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Editorial Committee: Evan Alderson, Susan Wright, Sharon Yandle
Production Editor: Robyn Chan
Proofreader: Kathryn Woodward
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IS THE “MURKY CREEK” CLEANING UP?
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Photo credit: Fernando Lessa
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That the watery part of False Creek is “still not clean enough to swim in” won’t come as late-breaking news to anyone who lives along its shores.
In a piece cited in Between The Bridges (Bulletin #42, January 28, 2022), Morgane Oger blogged that the City was using False Creek as “a major dumping ground for sewage from elsewhere”, a situation as murky as the Creek itself.
However, in a Tyee article published this week, Jen St. Denis relays the news from diver and biologist Fernando Lessa that there is a “little bit less sewage” and, as marine life makes a comeback, “a crazy amount of animals living in there”.
One of them is rumoured to be a dogfish, so before you start hoping that swimming in the Creek may be coming up soon, you need to know that a dogfish is a shark.
Full story here: https://thetyee.ca/News/2022/03/21/Rumours-Death-False-Creek-False/
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Council Liaisons:
Communication is ongoing with the False Creek South City Council Liaisons (Councillors Pete Fry and Colleen Hardwick) concerning the forthcoming community plan and related issues. There will be more to report in the next update.
City Staff:
RePlan participated in a meeting between several co-ops and Sandra Singh, General Manager of Arts, Culture and Community Services, and has requested meetings with the Planning Department’s General Manager Theresa O’Donnell, and with Cory Dobson, the planner who we believe will lead the community planning process. These matters (excluding lease extension or renewal) are among those also being discussed with the Council liaisons.
RePlan’s Community Planning Working Group:
The CPG will be meeting again in a few weeks to review the City’s proposed community engagement process and to seek advice from an array of experts on rising housing prices, the costs of construction and their implications for new development in False Creek South over the next few years.
Co-ops:
The co-ops continue to meet regularly and share information through RePlan’s Authorized Co-op Working Group. The AWG is planning a workshop to share information about the anticipated future costs in maintaining their buildings and anticipated revenues from their members and other sources. Two co-ops are continuing lease discussions with City staff.
Stratas:
In-camera negotiations on current strata leases are continuing between the Strata Leaseholders Society and the City’s Real Estate and Facilities Management Department.
Community Housing Trust:
The False Creek South Community Housing Trust will soon hold its first Annual General Meeting. The CHT anticipates the appointment of several new board members with specific development experience. It is also considering a draft questionnaire prepared by BC Housing to assist applications for funding for the Campus of Care and non-market housing.
Community Meetings and Information Sessions:
RePlan has agreed to provide some staff support to help expand and coordinate several different types of community information meetings and discussions including that:
- RePlan will initiate Town Halls in early April to give residents opportunities to learn more about the RePlan Committee and will pilot several small group discussions to find the best formats for community participation;
- the Neighbourhood Association’s Community Conversations will begin in the spring with a focus on Aging in Community and its implications for housing, health care and other community programming and planning;
- the Place Matters series initiated by local residents is continuing, with two sessions held on housing affordability and on celebrating women in the city;
- Community Planning meetings will be established once Council approves the planning process.
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…that the six city lots in northeast False Creek that have been much in the news recently – the ones set aside three decades ago for 600 units of affordable housing – have sat undeveloped because of…uh…er…because...?
According to longtime housing activist John Shayler, in an exchange with Between The Bridges this week, the City gave the green light to build for-profit housing if the developer sold part of that land to the City for non-market, affordable homes. But realizing the deal became stalled in the face of rising land values and declining government investment in affordable housing.
It’s hard to blame the developer for the paralysis that set in. It no longer had the right to those lots and the City didn’t put into effect the agreement to develop them. The default position, to do nothing, resulted in the present situation where the 20% of housing units on the old Expo lands that were to be affordable homes has now shrunk to 9%.
Thirty-three years later, empty land sits where 600 homes should be: the kind of scenario that to ordinary citizens is simply crazy-making.
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BALANCING ACT IN THE SILLY SEASON
One difficulty in reporting city happenings in a municipal election year (aka the silly season) is distinguishing between events interesting to our community and those that are part of electioneering.
One of the False Creek South Neighbourhood Association’s stated constitutional purposes is to “encourage civic participation by residents while remaining non-partisan as an association”, and, accordingly, Between The Bridges doesn’t promote any political party.
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The difficulty is that civic politicians weren’t doing nothing in their pre-elected days. Some are known for their community-building work in distinct neighbourhoods: Jean Swanson for the Downtown Eastside, Pete Fry in Strathcona. Others were prominent in social issues, such as Sarah Kirby-Yung and Lisa Dominato in mental health advocacy. It makes sense for elected representatives to continue such work as they can, and electors would not want it otherwise.
A classic example of airing important community issues that also slide into election territory is an upcoming panel discussion on Food And Culture (March 28). This is an initiative of the civic party One City, intended to strengthen neighbourhoods through “green grocers and other spaces that feed and nurture us”.
If you think other upcoming events are of interest to our community – even if they tip into election mode – send them along. We’ll test them on the balance board and see if anything falls off.
For details on the Food And Culture panel go to:
https://www.onecityvancouver.ca/food_and_culture?recruiter_id=114860&fbclid=IwAR3Ei_bsmAIKi9ZQvCQDXldeBGOi9cB4hCRMbBFiyZP-c4I1-kNmyG760uY |
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UNVEILING ART AT CHARLESON PARK
The official "unveiling" of the Tom Cone Memorial Bench, sculpted by Alan Storey, will take place on Saturday, March 26 at 1:00pm. The sculpture already graces the hill just above the seawall at the western end of Charleson Park on Ironwork Passage.
Let's hope the surrounding ground will soon be dry enough to welcome visitors.
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ABOUT THAT SEAWALL…
Encouraging to some, ominous to others, Commercialize The Seawall will restart the Urbanarium Debates after a long pandemic-induced hiatus. Date is April 1, 7:30 pm.
Sign up to attend either physically(!) at Robson Square, or online, here: https://urbanarium.org/city-debate-13-commercialize-seawall
A FRESH LOOK AT FEELING OLD
The Cooperative Housing Federation of BC will host an online event on April 11, 1-2 pm: Rethink Aging: A Bold New Path to Life at Any Age.
The speaker, Dan Levitt, has extensive experience in describing the benefits seniors can bring to each other and to their communities by working together. Hopefully, the presentation will stimulate the imagination of local residents about the further development of False Creek South as an age-friendly community.
Further information and registration here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/rethink-ageing-a-bold-new-path-to-life-at-any-age-with-dan-levitt-registration-293417598937
NEXT PMM SALON COMING UP
What connects you to the place you live in? The Place Mattering Matters’ fourth salon will “explore the intimacy of place and home through image, poetry and story” via Zoom on April 11, 7-8 pm. Guest storyteller and artist Naomi Steinberg will be joined by poets and artists Daniela Elza, Richard Evans, Graham McGarva, and Maria Roth.
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You can always send your upcoming events to Between The Bridges at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*. Or, why not post them to our Community Bulletin Board Facebook group?
Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/368392819933437
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Val Embree (False Creek Co-op) writes:
“ Between The Bridges Bulletin 45: You are all amazing - great newsletter!”
*
David Schaub (False Creek Elementary PAC Chair) wrote to correct what he called a “small error” in our last issue (Bulletin 45). The article Fifteen iPads En Route identified a major donor to the fundraiser as Judy, a former FCE parent, but had also, and mistakenly, described her as a “current” Swamp Willow pre-school teacher. She is actually retired from that position.
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SMALL GRANTS FOR BIG IDEAS
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With the City rolling out Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) once again, it’s time for people to put their heads together and imagine community-based projects that a little money could help bring into being.
The magic word appears to be “share”. To help people get started, the program provides examples of three Sharing categories: Skills, Meaning and Resources. Up to $500 is available for projects that involve sharing knowledge to help others build, craft or learn, or sharing “meaning” through celebratory or healing events, or sharing the group’s own resources of time and energy to help others.
As well, and new this year, is the Youth-NSG program for people ages 12-24 who can also apply for up to $500. Both programs can provide additional funds up to $350 for honouraria as required.
According to the rules, those interested must apply for and run their projects within the communities they live in. But don’t delay: The application period opened March 15 and runs till April 30. Projects must be completed by November 30.
Full info about the programs and how to apply are here:
https://neighbourhoodsmallgrants.ca/our-communities/central-van/?fbclid=IwAR2Zhkm9ItYM6onNOtO5UnroUKST1RHsjMpkfts5D_BW6ztPLdJQMUjHAuY
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If you’re among the lucky ones with a rose bush or two growing on your patio or balcony, you might know that this forsythia in bloom has a message for you: Prune your roses. Now.
In these times, when the next heat dome might be cooled by the next atmospheric river and when March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lion, gardeners should put less trust in the calendar and much more on an indicator plant like this one.
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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”. For details go to:
http://www.falsecreeksouth.org/2021/01/between-the-bridges-contributor-guidelines/
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