The 12th annual Canuck Place Gift of Time Gala takes places on October 15th. Throughout its history, a highlight of the evening has been hearing from a Canuck Place family speaker. Last year, in front of a crowd of over 700 guests, Amy and Regan Ross bravely spoke about the loss of their daughter, Gabrielle. As we approach this year’s gala, Canuck Place has taken a look back at the story the Ross family shared.
“Life with a child such as Gabrielle and the other special children who are part of the Canuck Place program is anything but easy,” said Regan. “It is wonderful. The joys and the wonderment you get to share with these children are beyond words. But the challenges families face, not on a daily basis – but on a minute to minute basis – is utterly unimaginable unless you have lived through something similar.”
Amy told the room that their time with Gabrielle was magical. “She changed our lives in ways we never could have imagined. I grieved the loss of a healthy little girl, but what I was chosen to have instead, was the wisest, most loving and brave little girl, who challenged her mom, dad, and brothers to rise to the occasion and to live our lives that best way we could. After our initial stay at Canuck Place we settled at home with Gabrielle and enjoyed every minute with her, not knowing when would be our last.”
Throughout the three years they had with their daughter, one question lingered in the air.
“How do you raise a child you know is going to die?” asked Regan. “The truth is there really is no right answer to that question. You just do. Part of you dies when you’re faced to that question. You fall down to your knees and struggle to get up to face what you need to face. Canuck Place helped pick us up. They helped us answer and live through that question. And they helped us give everything we possibly could to Gabrielle and our three boys.”
Gabrielle passed away at Canuck Place in June 2013. The Rosses now have three sons, aged four, seven, and nine.
The entire family makes regular visits to Canuck Place to attend bereavement counselling, and Amy is currently a member of the Canuck Place Family Advisory Council, a group of Canuck Place family members who provide feedback and suggestions to Canuck Place staff.
Their input helps guide new or changing initiatives, so they can best meet the many needs of Canuck Place families. This group was even involved in designing the layout of a second Canuck Place location in Abbotsford, their unique perspective provides the invaluable insight into the experiences and needs of all families Canuck Place reaches.
Comedy is alive and well at the 35th Vancouver International Film Festival (“VIFF”), where you’ll find screenwriter/star Taylor Hill’s latest satire, Marrying the Family. I had the chance to chat with Hill ahead of her previous VIFF hit, Leap 4 Your Life back in 2013, and I’ve followed up three years later to find out more about her latest funny feature on the foibles of weddings.
Marrying the Family
“Weddings are always stressful, and always great places to find some stories.”
“I just love comedy and I feel like you can talk about serious subject matters with comedy. It’s always more funny and honest.” Hill told me over the phone after a full day of completing work on the film. It’s described in its VIFF bio as herding a cast of crazy cats into a scene-stealing, off-the-wall ode to to putting a ring on it. Or not.
Weddings are a balancing act in and of themselves, with sweet, romantic, and love-filled moments juxtaposed with stress and chaos, and Hill has harnessed that energy, offering a a lot of credit to those who have helped get each of her films off the ground, and onto film festival screens.
“We had Gary Hawes as director for Leap, and I was so naive to the experience. He literally was like a master class in film making, he walked me through everything, gave me so much creative control and helped build up my confidence. It was such a great experience.”
Marrying the Family has been a different experience, since she now knows what can be expected — or unexpected — when it comes to indie filmmaking. Hill says there are always hiccups and things that fall through the cracks, but she’s greatful for the experience around her. “We’re really lucky to have Peter Benson as a director because he comes from an actor background. I thought he would be a great director for Marrying. He can relate and help us improv.”
“I think I learned that my mom and I are a really good team, I can really rely on her.”
One relationship with a winning formula for both films is that between Hill and her mother, who initially encouraged her to write and be her creative self, when she dove into Leap in 2013.
“I wanted to do another movie because I had such a good experience with Leap and it was so fun. Festivals are great and I just really wanted to get back to writing and being behind the camera again.”
Family weddings inspired her to write this film, having attended a string of them last year, and realizing that they are the perfect arena for bringing together a collection of characters.
“I find whatever I’m going through, I just try to be honest, and that’s where the humour comes from. It also helps that I have really good actors that can take my lines, that maybe aren’t funny, but do what they do and make them funny. And editing. Editing is the best.”
Marrying the Family Screenings
When: October 2nd at 6:00pm & October 8th at 1:30pm Where: Rio Theatre & International Village Tickets:Available online now.
#MustSeeBC at VIFF
In advance of the festival, the #mustseeBC campaign, presented by TELUS Optik Local, invites audiences to preview trailers and VOTE for their favourite films. The film that gets the most fan votes takes the title “Audience Must-See-Film” and earns a Special Post Festival Red Carpet Screening! Vote for Marrying the Family here.
Win Tickets
Miss604 is proud to be the media partner & sponsor of Marrying the Family at VIFF this year. I have a handful of passes to give away to its premiere screening on Sunday, October 2nd at 6:00pm. Here’s how you can enter to win:
RT to enter to win tix for @mtf_movie at @VIFFest from @Miss604 #MustSeeBC http://owl.li/LV7i304bfrg
I will draw 2 winners, who will each receive a pair of tickets to the film, at 9:00pm on Tuesday, September 20, 2016. Follow Marrying the Family on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about the film.
Miss604 is a proud media partner of VIFF & Marrying the Family
Update The winners are Jenny & Stacey & @ranjpower!
The 14th annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival is coming up on Saturday, September 17th. Starting out at Slocan Park, this festival celebrates the nature and beauty of Renfrew Ravine and Still Creek. There will be a Harvest Fair from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, followed by a lantern art, music, and a fireworks finale from 7:30pm to 9:00pm at Renfrew Park.
Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival
For many decades the ravine was abandoned by the salmon due to the polluted water and ecosystems caused by neglect and a lack of acknowledgement of the value this natural space had. But the salmon have been returning to spawn in the community since 2012, thanks to the hard work of many community stewards and local governments collaborating to restore health of the stream and the ecosystem. And that’s worth celebrating!
Harvest Fair
Slocan Park 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Play games, make crafts, enjoy live music, and food. Guests can engage with local community booths, and join the Harvest Fair Competition, where you can enter the best crop from your summer garden. Everyone can make last-minute lanterns or purchase pre-made lanterns by local artists.
Twilight Lantern Parade
Departs at 7:15pm
As the moon rises and the sun sets musicians and dancers prepare the way for the twilight lantern parade along the beloved ravine. Festival goers can light their own lanterns and walk the trails along the ravine, accompanied by live music as darkness falls. Passing by the river-stone labyrinth, the procession is invited to a walking meditation surrounded by music and light. The parade then passes by other lantern installations and surprise performances until it reaches Renfrew Park.
Renfrew Park 7:30pm to 8:45pm
The parade crosses the street, leaves the streetlights, and descends into a transformed world of the stream, Still Creek, lined with lights, floating lantern art, and ethereal music. Time slows down as community members pause to offer Prayers for the Water and absorb the beauty of candlelight, exquisite lanterns, music, and the gently shimmering stream. Just outside of the stream, you’ll find musicians playing at the main stage, a Tea Garden full of delicious treats for you to enjoy, and a Mobile-Friendly Lantern Walk for everyone to enjoy.
Finale
Renfrew Park Field 8:45pm to 9:15pm
Finishing the evening at Renfrew Park Field, youth performers will showcase their choreographed performance including dancing, stilting, and fire spinning. The spectacle is accompanied by live music playing swing and jazz music. Bring your dancing shoes and participate in the dance floor right in front of the stage! The spectacle ends with an explosion of fireworks as a back-drop to the youth performers.
The Vancouver Mural Festival launched this summer, with walking tours and live music all around the Mount Pleasant, Main Street, and False Creek Flats area. Over 40 murals popped up, splashing the neighbourhood with colour and providing many priceless photo ops. If you missed the tour on opening weekend, there’s another coming up on Saturday.
Vancouver Mural Festival Tour
When: Saturday, September 17, 2016 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm Register:Sign up online here.
ART/SEEN Vancouver hosted 7 guided tours attended by over 100 guests during the festival’s opening weekend and they are coming back for an encore trip before the days get short and the rain starts falling.
“This tour explores the majority of the collection of mural sites from the top of Main & 12th to the industrial zone. Highlights include Hootsuite’s wrap-around by Scott Sueme (largest mural of the festival), the German duo LOW BROS mural on digital communication, and the ambitious collection of murals at the Arts Factory and Fontile Warehouse. We’ll get you connected to the artists’ vision, medium and creative process, and talk about the power of public art in placemaking and community building.”
The Vancouver Mural Festival was presented in partnership with the The City Of Vancouver, Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Area, and Burrard Arts Foundation. Follow the conversation online @VanMuralFest and sign up for Saturday’s tour via ART/SEEN.
This year’s Stanley Park Ghost Train theme is the Day of the Dead. Gather with friends and family to remember our loved ones and celebrate this festival of life. Be serenaded by a mariachi band of cockroaches, ride the train through the tunnel of flames with the Aztec Lord and Lady of Death, and picnic with us in a gorgeous graveyard where friendly souls return to dance with a twelve foot skeleton.
Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train
Opening Hours
The Ghost Train is open October 8th to 31st, 2016. We will be closed October 10th for Thanksgiving Day. On opening weekend, October 8th & 9th, all-ages tickets for matinee and evening trains are $6 (plus tax).
Live Theatrical Performance Train
Monday to Thursday, 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Friday to Sunday, 5:30pm to 10:00pm
Matinee Train
Friday to Sunday, 11:00am to 5:00pm (last train at 5:00pm)
The matinee train ride is a great daytime activity for families, school groups, and groups with children. There are no live performers during matinee train rides but you can view the displays.
Night Train
The classic night train ride includes a 14 minute experience following our “Day of the Dead” theme with lights, sounds, and live performers.
Spooky Barn
The third annual Spooky Barn is open all operating hours. Enjoy this fun, indoor, haunted addition to our family friendly event. Escape from the weather and have a Spooky good time for just $2 per person. Spooky Barn will be available for both matinee and evening show times.
Tickets
You must buy a ticket to ride the train and for admission to the Spooky Barn. Your ticket is valid for one Ghost Train ride and other attractions in the plaza. Tickets for the Spooky Barn sold separately.
TIPS:
Book online in advance to save time and to avoid sold out rides.
Avoid the crowds and come out Monday to Thursday in the first two weeks.
Tickets are sold in half-hour time slots. Several trains will depart within each time slot. Tickets are good for one train ride during the time slot shown on the ticket, and for one entry to the Train Plaza attractions. Buy online or by phone (604-252-3700) with TicketLeader. Service fees and charges apply to advance ticket sales.
A portion of tickets for each night are reserved for on-site purchase, so even if online tickets are sold out for that day, there will still be tickets for sale on-site (for same-day). However, since this event is so popular, tickets for the day can sell out quickly. Full details are available online.
Charity Partner
When you visit Ghost Train, please give generously to this year’s partner charity, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. You can bring non-perishable food items for the food bank.
Creatures of the Night
While at the Stanley Park Ghost Train, join one of Stanley Park Ecology Society’s free Creatures of the Night tours.
Follow the Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train on Facebook and Twitter.
Their input helps guide new or changing initiatives, so they can best meet the many needs of Canuck Place families. This group was even involved in designing the layout of a second Canuck Place location in Abbotsford, their unique perspective provides the invaluable insight into the experiences and needs of all families Canuck Place reaches.
For many decades 
