Rappelling down the side of a building, blogging for 24 hours straight, and sleeping outside in a back alley in downtown Vancouver… in November. These are just a few of the things I have done for charity and now I can add “locked in a kennel” to the list. The BC SPCA has invited me to be a part of their Celebrity Rescue on Thursday, August 14th, which will have me locked up in their Vancouver shelter until I get enough donations from my friends, family, and readers to be freed.
The BC SPCA has been serving the community since 1895 and is the largest animal welfare organization of its kind in North America. It is the only animal welfare organization in BC that has the authority to enforce laws relating to animal cruelty, and to recommend charges for Crown Counsel for the prosecution of individuals who inflict suffering on animals.
BC SPCA Celebrity Rescue is in support of the Scotiabank & BC SPCA Paws for a Cause, the BC SPCA’s annual walk to fight animal cruelty, taking place in September in communities across BC.
Other local celebrities in neighbouring kennels will include Erin Cebula, entertainment reporter/producer at ET Canada and Global TV; Alece Anderson of Rock 101’s morning show; stylist and fashion blogger Kate Horsman; Global TV’s weather anchor, Kate Gajdosik and The Loden Hotel principal Lilliana de Cotiis. All donations raised during the BC SPCA Celebrity Rescue will help fund investigations into animal cruelty, emergency rescue and treatment of injured animals, sheltering and adoption of homeless animals, low-cost spay/neuter programs and a wide range of other SPCA services and programs for animals at risk.
In 2013, the BC SPCA:
Operated 36 local branches across B.C., two spay/neuter clinics, a hospital, a Provincial Call Centre for animal cruelty complaints, and Wild ARC, a wildlife rehabilitation centre on Vancouver Island.
Employed 457 staff members (full-time, part-time and auxiliary) including 27 full-time Special Provincial Constables.
Had nearly 4,000 volunteers throughout the province.
Conducted 7,839 new cruelty investigations and removed 1,340 animals from dangerous or neglectful situations.
Rescued 24,636 injured, homeless, neglected and abused animals.
Reunited 3,742 lost animals with their anxious families.
Found loving families for 14,259 homeless animals.
If you are a pet parent or animal lover, please consider donating to my campaign. All I need is for 100 readers to donate $10 and I’ll be set free on Thursday. Until then, I’ll prepare for my time in the kennel — any tips for being in small, confined spaces with a cuddly rescue pet to accompany me are welcome!
When John and I have visitors arriving in Vancouver for the first time we try to accomplish two things: Get them out on the water, and get them up on the mountains. From both vantage points you can experience the wild nature of our region while looking out on our City of Glass.
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The trip from the airport, down Granville Street or Cambie Street, gives a nice first impression of our iconic city with towers and neon in front of a green mountain backdrop. There are a few other places you can drive to that will offer sweeping views of Vancouver if you’re looking for a quick photo-op. Thanks to Honda Canada I have visited some great scenic Vancouver viewpoints, here are some of my favourites:
Scenic Vancouver Viewpoints
Burnaby Mountain Park
How to get there: Part of the Burnaby Mountain Conversation Area. From the west, head east on Hastings all the way until you reach the Burnaby Mountain Parkway. From the east, take Gaglardi Way from Highway 1 all the way up to Burnaby Mountain Parkway. From their direction, turn north on Centennial Way and take the road all the way up until it loops at Horizons Restaurant and you’re there. Free parking is available.
Notes: Walk over to the Playground of the Gods (Kamui Mintara) and do a quick loop of the lookout area that faces Indian Arm. It’s beautiful during the day but pretty epic in the evening when the light from the city and the setting sun shines through these wooden poles.
Cypress Lookout
How to get there: Take Highway 1 through West Vancouver and use exit 8 for Cypress Bowl Road. Wind up the road until you see a pullout on your right. Free parking. Hop out and enjoy the panoramic views!
Notes: This spot is also called Barrett’s View, named after Dave Barrett who was the 26th Premier of British Columbia for three years between 1972 and 1975. As an MLA, he pressed the Minister of Forests to honour a commitment to preserve forest lands in Cypress Bowl. What followed was an eight year effort by Barrett to save Cypress Bowl from chainsaws and residential development.
How to get there: Jericho Beach, followed by Locarno and Spanish Banks, is the first of the three beaches along a sandy stretch in Point Grey. West 4th is your best bet to get out there, following it west until it splits north into Marine Drive then north again into Discovery Street where you’ll arrive at the Jericho Sailing Centre and surrounding parking lots.
Notes: On top of the views of the city, looking east from the beach, Jericho Beach has tennis courts, picnic tables, a swimming raft, a lifeguard on duty, playing fields, and more. There is a fee to park.
How to get there: Queen Elizabeth Park is located atop Vancouver’s highest point, boasting 52-hectares of green space and the stunning Bloedel Conservatory. Your best bet to get directly up to the viewpoint is to enter the park off Ontario where East 33rd becomes West 33rd, behind Nat Bailey Stadium. Then follow the signs for Seasons and the Conservatory, taking the road up to the top. Pay parking is in effect.
There are two viewpoints. The first is along the back side of the parking lot, looking out at Burnaby. The second is heading north, around the front of the Bloedel Conservatory.
Notes: Would you believe the lush and floral Queen Elizabeth Park used to be a quarry? It’s worth taking a walk down from the viewpoint to explore its beautiful gardens, old quarry waterfall, and brightly blooming grounds.
Follow Scott Graham, @WFLBC on Twitter, for a single day and you’ll discover two things. The first is that he takes awesome downtown building photos and the second is that he’s absolutely crazy about his adorable daughter.
This little angel is his inspiration for hosting fundraisers over the years, usually combining his passion for local beer with the support of a great cause. His next event is Casks for Surrey Memorial, which will take place at the end of August.
The event will have 2 casks of local craft beer, one from Big Ridge and another from Surrey’s Russell Brewing. There will be a silent auction and raffle, with prizes donated by local businesses including Big Ridge, Dead Frog Brewing, Famoso Pizzeria, The Joseph Richard Group, Tasty Indian Bistro, Starbucks, and more.
Graham’s daughter not only spent time in Surrey Memorial‘s NICU when she was born, but she also had a very close call earlier this summer and spent several days in their care. By attending Casks for Surrey Memorial, your donations and contributions will go to the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation and their continued work in the community.
Big Ridge Brewing runs a free roundtrip shuttle from King George SkyTrain and you can call (778) 938-7433 to schedule your pick-up. More information is available via the Facebook event listing.
This post has been contributed by Ben Hill, Communications Volunteer Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End almost a decade ago and I have been a member for two 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.
Stanley Park’s Changing Shores
Restoring the Beaver Creek estuary
Stanley Park’s spectacular seawall no doubt influenced TripAdvisor’s June 2014 decision to name it the world’s best urban park. The scenic 8.8 km stroll is one of the best ways for both locals and tourists to explore the Park perimeter and take in the stunning views of downtown and the North Shore. But the seawall hasn’t had the same positive impact on the marine life at its edge.
Fish access to Beaver Creek is limited by the seawall. (SPES photo)
A good example of this can be found where Beaver Creek meets Burrard Inlet. Before seawall construction began in 1917, this site was home to a small estuary supporting an array of aquatic life. Now the stream is no more than a trickle and the intertidal habitat is much less varied. But Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES) is working towards rehabilitating this.
This fall and winter, SPES is embarking on a major project to return this part of the Park to a semblance of its former function while enhancing salmonid access to Beaver Creek. Before restoration work begins, SPES has been and will be conducting surveys to record the site’s current intertidal life. This baseline data will help us measure the ultimate success of the restoration taking place over the next few months and the years following. Once completed, we aim to see more animal and plant life, particularly sea grasses, which provide great habitat for everything from juvenile fish to crabs to tiny insects.
Surveys began this past July as our Conservation Technician and a team of SPES volunteers waded out into the ocean with a seine net to document the fish found here. At low tide the next day, the team surveyed the exposed beach to record the plants and animals living on the shore.
(L) SPES staff and volunteers conduct a beach seine at the Beaver Creek outfall.
(M) SPES staff identify fish netted in the beach seine.
(R) A Pacific staghorn sculpin is identified and released. (SPES photos)
The seine netted a variety of fish, which is a good sign for the health of this shallow water area. They included Pacific staghorn sculpin, starry flounder, surf smelt and – best of all – two young salmonids (the collective scientific name for both salmon and trout).
Since Beaver Creek is an historic salmon bearing stream, it is heartening to see young salmonids taking advantage of the inshore habitat. The shore survey turned up the familiar bull kelp, sea lettuce seaweed, limpets and barnacles along with the often overlooked creatures including marine worms, purple shore crabs and other assorted arthropods.
SPES Conservation Technician Brian Titaro conducts a shore survey at the Beaver Creek outfall. (SPES photo)
With the restoration of Beaver Creek’s estuarine habitat, we’re one step closer to increasing the diversity of life along Stanley Park’s shores while reviving the original natural landscape of this beloved urban park.
Generous supporters of the project include: EcoAction (Environment Canada), Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, HSBC Bank of Canada, Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program (Fisheries & Oceans Canada), Pacific Salmon Foundation.
Information on SPES’ other habitat restoration activities in Stanley Park can be found online.
It’s been an incredible summer in Vancouver this year and it still isn’t over. In a single day you can hike, climb, paddle, swim, and golf — and I did just that last week. Our home is such a great place for adventure or a sip on the patio, appreciating the arts or for lounging at the beach. Pictures say a thousand words but I really love seeing how visitors and locals alike put together video postcards for this fair town, with different angles, cameras, music, and effects. Please enjoy this roundup of Vancouver summer videos:
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This post has been contributed by Ben Hill, Communications Volunteer 
