THURSDAY MAY 31, 2018
VOL. 44, NO. 20
$1
including GST
Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
IS THERE A BOWEN STYLE?
The museum wants people to share their thoughts — and their clothes
LEARN FROM A SLUG
BICS students find a creative way to encourage drivers to slow down
REAL ESTATE PULL-OUT
Check out Bowen Island’s hot properties in our eight-page special section
Muni Morsels: Cannabis, houses and speed BRONWYN BEAIRSTO EDITOR
Bowen Island council met on May 28. The following are brief reports of some of the items they discussed. No, you can’t start selling weed from the back of your VW: When toking up becomes as legal as swigging a beer later this summer, BIM wants to make sure that laws are in place to regulate cannabis production and sale on-island. Council heard the second reading for a cannabis bylaw Monday. In a proposal that’s already been okayed by the advisory planning committee and Islands Trust, council wants a blanket ban on the “cultivation, production, distribution, trading or selling” of marijuana on the island. Retailers can still sell marijuana but they would first have to ask BIM to rezone their business to allow for distribution. Exceptions (because they’re under federal jurisdiction) include farm use in the agricultural land reserve and Health Canada permitted home grown cannabis. The bylaw is now heading to a public hearing, the date of which has not yet been announced. Affordable housing – BIM, this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership: BIM is entering a partnership with Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing (BIRCH) to build accessible housing on community lands. Continued on page 16
BIM workers Jack Campbell and Ted Duffield and Maya Arreaga stand before the newly painted dynamic access symbol on Trunk Road in front of the Undercurrent office. Find out more about the project on page 16. Photo: Paulo Arreaga
Gallery celebrates 20 years of creating Bowenia BRONWYN BEAIRSTO EDITOR
For most artists, it’s impossible to have their own gallery but some crafty Bowen Islanders came up with an innovative solution. Of course, now that’s old news. For the past 20 years a studio space at the entrance to Artisan Square has been the site of Arts Pacific Gallery, where local artists display and sell their art. Knit mitts and glamorous jewellery join pastoral paintings and even a seahorse sculpture on the back wall. What’s new is the way the gallery will bring
past and present together for its 20th anniversary celebration. Past members have been invited to relive their co-op days by contributing a piece that will be available at the pop-up show and sale. With almost 75 members over the two decades, the Arts Pacific Gallery has been a staple in Bowen life. In 2013, former member and jeweller Pierre Beaudry told the Undercurrent that back in 1998, Bowen wasn’t ready for a single-person gallery to entice shoppers to the upper square. So, the artists teamed up. Headed by Jeanette Zwanenburg-Wrenshall, the co-oper-
ative began out of a sense of need, and with a sense of humour: early brochures gave out the gallery number like a crisis clinic, “When art is an emergency – call…” Thirteen other local artists joined her and the newly-formed group called everyone in the phone book, asking for support and donations. They had early support in the form of developer Doug Berry, who gave the collective a deal on their rent to encourage artists in Artisan Square. Known as the co-op, the organization is a collection of artists who pitch in monthly fees and “sitting time” to watch their shared space. Continued on page 16
BOWEN ISLAND NEIGHBOURHOOD PUB; 3.417 in; Process color; -; R0011570855
Grand Opening Party Featuring Brickhouse Saturday June 16th 9:00pm - 1:00am Tickets $20