10 CITY monday
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GUIDE
One Victoria, MANY VIEWS
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City Guide 2010
be good to your body. be true to your budget.
Visit the Aveda Institute Victoria for a purely affordable hair cut, hair colour or spa treatment. Experience soothing services for hair, nails, skin and body at relaxed prices. Cuts start at $20.00. Hair colour and texture at $40.00. Enjoy a facial, waxing, manicure and pedicure too. All services are provided by supervised students. Appointments welcome by calling 386-7993. The Aveda Institute was founded to help create the most successful entrepreneurs in the professional beauty industry. Our students believe in our commitment to outstanding client service. They work to provide their clients with the most unforgettable salon experience. In consideration of other clients, cell phones must be turned off during esthetic treatments.
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Stress Relieving Shoulder and Scalp Experience Hand Relieving Ritual Make up Finishing Touch
City Guide 2010
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No More Snowglobes! MY PARENTS WENT TO VICTORIA AND ALL I GOT WAS A FUNKY AND UNIQUE LOCAL SOUVENIR It’s out there, somewhere—hanging on key rings, sitting on rec room shelves, lying unworn at the bottom of grandchildren’s drawers: souvenir junk from Victoria. Like any other city, bargain-basement Mile Zero travel goodies clog the arteries of the modern world. Whether it’s an Undersea Gardens shotglass or a polyblend sweatshirt with a sad moose sitting under a tree and the caption “Moose You Were Here! Victoria, Canada” (seriously, we don’t even have moose here), we guarantee a lot of this kitsch is not worth the 200 percent tourist mark-up.
AMANDA FARRELL-LOW
• Gordon Campbell Voodoo Doll Nothing says “BC’s Capital City” like a chance to needle our beloved Premier Gordo. And if putting the pins to high-profile politicos is your kind of take-home gift, this creation by crafty local Michael Yoder is the ideal item. Made from English ivy (“an invasive species, just like politicians!” says the accompanying instruction booklet) and Spanish moss, among other things, this doll comes with pins and a package of “shredded cabinet documents and e-mails.” Get yours for just $19.95 at Zydeco on Johnson. • Pot T-shirt - Since it’s still (ridiculously) illegal, we can’t tell you where to actually buy it in town, but marijuana remains an essential part of west coast culture. If you don’t happen to have a prescription from a bud-friendly doctor, you can still support our local compassion clubs by picking up an attractive T-shirt (made from hemp, we hope!) from either the Hempology 101 Society or the Vancouver Island Compassion Society. Or for something more active, you could buy a locally produced pipe from one of the region’s fine glassworkers from the Sacred Herb or the Victoria Smoke Shop, or one of the tables at the Sunday weekly Government Street Market. • Big Bad John’s T-shirt - Speaking of T-shirts, a visit to the peanut-shell strewn, flea market decor of this longstanding Douglas Street hillbilly bar is almost mandatory for any Victoria visit—and you can commemorate it with a $10 T-shirt . . . which you can also get
With that in mind, here are a few ideas of souvenirs to bring back from Victoria that prove you were really here, actually say something about the city (and its people) and may just make you want to come back for more.
for free if you leave them your bra to hang from the ceiling. (Seriously.) • Empress Hotel Phantogram - With 3D being the big thing (again) right now, the Empress Hotel Phantogram is just the ticket for anyone looking for something more exciting than a mere postcard. Created by local photographer Gary Greenspoon, this award-winning image literally pops right off the page and is available in three different sizes (gift card, 8 1/2 x 11, 11 x 14) and three different prices ($8.95, $14.95, $18.95) at The Papery, Russell Books and Science Works. No batteries required and it comes complete with its own 3D glasses.
• Phillips Showcase Mixed Pack - Fans of beer and music will chug this 12-pack that features three Blue Buck Ales, three Phoenix Gold Lagers, three Slipstream Cream Ales and three of a rotating fourth (currently Dr. Funk Dunkel Bavarian Dark Lager), as well as free downloads from a great array of local recording artists. Currently on the musical tap is Juno-nominee Carolyn Mark with a special song just for the Showcase, as well
as a Phillips jingle! Past Showcase artists have included Jets Overhead, the Racoons, Start with the Cobra, Language-Arts and a Rifflandia sampler. All this for just $24.45 at the friendly Phillips Brewing Company, 2010 Government. • Fernwood Coffee - Sure, Fernwood residents may consider wild fennel the plant of choice in Victoria’s coolest ‘hood, but until someone can fuse this persistent perennial with caffeine, we suggest picking up a bag of Fernwood Coffee instead. Available in both whole bean and ground, and featuring a number of different blends (Fernwood Medium blend, West Coast Trail Dark, Strongback Very Dark, 1936 Espresso and Mile Zero Decaf), these fairly traded, organic and climatefriendly coffees are available at fine grocery stores and cafés around town, or by visiting their Fernwood HQ at 1115 North Park, just off Cook. See fernwoodcoffee.com for more about the origins of their beans and the coffee itself, which averages about $14 a bag.
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• Anything that refers to Victoria’s “Parliament Buildings” - News flash: the Parliament Buildings are in Ottawa; what we’ve got here on the Inner Harbour is actually the Provincial Legislature. Eventually everyone is going to wise up to this and we figure all that old Parliament Buildings stuff will be worth something one day, much like misprint stamps, so get ‘em three for a dollar at the tourist traps on Government Street while you can.
• Earth’s Herbal sex products - Nothing says “I Came in Victoria” like this line of allnatural sex products by local quirky songstress Lily Fawn. From the original Stroke It and Super Stroke It lubes (no sugar, prolongs orgasm, not messy) to the Ice Queen Nipple Gel (made with menthol, it’s also good for oral sex—and, no kidding, as a headache buster), these $15-$20 items are sure to have you, uh, coming back for more. You can grab them at Garden of Eden on Douglas and Johnson, Regalia Boutique on Pandora (they will order in on request) or online at earthsherbal.com
snazzy graphic of Victoria’s most controversial structure since the Memorial Arena. Get a bottle for $5 at Spinnakers Brewpub in Vic West. • Perogy Cat - Why not take home Victoria’s favourite famous pudgy cat? Not only is cartoon creator Gareth Gaudin famed for his “comic a day” legacy and his popular Magic Teeth Daily comic books, but his quirky Perogy Cat has spawned a plethora of Perogy paraphernalia— from stuffies ($20) and T-shirts ($20) to books ($30) and comics ($6)—all of which can be acquired at Gaudin’s own Legend’s Comics on Johnson. And if you swing by Street Level Espresso on Fort Street, you can even get your coffee to go in a Perogy Cat takeaway cup.
• ReBar Modern Food Cookbook - While there a number of restaurants of note in the city, few have the cachet of the Bastion Square mainstay, ReBar. Established back in 1989, ReBar was way, way ahead of the locavore movement and arguably helped established the idea of eating healthy food that truly is good—and good for you. Sure, you could just go there for a meal while you’re in town or pick up a tasty drink at their juice bar, but why not take a taste of that acclaimed food home with you by picking up a copy of their equally acclaimed cookbook? $29.95 at ReBar (50 Bastion Square) or our many fine local bookstores. • Spinnaker’s Blue Bridge IPA - Given all the hoopla around the Johnson Street Bridge this past year (better known locally as the Blue Bridge), this may just be the city’s signature beer these days. Not only is this a tasty double IPA with three kinds of hops (and a high alcohol content), the label also features a
AMANDA FARRELL-LOW
• Cheesecake Burlesque Goodies - With nearly 200 Nipple Tassels for sale on their site, anyone with breasts to tart up can’t help but find something they like courtesy of the local fem-positive ga-ga girls in the Cheesecake Burlesque Revue. We’re particularly keen on the Bite Me (featuring glittery lipstick and teeth) and Skull-and-Crossbones models. Give ‘em a spin for just $25 at cheesecakeburlesque.com.
• Smoking Lily - They made headlines a few years back when they started producing panties featuring the sassy likeness of Pierre Trudeau, but Smoking Lily duds have been a local fave for years due to their original designs (skirts, shirts, dresses, baby clothes), clever prints (jellyfish, paramecium, squid), snappy accessories (eyeglass cases, slippers, wallets) and charming homewares (who wouldn’t love a tea cozy emblazoned with Louis Riel’s face?). With prices as attractive as their clothes for men and women, a visit to their famously teeny-tiny 4 x 11 foot storefront at 569 Johnson Street is almost mandatory for any Victoria visit.
Visit Legends Comics & Books for all your Perogy Cat needs • Tattoo - Maybe it’s our naval heritage as a port city or maybe it’s the fact that the city is just thick with artsy hipsters who like investing in body art. Either way, the simple truth is if you stay here long enough you’ll end up with some ink— it’s almost a Victoria rite of passage. Of course, it helps that we’ve got so many local tattoo shops and artists of note, so if you want a decidedly permanent reminder of your time here, go get some ink. Chair prices usually start at $75 an hour, depending on what you’re getting and where. M
City Guide 2010
One Paper, Seven Days BUT WHY IS IT CALLED “MONDAYâ€?? We may be named after the hardest day of the week, but don’t believe the hype. Monday Magazine is your easiest source for what’s going down in Victoria. Published since 1975, Monday remains the city’s authority on what’s happening, who’s doing it and why it’s important—and how you can get in on it, too. Looking for some Friday night action, or something to do on a Sunday afternoon? We’ve got the city’s most comprehensive events listings. Want to know what’s really going on inside City Hall? With 35 years of award-winning investigative journalism and insightful commentary, Monday tells it like it is, with just a touch of cheek. Best of all—we’re free! Just look for our distinctive yellow boxes at cafes, restaurants, pubs, stores and on the street. You’ll find a new issue out every Thursday (Wednesday in the downtown core), just in time to plan your weekend. So why is it called Monday? Because no week is complete without it. M 818 Broughton Street, Victoria, B.C., V8W 1E4 Phone: 250-382-6188 • FAX: 250-382-6014 E-MAIL: reception@mondaymag.com, sales@mondaymag.com, editorial@mondaymag.com WEBSITE: www.mondaymag.com Annual subscription rate (52 issues): $95 (including G.S.T.) in Canada, $125 elsewhere. Canadian publications mail R# 112895. ISSN 0832-4719. Agreement #0040112958. One copy of each edition of Monday Magazine is available free to you each week, see our website for pick up locations.No person may take more than one copy without prior permission from Monday Publications.
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All contents copyright, 2010 • SUMMER 2010 GROUP PUBLISHER: Penny Sakamoto EDITOR: John Threlfall CONTRIBUTORS: Amanda Farrell, Anna Kemp, John Threlfall, Jason Youmans COVER and PORTRAIT PHOTOS: Derek Ford PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: Susan Duhamel PRODUCTION: Rhonda Chisholm, Sean McLaughlin
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Sunny Days OF THE SUMMER FESTS CHRISTMAS MAGTICK’S FARM BEST No need to leave Victoria to get festive this summer; from food to film to fantastic tunes, Mile Zero’s festival plate has a full serving. Here’s the skinny on the major offerings. Music: • JazzFest International (June 25-July 4) From headliners like George Benson and John Pizzarelli to locals like Joe Coughlin and Sara Marreiros, there’s something here for every type of jazzophile. jazzvictoria.ca
Be sure to look fab for Pride Week
• Ska Festival (July 7-10) - Fishbone, The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and Shane Philip are just a small sample of this year’s acts. victoriaskafest.ca • Capital Festival (July 30- August 2) - After a successful BC Day celebration at St. Ann’s Academy last year, the Capital Festival folks plan to showcase B.C. talent for a whole weekend. capitalfestival.com
• Symphony Splash (August 1) - Grab your picnic blankets and take in the Victoria Symphony filling the Inner Harbour with beautiful music—with 40,000 of your closest friends. victoriasymphony.ca • Vancouver Island Blues Bash (September 4-6) - The Victoria Jazz Society pays tribute to the blues in the Inner Harbour. jazzvictoria.ca
JASON YOUMANS
• Victoria Electronic Music Festival (July 31 - August 1) - Catch local and global talent behind the decks, plus free workshops and lots of booty shaking. vemf.ca
• Victoria Shakespeare Festival (July 12August 12) - Spend an evening on the lawn at Camosun College. This year, it’s Richard III and The Taming of the Shrew. vicshakespeare.com
• Rifflandia (September 23-26) - No lineup announced yet, but this festival promises to bring the best of up-and-coming indie, hip hop, electronica and folk to our city. rifflandia.com
• Moss Street Paint-In (July 17) - A longtime local favourite, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s outdoor art celebration on Moss Street attracts droves of artists and onlookers alike. aggv.bc.ca
Non-Music:
• Victoria Tango Festival (August 4-8) - Concerts, lectures and performances highlighting this cultural phenomenon, all over town. passion4tango.com
• Uno Fest (May 20-30) - “Canada’s singular live theatre event” turns 13 this year with folks like past Fringe faves like Jayson McDonald, Chris Gibbs and Andrew Bailey plus new shows from locals Matthew Payne, Jen Wilcox and J. McLaughlin. unofest.wordpress.com • Afro-Carib Carnival (June 20) - Music, food and crafts celebrating Caribbean and African culture on the Selkirk waterfront. ahavi.ca • Pride Week (June 27-July 4) - Celebrate all things queer with events like drag baseball, the big gay dog walk, an art exhibition and the parade and festival. Maybe there will finally be a ferris wheel this year. victoriapridesociety.org
• Free-B Film Festival (August) - Every Friday and Saturday night in August, the folks at the Victoria Film Festival screen the crème de la fromage for free at Beacon Hill Park’s Cameron Bandshell. Stay tuned to victoriafilmfestival.com for this year’s program. • Dragon Boat Festival (August 13-15) - Teams from all over the Pacific Northwest come to power paddle in the Inner Harbour. victoriadragonboat.com
• Canada Day (July 1) - Fireworks, music and entertainment galore at the Inner Harbour— including watching cops rifle through your stuff in search of booze. victoria.ca/canadaday
• Fringe Festival (August 26-September 5) This non-juried theatre festival fills downtown Victoria with a wide range of live theatre, fun events and long lineups for 12 crazy days—including their very own FringeKids day. intrepidtheatre.com
• Festival Mexicano (July 9-11) - Enjoy all things Mexican with music, performance and tasty treats in Centennial Square and the Victoria Event Centre. 1415broad.ca
• Antimatter Film Festival (October 8-16) - Annual film festival celebrating subversive underground cinema. Installations, curated programs and lots of events. antimatter.ws M
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Critter Crawl WHERE THE WILD THINGS STILL ARE close to the animals or feed them, as I like to watch them from a distance so I can see their natural behaviour—instead of behaviour that’s been modified by the handouts we give them,” he explains. “In nature, there are so many different ways that animals interact with each other that are strange and different from us, or analogous to us, but you can only do that with a bit of a distance between you and them.”
Looking to get up close and personal with nature? Forget about hiking for hours in the hopes of seeing a bear, just grab the kids or outtatowners and head to Oak Bay Marina or Fisherman’s Wharf to feed the seals. Not into marine life? A quick trip to Mystic Vale forest offers almost guaranteed encounters with deer, owls and, of course, UVic’s infamous feral rabbit population. (And, if you’re lucky, maybe even the chance to witness a passing hawk plunge from the sky for a little bunny take-away.) Whatever the species, Victoria is surrounded by wildlife—which can be both a blessing and a curse. “When I moved here from Alberta 10 years ago, I was quite surprised by the numbers of animals I saw,” recalls Scott Mair, program manager at the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary. “To see Pileated woodpeckers so commonly here is just a wonderful thing; in Alberta, if I saw one a month that’d be like a special month. And the number of Cooper’s hawks that live right in among our houses is unbelievable—and those are just birds, which seem a little bit more tolerant of people. But I see mink when I walk along Colquitz Creek, and you can see otters in our streams in Beaver Lake and Oak Bay.”
But such an intimate relationship with wildlife can come at a cost—especially in the case of those increasingly chubby seals. “When we feed animals, they become dependent on us, and when we stop feeding them, that can cause problems sometimes—not so much that they depend on the food we’re giving them, because that’s often not the case, but sometimes they start to expect it from us, which is when problems can arise,” says Mair. “After all, we do have animals that live here only because we do feed them.” Mair, formerly a coordinator of environmental interpretation for CRD Parks, suggests more of a hands-off approach. “I try to not get too
Monday’s top spots for natural encounters • Bears - Try between China Beach and Port Renfrew • Birds - Swan Lake, as well as plenty of cormorants in the trees at Arm Street Park and herons when the tide’s out in Esquimalt Harbour • Bugs - Unless you get jazzed by pill bugs, ladybirds and caterpillars, our indigenous insect population isn’t so dramatic, so we suggest visiting downtown’s Bug Zoo for entomologic excitement, where you’ll find tarantulas, scorpions, giant centipedes, praying mantises, giant stag beetles and much more. And for winged beauties, be sure to check out the hothouse environment of Victoria Butterfly Gardens, where you’ll find about 3,000 butterflies and moths on the wing. • Bunnies - UVic (of course), Victoria General Hospital • Cougars - Only the luckiest of the lucky have seen one of these cats around, but they are around the South Island, usually in the outlying districts like the Highlands, Metchosin or Sooke—but every now and then one wanders into the urban core, like the famed cougar that ended up in the parking lot of the Empress Hotel. (Pick up a copy of the charming children’s book In Like A Lion by local author Julie Lawson for the full story on that.) • Dolphins - No, really—if you take the Nanaimo to Vancouver ferry run from Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay, keep your eyes on the water near the bow of the ship, where pods of Pacific White-Sided dolphins frequently frolic • Eagles - Watch the skies over Dallas Road, Oak Bay, Saanich peninsula and outlying rural areas, and visit Goldstream Park in the winter to watch them feast on salmon • Deer - As annoyed gardeners can attest, they can be found in most of the outlying neighbourhoods—View Royal, Cadboro Bay, Gordon Head, Uplands . . . even a Government Street toy store at one point last year (no kidding).
DEREK FORD
Indeed, you don’t have to go far in Victoria for a taste of the wild. Whether it’s hopping on a whale-watcher for an aquatic encounter or paying a seasonal visit to see the salmon run (and subsequent eagle feast) at Goldstream Park, noteworthy plants and animals are all around us. “I look forward to the cycles of nature as they happen each year,” says Mair, “and that’s the great thing about living in Victoria: every season has a different selection of animals and plants to look forward to.”
Animalia!
When asked to suggest some good naturewatching locations, Mair’s Swan Lake HQ was obviously at the top of his list. “The lake is lovely, the path around the lake and the floating boardwalk is certainly iconic of Victoria as well,” he says, “but it’s not just Swan Lake—there’s Christmas Hill as well, which is also part of our sanctuary. The first time I went up there I was shocked at how beautiful it is . . . it’s a rock of Garry oak forest on top of a little hill, surrounded by development, but you really feel like you are in an oasis of nature in the middle of the city. It’s spectacular. And, of course, there’s the diversity of regional parks in the CRD; the amount of parkland we have available to us is spectacular, and a real blessing to have.” You’d have to be a pretty grumpy bear to argue with that. —John Threlfall
• Octopuses - Okay, so they’re not really in the wild, but unless you’re scuba-diving off the Ogden Point Breakwater, your best bet will be either Pacific Undersea Gardens in the Inner Harbour or Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre in Sidney. • Otters - Gonzales Bay, Ross Bay or Oak Bay near the marina • Owls - Try a twilight wander through Mystic Vale or the land behind Thetis Lake; watch the treeline about 15 feet up. • Raccoons - Leave a bag of garbage in your backyard and watch the magic happen • Salmon - There’s no finer place for watching the inspiring annual salmon struggle than Goldstream Park in the fall • Seals - Fisherman’s Wharf and Oak Bay Marina • Snakes - Try the grasslands of Cuthbert Holmes Park behind Tillicum Mall, as well as Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary • Turtles - Pop by Beaver Lake and keep an eye peeled for the Western Painted turtle (the baby version of which is seen above), as well as more domestic varieties in Swan Lake and the various ponds at Beacon Hill Park • Whales - Whale-watching tours are likely your best bet, but people with keen eyes and patience can have good luck on the decks of the various BC Ferries. M
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City Guide 2010
Raising the Bar NAZ RAYANI RAISES FUNDS AND AWARENESS When I met local pharmacist Naz Rayani to talk with him about his impressive dedication to volunteering, I had no idea what a pleasant and broad-ranging conversation lay ahead. As we sipped tea in a local breakfast joint, Rayani discussed religion, ethics and history, detouring into fascinating stories about his life and the interesting people he knows. I could have listened to him for hours, although a man as involved as he is doesn’t have that kind of time. Rayani was born in Kenya to Indian parents and moved to Canada over 30 years ago. And while he runs two pharmacies and has raised a family, he has also given much of his time over the years to helping others. For almost 20 years he has been a convenor of the annual World Partnership Walk in Victoria. The nation-wide walk raises money for the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, a grassroots Ismaili aid group supporting local people in some of Asia and Africa’s poorest communities. “This work is done not just in poor countries, but in ultra-poor countries where literally two dollars a day is luxury,” says Rayani. “Did you know more than two billion people live on less than two dollars a day?” Last year in Victoria, 3,000 people participated in the walk and raised $288,000. Across Canada, the event raised $9 million, which allowed the organization to leverage an additional $54 million from the Canadian government. Rayani emphasizes not one penny of the funds collected is spent on administration. His commitment to helping others is intricately bound with his Muslim beliefs. “One of the ethics of Islam is to help marginalized people,” says Rayani. “You have to keep your eyes and mind open all the time in case somebody needs your help.” Locally, Rayani supports the Cool Aid Society’s Access Health Centre, through personal contributions and by championing their cause both to his peers and to pharmaceutical companies who could make sizeable donations. Alan Rycroft, Cool Aid’s community relations officer, speaks enthusiastically about Rayani and his efforts on the organization’s behalf. “What is really special about Naz is how very thoughtful he is in the way he gives, helping the most marginalized people both locally and globally. He is truly a local global citizen.” As well as his commitments to helping the poor, Rayani works to foster understanding between Muslim and nonMuslim cultures. “There is so much misperception of Islam,” says Rayani. “People think that all Muslims are terrorists, but extremism is not the sole right of the Muslims.” About 15 years ago, Rayani took a tour of the Ismaili Jamatkhana mosque in Burnaby and was struck both by the architecture and by the concept of the commonality between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. “Islam is one of the religions of the book, as are Christianity and Judaism,” he says. “The commonality of all these faiths is amazing. The differences are the food and the culture, but the message you cannot differentiate.” When he came home he teamed up with his friend, a local Anglican pastor, to organize a church group to tour the impressive mosque, built by architect Bruno Freschi. Since that first tour, Rayani has taken over 3,000 people on daytrips— including retirees, high school students, church groups and bar mitzvah classes. Rayani is also involved with UVic’s Centre for Studies in Religion and Society (CSRS). As well as making personal donations and promoting the centre, he started the Muslim
City Guide 2010
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Alma de España Flamenco DanceIn Victoria Companysince& 1991School Flamenco Summer Workshop in Victoria Beginners to Professional
Special Flamenco Cante (singing) Classes with guest Antonio de Jerez August 9th to 13th, 2010
Photo Credit: Barbara Pedrick
August 2nd to 13th, 2010
Also July & August Technique classes Elementary to Advanced
REGISTER NOW! Student Flamenco Showcase June 26th at Spectrum Theatre For more info: www.almadeespana.com
DEREK FORD
Why should the 100 mile diet apply only to food?
book and literature fund and has been very involved in fundraising for a Distinguished Lecture in Islam series. “He’s probably raised over $50,000 towards these two funds,” says Leslie Kenny, CSRS executive assistant. “It is amazing what he has been able to achieve because of his dedication to helping the community be better informed about Islam.” Rayani is also an active member with his Rotary Club and sits on a number of boards including the Victoria Community Micro Lending Society and the Telus Community Board, which distributes $350,000 to small organization in Victoria. “We have to read a lot of applications and such but what a joyful job that is, to give out money . . . and we get to know the smaller organizations and what they do.” Rayani is involved with so many people it seems like everyone who passes our restaurant window nods hello. “When you become a connected person sometimes it doesn’t take too much of my time to achieve something that can help someone,” he says. “If you ask
me to help you, and if I can do it, how can I say no? It’s in the blood. It’s who I am.” Rayani’s efforts have been recognized with a number of community service awards, including the Order of Canada in 2006. Despite the recognition, Rayani is clearly a humble man and does not expect accolades for the work he does. It’s not every day you meet someone who changes the way you see the world, but walking away from my conversation with Naz Rayani, I felt inspired to make a personal commitment to give a little more of what I have. —Anna Kemp
The 2010 World Partnership walk meets at 10 a.m. on May 30 at the Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park. After a warm up, the 5 kilometre walk to Clover Point begins at 11:25, followed by a lunch, speakers and music. For more information and to sign up for the World Partnership Walk, go to worldpartnershipwalk.com and register as an individual or as a team. To register for the one-day excursion to the Burnaby Jamatkhana go to csrs.uvic.ca and follow the link.
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City Guide 2010
Words and Music THE CITY, IN ARTS If you’re anything like us, quite often you’ll pick up local books and albums when you’re travelling. After all, nothing gives you a better sensory memory of a city than the work of writers and musicians from the region.
Of course, as with any list of this type, it’s admittedly far from definitive, so consider this merely a starting point for your Mile Zero artistic education. • Carolyn Mark, Nothing is Free or Terrible Hostess - Whether she’s taking the stage with her regular gig as hostess of the iconic Sunday afternoon Hootenanny at Logan’s Pub in Fernwood or touring North America as one of the queens of the altcountry scene, no local record collection is complete without something from the marvellous Ms. Mark. We just happen to like these two best. • Joe Coughlin, Things Turn Out That Way - One of the city’s best-kept secrets (or worst-kept, if you’re already a fan) is this double National Jazz Award winner, who brings a Mel Torme smoothness to his jazz vocals. While he’s released a number of discs, we’re particularly fond of this 2007 album that has strong supporting work by pianist Tony Genge, bassist Ken Lister, Bill Runge on sax and flute and Mike Herriott on horns. • Karel Roessingh, KR3+ - As well as offering a great selection of original tunes by this outstanding pianist and former Highlands mayor, KR3+ features fine backing work by the local likes of Joey Smith, Josh Dixon, Gary Karr, Dan Lapp and Paul Wainwright. And hey, it’s tough to beat “Biodiesel,” a musical ode to the local biodiesel co-op that Roessingh helped establish and still uses to fill his car. • Chris Frye and the Analog Ghosts, Raised on Rhythm and Rhyme - This solo effort by the lead singer/ guitarist of the Bills features the work of local producer extraordinaire Joby Baker and has guest spots from Penderites Mae Moore and Lester Quitzau as well as Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta. With song titles like “Under the Garry Oak Meadow” and “The Ascension of Dunsmuir Road,” it’s a Victoria disc for sure. • Hot Hot Heat, Make up the Breakdown - Call it dance-punk, indie rock or just plain good music, this 2002 disc propelled these local boys into A-list stardom and landed them touring gigs with the Killers, Weezer and Foo Fighters. Was the track “Naked in the City Again” about a specific Victoria occurrence? We’re not telling . . . but “Get In or Get Out” was absolutely a nod to those who like to complain about the city—but do nothing about it. • Jets Overhead, No Nations - Winner of this year’s Monday Magazine M Award for Favourite Album, this sophomore effort by Jets Overhead is a great collection of psychedelic prog-rock by one of Victoria’s best bands. • Armchair Cynics, Starting Today - Although this Victoria band has been active and releasing EPs since 2002, Starting Today is the rock quartet’s first fulllength album.
Johnson Street’s Ditch is your best downtown bet for local albums
AMANDA FARRELL-LOW
And while Victoria is rich in talent that started here but achieved fame off-Island—the likes of Nellie Furtado and David Foster leap immediately to mind on the music front— and also features a veritable who’s who of authors who more often than not write about other, possibly fictional, places than Victoria (check out the A-list likes of Bill Gaston, Jack Hodgins, Robert Weirsema and Lorna Crozier)—we’ve put together a quick list of artists who have not only chosen to stay put but also continue to produce locally.
• Cobblestone Jazz, 23 Seconds - Get a taste of the city’s healthy electronica scene courtesy of this 2009 double-album which offers a tasty serving of Cobblestone’s trademark blend of analogue instruments and early computers fused with a dancefloor aesthetic. Made up of Tyger Dhula, Mathew Jonson and Danuel Tate, Cobblestone remains one of Victoria’s best bands that more people should have heard of. • Anne Schaefer, Twelve Easy Pieces - We still have our fingers crossed that The Waiting Room—the much-anticipated follow-up album by this outstanding director of the local Larsen’s School of Music—will get released sometime soon, but in the meantime Schaefer’s 2007 debut remains a great album and features help from jazzy Victoria notables like Kelby MacNayr, Hugh Fraser and Daniel Lapp. It’s absolutely a must-have local disc. • Dayglo Abortions - There’s lots of records to choose from these guys, as this Victoria punk band has been on the scene since 1979. How about Here Today, Guano Tomorrow, the 1987 album whose liner art caused a criminal investigation? Or maybe 1986’s Feed Us a Fetus? Perhaps 1999’s Death Race 2000? At any rate, their ‘97 song “Sea of Shit” is probably the only ode to Victoria’s long and stinky sewage scandal. • Ross Crockford, Victoria: The Unknown City - The definitive guide to the secrets of the city, Crockford—a former Monday editor and current writer of our monthly “Unknown City” column—knows more about this city and its unusual history than most traditional historians. From weird houses and notable telescopes to the truth about our mysterious Cadborosaurus and the backstory of famed locals Nellie Furtado, Steve Nash and bankrobber cum novelist cum bankrobber Stephen Reid, it’s tough to beat Crockford’s book for its sheer readability. • Sarah Kramer’s vegan cookbook series - If you’re one of those people who like to pick up local foodie titles as you travel, don’t miss the chance to get one of Kramer’s many cookbooks—La Dolce Vegan, The Garden of Vegan, How it All Vegan and the travel-specific Vegan A Go-Go! Yet more proof that things can taste great without meat or animal products. • Terrence Young, After Goodlake’s - Wow, a novel by a local writer that’s actually set in contemporary Victoria! This quirky page-turner about the owner of a local deli and the marital repercussions that come from the discovery of his affair uses the city to great effect (especially the
a
City Guide 2010 scene where deli owner Fergus Goodlake gets cracked on the head by a falling crucifix at a downtown church). Better still, the author’s wife—Patricia Young—is also a writer and poet, so there’s a whole family’s worth of material to uncover. • John Crouch’s Bike / Walk / Hike Victoria series - Wanting to break out of the downtown core but not sure where to go, how to get there or what to watch out for? Check out Crouch’s handy (and lighweight, for ease-oftravel) trio of books, which will help you get away from it all without ever really leaving your backyard. • Jason Flower, Ricky Long and Kev Smith, All Your Ears Can Hear: Underground Music in Victoria, 197884 - Not only does this self-explanatory book come with two CDs, it offers a look and listen to the bands that helped form Victoria’s still-vibrant music scene. • MAC Farrant, My Turquoise Years - Nothing helps you understand a place better than getting a sense of how it’s grown up, and Farrant’s charming memoir of growing up in the Greater Victoria region in the ‘50s and ‘60s manages to be sweetly nostalgic without ever becoming cloying. A mustread for anyone familiar with Cadboro Bay in years gone by. • Patrick Lane, There Is A Season - Given Victoria’s international reputation as the Garden City, and its less-well-publicized notoriety for not dealing with rampant addiction issues, this memoir by one of our most prominent poets about the relationship between his garden and his own recovery from alcoholism may well be the definitive Victoria book.
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• Elizabeth McClung, Zed - But don’t think all local novels are backward-looking, as McClung proves with her dystopian speculative fiction novel set in “the Tower” (locals know it better as the massive downtown apartment building View Towers) that gained her comparisons to authors like J.G. Ballard and Iain Banks.
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Munro’s on Government Street has a large selection of works by local authors
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City Guide 2010
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City Guide 2010
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City Guide 2010
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• Marilyn Bowering, To All Appearances A Lady - This literally haunting 1990 debut by one of Victoria’s most acclaimed authors and poets offers an evocative tale of a man, the ghost of the woman who raised him and life inside B.C.’s mysterious 19th century opium dens. Sea, spirits and secrets . . . what’s more Victorian than that? • Linda Rogers, The Empress Letters - And while you’re in the realm of long-ago ocean voyages, let’s not neglect this novel by the city’s current poet laureate, which mixes a sea voyage in the ‘20s with more opium secrets and a few cameos by Island notables like Emily Carr and frequent visitor Tallulah Bankhead. • Tara Saracuse, Island Kids - All too often, history is written from the big-names, big-deal perspective, but what makes Saracuse’s new Vancouver Island history book so great is that it’s all about kids and how they helped shape our collective history. From aboriginal pre-history to some lesser-known moments of the 20th century, Island Kids offers a pint-sized take on our collective past. Great for readers young and old alike! • Stanley Evans, the Seaweed series - Where else but Victoria would you expect to find a hard-bolied Coast Salish aboriginal detective? Silas Seaweed is on the case, keeping the mean streets of Vancouver Island and its surroundings safe with the series’ trademark blend of Coast Salish
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mythology and mysticism. And with five books in the series (so far), there’s a lot here to keep you busy. • Stephen Legault, The Darkening Archipelago - Not only does this writer and activist live in Victoria, but this noir thriller—the second in his Cole Blackwater environmental mystery series (The Cardinal Divide was the first)—is all about salmon farming, and touches on Island culture really well. • Robert Amos and Kileasa Wong, Inside Chinatown - Ever wonder what’s behind all those amazing doors and tucked up on the second floors of building throughout Chinatown? Let this recent award-winning book show you—in vivid detail. M
City Guide 2010
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Wheel Change WILL RONDOW MAKES FUN, NOT FUMES Will Rondow is a soft-spoken and humble fellow with big ideas. An avid mountain biker, urban cyclist and quiet community activist, Rondow spends much of his free time working to get more people riding bikes. “I think our culture is changing and needs to change away from consuming so much and towards everybody needing less,” says the 34-year-old Rondow. “We need to reduce our dependency on oil and cycling can be a big part of that.” Despite the gravity of the message, taking care of the earth doesn’t always have to be serious business. Back in December, 2003, Rondow created the Midnight Moonlight Mystery Ride, a free-wheeling late night bike ride which gives people a fun and carbon-neutral option for one Friday every month. “We usually take scenic trails, paths along the coast and try to go where there is little traffic,” says Rondow, who prides himself on showing people parts of the city they have never seen before. “The rides vary from about eight to 20 kilometres with a few stops on every ride, at a river, or a mountaintop, or a beach.”
For Rondow, who keeps chickens and grows veggies and fruit trees with his partner, the MMMR fits his belief that as individuals and as a culture we need to consume less and do more for ourselves. “It’s free, it’s social, it’s fun and it evolves depending on who comes along . . . It’s something you can do for yourself and for each other.” Triane Tambay, a long-standing mechanic at Recyclistas Community Bike Shop, calls Rondow’s contribution to the cycling community with the MMMR—which varies in size from five brave soldiers on an icy night to 60 or more in good weather—immeasurable. “The Mystery Ride has been running for so long, it’s a staple event in the Victoria cycling scene. Will has never missed a single one. That shows a remarkable dedication to his community.” Rondow also donates a lot of time towards making sure people have bicycles to have fun on. A self-taught bike mechanic, for the past seven years Rondow has also volunteered at UVic’s SPOKES—a community program that collects donated bikes, fixes them up and then gets them back out on the streets. “We offer a bike bursary program,” says Rondow. “People fill out an application and can get a free bike and U-lock for up to a year.” Since its inception in September 2003, SPOKES has distributed more than 1,000 bicycles to UVic students and staff. The program also sells lights and helmets, rents out bikes at low rates and has increasingly been doing repair work. Sarah Webb, CRD climate action coordinator and SPOKES co-founder, says Rondow’s contribution to the program is unique. “Will recognizes both the tangible benefits of a cycling lifestyle, in terms of health and
DEREK FORD
Although the MMMR was his big idea, and he loves to plan the routes, Rondow emphasizes that the ride does not belong to him. “The Mystery Ride is more of a movement than anything else—all you need is a time, a place and an idea of where to go. One lone mystery rider is not what makes it happen, there’s a magic number where it really becomes something. The bigger the crowd, the more people feel empowered and confident and the more noise we make. When we’re a big group riding by people waiting in line for bars, it’s like ‘Hey! Come do this with us instead!’”
the environment, but he also makes the link to the idea of building a cycling community,” says Webb. “His passion is contagious and people pick up on it and want to help out.” At home, Rondow has a sizeable personal collection of bikes he fixes up and maintains, including a few unusual “choppers” he has built. While his own collection could easily keep him busy, Rondow always seems to be repairing bikes for other people. He has also put together and given away many bikes, particularly to people who could not otherwise afford one. He is modest about these gifts, but when pressed admits that he enjoys helping people. “I want to see people mobile . . . and if they really need something, that certainly motivates me to help them out more.” Rondow doesn’t toot his own horn, but his dedication is appreciated throughout the cycling community. Adele Woodyard, Bike Lab Society program director and Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition board member, calls Rondow an “unsung hero.” “He never implies that he wants anything in return, it’s never a labourious thing, he just does it,” says Woodyard. “It really brings him joy and happiness to help someone get a bike . . . Will makes cycling in Victoria more fun.” You couldn’t count the number of cyclists in Victoria riding bikes Rondow has built or worked on without expectation of reward. But the best repayment for him would be to see every one of them gathered at Centennial Square at the next Midnight Moonlight Mystery Ride. —Anna Kemp The MMMR departs Centennial Square at 11 p.m. on the second Friday of every month. And a main source of SPOKES donations comes from apartment buildings cleaning out their bike storage lockers. If you know of an apartment building which may have a collection of unclaimed bikes to find homes for, or if you have any old bikes to donate, please contact spokes@uvic.ca.
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City Guide 2010
Utensil Envy CONNECTING CRAVINGS AND THE CULTURAL FOOD SCENE
this summer at queenswood
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After spending a long time abroad in India, I often long for the smell of cardamom, tumeric, cumin and tandoori oven-baked naan. Walking past Indian restaurants, my heart pinches and aches and I daydream about pulling through crowds and arriving at a street vendor to gather dahl and rice and palak paneer together with my right thumb, into the curve of my four closed fingers before pushing the bundle into my mouth. Using hands as utensils for so long made me wonder why we would ever use forks and knives. But then again, perhaps using different utensils allows us to make the most sense of the ingredients and forms of food. Can you imagine eating steak and eggs with hands? Je pense, non. The utensil evokes a connection with history, place and food, signaling significance and sense. For me, eating with hands evokes sensuality and skill, one that leaves me wandering Fort Street often in search of heartache and nostalgia and eventually, a satisfying connection to people and place, right here at home. I’ve highlighted a listing of restaurants by type of utensils typically used, including the never-use-your-fork-to-get-food-to-yourmouth and spoon combo, the European get-your-napkin-ready-to-tuck-in fork-andknife marriage, and, of course (pahzow!) chopsticks. Let’s thank our lucky stars we have such a fine selection locally. —D.H. Wolfe
AMANDA FARRELL-LOW
revitalize your spirit
Despite Cactus Club’s “global dining lounge� tagline, we’ve got a whole lot more authenticity to offer among Victoria’s ethnic restaurants. From pioneering (and first female) sushi chef Hideko at Koto to Millos’ 30 years of filling our mouths with souvlaki and spanokopita, Victoria offers a diverse selection of good quality and often family-owned restaurants. How lucky we are to be nostalgic for a type of food that reminds us of past travels or of home, and only have to whistle along any given five-block radius before ducking into the familiar and satisfying sights and smells we’ve been craving.
Be sure to check Fan Tan’s back door for in-the-box noodle deals The Hands • Blue Nile (East African), 612 Head • Millos (Greek), 716 Burdett • CafÊ Mexico (Mexican), 1425 Store • Tapa Bar (Latin), 620 Trounce Alley • Blair Mart (Mediterranean & Middle East), 924 Pandora • Da Tandoor (Indian), 1010 Fort • Side Dish (Persian), 1008 Langley • Hernande’z (Mexican), 735 Yates The Fork and Spoon • Ayo Eat (Indonesian), 140 Market Square • Le Petit Saigon (Vietnamese), 1010 Langley • Siam Thai (Thai), 512 Fort • Pho Hoa (Vietnamese), 765 Fort • Baan Thai (Thai), 1117 Blanshard • Tropical Island (Malaysian), 3690 Shelbourne • The Mint (Nepalese/Tibetan), 1414 Douglas The Fork and Knife • Bon Rouge (French), 611 Courtney • Fiamo (Italian), 515 Yates • Swans Brewpub (British), 506 Pandora • Rathskeller Schnitzel House (German), 1205 Quadra • Pescatores Seafood & Grill (West Coast), 614 Humbolt • CafÊ Mulatta (Caribbean), 281 Menzies Chopsticks • Koto (Japanese), 510 Fort • Tanami Sushi (Japanese), 509 Fisgard • Fan Tan Cafe (Chinese), 549 Fisgard • Japanese Village (Japanese), 734 Broughton • Mings (Chinese), 1321 Quadra • Shiki Sushi (Japanese), 1113 Blanshard • Foo (Asian), 769 Yates
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City Guide 2010
Scene, in Passing DEREK FORD’S STREET PORTRAIT PROJECT If you happened to be walking by Trounce Alley last summer and had your picture snapped by a guy with a notable moustache, your 15 minutes of fame has already been secured in Street Portraits. A project by local photographer Derek Ford, who gave himself just 10 seconds to get passersby to agree to a quick (and free) photo session, Street Portraits features a quirky mix of 90 tourists and locals. “The trick was to make them comfortable enough to get a candid shot that actually revealed something about themselves, as opposed to the usual awkward ‘Oh, you’re taking my picture. Do I look okay?’ sort of thing,” he chuckles.
catch . . . and with that 10 second interaction, they definitely had to make a quick decision. But every day was still a positive experience.” And everyone who stopped wound up in the resulting Street Portraits. “The book actually runs chronologically, so the first person in the book is the first one to stop and the last person is the last portrait,” says Ford (who also did the principal photography for this City Guide).
Ford says inspiration for the project came simply from a desire to connect with people. “I was working in the studio doing a lot of still-life and commercial work at the time, so I wanted to get out and have some interaction with people.” To that end, he set up a simple white background in Trounce Alley in the summer of 2009 and started his patter—not that everyone was into it, mind you. “For whatever reason, some days I’d have a whole roll of portraits, but other days nobody would stop. Some people thought there’d be a
While Street Portraits is currently a limited-run book, watch for an exhibit of the images at Lúz Gallery in early 2011. M Visit derekfordphoto.com for more info, or if you think you might be in Street Portraits.
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City Guide 2010
Soul Poles BETH THRELFALL INSPIRES RESIDENTS TO PAINT THE TOWN In the last few years, rainbow-coloured hydro poles decorated with flowers, birds, rocket ships and dinosaurs have begun popping up throughout Fernwood. More recently the trend has started to spread—all over the city, residents armed with paint, sponges, brushes and stencils have begun sprucing up their neighbourhoods by painting poles.
DEREK FORD
Fernwood’s pole painting began two summers ago when local artist Beth Threlfall decided to beautify her street by stencilling sunflowers on two poles outside her Fernwood Road home. “Fernwood was starting to look so dumpy, mainly because of all the [graffiti] tagging happening on private property,” says Threlfall. “As an artist, I am a visual person and it was just driving me crazy having to see this chaos . . . so I decided to paint the poles, to clean everything up just that little bit.” to join in. “Every 10 minutes people would stop to ask me what I was doing and I told them, ‘You can do it too, go for it’ . . . The main thing people needed to hear was that it was okay. People needed permission to step beyond their boundaries and do something outside of their house unit.”
Threlfall contacted B.C. Hydro, who, she says, were happy for her to do it. “They told me they just couldn’t keep up with the maintenance of the poles. They would paint one and the next day it would be tagged again and finally they gave up.” They even offered to bring her paint, which she declined, preferring non oil-based paint and sunnier colours to their more industrial palate.
Threlfall credits her sense of community responsibility to growing up with a father who was an RCMP officer. “Know your neighbours, watch out for each other—that was a big part of my upbringing . . . when we see broken glass on our street, we go out and sweep it up. We don’t wait until the city comes by to clean it. We go beyond our boundaries and make the whole neighbourhood a part of our home.”
Using a stencil and sponges to dab on the paint, Threlfall decorated her first poles; three days later, she came out and found they had been painted black. She painted them again, and again they were painted over. Eventually, she discovered that a neighbour considered it his duty to keep the poles clean by painting over anything that appeared on them. “At that point, I went around to all the neighbours to see how they felt and everybody liked the poles I painted. I left notes for him, he’d rip them down; I’d paint, he’d paint over my painting. It was a constant thing.”
Hoping to encourage more pole-painters, Threlfall set up a table at the annual Fernwood festival in 2008, sharing how-to information and collecting names for a neighbourhood pole-painting day. “About eight people came out on the pole-painting day, and we got 21 poles done. I had little kits set out. Everybody chose their stencils and off we went.” And as the numbers of painted poles grew, more and more people became interested in getting involved.
The situation finally resolved with a letter from the local community centre explaining that the neighbourhood supported the pole painting. “Now he leaves the poles alone,” says Threlfall. “I am glad I persevered with it.”
Emily Grav who runs the Paint Box Art School in Fernwood Square painted the poles on Gladstone Avenue as a summer camp project with her students. “The kids loved it,” says Grav. “Just the idea of having their art on the street where people from the neighbourhood walk by and see it is exciting for them. And all the people who live on the street really like it Your pet will receive the ULTIMATE in care at as well. It makes a big difference to how the Nirvana Pet Resort - a stunning 4400 square foot street looks.”
Threlfall continued painting poles down Fernwood Road, asking her neighbours if they wanted poles outside their houses done and what designs they would like. As she painted, she encouraged other people
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And, in 2009, George Jay School invited Threlfall, a mother of two, to run a project with the students to paint the 25 poles that surround the school. Vice-principal Marilyn Campbell called the project a huge success. “The painted poles give identity to the school,” says Campbell. “The project united the whole school community from parents to toddlers.” Threlfall was also hired to paint the poles for a condominium development near Shelbourne
City Guide 2010 Street and, once the weather warms up, she will organize painting the poles in Quadra Street Village. As a preventative measure against unsightly tagging, Threlfall admits pole painting doesn’t always work; many of her poles still get tagged. However, if you walk up a street with arftul poles on just one side, you’ll see far fewer tags on them than on the unpainted poles. More importantly, says Threlfall, adding art to the neighbourhood brings a kind of magic into people’s lives. “There is something energetic about poles—especially here, in this land, where poles are of so much importance and significance to the first nations people. I think of them as soul poles.” I can see what she means. Walking past a row of colourful paintings on the way to the grocery store always lifts my spirits. On the next sunny day, I think I’ll try to find some paint and bring a little magic to my street . . . and perhaps my neighbours will want to join me. —Anna Kemp
Recipe
FOR STENCILLING A POLE
Ingredients: • A warm day - you need at least 10 degrees Celsius all day, or the paint doesn’t dry fast enough • Paint - exterior house paint works well and survives the elements • Stencils - Threlfall recommends using MACtac with a lining, which you can buy at a hardware store or in any kitchen department; you can draw on the lining and then cut it out using an Exacto blade • Sponges
• About 45 minutes
How to actually do it: • Draw and cut the stencil into a shape that you like • Wrap the stencil around the pole and staple it on • Apply paint with sponges • Remove stencil, and voila! • You can use the stencils over and over—and of course, you can always paint free-hand, a technique used to great success by many of the children whose work appears on poles around the city Tips: • Keep the designs simple so that if they get tagged you can easily touch them up • Keep your poles maintained; if you leave tags they multiply • Darker colours stand out well • Stay away from writing, as it looks like tagging and may invite unsolicited contributions. M
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City Guide 2010
Mini-Golf Mattick’s Farm
2 CHALLENGING 18 HOLE COURSES Fun for all ages Groups Welcome
Birthday Parties
Seniors
School Functions
Clubs/Teams
Church Groups
Family Reunions
NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION
Locally made crafts, and local produce
Saturdays 10 - 2 May 1 - October 30 www.matticksfarm.com 5325 Cordova Bay Rd • 250-658-4053
(1/2 day markets November 6 & 13)
www.mossstreetmarket.com
VICTORIA DOWNTOWN
DINE with US TONIGHT in our scenic
Bon Appetite Cafe Roast Beef Dinner - $9.49 Fish 'n' Chips - $8.79 EVENING DINNER DEAL INCLUDES your choice of reg. coffee, tea or fountain drink plus featured dessert AVAILABLE MON / TUES / WED 3-5PM THURS AND FRI 3-7PM This promotion cannot be combined with any other offer The Bay Victoria Downtown, #1 The Bay Centre, 1150 Douglas St. Level 5
250-385-1311 ext. 383 250-385-1311 ext. 383 Open 7 days a week.
City Guide 2010
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Think Positive HOW TO GET BUSY AND CHANGE YOUR CITY Throw a beach pebble in Victoria and you’ll probably hit someone doing something to make the city a better place. Maybe it’s the sea air, or the simple pride (self-righteouness?) that comes with living on the South Island, but we are—contrary to turnout in municipal elections— an engaged populous. After working, living and visiting cities across Canada and around the globe, Meagan Thom—now employed as the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society’s natural outings and events coordinator—says she was drawn back to Victoria for the simple reason that people here care. “There is an unusually high concentration of passionate and motivated people here, and that unusually high concentration networks and loops in on itself and produces what is a remarkably active town for a place of this size,” she says. And what makes it so, we asked? “I think we have a culture of societal openness, and so people and take it as an opportunity to go out on a limb and put effort into trying to make change and trying to get their voices heard, because we have a culture of hearing,” says Thom. And since we’re so good at hearing, we’re probably good at reading too, so read this: A list of great (and highly subjective ways) to make a positive change in your city. • More backyard chickens - As long as you leave the roosters out of it, folks in the City of Victoria can currently keep as many hens as they like. (The rules in neighbouring Saanich are a little tighter.) • More mason bee houses - Mason bees help keep our fruit trees blooming year after year, but need a little help to survive life in the big city. The folks at Lifecycles (lifecyclesproject.ca) or the Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre (compost.bc.ca) know all about building proper habitats and are always happy to share. • More bird feeders - Whether building your own birdie megamansion or just creating one from an old 2-litre pop bottle, providing a place for our feathered friends to perch and feed is a welcomed addition to our urban landscape. • More backyard permaculture - From rain barrels to composting and strategic planting, making your backyard mimic natural ecology can be fruitful and satisfying. UVic offers continuing education courses in permaculture and Pacific Permaculture (pacificpermaculture.ca) also offers workshops and intensives. • More recycling - Sure, loading up the ol’ blue box is now ingrained in Victoria’s psyche, but there’s always more to be done. How about dusting off old electronics and taking them to an approved recycling drop-off (encorp.ca) or recycling your styrofoam, soft plastics and milk containers at one of the Pacific Mobile Depots (pacificmobiledepots.com)? • More arts support - Arts groups have been hit particularly hard by budgetary cutbacks in the past year. Why not donate a few bucks to your favourite arts org, become a member—or even just buy a ticket to a concert, play or performance and go out for a night on the town? • More container gardening - Not everyone has a yard to grow their own food, but growing veggies in a pot can still yield good results.
Fernwood’s Compost Education Centre is your top spot for urban gardening questions and answers Check out Victoria’s Container Gardening Club (container-garden-vic. tripod.com—although they may be more flower-focussed), pick up a book like D.J. Herda’s From Container to Kitchen (New Society, 232 pages, $19.95) or visit Vancouver’s cityfarmer.org for a great step-bystep slideshow on how to get started. • More art drops - Beautify your neighbourhood by creating some urban art—and we’re not talking bad graffiti. Folks like the Woodpile Collective (thewoodpilecollective.blogspot.com) have been doing drops around the city (and beyond) for a while now. • More local activism - Mile Zero is a hub for activism activity. To get a good sampling of the activist community and their various passions, surf on over to the Dogwood Initiative (dogwoodinitiative.org), Transition Towns (transitionvictoria.ning.com) or Harm Reduction Victoria (harmreductionvictoria.ca), or visit bookstores like the Camas Collective (2590 Quadra). • More cycling - The more people who trade in the their gas pedal for bike pedals, the more local governments will be pressured to build a truly bicycle-friendly region. We’re well on our way to being North America’s Copenhagen (where 36 percent of commuter travel is done by bike), but this is no time to coast on the momentum that’s already been built. • More voting - Turnout in Victoria’s 2008 municipal election was a whopping 27 percent, which means 73 percent of citizens have effectively surrendered the right to complain about all the things they don’t like, since they didn’t even do the bare minimum to try and change them. And if you really don’t like where things are headed, run for office yourself in November 2011. Remember, the more engaged we are as citizens, the more we can influence the shape of our urban landscape • More local produce, meat and local drinks consumed - Try Galloping Goose sausages or fresh fruits and vegetables from farm-gate sales around Saanich’s Blenkinsop Valley and the many small farms out Central Saanich way. True, it sometimes costs more, but you’ll know why after your first bite. And don’t forget our ample selection of South Island breweries, cideries and wineries to give you that rosy glow. • More relationships with your neighbours - Borrow a cup of sugar, use communal neighbourhood spaces or just strike up a conversation when you pick up your mail. However you want to do it, there’s much to be said about building community with the people who share your block (or even your wall). M
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