The old Port Mann Bridge has been closed since 2012 and over the last three years, it’s been carefully dismantled, piece by piece as traffic flows by on the newer, wider replacement.
Last week some of the final pieces of the Port Mann, that spanned the Fraser River since 1964, were blasted down and captured in this video:
Explosives were used to carefully bring down the last girders on the Surrey side of the old Port Mann bridge. The work went smoothly and exactly as planned. The three 70 meter long (225 feet), 600 tonne girders were dropped onto the ground where they will be cut and removed for recycling. The demolition was part of ongoing dismantling work to remove the original Port Mann Bridge. Bridge demolition work is expected to continue through 2015 [Source: Vancouver Sun].
This summer Canada, and Vancouver, is hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup and with just 50 days to go the excitement is building. Leading up to kickoff on June 6th, Canadians can get up close and personal with the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ trophy ahead of the largest live spectator sporting event in our country’s history.
AFP PHOTO/COLE BURSTON
FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour
The FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola launched its two-month, 12-city tour earlier this month in Ottawa. Travelling from coast-to-coast in celebration of soccer and women in sport, the tour will include several interactive and engaging elements, as well as surprises along the way – all in the spirit of setting the stage for the biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup to-date.
Fans will get a taste of the tournament at the custom-designed Fan Experience where they can go head-to-head with the Coca-Cola Robot Goalie, record a cheer for their favourite team, hang out in the FIFA locker room, play 16-person foosball or learn a trick or two from expert freestylers. The experience takes guests through the winner’s tunnel, which leads the way to the trophy display where fans will get their photo with the real FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Trophy. Afterwards, guests will cap off their experience with a perfectly served, limited edition aluminum bottle of ice-cold Coca-Cola.
Free reserved tickets are available online for trophy tour events.
Trophy Tour Dates
April 1, 2015: National kick-off Ottawa, ON
April 3-4, 2015: Ottawa, ON
April 9-12, 2015: Montreal, QC
April 15, 2015: Quebec City, QC
April 18-19, 2015: Halifax, NS
April 24-26, 2015: Moncton, NB
April 28, 2015: Kingston, ON
April 30, May 1 & 3, 2015: Toronto, ON
May 6, 2015: Hamilton, ON
May 8-10, 2015: Winnipeg, MB
May 16-18, 2015: Edmonton, AB
May 22-24, 2015: Calgary, AB
May 29-31, 2015: Vancouver, BC
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the first major sporting event in Canada to be hosted from coast to coast, with matches to be played in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec and Moncton. Follow FIFA Women’s World Cup on Facebook and Twitter and follow Canada Women’s National Team soccer updates on Facebook and Twitter with tag #CANWNT.
This post has been contributed by Dan Straker, Urban Wildlife Coordinator with the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End a decade ago and I have been a member for three years. I wanted to offer the team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I have created “SPES Saturday” where they contribute and share stories with my audience once a month.
Vancouver Bird Week is for the Birds
International Migratory Bird Day is coming up on May 9th which reminds us just how important migratory birds are to our environment. But why only celebrate for one day when you can celebrate for a whole week? Whether you are a bird nerd or just bird curious, celebrate Vancouver’s third annual Bird Week from May 2nd to May 9th with great events and activities in locations all around Vancouver. Vancouver Bird Week has walks, talks, art workshops, a film screening, planting events, and great activities for free and open to all ages. Visit the Vancouver Bird Week website for information on events and activities.
An evening presentation series is hosted by Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch on May 2nd, May 8th, and May 9th. Topics will include an introduction to birds and birding, the fascinating mating behaviours of sandpipers, plus specific events related to owls and ducks living in cities.
There will also be a screening of “Birders: The Central Park Effect” at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts on May 6th. All evening events start at 7pm, are free and first come first served.
As well as all of the other walks and events, for those of you with little ones, there will be a number of art workshop activities at Hillcrest and Roundhouse Community Centres throughout the week.
Vote for Vancouver City Bird
This year the City of Vancouver is also holding its second City Bird competition that runs from April 15th – May 9th, pitting four birds in an election to see who will become Vancouver’s City Bird for 2016. Currently, the black-capped chickadee reigns as last year’s City Bird and will be featuring on resident’s parking decals and promotional buttons. The nominees selected for this year are the barn swallow, barn owl, peregrine falcon, and western grebe. The nominees have been chosen based on the theme of “rare gems”, in other words, birds that were once more common in the lower mainland but are now endangered.
Learn more about the City Bird competition and vote online. The winning bird will be announced on May 9th following the final Bird Week event at the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch.
Maybe you are wondering, why should I care about birds, anyway? Vancouver is known for its awesome diversity and abundance of birds. It is a major stop-over on the Pacific Flyway, traversed by more than a billion migratory birds every year. Vancouver itself supports over 250 species of birds year round and has four, count them, four internationally designated Important Bird Areas that surround it. Vancouver Bird Week is all about raising awareness for birds and their value to our environments and ourselves. It is part of a larger initiative called the Vancouver Bird Strategy — adopted by the City of Vancouver in January 2015 — which seeks to create the conditions for native birds to thrive in Vancouver through a number of targeted actions – and you can help! Come out to Bird Week and find out how.
Bird Week is organized as a collaborative effort of many local non-profits and other agencies working in partnership with City of Vancouver and Vancouver Park Board. Stanley Park Ecology Society is proud to have played a key role in coordinating the events for Vancouver Bird Week and hopes that you will participate and take some time to learn about birds in your city.
There’s a lot going on this weekend in Vancouver, with Saturday being the busiest day of the month in terms of events, festivals and activities. Temperatures are expected to soar, giving us a taste of summer with a cool April breeze.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — This post is sponsored by Honda Canada. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Over the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to drive Honda’s full fleet of vehicles, from the peppy, family-friendly Odyssey to the much-bigger-than-it-seemsHonda Fit. With all of my Honda experiences, from Mount St Helens to Sasquatch Park I thought it would be a good time to hear from someone else about how Honda has brought them happiness.
Finding #HondaHappiness
“We did a 5 week road trip down the Oregon and California coast for our honeymoon in 2007,” Kristi Ferguson told me after I put the call out on social media to find a Honda owner. Kristi is a a wife, mum and marketing professional from Greater Vancouver who loves exploring BC wife her family, in her trusty Hondas.
“We also took our 1997 CR-V down during record temperatures in California. There were cars all over the road stopping from the heat, but our CR-V kept on trucking!” Kristi told me that when her family got home from the California trip they knew it was time for a new vehicle — and they knew just what to get. “We purchased a 2008 CR-V, without looking at any other vehicles, which we still have today. It’s an awesome vehicle for commuting, great on gas.”
After replacing their CR-V in 2008, they added an additional vehicle to their family lineup when they purchased a 2014 Honda Odyssey. “Honestly, we don’t even look elsewhere now. When we need a new vehicle, we go straight to Honda, as we know we’ll be happy with the vehicle.”
Happiness comes with a Honda!
Where’s your happy place in BC? The local mountains? The big hockey game with your family? Or your yoga studio at sunrise? Tell us about yours on Twitter and share a photo if you like! You’ll be entered for a chance to WIN $1,000 towards your happy place. Just make sure you include #hondahappiness and follow @hondacanada. Contest runs April 17 – May 10, 2015. For full contest details visit: http://my-honda.ca/happiness.
This post has been contributed by Dan Straker, Urban Wildlife Coordinator with the 
An evening presentation series is hosted by Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch on May 2nd, May 8th, and May 9th. Topics will include an introduction to birds and birding, the fascinating mating behaviours of sandpipers, plus specific events related to owls and ducks living in cities. 
