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Editorial Committee: Evan Alderson, Susan Wright, Sharon Yandle
Production Editor: Robyn Chan
Proofreader: Kathryn Woodward
Contributors this Issue: Erica Trivett (Newport Quay), Julie DeCosta, Susan Wright (Henley Court)
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Kids On Stage At Granville Island
ARTS UMBRELLA IS BACK IN THE THEATRE
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One of Arts Umbrella’s most anticipated events of the year is back “in person” for the first time since 2019.
Following a year of work by the kids (and a few key adults) in Arts Umbrella’s Pre-Professional Theatre Program and Yearlong Intensives, the Expressions Festival will take place at the Jack and Darlene Poole Theatre at Arts Umbrella from April 29 to June 19.
Opening the Festival and performed by the Musical Theatre Troupe, Tuck Everlasting is a musical adaptation of the beloved children’s novel of the same name by Natalie Babbitt. It tells the story of 11-year-old Winnie Foster who must decide if she would like to live forever after discovering a secret in the woods behind her house.
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In Treehouse, performed by the Senior Theatre Troupe, Jenny’s dad, Eric, has her life all planned out following high school graduation: business courses and then working with him in the family business. But Jenny has other hopes and dreams, if she’s only brave enough to take a leap into the unknown.
The Junior Theatre Troupe performs Kindness, an unforgettable lesson in compassion and listening to one another. This show captures the reality of children’s feelings in the story of three kids navigating the small and large catastrophes in their lives.
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Artificial Purpose, written and performed by the Laboratory Theatre Troupe, takes place in the year 2077 when the bestselling tech on the market are lifelike AI robots.
Finally, closing the Festival is SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, performed by the Musical Theatre Troupe. Adapted from the iconic Nickelodeon series and full of chaos, heroism, and hope, SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, and all of Bikini Bottom face total annihilation of their undersea world.
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On April 27 RePlan presented an online Town Hall meeting, which was then repeated twice in the days that followed, to help update the False Creek South community on RePlan’s activities and interactions with the City.
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WANT MORE INFO ON THE CAMPUS OF CARE?
Just out in The Province and other Post Media publications is an OpEd by Simon Neill, a principal advocate for the Campus of Care, a complex intended to integrate a continuum of care services and housing in the Creek. You can find the article here: https://theprovince.com/opinion/simon-neill-we-have-to-find-ways-of-increasing-community-connections-for-seniors.
Simon will also meet with the delegates to the False Creek South Neighbourhood Association at its June meeting to provide updates on this project and its potential for unleashing opportunities for the future.
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Guerilla Gardening
NEGLECTED GARDEN PLOT BLOOMS ANEW
Erica Trivett, Newport Quay
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When the pandemic hit in 2020, I was eager for projects that would connect me to my community. With only a small balcony for plants, I found myself eyeing a nearby neglected public garden plot. It was overgrown with grass and roots -- an eyesore compared to the nicely- groomed and loved gardens of adjacent Pacific Cove.
I wrote to the City but, getting no response, decided to begin anyways. The very day I approached the garden with conviction, I found a woman pulling out some of the dry grass and weeds. Was she with the City? She was not! She was recently retired and accustomed to frequenting the spot. “You’re doing what I want to do!” I said. A quick conversation and exchange of names began the soon-bonded relationship.
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The next day my partner, walking by the garden, noticed an envelope sticking out of the garden bed and taped to a long stick – and addressed to me. The letter inside included the email address of Pat Lewis from Pacific Cove. I was happy; clearly a very cool and willing accomplice.
The real action began: Pat and I removed all the weeds and dug the roots out, prying them like wiggly teeth. That took at least a month. We were then ready for soil improvements and plant donations from other community gardens.
That fall we planted, then sat back to watch the growth. It wasn't only the garden that grew but a community, increasingly present and interactive. More and more, neighbours and passersby would sit on benches to enjoy the view and ameliorated garden.
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Now vibrant with greenery and blooms, the space has transformed over two years, helped along by neighbourhood grants initiated by savvy neighbour Kristi. Pat and I are grateful for the garden as we watch people appreciate the more cohesive landscape of False Creek South.
ED NOTE: The liberated garden is situated in an open courtyard just east of Mahony’s and south of the seawall.
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LEG-IN-BOOT WILL HUM THIS SUMMER
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The Leg-in-Boot Reboot group has been working away. Music in the Square will again grace the Plaza on Saturday afternoons, beginning as early as May 28 and lasting through the summer. The Plaza has been booked and active planning is underway for accompanying events and activities that will “reboot” the Square as a festive centre of community each Saturday. Sunshine is not yet guaranteed, but new canopies will be purchased to offset the worst effects of weather.
To make it all happen, more volunteers are needed! In addition to regular stewardship responsibilities, music events will require the assistance of at least four volunteers. All those interested in contributing on an occasional or more regular basis should contact *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*. And the invitation to join the planning group meetings on Tuesday afternoons still stands! 2-3pm at Convivial Cafe.
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GO FISH A GO-TO
Julie DeCosta
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ED NOTE: From time to time readers send info on an eatery they just discovered or love too much to keep to themselves. If you know of a local restaurant/cafe/food stand or cart that makes you happy, we’d like to hear about it. Send to *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*.
As I was walking the False Creek Seawall one day from the Granville Island Market, I looked over the bridge to the west only to see fisherman busy filleting salmon. The harbor seals were bobbing up and down in a frenzy ready to climb the pier for a tasty morsel.
I was thinking: Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a local shack that offered fresh fish fare? Lo and behold, I walked a bit further and stumbled across Go Fish on West 1st Ave.
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The location couldn’t have been more perfect. Overlooking the water, it’s a little gem of a place and there’s always a line up full of locals and tourists. Besides the fishy menu, I like the vibe of it. There’s a crazy mix of young adults working behind the grill. They will often break out into song as they’re cooking!
There are convenient picnic tables everywhere to sit and enjoy the food or you can perch yourself on a bench near the water and make friends with the seals and sea gulls who might grab a bite to go if you’re not careful.
Go Fish is my ‘go to’ after a long walk by the seawall. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who loves fish that packs a punch of flavor.
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BROADWAY PLAN TRIGGERS ACTION
The Broadway Plan is almost upon us and portends massive changes in store.
Individuals and organizations along the full stretch of Broadway concerned about both the Broadway Plan and the upcoming Vancouver Plan are holding a rally this SATURDAY, MAY 7 at City Hall, 11 a.m. to noon. Speakers include architect Brian Palmquist and political commentator Bill Tieleman.
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CAN DENSITY + DESIGN = HAPPY MAKING?
RePlan’s Community Planning Group (CPG) and the Place Matters Mattering Collective (PMM) are holding a two-day online event next week and invite everyone to sign up for one or both.
On MONDAY, MAY 9, 7-8 PM, CPG Chair Graham McGarva, will host UBC’s Scot Hein for a Density, Design & Happiness workshop. Scot will discuss building forms and urban design precedents that may be applicable to False Creek South. The purpose of this gathering is to consider ‘place making savvy' through a variety of built form options for each scale of density. These considerations will be helpful when the neighbourhood finally starts talking with the City of Vancouver about its Community Planning.
On TUESDAY, MAY 10, 7-8 PM, the PMM Collective will convene a discussion on Happy Density: What does it mean to you, and what does it mean for all of us as our neighbourhoods undergo change? What is worth fighting for, what can we live without, and what should we not let go? Speakers include: Carole Lewis (Heritage Co-op), Maureen Powers (Creekview Co-op), and Jessica Gut (Vancouver Tenants Union, Fairview)
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BUILDING ECOSYSTEMS IN THE CAMPUS OF CARE
On FRIDAY, MAY 13, 11 am to noon, students in UBC’s Environmental Studies program will present their work on enhancing ecosystems in the proposed Campus of Care supportive housing complex. Initiated through the Neighbourhood Association’s Resilience/Sustainability Working Group (Yael Stav, Chair) the project’s focus is to reduce the environmental impact of the proposed infrastructure.
Zoom registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83307055125?pwd=WlQrSmJqY1gwUDRURktVbDdINWhnZz09
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Non-prepaid Strata Leases
REALITY CHECK CLEARS UP RUMOUR
This past week Neighbourhood Association President Wendy Herdin put to rest a rumour that an announced lease cost hike affecting a handful of strata units reflects bad intentions by the City.
The issue surfaced when a prospective buyer learned of an announced increase come September in the monthly cost of an existing lease. The unit in question is one of a very few strata leasehold homes without a pre-paid land lease with the City.
When the rumour began to float to the media, Wendy, a long-time resident, was the right go-to person to set the story straight. Although a co-op member herself, she had handled the estate sale of her mother’s strata home over a decade ago and was well aware of both the history and the specifics of leases in False Creek South.
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(Creek Village Strata in False Creek South, Photo credit: Nate Yandle)
When the new community began in the 1970’s, the City instituted monthly strata lease payments reviewable every 10 years. Not long after, some owners raised concerns that uncertainty about these costs were inhibiting sales of their units, and asked the City to consider alternatives.
The City complied by establishing a limited time period where leases could be pre-paid in full to their end date, and many took up that offer. Subsequently, the City extended those time limits and more leaseholders pre-paid their leases, leaving a large minority – about 20% – who chose to continue to pay monthly.
In 2008 when the City next revisited lease costs as per lease terms, the increase was well beyond the expectations of those strata owners still paying monthly. Through numerous community-wide public meetings, neighbours formed a committee to work toward a fair basis for determining lease costs, culminating in an arbitration in 2010. As part of that process, the City once again opened a pre-payment window in 2012, and this time almost all strata leaseholders chose to pre-pay.
Ten years later, in accordance with the lease terms, the City has adjusted – and significantly increased – the monthly cost of those leases. The few who elected not to pre-pay may well be experiencing “sticker shock” and some individuals may exercise their right to challenge the City’s calculations. But, as Wendy advised a prospective buyer, “the important thing here is that there is nothing underhanded about this.”
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RE: Between The Bridges #48, April 22/22, Deborah Brakeley (Marine Mews) writes:
I always find this newsletter to be interesting, relevant, and a way to find out more background and historical information about S. False Creek.
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DANCE LIKE YOUR DOCTOR IS WATCHING
Susan Wright, Henley Court
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Studies have repeatedly shown that dancing may keep you physically and mentally healthy well into old age. I’ve tried several forms but the one I like best is NIA: Neuromuscular Integrative Activity.
A relatively new dance form created in the 1980s, NIA is a dance-based, holistic movement practice combining nine different movement forms from the dance arts, healing arts, and martial arts, where dancers follow structured movements as well as participate in free dance. It was one of the first mind-body fitness programs, designed to reduce stress, encourage expression through movement, and develop core fitness.
Today, I am in a class at the False Creek Community Centre. There are 10 women and two men, all barefoot to be in touch with the earth. We begin with stepping in and some breathing and stretching exercises to warm up. Then, as the music tempo increases, we follow the instructor through a series of steps – lateral travel, jazz square, circling, side block, breathing – all in time to the lively music.
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Three levels of intensity allow each dancer to follow the steps at their own level, some more subdued, others more vigorous. Then, suddenly, we are set free to travel the room on our own, moving among the other dancers at our own pace and in our own expression of the music through our bodies. It is pure delight. Each class ends with a reflective quiet time, stretching, integrating, calming, and stepping out into the world again.
False Creek Community Centre has been holding NIA classes for over 20 years and, currently, four times a week with instructor Noelle Wardell. Each class is an hour of mind-body pleasure.
Bev Scott says, “NIA is the way I relax my mind and let my energy flow throughout my whole self. I become embodied.” Carol MacKinnon (Spruce Village) who has enjoyed dancing with the local NIA community for several years, says that “I have found it a wonderful expression of the joy of movement. NIA encourages dancers to respect their own bodies' limits and strengths, while promoting the enjoyment that moving together to music creates.”
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Our friends up the hill on West 7th are getting ahead of us on the community building front. What can be done for the poor stick-deprived dogs in False Creek South?
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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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