Between The Bridges – January 10

Canada’s Governor-General, Mary Simon, presenting the Order of Canada to David McCann in December, had this to say:

David is a respected businessman, philanthropist and community leader in the fight against child poverty in Vancouver. A defender of human rights, he was a catalyst in an investigation that uncovered decades of abuse at two Ontario schools and helped negotiate a groundbreaking reconciliation agreement for survivors, which has become a template used around the world.

And this philanthropist is no stranger to False Creek South. 

Property manager of Granville Island’s Creekhouse, David is well-known as a promoter of numerous charitable causes, one of which is the Granville Island Cares For Kids project that helps feed vulnerable children whose meal on Monday may otherwise have been the first since Friday.

But I’ve known David best as a neighbour who once lived across the seawall from me on a boat in Spruce Harbour. He was then a delegate to the Neighbourhood Association from the Greater Vancouver Floating Home Co-op. 

That’s why when I read the impressive list of David’s work that prompted the Order of Canada award, I was struck by one in particular: that he made his current financial support for a school in Puerto Vallarta conditional on the direct involvement of the community affected. It reminded me of something he had done here when he was FCSNA treasurer.

Several delegates had initiated sponsorship of a Syrian refugee family and were looking for FCSNA endorsement. David supported the endorsement but insisted that all of the funds needed must come directly from members of the community. He immediately pledged $2000 to get the ball rolling. 

And roll it did. Although the refugee working group had developed a detailed fundraising plan involving a raffle, a silent auction and the like, the financial contributions that then poured in from neighbours made the plan unnecessary.

But donations reflect more than helping others. They also lead those donating to a fuller understanding that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves and our personal interests. That was also David’s point: giving money to a cause is important in and of itself but when the collective process of doing so can help build community, that cause becomes sustainable.

Sustainability depends, of course, on the neighbours, and David has become one of ours once again with his very recent move back to the Creek to take up residency at Fountain Terrace.

Welcome home, David!

Recently a neighbour up the hill posted a photo showing one of two coyotes tracking a white cat on West 8th and Alder.

Those who grew up or moved here from elsewhere may not be aware of the presence of coyotes in these parts. They regularly hunt in and around Charleson Park in particular and on side streets in general. According to another post, a coyote family lives just east of Granville Bridge near Lamey’s Mill Road. 

Despite their agility, cats are relatively easy prey – especially when their hunters work in pairs. But coyotes are not the only problem facing outside cats. Although vehicle traffic is essentially absent from False Creek South and light on the Slopes’ residential streets, cars, and even bikes, can kill or injure cats. And while we don’t like to think about it, there are those who deliberately abuse unprotected pets. 

For all these reasons the SPCA consistently advises cat owners who value their pets to keep them indoors.

Here’s a real opportunity to help False Creek’s marine environment: Herring will be looking for healthy places to lay their eggs later this month and Squamish Streamkeepers need volunteers to help create spawning panels. Doing so is critical. 

You may know that herring is a vital species that provides an important link in the marine food chain and for human consumption, too. But, according to Pacific Wild, “herring spawn in the Strait of Georgia has been disappearing in a south-to-north pattern and is missing entirely from large swaths of their traditional spawning grounds”. In 2024, this vital area hosted around 42% of the estimated spawning biomass for all of B.C.

For thousands of years, False Creek’s calm, protected waters were a kind of nursery for small sea critters (like herring) but industrialization and urbanization largely trashed this nourishing environment. What does this mean for local waters such as English Bay, Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet - and yes, even False Creek? We are soon to know. Spawning herring are expected to return to False Creek in mid-January to February.

We will be watching - and we need your help in bringing our neighbourhood “marine incubator” back to life.

Since 2014, Squamish Streamkeepers have organized volunteers to deploy herring spawn panels at Fisherman's Wharf in False Creek - and they have had remarkable success. Last year the Streamkeepers moved herring spawn from False Creek to Burrard Inlet.

If you are interested in assisting, Squamish Streamkeepers will be hosting workshops on this activity for four hours between 10 AM and 2 PM on January 25 and 26. They usually marshal volunteers at the False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf, but please contact biologist Douglas Swanston at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required* for more information and to book your workshop participation.

Workshop activities (which run mostly outside - so dress accordingly) will include fabricating and deploying spawning panels, learning how to enter spawn observations during later visits, and, at the end of the season, helping to clean them for use in the next season.

Contact Douglas Swanston at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required* for more information and to book your participation in these workshops.

Register now for the kickoff meeting of the new Zero Waste Club. You have nothing to lose but everything you don’t need.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezeDbWz1787EUS3pK3007MGhZ7TKip8ejR0RoqLFOEdWf_eg/viewform?usp=sharing

In our last issue we announced that Beth Dempster (Convivial Café) was offering a dozen free cookies for the best caption for this photo of the new structure named AD LIBS, in the Square.

However, the very next day after BTB came out, luck or fate (or perhaps a golem, the kind that turns against its creator in an act of uncontrolled violence) intervened in the form of a mighty wind and knocked AD LIBS flat.

Most people think it was a sudden windstorm at work, but we have photographic evidence of the real cause:

Back to the Caption Contest, the editors had given no thought at all on how to choose a winner, but since Beth had generously offered a dozen free cookies we decided to let her choose. Here’s what she said of her decision:

“Ohhhh - My vote has to go to the last one:  I think I will make a lemon loaf.
“That is just so off-kilter, yet on-point!”

So congratulations to Ann Fazio (Marine Mews). Beth will make good her promise of cookies with a slight delay as Convivial is closed until February 1 - and January is for dieting anyway.

Thanks to all contest participants!

ED NOTE: Not to rain on the parade, but the collapse of the AD LIBS structure could have had deadly consequences for one resident. See READERS WRITE elsewhere in this issue.

Nathan’s Book Club 
Sunday, January 26, 2-4 pm, False Creek Co-op, 711 Millyard. 
Join your neighbours in another session of this community book club, created to realize the late Nathan Edelson’s intention to help us learn more about all things urban. To be discussed: The Death And Life Of Great American Cities by the near-legendary Jane Jacobs, whose work seriously influenced False Creek South's conceptual design and development. Copies of Death and Life (and all previous Nathan's Book Club books) are available to borrow from Sarah at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*.

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Squamish Streamkeepers Workshop
Saturday and Sunday, January 25 & 26, 10 AM to 2 PM.
See CALLING ALL CREEKERS elsewhere in this issue.

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Riviera Café and Restaurant
Neighbours waiting to try out the Riviera at Stamps Landing will have to wait a bit longer. Opening Day, originally scheduled for December, is now set for Saturday, February 1.

Near-death experience in Leg-In-Boot Square
Maggie Rayner, Pacific Cove
    
On Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 11:30 am, a local False Creek resident narrowly missed being crushed by the tall yellow structure funded by the City of Vancouver and recently installed in Leg-In-Boot Square.

The resident, a senior who wishes to remain anonymous, reported that he was on foot and had just cleared the structure when it crashed onto the cobblestones behind him. A strong wind was blowing at the time.

The structure, which blocked the view from the Square onto False Creek, was described in the December 13 issue of Between the Bridges. Neighbouring residents and passersby have described it as an eye-sore.

Each new year often brings along a mindset toward making ourselves feel better. 

An easy first step toward that goal may be found in the Healthy BC Self-Assessment Tool. Created by BC’s Ministry of Health, its purpose is threefold: 

- To gain awareness of your current health status
- To ensure your independence and control over your health and wellness, 
- To access resources to support your health as you age

To access the self-assessment tool, those interested are asked to begin with a survey as explained below:

After completing the questions, you'll receive an immediate personalized summary report. Based on your results, we may recommend that you contact a healthcare provider. You may also get recommendations for health and wellness resources and support.

So there you have it. You have nothing to lose beyond 30 minutes of your time - and who knows? You may gain a new understanding and new ways to feel better. Go to: 
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/more/healthy-aging/healthybc-self-assessment-tool

A sign near the Kids Market on Granville Island displays a direct and dire warning against feeding birds.

The proximity of the sign to a pond where ducks and geese congregate indicates the kind of birds people are feeding at this site. What the sign does not reference, however, is that a City bylaw that prohibits feeding birds and other wildlife on public land can attract a $500 fine.

The by-law exists because migratory birds like geese and ducks that develop a dependence on humans for food may be left struggling to survive in the wild. They need to know how to forage; as well, the kinds of food humans provide, like bread, can leave these birds malnourished.

Bird feeders on private land are legal but still concern the SPCA because “they cause unusually large numbers of birds to gather in one place (and) can facilitate the spread of disease, provide inadequate nutrition, attract rodents and other wildlife, increase the risk of window strikes and predation, and have negative impacts on populations.” 

What’s a bird lover to do? Suzuki Butterfly Ranger Dolores Bzdel (Creekview Co-op) enjoys the presence of birds at feeders but suggests that “if you have a nice, established ecosystem, you don't need bird feeders, even in winter. You should have all the native food they need.” 

That view accords with the perspective of the SPCA. Key to enjoying the presence of birds year-round is to provide the essentials that support their existence: food, water, and shelter. 

To learn how to do that, go to https://spca.bc.ca/news/tips-for-a-bird-friendly-backyard/.

A little out of season, but thanks to the neighbours who anonymously care for the fountain centerpiece at 7th and Laurel and decorated our favourite dog, Boots the Second, for the holidays. Happy New Year, Boots!

Between The Bridges welcomes readers’ contributions of story ideas, events of interest, original photographs, and completed articles relevant to the False Creek South Neighbourhood Association’s goal to “promote an economically, social and culturally diverse neighbourhood with a friendly, positive and vibrant sense of community”. Signed articles reflect the views of their authors. For details go to: