They say, in these times of COVID-19, that April distance brings May existence. We’re heading into a time of year when the English Bay Slide would be sailed out of hibernation and we’d be fulfilling our camping reservations for the long weekend. With distancing measures in place, our late spring will definitely look different, but we can still have some fun thanks to creative folks who are still putting on May events in Metro Vancouver, ONLINE.
Every night at 7pm we get the opportunity to not only salute our frontline workers, but to also have a shared, collective experience. From our yards, windows and balconies we come together to show our appreciation and now Gratitudo, a locally-developed app, aims to enhance that experience.
Gratitudo App Enhances 7pm Cheer Experience
How it Works
Tune in, cheer, sing-along!
Every day, Gratitudo will countdown to the 7pm cheer for frontline heroes – make sure to turn on notifications! The event begins each night at 6:58pm, where a special pre-show highlighting heroes from your local community will be shown. At 7pm, the group cheer will begin, followed by a user-voted song of the night, which can be sung together in karaoke fashion as the words appear on the screen.
After the cheer and song, the app will close by highlighting a frontline responder or “Hero of the Day” selected from a variety of submissions.
Developed by Beanworks, the project is entirely self-funded with the app being 100% free with a zero advertisement policy. As the cheer was a grassroots movement, Gratitudo aims to promote its adoption and continue to keep the focus on the frontline heroes and away from commercialization. By supporting the cheer and sharing daily stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, Gratitudo seeks to affirm that physical distancing doesn’t have to mean social distancing.
Tulips are a lovely sight to see at this time of year, from the millions of bulbs in the Fraser Valley, to gardens and groves in the heart of the city. They have a very special meaning here in Canada, and their story is told through the 800 Liberation Tulips now blooming outside the Seaforth Armoury on Burrard Street.
Liberation Tulips. Photo by Josh Muir CD SHOC Regimental Association President
800 Liberation Tulips Now Blooming
On May 1st, over 40 local members and Regimental Family of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, Vancouver’s Infantry Regiment, were planning to fly to Holland to mark and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Holland during World War II.
Members of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada were responsible for liberating Amsterdam and several other Dutch towns and cities during the war so plans were for Seaforths to attend official veteran ceremonies at War Cemeteries, tour the liberation route of the Seaforth Highlanders, visit battles sites and to recreate the May 8, 1945 march into Amsterdam.
Like so many other events, plans changed overnight with COVID-19 and the only marker of this milestone is the 800 Liberation Tulips planted outside the Seaforth Armoury on Burrard Street. For the Liberation Tulip campaign, goal was to plant 1.1-million across the country, to commemorate the 1.1-million Canadians who served for their country during the Second World War.
In the fall of 2019, Canadians were encouraged to plant the red “Triumph” tulip, which would be blooming right now. Brian Minter wrote in the Vancouver Sun:
As a symbol, this tulip was to be a recognition of liberation, an expression of deep appreciation and a means to create awareness among the younger generations of the role Canadians played. The goal of planting one million tulips in schools, parks and home gardens was set. The Dutch Canadian 2020 Liberation Society decided that this should be a not-for-profit campaign here in B.C. with the net proceeds going to the Royal Canadian Legion, B.C. and Yukon Command.
As a thank-you for Canadian’s efforts in World War II, the Dutch Royal Family has been giving Canada 100,000 tulip bulbs each year since the war to be planted in the Ottawa region, but this year they will be donating ‘Liberation 75’ bulbs to 1,100 schools across the country, as well as 750 bulbs to provincial capitals. The National Capital Commission, the official gardener of the Capital, has also agreed to match this donation by planting 100,000 ‘Liberation 75’ tulips around our Capital.
You can see the Liberation Tulips at Burrard and First Ave. If you snap a photo during a morning constitutional, tag the Seaforth Highlanders on social media and #Liberation75 #LiberationTulips to share the beauty of these flowers, and their meaning.
This morning the Vancouver Park Board announced that VanDusen Botanical Garden will be opening on May 1, 2020 along with two city-run golf courses, Fraserview and McCleery. The sites will operate with new physical distancing procedures for users and staff to ensure a safe experience.
VanDusen Botanical Garden Opening
Vancouver Park Board Image
VanDusen Botanical Garden provides hundreds of acres of green space for the community. The Park Board assures that the site will be highly supervised, attendance is managed, and that facilities allow for new physical distancing protocols.
Visitors and Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (“VBGA”) members will be required to book an entry time slot in advance.
Hours of operation will be modified to provide the safest visitor experience. The Garden will open to the public Monday to Friday, 10:00am to 7:00pm, and from 9:00am to 7:00pm on weekends. VBGA members will have morning access from 9:00am to 10:00am, Monday to Friday.
A maximum of 30 visitors will be permitted in each time slot (every half hour).
Select facility features will be closed (such as the gift shop and cafe), some pathways will be marked as one-way, and guided tours will not be available.
Visitors will be required to maintain a two-metre distance from others at all times.
Enhanced and rigorous cleaning protocols will be implemented at all shared services (washrooms etc.).
One individual/household will be permitted in the maze at a time; the maze will be staffed to ensure compliance with this restriction.
Measures have also been introduced to keep VanDusen Botanical Garden and golf course maintenance staff safe. Schedules have been adapted and on-site procedures adopted to distance staff. Personal Protection Equipment has also been provided and will be in use for maintenance staff.
Langara Golf Course will remain closed for play, as the clubhouse is currently being used to prepare meals for residents of the Downtown Eastside. Pitch and putts in Stanley, Rupert, and Queen Elizabeth parks will also remain closed.
Mo Amir describes himself as “just a guy who loves his city”, and I feel that, being a gal who just loves her city too. When he asked me to be on the This is VANCOLOUR Podcast, I was honoured. He’s done some incredibly entertaining interviews with local and national personalities over the last two years, and I often see his audio clips go by on Twitter. It took a little while but we finally synced up our calendars this weekend and recorded one of his Colourful Calls segments.
We discussed the upcoming summer in Vancouver after the cancellation of all public gatherings, including the city’s hallmark events, due to the COVID-19 crisis.
I’m really glad podcasting is still around. John had a podcast from 2004-2009 and we did a group Canucks podcast with some awesome bloggers and fellow podcasters until about 2012.
Through his podcast, Mo brings together prominent Vancouver personalities in long-form, in-depth, and sometimes even emotional discussions. Past guests include Jody Wilson-Raybould, Tamara Taggart, David Eby, Ivan Decker, and Brad West. Although the focus of discussion is usually Vancouver-centric, This is VANCOLOUR consistently charts on iTunes as one of the most listened-to Canadian, independent politics and culture podcasts.
Follow Mo on Twitter to hear some of the soundbites from his interviews.
