As of January 2009 Mapquest was still ahead of Google Maps in the online map department however I have a feeling that Google has taken the top rank in recent years. We turn to it for streetviews, directions, information about local businesses or for trip planning. But what happens when the place you’re looking for doesn’t exist on the map? That is a problem all to familiar to the people of Sechelt, a district municipality on BC’s beautiful Sunshine Coast.
Sechelt is actually located where the black arrow is pointing.
I was first told about this Google Map mishap at WordCamp last week. Local web designer Robert Dall explained that over the last few years members of the community have tried pretty much everything to get their town listed. These efforts include hundreds of people reporting the issue to Google, tweeting about it @GoogleMaps on Twitter, and the Mayor of Sechelt, Darren Inkster, has even written an official letter to Google – all to no avail.
The village of Sechelt was incorporated in 1956 and today the district spans about 39 square kilometers with a population of about 8,400. It’s pretty hard to miss when you’re traveling up Highway 101. It’s home to a Provincial Park, distinct neighbourhoods, restaurants, a sea plane terminal and growing residential developments. So why hasn’t Google put it on the map?
“Sechelt is native word and so it is used in a couple different places which has confused the issue,” explains Dall who wants to make sense of this omission and get it corrected. “This really affects small businesses (especially the bed and breakfast owners), because when people using Google Maps suggest where they want to go they are usually directed to businesses in Whistler and Squamish.”
To help the plight of Sechelt, I encourage readers to Tweet @GoogleMaps with the tag #PutSecheltOnTheMap or report a new issue (if you can find out how to do so in the Help Centre). Using their MapMaker tool won’t help though as it appears to not even recognize the Sechelt Inlet on the geographic layout.
This isn’t the first time Google has missed something on their map. The town of York in Maine was erroneously marked until US Congresswoman Chellie Pingree wrote an official letter Google’s CEO, Larry Page.
Update Less than 24 hours after this was posted, Google updated their pin-point marker for Sechelt and it is now correct.
Thanks to everyone who shared this story!
Move for Health Week is happening in Surrey now until May 15th offering free fitness activities for the entire family.
North Surrey
Event: Fit 55+
Date: Friday May 13 9:15am – 10:15am
Venue: Sunrise Pavilion Seniors’ Centre
Event: Preteen Drop-In Gym
Date: Friday May 13 4:00pm -6:00pm &
Date: Saturday May 14 4:00pm -6:00pm
Venue: Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre
Fleetwood
Event: Yoga Classes
Date: Friday May 13 10:30am – 11:45am &
Date: Sunday May 15 10:30am – 11:45am
Venue: Surrey Sport & Leisure Complex
South Surrey
Event: Deep Water Aquafit
When: Sunday May 15 8:00am – 8:45am
Venue: South Surrey Indoor Pool
Guildford
Event: Dance Gold 55+
Date: Friday May 13 10:30am – 11:30am
Venue: Guildford Recreation Centre
Newton
Event: Yoga Classes
Date: Friday May 13 12:00pm – 12:45pm
Venue: Newton Recreation Centre
Cloverdale
Event: Spin
Date: Saturday May 14 9:30am – 10:30am
Venue: Cloverdale Recreation Centre
These are just a few of the activities being offered for free. You can find a full schedule on the Move for Health Week website.
The edges of Stanley Park have been home to a colony of blue herons for the last 11 years. Perched above the Park Board’s Administrative Offices and the tennis courts, these large wading birds (that stand a meter tall) pepper our beach landscapes.
To protect the herons, which are currently “blue listed” as a species at risk in British Columbia, a fence below the colony has been installed in order to minimize disturbance. According to the Vancouver Park Board, in 2010 the herons occupied 124 nests and produced more than 120 fledglings by the end of the season, which is sometimes as late as September, down from the previous year of 145 nests and 175 fledglings.
The birds have been in the park since the 1920s however this particular colony location has been the same for the last decade or so. Recent reports of predatory bald eagles attacking the nests could potentially prompt a change in location in the future.
The Stanley Park Ecology Society is hosting a tour about “The Great Blue Herons of Stanley Park” on Sunday, May 22, 2011 from 1:30pm until 3:30pm.
“Are we good neighbors to these magnificent avians. The Herons have settled in the park in increasing numbers over the past years. Like any new population they have had their challenges: wind storms, an urban environment and raccoon attacks. On this herony tour we will look at the life cycle of the Great Blue Herons and what the Stanley Park Ecology Society and local residents are doing to be welcoming and helpful neighbours to the Herons.”
Those interested in learning more can meet at the Stanley Park Nature House (at Lost Lagoon) although advance reservations through the Stanley Park Ecology Society are encouraged. Admission for the tour is $5 for SPES members, seniors and children, and $10 for non-members. The Stanley Park Nature House is open every weekend and SPES regularly hosts tours, walks, and information sessions.
EPIC: The Vancouver Sun Sustainable Living Expo, western Canada’s largest lifestyle show for the eco-conscious consumer, returns to Vancouver this weekend.
Mike Holmes at EPIC Expo in 2008
From Friday, May 13th until Sunday, May15th over 300 exhibitors will be showcasing their products and innovations to crowds at the Vancouver Convention Centre. EPIC also has a main stage with featured speakers and this year’s line-up includes Mike McDermid (Program Manager, Ocean Wise), Sean McHugh (Executive Director, Fair Trade Vancouver), and CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos.
Taste and sip food and wine from BC restaurants and wineries, learn from some of the city’s top chefs, sit in on sewing workshops, watch daily fashions shows and find out more about hybrid vehicles. There’s also a KidZone with crafts and activities for the young ones.
General one-day tickets are available for $12 online and $15 at the door. If you plan on attending multiple times throughout the weekend, you can get a multi-day pass for $20 online or $23 at the door.
I have 4 pairs of one-day tickets to give away courtesy of EPIC as well as Vancouver Eco Fashion Week. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment naming your favourite eco-friendly product or business (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw all 4 winners (who will each get a pair of tickets) at 5:00pm tomorrow, Thursday May 12, 2011.
Update The winners are @johnberr, @DilaraLit, Michael Kwan, and kendra.
Canada’s original personal blogging conference, founded in 2005, will be taking place this weekend out at UBC. Northern Voice has been bringing bloggers together to talk about everything from transit and politics to journalism and knitting with a core focus on sharing, collaborating, and blogging your heart out in whatever capacity.
I have been attending Northern Voice since 2007 (it would have been 2006 but we couldn’t afford it back then). What happens when you get a group of over a hundred bloggers, innovators, and social media enthusiasts together is something pretty magical.
I often receive emails asking me if I know of events or workshops about these topics and at the top of my list of recommendations is Northern Voice. It’s not about making money blogging, it’s not about how businesses are using Twitter. It’s about people who create the things that we use, read, share, and love online.
You don’t just meet passionate people from the community, you are instantly a part of it. A few of the topics this year include:
Social Media and Online Defamation: Keeping Out of Court
Naked Truth, Canadian Science Blogging Scene
Your Blog is Boring and Your Photos Suck
Be Rocktacular: Stories from a Music Blogger and Indie Rock Nerd
Sex, Lies, and Wikipedia
Parenting Online, Families, Blogs, and Social Media
… and more
Both Friday and Saturday will also start out with Yoga for Geeks in the morning. They will also have MooseCamp which is an unconference – meaning you show up, pitch a topic, and could be a speaker as the schedule is made on-site.
Tickets are still available for $50 one day, or $90 for both days. Follow @northernvoice or the tag #nv11 for updates and information about the conference.
I will be doing a shift at the WordPress help desk so come by and see me during the day if you have any WordPress questions.
