
RECOMMENDED: be read a first, second, and third time.
7. 1300 Block Marine Drive - Ideas Fairs (File:
0500-01) Presentation to be provided.
[RECOMMENDED:] THAT the presentation from Grosvenor
Americas regarding 1300 Block Marine Drive - Ideas Fairs be received
for information.
BYLAW FOR ADOPTION
Bylaws are passed by a simple
majority affirmative vote unless otherwise noted.
This bylaw received three
readings at the April 18 Council Meeting. RECOMMENDED: be
adopted.
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
9. Consent Agenda Items
The following Consent Agenda items may be considered
separately or in one recommendation.
RECOMMENDED: THAT the Consent Agenda items as follows be
approved:
9.1. Change to Council Meeting Schedule (File:
0120-01)
RECOMMENDED: Schedule be amended by scheduling a
special Ccl mtg 9am Wed May 11 [at M Hall]
9.2. Appointment to E-Comm Board of Directors for
2011/2012 (File: 2715-07/0115-01)
the appointment of Mayor Goldsmith-Jones as the North
Shore representative on the E-Comm Board of Directors for the
2011/2012 year confirmed.
9.3. Appointments to Lower Caulfeild Advisory Committee
(File: 0115-20-LCAC1)
for the
term ending Jan 31, 2012: Leslie Gilbert; Jim Carter; and Alexandra
Hejduk.
received for information.
RECOMMENDED: THAT the correspondence list be received
for information.
Council Correspondence up to April 15, 2011 (up
to 12:00 noon)
Referred for Action
(1) F. Farrell, April 5, 2011, regarding Parking Ticket on
Esquimalt Avenue
(Referred to Director of Planning, Lands and Permits for
consideration and response)
Received for Information
(2) Committee and Board Meeting Minutes - Cmnty Grants
Committee - February 18, 2011
(3) C. Baxter, April 5, 2011, regarding Community Garden
(4) S. Riddell, April 13, 2011, regarding Invitation to Community
Forum (April 19, 2011)
(5) April 14, 2011, regarding Taxes
(6) April 15, 2011, regarding Community Consultation on 1650
Marine Drive (Existing Safeway Site)
Council Correspondence up to April 21, 2011 (up
to 12:00 noon)
Referred for Action
(1) J. Sikes, April 20, regarding Status of Vancouver Coastal
Health Authority Property at 990 22nd St
(Referred to Director of Planning, Lands and Permits for
consideration and response)
Received for Information
(2) Committee and Board Meeting Minutes - Finance Committee
- March 14, 2011
(3) North Shore Committee - Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition
(NS-VACC), April 19, 2011, regarding NS-VACC Presentation to West
Vancouver Council on April 18, 2011
(4) Two Submissions dated April 18 and 19, 2011, Union of British
Columbia Municipalities, regarding Election Engagement and 2011/2012
(Spring) Regional Community to Community Forum Program
(5) North Shore Community Resources, April 14, 2011, regarding
2011 North Shore Community Volunteer Spirit Award Recipient
(6) April 18, regarding Warning About Engaging West Van Dog Lobby
Group for Parks Master Plan
(7) Hon. T. Lake, Minister of Environment, March 30, 2011,
regarding Designation of Pacific Salmon as Provincial Fish
(8) Two submissions dated April 18 and 20, 2011, regarding
Hollyburn Mews Proposed Development (2031, 2047, and 2063 Esquimalt
Avenue)
Responses to Correspondence
(9) B. Sokol, Director of Planning, Lands, and Permits, April
15, 2011, response to Ambleside Dundarave Ratepayers' Association
regarding 20th Street and Esquimalt Avenue
Council Correspondence up to April 29, 2011 (up
to 12:00 noon)
Referred for Action
(1) D. Robertson, April 20, 2011, regarding 20th Street Parking
Ban
(Referred to Director of Engineering and Transportation for
consideration and response)
(2) Child Find British Columbia, April 15, 2011, regarding
Request for Proclamation of National Missing Children's Month and
Missing Children's Day
(Referred to Municipal Clerk for response)
Received for Information
(3) Committee and Board Meeting Minutes -
Board
of Variance, March 16, 2011; West Vancouver Memorial Library Board,
March 16, 2011
(4) Union of BC Municipalities, April 28, 2011, regarding
Federal Party Survey Results
{has graph of
responses from the four political parties on several policy questions
posed; surprisingly no responses from the Tories; take a
look!
http://www.westvancouver.ca/uploadedFiles/Your_Government/Council_Correspondence/2011/April/11apr29%20-%20Severed.pdf
}
(5) Hon. P. Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, April
18, 2011, regarding Competition for "Most Small Business Friendly
Community Award"
(6) Two submissions dated April 20, 2011 regarding Friends of
Historical Piers League Petition
(7) P. and H. Scholefield, April 21, re Support for Moving the
Coast Guard Auxiliary to Horseshoe Bay
(8) D. Petitpierre, April 21, 2011, regarding Reducing
Expenditures
(9) L. Stuart, March 22, 2011, regarding Safeway Site
(10) Metro Vancouver, April 15, 2011, regarding Revised Water
Shortage Response Plan
(11) District of North Vancouver, April 26, 2011, regarding
Proposed District of North Vancouver Official Community Plan Bylaw
7900, 2011
(12) Nine Submissions dated April 15-18, 2011 regarding Hollyburn
Mews Proposed Development (2031, 2047, and 2063 Esquimalt
Avenue)
(13) Eight submissions dated April 20-28, 2011, regarding
Gleneagles Golf Course (Larson Station) Liquor Licence
Application
Council Correspondence up to May 3, 2011 (up to
4:30 pm)
Responses to Correspondence
(1) I. Haras, Manager of Parks Operations, April 28, response to
C. Baxter, re Community Garden.
10. OTHER ITEMS -- No
items.
11. Reports from Mayor/Cclrs 12. Public
Comments/Questions 13. Adjournment
YOUTH COUNCIL MEETING
AGENDA
1. CALL TO ORDER [7pm]
2. INTRODUCTION OF THE 2011 YOUTH COUNCIL
3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
4. DEBATE TOPIC: The Voting Age in Canada - Too High or Just
Right?
5. REPORTS FROM YOUTH MAYOR AND YOUTH COUNCILLORS
Youth
Mayor and Youth Councillors will report on activities and events of
Youth Week.
RECOMMENDED: the oral reports from the Youth Mayor and Youth
Councillors be received.
6. PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
7. ADJOURNMENT
THE YOUTH APPRECIATION AWARDS PRESENTATION WILL
COMMENCE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE YOUTH COUNCIL MEETING
RECEPTION TO FOLLOW IN THE ATRIUM
=== ANIMALWATCH
===
> LATINO SHARKS
Sent to me with this note but I do agree v brave lady!:
...incredible, especially the end
of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=WK2LpUoqX6A&vq=medium
> Jesse the Jack
Russell Does More Housework than Most Maids (or
Husbands)
By Ruth Wilson on April 23, 2011
You have heard the phrase
working like a dog but one Hollywood, California pooch really does.
Jesse, a Jack Russell can help his human Mom with a myriad of tasks
around the house, including putting his own dirty dog bowl in the
dishwasher.
Owner Heather Brook has even taught Jesse the proper way to pamper his
owner, by teaching him to untie her shoes laces and remove her socks
before putting them in the wash. He can also give a good shoulder
massage, make the bed and start the coffee maker off in the morning.
No wonder Heather is happy to be single right now!
Watch Jesse in action in the video below.
http://apexnewsnetwork.com/28128/video-jesse-the-jack-russell-does-more-housework-than-most-maids-or-husbands/
> You're invited to the BC SPCA Annual Open
House
The BC SPCA invites you to an animal-themed day of fun in May.
Open House events, presented by Hill's Science Diet, take place at
30 locations throughout the province on
May
7,
May
14, or
May
15. In addition to featuring pets looking for loving homes,
activities at BC SPCA Open House events will include shelter tours,
education booths, games for kids, refreshments, and more.
The Open House series is part of Be Kind to Animals Month in
May.
More...
http://www.spca.bc.ca/news-and-events/news/youre-invited-to-the-bc.html
=== INFObits === from
The Economist
=BB May Day marked the beginning of one of China's
more ambitious projects: to ban smoking in public places. On buses, in
restaurants, bars, and hospitals - the Chinese were told to stop
smoking in public. With 350m smokers, China burns through a third of
the world's cigarettes every day. Around 8% of the state's revenue
comes from tobacco.
=BB The United Nations forecast that the world's
population would reach 7 billion on October 31st, a bit
earlier than predicted, and could reach 10 billion by
2100.
=BB The last living combat veteran of the first world
war died at the age of 110. Claude Choules, who lived in
Australia, joined the Royal Navy as a young man and witnessed the
surrender of the German fleet in 1918.
=== OTTAWAWATCH ===
Some observations on govt from Dr Keith Martin, former MP:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/decision-canada/What+happened+political+integrity+respect+Parliament/4661218/story.html
=== OsamaWATCH === (my
bolding)
Many thought he should have been captured, taken to the
international court in The Hague and tried.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-was-he-betrayed-of-course-pakistan-knew-bin-ladens-hiding-place-all-along-2278028.html
The death of Bin
Laden
Robert Fisk:
Was he betrayed?
Of course. Pakistan knew Bin Laden's hiding place all
along
Tuesday, 3 May
2011
A middle-aged
nonentity, a political failure outstripped by history -- by the
millions of Arabs demanding freedom and democracy in the Middle East
-- died in Pakistan yesterday. And then the world went mad.
...
...Not only was
Abbottabad the home of the country's military college - the town
was founded by Major James Abbott of the British Army in 1853
-- but it is headquarters of Pakistan's Northern Army Corps' 2nd
Division. Scarcely a year ago, I sought an interview with another
"most wanted man" -- the leader of the group believed
responsible for the Mumbai massacres. I found him in the Pakistani
city of Lahore - guarded by uniformed Pakistani policemen holding
machine guns.
Of course, there
is one more obvious question unanswered: couldn't they have captured
Bin Laden? Didn't the CIA or the Navy Seals or the US Special Forces
or whatever American outfit killed him have the means to throw a net
over the tiger? "Justice," Barack Obama called his death. In
the old days, of course, "justice" meant due process, a
court, a hearing, a defence, a trial. Like the sons of Saddam, Bin
Laden was gunned down. Sure, he never wanted to be taken alive --
and there were buckets of blood in the room in which he
died.
But a court would
have worried more people than Bin Laden. After all, he might have
talked about his contacts with the CIA during the Soviet occupation of
Afghanistan, or about his cosy meetings in Islamabad with Prince
Turki, Saudi Arabia's head of intelligence. Just as Saddam -- who
was tried for the murder of a mere 153 people rather than thousands of
gassed Kurds -- was hanged before he had the chance to tell us about
the gas components that came from America, his friendship with Donald
Rumsfeld, the US military assistance he received when he invaded Iran
in 1980. ...
... His relations
with other Muslims were mysterious; when I met him in Afghanistan,
he initially feared the Taliban, refusing to let me travel to
Jalalabad at night from his training camp -- he handed me over to
his al-Qa'ida lieutenants to protect me on the journey next day.
His followers hated all Shia Muslims as heretics and all dictators as
infidels -- though he was prepared to cooperate with Iraq's
ex-Baathists against the country's American occupiers, and said so in
an audiotape which the CIA typically ignored. He never praised
Hamas and was scarcely worthy of their "holy warrior"
definition yesterday which played -- as usual -- straight into
Israel's hands. ...
Yet Bin Laden's
own obsessions blighted even his family. One wife left him, two more
appeared to have been killed in Sunday's American attack. I met one of
his sons, Omar, in Afghanistan with his father in 1994. He was a
handsome little boy and I asked him if he was happy. He said
"yes" in English. But last year, he published a book called
Living Bin Laden and -- recalling how his father killed his
beloved dogs in a chemical warfare experiment -- described him as an
"evil man". In his book, he too remembered our meeting;
and concluded that he should have told me that no, he was not a happy
child.
+ AND NOW FROM A CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER
TEAM MBR
AL-KHALIL/HEBRON: The day after Bin Laden
died.
5 May 2011 by
Kathleen Kern
I was in Hebron on September 11, 2001. I
remember old men approaching me on the street, eyes full of tears,
telling me that God would help me and my fellow citizens. Other
Palestinian friends called us, sobbing, as they described what they
were watching on TV. The catastrophe happened at the end of a
summer of egregious Israeli settler violence on the street, and we
knew we had to prepare ourselves for the worldwide racist backlash
against Arabs and Muslims. I think both of these factors and my
grief for the victims contributed to a sense that my head and heart
were creating a reaction I had not felt before, and for which I had no
name.
Almost ten years later, I felt something similar
when I entered our main apartment at 6:30am on May 2, and one of my
team members told me that he had been listening to President Obama's
speech on the killing of Osama Bin Laden. The reactions of
people on the street sort of flowed over me, and I examined them with
interest, and with that nameless feeling.
Two of my colleagues walking back from monitoring
a checkpoint that morning heard an Israeli settler telling a soldier,
"It's great that Bin Laden was killed; CPTers should be
next." A friendly Israeli border policeman at the mosque
checkpoint, who assumed we would be celebrating, told another CPTer
and me, "Saddam Hussein is gone; Bin Laden is gone. When we
kill Nasrallah [the Secretary General of Hezbollah], Israel and the
U.S . will have peace." I told him, "There will be
others to take their places." "Then we will kill them
too!" he said cheerfully.
I asked a Hebronite friend what most Palestinians
in Hebron were saying about Bin Laden's death. Most, he said, do
not care. A small minority were upset about the killing. A
much larger minority, himself included, thought Bin Laden deserved his
fate. The Quran forbids the killing of civilians, he said, and
it has an absolute prohibition on Muslims killing other Muslims.
Bin Laden was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Muslims
in the U.S., Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Jordan. "I
just wish it had been a Muslim who killed him," he
said.
For years, a Martin Luther King quotation has
been taped on the wall of our apartment in Hebron. Although I am
still waiting to understand my feelings, the poster brings me some
comfort.
The ultimate weakness of violence is
that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to
destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the
lie nor establish truth. Through violence, you murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases
hate. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate
cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
=== PEACEWATCH
=== lending hope... the Arab
Spring uprising had started here too
http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2011/03/23/hebron-palestinian-demonstration-marks-"unity-day"-hebron
CPTnet 23 March 2011
HEBRON: Palestinian Demonstration Marks "Unity Day" for
Hebron
Large numbers of
young people gathered on 15 March 2011 across the West Bank, East
Jerusalem and Gaza, to show their desire for peace and a united
Palestine. The young people, with zeal and determination, have
joined forces to put an end to years of disagreement and conflict,
primarily among the Fatah and Hamas leadership.
In Hebron, CPTers joined a crowd of about 800 Palestinians,
around Manara Circle and Ebni Rushd. The slogans echoed: "Yes to
a united Palestine", "Down with political
disagreements", "Yes to national elections", "No
to the Oslo Agreement", and "No to occupation".
Many speakers gave their presentations and scores of Palestinian flags
fluttered among the crowd. Palestinian police and security
personnel oversaw the whole thing and directed traffic to other
streets. Everything about the demonstration was calm and
dignified. A young Palestinian excitedly said to CPTer Inger
Styrbj=F6rn: "Ever since my father died when I was five, I've had
a bad life. Now we young people want to have a
change!"
After more than an hour, the large mass of people moved down the
street to another square where they intended to set up tents for those
wishing to sleep out in the street overnight.
CPT's MISSION: 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.
=== VILLAGEWATCH ===
AMNIYR To view the on-line
version click here.
CPTnet -- 29 March 2011
SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Israeli military demolishes village of
Amniyr for second time in five weeks
The military attempted to confiscate a tractor as well, but
villagers surrounded it and refused to leave. According to
villagers, six people required hospitalization after soldiers tried
forcefully to remove them from the tractor before giving up and
leaving the tractor in the village.
Israel does not deny that the demolished homes are on private
land owned by the village's Palestinian residents. However,
Israel has declared the land to be "agricultural", and
prohibits the residents from constructing dwellings, cisterns, or
structures of any kind, essentially making it illegal for these
villagers to live on their land.
Immediately after soldiers finished the demolitions, villagers
began to reconstruct what they could from the rubble. As
residents started gathering stones from a demolished sheep pen, an
Israeli bulldozer could be seen across the valley excavating new
construction for the Israeli settlement of Susiya.
Additional photos are available
here.Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams
have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South
Hebron Hills since 2004.
[According to the Geneva Conventions, the
International Court of Justice in The Hague, and numerous United
Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories are illegal. Most settlement outposts are
considered illegal under Israeli law.]
=== TREEWATCH === Olive Trees --
PRUNING in hope
CPTnet -- 25 April 2011
SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Palestinians prune trees as act of
resistance in Susiya
On the morning of 23 April, Palestinians from the
village of Susiya pruned olive trees on their land in an act of
protest against land confiscation and violence by residents from the
nearby Israeli settlement, also named Susiya. Six days earlier,
Israeli settlers had attacked and injured a local Palestinian in the
area near these olive trees.
The Palestinians, accompanied by Israeli and
international peace activists, began working on their trees at
approximately 10am Almost immediately, Israeli soldiers appeared and
stood above the orchards. They did not interfere with the
pruning.
At approximately 11am, four Israeli settlers
arrived, then four more. The soldiers, now re-enforced by
Israeli police, did not allow them to approach the Palestinians
pruning the olive trees. After talking with the settlers, the
soldiers insisted that all Israelis and internationals leave the area.
The Palestinian families were able to remain and continue
working. As the Israeli and international activists slowly
departed, the soldiers moved the settlers away also. By noon,
the villagers had successfully completed their pruning of the olive
trees.
Six days before the Saturday pruning action, on
Sunday, 17 April, approximately fifty Israeli settlers came from
Susiya settlement as Yousef Mor, a Palestinian from the area, was
grazing his sheep. According to Nasser Nawaja, a resident of the
nearby Palestinian village, two of the settlers attacked Mor, striking
him with stones and injuring his head and his right hand.
The settlers ran back to the settlement before
Israeli military and police arrived. Palestinians in the area
managed to film the settlers running back to the settlement. An
ambulance took Mor to Alia hospital in Hebron, where doctors gave him
stitches and released him the same evening.
=== SCHOOLWATCH ===
and PASSOVER
CPTnet 21 April 2011
HEBRON: "Let them walk three miles"; Passover brings
further restrictions on Palestinians
The Jewish Passover/Pesach holiday
has imposed further restrictions on the residents of Hebron. All of
the gates allowing entrance to and exit from the Old City souq on its
east side were locked or barred shut to Palestinian residents and
non-Jewish international visitors.
The closure caused significant
difficulties for teachers and pupils. A woman-widely known as
the "ladder lady"- whose house is on Shuhada Street, along which
the Jewish worshippers walk, allowed Palestinians to use her house for
getting in and out of the souq (market). In the morning, they
rang her bell, and walked through her house and down the stairway into
Shuhada Street. The Israeli police on duty in the morning
allowed the children and teachers then to cross Shuhada Street on
their way to school.
However, when school ended for the
day and the children and teachers tried to make the return trip,
Israeli soldiers and police initially refused to allow them to cross
Shuhada Street, saying that the Old City souq was closed.
Teachers, a local community leader, and CPTers asked the police to let
the children cross. They pointed out to a senior Israeli
policeman that if he did not allow the children to cross Shuhada
Street they would have to take a detour of at least three miles.
'Let them walk three miles,' he responded. An Israeli peace
activist contacted the Israeli DCO (District Coordinating Office) to
ask them to intervene. For whatever reason, after a delay, the
soldiers and police allowed the children and teachers to cross Shuhada
Street, and the ladder lady allowed them to go through her house on
their way home.
However, a gate to the Old City was
open to some visitors. Dring the morning, Israeli soldiers accompanied
several groups of settler-led Jewish groups through the Palestinian
souq.
Passover continues through next
Tuesday.
=== 23 April 2011 ===
A long walk home from school
On 20 and 21 April 2011, during the
Jewish Passover holiday, the Israeli military closed all of the gates
on the east side of the Old City souq in Al Khalil/Hebron. This
severely restricted the movement of Palestinian residents in that
area. One of those affected was Yusuf.
Yusuf is five years old. He attends
the kindergarten just across the landing from the CPT women's
apartment. He's a bright little boy, who interprets in sign language
for his mother, who is deaf. He has congenital physical difficulties:
he has no left arm and one leg is significantly shorter than the
other.
On 20 April two CPTers happened to
meet up with Yusuf and his kindergarten teacher as she took him home
after class. The teacher took him first to one gate. It was locked. A
soldier refused to open it and directed her to another locked gate.
She walked there with Yusuf, and knocked at the gate. A soldier at
that gate also refused to let them come through.
Yusuf's teacher then went with him
to the home of a Palestinian woman whose house has doors both into the
souq and onto Shuhada Street. She kindly allows children and teachers
to pass through her house when the military lock the gates. Through
that circuitous route the teacher was finally able to take Yusuf to
his home.
=== 20 April 2011 ===
Passover brings further restrictions on Palestinians
The beginning of the Jewish festival of Passover
(Pesach) today saw an exacerbation of the restrictions on movement
suffered daily by the residents of the Palestinian city of
Hebron.
The Ibrahimi Mosque lies to the east of the Old
City of Hebron. The fourth holiest site in Islam, today the mosque was
open only to Jewish worshippers. All of the gates allowing entrance to
and exit from the Old City souq on its east side were locked or barred
shut to Palestinian residents and non-Jewish international
visitors.
This caused significant difficulties for teachers
and pupils. A lady whose house is on Shuhada Street, the street along
which the Jewish worshippers walk, allowed Palestinians to use her
house for getting in and out of the souq; she is widely known as
'the ladder lady'. In the morning they rang her bell, and walked
through her house and down the stairway into Shuhada Street. The
Israeli police on duty in the morning allowed the children and
teachers then to cross Shuhada Street on their way to
school.
However, when school ended for the day and the
children and teachers tried to make the return trip, Israeli soldiers
and police initially refused to allow them to cross Shuhada Street,
saying that the Old City souq was closed. Teachers, a local community
leader, and CPTers asked the police to let the children cross. They
pointed out to a senior Israeli policeman that if he did not allow the
children to cross Shuhada Street they would have to take a detour of
at least three miles. 'Let them walk three miles,' he responded.
An Israeli peace activist contacted the Israeli DCO (District
Coordinating Office) to ask them to intercede. For whatever
reason, after a delay, the soldiers and police allowed the children
and teachers to cross Shuhada Street, and the ladder lady allowed them
to go through her house on their way home.
However, a gate to the Old City was open to some
visitors. During the morning Israeli soldiers accompanied several
groups of settler-led Jewish groups through the Palestinian
souq.
Passover continues tomorrow.
=== More Schoolwatch ===
CPT
On Tuesday, 12 April, the governor of Hebron,
Kamel Hamaid, and the director of the Hebron district Ministry of
Education, Fawzi Abu Hlayel, visited the At-Tuwani school. Then
the two Palestinian Authority representatives walked with school
children to the place where they usually meet the Israeli military
escort intended to protect the children on their journey home to the
villages of Tuba and Maghayir al Abeed. The escort accompanies
the children on the road that runs between the Israeli settlement of
Ma'on and settlement outpost of Havat Ma'on because the children
have suffered many threats, aggressions and attacks from settlers
along this route. The visiting governmental officials, together
with the local school headmaster, the mayor, and representatives from
the local council observed the military escort arrive on time and
accompany the children without incident-unlike the two previous
afternoons. Palestinian TV was also present, documenting the
visit and escort.
The preceding days, 10 and 11 April, the children
waited nearly two hours each day for the escorting soldiers to
arrive. On 10 April, the escort failed to arrive at all, and
after waiting from 1:30 until 3:20, the children had to take a much
longer route home. The next day, the children again waited over
90 minutes and then, as they began to walk the longer route, a passing
army jeep stopped and accompanied the children back to and along the
usual, shorter path. Both days the children arrived in Tuba
around 4:00. On 12 April, in contrast, the children reached the
village before 1:30.
The visit of Hamaid and Abu Hlayel,
following the visit made two weeks ago by Palestinian Prime Minister
Salam Fayyad, is considered by the Local Council and the Popular
Committee for the Nonviolent Resistance a sign of the increased
attention of the Palestine Authority for the South Hebron Hills area.
The Popular Committee and the Local Council are committed to advancing
living conditions and access to resources for the Palestinian
residents of the South Hebron Hills.
2011 May 6th ~~
Korea
"May 3rd, 2011 marked the 58th anniversary of
the battle for Hill 187 during the Korean War. I would like to
acknowledge the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment who
fought on Hill 187 and did not give up despite the odds. Brigadier
Jean Allard, who commanded the 25th Infantry Brigade, considered this
battle a victory for the enemy and a loss for the newly arrived
Royals.
"This week, as we enjoy the freedom they
fought so hard to ensure, we remember the brave Royals who fought on
Hill 187 in May 1953. We remember those who survived and those who
died to defend Korea.
"The Korean War, like all wars, was marked by
both losses and triumphs. One most notable achievement, particularly
for Canadians, was the Battle of Kapyong on Hill 677. April 24th, 2011
marked the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong, a battle in
which the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
defended the front line against enemy forces that greatly outnumbered
the Canadians. The Battle of Kapyong in April 1951 earned the brave
Canadians a United States Presidential Citation for their undeniable
valour.
"Senator Yonah Martin participated in the 60th
Anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong Commemoration here in Ottawa on
April 15, 2011 as well as at the Kapyong Commemoration in the Republic
of Korea on April 24th 2011. Nearly 50 Canadian heroes of the Korean
War, including 18 Kapyong veterans with Honour Guards and 35 current
serving officers of PPCLI stood at the foot of Hill 677 to pay
respects, during a week-long 60th Anniversary Revisit Program
organized by the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs of the
ROK.
"The tragedy of the Battle of Hill 187 and the
incredible victory of the Battle of Kapyong - two of the
unforgettable battles of the Korean War - had not been properly
reported in Canadian newspapers then. Today on behalf of the
Government of Canada, I wish to honour the Canadian veterans of the
Korean War and acknowledge these important days for
Canada.
"I encourage all Canadians to remember these
historic days in hopes that the Korean War will never be
'forgotten'."
We will remember them. Lest we
forget.
2011 May 8th ~~ V-E
Day
"Today we honour our brave Canadian soldiers
who fought to achieve the Allied victory in Europe during the Second
World War against a fascist regime rooted in racism and hatred that
scarred the world with the Holocaust.
"Sixty-six years ago today, Allied nations
accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.
"Leading up to that historic day, hundreds of
thousands of Canadians left behind their families, friends and
hometowns for the battlefields of Europe to defend the fundamental
values that all Canadians cherish dearly - freedom, democracy, the
rule of law and human rights. Hundreds of thousands of other Canadians
laboured tirelessly on the home front to produce the war material
needed by our soldiers in uniform as well as by our
allies.
"These Canadian heroes put the welfare of our
great country, and all future generations, ahead of their own. They
continue to represent the best of what it means to be Canadian -
courage, self-sacrifice, standing up for what is right, and protecting
those who cannot protect themselves. More than forty thousand of these
selfless Canadians never returned home. For this, we owe our veterans
and their families our deepest respect and gratitude. Their actions
make us all proud to be Canadian.
"As we remember the triumph of May 8, 1945, we
also pay tribute to our brave men and women in uniform as they
continue this important tradition today - in Afghanistan, Haiti,
Sudan, and other regions of the world where Canadians are truly making
a difference.
"Lest we forget."
=== ROYALWATCH ===
* HM Queen Elizabeth turned 85 on April 21; the
first monarch to celebrate 60th wedding anniversary.
* Turning 90! Prince
Philip was born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June
1921.
* Monarchs have been crowned in Westminster Abbey from
1066 with William the Conqueror
* 100 WEDDING PHOTOS!:
http://www.ctv.ca/gallery/html/royal-wedding-recap-kate-will-110429/index_.html
* Prince
William and Kate to visit California after Canadian tour
-- St James's Palace
have confirmed.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/prince-william/8495061/Prince-William-and-Kate-to-visit-California-after-Canadian-tour.html
=== CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER 2011,
Washington, DC ===
President Obama
address (satire):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9mzJhvC-8E
Seth Meyers's
remarks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YGITlxfT6s&feature=relmfu
=== HAIKUWATCH
=== Michael Dylan Welch (mbr of
Pacifikana and HSA) VISIT
~ 5 - 7pm ~ Saturday May 14 at SFU Hbr
Ctr -- readings at the
Cross-Border Pollination Reading Series: Bridging American and
Canadian Writers.
http://cbprs.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/may-14th-reading/
~ 1:30 - 5:30pm ~ Sunday May 15 at Kogawa
House in Vancouver
Michael will also be presenting a workshop,
Writing Haiku - Myths and Realities. For more info:
=== MAIKU
===
keep the
past in mind * plan for the future * and enjoy every moment!
=== QUOTATIONS / THOUGHTS
/ PUNS ===
The indifference, cowardice, and opportunism of their citizens
kill off democracies even more than tyrants and dictators.
-- Luigi Tosti, Italian Benedictine historian (1811
- 1897)
History never looks like history when you are living through it.
-- John W. Gardner, quoted by Bill Moyers
More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so
busy denying them. -- Harold J. Smith
Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them
all.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., American physician,
professor, author (1809 - 1894)
I am always ready to learn although I do not
always like being taught. -- Winston Churchill
When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stone-cutter
hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as
a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it would
split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all
that had gone before together.
-- Jacob A. Riis, third of 15 chn,
Danish-American journalist, photographer, social reformer (1849 -
1914)
No one is ever warmed by wool pulled over his
eyes. -- Marcelene Cox
In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are
consequences.
-- Robert Green Ingersoll, Civil War veteran, lawyer, American
political leader (1833 - 1899)
Reality is an illusion
caused by alcohol deficiency. --
Anonymous
Those who throw dirt
are sure to lose ground.
My haematologist
said my outlook is good since I'm a B Positive type.
It was an emotional
wedding. Even the cake was in tiers.
Every time I drink red wine I end up getting a
cab.