West Vancouver Beacon | March/April 2017 | Edition 21

THE

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No. 21

BEACON Shedding light on the communities from Lions Bay to West Bay

March 2017

Boater safety a community responsibility

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C U S TOM PLAN

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Community Personality

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Caulfeild Cove Hall

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Home & Living

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PG

Hug a tree

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Mountains to Sea

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In This Issue 4

Photo: Boudewijn Neijens

An RCM SAR rescue boat and crew leave Horseshoe Bay.

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olunteer marine search and rescue has been part of our community for more than 30 years, a reflection of the importance of boating to the area, both commercial and recreational. The Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM-SAR, formerly the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary) Station 1, is based at the Horseshoe Bay pier, and has been there from the beginning. It is the busiest of the 40 plus RCMSAR stations around the BC coast and last year alone responded to 79 marine emergences and spent 570 hours on the water responding to those emergencies and training crews.

The 40 members of Station 1, all living within 15 minutes of Horseshoe Bay, continuously train to hone emergency response skills. They are Transport Canada qualified including being certified in Electronic Navigation that allows them to navigate our waters in restricted visibility.

Thank you to the volunteer men and women of RCM SAR from your community.

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TEAM

Where have all the children gone?

Chris Stringer Publisher

chrisstringer @westvanbeacon.ca

Lindy Pfeil Editor

lindypfeil @westvanbeacon.ca

Penny Mitchell Advertising

pennymitchell @westvanbeacon.ca

Melissa Baker Creative Director

melissabaker @westvanbeacon.ca Please note that all contributing writers for The Beacon retain full rights and that the full or partial reproduction of feature articles is unauthorized without the consent of the author.

Submissions for The Beacon

The Beacon is delivered bi-monthly to 5000+ households between Lions Bay and West Bay. For submission guidelines and queries, please e-mail the Editor: lindypfeil@westvanbeacon.ca Please note that all submissions are subject to space constraints and editing.

For advertising queries, please e-mail the Director of Marketing: pennymitchell@westvanbeacon.ca For all other queries, please e-mail the Publisher: chrisstringer@westvanbeacon.ca All editions of The Beacon (beginning in September 2013), can also be read online at: www.westvanbeacon.ca.

March 2017

Lindy Pfeil

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recently attended a breakfast hosted by the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. I ended up sitting next to a little boy who used to play hockey with my little boy. But he was all grown up. Instead of paying attention to the presenter, my mind flew around in panicked circles. Where has the time gone? How is it possible that our children have become, not only adults, but adults who have it all together, when I still have no clue about life or my role in it.

I first met Adrian as a seven-year-old. He and my son played on the same team at West Vancouver Minor Hockey. In high school, he exchanged hockey for rugby. For four years, he lived and breathed rugby, and was part of the Rockridge team that won the provincial championships in 2010. A severe concussion at the beginning of his Grade 12 year forced him to find something else to do, so he picked up a camera - a turning point for him.

Inspired by his father, who has always been an entrepreneur, Adrian decided to study entrepreneurship and innovation at Dalhousie after graduating from Rockridge.

He and his friend, Ben Laird, drove to Halifax in Adrian’s ’99 Volvo. It took them two months, and by the time they got there they had run out of money. So, for the four days before school started they lived in the Hug Factory, with 26 other people. Their bed was a shared hammock, but it was free, and they got to play drums with the Hare Krishna monks in the courtyard.

Adrian’s passion for photography, and his artistic eye, resulted in an accidental business. Because he was still under-drinking-

age, he couldn’t get into clubs. He started taking photos of people lining up to get into events around Halifax. After seeing his pictures on Facebook, a bar approached him to promote their business, and so tiger swag was born.

But running a business, hanging out at clubs, and not getting any sleep was not great for his studies, so he sold the business and got down to studying. He graduated with a degree in business management, returning to West Vancouver to join the family business, Upward Construction.

I tried to get some dirt on his dad. While Adrian doesn’t report directly to his father, he does spend a few hours a day working with him, which he thoroughly enjoys. He says he thought his dad would be more set in his ways, but discovered that his father listens to suggestions and is quite open to alternative ideas. But working life was an ad-

justment for him after his free-spirited Halifax living. Adrian says his dad has a strong work ethic, and has similar expectations of his employees. But he loves the work: he enjoys building houses, and loves being part of this community.

His approach to life is to just get up and do it. His friends are the ones who don’t make excuses. They get off the couch and out into nature. His perfect recreational day would be waking up in Squamish Valley in a tent, having coffee, dirt biking with friends to discover new places, and an adrenaline rush of some kind – skateboarding, motocross, snowboarding or rock climbing. One of his goals is “to find a piece of land I can clear so that I can get away on weekends to camp, dirt bike, and play.”

Keep an eye out for Adrian’s adventures and photos in future editions of the Beacon.

Adrian Upward then (age 7, at the West Vancouver Arena), and now.

Photos provided

If you are not receiving home delivery of The Beacon please let us know at chrisstringer@westvanbeacon.ca

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March 2017

Our village artist by

Chris Stringer

L

uis Sopeña has been immersed in art his entire life. Born in Spain, he began his studies at the Madrid School of Fine Arts of San Fernando. In 1965 he moved to Paris to study with painter René Chalon. Two years later, he was off to Amsterdam to learn the Dutch Masters’ techniques. London followed shortly thereafter.

Luis’ skill in restoring art and antiques was developed in Paris, before he immigrated to Montreal in 1968, where he studied at the Montreal School of Arts and the School of Fine Arts in Toronto.

In 1971 he relocated to Victoria to teach art at Camosun College. 1973 was a pivotal year for Sopeña: he acquired his first gallery in Vancouver, and became a Canadian citizen. He has displayed his own, and other well-known artists’ work in exhibitions

across Canada, USA and Europe. He studied Sculpture, Etching and Lithography at the Malespina Print Maker Society, Banff School of Art and Emily Carr.

We are delighted that Luis picked Caulfeild in which to settle. He was recognized as the “Business Person of the Year” by the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce in 2010, and he remains keenly involved in the community, sharing his time and expertise at local events and festivities, and supporting school fundraisers.

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Open Letter of thanks to the Troll Family I was saddened to hear of the passing of both Gary and Carol Troll of Troll’s Restaurant in Horseshoe Bay. I think that the community of Horseshoe Bay joins me in acknowledging their long-term service to the area by serving up world-famous fish and chips.

What many of your readers may not know, is that Troll’s Restaurant is a long-term supporter of our field crews at BC Hydro. I’m told that Gary and Carol would keep their restaurant open late, such that our crews could enjoy a hot meal after returning from making repairs to our power lines from one of the islands that BC Ferries serves out of Horseshoe Bay. After a very long day of work, in often adverse conditions, I know that our crews sincerely appreciated their hospitality and great food.

I have the privilege of leading this group of great men and women who work to keep the lights on in all conditions and I wanted to acknowledge and thank the Troll Family for their support of our field crews and offer our sincerest condolences on behalf of all of us at BC Hydro.

Sincerely, Greg Reimer Executive Vice-President, Transmission & Distribution BC Hydro

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March 2017

mountains to sea

More than simply birding Elspeth Bradbury

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ennifer McQueen has always enjoyed a strong sense of community life. She grew up in a housing co-operative at Vancouver’s False Creek and throughout her lengthy studies in biology at UBC she volunteered with various outreach education projects, mostly working with high school students. At one point, she even spent her

spare time with a co-operative food-canning group, although she soon decided it was more fun to work with teenagers than with pickles and tomatoes. She admits that, before she moved to West Vancouver from the city over two years ago, she had preconceived notions and a few misgivings about life in suburbia. Would she feel isolated, disconnected? She was happy to discover that a sense of community was alive and well in her Caulfeild neighbourhood. Through visits to Lighthouse Park with her dog, she heard about the Lighthouse Park Preservation Society and their group of enthusiastic bird-watchers. She didn’t know much about

birding but decided to give it a try.

It didn’t take Jennifer long to discover that a doctorate in genetic studies was little help to a novice birder. Once a month, on Sunday mornings, as the group made its way slowly around its regular route in the park, she found herself entirely dependent on the skills of those like Suann, Hugh, Areta, Sally and Paola who had many decades of birding experience behind them.

She also found that a little modern technology helped. Her favourite app, Merlin Bird ID, was particularly useful, providing an easy step-by-step method of identification. Another, almost essential tool has

Photos: courtesy of David McQueen

Jennifer McQueen, binoculars in hand.

Janina Fialkowska

been Cornell University’s database of bird sightings, the ebird Field Checklist. According to this list, a surprising 149 species have been recorded to date in Lighthouse Park.

Jennifer no longer mistakes a squirrel for a new species of bird and she has also learned that joining the group in the park means more to her than the simple acquisition of a new skill. She has discovered that those morning strolls are a perfect complement to a working life that can be hectic. Her job in Community Engagement at Science World in Vancouver is highly energetic. Among other duties, she coordinates and instructs a program called “Future Science Leaders”. This challenging course introduces talented grade 10 and 11 students from schools across the Lower Mainland, including both Rockridge and Mulgrave, to the realities of the scientific method. Or, as Jennifer describes it, “We try to give them experiences that we wish we’d had before going into grad school.”

The birding, she says, gives her “permission to go slow”, to immerse herself in the forest and to take notice. She is now familiar with the birds, such as towhees and wrens, that stay year round, and with those, such as scoters and golden eyes, that spend the winter near our shoreline. Trickier are the many, like the tiny warblers, that summer here or migrate through.

Jennifer is pleased with her growing ability as a birder but she enjoys, even more, her growing awareness of these seasonal changes. She also loves the leisurely pace of the walk itself and the focused looking and listening in the quiet company of others. In Lighthouse Park she has discovered a whole new kind of community.

If you would like to join the birders, look for details on the Lighthouse Park Preservation website www.lpps.ca

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C.H.I.L.D. Foundation makes the impossible possible Domenica Mastromatteo

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f your child suddenly became very ill and you knew something was terribly wrong, but paediatricians dismissed her malaise as a consequence of over-scheduling, what would you do? Caulfeild resident, Mary McCarthy Parsons kept knocking on doctors’ doors until she finally got an answer: Crohn’s Disease. An intestinal disease that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, it can cause excruciating pain. There is no cure.

Mary was told that her daughter could not attend school or participate in sports. Devastated, but determined to provide her daughter with some sort of normal childhood, Mary gathered all the information she could, only to realize that there was very little community awareness of the illness and research was non-existent. “It seemed children with Crohn’s Disease were forgotten children,”

Mary said. So she started a foundation.

The Foundation for Children with Intestinal & Liver Disorders (C.H.I.L.D. Foundation) was founded by Grace McCarthy, O.C., O.B.C., Lindsay Gordon and Mary McCarthy Parsons. Fueled by dedicated volunteers and support from the media and business community, the foundation has created unprecedented public awareness. “It has taken this severely under-funded health issue and raised the profile to such an extent that health providers and hospital leaders, as well as the general public, are now more attentive to the needs of these children.”

But this was just the beginning. There was an even greater vision: to facilitate and fund The Canadian Children Inflammatory Bowel Disease Network with medical personnel, scientific investigators, nutritionists and patients and families all working together for the first time, enhancing children’s health across the country while working for a cure.

“Twenty-two years and more than $30 million later, British Columbia has more than 20 dedicated researchers and technicians and three world-class labs, all funded by the

Photo provided Mary McCarthy Parsons in cockpit with Captain Matthew Hart of The Canadian Forces Snowbirds, Ambassadors for the C.H.I.L.D. Foundation.

CH.I.L.D. Foundation,” says Mary. “We have many fundraising events in the year. We absolutely could not do what we do without the help of individuals, service clubs and businesses, and our amazing volunteers. We are determined to find a cure.”

And what about her young daughter? She is now a Clinical Nurse Leader with a mas-

ter’s degree in nursing and a world traveler who excels at outdoor pursuits. She’ll soon be marrying the man she met as a four-yearold at Irwin Park Elementary. How’s that for defying the odds?

To find out more about Crohn’s Disease and the C.H.I.L.D. Foundation, visit www. child.ca.

What are your partner’s hidden attractions?

Psyched Out Ian Macpherson

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t is always fascinating to find out what initially draws couples together. Even to the ‘fly on the wall’ it sometimes seems impossible to fathom what some couples see in each other. They can usually point to the most visible factors that are also obvious to others. But the most powerful magnet in a romantic relationship is often in

fact something most of us are unaware of.

The strength of any relationship depends on how well it satisfies our attachment needs. Bonding patterns are laid down in our original family of parents, brothers and sisters. Since no human is perfect, we all have at least a few rips in the attachment fabric. As children, we learn to cope and compensate. Some of these strategies serve us well; others - not so much.

As adults, we carry our residual childhood emotional ‘freight’ into the dance of love with another adult and this is when it gets interesting. Attachment wounds des-

perately seek soothing. When we get together as couples, we tend not to choose just anybody who seems initially attractive.

Instead, we are pulled more strongly toward those we sense will be helpful in resolving our left-over hurts.

Now here’s a curious wrinkle: our partners are likely to be the very people who provoke our wounds! Sometimes the most perplexing relationship conflicts involve unfinished business from our past. The nature of these clashes is often invisible to us and we may require help to unpack the baggage. Of course, the more serious the early

injury, such as abuse or neglect, the more harmful are the consequences to our current relationships. As couples, we are all susceptible to being blindsided by attachment issues, leaving us and our love-mates sometimes wondering, “How on earth did this happen?” While you are busy trying to explain it to yourself, you might reflect on those strange and hidden attractions to your partner.

Ian Macpherson is a psychologist who lives and practices in West Vancouver. More at www.westvancouvertherapist.com

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March 2017

Schools

Students take part in Squamish Nation Ceremony by

Aron Campbell Principal Gleneagles Ch’a xáý / Lions Bay Community

A

traditional Squamish Nation Blessing Ceremony was performed at Ch’axáý Elementary school on January 30, involving students, staff, guests and local dignitaries. They were witness to a Squamish Nation traditional blessing ceremony of Ch’ich’iyúy, a 29-foot canoe used in the Pulling Together initiative during the summer months, and a cleansing ceremony of Hiyi Ulanch, (‘Big Orange’) a repurposed

F-350 pick up from the Proceeds of Crime Unit.

Gleneagles Ch’axay students were enriched through this greater understanding of traditional Squamish Nation protocols, stories and beliefs, facilitating more genuine connections, community and reconciliation. Students are currently in the midst of a school-wide Inquiry unit based on the First Peoples Principles of Learning and a related theme based upon the ‘Power of Story’.

With the organizational support of West Vancouver Police Constable and Spokesperson Jeff Palmer and Youth Liaison

Photo provided Gleneagles Ch’axay students represent our community proudly in the Cedar Blessing Ceremony in which a repurposed F-350 pick up was cleansed for future police youth outreach work.

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Constable Jeff Wood, who both worked closely with school administration to organize Monday’s event, representatives of the Squamish Nation shared their powerful and poignant stories. Both S7aplek, Mr. Bob Baker, and Chiaxstin, Mr. Wes Nahanee, led the cedar blessing ceremony along with assistance from other members of the Eagle Song Dancers, as well as nine lucky Gleneagles Ch’axay students, who took part in the cedar brushing, as traditional quarter bearers and as a cleansing water bearer.

Ch’ich’iyuy denotes the story of twin highborn Squamish sisters who brought peace to the Squamish and Haida people during a time of instability.

Students then joined community members and assembled dignitaries including Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Mr. Mike Morrison, Provincial MLA

Ralph Sultan, MLA Jordan Sturdy, WVPD Chief Len Goerke, Staff Sgt Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit & Organized Crime Agency as well as West Vancouver School Board Chair Carolyn Broady and Superintendent Chris Kennedy as members of the Squamish Nation helped the Gleneagles-Ch’axáý students conduct traditional ceremonies to spiritually cleanse the truck (Hiyi Ulanch) and to put the canoe Ch’ich’iyuy at rest for the season. The significance of Big Orange is that the vehicle was recently forfeited by a convicted drug trafficker and is now being repurposed, further supporting police outreach to North Shore First Nations & Youth. Big Orange (Hiyi Ulanch) will act as a support vehicle for the WVPD Ch’ich’iyuy Canoe Program.

Photo provided Constable Jeff Palmer, Wes Nahanee Chiaxtin and Bob Baker S7aplek Lanakila leading the opening ceremony at Gleneagles Ch’axáý Elementary.

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March 2017

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Go for a hike or hug a tree on March 21 by

Lindy Pfeil

T

uesday, March 21 is the International Day of Forests, a day sanctioned by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on March 28, 2012. Every year, since 2013, events and celebrations around the world on this day raise awareness of the importance of forests and trees.

Forests cover about a third of the world’s landmass. Canada, the Russian Federation, Brazil, the United States, Democratic Republic of Congo, Australia, Indone-

The walk to Whyte Lake.

sia, China, Peru and India are considered forest-rich countries, occupying almost two-thirds of total forested area. This is of course obvious when we look around us.

Our own Elspeth Bradbury writes in her book, West Vancouver, A View through the Trees, “Trees are West Vancouver’s greatest inheritance. Most of our history is intimately tied to them, and they are also remarkable in themselves. The largest known amabilis fir in the world stands within the municipal boundaries. Claims of recordsized trees can be controversial, but by any measure, the great trees of West Vancouver

Photo: courtesy of Adrian Upward

are impressive.”

I recently read a fascinating book called The Hidden Life of Trees. Author Peter Wohlleben shares scientific discoveries describing how trees are similar to human families – tree parents live together with their children, supporting them and communicating with them. They even have the ability of warning each other about approaching danger. Tim Flannery, a leading writer on climate change, describes a “wood wide web” in which soil fungi connect trees to each other, allowing them to share information and goods. It has been found that

isolated trees live far shorter lives than trees connected in forests. It seems that trees, like humans, need each other.

The last time I walked to Whyte Lake, I stepped off the trail. I lay down under one of the enormous trees, and looked around me at this wonderland. I felt all the aliveness that can’t be seen with the human eye.

On March 21, why not head into one of our local forests, breathe the air, hug a tree, take a photo, and post it on social media with #intlforestday. Let’s showcase the beautiful trees in our own backyard.

Caulfeild from the water. No shortage of trees to hug on March 21st, International Day of Forests. Photo: L. Pfeil

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March 2017

US$ and your investment portfolio by

Micheline Varas

Y

ields on GICs and Bonds in both CAD and US are terrible. Now what?

It seems surprising to us that rates in Canada are currently lower than those of the US, especially as we feel the trend is further depreciation in the Canadian dollar versus the US dollar.

Today, the Government of Canada fiveyear bond is yielding approximately 0.64%.

The US five-year bond is yielding 1.07%.

On a pure yield basis, the US government bonds are more attractive, and once we add to that our view on currency, there is far more upside on a total return perspective.

There are numerous reasons to hold US dollars and US dollar assets: currency diversification, the need for US monies for vacations, vacation properties, etc. Should these costs be regular and recurring, it may be prudent to consider having part of our portfolios produce income or cash flow in US dollars to avoid the risk of a depreciating Canadian dollar. We are also charged fees whenever we exchange currencies.

Having assets and cash flow in US dollars producing the same yield, would eliminate the currency risk altogether.

There are few true US dollar funds available to Canadians, so we should look to those offering both diversification and steady yields (approximately 4%). Funds

should be tactically managed across the following US securities: Investment Grade Bonds, High Yield Bonds, Real Estate Investment Trusts and Dividend paying common stock with a prospectus risk rating of Low-Medium. This means that though this investment is riskier than that

within GICs and Bonds, there is a proven track record to out-perform GICs/Bonds over a given timeframe to justify any additional risk incurred.

For more information contact michelinev@customplanfinancial.com or 604-687-7773.

Charlie is getting out by

I

Carol, the flower lady

was asked if I could relate stories that were printable for the Beacon, about my Saturday mornings in the Downtown Eastside. So here is a whitewashed version of a little story of life down there.

Charlie was cupping a coffee, hanging around the Door Is Open (DIO) waiting to tell me that he would be moving to Prince Rupert the following day. Work in construction, and then on the fishing boats, would take him away from the food line-ups and the frustrations of life in Vancouver’s drug ghetto.

Charlie used to view me with suspicion as I carried my stash of weekly treasures, collected from West Vancouver, into the DIO. One day in the lunch line-up he asked me why I always looked so happy. I replied that visiting the DIO made me happy. “How can you be happy in this?” he asked. I said that this was my Saturday family, and it always made me happy to be here.

As he told me of his plans, my thoughts drifted to an earlier Charlie incident: I was trying to set up a CD player on top of the old upright honky-tonk piano. I wanted to play some music in the busy hall where people were eating. A burly guy, with an open umbrella pulled close to his head, was standing with his back to me, blocking the

plug I needed for the player. Nobody dared to get close to him, as he stood hunched over, his shoulders close to his ears. He never talked, and his eyes darted like those of a cornered animal. Charlie had been around and he shifted the Umbrella Man for me so I could play my music. How he did this is unprintable here! But I won’t forget it.

I am going to miss Charlie. I told him so, and we hugged. He helped carry my donations one last time. We hugged again. Charlie is beating the odds of the tangled web of the Downtown Eastside. I keep repeating these words, as if they are a mantra that will empower Charlie: Charlie is getting out.

Charlie is getting out.

the penny mitchell group

March 2017

PAGE 9

Christa turns 80 and continues breaking records by

Lindy Pfeil

C

aulfeild’s own Christa Bortignon continues adding to her impressive medal collection. She won seven gold medals during the Huntsman Senior Games in October 2016, in St. George, Utah, in the W75-79 category: 50m, 100m, 200m, high jump, long jump, triple jump and the standing long jump.

In January 2017 she turned 80, and so entered a new age group: W80-84. She broke her first Canadian record in the W80 age group on February 4, 2017, in

the Harry Jerome Indoor Games in the Oval in Richmond with a time of 10.69 seconds for the 60m dash. The old Canadian record was 12.32, and the World record is 10.37.

Christa will be competing at the Canadian Masters Indoor Championships in Toronto on March 11 and 12. Then it’s onto Dague, North Korea, for the World Masters Indoor Athletic Championships, where she will compete in seven events between March 21 and 25. The BC Masters Indoor Championships in Kamloops follows on April 1 and 2. And then? A well-deserved rest.

Christa, we are so proud of you.

Big, bold and beautiful by

I

Kim Clarke

received the eulogy by email mail three months after the fact. I was excited to read it, because I knew the man about whom it was written.

He was a true beauty.

He laughed loud and big and belly-full. He was a man who understood that life is fleeting and not always fair. He boomed around town and had a story-filled heart that pumped love and fun. In his forties, he retired from “titled” work. He wanted to be a dad around town, to chauffeur his kids to and fro and

“

meet his pals for coffee and tales of yore.

At seventy he enrolled at Emily Carr and made conceptual art, wonderful, unusual sculptures of his face in astroturf.

He painted portraits of his family in all their unique beauty. He auditioned to be a singing sailor in a musical theatre production of South Pacific.

He was cast, his voice a choir of its own. He was a cattle auctioneer in stockyards on the prairies because it seemed like a fun job for a guy with a booming voice. He wanted to golf so badly he sold the old family house to move to a new family house on a golf course.

He completely loved life, and his beautiful self, in a humble appreciative way.

“He found balance and beauty in the simplest and most charming of ways.”

Photo provided Christa Bortignon in St. George, Utah, standing in front of a photo of herself used to promote the Huntsman World Senior Games.

When a stroke took his booming voice, it did not take his smile. His coffee with friends still happened at the same restaurant every Wednesday morning for forty years. He may not have been able to tell the stories he once did, but his pals loved his presence. He found balance and beauty in the simplest and most charming of ways. He treasured his family, his wife of sixty-five years, his friends of forever. He found something to love in every one of them. I can still hear his big voice calling, “It’s time to come home, kids, the streetlights are on!” And they did, one by one, all five,

happy to find him in the middle of the street waiting with outstretched arms. I wish I had gone to the funeral. If the eulogy is any indication, it would have been beautiful.

Kim Clarke is a writer and teacher who lives in Horseshoe Bay. She is surprised and delighted by the inexplicable details of every day; nothing is random, everything is purposeful and beautiful and fabulous and sparkly and she wants to share sparkle, in all its forms, with the world.

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March 2017

community personality

Don Vaughan and the art of creating space Chris Stringer

T

wenty-five years ago, our house needed landscaping so we leafed through the Yellow Pages and contacted a nearby West Van landscape designer named Don Vaughan. Within an hour we were chatting with Don about our landscaping needs and favourite wines.

Don provided a series of hand-sketches, samples of shrubs and pathway stones, and an invitation to visit the elegantly tousled Altamont estate where he and his wife, Patty, lived.

The end result was our own beautifully

landscaped property, and a deep admiration for this unassuming, engaging gentleman with the perpetual smile, twinkling eyes, genuine warmth and caring nature.

At the time we had no idea that Don Vaughan had been the face of landscape architecture in Western Canada for more than 25 years, influencing much of the urban fabric of Vancouver. If you have lingered in the plazas of Expo ‘86 or along the seawall of David Lam Park or the Granville Island ponds, or relaxed at Park Place beside Christ Church Cathedral or Sun Life Plaza you have enjoyed Don’s work.

Born into three generations of a logging family in Coos Bay, Oregon, Don Vaughan received his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Oregon. He came to Canada in 1965 to work on the campus expansion of the University of Victoria on the site of the old army bar-

Photo: courtesy of Don Vaughan Marking High Tide and Waiting for Low Tide Pavillions by Don Vaughan, 1996.

racks, as well as a new university that was in Arthur Erickson’s planning process on top of Burnaby mountain. These projects made the young Vaughan a desirable commodity in a city that was embarking on a major phase of urban development.

In 1972 Al Raine was invited by the provincial government to work with a planning and development team to turn Whistler into a world class ski resort. His wife, Nancy Greene, became the marketing face of skiing Whistler’s slopes. Don Vaughan and Associates joined a distinguished architectural group to design the Whistler Village that would be developed over the following twenty years.

During the ‘80s Don was involved in the design of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese - Don Vaughan Garden and Park, inspired by his visits to classical gardens in Suzhou, China. After the initial design and, while in its construction phase, he formed the ’86 Landscape Collaborative with Claude Muret, for the design and planning of the extensive landscaping at the Expo ‘86 World’s Fair. Don explains proudly how 36 landscape architects and designers in one office completed the project “on time and under budget.”

“The landscape architect’s job is to merge functionality with aesthetics,” says Don. As highrise towers were being built in Vancouver through the ‘70s and ‘80s Don and his design team were creating the spaces among them for people to linger,

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escape and meditate. Gardens sunk below street level were interspersed with paths and seating areas beside waterfalls to mask the traffic noise. “Landscape is about space. You’re in it.”

One sunny lunchtime Don was sitting on a bench in Sun Life Plaza beside a woman reading her book. He asked what she thought of the design of the gardens around her. She replied that she loved sitting there but hadn’t thought about the design or the designer.

“People don’t see the landscape. They just take it for granted,” Don laments.

Don enrolled as a mature student at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in 1989, where he earned a diploma in fine art. The creation of Ambleside Landing followed graduation and after developing the concept for the park, Don designed the ‘Granite Assemblage’ fountain, a composition that breaks away from the traditional landscape architectural aesthetic. Set at the edge of the harbour in an artificial tidal pool, it is a creative transition between waterfront walkway and the ocean.

The Expo lands were being developed

by Concord Pacific in the ‘90s. Don developed the “Bays” concept plan for the site followed by David Lam Park. He is particularly proud of the first two public art projects for the newly developed lands: the Marking High Tide and Waiting for Low Columns that are formed around a

“As the moon circles the earth the ocean responds with the rhythm of the tide.”

Contact us today Terri Thompson at tthompson@copemanhealthcare.com or 604-707-2273 www.copemanhealthcare.com West Vancouver, 200-545 Clyde Ave Vancouver, 400-1128 Hornby Street

March 2017

PAGE 11

Don, Jeff and Mark Vaughan Photo: Glenn Owen

circle rise out of the sea but become part of the land at low tide. The beamed band around the top displays Don’s poetic inscription: “As the moon circles the earth the ocean responds with the rhythm of the tide.”

Sons Mark and Jeff joined Don to create Vaughan Landscape Planning and Design.

The corporate website, vaughanplanning. com, includes their vision of making “Metro Vancouver the most livable location in North America.” The firm created the landscape design to complement the redesign of the Stanley Park causeway in 2000.

In 2001 they designed the site for Quest University and its surroundings.

Don Vaughan received an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of Victoria. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, a past president of the BC Society of Landscape Architects and is now serving on the West Vancouver Public Art Advisory Committee and the Arts & Culture Strategy: Steering Committee. The recognitions and

awards for his body of work are far too many to include in this writing.

After his first heart-attack a few years ago, Don became passionate about fitness.

In response to a second, more serious heart-attack eighteen months later, he began competitive weightlifting. To date he has received five Gold medals and set the BC record and the Canadian record for his age (75-79) and weight (69kg) in Olympic Weightlifting. This year he intends to set new records and collect more Golds saying, “This has been the most fun I have ever had in my life. Over the years our landscape architectural team won many awards. They were the successes of a great team. I’m alone at this and it gives me special pleasure.”

I asked Don why, with his impressive resume, he would have bothered to take on the landscape design for my own house all those years ago. His response: “It’s the way to get honest feedback on my work and contribute to my learning and growing.”

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PAGE

12

March 2017

Caulfeild Cove Hall

Music icons, Sinclair & Bennett on March 11 by

Paula Lemke

B

lending their raw vocal tunes with rocking instrumentals, Sinclair and Bennett will treat you to an evening of sheer pleasure on March 11 at Caulfeild Cove.

After their first sold-out event in Deep Cove in 2010, a result of mutual fans urging them to perform together, David and Keith have gone on to play across North America and Europe. Combining a rootsy style of blues, jazz and folk, their intricate arrangements of U2, Hendrix, the Beatles and Beethoven, Brahms and Benny Goodman originals amaze. Their Everly Brothers standard morphed from Pachelbel’s Canon brings tears to one’s eyes.

Keith Bennett has played extensively on CDs, film and TV scores, performed with Supertramp and placed in the top ten in both chromatic and blues harmonica events at the 2013 World Championships in Germany. He has been a feature performer with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and for eight years was the infamous “Harmonica Man” at Canucks games.

David Sinclair toured with Sarah McLachlan and k.d.Lang across North

America, Europe and Japan. His studio performances have included working with Michael Buble, Rita MacNeil, Valdy, BTO and Amy Sky. Appearances on the Tonight Show

and David Letterman are part of his resume.

And his Acoustic Christmas CD was among the top five all time Christmas recordings on the Vancouver Province 2008 list.

The date: March 11. The time: 8pm. Mark it on your 2017 calendar!

Check www.reverbnation.com/sinclairandbennett

Photo provided

David and Keith.

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Caulfeild Cove Hall

Blame it on the Junos by

Shari Ulrich

T

here are performance spaces and then there are magical rooms in which to perform. And in my experience, that magic is undeniable and enduring no matter how many times I might perform in that room, and after 42 years of doing concerts in Canada, there are many I’ve returned to repeatedly.

Caulfeild Cove Hall is one of those rare magical gems. It’s a mysterious alchemy of the fine humans who fill the room, excited to experience the performance, the excellent acoustics, and our own love of music and anticipation that this will be a special evening. Perhaps we could just distill it down to “love”.

Barney Bentall, Tom Taylor and myself, who make up the trio of BTU, love playing Caulfeild Cove Hall. And thanks to the tenacious Chris Stringer, we get to return for a concert on March 24.

Now, Chris is a sensible man, and likes to spread concerts out with a

month or so in between. He also weathers the group’s challenges of finding opportunities in our schedules to come together for concerts with formidable grace. So our original April 1 date made sense, with the great Keith Bennet & David Sinclair performing on March 11.

But a complication, though a lovely surprise, popped up. The bluegrass band “The High Bar Gang”, of which both Barney and Tom are members, were nominated for a Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. And yes - the awards take place April 1 and 2 in Ottawa and we would dearly love to go. Though we hated to beg the ever hard working Chris (and that adjective doesn’t begin to describe his efforts) for a change of date, being a compassionate man, he offered up March 24. We would like to think that your wonderful community can handle two fine concerts in a month!

So show Chris it’s true! We are so looking forward to our performance on March 24.

Bentall Taylor Ulrich

FRI MAR 24th 8 pm

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Tix $35 @ caulfeildcovehall.ca Info: 604-812-7411

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PAGE

14

March 2017

St. Francis-in-the-wood

What St. Francis-in-the-Wood means to me by

I

A parishioner

was raised, for a time, in a vicarage in England. At boarding school, it was compulsory for the boys to attend matins in the upper nave of the church and evensong in the crypt. One would think this would have led to a lifetime of dedication to the church. Not so, I’m afraid!

Canada meant freedom! For the following 40 years, I attended church only at Christmas and Easter, to get married and to christen our children. Our daughter got married here in St Francis-in-the Wood.

And it was this last piece that did it. Shortly after her wedding, our daughter left the country. I thought that by attending St. Francis services, I could perhaps feel close to her by holding on to the memory of that happy day.

Sitting in the back each Sunday, I would gaze at the beautiful stained glass windows surrounding me and then up to the elegant ceiling reaching its apex above the simple cross. Familiar music, orders of service, the church pews, the kneeling

and the prayers all slowly began to bring back those feelings of safety, warmth and exhilaration of the churches that were my home while growing up.

Then I started going to St. Francis on rainy weekdays for refuge and quiet contemplation. On sunny days the pastoral tranquility and calm of the meditation gardens found me gazing around at the cove, up to the magnificent trees, across the lush gardens and back up to the security of the church roof lines, the graceful porch and the bell. Then…. down to the memorial garden and the realization that we are not alone. Later the cove, the pier and the rocks aided my reconnection with God through his extraordinary gift of St. Francis-in-the-Wood.

In this place I hear the shrill cries of happy children, feel the energy of youth, enjoy the bustle of young families, listen to the stories of members who have raised their families here. One single mother credits St. Francis for saving her life when she was left to raise her children alone.

The loneliness of the aged is dispelled here where they enjoy old and new friendships

and where they are respected for their var- nothing. But I must confess, that had I found this church family earlier, my life ied and interesting lives.

This church community has changed and my own family would have been the my life. Where else can I connect my better for it. grandchildren, through Messy Church, with the children of people who treat me like a contemporary and not a grandparent? Where else can I share the teamwork of selfless volunteers who spend Saturday evenings enjoying each other’s company working for the community? Where else can I feel, at this stage in my life, that I can make a difference and feel appreciated? Where else can I share my joys and my sorrows with people who genuinely care?

I’ve always boasted that I have no regrets and that, if I had to live my Photo provided life over, I would change St Francis-in-the-Wood church.

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March 2017

Tax time considerations: what not to do Armchair Accountant Rebecca van der Horst

T

ax time is upon us again. By avoiding the following tax-time temptations, you could save yourself valuable time and money in the long run.

• Not doing your taxes: Even if you have zero income, you must still file an income tax and benefit return. You may be eligible for credits and benefits such as CCB and GST/HST credit. To get your payments, you have to file a tax return every year.

• Not reporting all your income: Make sure you report all your income. You should have received most of your slips by the end of February. If you have not received a slip for 2016, ask the issuer of the slip for a copy.

• Making a claim for which you are not eligible: Sometimes a taxpayer may claim non-deductible amounts. If a determination is made that you have made

a claim to which you are not entitled, your return will be adjusted.

•O verlooking certain credits or deductions: If you are not familiar with the new and existing tax deductions, benefits and credits available that may apply to you, go to cra.gc.ca/getready to learn more, or ask a trained professional to assist you.

•L ate filing: If you do not file your return on time and owe money, you will be charged a late-filing penalty of 5% of the balance owing plus 1% for each month that the return is late, to a maximum of 12 months. If you cannot pay the amount owing by the due date, contact CRA to work out a plan to resolve the tax debt.

•N ot keeping proper records and receipts: Keep your documents for at least six years after filing your return.

You may be asked by CRA to have your return reviewed and you would need to send the receipts to support your claims.

For further tax tips contact Rebecca at officesolutions@me.com.

PAGE 15

In honour of World Poetry Day on March 21, we are having a haiku contest!

A typical haiku is a three-line observation about a fleeting moment involving nature. Line one has 5 syllables, line two has 7 syllables and line three has 5 syllables. Send your haiku celebrating life in our Beacon community to lindypfeil@ westvanbeacon.ca by 11:59 pm on March 21. The winning entry will be published in the May 2017 edition.

Photo: L. Pfeil

A snowy sunrise.

To Mona, life is one big party – from enjoying afternoon cocktails in the Westerleigh’s front garden to taking ukulele lessons, because “why not?”, Mona is thoroughly enjoying herself.

Mona, full of fun PARC resident

“I love spending time in the garden, life at the Westerleigh is delightful” That’s how it is at Westerleigh PARC: it’s easy to enjoy the amenities and just have fun. And with PARC Retirement Living’s focus on maintaining a healthy body and mind through our Independent Living+ program, it’s easy to see how life’s just better here.

Call Gail at 604.922.9888 to reserve your tour and complimentary lunch.

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PAGE

16

It’s nearly Springtime again!

real estatE

by

Penny Mitchell

Address

March 2017

These statistics represent industry sales in The Beacon distribution area between Altamont and Lions Bay from January 1 to February 23, 2017.

List Price

170 Oceanview Place.............................................................. 1,050,000 6438 Marine Drive................................................................... 1,289,000 60 Isleview Place...................................................................... 1,388,000 380 Bayview Road................................................................... 1,525,000 8550 Ansell Place..................................................................... 1,588,000 35 Sweetwater Place............................................................... 1,698,000 5611 Keith Road....................................................................... 1,830,000 5625 Daffodil Lane.................................................................. 1,860,000 6194 Eastmont Drive.............................................................. 1,899,000

Ann Frost

S

pringtime! Spring break, with the right conditions, meant spring skiing on the local mountains. No more huddling in your ski jacket as you waited in the lineup for the lifts. No more stopping to put on chains as you headed up the road to Seymour Mountain. Used to rope tows, it was a blissful day when the first T-bar appeared on ski slopes. And scads of young’uns learning to snowplow, laughing as they tumbled over and hopped up to try again.

And on days that you didn’t ski, there were the tiny sailboats at the Ambleside Sailing Club, tennis on the outdoor courts, or nine holes of golf at Gleneagles.

John Lawson Park, beachcombing, and watching pennies being squished on the railroad tracks by the Royal Hudson Express also kept you busy for hours. Where

else in Canada were so many options available?

And if, after all this excitement, your parents thought you merited a special treat, they might take you to the White Spot drive-in for a juicy hamburger with Triple O’s and a vanilla milkshake with whipped cream, while they enjoyed the famous Chicken Pickens.

While Springtime was too early for most to swim, except in an indoor pool, it was never too early for West Vancouver’s own Mighty Mouse, Elaine Tanner. Elaine started swimming when she was nine and in 1995, at age 15, she won four gold and three silver medals at the Commonwealth Games. “Ah, but wait until she meets the Americans in the Pan Am Games,” said the press. Well, she did meet them and came away with two world records, two golds and three silvers. A Mighty Mouse indeed! Yes, those were the days.

4572 Woodgreen Drive.......................................................... 2,195,000 4788 Meadfield Road.............................................................. 2,288,000 241 Bayview Road................................................................... 2,445,000 5509 Westhaven Road............................................................ 2,498,000 4627 Caulfeild Drive............................................................... 2,498,000 5462 Westhaven Place............................................................ 3,000,000 4715 Willow Creek Road........................................................ 3,298,000 4761 Woodburn Road............................................................ 3,398,000 4691 Decourcey Court........................................................... 3,450,000 3284 Mathers Avenue............................................................ 3,798,000 6252 St George’s Crescent..................................................... 3,998,000 3359 Mathers Avenue............................................................ 4,850,000 4773 Pilot House Road........................................................... 5,298,000 4558 Woodgreen Court......................................................... 5,488,000 Based on statistics provided by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver MLS ® Residential The Penny Mitchell Group-Personal Real Estate Corporation RE/MAX Masters Realty

Photo: courtesy of John Watt Elaine Tanner end of a race in 1966.

Elaine Tanner today.

Photo: courtesy of John Watt

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PAGE 17

Home & Living Leek, Bacon and Gruyer e Strata

Stress-free Easter brunch A Culinary View Maureen Goulet

R

egardless of one’s beliefs, Easter is celebrated around the world in one form or another. Some traditions are rather bizarre: in Finland and Sweden it involves egg painting and small children dressed as witches collecting candy doorto-door, in exchange for decorated “Goat Willow” pussy willows. In North America, a giant bunny hides chocolate eggs during the night. Traditional foods at this time in-

Serves: 8

2 leeks, white and light green part s only chopped (see tip for cleaning ) 2 tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 large red bell pepper diced 10 c ups cubed day-old Italian bread in ¾ inch cubes 12 s lices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

clude decorated eggs, hot cross buns, Easter breads and hams and of course chocolate bunnies.

No matter how you celebrate it, Easter is always a great opportunity to get together with family and friends. Keep it stress free with this simple brunch that can be made the night before. It is a perfect solution to free up more time for socializing and of course the Easter egg hunt!

2 cups shredded gruyere or ched dar cheese 8 large eggs 2 cups milk ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Tip: To clean leeks, trim dark gree n tops. Cut down center almost to the root end and chop. Rinse in a sink full of cold water to remove sand. Plac e leeks in colander to drain or use a salad spin ner.

In a large non-stick skillet, melt butt er over medium heat. Cook leeks, garlic and red pepper for 5 minutes or until softened. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

Layer half the bread cubes in baki ng dish. Top with half each of the leek mixture, bacon and cheese. Repeat layers.

In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, pepp er and nutmeg. Pour evenly over bread mixture. Press down with a spatula to help bread absorb egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hour s or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unc over and bake for 40-50 minutes or until center is set and top is puffed. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe can be halved and baked in an 8-in ch baking dish for 30-40 minutes . Serve with Kale and Brussels Sprouts Slaw

Recipes and photo courtesy of: The Best of Bridge, Home Cooking Maureen Goulet is the owner of Ambrosia Cooking School where great Chefs come to share their culinary secrets. Visit www.ambrosiaadventures.com

Kale and B russels Sp routs Slaw Se

Dressing ¼ cup Olive oi l 2 tbsp freshly sq ueezed lemon juice 2 tbsp cider vin egar 1 tbsp grainy or Dijon mustard 1 tbsp liquid ho ney

rves: 6

Salad 5 cups loosely packed kale 8 large Brusse ls sprouts, ends trimmed 1 small apple, diced 1/3 cup crumbl ed feta cheese 1/3 cup choppe d pecans, toasted

In a small bowl or jar whisk or shak vinegar, musta rd and honey. Pu e together oil, lemon juice, ll the kale leaves discard the stal off the stalks an k. Stack and th inly slice the le d sprouts lengthwi aves. Halve the se and slice th Brussels in ly.

Brussels sprout In a la rg e bo wl, combine ka s, apple and fe le, ta. Toast pecans over medium he in a small dry sk at. Shake the pa illet n Let cool before often until pale adding to your golden and fra grant. salad. Drizzle wi combine. Serv th dressing and e sprinkled with toss to pecans.

Kale and Brussels sprouts slaw.

all! r o f a Yog Heidi Joffe

(M.Ed. A.T. RYT E-500)

Photo provided

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March 2017

Lingcod wins over salmon Rafe Reminiscing Rafe Mair

I

don’t remember a time when fishing wasn’t an important part of my life. As a little boy, it was shiners off the dock at Grantham’s Landing. Later it was trolling for salmon with my parents. In those childhood years, I remember going past Salmon Rock on the southwestern tip of Keats Island, watching men casting lines and wondering what it was all about. I discovered they were tossing herring strips and that large salmon would grab them. The sport of fishing changed dramatically and trolling became unfashionable if not anti-social.

My dad started taking us across to the

Flat Tops south of Nanaimo to pursue this novel technique and it was stunningly successful. I soon began to think of myself as something of an expert.

When I was a teenager we took my girlfriend, Heather, on a weekend trip to Silva Bay for some fishing at the Flat Tops. For the fun of it, we all put a dollar in the pot for the biggest fish caught.

Heather knew nothing about fishing and I was sure that I’d be able to show off my manly talent to great advantage. For the first day-and-a-half that’s what happened.

The clear winner was certain to be my 18-pound Spring.

Then on the last day Heather obviously got a substantial tug as her rod bent over.

Angrily forsaking all assistance, Heather worked her prey to the surface and it was a huge, ugly lingcod. It was netted and then weighed over my protest that only salmon counted for our jackpot. I was overruled,

Photo: Adobe Stock Images

both of my parents forsaking their own flesh and blood, and the damned thing weighed in at just under 25 pounds.

I looked at this leviathan of the deep, then into Heather’s very pretty and happy

face, and reluctantly decided to forego an appeal so she got the money too. And I only sulked a very little bit.

Update on Woodfibre LNG from our MLA by

J ordan Sturdy

H

undreds of conditions have been imposed on Woodfibre LNG by the various levels of government.

The BC Assessment Office’s Condition #25 requires that a dedicated public electronic portal be created and hosted for the duration of the twenty-five-year life of the project and beyond.

In our roles as Parliamentary Secretaries to our respective Federal and Provincial Ministers of Environment, M.P. Jonathon Wilkinson and I recently hosted a meeting with M.P. Pamela GoldsmithJones, attended by Mayors and their delegates from around Howe Sound to

talk about what this electronic platform would look like.

Historically, the status of the conditions of an issued Environmental Certificate are, at best, difficult to ascertain.

Just as challenging is finding the results of any required ongoing monitoring such as water quality impacts, air shed emissions, marine noise or in the case of WLNG, the influence of ships’ wakes on the shoreline.

For Woodfibre, conditions, permits, compliance and monitoring will be required from several branches of the Provincial government, the Oil and Gas Commission, the National Energy Board, Fisheries, Transport Canada, Navigable Waters, the District of Squamish and Squamish First Nation.

Public trust of major project applica-

tions and vetting is a critical ambition and accurate, timely and relevant project information is the foundation to building confidence in any public process, particularly developments that may generate potentially significant impacts to the landscape.

In the case of WLNG, Condition #25 requiring public reporting could benefit from additional specificity to ensure that the company hosts a digital information site that is a one-stop shop, a home to all things Woodfibre, includes requirements from all orders of government and is presented in a timely and easily understandable style.

I see here an opportunity to set a new standard for major project environmental assessment transparency and account-

ability. The challenge before Woodfibre LNG, is to develop an environmental reporting tool that will serve as a foundation on which future projects can build.

Photo provided Federal, Provincial, urban representatives and delegates meeting.

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We’ll give you Italian with our tradition of warm hospitality.”

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March 2017

Safeway is proud to support local farmers and producers. See our wide range of local products throughout the store.

PAGE 19

PAGE

20

March 2017

6455 Raleigh Street, West Vancouver This beautiful ocean view executive home has undergone a complete renovation by multiple Georgie awardwinning designer, Reisa Pollard. Her vision was to create a modern retreat and take advantage of the stunning views. Clean lines, wide open �loor plan and organic design are the hallmarks of this spectacular residence.

Some of the highlights of this 2533 square foot open plan home include a high-end kitchen, Brazilian cherry �loors, oversized windows and an elevator. This home offers two/three bedrooms, and three bathrooms. It is situated next to a park and is surrounded by nature. This one-ofa-kind residence at the top of Horseshoe Bay is a mustsee. Call Christy for a private viewing.

2,533 Sqft, 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms

$1,998,000

I would like to thank all my friends and clients for trusting me with their real estate needs for 2016, without you I would not have been able to achieve this award. Your trust means so much to me. Thank you.

For those of you that I have not had the pleasure of working with yet, I look forward to helping you. Put my skills to work for you, you won’t be disappointed. Your best interests are my top priority. - Christy

604.349.0098