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The Vancouver SpaceA Blog About Vancouver, BC
7月27日 Enviro Tax on electronic goods coming to BC August 1, 2007 On August 1, 2007, a mandatory Levy will be applied to new electronic goods in BC.Taken from http://www.encorp.ca/electronics/ : The following fees will be charged on the sale of new electronics products:
The plus side is the the disposal of e-waste will be free. I have three tv's and a few computers that I've been storing for a few years waiting for this program to take into effect. With the current Union strike, you may have to wait a few more months before disposing your electronic junk. A list of disposal locations can be found on the encorp.ca website. 1月30日 Get Money for Being Environmentally FriendlyEvery Canadian province is offering rebates or refunds for decisions that decrease energy use. On this web site http://www.incentivesandrebates.ca you can find some that range in the thousands of dollars if you change your entire heating system, to a $150 tax break if you take public transit. There is a 7% refund for all bicycles bought in BC. 10月8日 Where to buy Volleyball Equipment in VancouverVancouver has vibrant Volleyball Community with lots of leagues and
tournaments that go all year round. A good website to find a league is
the site www.vancouvervolleyball.com
. It's updated typically at the start of every season and when ever
someone emails them. There's also a nice forum with volleyball specific
topics.  One common question that comes up with Vancouver vballers is, "where are the good places to buy volleyball equipment - balls, shoes and nets?"
I have kept an eye out for the past few years and I have yet to find a
single place that I would call ideal. What you will likely have to do
is travel to half a dozen places to sample a selection of gear, then
return to one to make your final purchase. These stores aren't close
either. Fortunately for you, I've put in the mileage with my car and my
mouse and written this short guide to Buying Volleyball Equipment in
Vancouver.The Volleyball Mecca that is not in Vancouver, but a great reference is the online store www.canuckstuff.com in Toronto. They offer a complete line of equipment and clothes from all the major brands. The also have fairly reasonable shipping rates. It will cost you $5.00 to get one volleyball mailed and $12 for a pair of shoes. Remember items shipped from other provinces don't have PST ($60 * 0.07 is $4.20 PST). Cons of buying items online is you have to wait a few days and it's harder to return items. Volleyballs  I'm a leather man myself. I figure if you play enough, a new Leather ball every 18-24 months is a worthy investment. Tachikara volleyballs have a lot of history behind them. My current ball is a leather Baden which I'm quite happy with. I've yet to try a FIVB spec'ed Mikasa
as they are way too expensive. A six-pack with a sixty dollar ball
feels as good as one with an eighty dollar one. The place that has the
best selection for Vancouverites? Canuck Stuff...doh!
However there are lots of places that carry Badens in Vancouver with
comparable prices. Pick one that's closest to where you live and factor
in gas.
 While
Canuck Stuff has an excellent selection, there are very few people who
would buy shoes online. Proper sizing and fitting is best done in
person. Unfortunately, Vancouver is one of the worst cities for
volleyball shoes. All the stores I visitted carried only 2-3 models for
each sex. This isn't enough to match the combinations of supinated,
pronated and widths of the average foot. Prices for shoes also tend to
be on the high side compared to Canuck Stuff. Hopefully you'll luck out
after visitting the first few stores. (This
list is current as of Oct. 2006 and applicable to mens volleyball
shoes. Women shoe selections are likely similar or worse.)
10月4日 Vancouver Diwali - Oct 16-22, 2006"...Diwali is celebrated in many ways, the spiritual meaning remains the same for all. The name 'Diwali' originates from the word 'deepavali' which translates to 'row of
lights'. This light is inclusive in its symbolism of good overcoming evil, knowledge transcending ignorance, an illumination of the mind, and hope for mankind during the darkest time of the year. It is a time of renewal & reflection celebrated with family, friends & the community through music, dance, & sweets.
This year, Diwali officially falls on October 21st, 2006 & will be celebrated around the globe." - www.vandiwali.ca
 9月9日 Thanks Van Courier for printing my letter - Eldorado HotelIn the Vancouver Courier Friday, September 8, 2006 they printed a letter I wrote last week: "Development wouldn't wash on West Side To the editor: Re: "City's focal point' a sore point with some," Aug. 30. I appreciated your article on the Eldorado development on Kingsway. I have been keeping a watch on the development for a few years now and have found the residents in the area are unaware of the changes. Ms. Rossi's article should help to inform many more. The key point I want to reiterate is "this wouldn't happen in other communities." They are taking advantage of East Vancouver residents and their lack of understanding of the political system. What the city councillors should be asking themselves is, "Do you want to turn Vancouver into another gigantic Burnaby Metrotown Development?" The bylaw that kept height restrictions for 30 years helped to turn Vancouver into a beautiful city. Think of how many more towers towers would have invaded Kitsilano, Commercial Drive, Main Street and Cambie if it wasn't in place. What we need right now is awareness." I feel the matter at hand is less about the development and more about community awareness. If more residents I spoke to in the Kingsway Area knew the extent of the plans, a lack of action or apathy might suggest people in the area are mildly for the project. However, the majority of residents I've spoken to, first heard of the issue from me. Therefore I tend to think the lack of involvementit's is more due to ignorance. One must also be realize the towers will be 22 stories, with several I'm sure greater than the standard 8 feet per story. The view will then be changed for residents all the way up to Boundary Rd. to 49th and northward. Good bye North shore mountains. If you ask any City Planners they only sent out tower information to 1) the few blocks around the Eldorado Hotel and 2) those outside of one km received the Norquay Pamphlet - A document that says nothing about the 22 story towers. There will be superimposed pictures in the next few weeks of how the view of the north shore mountain from Kingsway will changed. Come back and see for yourself if these two towers are too large. Refer to the other blog posts (below) I've made on the Eldorado Development and the South Vancouver Walmart plan. If you have any comments please feel free to leave a comment by clicking the Add Comment below. There is also a forum groups.msn.com/vancouverspaces for more lengthy discussions. If anyone would like to take a more proactive approach please feel free to send an email to vancouverspaces@hotmail.com. PS: Mr. Jones, the person interviewed for the original article, I'd appreciate if you could email me because I think we could provide more information to our neighbours. Thanks, vancouverbc.spaces.live.com 9月1日 22 story El Dorado Development Written In Van Courier.Almost eight months after the approval of the 22 story towers (that's two towers) on Nanaimo and Kingsway, the Vancouver Courier has finally published an article detailing the development. In the article written by Cheryl Rossi, it says: "Jones, lives about three blocks from the site, attended a city-sponsored meeting at the Renfrew Community Centre last fall, but he said high-rises weren't mentioned in the distributed material. Although city recommended a shift from 19 to 22 stories in an Oct. 18, 2005 report, Jones said this was news to his neighbours at the January Public hearing at the city hall when council approved the rezoning and development. Jones said he only learned of the January meeting when he received a phone call from an Equitas representative asking if he would attend to express his support." Let me recap what happened at the January Meeting and I can confirm Jones's statements about irregularities in the way the City presented the development to residents. There were adverts placed in the Vancouver Courier, but there were never any statements on the proposed height of 22 stories. I only discovered the scale by chance as this was my first City Hall meeting. There were approximately 30 citizens in attendance, 20 of them were employees of the El Dorado Hotel who spoke a few positive words on behalf of the development. Four were like Jones who had been following the issue, and the rest were there for the first time and to see what was going on with their neighbourhood. After listening to all the presentation and finally learning the details of the towers, it was apparent all the new people were angry at the plans that were later to be approved that night. I also strongly agree with the statement made by Jones in the Article, "...If it were proposed in other areas of the city, including Dunbar, Main Street, and Commercial Drive...such a tall tower would spark an uproar." I wrote in a blog post a few weeks back how I attended another meeting at Renfrew Recreation Centre this spring and talked to several attendees. All the organizers were aware, but NONE of the residents I spoke to new of the development. Even a spouse of an organizer had no idea. The pamphlet they had on hand was the old Norquay advertisment without any mention of the 22/15 story towers. From the package distrubuted at the January 2006 meeting this line stands out: "The second tower, located in the southwest corner of the site, fronting onto Nanaimo Street should be reduced froma height of 15 to 7 storeys to better relate to the surroundings, lower scale residential development. In contrast, the 19-storey tower in the northwest corner of the site should be increased to 22-storeys to create a significant tower form at the intersection of Kingsway and Nanaimo Street. " They kept the secondary tower at 15 stories. How delightful. Please read the Wednesday August 30th, 2006 paper for an intro and other posts in this blog. It is still not too late to alert your neighbours and stop this development from proceeding. Discuss this in the forums . This would not happen in other communities. Don't change our community, if you're not willing to do the same in yours. The unanimous January vote had at most 1 out of the 12 council remembers living in East Vancouver. The rest live West of Main Street or downtown. 8月14日 Latin Summerfest 2006 Trout Lake - 11 am - 7 pmFrom www.latinsummerfest.com - "Vision : To Promote Latin Culture in a one-day outdoor event in Vancouver each August,
through its colourful spirit, arts, culture and food. The morning starts off with a parade along Commercial Drive, an import market and food pavilions surrounding an outdoor stage where artists from Flamenco to Cuban Rueda delight on stage in this free community Expo, complete with kids activity area. Uninformed volunteers aid coordination, first aid, clean up, information and assistance to public and exhibitors from 10am to 8pm." This one day festival will be celebrating at Trout Lake from 11 am to 7 pm on Sunday August 20, 2006. Dancers, bands, and workshops will be performing on stages along side food vendors catering latin dishes. A parade will be held on Commercial Dr. at 10 am. For more info email: info@latinsummerfest.com or call 604.533.4380 7月25日 South Van is forced to get a walmart.The vote was 6-5 at Cityhall against South Vancouver Residents and for Walmart. 7月7日 Development Issues in East and South Vancouver July 2006There are three major development issues currently being discussed in East Vancouver:
1) The Walmart property in South Vancouver was voted down by the previous City Council last year by a factor of 8-3. The issue has been brought up again and current residents have been voicing their concerns recently at a meeting on July 7, 2003. A continuation will be held next week. Call city hall to find the exact time and date - City Clerk's Office at 604.873.7276. Editorial: Walmart has invested 20 million dollars towards the property along SW marine drive which include plans for an environmentally friendly building. They have held public hearings and have made attempts to include local issues such as noise and traffic congestion. The counter point expressed by the residents say their neighbourhoods will be changed by having a big box store in the area. I won't go over the effects of Walmart has on a community or the exploitation of third world labour as there are many forums already on the internet. What I will discuss is: Do Vancouverites really need a walmart? The radius of people who will visit a South Vancouver Walmart include people from UBC all the way eastward to Boundary Rd; but South of Broadway. Those people living North of Broadway will actually be closer to the North Vancouver Walmart (about 15-20 mins away) so they don't need a Walmart in South Van. Let's break down the UBC/South of Broadway residents into three regions:
So what areas will tend to benefit from a South Van. Walmart. A few thousand people living in Central Vancouver surrounded by the streets Granville, Boundary, Broadway and Knight ST. Again their need is muted by the average house price in the area of $600,000+. I also can't imagine the Cambie Residents being happy with the increased Walmart traffic after the City approved the sky train route down their neighbourhood.
Not to mention the loss of privacy from condo owners looking into our backyards. 3) Grandview Hwy. Costco, The Brick Height Rezoning - There is an important meeting for Resident living near Grandview Hwy in Vancouver on Tuesday July 11, 7:30 pm Coucil Chambers. Call 604.871.6355 Lori Isfeld - City Clerk's Dept for more Info. Click here for the a copy of the newspaper posting in this weeks Van. Courier.
7月5日 Greek Summer Fest 2006 Jun 30 - July 9"Explore
our culture, our land and our people. Discover our Greek Orthodox religion, savour a sizzling hot souvlaki or a honey-sweet baklava and raise a glass with us in celebration.
Listen to the vibrant music of the Mediterranean, and even better - get up and dance with us! We are open everyday from noon to 11PM. See you at the Festival! Greek Orthodox Community of East Vancouver  This annual event is a Vancouver Tradition for Greeks and neighbours living in the area. Expect some great food and be ready to do some dancing. I highly recommend the loukoumades and bougatsa desserts. Everyone from all backgrounds and ages are welcome. Parking is tight so expect to walk 2-4 blocks. You can't miss the party happening on Boundary rd. 5月30日 X-Site Restaurant - Great Daily Food DealsA little restaurant near the Dolphin Theatre in Burnaby has some of the most friendliest menu prices in Vancouver. The place is called X-Site Grill & Bistro and I have become a frequent regular. The quality of the food is decent and comparable to other mom and pop restaurants. Nicely cooked Chicken Souvlaki is what I had on Wednesday ($4.95) and washed it down with two stiff Martini's ($3.95 2oz). The plate had a ceasar salad, potatoe wedges, rice and a side of tzatziki. The portions are a good size and I ate enough that I wasn't able to have any room dessert. I don't like to comment on decor or atmosphere as I find it doesn't really matter as long as the food is good. Suffice it to say, X-Site is an attractive bar-like restaurant that anyone would be comfortable dining in. This place is on par my other favorites like Martini's (Broadway) and Shadow Mountain Pub (near SFU). Now here's where it trumps the other two places by a potatoe wedge - prices. WoWoWoW!. Beginning with drinks: Mon - $2.50 (*pints*) Tues - Ceasars Wed - $3.95 Martini's (2 oz) Thur/Fri -can't remember which day is long island or highball. (something on sat too) Sun - All specials. Food (that's right $4.95!) 5:00 - 9:30 pm $4.95 with the purchase of 1 beverage for each order. Mon - Steak Tue - Burger (beef, chicken, veggie) Wed - Chicken Souvlaki Thur - Salmon Fillet 2 for 1 Appetizers 10:00 pm - Close From $3.95 to $6.00 X-Site Grill and Bistro 4625 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC 604.298.7483 5月23日 Collingwood Days - May 27, 2006Collingwood is a community centred around the Joyce Skytrain Station and Kingsway. On May 27, 2006 organizers will host activities throughout the day. Below is a list of events. 
 www.collingwooddays.com 604.435.0323 5月13日 Renfrew Collingwood Annual Community Meeting May 13, 2006Renfrew Collingwood CityPlan Committee Saturday May 13th, 2006 Agenda:
I enjoyed hearing about all the events planned for Collingwood Days coming up on May 27, 2006. Family entertainment and a parade around Joyce and Kingsway. There was some concern about Fire Hall #15 and what they'll do with the land or if they'll continue with its operation. An ongoing event continues to need volunteers for helping cleaning and maintaining the Renfrew Ravine. They said over 2.5 tons of trash were collected last year. Nice meeting and good to see the effort people are making towards our neighbourhood. A Concern - Norquay Village: The continue lack of information about the towers going up on Kingsway and Nanaimo. A 22 storey tower and a 15 storey tower. I asked a variety of people and found very few people who knew of the final specifications. Those that were part of committees were fully aware of the height. While, those attending out of curiousity, had no idea these buildings were so large. The committee members gave the explanation that the process to develop the area has been going on for several years and the feedback was fine. I have to agree that the proper steps were taken. BUT if the specs change shouldn't people be notified before the final ruling? If they took a poll, how many would know what was going on? Here is what City Hall and the planning process failed to do:
Solution? About the only thing that can be done now is to get enough people and make a presentation to City Hall. 5000 petitions would be enough. I don't know if the effort is there... This is a long series of propositions city hall has made to change the quality of life of East Vancouver Residents (compare what they do with those living i West of Main):
5月3日 Ethnic NewspapersVancouver is a multicultural city and has several newspapers devoted to specific cultures. On the right side is a list of some newspapers. If there are others, please feel free to send a link. I'm looking for German, Italian, British, Bosnian, Croatian, or any others that people feel are relevant. 3月15日 Block Parties and Neighbourhood BBQs - Where to get Funding?A good way to get to know your neighbours is to have a Block Party or BBQ. In Vancouver there are places where you can ask for grants or funding to host an event. The first one is directly from City Hall. They'll pony up to $1000 to $5000 depending on the size and expected turn out of the event. Click. The other way is through your community house and the Vancouver Foundation. They'll consider donating up to $500. Which is more than enough to get a few hotdogs and hamburgers out to your new friends. You'll have to look up your own neighbourhood house as they're different from community centres. Click. These grants can be used for other neighbourhood plans such as public gardens, graffiti removal, and murals. |
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