Celebrating the best of British Columbia film and television, the Leo Awards will take place over three nights in downtown Vancouver, on Saturday, May 28th, Saturday June 4th and Sunday June 5th at the Hyatt Regency.

Leo Awards: Nominees

The Leo Awards received a total of 1137 eligible entries for 2016, the second highest in their history! This year’s entries are comprised of 173 program and 963 craft entries.

“Thank you to all our entrants for another remarkable year. We now begin the task of screening and adjudicating your work.” said Walter Daroshin, Leo Awards President.

Here are a few of the multiple-nominees for the 2016 Leo Awards:
Dramatic Series: Motive, 17 Nominations
Dramatic Series: The Romeo Section, 14 Nominations
Motion Picture: The Devout, 14 Nominations
Motion Picture: Numb, 12 Nominations
Television Movie: On the Farm, 10 Nominations
Television Movie: R. L. Stein’s Monsterville: The Cabinet Of Souls, 9 Nominations
Short Drama: Reset, 7 Nominations
Short Drama: Victory Square, 7 Nominations
Youth or Children’s Program or Series: Some Assembly Required, 8 Nominations
Documentary Program or Series: Sonic Magic: The Wonder and Science of Sound, 7 Nominations

View the full list of nominees by program online, along with the list of awards by evening.

Tickets are now available for the three awards ceremony evenings:

Celebration One Awards Ceremony
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Hyatt Regency – Perspectives Level, 34th Floor

Celebration Two Awards Ceremony
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Hyatt Regency – Regency Ballroom

Gala Awards Ceremony & Red Carpet
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Hyatt Regency – Regency Ballroom

Follow the Leo Awards on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

I love to show off our city, and with John’s family and friends being in United States, we get visitors almost every summer for whom I can play tour guide. Hopping into a car2go is an easy way to make the most of a full day around town when you want to show off a lot of sights. There are always a few place I love to take visitors which I think are “must sees” for everyone that wants to experience Vancouver:

5 Best Places to Take an Out of Town Guest

Museum of Anthropology

car2go parking: Closest parking a short walk away at UBC Arno Lot- 6300 Crescent Rd

Begin your introduction to Vancouver by going back to the start of its cultural heritage at the Museum of Anthropology. The museum is renowned for its displays of world arts and cultures, in particular works by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest.

The special exhibition this summer is “In the Footprint of the Crocodile Man”, featuring contemporary art of the Sepik River of Papua New Guinea. The museum shop is also one of the best in the region.

The Beach

car2go parking: In these beach areas, there is on street parking for permit, resident only, 2 hr, or areas with no signage where members can end their trips.

Spanish Banks, Jericho, and Kits Beaches all offer stunning views of the North Shore Mountains and Downtown Vancouver in the distance. Here you’ll find locals out walking their dogs, playing on the sand banks, and having picnics on warm summer days. Even in the winter, a beach stroll with warm beverage in hand is always a fine idea.

Sitting on the edge of Vancouver’s eastern boundary, New Brighton Park is a unique combination of community facilities, panoramic mountain views, beach-side paths… and industry. Flanked by traffic rushing by on the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and trains pulling out from the port, it’s a surprisingly quiet pocket of green space.

False Creek

car2go parking: There is on street parking for permit, resident only, 2 hr, or areas with no signage where members can end their trips. For Granville Island car2go has dedicated parking by Bridges Restaurant and Granville Hotel

Park the car, hop a water taxi, and criss cross this busy waterway, returning on foot around the sea wall. Watch dragon boaters slip past in unison, stop on a patio for some lunch with views of the city and mountains. Check out the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Village and how the area has turned into a bustling community with shops, services, craft breweries, cafes and restaurants.

Make Granville Island your start and end point while you discover the seaside culture of Vancouver along this marine thoroughfare, where you can also pick up some fresh seafood from right off the boat.

Coal Harbour

carg2go parking: Designated car2go parking can be found by the Coal Harbour Community Centre and overflow parking at 200 Granville (next to Waterfront Station).

From cruise ships at Canada Place and the Olympic Cauldron, to patio dining by the inlet, and the entrance to Stanley Park, Coal Harbour provide a great taste of Vancouver for visitors.

Head west on the Seawall toward Stanley Park, watch float planes land, and have a picnic on the lawn at Harbour Green Park. Coal Harbour showcases the city, the sea, and the beautiful views we have of the North Shore.

North Vancouver

carg2go parking: Designated parking is located at 200 E Esplanade Ave. 5 spaces on the south side and unlimited overflow in permitted in any unreserved parking space on the lot.

Cross the iconic Lions Gate Bridge and get a view of the city from across the water. Shop for local produce and artisanal ingredients at the Lonsdale Quay Market, enjoy a sunset from a patio near the Shipyards or shop the night market, and take advantage of a great photo op from Waterfront Park.

car2go is an entire fleet of free-floating, low-emission, self-service smart fortwo cars distributed all over the city. Its tech-friendly booking makes it a great option for getting out and about to enjoy Vancouver. Members can go to the car2go website to view a live map that shows all car2go parking spaces, and reference this FAQ PDF. Just click on parkspots to see where they are on the map. This feature is also available on the app.

Sign Up Deal

car2go is offering up free registration and 15 minutes of drive time* this summer when you sign up here, and use the code C2G15.

Follow car2go on Facebook and Twitter for more information about the service in your area.

*Restrictions and fees may apply. Registration deal/code is valid 5/2/2016- 6/12/2016.
Offer only valid in Vancouver until June 12th, 2016. One redemption per member. Drive time will be valid in Vancouver for 45 days from the date of issuance. This offer is not redeemable for cash or other credit.

In one day on the upper Sunshine Coast I had an awesome breakfast, learned how to play the violin, strolled along the beach, interviewed some fascinating locals for a FestivalSeekers article, drove up to Lund, hopped in a zodiac, ripped past Desolation Sound and landed on an island referred to as the “Galapagos of the Salish Sea”.

Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park

It was my second experience with Terracentric Tours, which is based out of Lund, right near the Mile 0 marker for Highway 101. Owner Christine Hollmann is incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to all things Sunshine Coast, Salish Sea, and navigating the beautiful waters and islands of British Columbia. This year, she took my small group out to Mitlenatch Island, which means “calm waters all around” in the Coast Salish language.

Mitlenatch Island is just 155 hectares but is full wildlife. It is a Rockfish Conservation Area, and home to the largest seabird colony in the Strait of Georgia. Its wildflower meadows sprout chocolate lilies, prickly pear cactuses, blue and white camus, and the rocky shores on one side balance a barking and groaning sea lion colony. The park receives less than 75cm (30 inches) of rain each year, about half the Campbell River average, making for a very unique ecosystem.

If you want to explore Mitlenatch, I recommend going with a tour since it is such an environmentally sensitive area. The park is accessible by boat only and the only access to the park is from Northwest Bay or Camp Bay. No boats are to land along the rocky shorelines on either side of both Camp and Northwest Bays or at any point around the island. Boaters should enter into the middle of either bay to minimize wildlife disturbance and are responsible for their own boat and passengers.

Book a Music Festival + Boat Tour Package

You can book a tour with Terracentric this summer and pair it with an amazing musical experience, with a direct tour package straight from Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast for the PRISMA Festival. The Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy in Powell River culminates with PRISMA on the Beach (Wednesday, June 15, 2016) where you can join 5,000 concertgoers for a seaside concert.

Read all about this event in my article “Orchestra on the Beach: PRISMA Brings a World of Music to Powell River” over on the FestivalSeekers website and check out Sunshine Coast Tourism to plan your trip to this beautiful coastal region.

This post has been contributed by Alicia Fontaine, Volunteer Coordinator with the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End over a decade ago and I have been a member for four years. I wanted to offer the team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I have created “SPES Saturday” where they contribute and share stories with my audience once a month.

Beauty is a Beast

Invasive Plants Threaten Stanley Park

A brilliant yellow verge rims sections of Lost lagoon at this time of year. Much to the delight of Park visitors, the yellow flag iris is blooming. But for Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES), the blooming season is a call to arms.

A SPES volunteer removes yellow flag iris from Lost Lagoon
(funding provided by HSBC Freshwater Initiatives in Stanley Park)

The BC government and the Invasive Species Council of BC have proclaimed May 2016 as “Invasive Species Action Month” to help raise awareness of the environmental and economic damage that invasive plants and animals can cause. When a non-native, invasive species is introduced into an ecosystem, it can spread rapidly, out-compete native species, and compromise natural habitats and processes that native species depend on for survival. English ivy, a prolific invasive plant within Stanley Park, can kill a native tree within 15 years.

A SPES volunteer frees a tree from
English ivy. Photo by Don Enright

In BC, just six invasive plant species caused an estimated combined damage of at least $65 million in 2008, with that amount expected to double by 2020. In Stanley Park alone, there are 72 non-native, invasive plant species, which are consuming about 30% of the Park.

Volunteers who participate in Eco Stewards, Special Invasive Removal Team, Ceperley Creek Restoration, and Lost Lagoon Island Restoration, all have a substantial impact on offsetting the destruction of invasive plant species.

In the past 12 months, 1,605 SPES volunteers have removed invasive plant species from 16,650m2 of land in the Park. Once the invasive species are removed, volunteers replant the area with native species, which prevents erosion and produces a high quality habitat.

A fence at Lost Lagoon supports the crocheting
of an English ivy “bionet”. Photo by SPES

Some of these invasives, including the yellow flag iris, are being investigated for their “upcycling” value. Rather than transport the piles of green waste generated by invasive species removal to a composting facility, SPES and environmental artist Sharon Kallis are testing the “weave-ability” of various invasive plants’ fibres.

So far, English ivy has been successfully crocheted into “bionets” which are laid across eroded slopes in the Park. The nets secure fresh native plantings that help stabilize the bare slopes and create habitat for wildlife. And Himalayan blackberry has been woven into wattle fences to protect sensitive rehabilitated sites. SPES and Sharon are drying the leaves of yellow flag iris and will soon be weaving them into various forms that could be used to support wildlife habitat in the Park. Nesting baskets for wrens, perhaps?

SIRT removes invasive blackberry from a blowdown site in Stanley Park (Photo by Tom Slatter)

If you would like to help remove invasive plant species in the Park, consider joining SPES’ next Eco Stewards events: Saturday, May 22 or Saturday, June 11. For those keen to be a part of SPES’ Special Invasives Removal Team, email the Stewardship Coordinator or call 604-718-6547.

Burnaby Heights Merchants present Hats Off Day 2016, a free celebration of community along Hastings Street in Burnaby. This is a huge one-day extravaganza featuring a colourful main-street style parade with real local flavour, followed by a big street party with a jungle theme this year.

Burnaby Heights Hats Off Day

The first Sunday in June always sees tens of thousands of people take part in this festival, merchants “take their hats off” to their community and their customers.

Where: Hastings Street between Boundary Road and Gamma Avenue
When Saturday, June 4, 2016 from 9:00am to 4:00pm
Admission: Free to attend! Merchants will be selling delicious street-side fare so bring some pocket change to sample the best of the Heights.

This entire ten block stretch of Hastings is shut down to traffic and the streets get packed with activities, entertainment, and delicious food samples. It’s fun for every age and it’s also dog friendly so bring your four-legged family members too. With multiple activities and attractions, each block has something to experience.

This action packed day starts with a pancake breakfast at 8:30am at Alpha Avenue and Hastings Street. Once you’re all filled up on syrupy goodness, find yourself a good spot to relax and watch the parade. The Family Fun Dash is next, this 3-block race promoting activity, health, and fun will be taking place at 9:30am, between Madison Avenue and MacDonald Avenue. This is followed by the jungle-themed parade at 10:00am.

After the parade finishes, the street party commences. Hastings Street features something unique and exciting at each block. The day is filled with numerous street performances, including steel drummers, Brazilian dancing, drumming by Milton Randall, performances by Juno award-winning jazz musician Gabriel Hasselbach, and more amazing artists performing your favourite Jungle hits.

Check out the Show & and Shine, from Gamma Avenue to Willingdon Street, to see all the vintage cars and be sure to vote for your favourites.

Follow the Burnaby Heights Merchant Association on Facebook and Twitter for more information and use tags #HatsOffDay2016 #JungleintheHeights to share the fun online when you’re at the event on June 4th.