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Co-Editors: Susan Wright, Sharon Yandle
Contributing Editor: Karen Hausch
Production Editor: Robyn Chan
Contributors this Issue: Maria Roth (False Creek Co-op), Robyn Chan (RePlan Project Manager), Sina Mahboubi (Alder Bay Place), Jim Taggart (Stamps Landing), Sarah Brown (RePlan Community Planning Assistant) |
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| Place Mattering Matters Salon 06
THE LANGUAGES OF PLACE: A PERFORMANCE AND A CONVERSATION
Maria Roth, False Creek Co-op |
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On Wednesday, March 18, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, at the False Creek Co-op Common Room, Sitka Square, we are excited to host readings of select poems by Daniela Elza from her latest publication "Scar/City." Her moving and tenacious collection brings poetic expression into the housing crisis and its impact on communities like False Creek South. Leilani Farha (The SHIFT) writes that "Elza’s poetry will move you to reflect deeply, to mourn loss, and, through poetic persuasion, to defend what’s left." Our event will run for approximately one hour, with spoken and visual contributions from Graham McGarva and Maria Roth. We will have time after the event to continue conversations, and copies of Daniela's book will be available for purchase/signing. To RSVP, and if you have any questions, please reach out to us through the Google form: https://forms.gle/rdfEJc5HATpasfPw5. |
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REPLAN UPDATE
Robyn Chan, RePlan Project Manager |
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RePlan responds to Auditor General’s Report On February 12, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) released its annual Whistleblower Report, which included detailed findings about discrepancies and mismanagement related to the 2021 Real Estate and Facilities Management (REFM) plan for False Creek South. In particular, the OAG noted that the secrecy surrounding the plan was not warranted, and that the almost-$1 million contract awarded to Brook and Harris did not follow proper protocols. RePlan’s Leadership Group is deeply concerned by the OAG’s findings. As community members who watched this process unfold in real time, we know the anxiety that the REFM plan caused, and the distrust that that process created between the False Creek South community and the City of Vancouver. We also saw that the lack of public engagement resulted in a plan that did not reflect this community’s commitment to mixed-income affordable housing and equitable urban design, and that the plan ultimately failed. In early 2025 the City of Vancouver engaged Arup, an international planning firm, to undertake a new landowner’s plan process for False Creek South. Since then, RePlan has been in conversation with the City, including regular meetings with staff, the Deputy City Manager, Arup’s team, and City Councillors. While we don’t yet know the results, we have seen that this process is different from 2021. We expect to hear more about the City’s plans soon - likely in March or early April, and we’ll keep the community informed in real time. In the meantime, we continue to advocate for lease extensions for the neighbourhood’s non-market housing, a community-led approach to development, and the continuation of our ⅓, ⅓, ⅓ income mix, and we look forward to working with the Planning Department on a meaningful community planning process. Meetings with the City of Vancouver RePlan staff and Leadership Group members have recently had several meetings with the City of Vancouver. Staff met with Councillors Kirby-Yung and Dominato to provide an update on the community input on the landowner’s plan, and to reiterate three community priorities: - Develop first on vacant land
- Provide meaningful lease extensions to avoid premature demolition of affordable housing
- Maintain a housing mix that equitably meets the needs of lower, middle, and higher-income earners
Members of RePlan’s Leadership Group met with Josh White, General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability, and Neil Hrushowy, Director of Community Planning, to discuss the future community planning process, which will start when the Planning Department receives direction from Council. |
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Faces and Places
FALSE CREEK SOUTH “TRULY FELT RIGHT”
Sina Mahboubi, Alder Bay Place |
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My name is Sina, and last year my family and I moved to False Creek South from downtown Vancouver. It felt like a rare and meaningful moment for us to land here—at a time when we were looking for a place that truly felt right. This neighbourhood has a quietly special quality: calm, human-scaled, and deeply grounding. I enjoy walking and cycling through the area, spending time outdoors, and skiing in the nearby mountains. |
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Coming from an Iranian Bahá’í background, I value gathering, celebration, and service as natural ways of bringing people together. I look forward to sharing Iranian and Bahá’í occasions with neighbours, and to contributing through simple acts of service that help strengthen friendship, understanding, and community life.
Ed note: Share your favourite faces and places of False Creek South with us! Email *email is hidden, JavaScript is required* with your story and photo. |
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From Carol MacKinnon:
The morning of February 10 we woke to the news of the Tumbler Ridge tragedy, and faced a question. We had a SONG CIRCLE gathering scheduled at Circles in the Square.
Should we still gather? Could we still sing? And yet… we knew that gathering in a circle might be the best thing we could do, singing our sorrow together might actually help us to process our grief and confusion. So we did gather, a small circle of people, not because we were great singers or knew the parts to many songs, but simply to be together, to share some quiet time, an appropriate reading, some silence and a few short chants. We left feeling somehow lighter, for being together. As one song said “You do not need to carry this alone.”
If you would like to see if this kind of circle is for you, our next time together is Wednesday, March 11, at 665A Market Hill, “Circles in the Square” in Leg-in-Boot. We would love to sing with you! • On the publication of our previous issue – our hundredth –
Colin Campbell, Marina Co-op writes:
Congratulations on another excellent edition. * From Cynthia Flood, West End :
Congratulations to all those who invented and nourished and grew BETWEEN THE BRIDGES!
Hope you give yourselves a good celebration. * And from Marta Goodwin, False Creek Co-op:
Congratulations on your 100th issue! “Between the Bridges” has been a wonderful addition to our neighbourhood from day one. It’s my “go to” for updates on the Neighbourhood Association, RePlan, and interesting happenings and people (and even birds and animals) in the neighbourhood. Thank you so much for all your hard work on this engaging neighbourhood newsletter. |
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Veggie box registration starts now
LOCAL FOOD FOR A GOOD CAUSE |
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Sole Food, a local urban farm at 299 West 1st in Olympic Village, is celebrating its 17th year of growing food in the city and the sixth season at its current site in Olympic Village (with hopes for many more to come). |
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Committed to making local food more accessible through tiered pricing, payment plans, and three different share options, Sole Food has now opened registration for its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) veggie box program. Purchasing a CSA Share from Sole Food also supports meaningful work for folks with barriers to employment, helping to pay staff wages and increase wraparound supports for our team.
Full details on CSA offerings are available here.
Sole Food also operates seasonal farmers' markets and this year will host one at its farm gate every Wednesday afternoon from late May through October, where neighbours can stop by and see the farm up close.
For more information, opportunities and engagement, search out @solefoodfarms on Instagram or Facebook. |
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False Creek Elementary, Friday March 6
GRADE 7s INVITE THE PUBLIC TO SCHOOL |
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Local Grade 7 students are inviting the community to stop by False Creek Elementary School mid-afternoon Friday, March 6, to support two events.
Between 2:45 and 4 p.m., buy some fresh-popped popcorn and help raise funds for the annual Grade 7 June leaving ceremony and family lunch. Debit and credit cards are welcome. |
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The 2026 graduating class has 43 students. Twenty-eight of these kids have been going to False Creek together since kindergarten, so it is a tight-knit group and the end of an era. Many students will be off to Kitsilano High School in the fall, while others head to different mini schools around the city. It may be as emotional a time for the parents as it will be for the students.
The second event on March 6 is the Grade 7 Entrepreneur Fair. These students have been learning market research by surveying other students about what they would buy and how much they would pay, how to manage costs, and profitability.
On Friday, the young entrepreneurs will be selling items they made, including bath bombs, bandanas, hair powder, cookie mix, and 3-D printed gadgets. The event is open to the public from 2 to 3 p.m., or until everything sells. All sales are cash only. |
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A win-win for all?
BAESIDE CHANGES PLANS
Jim Taggart, Stamps Landing |
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ED NOTE: By way of background, in Issue #99, January 16, 2026, Between The Bridges printed an article by Allison Lu, Pacific Cove, setting out resident opposition to the planned conversion of the previous restaurant on that site, Mahoney’s/Monk McQueen’s, to a DJ-driven entertainment centre.
I attended the presentation at Baeside this past week. I believe there were about 20 guests there to review the proposed physical changes to the interior and exterior of the building. The architect had provided drawings and renderings on display panels and in PowerPoint slides. He confirmed at the outset that the physical changes proposed were unrelated to the request to change the liquor license and operating hours for the restaurant (which has been withdrawn). |
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The physical changes include expanding the lobby to provide guests with an indoor area to wait for vehicles picking them up, and to some extent, an acoustic buffer for the neighbourhood. The multiple vertical interconnections between the ground and upper floor will be closed off to reduce or eliminate the noise interference when the upper floor is used for an event. There will also be a covered 'sunroom' built on the north side of the restaurant to extend the season for the patio. The overall seating capacity for the restaurant will not be increased.
Most of the concerns and questions were directed to the management of the Baeside and related to the impact of patrons lining up on the seawall and blocking pedestrians and cyclists, and the volume of the music being played at parties and other gatherings. Management indicated that some of the physical changes are intended to address these concerns, and that the original concept of making the Baeside a party venue had been reconsidered, and it is now being reimagined as a destination restaurant.
It is expected that the renovations will take place in the fall of 2026. |
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COMMUNITY HOUSING TRUST TAKES SHAPE
Robyn Chan, RePlan Project Manager |
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On Tuesday, March 10, 7:00 - 8:30 pm, the False Creek South Community Housing Trust (FCS CHT) is holding an open meeting for all False Creek South community members. |
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Since our last community meeting in 2025, the CHT has reached some amazing milestones, including signing up 98 members, receiving funding to work with existing housing co-ops, and connecting with other community land trusts in Vancouver to advance our collective work. The Board has also set up several committees to support CHT staff, and is recruiting CHT members to join.
Please join us to hear about our exciting updates, learn more about community land trusts, and learn how you can get involved in what’s next.
This meeting will be hybrid. |
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Here are events to tempt you in the next few weeks. Please join us.
Sunday, March 8th, 2:30 – 6 pm & Monday, March 9th, 10 am – 1:30 pm
Dark Night/Spring Light Wet Felting with Erin Bruchet
An afternoon and/or a morning of expressive fibre arts with therapeutic wet felting. Circle time to explore, discuss, and debrief the felting experience and connections through creativity. Check out Tenderwoods to see Erin’s unique workshop experiences. • Wednesday, March 11th, 10 am – 12 pm – Song Circle… Singing Your Soul Alive with Carol MacKinnon and Nancy Hinds
A gentle circle of singers or those who want to hum along, learning some simple chants that we would repeat for several minutes, with some periods of silence and meditation, perhaps some writing or movement, and a poem to start and finish. • Saturday, March 28th, 11am – 2:30pm – Family Constellations Workshop with Andrea Woodhouse
Explore the unseen dynamics within your family system – a gentle yet powerful healing experience. In a supportive circle, we’ll bring awareness to inherited patterns, emotional entanglements, and generational influences that may be shaping your life. Through this embodied process, space opens for release, insight, and reconnection with your own inner strength and clarity. No prior experience is needed; just a willingness to show up with curiosity and heart. • If you would like more information or to register, please be in touch with me at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*. If you have a group or an idea that we might include in the programming for Circles in the Square, let us know or drop by 665A Market Hill in Leg-In-Boot Square, just down the way from Convivial Café. |
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Nathan’s Book Club
NEXT UP: LIVING DISABILITY
Sarah Brown, RePlan Community Planning Assistant |
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Please mark your calendars for the next meeting of Nathan’s Book Club on Sunday, April 12th, 2:00 pm, Sitka Square meeting room. |
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We will be reading Living Disability: Building Accessible Futures for Everybody, edited by Emily Macrae et al.
We have two copies to lend, and the book is also available at the Vancouver Public Library. |
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When the forsythia is in bloom, it’s time to prune your roses. |
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| CONTRIBUTOR GUIDELINES: ARTICLES AND PHOTOS
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:
http://www.falsecreeksouth.org/2021/01/between-the-bridges-contributor-guidelines/ |
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