midweek edition WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011 Vol. 102 No. 25 • Established 1908 • West
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Going to the Orwell
Power kick
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‘Visible minorities’ dominate Vancouver Kingsway Riding stretches from Boundary to Oak Federal
ELECTION
2011
Canada votes May 2 Cheryl Rossi
Staff writer
The Vancouver Kingsway riding includes mainly residential areas and many small businesses.
photo Dan Toulgoet
Leading up to the May 2 federal election, the Courier is doing weekly profiles of Vancouver’s five federal electoral districts. This week we begin with Vancouver Kingsway. Riding name and location: Vancouver Kingsway stretches from Boundary Road to Oak Street between 16th and 41st avenues, shift-
ing to Grandview Highway on its northeast boundary and jogging along School Avenue, Tyne Street and 49th Avenue at its southeast end. What’s it like: Statistics Canada reports that more than 68 per cent of residents of Vancouver Kingsway are “visible minorities” and of this group, 58 per cent are Chinese. Sixty-five per cent of the population are first generation, or mainly born outside of Canada, according to the 2006 Census. More than half of the residents of Vancouver Kingsway (54 per cent) are immigrants, most immigrating before 1991 (53 per cent). The median gross household income in the riding in 2005 was $51,600. See WORKERS on page 4
Charity hopes to fill holes in houses and job market City notes potential savings to homeowners Airika Owen
Contributing writer The city and the non-profit charity Embers hope a new enterprise to plug holes in drafty Vancouver houses will save homeowners money and create jobs for people struggling to find work.
The project is a partnership between the city and Embers, a charity based in the Downtown Eastside that seeks employment for struggling job seekers, such as recent immigrants, and those trying to get into the job market after setbacks, including addictions.
Embers ran a pilot project from September through December to train four employees in weatherization, seal off 50 homes and review the effects of the weatherization. Now Embers Green Renovations is open for business with three trained workers and a
promise to grow with demand. Embers project manager David Pryor said the results of the test project were positive. According to Pryor, houses saw a 20 per cent average reduction in drafts, which according to the city is equal to $100 in savings for each home per year. The size
of the holes found and filled in the houses averaged 55 square inches. “Our goal is to reach 5,000 homes in Vancouver by 2020. Each home that we do is up to one metric tonne of carbon reduction per year,” Pryor said. See WORKERS on page 4
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