by Joy Metcalfe
(click images to enlarge)

JOY CALLS IT LIKE SHE SEES IT!

Love to start off my Joy's Journal for March with positive things, especially now with the upcoming change in government. Positive things like supporting other more worthy candidates for Prime Minister.

It worries me that for the past nine years, we have had Justin Trudeau and his scandal-ridden Liberal government. Nine years is a very long time! And now there's a chance we could end up in the same predicament or worse.

Mark Carney is not a politician, he is a banker, a banker who sits on the board of the World Economic Forum, known for its infamous quote "you will own nothing and you will be happy."

This globalism fan has three passports, which makes me wonder how we could possibly trust his loyalty to our country over any other. He has recently been installed as the new mouthpiece for the Liberal Party, and though he is not elected, he is most certainly trying to steer Canada even further to the left. According to author and National Post columnist Peter Foster, "what Carney ultimately wants is a technocratic dictatorship justified by climate alarmism."

It's all about control.

The last thing that bureaucracy battered, financially struggling Canadians need is to be chastised and taxed into oblivion by this climate fear-monger. Foster says Carney’s 2021 book, Value(s): Building a Better World For All, claims that western society is morally rotten, corrupted by capitalism, and has brought about a climate emergency that threatens life on earth.

Carney’s solution, Foster says, requires rigid controls on personal freedom, industry and corporate funding.

But here's the thing: According to a 2016 opinion piece in the Financial Post by retired civil servant F. Larry Martin: "A conservative estimate of Canada’s existing carbon-absorption capacity indicates we could already be absorbing 20 to 30 percent more CO2 than we emit," while "the public discourse is driven by a myopic, ideological obsession with carbon emissions," he argues.

Every day there's some new charge against the Liberal government. Haven't we all had enough? How much have you truly studied about the background of the person who could possibly lead Canada? This is such an important time in our history.

Think very very hard before you vote! ...

STILL, THERE BE ANGELS!

Fortunately, there are always angels in our midst to brighten our lives, one of whom I have been friends with for the past 25 years.

**Wendy lisogar-cocchia and husband sergio cocchia.**

Our province’s new Lieutenant Governor Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia was born into a family known throughout Vancouver for their thoughtful generosity. Her dad, Roy Lisogar was a hard-working contractor whose buildings, apartments and hotels still stand today, including the Century Plaza Hotel on Burrard. Roy would often offer help to those in need. So when daughter Wendy expressed her desire to help those less fortunate, Roy was all for it and the famous Women’s Media Golf Classic was born in the mid' ‘90s. Over the past 20 years, charities have received over $3 million from those happy swinging gals. I must say, Wendy was the best and most organized task master ever herding a flock of chatty females into a tight and efficient group of do-gooders.

Over the past several years, she and husband Sergio Cocchia's fundraising efforts have been focused strongly on supporting people with autism spectrum disorder (their son is autistic). Wendy wanted to bring the world's attention to autism, to open it up to research and raise those all-important funds to somehow alleviate the mystery and the heartache of such a devastating disorder.

That’s why she and Sergio created the Pacific Autism Family Network, a unique organization which tries to address the needs of families in B.C. effected by the autism spectrum disorder.

Over the past several years, Wendy has created the annual and highly successful fundraising luncheon called “The Launch” which has attracted more than 800 guests, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the cause.

It seemed only logical when the government sought a new person to fill the lieutenant-governor role — which Janet Austin had held so well for the past seven years — that Wendy was her logical successor.

I feel personally happy and proud of my good friend, for her husband, Sergio and their two grown children ...

FOND FAREWELLS

Speaking of important people, I’m sad to report that VFD's former Chief Training Office, Bud "Carl" Kellett — popular, dedicated, and on the job for 37 years — passed away last week at the age of 104. Sincere condolences to the family. Funeral arrangements to be announced shortly ...

And across the water in Victoria, philanthropist, business tycoon, and tireless promoter, red-headed 92-year old Mel Cooper died last week. I knew him from my broadcasting days with Joy's Journal at CKNW. We met again in Ottawa as seatmates at the gala opening of Garth Drabinsky's spectacular Phantom of the Opera, starring Vancouver's own Jeff Hyslop. It was such a Vancouver breakthrough and triumph for us over all those eastern critics and skeptics. Almost as big a win as Canada over the United States the other night.

Deepest sympathy to Carmella and the family. Mel's funeral will be announced shortly and will probably be held in Victoria...

THE WORD FROM POINT ROBERTS

Former Vancouver alderman Brian Calder calls from his permanent home in Point Roberts, Washington, to add his views on the now precarious diplomatic situation between Canada and the U.S.

He is fed up with the acrimony between the two countries. As he said, for over 200 years Canada and the United States have shared the longest undefended border in the world in friendship and trust — sharing respect, support, peace, loyalty and trade. Perhaps it is time, suggests Brian, that we revisit the famed Peace Arch Monument in Blaine, Washington, which represents the two centuries of lasting friendship and trust between us and the Americans.

The following day he called to tell me that his daughter had sent him a picture of a Vancouver Sun front page, taken 50 years ago when Brian, along with Walter Hardwick and Art Phillips, were opposing the renewal of the Vancouver Iron Works Industrial ten year lease in False Creek. Sun reporter Pat Hrushowy and Brian went to the Federal government ship dock across from Granville Island, scouring the docks until they found a fisherman on his gill-netter.

"We explained what we were up to and he loaned us his 10 foot skiff. We rowed out to the middle of False Creek and he took a picture of me pointing to the dry dock of the Iron Works. Instant Vancouver Sun Front page!"

Earlier this past week Brian was chatting about his Point Roberts problems, with top Sun reporter Douglas Todd. A photographer arrives, takes the shot and once again, 50 years later, Brian is on the Vancouver Sun's front page.

A FUN FISH STORY

Last week there was a fun, not to be missed, happy hour hosted at the Vancouver Fish Company on Granville Island, a lead up to the B.C. Seafood Festival.

The “Shucked” event had almost 300 guests in attendance, with a packed restaurant and long lineups. I have never seen so many wide open mouths, slurping those slippery oysters down their throats, which arrived fresh from the B.C. coastline.

Those seafood treats were accompanied by Forty Knots Wines and Ciders who introduced the release of their new Knotty Cider Apple and Quince Hard Cider.

The crush crowd around the winery table proved that the new unique cider complemented the rich, buttery flavors of the shellfish. Spotted several of my media friends taking full advantage of the slogan, "All You Can Eat".

Unfortunately I can't vouch for them myself. Full disclosure - I don't care for raw squiggly slippery little things...

A SHOW OF HEARTS

Something very new last month from Variety, the children's charity, was “Curtain Call”, a fun party bringing the community out to celebrate and to learn the grand total raised during the Variety Show of Hearts Telethon.

The event was hosted by Global TV anchors Chris Gailus and Sophie Lui and held in North Van at the Lonsdale Quay's Pipe Shop. A fantastic, colourful array of food and drinks awaited attendees, along with a folksy band playing Stand By Me, photographers taking family photos, artists painting guest's portraits, and so much more.

It was jam packed with babes in arms, little kids, and whole families along with some notable names like 97-year-old Mel Zajac and wife Wendy; BC Food and Restaurant head Ian Tostenson and wife Cathy who is now on the Variety board, North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan, Variety’s Advisory Council chair Barbie Hislop, CEO of Variety B.C. Andrea Chang and Vice Chair Bianca Zanatta, busy auctioneer extraordinaire Howard Blank, and Variety's new marketing Director, Miquel Eichelberger.

The other 250 guests were on hand and ecstatic to learn that the telethon had raised well in excess of $2 million dollars, with donations still pouring in.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this great humanitarian effort …

CHAMPIONSHIP CHEF

Speaking of food, heartiest congratulations to Vancouver's ultra talented Chef Alex Kim, who just won Gold at the Canadian Culinary Championships, which were held in Ottawa last month. The good news is that you can taste Alex's prize-winning menu at the Five Sails in the Pan Pacific Hotel until March 19 …

A NIGHT WITH OSCAR

Publisher Randy Vannater reminds me that his 16th annual Academy Awards Dinner Evening is ready to welcome guests with an industry reception, a three-course dinner, an Oscar ballot contest, silent auction and prizes, and it's all happening at the Pinnacle Hotel in downtown Vancouver ...

A GALA GALA DO …

And I can't wait to tell you how fantastic the gala Bacchanalia Ball was at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, which officially kicked off the Vancouver International Wine Festival that’s getting bigger and better every year...

Til next time...Joy