I wrote this post by request (although it was my pleasure) for the happy frog and EPIC expo blogs
The man behind the crusade for the honest homeowner is Mike Holmes, and he’ll be on the main stage at the EPIC Sustainable Living Expo this Saturday.
For the last seven seasons I’ve tuned into HGTV‘s Holmes on Holmes to watch home renovation disasters be dismantled, torn apart, and re-done the right way.
“I was constantly being hired to do renovations a second time. I had to constantly fix bad work done by other so-called contractors. I hated doing things the second time and I hated the toll bad renovations took on families. Sometimes families spent their life savings trying to create their dream home and instead ended up with no occupancy permit…or a home full of mould…or a dirt foundation…or ice dams on the roof…or crumbling stucco. You name it, I saw all sorts of screw-ups.” [Holmes on Holmes]
The ultimate goal of Holmes on Holmes was to teach people to hire a reputable contractor to complete their projects. I admit, there’s no phrase uttered in Canadian television today that gets me more excited than, “we’re going to gut it!” Sledgehammers and crowbars in hand, the Holmes crew take their time, and bring in the right guys for the job. Showing up fully prepared for a challenge, full of Tim Horton’s coffee, some of the contractors and specialists who arrive on scene donate their own free time to help out the cause of the day.
“Trades people are absolutely critical to society but don’t always get the respect they deserve.” – Mike Holmes
Despite the amazing contributions by the Holmes on Holmes crew – arming homeowners with the knowledge they need to avoid devastating damages, financial woes and even court appearances with shoddy contractors – Mike felt that this was still too ‘small scale’. Kicking things off with the “Lien on Me” project in 2006, the Holmes Foundation was born.
The mission of The Holmes Foundation is to ensure that all residential renovation and construction in Canada is done right–the first time.
The Holmes Foundation will do this by partnering with schools, businesses and governments to raise the profile and reputation of all skilled trades in Canada, using Mike Holmes’ reputation to encourage young people to pursue careers in the skilled trades and to encourage employers to hire them. [Holmes Foundation]
Not only does Holmes ensure the job is done right, he also uses innovative energy efficient and sustainable methods in his homebuilding. His environmentally conscious efforts and unsurpassed expertise make him an innovator in his field. Also, it looks totally cool on TV when they’re applying that enviro-friendly spray foam insulation.
I was asked by Rebecca on Twitter the other day if I would like to write about a park in Vancouver that I visit regularly as a guest blogger. As I’m familiar with a few in my area in Yaletown, I decided I would write about George Wainborn Park.
How to get there by Transit: The C21 community shuttle (Yaletown/Burrard), any bus going over the Granville Bridge (04, 07, 10, 16, 17) followed by a short walk.
Size: 2.49 hectares
History: The park was opened in early fall of September 2004 in honor of George Wainborn, who was Vancouver’s longest running parks commissioner serving up to 1990 for 33 years.
Among his many accomplishments, Wainborn was a leader in the creation of Stanley Park’s Miniature Railway, played a key role in starting the Carol Ships program, and initiated lighting of the magnificent grove of elm trees on Beach Avenue at Bidwell each Christmas season. A recipient of the Freedom of the City in 1991 and Order of Canada in 1999, he died in September 2003.
Costing $5.1 million to complete, the 2.5 hectare park is located at the south end of Richards Street and south of Pacific Boulevard featuring a children’s play area, a water fountain and pond, and a great grass area.
Notes: Most evenings you will find people gathering around the mid park area with their dogs, including Junior and I. Though this is not a “leashless park”, most owners let their dogs run and play with other dogs (just be careful of ticket officers, who will ticket if your dog isn’t on a leash or if their license is not up-to-date).
The great green grass area is used by many to sun bathe in the summer and some will play Frisbee or fly kites with their kids. Though during last years Civil Strike, the park was hurt by the neglect and is slowly returning back to its former glory.
The April meetup for Vancouver’s Third Tuesday group will be taking place at 7:00pm at the Network Hub (422 Richards Street 3rd floor) – the video below explains.
(the music looping in the background is from a song by Boston-area singer/songwriter Phil Ayoub).
The live blog will begin in just a few hours at this url, stay tuned for updates.
Update: 18:55 Arriving at the Network Hub I took a seat near the back, by the window, and watched as some familiar faces filled the room. David, Nancy, Isabella, Colleen, Narvey, Tanya, Gus, and the folks from Meme Labs.
Photos will be appearing under my Flickr tag: ThirdTuesday.
Update: 19:10 Thanks to the Network Hub for providing the space this evening, man this chair is comfortable!. I just met Gregg Scott, one of my Twitter contacts.
Update: 19:15 Monica is up, ‘crowdsourcing‘ is the topic. She just asked me jokingly to make her sound a little more intelligent in the live blog, but I don’t think my words here will do her speech justice at all really. Monica explains crowdsourcing for business as opening up the playing field in terms of communications from the company, as well as clients and the general public. “Sometimes the comments on a blog post are just as interesting as the post’s content,” affirms Monica. She gives examples of crowd-powered sites, a big one being the whole Wikipedia network and moves on to the music industry with Sell A Band.
Sell A Band’s tag line is “You are the record company”, giving power to the artists and the fans – allowing them to contribute to the band’s success and funding. On to movies, there’s NetFlix which also involves user and viewer reviews. One more site is Threadless, which encourages you to be creative, they simply help deliver the good created by the masses. Personal note – all of these open concepts for funding, coding, sharing of ideas and formulas reminds me of the topics covered at today’s Open Web (my day is rounding out quite nicely).
Update: 19:30 Another example of crowdsourcing is getting your consumers to find the solution for you – using the collective intelligence using a “solvers and seekers” method. (Side note from me: huge example of crowd-sourced advertising is the Canucks Ultimate Fan contest where they got fans to submit videos and photos to become a part of the season’s advertising campaign).
Monica mentions motivations – a) here’s some money now do something b) “people will do better inherently if they’re genuinely interested in the problem,” … “Passion is far more important.” Also, “it’s essential to reward people,” reward people adequately – don’t think of crowdsourcing as free labour and free promotion. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
After my preview post for tomorrow’s shoe sale I got in touch with the company and was fortunate enough to interview Tania Berrios who is the Jr. Buyer for the Shoe Department at Army and Navy.
How long has the Army & Navy Shoe Sale been around?
The Shoe Sale has been going on now for over 50 years!
What styles/brands can we look forward to on Wednesday?
This year we have incredible designer names such as; Oscar de La Renta, Richard Tyler, Bill Blass, Naughty Monkey, House of Dereon (Beyonce), Baby Phat, Bronx and Steve Madden. That is just a few names.
How does Army & Navy manage to drop the prices so low on such great designer products?
A&N has been in business since 1919, which has led us to create a great personal relationship with our suppliers.
How successful is the shoe sale for the company?
Our Shoe Sale is extremely successful. It is the biggest event in the lower mainland. During the 12 days of the sale of last year, A&N sold 78,000 pairs.
Is it the biggest event of the year for the stores?
YES!!
Is there a maximum number of items one can purchase during the first day rush?
Not at all…you can purchase as much as you desire! Absolutely no limit, this is our day to splurge on ourselves! J
The sale runs for almost two weeks, how much merchandise is left after the initial rush the first morning?
We have over 100,000 pairs in stock so there are still plenty of great styles.
Does the Shoe Sale take place in every location in BC and Alberta?
Yes, we have our downtown Vancouver, New Westminster, Langley and 3 in Alberta.
Does it get as crazy at the other locations as it does in downtown Vancouver on opening day?
Yes, especially on the opening day!!
Does the store layout need to change at all in preparation for the rush?
We definitely have to rearrange the racks and add extra racks as well as add more tables, cashiers and bigger signage.
In that last questions I was fishing for some inside tips ie. size 8’s will be located to the right so I know where to scurry on Wednesday morning hehe. Which leads into my last question…
Do you have any tips Shoe Sale for first timers?
I would definitely recommend for everyone to wear flip flops! That way you just slip them off and try on a new pair. Because the sale is so popular, it gets very full, so wearing something light and comfortable is ideal. Another great tip is to grab a basket or the complimentary A&N shopping bag, fill it with all the shoes you like, and grab yourself an empty corner to try your shoes on. That way you don’t have people grabbing from your stash…yes the competition is fierce. For those shoppers who aren’t able to make it right at 8am, don’t worry we stock up the shelves all day, and especially for the lunch and after work rush. Once you have picked out your fantastic pairs of shoes, you are able to purchase them at any till in the store.
Thanks to Tania for taking the time to do this interview. I’ll report back regarding my commercial success (and Keira’s) tomorrow morning…. after we recover from the 6am start.
UPDATE: Want to know how Keira and I did with our shoe extravaganza? The pictures say it all:
How to get there by Transit:Bus from downtown at Granville Station, #4 Powell or #7 Nanaimo (Northbound then Eastbound, get off at East Cordova and Main Street), walk two blocks north to Alexander Street and cross the overpass to access the park.
Size: 3.31 Hectares/8.18 Acres
Features and Selling Points: In addition to being an off-leash dog park, Crab Park at Portside features a field house with washroom facilities, benches, a children’s play area (including a water/spray park in the summertime) and a beautiful tile mosaic created by many of the neighbourhood’s children. As well, Crab Park at Portside is bordered on one side by the Burrard Inlet. There are countless fantastic photo opportunities to be found in this downtown eastside gem.
History: One of City’s younger parks, Crab Park at Portside has only been in existence since the year Vancouver invited the world to play, 1986. At that time, the name Portside was derived from the close proximity to the Port of Vancouver’s main terminal. In 2004, a neighbourhood park committee known as Create a Real Available Beach (CRAB) championed their support behind this recreational area, at which time it was renamed to Crab Park at Portside.
Notes: The key reason I visit Crab Park at Portside is because it’s one of the few parks in the City of Vancouver that allows your dog(s) to go off-leash. Being that the majority of dogs living downtown are apartment dwellers, having a lush green space for them to run and play is essential. Keep in mind, however, the importance of cleaning up after your dog.
On any given day, I can stroll to Crab Park and meet a colourful variety of people who always have interesting, and sometimes heartbreaking, stories to tell. It’s one of the few places downtown that still offers some solace without the usual large crowds found at many of the other parks in Vancouver.
