It’s been a very dry winter and spring so far in Rain City and that means sprinkling water restrictions are coming into play this month.
Previously, sprinkling was permitted in the mornings and evenings but now is only permitted in the early morning hours. This is because the demand for water is highest in the evening when most people prepare meals, wash dishes, do laundry, take showers and perform other domestic activities.
When to Water Your Lawn in Metro Vancouver
Residential
Even-numbered addresses
May sprinkle lawns 4:00am to 9:00am Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Odd-numbered addresses
May sprinkle lawns 4:00am to 9:00am Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
Non-Residential
Even-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 1:00am to 6:00am Monday and Wednesday
Odd-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 1:00am to 6:00am Tuesday and Thursday
All non-residential addresses can also sprinkle 4:00am to 9:00am Friday
On the hottest days, as much as two billion litres of water are used in Metro Vancouver. By not permitting afternoon or evening sprinkling, the peaks in water consumption are reduced and in turn reduce demand on the water system.
The good news is that only one hour a week is needed to keep your lawn healthy. You can even let your lawn go brown/dormant over the summer and it will come back green again in the fall. Metro Vancouver also recommends that you leave grass clippings on your lawn as they will retrain moisture.
There are some exemptions to the restrictions and they’ll all listed on the Metro Vancouver website. You can also check out Tips to Conserve Water at Home and follow Metro Vancouver on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Tonight at the Vancouver Convention Centre (West), this year’s impressive roster of BC Sports Hall of Fame inductees will be honoured, recognized, and celebrated for their contributions to sport in our province.
2015 Inductees
Inductees that will be recognized at the Banquet of Champions:
John Haar, Builder, Baseball
Leah Pells, Athlete, Athletics
J.Paul McConnell, Media
Denny Veitch, Builder, All-Round
Shelley Winter Andrews, Athlete, Field Hockey
Paul Kariya, Athlete, Ice Hockey
Garett Hickling, Athlete, Wheelchair Rugby
Denny Morrison, Athlete, Speed Skating
Duncan Campbell, Pioneer, Wheelchair Rugby
BC Members of the 2012 Canadian Olympic Women’s Soccer Team: Karina LeBlanc, Sophie Schmidt, Christine Sinclair, Brittany Timko, and Emily Zurrer
As the social media sponsor of the Banquet of Champions, I will be on site providing updates on Twitter using the tag #2015BOC. Stay tuned for photos, quotes, and more from this inspiring celebration.
Follow the BC Sports Hall of Fame and the Banquet of Champions festivities on Facebook and Twitter, and using the tag #2015BOC.
Update from the Banquet of Champions
Packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the convention centre, with memorabilia and silent auction items lining the reception area, the BC Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony began with a procession led by the Vancouver Police Department’s pipe band. Honoured members and the 2015 inductees paraded into the banquet hall and took to the stage. Athletes, media, builders, and pioneers all donned the Hall’s signature scarf as the room stood to applaud them.
The first inductees of the evening were introduced and honoured, including two wheelchair rugby athletes which made John turn to me and say, “that looks tough!” To which I replied, “there’s a reason it was first called murderball.”
John Haar told a story of walking over to the ballpark on Renfrew 62 years ago to play little league. Decades later he is one of the most respected builders in the history of Canadian baseball.
Shelley Winters Andrews became the first the field-hockey player to be enshrined in the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Denny Veitch’s family, including Deanne Lenarduzzi who spoke on behalf of her father Denny, took to the stage as the patriarch of Vancouver’s first family of soccer was honoured.
A live auction, with seven items available, raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Hall with a prize suite at the Canada Sevens Rugby World Series going for $10,000 alone. All of this support helps the non-profit BC Sports Hall of Fame operate and also run programs like Hero in You, a free lesson plan for schools that aims to motivate children to find the champions within themselves.
After a three course meal, the final inductees of the night had their moments. Leah Pells said that what really resonated for her is the saying that it takes a village, and it does take a village to raise an athlete. She said her “village” was here tonight, between family, friends, childhood and adult coaches who taught her to have fun and focus on herself, not what her competition was doing.
Paul Kariya, who retired after 989 NHL games with 989 points in said games, thanked his family, friends, the North Shore Winter Club and his Vancouver support system.
Speed skater Denny Morrison said that while this event, and the Hall in general, is about inspiring the next generation of athletes, he himself is inspired to do more, to build more, and contribute more to his sport and sport in BC.
Next year the BC Sports Hall of Fame will be celebrating 50 years and as such they’ll have a special “50 Most Important Artifacts” exhibit, more school programs, and a reception for those who made the first 50 years possible. Here’s to the next 50!
The BC Sports Hall of Fame is open daily at Gate A of BC Place from 10:00am-5:00pm. Go there. Experience. Be proud. Be inspired.
The quote “I didn’t even know there was a festival for that!” is displayed on the About page of FestivalSeekers, an online directory and guide to festivals across Western Canada. Indeed, the site provides information about festivals you didn’t even know existed on top of the most popular summer events, contests, photos, deals, and useful tips for while you’re visiting an area for a festival.
“It’s a one-stop-shop,” Editor-in-Chief Lisa Monforton told me over the phone from her home base in Calgary. She and a dream team of experienced adventurers, from Comox to Jasper, curate content for all levels of content so that you can find out about events in your area, across the region, and beyond. Stunning photos, interviews, and multimedia load the site with the best previews for festivals across two provinces as well as providing quick links for ticket purchases and deals for over 200 events in BC and Alberta.
Since being founded in 2009 by Jim Barr (aka Doc Pow), Seekers Media – through FestivalSeekers and SnowSeekers – has been delivering winter and festival content. In 2014 Seekers’ digital network educated and inspired well over 1,000,000 travelers through video views, story reads, contest entries and social media engagement on a winter and or event Alberta/BC travel experience.
All of the FestivalSeekers correspondents, including Lisa, not only write about festivals, they enjoy experiencing them too. “It’s not unusual for my husband and I to just get in the car and hit a music festival in the Shuswap. We’ll pack a cooler, picnic basket, put clothes in a knapsack, put on some car tunes, and hit the road.”
The variety of events covered and posted, on top of the extra information provided, makes FestivalSeekers a valuable reference for music, sports, arts, and culture related festivals.
Want to learn more about Tough Mudder in Drumheller or Whistler? How about Timber Day in Revelstoke, the Nelson Fat Tire Festival, the Shuswap Dragon Boat Festival, and Spock Days in Vulcan? You can find out about tickets and lineups but also find accommodation recommendations, places to eat, and other amenities nearby the event site through FestivalSeekers.
I’m happy to say that I’ll be joining the ranks of the FestivalSeekers contributors this summer as I profile a series of festivals happening in a less talked about corner of the “604” region. I’ll do my best to not only tell you about what’s happening over on FestivalSeekers, but to also provide photos, interviews, and the very best resources and information to help you plan your own adventure this season.
Choose Your Own Adventure
Every year FestivalSeekers gives away over $100,000 in contest prizes and this month they want to give you the ultimate summer festival experience! You can enter to win 2 general admission festival passes to the Alberta or British Columbia festival of your choice PLUS $300 spending money. Enter to win over on the FestivalSeekers website (contest closes June 22, 2015). Good luck!
To learn more, and to keep up with FestivalSeekers, sign up for the newsletter and follow along on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube for more information. You could also be considered for the “festival photo of the week” feature on their social media outlets simply by sharing your festival photos with the tag #FestivalSeekers.
The mission of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society, incorporated in 1981, is to maintain and enhance the bridge of understanding between the Chinese and Western cultures, to promote Chinese culture generally, and to be an integral part of the local community. Since Vancouver’s Chinese Garden was built between 1985-1986, it has served as a stunning venue, cultural hub, public park and green space in the heart of the city.
Using the time honoured principles and techniques of the original Ming dynasty garden, 52 master craftsmen from Suzhou China, working with Canadian counterparts, completed this landscape masterpiece within a year. The intricate halls and walkways are constructed with precise joinery and without the use of nails, screws or glue. For the architect, the botanist, the student of history, the lover of beauty, the Garden provides insights into the subtle wonders to be found within the walls of this living treasure.
Opening on April 24, 1986 at 578 Carrall Street, this oasis is loved by locals and tourist, and as such it is today’s Vancouver Icons photo feature:
Other Vancouver Icons posts: Museum of Anthropology, Fort Langley Community Hall, Christ Church Cathedral, Waterfront Station, Pacific Central Station, Randall Building Mural, East Van Cross, Robert Burns Statue in Stanley Park, Vancouver Maritime Museum, Flack Block, The Drop, Prospect Point Lighthouse, Engagement, Ovaltine Cafe, The English Bay Slide, Freezing Water #7, Cleveland Dam, Heritage Hall, School of Theology Building at UBC, Gate to the Northwest Passage, St Paul’s Hospital, Capilano Lake, Stawamus Chief, Nine O’Clock Gun, Malkin Bowl, Search, Vancouver Rowing Club, Echoes, Point Atkinson Lighthouse, English Bay Inukshuk, Hollow Tree, Hotel Europe, Lions Gate Bridge Lions, LightShed, Granville Bridge, 217.5 Arc x 13′, Canoe Bridge, Vancouver Block, Bloedel Conservatory, Centennial Rocket, Canada Place, Old Courthouse/Vancouver Art Gallery, Dominion Building, Science World, Gastown Steam Clock, SFU Burnaby, Commodore Lanes, Siwash Rock, Kitsilano Pool, White Rock Pier, Main Post Office, Planetarium Building, Lord Stanley Statue, Vancouver Library Central Branch, Victory Square, Digital Orca, The Crab Sculpture, Girl in Wetsuit, The Sun Tower, The Hotel Vancouver, The Gassy Jack Statue, The Marine Building, and The Angel of Victory. Should you have a suggestion for the Vancouver Icons series please feel free to leave a note in the comments. It should be a thing, statue, or place that is very visible and recognizable to the public.
