The Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”) has launched a year-long webinar series called Caring for Natural Spaces in Urban Places that will focus on the themes of: Forests, Wetland, Nearshore, and Climate.
Caring for Natural Spaces in Urban Places
Where: Online (updates on in person gatherings TBD)
Admission: Free!
The themes follow those in the ten-year SPES State of the Park report which was released in October 2020. Through the series, their vision is to connect diverse knowledge and practices to foster resilient urban ecosystems.
The Caring for Natural Spaces in Urban Places webinar series will convene a diversity of voices from scientists, urban planners, and knowledge holders in a year-long series of public online engagements, with subjects around supporting the ecological health of natural spaces in urban places, including Stanley Park and beyond. All audiences are welcome to attend.
Details: Join Candace Campo, ancestral name xets’emits’a (to always be there) and Richard Till, smanit stumish (mountain man), from Talaysay Tours for a presentation on Indigenous and more recent settler relationship to the land and to the forest. The talk will emphasize the Indigenous scientific, medicinal, technological and food uses of the forest and sea, while exploring Indigenous and non-Indigenous uses of the land, including trade and travel.
Details: Join Michel Desrochers, Manager of Capital Planning & Strategy, City of Vancouver.
Wetland Presentations (January to March, 2022)
Topic: Presentation: What’s Invading Local Wetlands?
When: January 19, 2022 at 5:00pm
Where: Online
Register:Book online for free, donations to SPES are accepted as well
Details: Presented by by Tasha Murray, Executive Director, Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver (ISCMV). Wetlands are widely recognized as special places and home to many different living things, but invasive species pose a significant threat to local wetlands. Learn how to recognize our worst wetland invaders, why they are so harmful and what can be done about them.
Topic: Presentation: Wetlands – Part of Surrey’s Green Infrastructure
When: February 16, 2022 at 1:00pm
Where: Online
Register:Book online for free, donations to SPES are accepted as well
Details: Presented by Pamela Zevit, RPBio, Biodiversity Conservation Planner, City of Surrey. What do we mean when we are talking about wetlands, and how well do we understand their role and function? How do wetland ecosystems fit into the City of Surrey’s biodiversity and green infrastructure goals and objectives? This presentation will focus these issues using examples and approaches from the City of Surrey, Metro Vancouver’s fastest growing city.
The series will continue with themed events each quarter: Nearshore Presentations (April to June 2022); Climate Presentations (July to September 2022). Follow the Stanley Park Ecology Society on Facebook and Instagram for the latest event updates and news.
Miss604’s Rebecca Bollwitt is an Executive on the SPES the Board of Directors.
Now in its 38th year, the annual Vancouver Sun Run will be returning to the streets of Downtown Vancouver with a fresh new Presenting Partner – Subway Canada.
What: Individual 10k, Virtual 10k, Mini Sun Run 2.5k
When: April 14, 2022 & virtually April 15-24
Where: Downtown Vancouver and False Creek; and virtually
Taking place throughout April, the Vancouver Sun Run is now offering three ways to participate in the iconic event: in-person, virtually, or both. Eager Sun Runners who participate virtually during race week and race again on Sun Run Sunday will receive an exclusive commemorative medal. Registration for all divisions will open Monday, November 1, 2021.
“We are so excited to be able to offer a variety of options for our running community this year,” said Tim Hopkins, Vancouver Sun Run Race Director, “Participants can once again enjoy our beautiful route, enjoy terrific music and join us for the after party at BC Place.”
Long-standing partner, Shaw Communications will once again return to sponsor The Shaw Team Division and Shaw Mini Sun Run which, along with the Youth Team Challenge and Walk with Pacific Blue Cross categories will all be available to participants this year.
“We are so excited to be able to offer a variety of options for our running community this year,” said Tim Hopkins, Vancouver Sun Run Race Director, “Participants can once again enjoy our beautiful route, enjoy terrific music and join us for the after party at BC Place. ”
Registrants are encouraged to raise funds for local charities through our pledging program which began in 2014. The Vancouver Sun Run’s charitable efforts have raised more than $3.23 Million to date. We are proud to announce that for 2022 our charitable partners will be Never Miss Lunch, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon, the BC Cancer Foundation, Raise-a-Reader, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and Family Services of Greater Vancouver.
Registration for the Vancouver Sun Run opens November 1 with early bird pricing in effect until January 31 , 2022. Follow along on Facebook for more updates and news coming soon! Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon.
The Vancouver Sun Run is Canada’s largest 10K road race and the 3rd largest timed 10K in North America. The Vancouver Sun Run is open to international elite competitors, recreational runners, joggers and walkers, wheelchair competitors, teams, schools and children.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Review — Our stay was compliments of Tigh-Na-Mara. Views and opinions are my own. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
When I asked John what he wanted for his birthday this year he had only one reply: “A massage at Tigh-Na-Mara.” I immediately got to work planning a couple of days in Parksville/Qualicum Beach that involved nothing but spa time for him, walks in the forest, beach strolls, and good food. Here are my top 5 things to do when you’re in the area, making the beautiful, award-winning Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre your home base:
Tigh-Na-Mara sunset
1. The Grotto Spa
The Grotto Spa at Tigh-Na-Mara is consistently named the title of the top resort spa in Canada, and it’s where John has also consistently had the best massages – and it had been far too long. His treatment provider even mentioned that he’s got a “permanent resident” knot in his shoulder that they tried their best to deal with. He came back to our room a complete pile of mush, he must have floated back across the resort on a cloud of bliss.
Note: There are BC vaccination card requirements and other COVID safety measures in place which you can read about here.
John is also a runner so he always scopes out the best routes around places we visit. One morning he went over to Rathtrevor Provincial Park and then after dinner that evening we retraced his steps. It’s a stunning park (and campground) with sand flats at low tide and sky-high evergreens. There’s a wide beachfront trail that will take you right back to Tight-Na-Mara along the shoreline.
The winners of the Salt Spring National Art Prize (“SSNAP”) have been announced! As one of Canada’s largest visual arts competitions, SSNAP offers both emerging and established artists the opportunity to submit works directly into a national juried art show where only their art and a short artist statement are judged. This unique and inclusive process has helped promote artists worthy of artistic merit across Canada.
Salt Spring National Art Prize Winners
Early 2021 promotion of Kriss Munsya’s art exhibition at the Pendulum Gallery
The 2021 recipient of the Salt Spring Prize – The Joan McConnell Award is Kriss Munsya of Vancouver, British Columbia.
The work titled “Dream Tonite. Highway Reflection, The Eraser, Edition 3 of 3” captivated the jury due to its beauty, complexity, depth, colour and composition. It addresses issues of how supremacy, white supremacy and patriarchy, have to be undone in all of us no matter what background we are from.
Kriss Munsya is a graphic designer, photographer and award-winning film maker. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, he was raised in Brussels and is now living in Vancouver. In “Dream Tonite. Highway Reflection” Munsya speaks to the trials and tribulations of race, gender and identity, as well as his personal experiences with discrimination and trauma as a Black man.
Winning the Salt Spring Prize – The Joan McConnell Award came as a complete surprise to Munsya, “When my piece was named the winner, I thought it was someone else’s work with the same title as mine; it took me a few seconds to accept I had won.”
Munsya adds, “I’ve been doing my art practice for a few years and I lost a lot of friends because I was approaching some topics about racism. Being someone that is discriminated against and making art makes me a kind of activist. People may not understand that being an activist is not always about being on the front lines. Sometimes, being an activist can be about buying art or producing art or making art possible, or organizing art exhibitions. So in fact, we can all be activists.”
“I’m happy to share something that speaks to people and I am looking forward to seeing how my work can go out into the world.”
Founding director, Ronald T. Crawford says the fourth biennial SSNAP has demonstrated the creative fortitude of artists across Canada even during a global pandemic.
“I’m thrilled to see such a diversity of themes, ranging from COVID-19, to reckoning with the past and exploring personal identity both by Indigenous artists and those from immigrant communities. It’s wonderful to see the commitment of artists to experiment, to explore, and to share their stories.” Crawford adds, “We saw an unprecedented forty per cent increase with over 2,750 works submitted. This speaks to our resounding appeal amongst Canadian artists and our ability to amplify the voices of artists to expand their boundaries.”
This year’s talented jury included former SSNAP winner Judy Anderson, who is an Associate Professor in the Canadian Indigenous Studio Art Department of the University of Calgary; Senior Curator of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia David Diviney; Ydessa Hendeles, Director of the Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation, and Michelle Jacques Chief, Curator of the Remai Modern.
Kriss Munsya – Photo Submitted
SSNAP 2021 Award Winners
Salt Spring Prize – The Joan Mcconnell Award & Residency For Outstanding Work $20,000 ($15,000 + $5,000 Salt Spring artist residency) Donated by Joan McConnell Kriss Munsya | “Dreams Tonite. Highway Reflection, The Eraser” Vancouver, British Columbia
Jurors’ Choice Award – Judy Anderson $3,000 Contributing donors John and Nina Cassils Virginia Morgan | “Raven Steals the Sun” Hazelton, British Columbia
On November 27, 2021, local female artists will perform at the Cultch’s historic theatre in Vancouver for Voices for Hope: A Benefit for Women in Afghanistan to help raise funds for at-risk women and girls in response to the crisis in Afghanistan.
Voices for Hopewill feature live performances by Afro-Canadian and Cherokee blues singer Dalannah Gail Bowen and hip hop, soul, and R&B duo Laydy Jams. Bowen, often referred to as the “matriarch of Canadian blues,” was a member of the Feminine Touch—one of the first all-female bands in Canada. The artist and activist was awarded the Key to the City in 2017 for her contributions to culture in Vancouver. Laydy Jams is comprised of femcee Missy D and violinist-vocalist Sejal, two women of colour who find inspiration in their diverse cultural backgrounds to create a unique sonic blend that aims to empower youth and spark joy.
The beneficiary of funds raised from Voices for Hope is Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (“CW4WAfghan”), a charitable organization with a longstanding history of promoting the human rights of Afghan women and girls through access to education, and now, in response to the current humanitarian crisis, distribution of basic necessities to internally displaced people, and assistance with efforts to provide safe passage for refugees.
100% of proceeds from Voices for Hope’s concert ticket sales and audience donations will go towards financing efforts to support women fleeing Afghanistan and CW4WAfghan’s educational programs. Custom-made Dither & Etch ornaments will also be available for purchase in addition to an online silent auction.
“When we see a small, barefoot girl in a crumbling classroom who comes from a family where no-one can read or write, we don’t see a victim—we see a child poised to fight for her right to be there, burning for change,” says Lauryn Oates, Executive Director of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. “If she gets the tools to learn, the guidance of trained teachers, and awareness that even outsiders are prepared to defend her, she will prove to be everything the Taliban fear: a defiant, smart, imaginative, and even revolutionary leader.”
Proof of vaccination is required for in-show attendance at the Historic Theatre in compliance with BC’s COVID-19 public health regulations. Voices for Hope will also be livestreamed for maximum accessibility.
About Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan
Operating in Afghanistan since 1998, Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan works in partnership with Afghan women and communities to advance human rights, gender equality, and peace-building through access to quality education for women and girls. The charity and non-profit engages Canadians as global citizens to work in solidarity with Afghans in order to raise awareness and create opportunities for women and girls to live with dignity, certainty, and purpose.
