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Board bylaw challenged Victoria filmmaker and skateboard commuter hopes council changes city’s board confiscation rules. Page A3
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Wednesday, July 24, 2013
End of an era
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Islanders left off NDP panel
“Kitchen Bill” Harding of the Salvation Army is set to paddle off into the sunset In a steamy dining hall in the Salvation Army’s Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre at the foot of Johnson Street, a lunch crowd has gathered. It’s not the usual group of down-on-theirluck individuals and street folks anxious to get a hot meal and share some conversation. Staff and invited guests are here to salute Bill Harding – better known as “Kitchen Bill” – who retires Friday (July 26) after more than 20 years as food services manager. On one side of the room, a series of ice cream cakes, illustrate Harding’s Don Descoteau passions: a canoe – he Reporting builds boats out of cedar and canvas – his dog, cut firewood and a fifth-wheel trailer. They spell out a melting message, “Celebrating your accomplishment; always remember the difference you made in those of our lives you’ve touched; we already miss you.” “It’s an amazing place to work,” said Harding, 64. “I’m going to miss the people; the staff and clients. You get such a cool relationship with people and the work is such an uplifting experience.” One of the favourite parts of his job, he says, was “giving stuff away all the time.” That came either through providing hot meals to those people who couldn’t otherwise afford it, or by passing on surplus donations to other community kitchens and food distributors such as Saint Vincent de Paul, Rainbow Kitchen, Our Place, the
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Party to analyze reasons behind shocking election loss last May Don Descoteau News staff
Don Descoteau/News staff
Salvation Army Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre cook Richard Thatcher, left, joins food services manager Bill Harding for a photo, along with one of five cakes Thatcher had specially designed in honour of Harding’s retirement this Friday. Mustard Seed and others. New Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre executive director Maj. Kathie Chiu told the crowd of a conversation she had with a fellow staffer before coming on board. “They told me, ‘you’ve got to meet Kitchen Bill,’” said Chiu, who went on to praise Harding for the relationships he forged around the community. “He has got donations coming in from all over.” Harding’s replacement, Kirk Fremont, 42,
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has been learning the ARC ropes for the past few weeks. He worked as a chef at the upscale Il Terrazzo restaurant across Waddington Alley from the ARC on and off for 15 years, but wasn’t aware the building contained a full commercial kitchen. “It’s amazing how much we actually do here,” he said.
PLEASE SEE:
Relationships forged, Page A8
Despite having deep roots and a historically strong electoral showing on Vancouver Island, the B.C. NDP left island party members off a panel appointed to analyze its disappointing loss in the May 14 provincial election. Party president Moe Sihota, the former NDP cabinet minister who represented EsquimaltPort Renfrew (later EsquimaltMetchosin) in the legislature for upwards of 15 years, said, however, geographical representation was not among the criteria used to select the five panelists. “We tried to select the panel based on a range of skills and experiences,” he said. Gender and ethnic representation were also factors, he added, as were “independence of mind,” and level of success in life. The panel, which includes former Manitoba NDP cabinet minister Eugene Kostyra and Newton-North Delta MP Jinny Sims, will receive input from people around the province.
PLEASE SEE:
Panel will analyze DNA, Page A4