THE TALK OF THE TOWN
/What Do We Have For You This Month?
Welcome to The Talk of The Town for November 2020. Scroll through the following features (and click on images enlarge) to find:
The Month That Was & The Month Ahead: A roundup of West End-Coal Harbour community news, announcements, and other local gossip.
Stanley Park Notebook: A monthly feature by Jacqui Birchall will take you on walks about Stanley Park and share stories and news of its many features and attractions.
Name That Lane: Three years ago the City started naming eight of the laneways that run east and west through the West End. In the third of an eight-part series, Lucas Pilleri shares the story behind two related laneway names.
West End Moments: Our team of community photojournalists always has an eye out for those extraordinary moments.
The Month That Was & The Month Ahead
Vancouver West End once and future MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert.
AND THE WINNER IS …
Not exactly a big surprise, as he is widely loved and respected even by card-carrying conservatives in our neighbourhood, Vancouver West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert handily won his riding with 6,477 votes out of 10,913 cast as of Sunday evening, with the Liberal’s Jon Ellacott coming second with 2,338, the Green’s James Marshall with 1,897, and the Libertarian’s Kim McCann at 201.
Final results will not be known for another 13 days as absentee and mail-in ballots are still being counted, but that seems unlikely to tip the scales in our riding.
Congratulations Spencer on you win, and a big thank you to Jon, James, and Kim for giving us all a choice — that’s democracy!
Award-winning West End artist Lucy Chan.
AND ANOTHER WINNER!
Another West Ender who’s a winner is artist Lucy Chan.
The Board of Trustees of the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation last month announced this year’s recipients of two prestigious cultural awards in British Columbia: the VIVA Awards and the Max Wyman Awards.
and Lucie joined Cindy Mochizuki and Tania Willard as winners of VIVA Awards, with each receiving $15,000 from Foundation.
Born in Georgetown, Guyana and immigrating to Canada with her family in 1981, Lucie Chan is a visual artist who creates multi-layered drawing installations that may also include video animation, sculptural elements, text, and found objects. Her focus is on cross-cultural narratives and connections between seemingly disparate lives, and her socially engaged practice often involves eliciting and responding to the life stories of strangers, who voluntarily share their personal narratives with her.
Her interview subjects often include those who are “othered”, marginalized, or displaced. “My aim is to provide a space for contemplation on narratives which would not necessarily come together with ease… My aim is always to create work that does not alienate viewers, but to have the work completed and furthered by our shared experiences.”
Lucy is is an associate professor at Emily Carr University of Art + Design and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, with venues that include the National Gallery of Canada, Carleton University Art Gallery, Mendel Art Gallery, TRUCK Artist Run Centre, and the Richmond Art Gallery. She has also completed residencies across Canada and in Europe, and was long-listed for the Sobey Art Award in 2006 and 2010.
Kathy Murphy and Diane Jones, two West Enders we can all be thankful for!
BATMAN & ROBIN TO THE RESCUE!
Last month, to mark Thanksgiving in a particularly hard year, CBC Radio’s The Early Edition asked listeners to share who they are thankful to have in their lives. If you felt like 2020 could have used a superhero or two, enter West Enders Kathy Murphy and Diane Jones, a dynamic duo who have been making sure their community of friends and neighbours have had smiles on their faces, and soup in their bellies, during this pandemic roller coaster.
Their friend Douglas Anderson contacted the show to sing the pair's praises. (Not literally, he sent an email). And on Friday, all three were connected live on the show to celebrate Murphy and Jones for all they do.
Anderson knows the women from church, where they always arrive before the minister to make sure coffee is prepared for the parishioners. He said this is just one of a long list of things the two do for others on a daily basis.
It has earned them the title of Batman and Robin among their friends.
Anderson said the two women are constantly driving seniors to appointments, bringing soups and stews to people in need during the COVID-19 crisis, and have organized a regular coffee event in a neighbourhood park so seniors have had somewhere safe to socialize during the pandemic.
"It's incredible," said Anderson. "I sometimes think they must just lie awake at night and think who should we help tomorrow?"
You can read more about this dynamic duo and listen to their interview on-air here.
LUMIERE SETS THE WEST END AGLOW
Year Seven For Festival of Illuminated Art
Going into its seventh year, Lumière will light up the West End once again in spectacular fashion, showcasing seven amazing interactive art installations and adding sparkle and excitement to English Bay and Jim Deva Plaza.
Returning to the foot of Denman Street will be our local favourites, Davie, a stunning, illuminated 24-foot-tall grizzly bear and Luna, the leaping Orca, along with Stanley and Eugenia, a collection of nature-inspired light sculptures that pay homage to British Columbia’s wildlife community.
Lumière is also delighted to be bringing a new light installation to Vancouver this year, Prismatica, created by RAW Desig and made up of countless colourful giant prisms which visitors can walk through and observe city life in every colour of the spectrum.
“Lumière is again pleased to be able to bring stunning light and art to the West End. The lighting displays are beloved by locals and visitors alike, and we hope Lumière will add a bit of glow to the dark winter season as the year draws to a close” says Stephen Regan, executive director of the West End BIA.
Throughout the month of November, special Lumière activities will also link the West End commercial streets, creating a fun and festive atmosphere that can be safely enjoyed by individuals, families, and small bubble groups of friends.
Lumière Vancouver 2020 runs from November 5 to 30, with the installations best viewed after sunset. The extension of the event dates this year has been put in place to ensure that visitors can enjoy the artwork without creating a crowd situation, therefore allowing for proper social-distancing and COVID-19 precautions.
Select installations will remain for the balance of the winter season to be enjoyed nightly. For more information, please visit lumiereyvr.com.
(Bernie Steininger Photo)
COYOTES ON THE TRAILS
Coyotes are not an unusual sight in Stanley Park and even West End alleys, but they usually avoid humans. Not so this young coyote cub, seen by Bernie Steininger last month while walking the park’s trails. “I have been walking in the trails for over 45 years” he reports, “and have often seen coyotes but they quickly disappear into the bush. Much to my surprise this one walked directly up to me and ended up standing a foot from me. We stood there face to face for what seemed much longer than seconds. I then moved to the other side of the trail where I was very surprised to see him turn and start to move toward me again. At that point, I yelled at him to “get outta here”. Bernie spoke with the Stanley Park Ecology Society folks and they have had previous sightings of this young coyote approaching people. They are quite concerned that people may be feeding this animal, which is against the law and dangerous. If you are approached by any coyote, follow Bernie’s lead and frighten it away. We don’t want them to start identifying people with food sources!
A VANCOUVER FOODBANK FUNDRAISER
West End’s Marquis Wine Cellars is holding a special fundraiser for the Greater Vancouver Foodbank this month.
For every bottle purchased from their roster of “BC Heroes” wine list Marquis will donate $2 to the Food Bank, helping those who need it most during these challenging times. The BC Heroes list includes wines from such popular BC vintners as Blasted Church, Burrowing Owl, Blue Mountain, and Poplar Grove.
And with the holiday festivities, such as they may be, coming up soon, here’s an opportunity lay in your seasonal supply for entertaining the folks in your personal bubble while supporting an important BC industry, a valued West End business, and helping out the Food Bank. Talk about a win-win-win!
Empty shops and empty aisles mark the once-popular Robson Public Market.
THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF ROBSON MARKET
by Milan Streit
With Black Friday around the corner, many shoppers will head online as well as to bricks and mortar places like Best Buy, Costco, and Walmart. But it seems mall shopping is becoming less desirable among consumers, especially during this pandemic.
Now you may ask what happens to older malls like these if the anchor store closes? Unfortunately, there are many examples, particularly in the United States. Major retailers like K-Mart and JC Penny have declared bankruptcy or have closed in recent years leaving many malls pretty much empty.
Dan Bell creates videos for YouTube and has a massive following. He profiles these “Dead Malls” with views often hitting two million. This has almost renewed interest in so-called “Dead Malls”, often inspiring other people to explore them, with some being demolished soon after.
Here in the West End, we have the tiny, aging but totally unique Denman Place Mall with its three anchor stores: No-Frills, Shoppers Drug Mart and Dollarama. It has plenty of competition from the reopened Safeway on Davie Street, but still attracts West Enders.
Another “mall” in the West End which may have slipped your mind or you’ve never heard of is the Robson Public Market.
It was built during the B.C. economic boom of 1986 with Expo ‘86 in town to cash in on the mass of people coming to Vancouver, while also offering an alternative to the popular Granville Island Public Market. The market opened on January 7, 1986 to much praise and excitement. Community leaders were on hand, along with then Vancouver Mayor Gordon Campbell.
More importantly, it had active shoppers on its two floors, spending money at mom and pop stores and eateries. When the Robson Public Market opened, it was a big thing. But around the turn of the millennium, stores began to close and new shops didn’t really fit the public market theme. The remaining stores wound end up in competition with a large new Capers store (now Whole Foods) across the street, targeting the exact same customers as the public market. The upgrade of the Robson Safeway also didn’t help the public market. It is a very quiet place these days.
Many would argue the “last straw” was when the main produce store, ironically called K-Mart (not associated with the U.S. department store), closed its doors in 2018. All that is left from the original era is a butcher shop, albeit widely regarded as one of the finest in the West End.
A shop employee who did not want to be identified for reasons related to public market management told me that there are often more people just sitting around and using the free Wi-Fi. He also said that he thinks there is a high chance of the mall being redeveloped.
That may become a reality one day. Across Cardero Street, a Karaoke place, a restaurant and the former Chocolate Mousse store are being redeveloped into a 28-storey tower. One block up, the former Empire Landmark was demolished to make way for 30-storey twin towers.
Next month we will be looking at ways to possibly improve the Robson Public Market and find out what frequent customers say about its current state.
West End Moments
THE VIEW FROM HERE
Photos by Mikul Culver
There is beauty to be found in just about everything, or so they say.
Certainly, the fog and smog and smoke that had been a feature of most days through September and October have given us some astonishing, though rather apocalyptic, sunsets.
Almost every West Ender with a camera or smartphone has captured some great shots. Here are four of our favourites.
(click images to enlarge)
WEST END MYSTERIES
James Oakes Photos
They appear, they vanish. Some say they have met the man who creates these whimsical moments for passers-by to enjoy. Others just appreciate them while they last.
Like young Linus, who couldn’t resist taking a seat when one October morning, this appeared in the fountain courtyard on Bute between Haro and Stovold Lane. We guess Mom wouldn't let him try the balancing one! Both chairs were gone the next morning.
(click images to enlarge)
SMOKE & FOG
Dan Walton Photos
The ebb and flow of a mix of smoke and fog last month created some spectacular sunsets (see Mikul Culver’s photos above) and other unique visual moments.
At a busy West End intersection, along a lonely stretch of English Bay beachfront, or down a back alley, the play of light and shadow offered the watchful photographer many opportunities to capture some unique moments.
(click on images to enlarge)
Stanley Park Notebook
The Spoken Trees Tour guide Wes Nahanee. (Jim Byers Photo)
by Jacqui Birchall
A SPIRITUAL PARK TOUR
Walking in the park as the seasons change is pure magic. The huge fog banks create mystical magic; the rain, the wind, the sun bring changing views and aromas, falling leaves and autumnal colours.
Talasay Tours, www.aboriginalecotours.com, owned by Candace Kepley from the Sechelt and Squamish Nations, provides insightful and spiritual tours of Stanley Park. The tours led by First Nations guides, are entitled The Spoken Trees Tour at 12 pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and The Indigenous History of Stanley Park and Vancouver, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2 pm. If you have a group you can arrange other times.
Kepley, a teacher and anthropologist, provides aboriginal teaching in schools and universities in the Lower Mainland.
The Spoken Trees Tour I took was led by Wes Nahanee, whose ancestral name is Chiaxst’n. Also from the Squamish nation, Nahanee is charming and knowledgeable. He is such a pleasure to follow through the forest. One learns where the First Nations people lived in the park, and what natural materials they used for building, for clothing, for medicine, for food and drink, etc. He identifies plants and trees and their uses. Ivy plants brought from Europe at the time of settlement are killing the trees, similarly introduced blackberry plants are suffocating the park.
Nahanee is a canoe master, a wise and interesting soul who has canoed all over the world. He hopes participants of his park tours leave with more respect for the land and a desire to get back on the land and away from concrete.
And there is more magic in the park.
TAKING THE PULSE OF THE PARK
How do you know if a forest is healthy? What about a lake or seashore? Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES) has completed its decade-long ecological assessment of Stanley Park’s ecosystems and last month launched its “State of the Park Report for the Ecological Integrity of Stanley Park, 2020” (SOPEI) at its virtual Annual General Meeting via ZOOM.
The AGM’s keynote presentation by SPES conservation projects manager Ariane Comeau presented SOPEI, an engaging snapshot of how Stanley Park’s ecosystems are faring in the face of natural and human impacts, including climate change.
“There are over 1,030 native species in Stanley Park, including 46 species at risk. It’s important to understand how well the Park’s wildlife and their habitats are doing to better support them,” says Ariane. See the full report here.
Yes, they’re impossibly cute — but don’t feed them!
MASKED BANDITS
For me, the cheeky raccoons are captivating. They fill my sunset park rambles with delight. The Aztecs named raccoons mapachitli which means “one who takes everything in its hands”.
Their front paws are dextrous and have four times as many receptors as their back paws. This allows them to identify objects without seeing them. Watching them wading and fishing in Lost Lagoon illustrates these talents, as they appear to be walking in a very peculiar manner, but are in fact searching the Lagoon bottom below them for frogs and fish with their busy front paws. Their front paws also allow them to hunt for food in the dark.
At this time of year, the babies have reached their teenage years. They are still in their ground burrows with their moms and siblings and are very visible in the dwindling hours of the day, peaking from their burrows, fishing in Lost Lagoon, grooming one another and scampering around the undergrowth.
Their masks allow them to see better. Raccoons can run around 25 kilometres an hour and are great swimmers and tree climbers. They are smarter than dogs and cats.
The golden rule is never to feed these attractive bandits and feeding them is strictly prohibited in Stanley Park.
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Name That Lane
In 2017, the City of Vancouver started to rename eight laneways in the West End after local prominent figures. Who were these people? Why are we honouring their names? What legacy did they leave behind? Let’s find out about the little-known stories of some of our greatest leaders, activists and pioneers.
Kay Stovold. (Vancouver City Archives)
STOVOLD LANE
by Lucas Pilleri
Kathleen (Kay) Stovold was a longtime West End resident and community advocate for seniors and people with disabilities.
Born in England in 1911, she immigrated to Canada during World War II after she lost her first husband. She then married Len Stovold for what would become a 54-year-long marriage.
In 1979 Kay co-founded and became president of the West End Seniors Network, which operates out of a beautiful Edwardian house on Barclay Street known as the Barclay Manor.
At that time Kay was part of a small group of dedicated volunteers who wanted to offer a better life for the thousands of seniors living in the West End. Today, the WESN provides them with a broad range of programs and services, and more than 200 volunteers are contributing to the network.
Part of the organization is Kay’s Place, a drop-in space for seniors, during more normal times, to enjoy a cup of coffee, a daily newspaper or rest on their way home with their groceries. The centre is located in Denman Place Mall. Access and services are restricted during the current pandemic. Find out more about their current operations here.
Stovold was engaged in many boards, work groups, and conferences, among which were the St. Paul’s Hospital Advisory Committee, the City Council Special Seniors Advisory Committee, New Horizons, and the BC Seniors Medication Awareness Project.
In 1999, Vancouver’s mayor and its council honoured the social activist at city hall with ‘Kay Stovold Day’. In 2000, she received the Community Service Award from Volunteer Vancouver. A Memorial Fund was established on Stovold’s death in 2001 to honour her lifelong commitment. The fund is managed by VanCity Community Foundation and helps support Kay’s Place. You can make donations here.
