Vancouver Events for Japan Disaster Relief
I’m certain no one could have predicted that we would be rolling into March with crocus-crushing snow and sleet. While the weather has been slightly off for this time of year (and our neck of the woods) the events scene is hopping as usual. The following events have all been submitted by email for listing this month.
Tuesday March 1, 2011
Kids performance: Swimmy, Frederick and Inch by Inch (until March 6)
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Society’s Haiku Invitational
Vancouver International Dance Festival (until March 19)
Wednesday March 2, 2011
Pacific Salmon Foundation Charity Art AuctionPacific Salmon Foundation Charity Art Auction
Glam Glam Give
Thursday March 3, 2011
Dress for Success Vancouver IMPACT fundraising event
Gorgeous Pop Up Party
Katherine Surridge at the Baron Gallery
Museum of Vancouver: Curator Talk & Tour: SweaterLodge
Tweetup fundraiser for F’Cancer Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The annual South by Southwest conference in Austin is happening this month and as usual, there’s a strong Vancouver showing. From local social media companies like Hootsuite to bloggers and digital media enthusiasts, our city’s technology elite migrate to Texas at this time every year.
Vancouverite Kris Krüg on a SXSW panel. Photo credit:
kk+ on Flickr
A little while ago I was approached by Chevy to build a team from Vancouver, hop in a car, and drive to SXSW completing challenges along the way. Unfortunately I had to decline but I recommended this opportunity to my friend John Biehler, a true SXSW veteran and past speaker who knows of all the best BBQ locations.
Biehler signed on as Vancouver’s team captain and has since put together an enthusiastic group (with media, blogging, and PR backgrounds) who will all be piling into a Chevy vehicle next week for an unbelievable two week road trip. They’ve called themselves the “Eh Team” (in true Canadian fashion).
Eh Team Members
John Biehler – @JohnBiehler
Wayne Racine – @WayneRacine
Amber Turnau – @AmberTurnau
Leila Pejman – @ThePej
Michelle LeRoux – @MichelleLeroux
“After being offered (and accepting) the roll of team captain for the Vancouver entry in the 2011 road trip, I immediately scrambled to find others that met a pretty simple criteria,” John Biehler told me. “They had to be going to SXSW, they had to have a place to stay in Austin, and I had to be able to ‘live’ with them for days on end in the vehicle.”
Biehler & Ben Huh from the “I Can Has Cheezburger” empire. Photo:
John Biehler on Flickr
One by one, he signed on teammates who fit his ideal descriptions to a tee. “Amber & Michelle were already going, thanks in part to my suggestion after talking to me shortly after I returned from the 2010 SXSW. They even booked their flights, rooms & bought their badges last summer after my insistence that rooms go quickly. Needless to say, they jumped at the opportunity to participate in the road trip.”
Once the dynamic duo from Whistler was confirmed, Wayne caught up with Biehler when a SXSW badge pretty much fell into his lap. “Leila was the last to confirm her participation,” Biehler added. “We had chatted at the SXSW mixer at the Waldorf Hotel a few months back about attending and once schedules and everything else came together for her, she was confirmed as the 5th team member.” I think it’s pretty safe to say that this is a ‘super group’ of local talent.
The Eh Team will be competing against 10 other teams from around North America who will also be making their way to Austin. To add to the excitement (and competition) they will also be fundraising for Raise a Reader with donations made through their team site.
You can follow along with their adventures down to SXSW on the Eh Team Blog or by searching #EhTeam on Twitter. They will also be hosting a send off party in style next weekend at Local Public Eatery Sunday, March 6th from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.
South by Southwest is a music, film, and interactive conference. The team will be attending the interactive portion (or SXSWi) March 11th until the 15th.
The injustice that was the Komagata Maru incident was one of the first things my teacher talked about in grade 11 social studies and the name has always stuck with me. In 1914 a Japanese steamship carried 376 passengers (all British subjects) from Punjab, India over to Vancouver by way of Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Yokohama. Upon arriving in the harbour, the ship was not allowed to dock and 356 passengers were denied entry to Canada because they were South Asian.
1914 – S.S. Komagata Maru and Canadian officials. Archives Item# CVA 7-125.
Photographer: James L. Quiney
“The ship’s passengers spent two months docked in Coal Harbour surviving on donated food and water because of a public outcry against their arrival. The Dominion government would not allow the passengers to disembark and they were finally denied entry into Canada.” [CBC]
At the time, Vancouver’s mayor Truman Baxter organized an “anti-Asian” rally because of the ship. VancouverHistory.ca has documented the following from a speech by prominent politician H.H. Stevens at the rally: “I have no ill-feeling against people coming from Asia personally,” he told the crowd, “but I reaffirm that the national life of Canada will not permit any large degree of immigration from Asia. I intend to stand up absolutely on all occasions on this one great principle of a white country and a white British Columbia.”
Unable to come ashore in Vancouver, and due to a lack of supplies for the return trip, the ship sat in the harbour until it finally made a return trip to Calcutta, India with all of its passengers. There, it was met by police.
1914 – H.M.S. “Rainbow” in Vancouver harbour to watch over the Komagata Maru.
Archives Item # LGN 1032. Photographer: W.J. Moore
“Unfortunately, the British government of India saw the men on the Komagata Maru as dangerous political agitators. When the ship docked at Budge, the police tried to arrest Baba Gurdit Singh and the twenty or so other men that they saw as leaders. In the process, shots were fired and nineteen of the passengers were killed. Some escaped, but the remainder were arrested and imprisoned or sent to their villages and kept under village arrest for the duration of the First World War. Six months of confinement on board the Komagata Maru ended for most of these passengers in another form of confinement.” [Sikh Pioneers]
Since that time, and starting in the 1980s, official government apologies on various levels have been offered. In 1989 a plaque commemorating the 75th anniversary of the departure of the Komagata Maru was placed in a local Sikh temple and a plaque commemorating the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the ship was placed in the Vancouver harbour in 1994. There is also a mural on the side of a building in Surrey (near Strawberry Hill, Scott Road and 72nd) that commemorates these events.
Almost 100 years later, the Federal government of Canada has pledged to work with Vancouver’s Khalsa Diwan Society and the Vancouver Parks Board to fund and create a monument at Harbour Green Park in Coal Harbour.
“The monument is planned to go up by March 2012 at Harbour Green Park, where visitors could look out and imagine the ill-fated vessel, which was anchored for months before being forced to turn back.” [Metro News] Vancouver Parks commissioner Raj Hundal also told Metro News, “It brings tears to my eyes to think that this happened on Canadian water.”
Update July 23, 2012: The monument was unveiled today in Coal Harbour. From the Vancouver Sun: “In a day like today, where Canada really embraces multiculturalism in a different way, it’s startling for people to think that 98 years ago it could have been so different,” said Vancouver park board commissioner Niki Sharma. “We’re a country built on immigrants so the policies of the past really help us to realize how important it is to not go back there again.
“Having parents myself that are from India strikes a chord with me, because if things hadn’t changed, my future here would have been a lot different.”
The monument was designed and created with $82,500 in federal funds and an additional $104,000 came from the Canadian government to develop a museum at the Ross Street temple.
Today is the 100th anniversary of BC Parks, upon creation of the first provincial park, Vancouver Island’s Strathcona Provincial Park. Throughout the rest of the year, BC Parks is hosting events across the province, from family snowshoe outings to bird watching, star-gazing, and learning to cave.
Growing up in the Lower Mainland, exploring BC parks was one of my favourite activities. Our family would go for a drive every Sunday, which usually led to a muddy hike through a regional park, and we would also camp each summer either in the Thompson-Okanagan, Cariboo, Kootenay, or Gulf Islands. The following are just a few BC Parks that are accessible for day trips or within a few hours of Vancouver.
Mount Seymour
Website
Park Size: 3508 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 31km
Amenities/Activities: Cycling, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, camping, and winter recreation. Mount Seymour also has the Old Buck trailhead, Baden Powell trailhead, the Vancouver Picnic Area lookout, Deep Cove lookout, and Mount Seymour trailhead. Pets are allowed on-leash.
Chilliwack Lake
Website, My Post
Park Size: 9,258 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 148km
Amenities/Activities: Canoeing, fishing, cycling, hiking, camping, water recreation, picnicking, playground.
Manning Park
Website
Park Size: Over 70,844 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 217km
Amenities/Activities: Canoeing, fishing, cycling, hiking, camping, horseback riding, picnicking, winter recreation, winter camping.
Alice Lake
Website
Park Size: 396 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 79km
Amenities/Activities: Canoeing, fishing, cycling, hiking, swimming, playground pets allowed on-leash.
Golden Ears
Website, My Post
Park Size: 62,540 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 67km
Amenities/Activities: Canoeing, climbing, hiking, horseback riding, water recreation, picnicking, camping, playground, winter camping.
You can get out and explore BC Parks anytime and for camping, make sure to book your reservations right away before the hot summer season kicks in and campfire bans go into effect. You can search all BC Parks online either alphabetically, by region, or by specific amenities.
Update May 3, 2011: Premier Christy Clark declares free parking in BC Parks.
Over the weekend John and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. Since we’ve been on the go so much, we decided to have a mini staycation and ended up staying in Richmond (following our attendance at the Sport BC banquet Thursday night). We had the most amazing room at the River Rock Casino Resort complete with big soaker tub, twinkling stars in the ceiling, and a beautiful 180 degree view.
View Larger Map
I had previously linked up with Tourism Richmond regarding our plans for a mini staycation and they arranged a few activities for us. Hopping into a Garden City Cab we headed down to Steveston for the day without knowing what was in store. The first stop was lunch at Tapenade Bistro.
It was a cold and blustery day along the waterfront and walking into Tapenade we were welcomed with warm aromas (especially from the truffle oil that topped the soup of the day, potato leek). That was enough to make me order the soup right off the bat, while John went with an appetizer order of the fish and chips (halibut cheeks with eggplant frites).
The soup was smooth yet textured with tiny bits of pancetta, and small potato cubes. John’s fish was tender, crisp, and the eggplant soaked up delicious flavours yet maintained its crispy shell. Our mains were the mushroom and arugula crepes along with the flatiron steak salad. The crepes were rich and creamy, and the steak was succulent and tender. Without leaving any room for dessert, we enjoyed a glass of wine as we looked out the rustic shuttered windows to watch the fishing boats dance in the wind.
Following our meal, Chef Alex Tung came out and handed me an envelope. Tourism Richmond had planned a secret scavenger hunt for the rest of the day and this envelope contained our first clue and led us over to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. “Built in 1894 in the historic fishing village of Steveston, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery was the largest building of its kind and the leading producer of canned salmon in British Columbia.”
The cannery is an incredible industrial structure that takes you back in time to the smokey, pungent, waterfront cannery operations (minus the disgusting smells and soot, nowadays). It took us at least 30 minutes to make our way through, taking photos and reading placards. Some displays had audio that would play from speakers hidden inside old cans, while black and white news reel footage played from kiosks in the middle of one of the rooms.
The women at the gift shop were very friendly and helpful, and we soon found that to be common theme in Steveston. We had fun exploring and learning about the cannery, and answering a trivia question before receiving our next clue.
The next stop was Pieces Gift Shop located inside Steveston’s oldest building; it was the only building to survive the ‘great fire’ of 1918 in the area. Filled with local, Canadian, and imported trinkets, jewels, furniture, gift items, and toys, we spent quite a bit of time browsing the collections at Pieces. The owner spotted us and asked if we were looking for a clue, which indeed we were. We chatted about the building (and learned its history), about the display cases (made from recycled wood by a local woman), and scooped up our next clue that sent us over to Steveston Coffee Co.
Just across the street and down a few doors, we arrived at Steveston Coffee Co. Fresh baked goods and house-roasted coffee beans were their specialty. We grabbed a drop coffee and a mocha before receiving our next clue.
A Monkey Tree Emporium, another great gift shop, was next on our list. It had clever kitchen gadgets, paintings by local artists, and a very unique and extensive greeting card collection that made me chuckle out loud several times.
The clue we collected her instructed us to head over to The Prickly Pear garden centre next, where I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
The final clue from the garden centre instructed us to end our day at Bell’s Bake Shop, the next street over.
I went with the devil’s food cupcake while John chose the one topped with Reese’s Pieces. Cupakes at Bell’s are delicious, creamy, and sweet without being overpowering in taste. They also have gluten-free and vegan options. While we were there, a woman came in and asked for strawberry but the girl behind the counter said they only use fruits that are in season for their cupcakes.
We waited there for our return trip to the River Rock by taxi and reflected on the day’s activities. History, arts, culture, culinary talents, and local pride were all prevalent in Steveston through cupcakes and coffee, paintings, heritage structures, independent shops, and passionate proprietors.
While we definitely have to come back during the warmer months (to enjoy from fish & chips or an ice cream on the wharf), I found new places to shop, buy coffee, and take my niece and nephews. I also realized how lucky I am to have a husband who enjoys scavenger hunts, photowalks, local history, and all that we discovered in Steveston that day.
You can view all of John’s photos in his Flickr set and mine are on Flickr as well.
