THE TALK OF THE TOWN

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What Do We Have For You This Month?

Welcome to “The Talk of The Town” for July, 2022. Scroll through the following features to find (and click on images to enlarge):

Our Lead Story

YES, PLEASE, WATER THE TREES!
Street Trees Have It Extra Tough In Summer

 by Glenda Bartosh
Summertime and the livin' is easy, but not for the magnificent trees that line our city streets and boulevards.

The climate crisis is causing weather extremes, just as scientists have predicted for decades. Extremes like our unusually cool, wet early summer with temperatures well below normal, suddenly snapping into a heat wave. Imagine what stresses West End trees (and plants) face.

Don’t take our street canopy of trees for granted … they need some TLC too.

On top of it all, boulevard and street trees have to deal with a triple whammy: They can’t gather water as easily as trees in settings like parks or yards, or in nature. The pavement and concrete on roads and sidewalks boxes them in, covering up to 95 percent of their root systems, plus the soil they're planted in is usually shallower. As well, the heat absorbed by roads and sidewalks makes them more vulnerable to high temperatures, dehydration and stress.

When trees sense drought, they store as much water as they can. But if they don’t transpire enough moisture through their leaves, the excess weight can make them fail structurally. That’s when they topple over or branches rip off, which can lead to city maintenance crews chopping them down due to the hazards they pose.

Scientists, along with the rest of us, are continually learning more about the benefits trees provide — to one another, to entire ecosystems, and to ourselves, including our mental well-being.

Bottom line: we need to look after our urban forest, especially since one failed tree can trigger the failure of neighboring trees.

To learn more about trees and the way they depend on each other, see UBC forestry professor Suzanne Simard's bestseller Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, which has received international acclaim. UBC's Urban Forestry Hub also offers excellent resources on how trees interconnect with and impact city life.

HOW TO KEEP OUR URBAN FOREST HEALTHY … Yellowing, light-colored, droopy or wilted, and dropped leaves are all signs of stressed trees. Here's what you can do to help them. And keep an eye out for dry or stressful conditions beyond summer, too. Our weather is increasingly unpredictable. Trees take the edge off the extremes, but we have to help them cope with those same radical changes.

A guide to watering trees. (click image to enlarge)

  • It's best to water trees before we see signs of stress. Keep an eye on the weather. Environment Canada has the best weather forecasts, including heat warnings.

  • In Vancouver, report stressed trees by calling 311, or by downloading the city’s VanConnect app to get them watered, or do it yourself if you can (see below).

  • For maximum absorption, twice a week trickle hose water or slowly pour buckets of water from the trunk to the outer drip line of the tree like the spokes on a wheel until you cover the whole area demarcated by the drip line. You’ll need more water if it’s a big tree.

  • If a tree near you has a watering bag, fill it twice a week. Tree watering bags release water through small holes in the bag over 4-6 hours. Again, you can call 311 or use the VanConnect app to have empty bags filled.

  • Use a bucket to make your own movable watering bag. (Thanks to the City of Surrey for this great tip!) Get a large bucket and drill holes in the bottom. Place the bucket near the outer edge (drip line) of the tree. Fill it with water and let it drain, then move the bucket about 60 cm or 2 ft. Keep going until you get back to where you started. Do it twice a week.

  • In Vancouver, follow the Park Board’s Twitter account: #ThirstyTrees. Join the Facebook group, Vancouver West Enders, where they organize volunteers to water trees. Or check out my blog, Yes, please — Water trees!, for more information on keeping your friendly neighborhood trees — and your neighbors — happy and healthy.

  • The City of Surrey has a great website with practical watering tips including an excellent video.

  • Metro Vancouver posts up-to-date info on watering restrictions, which are in effect until October 15.

As of press time, Metro Vancouver is under Stage 1 restrictions:

  • You can hand-water or use a soaker hose or drip irrigation anytime for trees, shrubs and flowers.

  • Sprinkling watering can be done 5 a.m. - 9 a.m. daily.

  • Vegetable gardens can be watered anytime.

RELATED LINKS:

West End News & Notes

The site of the future West End Community Hub. Click to enlarge.

WEST END COMMUNITY HUB
Update On Consultations

After several months of consultations and surveys, the City of Vancouver’s West End Community Hub Team has released their latest update on plans for the block containing King George Secondary School, the West End Community Centre, and Joe Fortes Library. The update report is titled West End Community Hub Renewal Plan / Phase 2 Report: Activities & Spaces.

During the consultative process, community members shared their ideas for activities and spaces at the future West End Community Hub. According to the announcement “This latest phase of engagement presents a picture of the community’s hopes for the future activities and spaces, and how they are currently used.”

Your can find the full report here, including observations on the limitations of the current facilities, directions for the renewal plan, and recommended spaces for the future WECH based on consultations so far.

Project partners are currently working to develop initial options for how the community hub spaces could take shape on the site. These options will be shared with the community for feedback in the fall. You can keep up to date on future engagement opportunities here.

SUMMER IN THE CITY!
West End Community Centre Guide Online

The West End Community Centre Association (WECCA), which operates the Denman Street and Coal Harbour community centres and Barclay Manor, has released its 2022 Summer Recreation Guide.

WECCA offers programs and activities for all ages and interests.

You can find and download the Summer Recreation Guide or explore it online here: https://westendcc.ca/view-our-summer-recreation-guide/




Towering plans for Barclay Street.

TOWERS FOR BARCLAY
Part of the 2013 West End Plan Bargain

On June 8 the Vancouver's Urban Design Panel reviewed a rezoning proposal for two towers at 1040-1080 Barclay Street. Perkins + Will is the architect, presenting on behalf of developer Bosa Properties.  These photos of the physical model of the proposal were taken by and first published online by CityHallWatch, an independent forum for information and education on Vancouver civic affairs.

“The context model shows that a total of five tall towers that might eventually be built on the block between Barclay to Nelson and Thurlow to Burrard Streets (the Patina at 42-stories was completed a little over a decade ago, while 57-story 'The Butterfly' luxury tower by Westbank is currently under construction and slated for completion in 2023)” according to the CityHallWatch’s report.

Adds the CityHallWatch report: “At a total floor area of 946,391 sq. ft. (87,923 sq. m) the proposed tower at 1040-1080 Barclay has a Floor Space Ratio of 21.87. The fact that this application is being considered at all is due to the West End Community Plan, adopted in 2013. The vast majority of West Enders had no idea what was in store, as the City's plans for this area only were made public in the last few weeks before the Council decision.”

A DOG DAYS BAKE SALE
A Community Fundraiser

On Saturday July 16 the good folks at Barclay Heritage Square (Roedde House Museum, Barclay Manor and the West End Seniors’ Network, and Vancouver Friends for Life) will be hosting “Dog Days at Barclay Square” for a fun-filled pet-themed community fundraiser. Roedde House will be setting up for a doggy treat bake sale, with homemade dog treats, and are now looking for volunteer bakers!

If you are interested in donating your baking skills, contact the organizers at info@roeddehouse.org. All proceeds from the sale will go directly towards the funding and operations of the museum. If you are looking for recipe suggestions, reach out and they'll be happy to provide you with some.

If you are ready to bake, they will need:

  • Your name and contact information (email and phone number)

  • Type of baked goody donation (e.g. peanut butter cookies, sweet potato fries, pumpkin treats, etc.)

  • List of ingredients

Please keep in mind that they will be selling the goodies outdoors and it may be quite hot out, so use ingredients that will survive those conditions.

Contact info@roddehouse.org or call the office at 604-684-7040 if you are interested in this opportunity or have questions.

Barge on the Beach at English Bay has been a contoversial issue since it washed up during a heavy storm in November, 2021.

BARGE BE GONE!
The Barge On The Beach’s Days Are Numbered

In late June the City announced that local firm Vancouver Pile Driving Ltd. will begin removing the barge, starting with the installation of safety barriers and fences. The next stage of work will include additional site preparation and the installation of temporary piles to secure the barge, the city said in a news release.

When preliminary work is completed, deconstruction of the barge will begin, which includes the removal of the barge walls and hulls in sections. All material will be loaded onto support barges and hauled away by sea to a staging area to be processed and recycled, according to the city.

The deconstruction and removal of the 5,000 ton barge is expected to take up to 15 weeks to complete, which will bring us to late October, almost a year after the barge was washed up on the beach in a heavy November, 2021 storm.

According to the City, the barge owner, Sentry Marine Towing, is responsible for all costs related to the removal.

Word On The Street

Imagine Cannabis, at 1766, will not be hanging a 13-foot illuminated sign from their glass awning.

NO BLING FOR IMAGINE
Sign Rejected by Strata Council & Tribunal

Imagine Cannabis on Davie Street will not be hanging a 13-foot illuminated sign over their storefront.

Last month the B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal rejected Imagine Cannabis’ complaint against their strata council for not being allowed an illuminated 13-foot wide illuminated sign.

The cannabis outlet had wanted to install a sign just over 13- feet wide, with the company name in foot-high capital letters made up of “Hollywood-style” light bulbs. The sign was to hang from a bracket affixed to the underside of a glass awning.

The strata council, which oversees 22 strata lots in a seven-story building, rejected the sign because it considered it a significant change in the appearance of common property. .

Tribunal member Eric Regehr, in his June 16 decision, found the sign would extend beyond the building’s exterior wall and would, therefore, be an alteration to common property.

“I find that the fact that the sign will be illuminated means that it would be a noticeable change to the public-facing part of the strata’s building,” Regehr said in his written decision. “I find that this is a significant change to the common property’s appearance despite the presence of other illuminated signs in nearby buildings.”

WELCOME TO MARHABA

Welcome to Marhaba, the latest addtiion to our many choices of international cooking, featuring Lebanese. Their promotions promise a focus on freshness and quality, a friendly staff, and giant size portions. Marhaba is at 1157 Davie, the former location of India Bistro.

West End Moments

West End Street Names

Rear-Admiral Sir John Jervis … another local namesake who never saw the BC coast.

JERVIS STREET

The City’s first surveyor L.A. Hamilton took the name for this street from Jervis Inlet, which was named in 1792 by Captain George Vancouver after Rear-Admiral Sir John Jervis (1735 - 1823), Earl of St. Vincent.

Jervis, who never set eyes on the BC coast, was a strict disciplinarian who once threatened to sink one of the ships of his fleet if its captain didn’t hang a mutineer.

Jervis served throughout the latter half of the 18th century and into the 19th, and was an active commander during the Seven Years' War, American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He is best known for his victory at the 1797 Battle of Cape Saint Vincent, from which he earned his title, and as a patron of Horatio Nelson.

The West End - Coal Harbour In The News